Es250 Eats Gas

[91L3xus]

Well it's nice to have a v6, but when the previous owner of my car told me that his son was getting 20 MPG in the city and around 25 on the highway, it sounded a little too good to be true. turns out, it is too good to be true. on one tank of gas, no matter how hard or soft i drive my car, i get only 200 miles before i need a fill up. <_< at least it's that long until the fuel light comes on. i couldn't find the size of my gas tank, but 200 miles... seriously...that's horrible; it's also an inconvienence. i figured if it's a 11 gallon tank (small tank for a small car), it's about 18 MPG mostly with highway driving. My 4Runner gets 320 miles on 18 gallons.

which brings me to my next point: my fuel gauge. it will fluctuate like no other; i could start off with 3/4 a tank, go for a 25 minute drive and get there with 1/2 a tank. no sharp turns or steep hills for the fuel to slosh around. and when i start up the car again, it'll be up to, but not at, 3/4 full again. this is really aggrivating, and it doesn't give me much confidence when i'm driving. i can never tell when i need gas. this happens no matter what the weather, hot or cold, rain or shine.

any ideas? thanks.

[91L3xus]

Since my question asked to a broader audience has been locked...

I don't see any other way to restate getting bad mileage other than opening my question to the General Maitnence forum, where maybe some other person has run across this problem in their car.

OK, I posted a long time ago about this, but got 76 views and no responses. My ES250 gets terrible gas mileage. When I run my car to E, even till the orange gas light goes on, I put a maximum of 12 gallons in the tank. Yes, I realize that it is a small tank and there's nothing I can do about that.

After numerous logging of averages on how many miles I get on one tank, I get about 200-210 miles on one fill up. This averages about 15-15.5 MPG combined; 50% urban and 50% highway driving. I followed Toysrme's intsructions on how to lean the fuel, in hope of getting better mileage, performance, or both. This has had no affect on the amount of fuel used, because it had become apparent before I did this modification to my engine that I was suffering from poor gas mileage.

Yes, it's 14 years old, and not gifted with the greatest of technologies, but 15 MPG from a V6? And the car only weighs 2900 pounds? Something is not right. Sometimes I drive aggressively, but after paying $30 for a fill up today, I've decided I will do that no more. This is rediculous, because at this rate, the money I have saved from my job will be soley used to get from A to B. I've tried 2 different methods of cleaning out the engine, including a bottle of Seafoam through the PCV, and a bottle of engine restorer in a few tanks of gas. Neither have had much of an affect, which worries me. The next step for me is to buy the Chilton's manual, and see where I can clean out carbon buildup, which I have read about alot here.

Does anyone know what I can do to help improve my mileage? The engine has only 130,000 miles, and was completely overhauled professionally at 128,000. I'm thinking changing the spark plugs, and maybe a new type of air filter could increase my mileage.

Any suggestions or remedies would be great.

And yes, I know that I got no responses for my original (this) thread. Any feedback would help.

Thanks.

[Lexusfreak]

When was the last time the car had a complete & 'major' tune up? B) I assume the tire pressures are correct?

[tckcumming]

Well it's nice to have a v6, but when the previous owner of my car told me that his son was getting 20 MPG in the city and around 25 on the highway, it sounded a little too good to be true.  turns out, it is too good to be true.  on one tank of gas, no matter how hard or soft i drive my car, i get only 200 miles before i need a fill up.  <_<  at least it's that long until the fuel light comes on.  i couldn't find the size of my gas tank, but 200 miles... seriously...that's horrible; it's also an inconvienence.  i figured if it's a 11 gallon tank (small tank for a small car), it's about 18 MPG mostly with highway driving.  My 4Runner gets 320 miles on 18 gallons. 

which brings me to my next point: my fuel gauge.  it will fluctuate like no other; i could start off with 3/4 a tank, go for a 25 minute drive and get there with 1/2 a tank.  no sharp turns or steep hills for the fuel to slosh around.  and when i start up the car again, it'll be up to, but not at, 3/4 full again.  this is really aggrivating, and it doesn't give me much confidence when i'm driving.  i can never tell when i need gas.  this happens no matter what the weather, hot or cold, rain or shine.

any ideas?  thanks.

