Gas Milage Down The S***hole!

[kyle0k]

ok well my car has always got around 20 miles per gallon which is really bad but atleast acceptable. now recently my car just started getting around 16-18 and i changed the filter and it didnt help. What else could it be??? my car has never had a tuneup:) its got around 90K miles on it. But it has been taken care of. its a 1996.

what can be causing this?? i should be getting ATLEAST 24MPG on my car :chairshot:

[ArmyofOne]

ok well my car has always got around 20 miles per gallon which is really bad but atleast acceptable. now recently my car just started getting around 16-18 and i changed the filter and it didnt help. What else could it be??? my car has never had a tuneup:) its got around 90K miles on it. But it has been taken care of. its a 1996.

what can be causing this?? i should be getting ATLEAST 24MPG on my car :chairshot:

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change your PCV valve! thats for starters, then your 02 sensors.

[kyle0k]

pcv vlavle? lol,just wondering what that controls.... and how much money is it...

[ArmyofOne]

pcv vlavle? lol,just wondering what that controls.... and how much money is it...

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It will set you back about........

$4...serously, 4 buckaroos.

It vents the excess oil pressure out of you r creankcase so that your seals dont blow out and cause oil leaks and smoke eventually.

should have been replaced at 45Kish.

[ArmyofOne]

pcv vlavle? lol,just wondering what that controls.... and how much money is it...

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It will set you back about........

$4...serously, 4 buckaroos.

It vents the excess oil pressure out of you r creankcase so that your seals dont blow out and cause oil leaks and smoke eventually.

should have been replaced at 45Kish.

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Oh, and change your air filter too.

[kyle0k]

hmm where can i get it?? o is this a common problem?

i mean my car has been taken care of good since we got it at liek 45K but not alot of preventanance maintanance was ever done.

[ArmyofOne]

hmm where can i get it?? o is this a common problem?

i mean my car has been taken care of good since we got it at liek 45K but not alot of preventanance maintanance was ever done.

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get the air filter and the PCV valve from autozone...cost like $20 total. then install yourself in minuts.

Its not a common problem, its MAINTENANCE. change it fairly fast though, cause oil leaks are the result.

[kyle0k]

yea ill do that. ill get the pvc valve from murrays. and no as i said i jsut changed my filter. it was pretty dirty but it didnt help.just felt my car got more responsive.

[Lexusfreak]

PCV valve is good advice, so is the o2 sensor if it's not working properly. What is the history on your last 'major' tune up? What kind of plugs specifically? New plugs, air filter, fuel filter & new wires on top of the other stuff mentioned will help as well, plus perhaps a throttle body cleaning too. B)

[kyle0k]

how much is all that? and how would i know if any of that needs to be replaced. As i said there where NEVER any tuneups. now my dd i think did change the plugs,but i will ask him. Also if the o2 sensor was bad,wouldnt check engine light be on...

[Lexusfreak]

how much is all that? and how would i know if any of that needs to be replaced. As i said there where NEVER any tuneups. now my dd i think did change the plugs,but i will ask him. Also if the o2 sensor was bad,wouldnt check engine light be on...

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If the o2 sensor has completely failed yes the check engine light should come on. However, it might be working still, but not as well as a new one.....the o2 sensor is 9 years old now so it might be a wise idea from a preventitive maintenance standpoint. Shop around for prices for the other items mentioned.....call a Toyota dealer, Lexus dealer & a couple popular auto parts stores. If the plugs need replacing, I would suggest getting Iridiums (NGK or Denso)......I have all part nembers if you need assistance with that. Labour shouldn't take very long for a good expreenced mechanic. The back 3 plugs will be the most difficult item I would imagine. B)

What brand of fuel & what 'grade' are you using for your car? Tire pressures OK?

[jragosta]

hmm where can i get it?? o is this a common problem?

i mean my car has been taken care of good since we got it at liek 45K but not alot of preventanance maintanance was ever done.

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That's an inconsitent statement. If you're not doing preventive maintenance, the car's not being well taken care of.

I would suggest that you check your manual to see all the things that require routine maintenance and get caught up as quickly as you can - or you're likely to experience some more expensive problems.

