1977 Ford Granada Gas Milage:

SPEEDEERAE

MEMBER
1977 FORD GRANADA
V8
FWD
AUTOMATIC
31,000 MILES

My car has a V-8 5.0 engine and the gas milage has been slowly declining. Last summer I was getting 15 miles to the gallon. Now I am only getting 9.5 mpg. HELP! I'm spending all the money I'm working for getting back and forth to work. Any ideas?

Image (Click to make bigger)

1 Reply

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,741 POSTS

Besides the tune-up and tire pressure obvious stuff, these cars had a real lot of trouble with sticking front brake calipers. To verify if that is the problem, feel the wheels after driving a good five or six miles to see if they are real hot. You can also park on a slight incline, shift to neutral, then see if the car will creep downhill on its own. If it just sits there, suspect the calipers.

Ford also had way more than their share of sticking parking brake cables, even if you use them everyday to keep them freed up. The heat buildup on the rear wheels can be less noticeable. You might have to jack the rear tires off the ground to see if you can spin them by hand.