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My expert :whistles: opinion:

1. New plugs. Go to a Toyota dealer and get whatever OEM plug is spec'ed for your ES250. Expect to pay more than you think they're worth - but I have found that the OEM plugs for these Toyota engines work much better than any aftermarket ones I've found.

2. New distributor cap & rotor. Again, buy OEM parts at a Toyota dealer. Aftermarket caps & rotors are generally pretty crappy.

3. New plug wires. OEM are best, but last time I changed mine my local Toyota and Lexus dealers wanted $160 CDN for a new set !! :cries: !! I bought an aftermarket set for about $60, they fit great & seem to be fine so far.

4. New PCV valve. Again, get an OEM one. Cheap aftermarket ones are garbage, don't waste your time. BE SURE to replace the rubber grommet that the PCV plugs into AND the short rubber hose that goes from the PCV to the intake. You can get the grommet & hose at the Toyota dealer or at any autoparts store. Be very careful taking the grommet out - it deteriorates & hardens over time and can easily break up and fall into the engine. Use a bit of lithium grease on the new one and on the PCV - makes getting them out next time easier.

5. New air filter. A regular paper one is fine.

6. Take off the large rubber hose that goes from the air filter box to the throttle body. Get a can of "carb cleaner" and a toothbrush and clean the throttle body intake. Be sure to thoroughly clean the surface where the throttle plate touches the throttle body - ANY buildup of carbon/crap in this area is critical in messing up performance and fuel mileage. If you're really ambitious and have a few hours to kill, you can remove the entire throttle body and clean it out 'til it's like new. But I've found that leaving the throttle body in place and cleaning everything you can reach with the toothbrush works just fine.

7. New fuel filter. OEM.

All these things are pretty easy to do yourself in your driveway - EXCEPT - changing the rear 3 spark plugs and maybe the fuel filter. Buy your parts, do all you can yourself & take the car to your local mechanic to have the rear plugs & fuel filter changed. You can save on labour charges BIG TIME. :D . If you're not mechanically inclined, buy all your parts first and take it to your mechanic with parts in hand. That way you will know that the proper parts went in - no cheap aftermarket crap!

Do ALL these things, your gas mileage will improve dramatically. Post your "before and after" numbers after a few tankfulls of fuel.

Oh, and concerning your fuel guage problem - other than changing the sending unit in the gas tank, I don't know what you can do about that. I'd worry about the gas mileage first & deal with the guage later.

tck...

[Lexusfreak]

My expert  :whistles: opinion:

1. New plugs. Go to a Toyota dealer and get whatever OEM plug is spec'ed for your ES250. Expect to pay more than you think they're worth - but I have found that the OEM plugs for these Toyota engines work much better than any aftermarket ones I've found.

2. New distributor cap & rotor. Again, buy OEM parts at a Toyota dealer. Aftermarket caps & rotors are generally pretty crappy.

3. New plug wires. OEM are best, but last time I changed mine my local Toyota and Lexus dealers wanted $160 CDN for a new set !! :cries: !!  I bought an aftermarket set for about $60, they fit great & seem to be fine so far.

4. New PCV valve. Again, get an OEM one. Cheap aftermarket ones are garbage, don't waste your time. BE SURE to replace the rubber grommet that the PCV plugs into AND the short rubber hose that goes from the PCV to the intake. You can get the grommet & hose at the Toyota dealer or at any autoparts store. Be very careful taking the grommet out - it deteriorates & hardens over time and can easily break up and fall into the engine. Use a bit of lithium grease on the new one and on the PCV - makes getting them out next time easier.