[ArmyofOne]

how much is all that? and how would i know if any of that needs to be replaced. As i said there where NEVER any tuneups. now my dd i think did change the plugs,but i will ask him. Also if the o2 sensor was bad,wouldnt check engine light be on...

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If the o2 sensor has completely failed yes the check engine light should come on. However, it might be working still, but not as well as a new one.....the o2 sensor is 9 years old now so it might be a wise idea from a preventitive maintenance standpoint. Shop around for prices for the other items mentioned.....call a Toyota dealer, Lexus dealer & a couple popular auto parts stores. If the plugs need replacing, I would suggest getting Iridiums (NGK or Denso)......I have all part nembers if you need assistance with that. Labour shouldn't take very long for a good expreenced mechanic. The back 3 plugs will be the most difficult item I would imagine. B)

What brand of fuel & what 'grade' are you using for your car? Tire pressures OK?

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On an OBDI compliant car, the CEL will not come on unless the Sensor is COMPLETELY gone. on an OBD II complaint car, i have seen them come on as soon as there was any noticeable drom in gas mileage from the 02 sensor (2-3 MPG).

[kyle0k]

hmm,well i would do a tuneup but i just dont see the point of putting in 1000 dollars into a car worth 5 thousand dollars whne theres nothing even wrong with it. if it was a more expensive car then thats another story.

[kyle0k]

Is there a place where i can go to do a full check up. As in they dont change everything liek in a une up but just check how everything is and report to me,how much would that cost.....

[Lexusfreak]

Is there a place where i can go to do a full check up. As in they dont change everything liek in a une up but just check how everything is and report to me,how much would that cost.....

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Find a good independent mechanic & get him/her to spend an hour going over the car. All the work mentioned above shouldn't cost anywhere near $1000 but if you don't want to spend several hundred on the car, you will have to live with the sub par gas mileage......it's the old saying, pay me now or pay me later. :whistles: ;)

[ArmyofOne]

Kyle, youhave to look at it like this. If you dont maintian it, you will be buying a new one shortly anyway.

These cars arent bulletproof, they are machines and they need amintenance just like every other machine ever made. Hell, even a vacuum cleaner needs servicing every once in a while.

A FULL Tune up shouldnt even be in the ballpark of $400.

bring it to me and i will do it for parts. LOL.

if you buy all the parts and take them to a mechanic, they can have it done for $300 at the most. if they cant,go somewhere else.

as far as there being nothing wrong with the vehcile, there is something wrong with the vehcile, its gas mileage is dropping. that right there is a good indication fo what needs to be done. here is how to alleviate $300 at one time in the future: Spread it out. DO this repair, but then keep up with the maintenance from that point on...

Dare i ask when the last tiem was that the tranny fluid was changed?

[Lexusfreak]

Kyle, youhave to look at it like this.  If you dont maintian it, you will be buying a  new one shortly anyway.

These cars arent bulletproof, they are machines and they need amintenance just like every other machine ever made. Hell, even a vacuum cleaner needs servicing every once in a while.

A FULL Tune up shouldnt even be in the ballpark of $400. 

bring it to me and i will do it for parts. LOL.

if you buy all the parts and take them to a mechanic, they can have it done for $300 at the most. if they cant,go somewhere else.

as far as there being nothing wrong with the vehcile, there is something wrong with the vehcile, its gas mileage is dropping.  that right there is a good indication fo what needs to be done.  here is how to alleviate $300 at one time in the future: Spread it out.  DO this repair, but then keep up with the maintenance from that point on...

Dare i ask when the last tiem was that the tranny fluid was changed?

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Agreed & the tranny fluid is a good idea too. B)

[kyle0k]

tranny fluid?:) i have no idea. see we have only had this hca for the past maybe 30 thoasand maybe 40. we havent cahnged tranny fluid then but maye owners b4 did.. but yea i will start looking after it.

[ArmyofOne]

tranny fluid?:) i have no idea. see we have only had this hca for the past maybe 30 thoasand maybe 40. we havent cahnged tranny fluid then but maye owners b4 did.. but yea i will start looking after it.

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so bottom line is, you have NO FREAKING CLUE. LOL.

get it out of there, if you havent done it, as far as i am concerned its factory fill.

check it withthe dipstick, take the fluid and touch it to a white surface...if its any darker than burgundy, DONT flush it, have it drained and refilled. then do the same again at the next oil change, until it is back to strawberry red. then you can flush.

