Wow.. Thank you so much for this help, csaxon - I will try it later, it's still very cold over here, I have no garage, where my car parked is 57 inch high of snow, last week in DC area.
Replace the fuel filter is my first try of my car problem: It lose power while accelerating, when it reaches 60-70 mph, the engine is somewhat noise. This is not normal like before. csaxon and anyone, please give me some advices what to do.
A fuel filter change is a good idea on a 13 year old car, but I don't think that's your problem. You're probably using regular gas in a car that has a carbon buildup in the combustion chambers, fuel injector pintles and valves. Try a large bottle of pure Techron and follow the directions. Techron or techron plus can be purchased at WalMart or any autoparts store. Toyota sells Techroline which is the same stuff at 2x the price. There are many threads on a de-carbonizer called SeaFoam that will help revitalize an older engine.
How many miles does the car have and has it been maintained? What other symptoms or Check Engine Light (CEL)? Any Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC's)?
__________________ It worked fine until I fixed it!
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Thank you csaxon, you're right, I'm using regular gas then and my car now has 91,000 miles on it - I'll try fuel injector cleaner Techron tomorrow. There is no CEL, I didn't do DTC yet. I have no idea about the Maintenance Record since I got the car from my in-law 2 years ago - I'll check with him.
I agree with csaxon as to the probable root cause of your poor acceleration. Techron is a good product and it may solve your problem. I would also fill her up with a good brand of gasoline with at least 92 octane. The following suggestions are if you want to take a more aggressive and expensive approach to solving a poor acceleration problem. Find a shop that does either a Motor Vac service http://www.motorvac.com/ or a BG fuel/induction service http://www.bgams.com/. I have used BG products especially the 44K power enhancer and it works. It would be a good idea to change the fuel filter, before you have the professional cleaning done.
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Last edited by OpticNerve; 02-18-2010 at 04:39 PM.
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Thank you very much all of you - At this point, I didn't start anything yet, my wife drives that car though. I'd like to gather all infomation at once then will start on the weekend. Any suggestion about replace Fuel Pump? If so, please show me how to do it. I just put 6 new spark plugs 5 months ago.
My 98 Avalon also suffers from poor acceleration and sometimes a rough idle. Been wondering about using SeaFoam. Any ideas csaxon and OpticNerve as to how/where to inject it and how much to use?? Any other tips, tricks or other suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
The Following User Says Thank You to ottogaus For This Useful Post:
Dan, If you had a cough do you think you would need a new lung? In my opinion thinking about changing the fuel pump at this point is premature. Investing in a good repair manual (Like Haynes) will pay dividends. When you changed the plugs did you do the wires, PVC, air filter, anything else? The manual will explain how to do a fuel pressure test to determine the efficiency of the pump if you are concerned about it.
Ottogaus, SeaFoam is poured into the gas tank. Read the directions on the can. I think 16oz treats 20 gallons. In my opinion SeaFoam ,Techron, Lucas Oil, and BG 207, are good routine maintenance products. If proper maintenance has been neglected, using one of these products may take some time to see a performance difference, and more aggressive remedial actions would be required. Rough idle sounds like a carboned up throttle body, that you could clean with a can of throttle body cleaner. I like CRC 05078 Throttle Body and Air Intake Cleaner (http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_you..._throttle_body). Also check the air filter and for any broken or disconnected vacuum hoses.
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Last edited by OpticNerve; 02-18-2010 at 04:36 PM.
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Thanks OpticNerve. I have also heard that SeaFoam is very effective when induced directly into the engine. Some have mentioned using the brake booster line. Your thoughts on this please?
The Following User Says Thank You to ottogaus For This Useful Post:
Thanks to Google I now have learned how some folks do that with Seafoam. Since you have a First generation Avalon, I don't think that would hurt anything. I just have never tried it that way. I really like to get a toothbrush into the throttle body with lots of spray inside and on the back of the plate. Got one for you, ever hear of spraying hot water into the throttle body or thru some other entry point? Some folks like to decarbonize their piston heads that way, but I am going to pass on that too.
In between using a can of BG 44K once a year, I use about 5 oz of Lucas Oil whenever I remember just prior to fill up. I put about 11,000 mostly local miles on each year.
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Last edited by OpticNerve; 02-18-2010 at 04:41 PM.
Thanks OpticNerve, I might not need a new lung at this time, but my doctor said if I won't cut down my cigarettes, I would need a new one soon... joking... I'll take your words, I will leave the fuel pump option as last, maybe in the summer. I just add a bottle techron in the gas tank, will see if any improve till next week.
Again, thank you all for your good advices
Dan
(English is not my first language, please understand)
Follow-up: My car seems OK now, I used one techron bottle on my full tank few days ago - I still have one seafoam can, probability for the next time when I fill up the tank again - I'm not comfortable to add seafoam in the crankcase at this time - My car is 91,000 miles on it!
Thank you all
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