For the smart guys in OB

F-250 6.2 L gas

I got rear ended. I was stopped, she was going maybe 20. No visible damage to my rear end but folded her front end up pretty good.

I noticed a day or two later that my gas mileage dropped significantly. In the city I typically get around 11 mpg, that dropped to around 7.5 mpg. Nothing feels different, no drag, no noise. The only thing I can see is she creased my hitch frame slightly.

I did fill my tank up the day before. Maybe bad tank of gas? I'm puzzled.

Any thoughts?

onboard computer says mileage dropped??

reset computer and give it another day.

20mph rear end hit? hows your neck.

I'm guessing that by the look of her car

Huge boom but truck barely lurched forward

And yes, I've been resetting the gas mileage trip and it keeps dropping

Is your truck equipped with a rear tank? Have you checked the tank/fuel line connections for damage? The indications and event would indicate you have a fuel leak.

it could be anything, so here is a guess that does not require a lift or an OBD reader.

maybe, wheel bearing went out or brake caliper is sticking.

before you drive in the am.

shoot the rotors with temp gun.

drive around the block. re shoot. if one is hotter, there ya go.

fuel lines.

tire rotation sensors

alignment.

and on and on.

Is the odometer reading correctly?

This would help if you know distances to work for example.

My first suspicion would be that the rear end is not square anymore and that you are having increased drag. I would take a tape measure and a helper and measure from front tire to rear tire on each side and make sure the dimensions are the same. Even new they probably wouldn't be precisely identical, but they should be close.

Another way to test it would be to see how hard it is to push on a level surface in neutral.

Second option would be something got jarred in the fuel tank. The pump or filter might have gotten messed up or a line got pinched causing the engine to run lean and for the pump to push more fuel. I'm not sure where the pump and filter are located, but some are located in the fuel tank towards the rear of the truck.

Third option ( i don't think likely) would be a brake issue. If a brake hose got hit then you might get some dragging of the pads. Or the e-brake might be stuck on. The reason I don't think this is likely is that you would have worn out the pads and would eventually hear something or the mpg would go back up.

Good points. Misaligned rear end or some brake issue makes the most sense to me.

Might also take a look a the exhaust system while you are under there.

I guess I should have mentioned the most obvious cause. Someone mentioned it up above.

The most obvious would be a fuel leak somewhere. I suspect this isn't the case because you would smell it. You might not see it, because it might only be visible while the car is moving.

Even if the car isn't running, you should see a wet spot on the concrete even if the leak is downstream of the pump.

Definitely worth taking a peak, but a fuel leak should be pretty obvious.

Some Fords have an emergency fuel cut off switch in the back that's activated when you're rear ended. Maybe you got hit just hard enough to partially activate it or something. I'd look into resetting that switch and see.if it helps.

ENG said:

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For the smart guys in OB

F-250 6.2 L gas

I got rear ended. I was stopped, she was going maybe 20. No visible damage to my rear end but folded her front end up pretty good.

I noticed a day or two later that my gas mileage dropped significantly. In the city I typically get around 11 mpg, that dropped to around 7.5 mpg. Nothing feels different, no drag, no noise. The only thing I can see is she creased my hitch frame slightly.

I did fill my tank up the day before. Maybe bad tank of gas? I'm puzzled.

Any thoughts?

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Well, my theory is that the girl was super hot and you wish all the time now you could rear end her. Now, every time you get in your truck, you think of her and therefore are being a bit lead footed from testosterone. How's that? It's plausible...

Was it your first time being rear ended?

ENG...man oh man Ag....putting a statement "No visible damage to my rear end but folded up her front end pretty good" is very dangerous on an Aggie forum! You really set yourself up their Ag!.
All joking aside.......do your mileage check the old way.....fill up a full tank......write down the mileage......drive till it is down a quarter tank or so...go fill up again and write mileage down and check it.
I had a wreck in my F250 and for whatever reason my mileage went goofy on the read out but when I checked it the old way all was ok. Took it to the dealer and he rebooted the computer he said and it eventually was about normal again.

Just FYI...maybe you have already done that?

So true, Gunny

So many ways this thread could go

Thanks for all the input. I checked all the obvious. Had an out of town trip to the ranch on Saturday with a new tank of gas. Mileage seemed to have normalized

Waiting to hear back from her insurance to get things checked out.

I did do a thorough check of my rear end, nothing out of the ordinary except a crease in my hitch

ENG said:

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...,,,I did do a thorough check of my rear end......

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Have we not learned anything?

ENG said:

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I did do a thorough check of my rear end, nothing out of the ordinary except a crease in my hitch

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So, while you were getting rear ended, what were you pressed against to get your hitch creased?

" I don't know but I've been told that a creased hitch can make you feel mighty old."

ENG said:

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And yes, I've been resetting the gas mileage trip and it keeps dropping

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I think resetting the computer means removing the negative battery lead for several minutes to reset the entire computer, not just the trip meter. You will also need to reprogram your radio stations.

BuddysBud said:

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ENG said:

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And yes, I've been resetting the gas mileage trip and it keeps dropping

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I think resetting the computer means removing the negative battery lead for several minutes to reset the entire computer, not just the trip meter. You will also need to reprogram your radio stations.

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