5. New air filter. A regular paper one is fine.

6. Take off the large rubber hose that goes from the air filter box to the throttle body. Get a can of "carb cleaner" and a toothbrush and clean the throttle body intake. Be sure to thoroughly clean the surface where the throttle plate touches the throttle body - ANY buildup of carbon/crap in this area is critical in messing up performance and fuel mileage. If you're really ambitious and have a few hours to kill, you can remove the entire throttle body and clean it out 'til it's like new. But I've found that leaving the throttle body in place and cleaning everything you can reach with the toothbrush works just fine.

7. New fuel filter. OEM.

All these things are pretty easy to do yourself in your driveway - EXCEPT - changing the rear 3 spark plugs and maybe the fuel filter. Buy your parts, do all you can yourself & take the car to your local mechanic to have the rear plugs & fuel filter changed. You can save on labour charges BIG TIME.  :D . If you're not mechanically inclined, buy all your parts first and take it to your mechanic with parts in hand. That way you will know that the proper parts went in - no cheap aftermarket crap!

Do ALL these things, your gas mileage will improve dramatically. Post your "before and after" numbers after a few tankfulls of fuel.

Oh, and concerning your fuel guage problem - other than changing the sending unit in the gas tank, I don't know what you can do about that. I'd worry about the gas mileage first & deal with the guage later.

tck...

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Ummmmm, like I said, a complete 'Major' tune up. :whistles: <_< ;)

[91L3xus]

TCK, thanks a bunch for all the suggestions. I plan to get some of that suff done before I go back to school, and I will try to do all of the work I can myself, before I take it to an independent dealer, which I already have one in mind. I browsed a little bit on those items, and I'm assuming that all of these various tune up's can be achieved withing a $400 budget, saving the petty change I have left for gas money, because I'm in a situation where I cannot pay $30 a week to fill up my car, where I should be making a trip to the gas station every 2 weeks in such a car.

Thanks again. :)

[Toysrme]

Actually, it's a funny story.

All gen2 gas tanks *are* 15.9 gallons. The gauges are habitually set very high. Most gen2 Camry owners fill up at 1/8th->empty, but can only stuff 12-12.5 gallons in.

So... Dude the tank size doesn't matter... Divide the number of miles you drive per fill by the number of gallons put in. If you come out 20mpg+ in mixed driving, you don't have a problem.

Take the entire upper intake off & clean it by hand.

Replace both o2 sensors. ($25-30 each) & reset the ECU (Pull EFI fuse & replace)

Replace spark plugs & check timing (10*btdc).

The other stuff won't make a differance, but should be done at some point.

Also, don't let the car idle to warm up. Crank, belt, drive.

[bartkat]

How many gallons did it take to fill up after 200 miles? Not the size of the tank, but the actual gallons to fill.

[91L3xus]

I put in 11.9 gallons yesterday.

[tckcumming]

TCK, thanks a bunch for all the suggestions.  I plan to get some of that suff done before I go back to school, and I will try to do all of the work I can myself, before I take it to an independent dealer, which I already have one in mind.  I browsed a little bit on those items, and I'm assuming that all of these various tune up's can be achieved withing a $400 budget, saving the petty change I have left for gas money, because I'm in a situation where I cannot pay $30 a week to fill up my car, where I should be making a trip to the gas station every 2 weeks in such a car. 

Thanks again. :)

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I was once a starving student, too - but all I had for transportation was a bicycle or the city bus!

If you want to save some cash, you could put off replacing plug wires for a while. It's convenient to change them when the plugs are changed, and they don't last forever. But they are pretty durable and could be left alone for now.

Fuel filter could also wait. Change it at some point, tho.

Plugs - about $60

Cap, rotor - $40

PCV - about 10 bucks

Air filter - $15

1 can of carb cleaner - $5

Distributor cap, rotor, and PCV are easy do-it-yourself jobs. If you change the front 3 plugs yourself and take the car to a mechanic to do the rear 3, you're probably only looking at an hour's labour, tops. Maybe less. Last time I did it this way the shop charged me $30 - well worth it!!! A check of the timing while it's in the shop is a good idea too.

Say - about $50 for shop labour, plus or minus.

