3rd & 4th Generation (1992–1996 & 1997–2001)Toyota Camry Discussion for years: 1992-1996 & 1997-2001
Topics of discussion range from fuel economy, safety, modifications, performance all involving America's favorite family car, the Toyota Camry.
Calculated my MPG today, came out to 18.5 mpg, in a 5S-FE Camry, I drive easy, but its mostly short trips, like 10 miles per day. Is my crappy mileage normal or is something up? I was expecting more like 25MPG.
Also, I recently changed my oil, and apparently the owners manual is wrong, 4 quarts put me about half a quart too full(book says 4.3 quarts with filter change), is it okay to run like this?
Last edited by Kenny_McCormic; 10-13-2009 at 05:16 PM.
Mileage doesn't sound right. Are you in stop and go traffic? How long does it take to travel the 10 miles? Run a couple tanks and look at the mileage after several fillups. Check plugs, air filter, and tire pressures. Maybe take it on a drive and put 50 or so miles on it at one time.
Did you check the oil before you cranked it up and let the filter fill up. Not being funny but I did it not long ago in my lawn mower. My experience is that the 4 quarts mine calls for does not get the oil to the top of the normal range and I need a little more.
ive had really bed mileage to not as drastic. like 21. fiured its just cuz i drive like a jerk to much but i thried drivin slower and not axelerating to fast and it didnt help much. also o got my exaust fixed and that helpef a little too mu im still no not at the 26ish that a 4cyl cam sould get.
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92' LE 2.2
MY first car! finally paid off
Mileage doesn't sound right. Are you in stop and go traffic? How long does it take to travel the 10 miles? Run a couple tanks and look at the mileage after several fillups. Check plugs, air filter, and tire pressures. Maybe take it on a drive and put 50 or so miles on it at one time.
Did you check the oil before you cranked it up and let the filter fill up. Not being funny but I did it not long ago in my lawn mower. My experience is that the 4 quarts mine calls for does not get the oil to the top of the normal range and I need a little more.
Monday through Friday
Get in car
Start and let idle for at least 1 minute
Pull out and slowly get up to 45
Drive 45 about 1.5 miles
Trans is now warmed enough to go into 4th, so I get up to 55 for the next 2 miles.
Then I go 25 though town about 1 mile, pull into the school lot and do the opposite 7 hours later.
I only stop 3-4 times in that 5 mile trip.
I check tire pressure weekly, they are good. Air filter is a little dirty but still in good shape. Plugs are getting old, but the engine still runs smooth.
Oil level was still found to be high several miles after changing, I changed it about a week ago.
Last edited by Kenny_McCormic; 10-13-2009 at 08:22 PM.
Unfortunately this isn't a helpful post regarding your situation, but just a comment.
Today during a drive to Little Rock, AR from Tulsa, OK I averaged my gas mileage at 24, which I thought was absolutely terrible. Just 6 months ago I calculated 29... even with my current mileage of 333k+. I'll be looking into this rather immediately.
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2000 Toyota Camry LE (Japan made) i4 5S-FE 367,000+ miles.
I am the original owner of a 94 5SFE Camry. The car was rated at 21 city and 28 hwy when new. Also owned a 98 Camry 5SFE engine which was rated at 23 city and 31 hwy. I still own the 94 and have never averaged more than 21 in the type of city driving Kenny_McCormic is doing. So, if you have a generation 3 (92-96) 5SFE, your mileage isn't that far out of line for this time of year. It's been unseasonably cold in our area for this time of the year, and that does lower your mileage a bit.
Get in car
Start and let idle for at least 1 minute
Pull out and slowly get up to 45
Drive 45 about 1.5 miles
Trans is now warmed enough to go into 4th, so I get up to 55 for the next 2 miles.
Then I go 25 though town about 1 mile, pull into the school lot and do the opposite 7 hours later.
I only stop 3-4 times in that 5 mile trip.
I check tire pressure weekly, they are good. Air filter is a little dirty but still in good shape. Plugs are getting old, but the engine still runs smooth.
Oil level was still found to be high several miles after changing, I changed it about a week ago.
You are barely getting up to operating temp so about the time you arrive at school the computer is just beginning to lean the mixture down. It would be like older cars that would run with the choke on for the first several miles. Mileage was horrible until the engine warmed up.