[kyle0k]

haha,yea. so where on my car can i check the tranny fluid?? i think i shouldnt have it filled with synthetic considering my car is old so it might have leaks or something that synthetic will creap through.

so ure telling me i have to fully replace the tranny oil TWICE? how much will that be with regular tranny oil...

im sorry for soudning so clueless,i know how to repair cars and work on them and install stuff but when it comes to things liek that that i havent done yet im clueless:)

[c-c]

ok well my car has always got around 20 miles per gallon which is really bad but atleast acceptable. now recently my car just started getting around 16-18 and i changed the filter and it didnt help. What else could it be??? my car has never had a tuneup:) its got around 90K miles on it. But it has been taken care of. its a 1996.

what can be causing this?? i should be getting ATLEAST 24MPG on my car :chairshot:

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Air intake sensor needs cleaning or possibly replacement. BTW: with 90K you need to get your timing chain replace soon, japanese engines self distruct when the timing chain breaks, not like American engines.

[ArmyofOne]

ok well my car has always got around 20 miles per gallon which is really bad but atleast acceptable. now recently my car just started getting around 16-18 and i changed the filter and it didnt help. What else could it be??? my car has never had a tuneup:) its got around 90K miles on it. But it has been taken care of. its a 1996.

what can be causing this?? i should be getting ATLEAST 24MPG on my car :chairshot:

←

Air intake sensor needs cleaning or possibly replacement. BTW: with 90K you need to get your timing chain replace soon, japanese engines self distruct when the timing chain breaks, not like American engines.

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NO...toyotas V6 uses a belt, in fact i think every toyota car engine since 1990 has used a belt.

and the only interference engine on an ES is from 1999 and up with the introduction of VVT-i (Variable Valve Timing With Intellegence.

im sorry, but your AIT Sensor is probably fine, as would be your MAF, neither of these would cause your symptoms, they would cause rough idle, stalling and hard starts when warm.

Kyle, if your timing belt breaks, you engine stops and wont restart. you take it to a mechanic and put a new one on, and time it, starts right up. if you had an interference motor, your pistons would hit the valves and require replacement.

c-c, please do research before replying. i have found that there are more interference engines in the american car world than in the Asian car world.

i have been around cars my entire life, the fact is, toyota refrains from using interference engines as much as possible, its that simple.

Kyle, you tranny drain and fill will not replace all fo the fluid, it will only replace 3-4 quarts at a time.

there is a dipstick on the drivers side of your engine. should say "transmission" or something to that affect. Pull it out, we arent checking the level here, just the color, so the car should be off when you do this. pull the stick out and wipe it on a white towel, if the fluid is any other color that bright red do not flush, use the method above. shouldnt run more than $30 per change. just go up there at your next oil change and have it done, then do it again at the one after that.

if your fluid is still strawberry red, then have it flushed and done worry about it for 20K, but this will cost about $90.

[jragosta]

haha,yea. so where on my car  can i check the tranny fluid?? i think i shouldnt have it filled with synthetic considering my car is old so it might have leaks or something that synthetic will creap through.

so ure telling me i have to fully replace the tranny oil TWICE? how much will that be with regular tranny oil...

im sorry for soudning so clueless,i know how to repair cars and work on them and install stuff but when it comes to things liek that that i havent done yet im clueless:)

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Something doesn't add up. You say you can work on cars and repair them but don't know how to check the transmission fluid? Hmmmm....

Open your owner's manual. Read the section about maintenance. That will tell you what needs to be done and how frequently. It will tell you how to do all the common checks like checking the transmission fluid.

Given what you've written here, I'd suggest finding a mechanic to do the work. If you must do it yourself, you can probably pick up the shop manual somewhere (I know you can buy it from Lexus if you want) to explain how to do all the repair and maintenance items.

[mikek753]

What do you experts think about injector cleaner like a Techron?

That may help with MPG too in case it wasn't done offen - my 2c.

at Walmart $6

Also who is using and what and how offen?

I use it for every 15k.

About O2 - what can tell that it's the time to replace O2 sensor? Can OBDII help?

I know when it fails, but how to know if O2 doesn't perform well?

Already replaced one O2 in Honda with about 60k.

thanks