So you could do everything on my list EXCEPT change plug wires and fuel filter - for about $180. Let's round it off to $200 approx.

You should see a dramatic improvement in gas mileage.

tck...

ps Toysrme -where do you get O2 sensors for $25 - $30?? Last time I priced one of these it was $125!!

[91L3xus]

Thanks again for the help. My dad said that if I provide the parts for labor, that an independent shop will not guarantee any of the parts.

For getting the PCV and the distributor cap, how do I go about getting those? I'm still a little weary on messing with anything more than the air box, which I'm still having some trouble with.

[Toysrme]

tck, I bought a Bosch one Wednesday for $29 at Autozone to replace my lazy rear bank o2 sensor.

The differance between the $25-30 lambda sensor, and the $60-90 lambda sensor is that the expencive one has a matching pigtail. Personally... I couldn't give a rat's &#33;Removed&#33; about the connector. The lambda sensors normally come with heatshrink & a crimp. I always soldier everything, but it really wouldn't matter if you just crimped it.

Paying twce the cost for the same sensor with a factory style connector... Aint worth it to me. I mean seriously... If you want to retain a connector, cut the stock one off & crimp/soldier it on the new o2 sensor LoL!

OEM VS new Bosch @ 107,000 miles.

[Toysrme]

From Autozone.

Distributor cap - $12.99

Rotor - $3.99

DENSO STANDARD - $1.89

PCV- $2.49/$3.99

Fuel Filter - $12.99

Air Filter - $9.49

OR

Ebay an AFM adapter for $9.50, they come with a pod filter.

Unfortunately, you're going to get raped on the o2 sensor. 2vz-fe uses a 4 wire sensor.

The good news, is that the 90+ 2vz-fe's were the first Toyota v6 to get an o2 sensor. The great news is it only has one sensor to replace!

[tckcumming]

My dad said that if I provide the parts for labor, that an independent shop will not guarantee any of the parts. 

True! But if you don't supply the parts, the shop will just put in whatever they use on every other car. I have found that these Toyota engines run better & last longer if you use the OEM parts in them. Besides, the parts I suggested you purchase are probably much higher quality than anything the shop would supply, you shouldn't need any guarantee on them from the shop. My opinion... yours may vary!

As far as the PCV....

Open your hood. Look on the left side of the engine, near the back.

See that white thing with the little curved hose attached?? That's the PCV.

Here's a closer look.

Yours will DEFINITELY look more greasy and grimy than this one. I just did a bunch of work on my engine, that's why it looks sooooo good!!

Just pull the plastic PCV thing out of the hole - no tools required.

You can see the rubber grommet that the PCV came out of. These ALWAYS get brittle and hard, they allow air to leak if they aren't changed regularly. Most people skip this step - you can too, but I don't recommend it. Stuff a rag down in the hole to stop any pieces of this grommet from falling in there if it cracks and breaks up when you try to remove it. Now grab it with a pair of pliers and rip it out of there. No need to be gentle - you have a new one to put in, right?? Pull out the rag and any pieces - don't let them fall in the engine! Now smear a little grease on the grommet and pop it into the hole. (the grease makes it MUCH easier to get out next time!!)

Compress the little clip on the hose and pull the old PCV off. I usually replace the little hose, too. It just pulls off, transfer the clips to the new one, plug it back where it came from. Again, many people skip replacing the hose - but it's so easy, why not do it now?? Stick your new PCV on the hose, a little grease on the metal end and pop it back in the grommet where it came from.

All done! Didn't even get my hands dirty. Why pay a mechanic $80 per hour (or more) to do something so simple??

Go ahead and give it a shot.

tck...

[91L3xus]

TCK, thanks for the detailed explination and the great pictures. They really help, and now I have a much better idea of what I can do with my car. I'm off to Autozone now to order the parts, and get to work.

One more question: I got the Chilton's, but there's not much in it about the distributor/cap. Is replacing these parts as simple as the PCV? And would I order a new PCV hose from Autozone also?

