Motor home fuel gizmos

[Inprimer]

Well after being dorment for 2 yrs it's time for our Winnebago to go back on the road, what I'm looking for is (not) the impossible. The Ford V 10 is a total gas hog we have managed about 4.5 MPG. I'm womdering if any aftermarket computer/programs that are out there to help improve MPG  I'n being realistic a 3 to 4 MPG gain would be a super improvement. I"m fairly new at this, its an',07 (bought new) and managed to drive it only 6300 miles so far, any input would be appreciated. TIA  IP>

[wayne petty]

perhaps...

looking at a scan tool while somebody drives to see the short term fuel trim percentages...    see if they are close to 0% when driving..   if they are more than 10 percent off.. something is probably correctable..

you may also want to look at the load percentage when driving with the scan tool plugged in...

i am taking that with a 07 that it will have an OBD2 port somewhere near the dashboard..

you will probably want to look at a 30 or 40 page how it thinks document from ford...  to allow you to understand what the computer is thinking and why its thinking..


http://www.motorcraftservice.com/vdirs/retail/default.asp?pageid=diag_theory_retail&gutsid=diagsheet&menuIndex1=15

you will need a minimum of a harbor freight 98614 scan tool... as it can graph the data stream also...

over in the RVmagazines and in some of the Diesel power magazines.. they have dash top boxes that plug in.. give you display of some of the sensors right through the OBD2 port to allow you to know what the system is doing..

if you were running bio fuel .. it might be classified as a bio feedback machine..  

there is a LOT of Throttle to the floor on take off issues with motor homes..   where the throttle plate is controlled by the computer... and it opens slower that the pedal moves... to reduce massive amounts of torque from passing through the drive train before the vehicle is moving..  this foot to the floor on take off can severally reduce fuel economy..  and i know about the guy behind you honking.. saying get going faster...

i have always through that if a motorhome ever got into a traffic situation... where the whole highway was stopped for an hour or two.. one might want to extend the sun canopy.. and push out the extensions..   dropping the leveling jacks might not be liked by the PD..  i don't want to push the issue..

[wayne petty]

hmm  seems there are even things that plug into the OBD2 connector and send bluetooth to your smart phone...

here is a screen shot.. of an app called dashcommand







http://www.palmerperformance.com/products/dashcommand/index.php


there are more .. this is just a NEAT one i ran across...

a few more on this link.. down near the bottom

http://tunertools.com/proddetail.asp?prod=DashDAQ-NAV

[Inprimer]

Wayne, 1st thanks for the info 2nd Its a good thing my son can nevagate around bluetooth and such thanks again,

[wayne petty]

Wayne, 1st thanks for the info 2nd Its a good thing my son can nevagate around bluetooth and such thanks again,

i should add.. that many many years ago... change that to decades..

i was sitting in the lobby of probably cyclone headers in north hollywood..   they had at that time created anti reversion headers with lumps in the primary pipes that were part of the anti reversion system..  

a group of people were talking all the way across the lobby/office.. they were talking about the A/R headers..  and the set they made for a motor home with lean burn..  and that they were not going to offer them ..  as the motor home got 33 MPG during testing .. but melted the pistons as it was TOO LEAN.. and since a lot of people don't rejet their carbs until after damage is done.. its just not worth selling a  200 buck pair of headers when its going to come back at thousands for repairs.. and lawyers.

i got the guy across the street to create an anti reversion tube that bolted between the collector flange and the collector adaptor on his racer.. he picked up 10 HP on the chassis  dyno...  but thats another subject..


this works as it changes the collector area into an expansion are like a 2 stroke..  allowing the flowing exhaust to expand  and scavenge the other pipes.. but since only one cylinder is flowing at any time.. this allows enough exhaust flow to gather inertia and create a second scavenge of the collector area...  no more whap whap of the reversion into the collector..



back to the fuel issues..

please watch your fuel trim.. and oxygen sensor readings.. under load..  the feed back system only works when its not under terrific load.. at that point it reverts to open loop where the pre programmed fuel control numbers are.. and this is where the melting happens..

most of the reduction in fuel economy is do to needing a slightly rich mixture to feed fuel to the CATs in the exhaust to keep them HOT enough to work properly...  obd2 systems have oxygen sensors after the cats to monitor and fine tune the fuel mixture for the cleanest air out..

keeping ones foot out of the throttle will do amazing things with MPG..  moderation.. in both throttle and realizing that this is not a funny car on a drag strip..  where full throttle is required..  

i rode with a friend a few weeks back in his honda..  he kept pushing and then releasing on the throttle... trying to keep the speed..  i tried to tell him to stop that.. just hold your foot steady.. don't move it at all  or just fractions of an inch..    that is how you get better fuel economy...

the cruise control keeps bouncing the throttle around also.. more than a steady foot does..

did you notice the last few nascar races of the 2011 season.. one of them was won by a driver who did something different..  he did not back all the way off in the corners.. causing the throttle to completely close.. driving the intake vacuum way high.. and pulling massive amounts of fuel through the idle circuit.. causing the flames from the exhaust in the corners...

that takes a LOT of fuel..   i talked to a carb company back in late 2010 or early 2011.. about some kind of power valve built into the metering blocks to cut down the idle fuel at HIGH vacuum readings..  so i don't know if that guy had the prototype.. or he was not backing off all the way...  he did out fuel mileage every body else by 6 or 7 laps to win the race..  he went 56 or 57 laps on a tank.. where everybody else was doing 47 to 49 as i recall..   i just smiled.... then nascar dropped the fuel injection on the sprint cup motors..   hmm.. i wonder if the teams know.. the same thing applies..  but they can control the fuel cut off of the injectors when the throttle is closed and the engine rpms are high...

food for thought..