Whats the Avreage GAS milage

exoticauto2003

Registered User
I have a 90 sc, my Gas gauge is broken . it is always pegged at over full . Untill I can get this fixed what is the average gas milage of the SC, under normal driving conditions? I need this so I can just estimate the miles I go/ per gallon of gas.... I dont want to run out and be stranded thanks to ALL of you .
Michael, Exotic Autohaus
 
well i got between 11-12mpg in town with my 89 5 speed and 19-27 on the highway. With my 95 auto I got 31mpg on the highway, not sure about in town. BUt normally you will need to fill up after 150 to 200 miles of in town driving
 
5spd - AOD slightly diff

My stock AOD was 20 avg - 16 city, 28 hywy. The 5spd was 21 avg - 17 city, 29 hywy.

Hope that helps. :)
 
how do you fix that gauge problem.... sending unit??? or just the new gauge... or both??? and Ive been looking for aftermarker sending units... no luck.... do you have to get it from ford??? or is it something else... can the float get stuck??? its really annoying not really knowing how much gas you have... and I bought the car like that... so I never had a real tank reading... thanks
 
It sounds like....

either a short in the wiring or the sending unit. I'd take a meter a check for a short before doing anything else.
 
as the tank empties... the needle starts to dip.... and the low fuel indicator finally goes off when it starts dipping.... but its never a true reading... how do I check the meter for a short??
 
More symptoms!

With what you just posted, I'd say it's at the gauge itself. You're getting a reading from the sender and harness (low indicator works) so that just leaves the short wire or connector to the gauge or the gauge itself. Have you tried re-seating the connection to the gauge? Could just be a loose or corroded connection.
 
Last edited:
no I havent tried anything... the low fuel indicator comes on when I fill it up and stays on most of the time... what do I do??? just take the gague out and reconnect it??? how do I test for a short??? or is it a different prob since the low fuel indicator comes on most of the time... thanks a lot for your help...
 
I know my 89 used to get stuck on fulll after a hard launch with wheel hop somtimes. Then sometime later it would go back to normal.
 
Sorry Matt, I mis-read the posting.

The low indicator comes "ON" when you fill up and the gauge reads full? Then as the tank empties, the low goes off and the gauge starts to drop. That's a weird one! Without more info, it's just a guessing game. But it still sounds like a short somewhere.

You're going to have to measure, with a multimeter, the resistance between the lead going onto the gauge and ground. At the other end, measure, to ground, both the lead going to the sender and the line coming out of the sender.

To do these things requires tearing the dash apart and to really see what you're doing, drop the fuel tank. If you don't feel comfortable doing that, find a reliable garage. They should be able to diagnose in an hour or 2.
 
hmmm. i usually get 16 mpg when i drive "spirited", and if i dont let the boost guage reach positive pressure, i get about 25. I would love to get 31 MPH. (Even though TX gas is ONLY 1.79 for the 93 octane)
 
On the way back from a mini-meet yesterday I only managed 15.5 mpg. I have a 2700 stall non locking converter and 3.73 gears, so the tach was showing about 3000 rpms to go 85mph.

If I'm driving it hard I can practially watch the fuel gauge drop.

David
 
Chris...the tanks are 15 gallons, and damn it's a small world man! I once lived in Coloma Michigan about 7 years ago.

You should move to Va it's much warmer :)

-Tim
 
Whoa guys....

check your owner's manuals! My 90's have 19 gal tanks. How else would I be able to drive to Vegas and back on a single tank? :D

When they up'd the engine output, they shrank the fuel tank - go figure!
 
Tim....

....a lovely 17 today. However, I moved here a year and a hlaf ago from Birmingham, Alabama. I'm at mother Whirlpool. I don't like hot weather even though I gre up there. I can take 3 months of cold, better than 100 degree humid summers!

take care,

Chris
 
I could swear that mine was bigger than 15 gallons. Hell it takes more than 20 dollars to fill from a half tank and that is at 189 a gallon.
 
I drove to 300 miles at around 75 mph and got 22 mpg. On the return trip with a headwind and avg closer to 80mph I got 20 mpg. This is on a 89 SC with AOD and stock 3.27 gears.
 
Back
Top