For you '05 Avalon Limited owners, or for any '05 owner if they have the computer.(do they all?)
What accuracy have you had with the 'range to go' part of the computer?
Mine reset to 365 both times I've filled up. Then it just clicks down as the miles are added. Go 50 miles and it is down to 305, go 100 and it is down to 265. What, does it just reset to that and doesn't adjust for the mpg you are getting?
I don't know yet how much confidence to put in the range to go, the fuel gauge or the low level warning light. I'm checking it by incrementally running the fuel down a little further each time and see how much fuel is really left in it. No biggy, just my way of doing things.
My Volvo that I traded in was very accurate. Took the fuel comsumed over the last 12 sec (each 12 secs) and used the sensed fuel remaing and adjusted the range til tank empty ea time. Over the 7 years I had it, proved to be very accurate. I gues it spoiled me.
The book does not allow for one to extend much confidence in the fuel gauge nor the low level warning light.
Just wondering what some of you have experienced.
I just started looking at mine since reading this post. My fillup today showed a lower number under miles to go. The remaining miles till empty seems to be off. My miles remaining said 23 with the low fuel light on and the needle between empty and 1/4. I could only put in 15.6 gallons of fuel which wuld indicate 2.5 gallons remaining which at 27 MPG would mean another 60 plus miles. I think I'll trust the fuel guage more than the computer system.
I also put in my first tank of middle grade fuel today and want to see if there is a reduction in MPG.
i might be wrong, but i think it also analizes the way you drive.. when you drive hard then it shows you a lower MPG reading.. things like that can not be that accurate to the liter, its just a computer estimate.. unless you really have some high-tech gadget to exactly measure the volume of fuel you have in the tank and exactly measure the fuel the engine is burning..
I agree with you that the MPG is adjusted due to the manner in which you drive. My wife is a little heavy in the gas/brakes department. She can drive to town and back and the MPG is down considerably when she gets back. I can do the same trip and the MPG goes back up. It was that way in the Volvo as well.
But that was the MPG (since beginning on ea tank of gas). The miles to go til tank empty on it was based on the mpg over the past 12 sec times the sensed fuel remaining in the tank. It too changed due to the way you drove.
My point--- so far, in the Avalon, the miles to go has not changed regardless as to the MPG. That brought on my question.
And it can be fairly accurate. It was in the Volvo (a 1999) and my friend who has a Crysler (1987) is accurate to the mile. I know. On a trip he took it to 3 miles to go til empty (made me nervous) and he put into the tank all that the book said the car would hold except 3 tenths of a gallon. That is pretty accurate for me.
05,
Please keep me posted on your findings. Thanks for the info.
I put in my 3rd tank of gas yesterday and the miles til empty number that pops up on the trip information screen has been different every time. It started with 356, then 352, now 357. It does not seem to adjust after it posts the new number just a straight countdown, but then I don't check that screen very often.
My MPG seems to have increased with the 89 octane fuel. In city driving I got overall 27 MPG this last tank.
One small note the amber low fuel light apparently does adjust to driving. I was driving in the city and the low fuel light came on. I drove a few more blocks and decided to get on the freeway for a few miles to get to my favorite gas station. While crusing on the freeway the speed limit was 50 because of construction and after a few miles the amber light went out. I got off the freeway and after two traffic lights the light came back on. With my Ford & Honda cars once that light tripped on they would stay on until fillup.
I just can't say enough about this great gas mileage. I have not gotten this kind of good mileage since by VW bug days. Next tank will be the 87 octane, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will be ok as the weather is getting hotter during these days.
05,
Thanks for the info.
I just put my 3rd fillup in. I've gotten 22.5, 26.9, an 27.0 on them. The last one was about 1/4 tank around here, then 200 mile trip. I just couldn't get the indicated mpg higher. On the return trip(I haven't refilled it yet) the mpg did get up to 29.8. I'm using 87 oct. I guess out there the oct rating is the same as here. Here they post the figure of two systems of oct ratings added together then divided by 2. We have 87, 89, and 91. The 91 runs about 25 to 30 cents above the 87.
One thing I noticed on the trip, the speed control does a lot of seeking for the right gearand really isn't that smooth in shifting. My wife noticed it right away. It was irritating at times. Going down a slight hill and at the bottom, it would drop a gear and right away go back to 5th. I finally just used my foot and kept it from seeking like that. It was much more noticable than in the Volvo or mercedes.
Another thing. When we left to return, it was still dark and raining fairly hard. The auto wipers did not come on within a block of driving so I turned them on. Later, after sunrise, I had them on auto and it started raining again and they worked automatically. Don't know if the dark/light was the cause.
The car was a pleasure on the trip. This stuff I mention is just my nit picking.
I forgot to mention that the miles to go seems to be on an upwards trend. The first time it reset at 367, 2nd time at 372, 3rd time at 376. Don't know if this is random or a trend.
