I just got a 99 camry LE.

[bcabsher]

I was wondering, what kind of mileage should I get and about how much horse power. Its a four cylinder, but if there is more than one size 4cyl they put in Camry I have no idea how to tell the difference. Also, can I leave overdrive on all time except for on hills? Btw its a lot better than my moms 05 civic.

[Mister_Perkins]

Originally Posted by bcabsher

I was wondering, what kind of mileage should I get and about how much horse power. Its a four cylinder, but if there is more than one size 4cyl they put in Camry I have no idea how to tell the difference. Also, can I leave overdrive on all time except for on hills? Btw its a lot better than my moms 05 civic.

the only difference I know is some have coil packs and some have distributors.

It lowers your Gear Ratio so that you can cruise at a lower RPM (revolutions per minute).

This improves Gas Milage and also reduces wear and tear on engine parts etc.

NEVER TOW anything in Overdrive, or if you are carrying a very large load you are better served staying in gear without the use of OD.

OD is best used for highway motoring.

Also in Hilly locals you are normally better of staying in Reg. Gear for compression braking and better response.

I leave my 92 and 95 in OD all the time

[fenixus]

http://www.edmunds.com/used/1999/toy...436/specs.html

99 camry 4 cylinder carries a 2.2L engine (5S-FE) with around 133 horse power. you should be probably looking at following mileage on that car (per fueleconomy.gov website):

city 20MPG
hwy 28MPG

[Mister_Perkins]

and anything is better than "moms car"

hehehehe

[ONE_to_HATE]

it was a 133 HP back then.. i think with the new guidelines- its like.. 37HP total. LOL! im kidding..

nice pick up! but city driving.. don't be too disappointed when it doesn't seem as efficient as you'd expect!

anyways- welcome to the boards hopefully you enjoy yr stay.

[bcabsher]

I live in the Foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, so it's kinda of hilly, but not San Francisco. I had a few people tell me that leaving it in OD could wear down the engine, but my dad said that most cars now have it built in and that Toyota just put that in there to make it look better. I am a little disseminated in only 20mpg, but I still like the car a lot.

[fenixus]

city driving, short distance driving and hilly areas will all decrease your MPG.
you would need to go to a flat area (some long flat highway) and run at least half of gas tank through there to check MPG at station.

[JohnGD]

I would think it's more like wearing down the transmission and not the engine.

The "conventional" wisdom is to leave the OD button off, so the transmission does not go into OD for 1 second and then downshift again. This is quite commonly done on 4 speeds of all makes.

However, do not leave in L or 2 going uphill for too long. An additional brake band engages in those gears and the transmission can wear out more quickly. Use them only going downhill.

The interesting thing about newer 6-speed transmissions of all makes is that there is no such option (OD Off) any more. It's OD-On all the time or manual shift, which would be a hassle IMO.

Maybe this means might as well leave in OD all the time. (that said, to avoid frequent up/down shifts between 3/4 in some situations, I'd still turn OD off in 4-speed transmissions. Otherwise as you said, OD is left on).

Have you ever replaced the ATF and differential fluid? Maybe drop and clean the pan and replace the strainer? I'd use at least Walmart's SuperTech Mercon-V (suitable for Dexron III) or Castrol Import Multi-Vehicle ATF (also for D-III).

Originally Posted by bcabsher

I live in the Foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, so it's kinda of hilly, but not San Francisco. I had a few people tell me that leaving it in OD could wear down the engine, but my dad said that most cars now have it built in and that Toyota just put that in there to make it look better. I am a little disseminated in only 20mpg, but I still like the car a lot.