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Terrible MPG


jcartwright99

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So my recently acquired 2017 MKZ 3.0 AWD CPO in mostly city driving, is getting about 14-15 mpg. I am trying to baby it too. EPA city is 17 city so I thought if I babied it, I would be able to achieve it. I am only using the onboard computer for this computation so I will be installing an app and also doing it manually just to see if it's off. I didn't buy this car for MPG but I feel like I am getting worse than Mustang GT or Full Size Truck MPG.

 

Anyone think this is normal or a bit low? I just want to make sure their isn't any issues.

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Fords official stance is not to measure MPG for the first several thousand miles. There is a 'break in' part of the software that hurts mpg for a time. Don't baby it so much.

 

I bought it with 35,000 on it so I think it should be broken in by now. I am hoping there isn't something broken (sensor?) that is making it run fuel heavy.

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Don't beat the dogsh*t out of it either. Drive normally and don't be afraid to step on it every now and then.

 

I am going to admit, people drive like F*CKERS around here and it's really hard not punch it every now and then to get around these drivers. I am going to do an unofficial test with the fuelly app and test my math skills myself just to see what I am really getting per tank (a driven nicely tank). If by driving like my mother, who is 72, would drive and I am still getting 14-15 (majority city)....should I be worried that I am not closer to 17? I also should note that I put premium in the tank since I have owned it.

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What kind of fuel are you running? If you haven't already, try a few tanks of 93 and see if MPG improves - from what I've read on some Fusion forums, the EB motors in general really like the higher octane stuff.

 

(Does anyone know what fuel the EPA estimate is based on?)

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The only way they can use 93 for the EPA testing is if the owner's manual requires premium. Since Ford doesn't require premium the tests should have been done using 87. Although you have to remember the EPA uses pure gasoline, not E-10.

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That mileage sounds really low to me, although it is difficult to judge the driving conditions or driving habits of others. When you say "city driving," if you mean stop & go downtown traffic and gridlock prone boulevards and freeways, that is probably not unusual mileage at all.

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My ecoboost f150 mileage varies a lot. Biggest factors I've seen is cold weather, remote start use, fuel quality. Cold weather makes the largest impact for me. Although I don't think the cluster calculates mpg during remote start. However, it definitely makes a difference on how many miles I get to a tank. I use it almost every morning. It's really either Eco or boost. Not both. I like the boost more than the Eco. Especially when someone tries to beat you at a light to switch lanes. I say make'em work for it! ;)

Edited by fordtech1
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So my recently acquired 2017 MKZ 3.0 AWD CPO in mostly city driving, is getting about 14-15 mpg. I am trying to baby it too. EPA city is 17 city so I thought if I babied it, I would be able to achieve it. I am only using the onboard computer for this computation so I will be installing an app and also doing it manually just to see if it's off. I didn't buy this car for MPG but I feel like I am getting worse than Mustang GT or Full Size Truck MPG.

 

Anyone think this is normal or a bit low? I just want to make sure their isn't any issues.

Advice...it sounds insignificant, but....inflate tires to 35 PSI...you'll notice the car will roll much easier than the usual low 30 PSI.
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I made an appointment for Tuesday to check a noise in the climate control (faint sound running water/plumbing/almost a dishwasher sound) which is weird and they are also going to see if there is any obvious reason for the bad fuel economy. So we'll see and ill keep you folks posted.

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At the dealer today so I should find out something (or maybe nothing). I had a strange puddle of something in my garage space around the trunk area (didn't get to investigate that) so they are taking a look at that too. There are now 3 things they are looking at. This may sound strange but I hope they find something wrong and obviously fix the problems. Not that I want something wrong but at least with taking my Ford cars in for service, I always felt the techs/service people wouldn't take you too seriously after not being able to duplicate what you say you are experiencing.

 

I will say I am on my 4th tank of premium fuel since buying it, mileage has increased a bit but traffic hasn't been very heavy at all. I was at about 18.5 at half a tank, which is acceptable for city driving. We shall see what they say.

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Well, I got the call I dreaded. Everything is fine and they couldn't duplicate the noise. Fair enough for now I guess. I will have to have my phone ready to record the noise when I hear it. The leak they said was most likely water.

 

Fuel economy seems to be picking up a bit so I am fine with it for now. Leak could have been water so that is fine until I see it again. However, I know there is a running water noise with the climate control that rears its head sometimes. I know that it's not a normal climate control sound. I have had 2 people in the car with me that have heard it and both of them said it sounded weird. Working in IT I can get the techs perspective, if they can't duplicate then they have no way of diagnosing what the problem is (especially if there are no codes).

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If you do a google search for gurgling sound in hvac or climate control, you will see that this is a common problem in cars. I seriously don't understand why I have to troubleshoot my problem when I take it to the dealer. I don't really have time to create documentation of things for them to look for. Seriously frustrating when you know there is a problem and very little effort is put in on the service side to look into it. Sure, on the surface they weren't able to duplicate but an ASE mechanic should know what creates these issues. :rant2:

 

Is coolant level low?

