any tips on tune ups? My fuel efficiency seems to slow going down

1468 Views 12 Replies 8 Participants Last post by Justin727, Apr 21, 2009

c_huynh32

Discussion Starter · Apr 16, 2009

Hi,

I have a 1996 Toyota Corolla DX with 192,565 km on the odmeter.

I was wondering if others here can give me some tips on how to do some tune up to improve fuel efficiency or tune ups in general for the summer coming up.

It seems that the efficiency of my fuel consumption is getting higher. Before Usually I get roughly 400 - 480ish km per tank, now for the past couple months i am getting roughly 100 km less per tank .... this is mix of highway and city driving. I once in the blue moon have to floor my car to get up to speed on the highway on those short on ramps or when needed in the city. I have been also keeping constant speed on the highway and city.

on highway I get up to 100 km/h - 110 max. city i try to keep at posted speed.

So so far for my tune up i have:
1. Changed my oil and filter (april 14 2009)
2. Change filter (April 15 2009)
3. Flushed Coolant (last month)
4. Inflated/deflated tires to 32 psi all round

what other things are needed? .. fuel filter? and solvent in the oil to clean from autopart store or something to clean the inside of the engine?

thanks in advance,
Chris

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TI-CAVA

· #2 · Apr 16, 2009

copied and pasted from other post of mine: this works for me, try only if u really want.
500Miles per full tank

A: don`t make hard accelerations or for too long "more than 3 secs is a waste of fuel"

B: Drive behind a truck or an SUV or something big enough to disrupt the air in front of your car, thus reducing Drag, reducing the power needed to maintain a certain speed, the result better MPG!!!

C: anything over 55 MPH will increase your drag to double or even quadruple values.

Relationship to velocity

It is well known that the frictional force of aerodynamic drag increases significantly with vehicle speed.[1] As early as the 1920s engineers began to consider automobile shape in reducing aerodynamic drag at higher speeds. By the 1950s German and British automotive engineers were systematically analyzing the effects of automotive drag for the higher performance vehicles.[2] By the late 1960s scientists also became aware of the significant increase in sound levels emitted by automobiles at high speed. These effects were understood to increase the intensity of sound levels for adjacent land uses at a non-linear rate.[3] Soon highway engineers began to design roadways to consider the speed effects of aerodynamic drag produced sound levels, and automobile manufacturers considered the same factors in vehicle design.
From wikipedia

D: Drive in the correct gear when Taking-off, when cruising choose 5th gear so less RPM less fuel spent.

E: Remove Rain Guards, they increase drag, also the front Registration plate must be offset from the center or tilted downwards to reduce drag.

F: check your tire pressure. Rolling resistance is reduced if properly inflated, less force spent carriyng the tires, just weight not useless drag.

G: Weight check, remove all unused items, ALL OF THEM!!!

H: Spare tire: deflate and carry a foot pump, saves as much as 50% weight.

I: Tools, take only what you really need... more steel more power for dead weight.

J: COAST WHENEVER YOU CAN!!!!!!

K: A/C compressor is always taking power away so ON or OFF, is the same thing

thats my secret try it and comment your results

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kevmac

· #3 · Apr 16, 2009

what do your plugs look like?

what other things are needed? .. fuel filter?

if you don't know when it was changed...:hammer: then change it.

search seafoam here. It has plenty of posts.

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Justin727

· #4 · Apr 17, 2009

ngk or denso plugs to the proper gap
Toyota OEM wires
Toyota OEM cap
Toyota OEM rotor
PCV valve, grommet, and hose
Upper plenum cleaning with gasket
Fuel filter
and inflate tires to 35psi

When was the last time you've changed the trans fluid?
Also what about the timing belt?

Not really fuel mileage related but couldn't hurt to do anyhow.

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jt14894

· #5 · Apr 17, 2009 (Edited)

In addition to what everyone else suggests, also check your air filter.
If it's black or caked on with dirt, it's time to replace it.

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Justin727

· #6 · Apr 17, 2009

JT is correct that plays a major part in fuel savings.

But I do believe that was #2 on his list...

If thats not the air filter and another filter please OP check out the air filter and if dirty replace.

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Themis

· #7 · Apr 17, 2009

A good idea would be to have the fuel injectors cleaned Chris!
It will certainly improve your fuel efficiency after almost 195,000 km...