To keep my mind occupied, I often add the miles to go to the miles since fill up to get a mental note as to the total range. In the Avalon, I've gotten as high as 497 miles at times. And yes, the miles to go is now adjusting upwards as I drive. Not much, but it isn't just clicking off the miles I've driven as it was at first.
John, a few days ago I had some big bug splatter on the windshield so I pulled into a Chevron just to wash the window and as soon as I touched the glass with that wet sponge the wipers kicked on. I jumped a foot off the ground. I don't know how that technology works but this car is a real hoot with all the gismos. I tried playing with the manual shift today and gave up. The dash indicator does not let you know what gear it is in so you have to guess and if you come to a stop it does shift the first two gears for you so what is the point? I guess it would be good when going down long grades but then a good ole "D2" would do the trick.
Later,
David
I forgot to mention that the miles to go seems to be on an upwards trend. The first time it reset at 367, 2nd time at 372, 3rd time at 376. Don't know if this is random or a trend.
To keep my mind occupied, I often add the miles to go to the miles since fill up to get a mental note as to the total range. In the Avalon, I've gotten as high as 497 miles at times. And yes, the miles to go is now adjusting upwards as I drive. Not much, but it isn't just clicking off the miles I've driven as it was at first.
what's the status on that gas mileage? And how does it say you have 376 miles to go but you travel 497 miles? What happens when you reach 0? Does it go negative? LOL that'd be funny: "You have -15 miles until empty"
what's the status on that gas mileage? And how does it say you have 376 miles to go but you travel 497 miles? What happens when you reach 0? Does it go negative? LOL that'd be funny: "You have -15 miles until empty"
No it doesn't go negative but there is a lota room built into that yellow fill tank light and the computer miles to go. I usually put another 50 miles on the odometer after the fuel light comes on. But when it resets it does give me more miles to go before empty. My mileage is running around 24 MPG in the city and 30 on road trips using nothing but 87 octane now.
The way I got the 497 is by adding the miles I've driven since fill up to the miles to go (fuel range) and got that number.
I reset the trip milage each time I fill up and use that plus the fuel range to get what should be total miles out of the tankof gas.
The miles to go does not go below zero. My last tank I ran it down, the low fuel warning came on, I drove it another 32 miles and then filled it up. Took 17. something (the book I keep is out in the car). The fuel range to go was at zero and then I put another 17 or 18 miles on it.
05 Limited---
I agree with what you posted the other day about the car wash Mr Kleen or whatever. I got one back in Jan or Feb and it has realy helped me out. The water from my well is extremely hard and high calcium content. Washing my car at home has been a real problem because of the white deposits left on it, even if I used a chammy. But that car wash thing and its' filter is excellent for me. Also, the detergent that it uses is outstanding. I've had problems with fly specks (I am surrounded by dairy farms so the flies are pretty heavy). They all seem to like the light colored cars that I get. Looks like small poka dots all over the car. Has been a problem getting the 'dots' off at times. This new detergent --one swipe and the dots are gone.
So far, my lowest mpg has been the tank that the dealer filled it up when new, and ____the tank of >>>>HI-TEST<<<<!!! Don't know if that is just coincidence or what.
ok this is pissing me off. Got a multidisplay for the avalon:
so over the course of the 15 minute drive home from work thru rush hour traffic (which was really light today) the display says I averaged 30+ mpg (and usually does say high 20s) but when I fill it up last I'm gettting ~22 mpg (16.9 gallons, ~376 miles travelled).
What's the deal? Are they really that inaccurate?
How does it determine mpg?
Does it really read the injectors or does it just make up numbers based on rpm?
Seems to fluctuate a lot like it's really doing something but if it's really reading the injectors how is it using way more fuel than it says?
Doesnt all fuel go thru the injectors? Unless I'm losing fuel due to a leak or evaporation or something.
ok i did some math and for 30mpg to turn into 22mpg I'd have to lose almost 4.5 gallons somewhere.
That's a lot of gas to lose!!
I think that's too much due to evaporation alone within a week, it'd have to be a leak and i think i'd notice a fast leak like that.
I'm not sure what your multi display is tied into with the car but I would be real surprised if any of them could look at injector pulse rates to calculate actual fuel usage. My guess is that they all use some form of simple math taking into account preset values set by Toyota for given vehicle speeds. But that is only a guess.
I'm not sure what your multi display is tied into with the car but I would be real surprised if any of them could look at injector pulse rates to calculate actual fuel usage. My guess is that they all use some form of simple math taking into account preset values set by Toyota for given vehicle speeds. But that is only a guess.
really? doesn't even look at the fuel pump rate?
maybe I'll ask the prius guys, i know they have incredibly accurate fuel computers and they might know what toyota's putting in other vehicles.
with all these computer controlled cars there's no reason why the fuel computer can't be almost perfectly accurate, at least less than 5%. I mean the car knows how far it's traveling and should know how much gas it's squirting into the cylinders so what's the problem? At least the average mpg should be less than 5%.
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