Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
The kids and I took the PW up to Emigrant Springs state park today (Saturday), because it was predicted to be hot. Made picnic food and took a couple things to read. Got there early afternoon, and as we pulled in, I wanted to park the truck in the shade, but the only shade there was was filled by a Toyota SUV (Sequioa or Land Cruiser) with a little Coleman pop-up behind it. In fact, it was almost blocking the road.
Well, I drove by and parked in the shadiest area, the kids hopped out and I grabbed the dog, put him on the leash and was about to find the nearest drinking fountain (this park has the best tasting water for MANY miles in any direction) when I caught on to some conversation from the people milling around the toyota in the middle of the parking lot. I approached the guy who seemed to be the owner and he asked me "Do you have any gas?". Well, no. I can't even siphon out of the PW, it has an anti-siphon device in the inlet.
So I asked him what was wrong... He said it acted like it had some strange problem with the fuel. It had bucked missed on the highway after pulling Cabbage Hill, and then just as he was getting to the turn off to the park, it kept dying and sputtering and so he pulled into the park, got to only place in the shade, but then it died before he could get to the RV parking spaces. He showed me the gas gauge, which read 1/3 tank, and cranked the engine. Obligingly, it coughed several times, but refused to start. I got a wrench out of my tool box on the back of the PW, and checked his fuel filter. No apparent pressure at either end.
So, I asked where they were from... "Portland". "Oh, did you fill up on Pendleton?" "No, it said I had a half tank. " "I see". "What kind of milage do you normally get?". "Oh, we get about 15 without the trailer on behind". "I see, how large of a tank is it?" "Well, it holds about 18 gallons. ". "And where did you fill up at?" "Portland". "What kind of milage do you get pulling the trailer?". "Ummm... 11 or 12".
He showed me the gas gauge again. "You know, if you do the math, there's no way on earth that thing is right. Even if you got 15, you could not possibly have just under half a tank". "Huh, I never thought of that... you know, yer right!"
I drove him down to Pendlton to Wal-Mart, where he got a 5 gallon gas can for 4. 88, to the gas station, where we got 5 gallons of gas. I drove him back to the park (took us most of an hour), dumped in the gas, cranked for 15 seconds, it wheezed, coughed, sputtered and then started running fine.
That's a 3. 4 Liter V-6, small rig - smaller than an explorer or Durango (a lot smaller), and he used all 18. 5 gallons of fuel in 220 miles.
That's less than 12 MPG, towing a trailer 4 feet tall and 12 feet long.
As I said, I'd be smoking out the ears at that milage.
Well, I drove by and parked in the shadiest area, the kids hopped out and I grabbed the dog, put him on the leash and was about to find the nearest drinking fountain (this park has the best tasting water for MANY miles in any direction) when I caught on to some conversation from the people milling around the toyota in the middle of the parking lot. I approached the guy who seemed to be the owner and he asked me "Do you have any gas?". Well, no. I can't even siphon out of the PW, it has an anti-siphon device in the inlet.
So I asked him what was wrong... He said it acted like it had some strange problem with the fuel. It had bucked missed on the highway after pulling Cabbage Hill, and then just as he was getting to the turn off to the park, it kept dying and sputtering and so he pulled into the park, got to only place in the shade, but then it died before he could get to the RV parking spaces. He showed me the gas gauge, which read 1/3 tank, and cranked the engine. Obligingly, it coughed several times, but refused to start. I got a wrench out of my tool box on the back of the PW, and checked his fuel filter. No apparent pressure at either end.
So, I asked where they were from... "Portland". "Oh, did you fill up on Pendleton?" "No, it said I had a half tank. " "I see". "What kind of milage do you normally get?". "Oh, we get about 15 without the trailer on behind". "I see, how large of a tank is it?" "Well, it holds about 18 gallons. ". "And where did you fill up at?" "Portland". "What kind of milage do you get pulling the trailer?". "Ummm... 11 or 12".
He showed me the gas gauge again. "You know, if you do the math, there's no way on earth that thing is right. Even if you got 15, you could not possibly have just under half a tank". "Huh, I never thought of that... you know, yer right!"
I drove him down to Pendlton to Wal-Mart, where he got a 5 gallon gas can for 4. 88, to the gas station, where we got 5 gallons of gas. I drove him back to the park (took us most of an hour), dumped in the gas, cranked for 15 seconds, it wheezed, coughed, sputtered and then started running fine.
That's a 3. 4 Liter V-6, small rig - smaller than an explorer or Durango (a lot smaller), and he used all 18. 5 gallons of fuel in 220 miles.
That's less than 12 MPG, towing a trailer 4 feet tall and 12 feet long.
As I said, I'd be smoking out the ears at that milage.
and I get the same or better milage now with 20X the power (solo)..... I love my truck
. . Jim
