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.
I hate to waste everyone's time with another gas mileage thread, but I just filled my tank and calculated the mileage to be at 20.5 miles per gallon. It has 67,000 miles and an automatic transmission. I just gave it new plugs and wires and an air filter. The plugs looked normal enough. Before I got it, the oil was changed meticulously every three thousand miles. And as it sits the oil may need changed again, but it does not look sludgy at all. It idles nicely and accelerates without a hitch. My revolutions per minute rarely touch three thousand.
I bought this to replace my 1989 Mazda B2200 pickup as my daily commuter. However, right now the truck is outshining the Camry, which really disappoints me. I was hoping the Camry would get at least 25 miles to the gallon. I have read just about every posting regarding the gas mileage of this car that is on this site. If any of you could do me a great favor by offering advice i would be very grateful.
City driving will really kill your mileage. Also look at how you drive. Aggressive driving or jump starts from a red light will ruin gas mileage. You should be getting about that in the city. I drive 60 miles round trip 75% highway and I get about 24mpg. I have a V6 MT.
I have some cityish driving. It's not really that horrible because it is not that busy of a city. The rest is freeway driving. Fifteen miles on the freeway to school and fifteen miles back. I go 60 miles per hour and it sits at about 2200 rpms. Five or so miles to work through city traffic. I also give it about five minutes to warm up before I drive it anywhere. Most of my driving is done while the engine is at operating temperature. I also drive like my 80 year old grandmother. No quick acceleration. No sharp breaking.
When I changed my spark plugs there was no evidence that it was running rich. And the exhaust smells normal as well.
If there is any information that I can provide about the car that may help, please ask. I will do my best to answer them. I have had this car for only three weeks
Also this posting was created twice, perhaps a moderator could delete one of these.
No need to let it warm up like that, wastes more gas than running it cold. Where does the temp gauge sit on the freeway? How many miles on your car?
It may waste more gas but its probably worth it to let the transmission warm up. The engine can warm up quickly but its the transmission that's gonna take the hit if you run it hard and cold.
I have been taught since I was young to let your car warm up. That may be because the people teaching me had older cars with carburetors. But I still let mine warm up.
The temperature gauge sits just below the half mark. I have not seen it move up or down as a result of highway driving.
If I was not to let it warm up and just drove it, the transmission would not be ran hard. I do not accelerate quick and/or hard under any circumstances. I am trying to get the best gas mileage as possible. The rpms while accelerating never exceed 2800 or so.
Like someone said, warming it up for such a long time is going to suck gas. The engine shouldn't require more than a minute or so on the coldest day, and then drive gently to allow for faster warmup.
check for proper tire pressure, clean air filter, slide pins on your calipers moving free and not binding, alignment (experience any uneven tire wear?), any strange noises or vibrations when on the highway? are you getting a healthy spark?
Check tire pressures to somewhere in the 31-33psi (cold) range, replace air filter if you can't remember when you did it or it has been in for some time. Let the engine warm for about a minute and then drive easy for the first few miles. That does not mean 20mph but rather no hard acceleration. If you are parking outside in very cold weather an extra minute may not be a bad thing. I think though that you poor mileage is coming from the long warm up and if you are parking outside in very cold wx you just don't need to pay attention to the mileage. It will just make you feel bad.
I have some cityish driving. It's not really that horrible because it is not that busy of a city. The rest is freeway driving. Fifteen miles on the freeway to school and fifteen miles back. I go 60 miles per hour and it sits at about 2200 rpms. Five or so miles to work through city traffic. I also give it about five minutes to warm up before I drive it anywhere. Most of my driving is done while the engine is at operating temperature. I also drive like my 80 year old grandmother. No quick acceleration. No sharp breaking.
When I changed my spark plugs there was no evidence that it was running rich. And the exhaust smells normal as well.
That mix should be good for somewhere in the 23-25 mpg range. What do you know about the maintenance history of the rig? Still on the original oxygen sensors? Stock wheels, or something bigger?
Since i got it 3 weeks ago i have put new plugs and wires in it. And a new air filter. Before I got it the oil was changed every three thousand miles. It probable needs changed again. But there is no way that dirty oil is the only factor that is decreasing my fuel mileage.
I would have to check on the tire pressure with a gauge, but they are not noticeably low. I have several gauges i will go and check in the next few days.
I have a huge stack of receipts of all the maintainance of the vehicle. I havent gotten a chance to read through them, but I will and I might be able to find something helpful.
How would I go about checking to see if the sliding pins on the calipers are moving freely?
The tires, to my knowledge, are the stock tires. I am not sure of the size because that wasn't very important to me when i was making a purchase decision. I can figure that out when it gets light outside again.
There is no uneven wear on the tires, and they all still have alot of life on them still.
I am not sure if it is running on the original o2 sensors or not. I will have to check through the stack of receipts mentioned earlier.
I havent had a chance to check the timing, but it seems to be okay. no pinging or misfiring. My step dad is a mechanic and as an added bonus, he has a timing light. I will convince him that he should come take a look see.
Also, when i was changing the plug wires they plug into two different coils or something, i am not sure what they are. How easy are these to change?
As an added note. There is one thing wrong with the car that i am also not sure about. While going slow, 5mph or so, and turning the wheel there is a creaking from the front where the tires are.
20-21 mpg around town is pretty average for the 4 cyl/ automatic Camry of this vintage. Your expectation of 25 mpg was definitely too optimistic. The car is too heavy, you see, to post that kind of mpg with the 4 cyl..... in normal driving. The manual (5-speed)/ 4 cyl version of the car will do a bit better....but still not 25 mpg (around town). You should get 30 mpg or a bit better on the highway with the 4 cyl/ auto, however.
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