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bad gas

ggrotz
Explorer
Explorer
i have a 2005 pacearrow 37a workhorse engine.I never let the gas tank go lower than a half tank,before i refill it.I also don,t run it for about 2 months or longer.the rv seems to run ok but the gas milage is about 4 miles to the gallon,any thoughts about this? thank you.
10 REPLIES 10

Chum_lee
Explorer
Explorer
Is the check engine light on? How many miles on this vehicle?

Chum lee

eHoefler
Explorer II
Explorer II
Fuel is going stale, you need to be sabilizing it. Seafoam at 1 oz to 2 gallons. Run the tank down below 1/4 tank, then fill it up to full with the proper amount of Seafoam, then drive it to get the mixture all the way up to the engine.
2021 Ram Limited, 3500, Crew Cab, 1075FTPD of Torque!, Max Tow, Long bed, 4 x 4, Dually,
2006 40' Landmark Mt. Rushmore

Bumpyroad
Explorer
Explorer
12th Man Fan wrote:
I think ethanol looses it's potency after awhile. I bought a new lawn mower lat year and the first thing they told me was to not use ethanol over 45 days old.

Yes I know a mower engine is a lot different but I suspect the fuel looses some punch even in a bigger motor.


I believe one issue is that the ethanol absorbs water. basically what Heet or dry gas is??? perhaps.
bumpy

ArchHoagland
Explorer
Explorer
You've got a problem.

I have the same engine and about the same weight motorhome and have averaged 7.1 mpg for the past 80,000 miles.

I travel in mountains a lot but have never seen 4 mpg. Lowest was about 5.8 on a day of continuous headwind and some mountains.
2004 Monaco La Palma 36DBD
Workhorse W22 8.1 Gas Allison 1000, 7.1 mpg

2000 LEXUS RX300 FWD 22MPG 4020 LBS
US Gear Brakes

LadyRVer
Explorer
Explorer
I have sometimes hit a 4-4.5 mpg as the mileage between fill ups, but next tank will give me 8.75. My 1999 (new at that time) gave me about 7.5 mpg.
Is the generator running, dash a/c and wonder how heavy the foot on the gas pedal? I usually averaged out 7.5 to 8.0 with a Class A, most always 31'.

12th_Man_Fan
Explorer
Explorer
I think ethanol looses it's potency after awhile. I bought a new lawn mower lat year and the first thing they told me was to not use ethanol over 45 days old.

Yes I know a mower engine is a lot different but I suspect the fuel looses some punch even in a bigger motor.
2014 GMC Duramax 4X4 DRW Crew

2015 DRV Tradition

rgatijnet1
Explorer III
Explorer III
O2 sensor bad or dirty MAF

Bumpyroad
Explorer
Explorer
sea foam to the rescue
bumpy

DrewE
Explorer
Explorer
4 mpg does seem pretty low, but mileage does depend a lot on the driving conditions, generator usage, etc. The worst case mileage you can get is zero mpg, when the engine is running and you aren't moving. I would generally expect something in the range of six or seven mpg, maybe slightly better, for a typical gas class A with typical (primarily highway) usage.

If you think you have bad or stale gas, the best advice I can think of is to use as much of it up as possible and refill with fresh gas. It probably would not hurt to put in some sta-bil before filling up if it will sit for awhile without being used. Depending on the mileage, it may also be worthwhile to do typical tune-up sorts of things on the engine: replace spark plugs, check and clean smog control sensors and gizmos, etc. It might also be wise to make sure you don't have any brakes sticking or dragging (though I think you would have noticed that independently).

2oldman
Explorer
Explorer
4 mpg? That seems low.
"If I'm wearing long pants, I'm too far north" - 2oldman