Monday, July 23, 2018

31.07 MPG

184.9mi, 5.951 gal @ $3.799 = 31.07 MPG

140,911 total miles. Shell on San Ramon Road in Dublin.

Friday, July 13, 2018

28.14 MPG

357.0mi, 12.686 gal @ $3.479 = 28.14 MPG

140,726 total miles. Mobil on Kooser at Blossom Hill.

Sunday, June 24, 2018

Changed spark plugs.

140,389 total miles.

Ok so the manual says to change the spark plugs at 100k miles. Well, better late than never, right? I am very eager to see if this makes any difference in MPG or performance. Installation was very easy and took only 45 minutes including prep and clean up, thanks to this informative video which I followed closely: https://youtu.be/1gcbt1KfcRs


I installed a set of Bosch double iridium plugs from AutoZone. Total cost was $30.55 and includes a $10 AutoZone gift card rebate.

The Bosch iridium plugs have the gap pre-set to 0.044". This is slightly smaller than the spark gap recommended on page 292 of the owners manual of 0.049–0.053 inch (1.25–1.35mm), however there is a note on the Bosch box: "Do not gap, Do not use anti-seize". Tightening torque is also listed on the box as 20Nm or 15 ft/lb.

Here are some photos of the original spark plugs (after 140k miles):


Saturday, June 23, 2018

29.76 MPG

400.9mi, 13.470 gal @ $3.459 = 29.76 MPG

140,369 total miles. Mobil on Los Gatos Blvd.

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

31.60 MPG

404.6mi, 12.803 gal @ $3.759 = 31.60 MPG

139,968 total miles. Valero on Meridian.

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Oil change and tire rotation, new 12V battery, new cabin air filter.

139,897 miles. Capitol Expressway Ford in San Jose.

Another great service from Rick Fuentes and team at Capitol Ford Quick Lane. Following their recommendations from last June, I replaced the 12V battery (Motorcraft BXT-96R-590, last replaced April 2011 at 59kmi with a Sears Die-Hard) and had them change the cabin air filter (Motorcraft FP-66). The other two air filters are dead simple to replace and I always do them myself, but the under-hood cabin air filter is a complete mess to access so I don't mind paying for them to handle that one.

Lately I've been hearing a single click or knock sound on accelerating from a stop and again when coming to a stop. I did a quick test drive with Mikey at Capitol Ford and he identified the noise as coming from the driver side front axel. They tightened the left front axel nut and the noise is now gone. Thanks, Mikey!

Total cost for the service was $241.81, including the battery around $135.

Thursday, May 3, 2018

31.47 MPG

419.2mi, 13.320 gal @ $3.699 = 31.47 MPG

139,563 total miles. 76 on Leigh and Southwest Expressway.