Gas Milage Down The S***hole!

[steviej]

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

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I throw a bottle of Techron in the tank every other oil change so that would be every 10k miles.

The best way to tell if an O2 sensor is lazy is too remove it and run an volt/ohm meter across it to see if you get readings within factory specs. There is a detailed procedure in the shop manuals.

Most people used to go by the phrase, "when in doubt swap it out". However, O2 sensors are not $25 a piece anymore and most cars have 2-4 O2 sensors now. There's alot less swap'in goin on.

steviej

[bartkat]

Just put the stock intake back on and reset the ECU and drive awhile. Then fill up and check your gas mileage. Do the easy stuff first.

[kyle0k]

ok to the one confused person. I know how to work on cars on the things ive done,which is alot BUT things i havent done i dont know,obviously if i went and looked at it i woudl figure it out but why guess and check or even look when i can find out here so i don tneed to do it unknowingly.

ok well ill check the tranny fliud tomarow,and i jsut ordered a pcv valve from murrays and getting it tomarow,see if that will help. If the tranny fluid needs replacement which im sure it does shouild i wait till oil change or jsut do it now? b\c i mean next oil change is in 4K miles....

[ArmyofOne]

ok to the one confused person. I know how to work on cars on the things ive done,which is alot BUT things i havent done i dont know,obviously if i went and looked at it i woudl figure it out but why guess and check or even look when i can find out here so i don tneed to do it unknowingly.

ok well ill check the tranny fliud tomarow,and i jsut ordered a pcv valve from murrays and getting it tomarow,see if that will help. If the tranny fluid needs replacement which im sure it does shouild i wait till oil change or jsut do it now? b\c i mean next oil change is in 4K miles....

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naw, if your next oil change is that far off, do it now. take ti to a speedy pube type place. tell then you want your "Tranny Fliud draiend and refilled" use these exact words. itshouldnt be more than $30-$35.

[kyle0k]

ok guys i couildnt find in my manual what needs to be changed at what intervals\times. so lets put it this way my fmaily has had the car since 35K. nothing has been replaced other then oil i believe, and MAYBE the spark plugs(ill ask my dad)

what do u guys recommend changing,and what intervals do u usually change it(and how much does the part cost). i am notworried to much about labor costs b\c like i said i can figure out how to put it in\replace it.

[kyle0k]

oh ,and ive already ordeed pcv vlalve and i think im picking it up today,and i will get a tranny oil change soon enough.

also my belt is squeeling, not really loud or anything but if u open the hood youy can hear it. i applied some spray on belt dressing that i had in my garage, it helped for 1\2 a minute then back to the squeeeling. Is there something i can do? my car stands outside int he winter and my dad says its b\c of the winter it squeels, that the change from cold to hot all the time made the belt dryer or w\e and squeel but the belt is still fine.

is this true or do i need a new belt soon,all ask my dad when and if he has replaced the belt.

[kyle0k]

Ok pcv vavle replaced. Looks like my idle went down from about 900 to about 800, maybe im wrong though. I just filled up a full tank of gas and i was getting 15.5 MPG so ill see what i get this time around.

[Lexusfreak]

ok guys i couildnt find in my manual what needs to be changed at what intervals\times. so lets put it this way my fmaily has had the car since 35K. nothing has been replaced other then oil i believe, and MAYBE the spark plugs(ill ask my dad)

what do u guys recommend changing,and what intervals do u usually change it(and how much does the part cost). i am notworried to much about labor costs b\c like i said i can figure out how to put it in\replace it.

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The tune up parts already mentioned earlier. One problem you might run into is the back 3 spark plugs are a pain in the to change your self. Plugs, air filter & fuel filter & you should notice a significant increase in fuel economy. Don't forget tire pressure. B)

[SKperformance]

bart already said it

Put back your stock intake, i did mention this before right?

[kyle0k]

lol,yea SK you mention it on every topic i put up

well spark plugs where never changed but my dad said to not touch them or else you will run into big engine problems as soon as you replace them. How often do they need to be replaced? My dad is a really good mechanic but that was back in RUSSIA(country where he was born) where cars are different,so even though he can fix cars good alot of experiences and stuff he bases his knowledge off of is on way different cars. So thats why im asking you guys.

where is the fuel filter and how much can i buy it for?

[bartkat]

Ask your dad. :D

[Lexusfreak]

lol,yea SK you mention it on every topic i put up

well spark plugs where never changed but my dad said to not touch them or else you will run into big engine problems as soon as you replace them. How often do they need to be replaced? My dad is a really good mechanic but that was back in RUSSIA(country where he was born) where cars are different,so even though he can fix cars good alot of experiences and stuff he bases his knowledge off of is on way different cars. So thats why im asking you guys.

where is the fuel filter and how much can i buy it for?

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Nope, the plugs should be changed.....how many miles on your ES? Sounds like the plugs are overdue for replacement at least because of the year of your car. Put anti-seize compound on the threads when installing them. There are 2 fuel filters on my ES......one under the hood, the other in the fuel tank. I changed the one under the hood for about $20 if memory serves. B)

[jragosta]

lol,yea SK you mention it on every topic i put up

well spark plugs where never changed but my dad said to not touch them or else you will run into big engine problems as soon as you replace them. How often do they need to be replaced? My dad is a really good mechanic but that was back in RUSSIA(country where he was born) where cars are different,so even though he can fix cars good alot of experiences and stuff he bases his knowledge off of is on way different cars. So thats why im asking you guys.

