Ok folks, here's what's going on. I had an '07 Corolla LE until I got laid off about a year ago, and now I'm sporting a '97 Corolla CE. I was used to the mileage I was getting from the '07, about 36MPG. The '97 Has the 4AFE with the dreaded 3-speed auto tranny, which I understand won't give me the best MPG, but I've learned to deal with that. However, I recently got a different job which is all city driving, and the '97 went from getting 25MPG with a city/highway mix, to getting 17. I do have a small hairline crack in the manifold, and I understand that can sometimes disturb the sensors and therefore the MPGs might be lower, but otherwise I just did a tuneup 15k ago, including new plugs and wires, etc.
... so what I'm asking here is this: is 17MPG really what I should be looking at? That seems disturbingly low, especially for a Toyota.
You definitely have a problem. WHile the combination you have has been cited many times as having the worst mileage it should be better than what you have. There are a LOT of factors that affect mileage. You just need to work at it to find the offending parts.
Thanks for the reply. It has been a work in progress, I've done a lot of work to the car since I bought it, the biggest of which was the tune up with the new plugs, as well as suspension work (new shocks all around, new tires)... Could a bad O2 sensor cause this? Is there a way I can test that or would I have to bring it in for someone to look at? I'm thinking at this point it's either a bad sensor or a fuel injection issue.
Bad O2 sensor usually causes a CEL. You can check output on millivolts with a good meter.
If you are running 17 mpg rich the plugs should be almost solid black and a nice black cloud following you.
Dont overlook another obvious problem- fuel leaks. Lines are well known for rusting out.
I always do a leakdown test on every engine to make sure it has no issues with valves or rings. That way I KNOW the engine has potential to run correctly.
-SP
The Following User Says Thank You to speedy25 For This Useful Post:
I think the old girl just needed a good, long, highway run... I drover her from Columbus to Cincinnati, and back in the same day...
MPG from Columbus to Cincinnati: 24.2
MPG from Cincinnati to Columbus: 38.7
I think the old girl just needed a good, long, highway run... I drover her from Columbus to Cincinnati, and back in the same day...
MPG from Columbus to Cincinnati: 24.2
MPG from Cincinnati to Columbus: 38.7
Is one direction going up hill with a headwind & the other going downhill with a tailwind? That seems to be a huge difference for each way. I just had my best tank ever for my 94 Corolla with a 5M at 38.2 mpg. Although I've only had it on the open road a couple of times as most all of the 215k miles on her are a combination of hwy/city driving.
__________________ 89 Supercharged White MR2 5-speed / 09 Corolla S CSM 5-speed
07 Matrix XR Gray Pearl 5-speed (sold 11/23/11)/ 94 Corolla DX Red 5-speed / 95 Previa S/C White Auto/
07 Corolla CE CSM 5-speed/ 10 Prius III Blizzard Pearl
Is one direction going up hill with a headwind & the other going downhill with a tailwind? That seems to be a huge difference for each way. I just had my best tank ever for my 94 Corolla with a 5M at 38.2 mpg. Although I've only had it on the open road a couple of times as most all of the 215k miles on her are a combination of hwy/city driving.
Well, the trip back IS technically an elevation drop overall, although not much.
That was the best tank I've had so far, as I said, I was averaging 25MPG per tank for a long time, which is what I'd expect from the 3-speed, especially with 207k on the clock.
The biggest difference is that the trip back was made at night, in cooler air (in the upper 60s), with the A/C off and just the fan running, whereas the trip down was made with the A/C on full blast in the middle of the day in the heat (mid-90s). I almost couldn't believe the numbers when I topped off my tank this morning! I ran them twice just to be sure!
I don't think that'll be a continuing trend, but it was exciting to share! I'll be monitoring the next tank to see what kind of mileage I can continue to get.
I have an issue with the mileage calculations too. 3-4 mpg would be the difference on a highway trip.
-SP
I understand, believe me, and I was kind of confused by it, as well. I double checked the numbers when I got back home and topped off my tank, I had traveled 124 miles and the pump stopped at 3.204 gallons of gas... If anything, I'd say the calculation I made from the trip down may have been inaccurate, as it was the last half of the tank I used to go down, so there was a bit more guesswork involved in what the MPGs were. The trips I've made with my fiance to Elyria (via I-71 to OH-301) I usually average about 27-30 MPG, and the trips back are usually 30-32.
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