Thanks again. :)

[tckcumming]

TCK, thanks for the detailed explination and the great pictures.  They really help, and now I have a much better idea of what I can do with my car.  I'm off to Autozone now to order the parts, and get to work.

One more question:  I got the Chilton's, but there's not much in it about the distributor/cap.  Is replacing these parts as simple as the PCV?  And would I order a new PCV hose from Autozone also?

Thanks again. :)

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My 2 cents?? DON'T go to Autozone for your parts. I know others will disagree with me. But the PCV valves they (and all others) sell are crap. They do not seal properly. Waste of time and money.

Likewise the cap & rotor. I've never been happy with these parts bought as aftermarket replacements.

And spark plugs? MANY previous posts about this, it's a real issue with some people.

Go to your nearest Toyota dealer for the PCV, cap, rotor, and plugs. You WILL pay more. You also WILL be confident that these things are going to work they way they were designed to.

Air filters? Oil filters? Bulbs, oil, tires, carb cleaner, etc and etc can be purchased easily anywhere. Half the parts on my Lexus are from Canadian Tire. But you won't save any money buying cheap tuneup parts because you'll be doing the job again much sooner than you need to.

OK - Preaching is over! Now go and do whatever you want.

More pictures!!

See the air intake? How could you miss it?? :D That's the part you have to take off to clean the throttle out with carb cleaner. Just loosen the 2 clamps (the small arrows) and wiggle the large rubber hose free. Don't be too crazy - you can crack it. If it does crack or split, seal up the cracks with some RTV silicone, don't just ignore them because the air leaks will affect the airflow sensor. Just be careful & you shouldn't have a problem. A little WD-40 sprayed around makes it come off easier.

Spray the carb cleaner around the throttle body & scrub it with a toothbrush and wipe it out with some clean rags. Get it as clean as you can.

While the rubber hose thingy is off, you can easily get to the distributor. That's it in the photo with the green arrow. It's right below the intake. Much easier to see with the intake hose off (I didn't feel like taking it off just for this photo, but you get the idea). The small arrow is pointing at one of the screws you need to loosen to remove the cap. There are only 2 (I think). Loosen them off and wiggle the cap until it comes off. The rotor is right underneath the cap. Two more screws, off with the old rotor and on with the new! Make sure the new one is pointing the same as the one you took off - I think it only goes on one way anyhow.

You need to transfer the plug wires from the old cap to the new one. Don't mix them up or your engine won't run. OEM caps and plug wires have the cylinder #'s right on them - just match up plug wire number whatever to cap terminal number whatever and plug it in. Aftermarket parts don't usually have the numbers on them, so just be sure to take the wires off one at a time and plug them into the correct terminal. Sounds harder than it is - nothing too it, really. Just don't rush ahead & unplug all the plug wires before you remove the old cap, you could be in for a long session of "trial and error" to get them back on right. Don't even ask how I know this...

Piece of cake!!

tck...

[bartkat]

I put in 11.9 gallons yesterday.

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For 200 miles that's 16.8 MPG, which if it's town driving not too bad.

[91L3xus]

Yeah it's a mix of city and highway, but when Toysrme says that I have a nearly 16 gallon tank, either my low fuel warning is too conservative, or my gauge is really off.

TCK, despite all your tutorials and pictures, I am still at a loss. My engine bay is somewhat different than yours, proving to be a little more difficult to work with. Here's a few pictures to help you out. It's a 2VZ-FE.

This is how I currently run my air box. The muffler is off, used to cover where that small hole is, I found that once I'm up into the 4000's in RPM, I get a little more pick-up.

This is the 4th bolt I am talking about when it comes to removing the air box from the AFM; still can't find a way to get it off, and I had enough trouble pulling up the airbox enough to get this picture!

Here's my air intake, almost exactly like yours, but the engine does not reach up close to it, and I cannot see where the distributor is.

