How to increase MPG in my 89 2.3L

[TheFamilySign]

Hey guys when i bought my new to me 89 mustang 2..3 in febuary i was getting 27-30 MPG, now i get 17-21
only thing ive took off are the back seats sometimes the passenger seat aswell.
i got it at 106,xxxmiles now its at about 112,xxx i think.
what can i do to increase MPG
a full tune up? what is needed for a full tune up?
allignment since it goes more to the right when i let go,
new tires?
i was also thinking of taking off the trunk off for a few days for fun since its super hot here in california, im a pizza driver for pizza hutt.

any help and info is great.

[Flakbadger]

With as many miles as you have, you could use a tune-up, plugs/wires, probably synthetic oil but at the very least a good oil change, and yeah, alignment is going to make a big difference too.

[BackroadBomber]

If you have the 8 plug head you can save some cash by only replacing the passenger side plugs/wires because the ones on the drivers side fire on the exhaust stroke for emissions and have nothing to do with combustion. Also, an electric fan would do wonders freeing up some hp and taking a load off the engine.

[Frank Lee]

Mods are well and good but it wasn't that long ago it got 40% better economy so that points directly to a mechanical problem right?

If it pulls to the right it could be alignment; it could also be low air pressure in tire(s), and as old as that car is, it could very well be a brake dragging problem. I'd look at psi first and brakes second, but then you never mentioned how well it runs.

[GRU]

What other changes have you made. Short trips? Using lots of a/c?

[shovel]

Originally Posted by GRU

What other changes have you made. Short trips? Using lots of a/c?

If he's talking about removing the back hatch for summer, I doubt he's got working A/C..

By the way, don't take the hatch off.. you'll start getting exhaust fumes up in the cab and we want you to stick around healthy a good while longer - fumes won't help that.

How's the car running, in general? Is there a significant smell to its exhaust? Does it idle well & accelerate smoothly?

[Gealii]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

Mods are well and good but it wasn't that long ago it got 40% better economy so that points directly to a mechanical problem right?

If it pulls to the right it could be alignment; it could also be low air pressure in tire(s), and as old as that car is, it could very well be a brake dragging problem. I'd look at psi first and brakes second, but then you never mentioned how well it runs.

i'd listen to frank on this 1 if you used to get alot better mileage. You would be surpised how many mpgs are lost from low tire pressure. I would go ahead with a tune up as well as the normal time it should be done is around 100k miles.

[TheFamilySign]

it runs great but sometimes to turn it on i have to floor the gas, the oil burns quickly and i deliver pizza averaging 50-70 miles a day,
sometimes when i put her in park she will shut down

[Flakbadger]

Originally Posted by TheFamilySign

it runs great but sometimes to turn it on i have to floor the gas [...] sometimes when i put her in park she will shut down

Pretty sure that's a vacuum leak my friend, and IDK if your car has catalytic converters or not, but if it does you're likely to light them on fire in the near future if you don't get it fixed.

[TheFamilySign]

Alright just did a full tune up,
spark pkugs and wires, rotor and cap, and oil change.
pht propper air in my tires.and also added a 12inch sub, need some bass :P
45$ to fill at 12.503gallons
Should i take it to ford to get my car inspected and then work on it myself?
wondering why i gotta floor it to turn it on and it turns off at time
may be a vacume leak,