i have driven around 20 miles in the past few days (probably not even that) and i have gone through just over a quarter tank of fuel

engine does not seem to be running rich...i do have a slight backfire every now and then but that is due to an exhaust leak

i have checked the coolant temp sensor but im not 100% im doing it right

at this rate it seems like i have about 5mpg which is insane

also, i have checked all fuel lines...i do not have any leaks anywhere in the system

any help is appreciated thanks

 

Your sending unit could be off, or you could have had less fuel that you remember starting with.

The only way to properly measure mpgs is to know how much you started with and measure how much you put in after xyz miles.

Pull your plugs and check them.

 

ok...also my coolant has a rusty color to it cuz my radiator is really old...no discoloration in engine oil though so no leaks there...now i know i need to flush the coolant system anyways but could the fact that it is rusty and dirty..could that cause the temp sensor to be off and start messing with fuel amounts?

 

yes, if the CTS gets a layer of crud on it ,it can give a false reading. you MIGHT take it out and clean it off and try it again. BUT if the exh smells rich. it IS rich.

 

my exhaust does not smell rich...i dont have black smoke or anything coming from exhaust...

i took a pic of my #1 spark plug to see for sure
pic is attached

since it doesnt look like im burning rich...is there an easy way to see how much fuel i have if my fuel sending unit may be bad?