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Justin727

· #8 · Apr 17, 2009

Themis said:
A good idea would be to have the fuel injectors cleaned Chris!
It will certainly improve your fuel efficiency after almost 195,000 km...

Better yet grab some out of a salvage yard and send those off to get cleaned and flow tested. Get ya some new O rings install and wala!

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c_huynh32

Discussion Starter · #9 · Apr 17, 2009 (Edited)

jt14894 said:
In addition to what everyone else suggests, also check your air filter.
If it's black or caked on with dirt, it's time to replace it.

JT

Justin727 said:
JT is correct that plays a major part in fuel savings.

But I do believe that was #2 on his list...

If thats not the air filter and another filter please OP check out the air filter and if dirty replace.

^^ -- that's what I ment thanks haha ... was somewhat thinking of other things i did and was typing too fast that i added that in at the end and forgot the word air. when i changed my air filter ... i was 50% of the darkess of the dirty filter in the pic.

Justin727 said:
ngk or denso plugs to the proper gap
Toyota OEM wires
Toyota OEM cap
Toyota OEM rotor
PCV valve, grommet, and hose
Upper plenum cleaning with gasket
Fuel filter
and inflate tires to 35psi

When was the last time you've changed the trans fluid?
Also what about the timing belt?

Not really fuel mileage related but couldn't hurt to do anyhow.

thanks for the list, I have recently changemy plugs 3 months ago and never thought of the caps, wiring and rotors. Stupid question but are the oem caps, rotor and wires expensive compare to the aftermarket ones like Bosh? which one would you recommend between aftermarket or OEM?

The trans fluid i changed it at 100k km and i am hoping to do that soon at 200k km. the timing belt i changed it at roughly 120k km

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Justin727

· #10 · Apr 17, 2009

you do not want bosch anything in a foreign vehicle like toyota's and nissans. Don't last long and can cause some serious issues. Factory toyota wires, distributor cap, and distributor rotor aren't all that expensive.

also try sparkplugs.com

But I personally wouldn't put anything else in a toyota. Stick with either Nippon Denso or atleast NGK

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sequoiasoon

· #11 · Apr 21, 2009 (Edited)

Fuel injector cleaning highly recomended. I use BG 44K, you can get it at many dealers in parts dept. They use it for in house services when you pay for the couple hundred dollar clean. Get a couple cans if you have never done it. Put one can in a full tank of fuel and run until almost empty then do it again. DO NOT waste your money on the local auto store Techron. It doesn't do crap IMO. I always used it but never noticed a difference or improvement in fuel or power. I thought I was "clean" and was just maintaining. One tank full with the BG and I realized how wrong I was, MPG and power made nice improvements. After that I used BG 2 times per year and maintained the higher levels. I still use it on my Sequoia and my Sonata now twice per/year.

If you can't find the BG the Seafoam would probably be next best choice.

Also stick with the basic NGK plugs. Read my full posts from a thread on Tundrasolutions regarding Denso Iridium plugs http://www.tundrasolutions.com/forums/engine-and-drivetrain/41290-denso-iridium-problems-concerns/

Keep the number for Distributor King handy in case the car dies on you with no spark. Only 2 times the car EVER died on me in 15 years and 220k was from the worn O-ring on the distributor. Replacing was SO easy with a new one and started right up first crank!

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PhatRoyale

· #12 · Apr 21, 2009

c_huynh32 said:
thanks for the list, I have recently changemy plugs 3 months ago and never thought of the caps, wiring and rotors. Stupid question but are the oem caps, rotor and wires expensive compare to the aftermarket ones like Bosh? which one would you recommend between aftermarket or OEM?

Yes, OEM parts will be a bit more expensive, but the extra cost is warranted because at least you know you're buying parts that will work properly. Bosch is meant more for European cars, I wouldn't chance them in a Japanese car. Stick with Denso or NGK.

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Justin727

· #13 · Apr 21, 2009

Personally I wouldn't run anything but the coppers in the rolla. The plugs on this car are extremely easy to change.

I ran iridiums on my Tundra simply because I recieved new ones for free and it gave me 2mpg extra but no noticeable power gains of course. Afterwards I just ran 93 with coppers on got the 2mpg back.

Either way it didn't matter to me. I pulled the plugs out about 2 years later and they looked normal as far as wear looked.

But even on forced induction applications high hp guys use copper plugs although they are changed much more frequently then plats or iridiums or even what some would say normal use out of a copper.
IE: almost every other oill change barely 10k for most.

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