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Sorry, your dad doesn't know what he's talking about.

Replacing the plugs won't cause any problems - unless you do the job wrong.

[SKperformance]

I am unaware of changing sparkplugs ever causing an issue.

I am willing to learn something new ,ask your dad why it might cause a problem,thanks

If the idle is ok and the pickup isn't lumpy i would narrow down on the ignition system if it is not acting up .

Fuel filter would cause a blockage thus using less gas and a much harder to respond engine.

They are good things to change as needed though but new plugs will always give a tank or 2 of drastic improvments in milage as they are new until a problem you already has fouls them up again.

A motorvac would help greatly especialy if it is an uneven spray pattern.

[steviej]

as for the squealing belts,

tighten or replace them. reach in an twist the belt so you can see the underside or grooved side. It is it starting to crack or looks dry/brittle then they need to be replaced.

Lexus recommends replacing the belts at 60k. I say every 45k, every three years or when they start to squeal.

Belt dressings are a bandaid and as you found out, only last for a very very short time. Now you have junk on you belts and they still squeal.

Replace the plugs at 60 if platinum, 90k if irridium or sooner if gas mileage drops dramatically. The front three are a piece of cake the back three are a PITA. I just had my done and even though it probably really didn't need it, the car does feel smoother. I was starting to get some minor surging. All gone since plug replacement, which I knew it would.

in addtion to SK, please have you dad inform us as to why or what he thinks are the problems that develop after plug replacement.

steviej

[kyle0k]

ok i dont know if ive told you guys but ive changed the PCV valve, i am getting jsut a little bit better gas milage,bt i think i figured out why.could this be causing it....

atleast 70% of my friving is either 13 minutes or less. during the week i drive to school thats 7 minutes away and then after school i drive back. then i work 4 times a week which consistds of driving 13 minutes there and 13 minutes back. And also to school i have atleast 4 stop signs and since im hurring i drive more aggressivly,but most the time still dont take past 3k maybe 3.5 k

and so pretty much the only time i drive longer is on weekends maybe. I think thats what the problem is!!

[bartkat]

ok i dont know if ive told you guys but ive changed the PCV valve, i am getting jsut a little bit better gas milage,bt i think i figured out why.could this be causing it....

atleast 70% of my friving is either 13 minutes or less. during the week i drive to school thats 7 minutes away and then after school i drive back. then i work 4 times a week which consistds of driving 13 minutes there and 13 minutes back. And also to school i have atleast 4 stop signs and since im hurring i drive more aggressivly,but most the time still dont take past 3k maybe 3.5 k

and so pretty much the only time i drive longer is on weekends maybe. I think thats what the problem is!!

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Sure, if that's alot different than your previous driving was. Also you've had some pretty crappy weather around Cleveland this winter, and that's not good for mileage. If you really want to test it, fill up and take off on the interstate and try running on cruise control for 100 miles or so, then return. Fill up again and figure your mileage. That will tell you for sure what the car can do. Maybe jump on the turnpike and head west away from the city to minmize traffic, etc, or maybe down I71 towards Columbus, if there isn't too much construction going on.

[azmalu]

Is 94 the first year of ES that is OBDII? I know when I get CEL I can go and get codes read. The guy will say that OBD II didnt start on most cars till 96 but the connector goes on and works on our car. I just have noticed my mileage went down tremendously over the last few weeks but as a whole the car runs okay minus shaking while in idle.

[Toysrme]

The '94 1mzfe is tied for the worlds first OBDII compliant engine.

[azmalu]

okay so if it was tied for first is it possible to say that it is as accurate as a later model 3rd gen lex in terms of codes that would pop up if o2 is bad or egr has too much build up etc....because my car runs okay but my mileage has dropped about 5mpg....that freaks me out...

[jeffro0502]

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.....

My ES300 had same issue, only I have 190K on the clock. Car started getting bad mileage and eventually check engine light came on. Did a lot of reading, in the end I replaced both front and rear 02 sensor univeral bosch types from autozone and problem solved car now gets 22 mpg and light went out. After problem solved I did replace PCV air filter and fuel filter just for good measure. Next I plan on removing the bosch platnum spark plugs and replacing them with bosch super. I did this in my 85 944 replaced platnum with regular bosch super and my 944 went from 20 MPG to 24 MPG. I'll let you guys know if this helps mileage.

[Lacebug Sydney]

Does a 2000 model have one of those PCV valves? If so, would it need changing after about 40,000 miles.?

Stephen

[camlex]

YES.

I am changing every 15,000.

Thanks,

[steviej]

I am changing every 15,000.

changing a PCV valve every 15k???? that is super over kill.

I suggest, as it was suggested to me by several professionals, every four years or 60k miles.

Lacebug, yes the 2000 ES has a PCV valve. Its a <$10 part in the US and takes less than 20 mintues to replace provided the old one comes out easily.

steviej