bad gas milage

I just bought a 1995 regular cab 2.4 and the thing get terrible gas milage. I am talking like 80-90 miles on half a tank. I am not getting any CE lights and don't smell or see any leaks, can anyone help me with this? :banghead:

Manual or automatic trans?

My own is a '93. (Just bought it in January)
It's got over 200,000 miles on it and it runs so good, I started researching it and buying manuals for it... I am just impressed enough with it to keep it and see how many more 100,000's it will do!

So "Mileage"... Mine is the 5-spd. manual. I have figured I am getting about 24 m.p.g. I'm sure it would be better if I didn't drive the highway at the inefficient speeds necessary to not be a slow moving hazzard. I live in NC and here, whatever the posted limit is [evidently it's merely a suggestion] the actual traffic adds 10 or 15 to it, no matter what lane.
Also, I tend to be a little on the lead-foot side, not so much a speeder, just quick to get up to the posted limit (suggestion). IE; first one at the next red light. I'm getting about 130-150 miles to a half tank.

I have read a few articles on "co-efficient drag" over the years. The consensus seems to be tail-gate up, (to create and maintain the air bubble, which air your driving thru passes over.. although speeding reduces the stability of the bubble... ) Other elements include a bed cover (tonneau - style or camper top, which can increase mileage up to 25 %)

Believe it or not, "proper tire air-pressure" can affect your mileage, too.
On that matter, some vehicles, (with mechanical spedometer / odometer cables) the tire size itself affects the readings by which you are deciphering your mileage by. (check the specs. on the tag located in the driver side door-body panel for what it came with and recommended tire pressure)

I am sure you should be getting much better mileage than what you are currently getting.
Others on this site will have have more specific items for you to consider... I'm sure you've already attended to a tune up. Did you do... (or are you doing) the tune up yourself? new air filter, breather filter, PCV.. etc.
I will be watching with interest.
-Stitz

Mine is a 5 speed 4X4. I just put new plugs, wires, cap, rotor, air filter and Fuel filter and just found out my Cat. is plugged. After fixing all of that it seems to be a little better on the power side and hopefully a little on the milage side as well.

I have an 89 4X4 with a 2.4. At one point, I was getting lousy mileage and it was because the thermostat was faulty. It was stuck open and it was running too cool. This killed my mileage because it thought it needed a richer fuel mixture until it warmed up and it never would get warm enough to change the fuel mixture (lean it out). I replaced the thermostat and it was tons better on the mileage, but I still run a small piece of cardboard partially blocking the radiator to get it up to temp in the winter. Even with the cardboard, it still doesn't get real warm. Might watch your temp gauge. Mine has 8 spark plugs, so 2 coils are required to fire both sides. I don't know if the later ones are like this or not. I guess it uses both plugs to lean it out for more power or maybe it is an emission control thing. At any rate, the dual spark is to eliminate any unburned fuel.

The other thing to check is the O2 sensor. If it is bad this can mess up your fuel mixture, making it run too rich. Might have O'Reilly or Autozone pull the codes with an OBDII reader just to make sure that there aren't some stored codes in there that might give you a hint. Sometimes the light goes on and then off and the codes remain stored.

Mine seems to put out the warm air? I am going to run it on a scanner just to see what happens tommorrow. I will post any findings

How did you determine your catalytic converter was plugged?
As mine has 208,000 miles on it.. what should I look for to help me decide if mine needs replacing?

I brought it to my buddys exhaust shop becuase it had a bad exhaust rattle that I could not figure out, from there they found out my rattle was bits and peaces of honeycomb rattling around in the exhaust that was to big to excape.