Mileage on 2001 Dakota 3.9 Auto?

What kind of mileage are you guys getting in the city with the 3.9 in a 2001 dakota? I filled the tank and got 149 miles before it was ready to be fueled again,unless the fuel light comes on when there are still 5 gallons left. With a 20 gal tank this is awful,about 7 miles per gallon,I find that very hard to believe. Anyone have any ideas?

Reply to
RH
Loading thread data ...

My 2001 Dakota 3.9 with about 50k on it gets about 14 mpg around town. It's a single cab with a canvas cover, so not much additional weight.

Gary B.

Reply to
Gary

That seems to be a bit on the low side. How are you driving it? Are you pushing it hard to accelerate? Is it pinging a lot?

Reply to
TBone

Suddenly, without warning, RH exclaimed (2/13/2008 10:32 AM):

That's pretty low. My 2001 with the 4.7, supposed to get 1mpg less than yours, gets an average of just under 18mpg these days.

I'm not sure when the fuel light comes on, I know I can go at least 20 miles on it, though :)

jmc

Reply to
jmc

My 2001 Dakota , short bed, short cab , 5 speed got a solid 21mpg not matter how hard i drove it.

Reply to
Scootter

I don't think I am driving it hard,I don't notice any pinging per say but there is a ticking while it runs,quiet but noticeable none the less.I am going to try and trade it in over the summer I think. Is there a chance it has less than a 20 gal tank on it? Like maybe 15 or something?

Reply to
RH

if you are figuring your mileage based on what you think the tank holds then you can't begin to even know the true measure. fill it up, reset the trip meter to zero and next time you fill it up again divide the number of actual gallons it takes into the mileage on the trip meter. i hope that didn't really need to be stated but i did it anyway.

your owners manual should tell you exactly what size tank you have. usually they will hold a tad more than the rating if you have a habit of filling it up to the top of the neck. michael

Reply to
nunya

about the same as you'd get with a fullsize half ton. I was jaded too with these 1/4 tonne trucks, thinking they were a fuel saver... not the case, i shouldn't have jumped on that foolish band wagon -- now i'm stuck with one for at least another few months until i get enough "use" out of it...

Reply to
Picasso

I am wondering if my tank indicator is out of calibration or something cause when the light comes on and its near empty,I can still usually only get 13 or 15 gallons into it.Who knows, I really wish it would catch on fire or something.Its got 60k miles,I just had a new water pump put on 2 months ago and now it's leaking coolant again today. I am going to call the toyota dealership and see if they will take it lol.

Reply to
RH

mopar or autozone brand water pump? michael

Reply to
nunya

I have a 3.9 / 3 speed auto NO overdrive in a Ram Van. Very underpowered But I can get 14mpg on the highway

-- Message posted using

formatting link
information at
formatting link

Reply to
sqdancerLynn

I thought my 2000 Dakota was just a chronic gas guzzler when I first bought it a few years ago... I mean it guzzled gas like a starving dog. I changed the tps and put in some fresh plugs and it suddenly become economical to drive. It guzzled so much gas that I could watch my fuel guage drop when I drove 3 miles to work. after that it barely used any gas at all.

Reply to
Roger Rabbid

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.