Any cooling system leaks?

Air trapped in the system?

Edited by jcartwright99
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The saga continues but some progress has been made. I was pretty pissed yesterday about the situation, knowing that there is an issue but they didn't find anything.The MPG's have leveled out a bit for average city driving 17-19 MPG's so that doesn't have me terribly worried. I was mostly worried about this gurgling/water flowing noise with that I hear about 50% of the time when driving in stop and go traffic.

 

I got a dose of perspective this morning, as I had to take my 2 year old son to ultrasound his lymph nodes for cancer. He recently was diagnosed with a rare form of Melanoma. We are hoping that it's all been removed and hasn't spread. My anger about a car noise seemed so little compared to his issues so my frustration, while still there, has died down a lot.

 

I took the day off and was running some errands when the noise was happening a lot. I called the dealer and they said I could bring it by and they would do a ride along with me. After the first minute or so of silence, the gurgling came back and the service guy heard it too. He wrote down a few things and told me to bring it back in on Tuesday and they would get to the bottom of it. He said not to worry, as I would have an MKZ or better loaner for the duration of the repair. He also said that may loop in Ford/Lincoln engineering with these strange problems, especially with a newer engine. I don't know if that was a line of bull but hopefully they will figure it out what it is.

 

That said, I have scoured the internet for answers (which is always dangerous). Based on what I have read, I think it could be something with the cooling or climate control system. I'm putting on my internet mechanic hat on right now. Based on what I have read so far the gurgling can be caused by:

 

1. Air in the cooling system.

2. Not enough coolant.

3. Leaking in the cooling system.

4. Bad heater core.

 

There is one bad thought in my head though. I believe (have to find the thread) about a TSB regarding earlier built 3.0's that were throwing codes and I think coolant was getting into the combustion chamber. I am hoping that isn't the issue at all. If it's is low on coolant, where did it go? I don't see coolant leaks in my parking spot. For now, I will let the dealer try and figure this one out.

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Although I understand the frustration. It's a machine and can be fixed. I'm sure it will be resolved you may just have to be patient. It's not uncommon to contact ford hotline with new unknown issues. The fuel economy thing is a much harder issue to locate.

 

Btw good luck with your son's cancer. I wish you all the best for a speedy recovery.

Edited by fordtech1
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Although I understand the frustration. It's a machine and can be fixed. I'm sure it will be resolved you may just have to be patient. It's not uncommon to contact ford hotline with new unknown issues. The fuel economy thing is a much harder issue to locate.

 

Btw good luck with your son's cancer. I wish you all the best for a speedy recovery.

 

Yeah, mild frustration with this now but I knew when buying a used new model car, there would probably be some issues. The way I am approaching it that if there are issues, I will just work with the dealer to diagnose and fix. There are a few other things that need to be addressed, most minor annoyances. Overall, I am satisfied though.

 

 

 

Thanks! Yeah, the little guy is a fighter and I am hoping we have turned a corner with it.

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Best wishes for your son for sure!

 

The gurgling noise is a pretty common complaint with a number of vehicles but Fusions seem to have more issues of this than most. I am on a Fusion Sport forum and some owners have discussed it.

 

There has been a lot of speculation on the cause but I do not know if anyone has found a long term solution. Please let us know what your dealer does.

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Well, I picked up my car today. They did acknowledge that they hear the gurgling and can duplicate it. However, they don't think there is anything wrong (no air in the system or low on fluid). They said they can hear it in other 3.0 MKZ's as well. The have reached out to Ford Engineering about this and are awaiting to hear back from them.

 

I am losing hope that Ford/Lincoln is going to fix this problem and I am going to have to take things into my own hands, which is absolutely ridiculous and a giant waste of my time. They way I look at it, there is a 10% chance that this functioning normally according to a Ford engineer. I think there is another 10% chance that this is design flaw that is being exposed in the real world. Then 80% chance there is air in the system, which means it would be low on coolant.

 

If they really think this is functioning properly and the noise falls withing spec, shame on Ford. That's just garbage engineering. We'll see. A lot of my coworkers and friends have import luxury cars, mostly Audi's, Acura's and BMW's. A lot of them question my decision to buy a Lincoln (throw in the Ford in a Tuxedo). Two of my coworkers were in my car when I started noticing this noise. They both thought it sounded like there was a problem. It's hard to argue with their logic if obvious noises/issues are throwing the Lincoln service a curve ball and they are saying it's normal.

 

My next steps is to wait to see if anything comes back from Ford Engineering on this (doubtful). I will also schedule dealer visit at a different dealer, explaining the situation in detail. If that fails, I am going to try and tackle this myself the old fashioned way, pop the top off the radiator, get the engine hot and fill away. I don't want to think about what if that doesn't work because it will involve me selling the car (probably at a loss) but I don't want to get ahead of myself here.

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