Hi I am new to this form I have a 2001 Chevy Tahoe with a 5.3 would like to be able to increase the fuel mileage

[Kimard]

Hi I am new to this form

I have a 2001 Chevy Tahoe with a 5.3 would like to be able to increase the fuel mileage it has 270,000 miles I'm getting between 10 and 12 miles to the gallon and sometimes below 10 seems to run OK but just lacking power I'm sure just due to the mileage.

I was considering putting a remanufactured motor in it is there anything I can do to increase performance and hopefully gain fuel mileage or do some things to this motor that possibly would increase the fuel mileage. I used to get between 15 and 19 mpg

Thanks for your time

 

[Doubeleive]

Ease up on the gas pedal, that's about the only sure way to increase mpg (drive like granny), other than that minor things like proper tire inflation, general maintenance plugs & wires, be sure the cat's are not plugged.

 

[OR VietVet]

Welcome to the forum and agree with what @Doubeleive said. At 270k miles, you just need to live with what you have unless you need some tune related parts. How old are all of them? Last time you changed fuel filter? Last time cleaned MAF? How old is MAP? Cleaned the throttle bore? Plus, are you saying at one time you got 15 to 19 MPG on this same rig? When did that happen? That would be great mileage and did it drop to current MPG all of a sudden? CEL?

 

[Bill 1960]

How about an assessment by a trustworthy mechanic? A new engine could just be a big investment into a money pit depending on the overall condition.

There’s a long list of potential causes for poor economy and loss of power.

Loss of compression, easy to test.
Plugged cats, another prime suspect.
Ignition parts, although typically if it’s bad enough to miss you’ll feel it and get codes.
Fuel injection or MAF problems could have it running rich. Also temp sensor.
Then there’s the oxygen sensors.

A good mechanic in an hour can do a compression test and run a scanner on live data while it’s driven and give you an assessment of how the above systems are performing.

 

[Sam Harris]

My 2003 Yukon gets very bad mileage in town driving (9-11-ish) -which is unfortunately most of what I do-…I do run E85, I am tuned, and also have an extremely heavy right, size 13 foot, so that clearly has a negative effect on mileage. However, driving longer distance at highway speed, I’ll get up into 14-15mpg, even in mountains. I was actually amazed at that, considering I’m still using E85. So for me, it’s all in the type of driving you do. That’s not to say you shouldn’t check out the common maintenance items though. That should go without saying. Definitely need to ensure everything you have control over, is in good shape.

 

[BlackBearPerf]

Hi I am new to this form

I have a 2001 Chevy Tahoe with a 5.3 would like to be able to increase the fuel mileage it has 270,000 miles I'm getting between 10 and 12 miles to the gallon and sometimes below 10 seems to run OK but just lacking power I'm sure just due to the mileage.

I was considering putting a remanufactured motor in it is there anything I can do to increase performance and hopefully gain fuel mileage or do some things to this motor that possibly would increase the fuel mileage. I used to get between 15 and 19 mpg

Thanks for your time

Welcome to the forum. As mentioned the foot on the pedal is the biggest factor as well as vehicle usage, fuel quality, octane, and the condition of the vehicle.

With a tune for your year engine size we typically see a 15-30hp, 15-20ft-lbs and 1-2mpg improvement along with improved shift patterns and throttle response, all depending on on conditions above.

Give us a call we have a few ways to tune and our AutoCal V3 tuning system will be on sale for Black Friday.

 

[Kimard]

thank you

 

[BlackBearPerf]

thank you

You are welcome.

 

[steiny93]

Lack of power / mileage can be caused by a single issue or a pile of little issues.

I'd start the hunt in this order
- check engine light? any saved codes?
- verify fuel pressure is within spec
- tires (are they under inflated / are they significantly heavier or larger within a gearing change)
- compression check
- air filter
- plugs
- wires
- injectors (check the spray pattern)

Any of the above can cause a lack of power / mileage.

 

[29tomt]

Fuel Economy of the 2006 Chevrolet Tahoe 1500 4WD

2006 Chevrolet Tahoe 1500 4WD. Search by make for fuel efficient new and used cars and trucks

www.fueleconomy.gov