Same thing with my PCV valve, although I think I might have found it; (the hose with the pinch clamp, the farther right of the 2). I have decided to hold off with the parts from Autozone as you suggested, and will take a trip to the Lexus/Toyota dealer soon.

Hope these pics help you figure out my situation.

[tckcumming]

TCK, despite all your tutorials and pictures, I am still at a loss.  My engine bay is somewhat different than yours, proving to be a little more difficult to work with.  Here's a few pictures to help you out.  It's a 2VZ-FE

Ain't photography wonderful?

Your basic layout is a lot like mine, just a little more "cramped", less room to move things around. Components are in basically the same place.

I have one question for you - why are you removing the air filter box? I've never had mine out. All the maintenance items I've mentioned can be done with this airbox left in place.

If you must remove it, I think there are a couple of bolts inside on the bottom of the box holding it to the car body. You have to take the air filter out, look in the bottom of the box. I could be wrong... :whistles: maybe someone else here knows nore about this than I do.

Have a look at my "captions" to your photos below.

Loosen the clamps, spray a bit of WD-40 and wiggle the intake hose off. You might have to pull off a couple of the smaller hoses attached to it, same deal - WD-40 to the rescue! Just make sure you plug it all back in the way it was when you're done. Distributor cap is much more accessible when the hose is off.

Maybe someone else with an engine exactly like yours can help out locating the PCV - a photo would be good.

Let us know how it's going.

tck...

[91L3xus]

Probably should've posted pics of my engine up, saved you a little more time, but I nonetheless appreciate your helping me out. Now that I am working with pictures from my engine bay, it's a lot easier to relate. Tommorow I'll start and keep you updated.

My dad said that it would be best to take it to the pros, aka the dealer, for the things like sparkplugs (the rear bank, at least), but I'll show him that I can save a lot of money and getting experience by just getting a little greasy. :D

[91L3xus]

Finally got the airbox out of there. You wouldn't believe what I found in the pan under the air filter (which I also cleaned out). I found a bundle of red and black plastic coated wire, tied together with a zip-tie, 2 pennies, sand, leaves, 2 feathers and a few dead bugs. I'm glad I got those out.

I was able to clean off the throttle body and was amazed at the carbon that I cleaned out of it. It was disgusting, and I can sense a slight increase in power now (no way to be completely sure, if it just feels like it or ther's actually an improvement). But it's a small step towards getting better mileage and performace from the engine.

I followed the spark plug wires and found the distributor cap- it's way down there, behind a few other various hoses and wires. That should be an intresting swap.

Still no luck on the PCV valve... proving to be a tricky find so far.

[Toysrme]

:P I asked an auzzy, he said it was a little easier than the 3.0L's, but still a !Removed!! hah!

[tckcumming]

Finally got the airbox out of there.  You wouldn't believe what I found in the pan under the air filter (which I also cleaned out).  I found a bundle of red and black plastic coated wire, tied together with a zip-tie, 2 pennies, sand, leaves, 2 feathers and a few dead bugs.  I'm glad I got those out. 

I was able to clean off the throttle body and was amazed at the carbon that I cleaned out of it.  It was disgusting, and I can sense a slight increase in power now (no way to be completely sure, if it just feels like it or ther's actually an improvement).  But it's a small step towards getting better mileage and performace from the engine. 

I followed the spark plug wires and found the distributor cap- it's way down there, behind a few other various hoses and wires.  That should be an intresting swap.

Still no luck on the PCV valve... proving to be a tricky find so far.

←

So far so good! Use your 2 pennies of profit towards your parts purchase...

I once found a dead bird in the airbox of a Honda I owned.

Cleaning out the built up crud from the throttle makes a bigger difference than you think it should. Airflow through the throttle body and intake plenum is critical to an engine running smoothly and making power efficiently. An old "hot rodder's" trick is to polish the inside of the air intake and cylinder head ports like a mirror to create better flow and more power. You're doing the same thing by making sure the airflow isn't restricted by dirt and carbon.