As for the oil, how far is at above the "normal range" on the stick. In the past I have run as much as 5 quarts when the manual called for 4.5. It measured about 1/8 to 1/4 inch above normal range. I had no problems. As a reference, the "normal range" on the stick may be about the equivilent of 1/2 qt or so from "add" to "full".
You have to remember that even though these are 4 cylinder engines, 2.2L is still quite large and the cars themselves are very large sedans. You're not getting completely out of whack mileage, and it probably has to do with your old spark plugs. These cars have a very wide gap between the city mileage and the highway mileage because of their size and weight. It's hard work for the engine to get it moving from a stop, but very good on gas once the car is already crusing and has momentum.
I get about ~22 and I drive like a grandma.
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1996 Toyota Camry | 4 Cyl. 2.2L | Black Paint with Tan Interior | All Stock | DEAD at 155k. Broken Crankshaft/Main Bearing
If plugs don't help, maybe a piece of cardboard in front of my radiator to block flow(get it running hotter faster) will? I will have to keep a close eye on my temps, but its no big deal.
That will do no good on such short trips. The thermostat won't open any sooner with all the airflow blocked from the radiator and I would guess that it is just beginning to open when you get to school. Besides in Michigan, in winter, you don't need much airflow even after it warms up anyway. That is the coldest, wettest place I have ever been. The problem is getting the engine hot and you are just not doing that with your daily drive. You would do more good if you could install a block heater to use during the winter. Also what oil are you using? I am looking at the mobile 1 0w-30 for winter use. Maybe a thinner oil would help. Maybe you could move further away. Just kidding.
Castrol GTX high mileage 5-30 with a Napa Gold filter. Some how 4 quarts overfilled it and I'm running half a quart high. Have considered a block heater, I haven't got the money right now. I do however have quite a bit of random electrical crap and dead or close to dead droplights, I wonder if a 100watt bulb under the hood would help?
Michigan has weather for everyone, if you don't like the current climate, wait 10 minutes.
Last edited by Kenny_McCormic; 10-14-2009 at 06:46 PM.
Get in car
Start and let idle for at least 1 minute
Pull out and slowly get up to 45
Drive 45 about 1.5 miles
Trans is now warmed enough to go into 4th, so I get up to 55 for the next 2 miles.
Then I go 25 though town about 1 mile, pull into the school lot and do the opposite 7 hours later.
I only stop 3-4 times in that 5 mile trip.
I check tire pressure weekly, they are good. Air filter is a little dirty but still in good shape. Plugs are getting old, but the engine still runs smooth.
Oil level was still found to be high several miles after changing, I changed it about a week ago.
Why don't you try letting it idle only until the oil pressure stabilizes (< 10 sec) for the next tank? With short trips, and significant idle time, esp. when cold, the 0 MPG period is a significant percentage of run time. Also, does the temp gauge go to 'normal' reasonably quickly? If not, a thermostat may be the problem - engine that doesn't reach design operating temp will cause the ECU to inject more fuel.
This all supposes no CE light - fixing any issues that would light up will be a first step.
Also, beside plugs, old O2 sensors can get 'lazy', even when the ECU sees them as 'in spec', causing too-rich mixture.
No CEL, I take care of that sort of thing. I do suppose letting it idle for less time might help, 2 minutes is 1/3rd of my commute after all. My temp does get up after a couple of miles(heat comes on after a mile or so), thinking of doing my thermostat anyways. I did not know that O2 sensors can get out of whack, the car only has one that I know of.
Last edited by Kenny_McCormic; 10-14-2009 at 08:13 PM.
What temperatures do the cold line and red zone on the temp gauge correspond to?
Took car on highway today, thermostat failure became VERY apparent(gauge dropped to C!), replaced thermostat and it seems to be running a lot hotter(needle half way up instead of quarter) and warming up quicker. I think I have fixed it.
What temperatures do the cold line and red zone on the temp gauge correspond to?
Took car on highway today, thermostat failure became VERY apparent(gauge dropped to C!), replaced thermostat and it seems to be running a lot hotter(needle half way up instead of quarter) and warming up quicker. I think I have fixed it.
I think you have too. Your thermostat was probaby stuck in the open position. When that happens the car takes an extremely long time to reach normal temperature, if it every does. When the engine is operating at colder than normal temperatures, it is using a very rich fuel mixture. That would account for your low fuel mileage. Your MPG should now increase.
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