Afraid to ask. :P

[charliefrench2oo8]

Okay.. So here's the deal. I have a 1997 Camry with the 1mz-fe engine. Has almost NO BODY damage. owned it for almost a year and a quarter. put 80k on it so far. Fun car.

I've changed the timing belt. Fixed a LOT of seals. new oil pan. New thermostat. New AC Clutch. New Alternator. lots of repairs.

So. My question is. im at 251k. I get an average of 300 miles to a full tank. I understand its a v6. and i drive somewhat agressive. But is that normal? and if so i have another question for you all.

I have almost NO power anymore. Used to have a very good accel time. There is a huge delay between hitting the gas and KICKING. it starts moving, but it takes a while to start jumping up.
ill record a 0-60 and put it on youtube or something if someone wants. i live near a flat 3 mile road.

It needs struts. Badly.. Is it worth putting money in or just getting a diff car?
I've attached photos of the "body damage" and my car in general. i love this little car.

[uibalnme]

Well, it could be a combination of things. MPGs...when was the last time the oxygen sensors were replaced? They should be replaced every 30k. Lack of power...being that the car is at 251k, the trans might be getting ready to let go. It may be slipping. I'll guess the previous owner drove conservatively, but you admit to driving aggressively. That hard driving style may have caused that high mileage transmission to start start slipping, causing the "delay," and also plays into the low MPGs You car should have a fuel capacity of 18.5gal, you're getting 300 miles to a tank...that's roughly 16.2mpg, very poor. You should be getting at least 22-25mpg.

Whether or not it's worth fixing, and keeping is up to you. Either way, I suggest changing your driving style.

[Shelbrain]

I've never heard anyone recommend replacing oxygen sensors every 30k miles. Is this something specific to your car-what is your basis for the recommendation?

[93celicaconv]

You are asking for specific ideas or solutions to a very vague statement. You will probably get a wide variety of inputs because of it.

If you could be more specific, that would be helpful. Such as, did this loss of power gradually happen over the time that you've owned it, or was there a specific event after which this situation was present?

There are many ways to drive aggresively too, so pinpointing mileage will be difficult. Why don't you fill the fuel tank up with gas, then note what kind of trips you are taking (city/urban vs. highway, cold vs. warm days, etc.), and drive it very gently. Then record how many miles you drove this way when you fill the fuel tank back up, and how many gallons you put in. Then we can get an idea of your fuel mileage from a gently driven perspective and over what kind of conditions, to determine if the mileage is within reason for that engine.

[carsrus]

Well if I were you I would first start off with the essentials.

New spark plugs,wires, air filter, fuel filter, make sure tire psi is 35 all around. On the v6 change the upper intake gaskets while your at it, you might as all have a vacuum leak because of them. When your doing this inspect the whole engine for any deteriorated rubber hosing since that causes vacuum leaks. Also buy a can of carb cleaner and spray down the throttle body with the air cleaner hose off. Also check the air filter pipe for cracks, that happens alot also.

After doing all this pull the negative battery cable and reset the computer.

A full tune up is the easiest and least expensive thing to start out with.

Are you getting any check engine light codes? Its reallly unlikely a sensor would go bad and not throw a code.

[Nervous]

changing o2 sensors each 30K is definitely overkill. But if they weren't changed yet at 251K then you may consider to replace all 3 of them.

[primo382]

since we're throwing out ideas... I'll go with a plugged catalytic converter! This is the quickest way power dissapears if you know that your fuel and ignition system are working flawlessly i.e. there is no missing or stumbling during acceleration.

[liensalebuyer]

well, whatever you do, keep it, looks clean for a stock car.

[hill8570]

Originally Posted by charliefrench2oo8

Okay.. So here's the deal. I have a 1997 Camry with the 1mz-fe engine. Has almost NO BODY damage. owned it for almost a year and a quarter. put 80k on it so far. Fun car.

I've changed the timing belt. Fixed a LOT of seals. new oil pan. New thermostat. New AC Clutch. New Alternator. lots of repairs.

So. My question is. im at 251k. I get an average of 300 miles to a full tank. I understand its a v6. and i drive somewhat agressive. But is that normal? and if so i have another question for you all.

I have almost NO power anymore. Used to have a very good accel time. There is a huge delay between hitting the gas and KICKING. it starts moving, but it takes a while to start jumping up.
ill record a 0-60 and put it on youtube or something if someone wants. i live near a flat 3 mile road.

It needs struts. Badly.. Is it worth putting money in or just getting a diff car?

What's that work out to in MPG?

Does the engine rev like a madman but you don't go anywhere (or go somewhere slow), or are your revs really slow coming up?

[uibalnme]

Originally Posted by Shelbrain

I've never heard anyone recommend replacing oxygen sensors every 30k miles. Is this something specific to your car-what is your basis for the recommendation?

1 or 2 wire O2 sensors wear out after 30-50k, and the 3 or 4 wire O2 sensors wear out after 60-100k. Either way after 251k it's time to change them out if they're still factory.

[charliefrench2oo8]

Wow. So Many Responses.
No CEL. Power loss the RPM Slowly comes up.. The O2 Sensors are Stock

I havent replaced any sensors. Never had a CEL. The most i've EVER Gotten to a tank was a flat drive to L.A from northern CA. got 552 to a tank at 60MPH. that was amazing for me.
My average drive is 40% city and 60% highway. 70mph on cruise on highway. not too hilly.
New tires. Good PSI. I've done the general tuneup. New plugs, wires, etc. I need to do a trans flush im sure. Last one was done almost 100k ago. (im a bad car owner i think )
But overall. Theres something about the car i love. Probably the 1MZF-E

The O2 Sensors.. I'll look into that when i get paid again. Starting to fix my dash right now

My car got broken into the other night. they smashed the window. Dashboard. Etc. So Pick N Pull time!.

[projektvertx]

Originally Posted by charliefrench2oo8

I need to do a trans flush im sure. Last one was done almost 100k ago. (im a bad car owner i think )
But overall. Theres something about the car i love. Probably the 1MZF-E

The O2 Sensors.. I'll look into that when i get paid again. Starting to fix my dash right now

My car got broken into the other night. they smashed the window. Dashboard. Etc. So Pick N Pull time!.

Wow, sucks to hear about the break in, good luck with that...

O2 sensors will definitly help with MPG, I changed mine at 208 K on a '95 1MZ-FE, (slightly different design but 95% the same IMO, althought you own the famous sludgemonster version of the 1MZ-FE ) and it made a world of difference in that aspect.

One thing that worries me is: you say you haven't flushed the transmission fluid in 100 k miles. Do you mean the fluid hasn't been changed in 100 k miles?? If that is so, check the condition of the fluid: very dark or brown?? Smell burnt in any way??

[hill8570]

Originally Posted by charliefrench2oo8

Wow. So Many Responses.
No CEL. Power loss the RPM Slowly comes up.. The O2 Sensors are Stock

First item of business (and a cheap one) is to clean the wire in the MAF -- I'll bet that wire is dirty as hell, reading too low, and making you run really rich until the O2 sensors get things adjusted. If the O2 sensors are really stock, that can't be helping, either.