If you ever get really ambitious, you can remove the throttle body and intake plenum and really clean them out until they're spotless and shiny inside. It's really quite easy to do - like 8 or 10 bolts and a couple of gaskets. Takes a couple of hours and a beer or two on a Saturday afternoon. Something for another day...

PCV on your engine is probably tucked further up under the intake plenum than on mine. You know the throttle body that you cleaned all the gunk out of? The thing that it is bolted to is the plenum. Look under that part on the left side of the engine. PCV will be plugged into the top of the valve cover just like in my earlier pictures. Just further under the plenum & harder to see (and reach). If you ever do decide to take off your intake plenum to clean it, the PCV will be right there in the open, exposed for all to see.

Onward and upward...

tck...

[91L3xus]

Well, after only cleaning the air filter and throttle body, I have seen a decent change in mileage. I was very suprised. Will be even better with the new filter even thought it was just shipped today after ordering it over a week ago. <_<

Mileage:

I ran the car completely dry before doing any work to the engine:

Result was 207 miles on 13 gallons.

The next day, I filled the tank up with exactly 13 gallons again, and ran the same test. Results were found under mixed driving, including using the O/D button on and off and using the ECT button frequently.

I cleaned the throttle body and cleaned air filter and tray below it, removing some wack-o crap:

Result was 255 miles on 13 gallons.

30 minutes of non-intense engine work = 48 extra miles, so my mileage went from 15.9 MPG to 19.6 MPG.

Thanks TCK, and I'll be sure to update again when I get the new filter.

[tckcumming]

Well, after only cleaning the air filter and throttle body, I have seen a decent change in mileage.  I was very suprised.  Will be even better with the new filter even thought it was just shipped today after ordering it over a week ago. <_<

Mileage: 

I ran the car completely dry before doing any work to the engine:

Result was 207 miles on 13 gallons. 

The next day, I filled the tank up with exactly 13 gallons again, and ran the same test.  Results were found under mixed driving, including using the O/D button on and off and using the ECT button frequently.

I cleaned the throttle body and cleaned air filter and tray below it, removing some wack-o crap:

Result was 255 miles on 13 gallons. 

30 minutes of non-intense engine work = 48 extra miles, so my mileage went from 15.9 MPG to 19.6 MPG.

Thanks TCK, and I'll be sure to update again when I get the new filter.

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Awesome.

I'll bet it runs a lot better, too.

It's rewarding to see a positive result after a little sweat & effort, isn't it?

You'll find even more improvement by changing plugs & cap - rotor - PCV - etc. as discussed earlier. Not every fix will result in such a big "bump", though. Each change you make gets you closer (hopefully!) to the factory spec "perfect" state of tune for your engine, so the increments get smaller and smaller as you go.

Best way to check your gas mileage:

1. ** Completely fill your tank. Doesn't matter how much goes in - you don't care at this point. Set your trip meter to zero.

2. ** Drive around for a few days. Normal every day type of driving is best, you'll get an idea of your "day-to-day" mileage this way. DON'T drive until the tank is completely empty - you don't have to.

3. ** Fill up your tank completely with gas. Write down the # of gallons you put in the tank AND the mileage shown on your trip meter. Divide # of miles by # of gallons - this is your mpg for that tankfull of gas. Write it down - you WILL forget it!

4. ** Set your trip meter to zero again immediately, at the gas station, before you put any more miles on the car you have just filled up. Go back to step #2 and repeat as many times as you want. The more different tankfulls of fuel you check, the more accurate your overall mpg number will be.

It's amazing how so many people screw this up. :whistles:

BTW - I got just shy of 25mpg with my ES300 with my last fill-up, lots of short trips & regular driving (and a couple of practice "burnouts" on a deserted country road). Going on a long-haul hiway run tomorrow. Around 800 - 900 miles in the next couple of days, all at around 70 - 80mph (depending on traffic and the mood of the OPP officers cruising the 401). Good chance to chk my gas mileage at a good steady state cruise; we'll see if my recent work helped any under those conditions. I'll post my result when I get back.

tck...