Community Forums

ephratah · 08-11-2019, 05:28 AM

We Bought a 2000 Fleetwood Flair v32 with Ford v10 and are planning our 1st big trip to Maine it is 570 miles one way and just want to know what kind of mileage to expect. Does any one have a similar Class A for us to compare it to? We took a local trip of 110 miles one way and I put 28 gallons in to go the 110 miles it was 2 lane road with some hills. If you figure fuel used and miles went it equates to around 4 MPG I think it should be a little better than that.
Can any one chime in with any info or tips?

Wally61 · 08-11-2019, 05:33 AM

I am on my way to Maine right now from buff ny and first tank of gas I averaged 8.6 that’s with air running sometimes. Average speed 62 to 65 I have a 2002 georgetowne

LETMGROW · 08-11-2019, 06:09 AM

I would say you are only getting about 1/2 of the MPG you should be. I'd want to be at the least in the high 7's or low 8's.
Do you know any of the maintenance history on your RV? Has the engine ever had basic tune-up maintenance? A good start might be a new set of spark plugs, a new air and fuel filter (if replaceable) and a couple cans of injector cleaner.
Do you have a check engine light on while driving? Normally an overly rich fuel mixture will trip the light to on. The light could signal a miss in the engine you might not even feel or an exhaust system partially plugged.
Have you noticed any of the wheels being hot or warmer them some of the others which would indicate a dragging brake which would cause poor mileage.
If you have a friend or a trusted mechanic you could hook up a computer scan tool (not just a cheap code reader) and take the coach for a ride while watching all the computer data. Check for + fuel trim readings which indicates the computer is adding fuel to overcome another condition such as a vacuum leak somewhere. Check for any other parameters which are out of range.
These are just a couple ideas of things to check for. Start with basics and work up from there.
Lynn

ephratah · 08-11-2019, 06:38 AM

I own a repair shop and I have change engine oil with full synthetic 5w 20 have checked air filter has a new K&n filter did have check engine light and scanned it with my snap on verus scanned and replaced 3 bad ignition coils it has no misfire at this point and no check engine light. I may hook up my scanned and check mode 6 for misfires then take for a ride and check fuel trims and 02 reading I will record data and review when I get back to shop. I did notice that when we are cruising around 60 MPH the tach is at about 2500 which seems high to me but I do not know what gear ratio is I know it is going into Overdrive I checked that and RPM'S went up when od was disabled. I am a full time mechanic and own my own shop the motor home thing is new to me I am going to replace the rest of the ignition coils then they are all new.

Rolling Ragu · 08-11-2019, 06:50 AM

Of all posts on MPG, 7 seems to be the single most common result.

Waiter21 · 08-11-2019, 07:15 AM

I have the same engine / transmission you have, mine probably weighs a little more than yours, with my toad, I weigh about 23,000 lbs

On my last trip out west, I averaged 7.0 mpg over 7500 miles, This was mainly interstate travel, 60 - 65 mph. Best I got on that trip was 9.3 (very strong tail wind), worst was 4.6 (strong had wind).

You need to do a few legs of the trip to start building a baseline. The calculation on one single leg may not be accurate - i.e. was the tank really full, was there unusual circumstances, i.e. hills, mountains, winds, traffic, etc..

Quote:

60 MPH the tach is at about 2500

With OD on, that sounds about right.

On mine with OD off

3rd gear > 65mph > 4k rpm
2nd gear > 45mph > 4k rpm
1st gear > 25 mph > 4k rpm

I use these numbers in the mountains when making climbs to select a gear and speed that gives me about 4k rpm.

I have a lot of info on my F53 V10 / 4R100 transmission that you may find interesting.

http://www.1999southwind.com/

..

LETMGROW · 08-12-2019, 04:40 AM

While you have your scanner on the MH take note of the Baro and MAP readings. If I remember correctly they are built into the ECM.
At rest with the key on engine off the Baro should read around 30. When these fail they will read down in the mid 20's. The MAP sensor readings should vary with engine RPM's and engine load.
Also check the exhaust tail pipe for a sooty condition which indicates an overly rich running condition.
Lynn

Gary RVRoamer · 08-12-2019, 03:17 PM

If your speed was up around 75 mph, that sounds about right. At around 62, ought to be 7.5-8.0 or maybe a bit better. Cruising the interstate is better than shuffling along two-lane roads. If you push the go-peddle hard trying to accelerate like a car, your mpg goes straight into the toilet. "Your mileage may vary" was never more true.

Russ Silber · 08-12-2019, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary RVRoamer

If your speed was up around 75 mph, that sounds about right. At around 62, ought to be 7.5-8.0 or maybe a bit better. Cruising the interstate is better than shuffling along two-lane roads. If you push the go-peddle hard trying to accelerate like a car, your mpg goes straight into the toilet. "Your mileage may vary" was never more true.

We have 1999 Dutchstar. Run at 63-65 average 6.8 towing crv. Have gotten as high as 8.5 with tail wind. Previous fleetwood flair 2006 model got about 7mpg not towing from fl to unstate N.Y. [emoji41]

ephratah · 09-17-2019, 03:36 AM

took our 1st trip in MH we went 800 miles round trip we got 7.3 MPG on 1st tank and 8.1 MPG on second tank not towing any thing ran around 60 MPH most of the time had about 300 miles of interstate and about 100 miles of 2 lane road had some hilly sections on interstate and 2 lane road

Waiter21 · 09-17-2019, 12:17 PM

Thanks for reporting back. Your numbers sound reasonable..

LETMGROW · 09-18-2019, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ephratah

took our 1st trip in MH we went 800 miles round trip we got 7.3 MPG on 1st tank and 8.1 MPG on second tank not towing any thing ran around 60 MPH most of the time had about 300 miles of interstate and about 100 miles of 2 lane road had some hilly sections on interstate and 2 lane road

You have certainly seen an improvement. I would be carrying an extra coil or two. Unless the other 7 were replaced sometime in the past all 10 coils were born on the same day. You are 30% there.
It might not hurt to take your scan tool along with you just in case either. A cylinder contribution test can reveal some hidden problems as I'm sure you know.
I hope you have a carefree trip and enjoy it.
Lynn

ephratah · 09-19-2019, 01:37 AM

I have replaced the rest of the coils so there are 10 new coils on it and I kept the used ones for a emergency on the road In case one fails. I will start taking my scan tool with me did not take it on my trip to PA but will take it on the Maine trip