[Avalonular]

Hey guys I am new to this forums. I would just like to talk abit about my experiance so far and see what im doing right or wrong.

I have a 1997 Avalon XL with high mileage

- This is my first car. Is it just me, or is this thing really damn fast?! I beat a 03 turbo jetta and a new-ish mercedes C class in a drag race, I won so much money on those races today. nobody thought i would have a shot.
(We raced on rural private property, not public roads,)

so is the 1-mzfe fast or am i just not used to a V6?

2 - how come when I floor it, sometimes it will catch instantly and take off and the RPMs will shoot up till just before redline and then shift. (sending me very fast) and other times, I will floor it and it will just very slowly increase speed? why is this?

3 - this thing handles like a damn boat. pretty poorly IMO, and even when im going slow, my drinks and things all swerve about the car when i make some turns. the car feels top heavy.

4 - It its pretty bad on gas, no? thats my experiance. i mean, ive been driving it alot, but it deffinetly seems like im getting less than 22 mpg.

5- my back right passenger door child lock is broken, its always on no matter what... wat can i do?

6- int. cieling light doesnt turn on...



EDIT

did not mean to put "gen 2" as the thread icon... my bad...

 

[fourwheeler]

I can't answer all of your questions, but I'll take a shot at a couple of them.

3. If your car handles like a boat, I would start looking at the condition of your suspension system. Specifically the sway bar links, bushings, and struts, and lateral links. If any of these are worn out, you will be in for a pleasant surprise by fixing these issues.

4. As far as your gas mileage goes, 22 sounds pretty average based on how you describe your driving habits and normal city vs. highway driving. I suspect my mileage is about that too but I do mostly city driving. Strictly highway, normal for these cars is between 27 and 32 depending on speed and conditions.

5. Although I don't have experience in fixing my child locks, I would take the interior door panel off and see what's broken. If it's just the latch that's broken, try getting a new one from a junkyard or contact toyopartsman on this forum for a good deal on an OEM part.

6. Have you tried a new bulb or checked the continuity on your existing bulb? Is there power to the socket? Have you blown a fuse? More information might be needed to address fixing this issue. I replaced my bulb but can't remember if it was a dealer only item or I found it in a parts store. Several of the bulbs on our car are difficult to find and are dealer only parts.

Hopefully this helps. Good luck!

 

[denverdog]

1 - if it's under 150,000 miles, i wouldn't call it high mileage there's a number on the odometer. what is it. you need to put this kind of info in your posts if you want the answers to mean anything.

it's not really damn fast. it is a v-6.

2 - any automatic tranny can get caught between shifts, and react differently at different times. check the tranny fluid to make sure it's red and relatively clear. do not use anything but the recommended toyota tranny fluid. DO change it on schedule. tht tranny shuod last for many years, unless it has 250,000 miles or so on it.

3 - try slowing down. i'm no old woman drivinf my avalon, but the drinks don't slurp around. check the suspension. replace struts with kyb for factory handling. also look at all other susension components. replace all together to save on labor.

4 - there's no such thing as "seems like". what are the actual milesage figures? and for what type of driving? i drive suburban, with usualoly a mile or so between stops. i get 24 mpg, driving moderately. moderately makes a big difference. 27-28 on the highway, heavily loaded.

5- don't know.

6. - don't know.

and it is a lot more helpful to eople searching this forum to use words in the thread title that actually describe what yuare talkikng about, like "mileage", "handling", "child lock". etc..

 

[ProjectAvalon]

Hey guys I am new to this forums. I would just like to talk abit about my experiance so far and see what im doing right or wrong.

I have a 1997 Avalon XL with high mileage

- This is my first car. Is it just me, or is this thing really damn fast?! I beat a 03 turbo jetta and a new-ish mercedes C class in a drag race, I won so much money on those races today. nobody thought i would have a shot.
(We raced on rural private property, not public roads,)

so is the 1-mzfe fast or am i just not used to a V6?

2 - how come when I floor it, sometimes it will catch instantly and take off and the RPMs will shoot up till just before redline and then shift. (sending me very fast) and other times, I will floor it and it will just very slowly increase speed? why is this?

3 - this thing handles like a damn boat. pretty poorly IMO, and even when im going slow, my drinks and things all swerve about the car when i make some turns. the car feels top heavy.

4 - It its pretty bad on gas, no? thats my experiance. i mean, ive been driving it alot, but it deffinetly seems like im getting less than 22 mpg.

5- my back right passenger door child lock is broken, its always on no matter what... wat can i do?

6- int. cieling light doesnt turn on...



EDIT

did not mean to put "gen 2" as the thread icon... my bad...

yeah a tdi jetta has a whopping 100hp/225ftlbs. 170+hp in a 1.8T
hm 1mz 170-190 hp..and 215 ftlbs..
i would hope you'd win
the car isnt that fast it's called having a linear torque band.

it handles like a boat b/c you essentially drive an old japanese buick or taurus.(i know mean but hey i drive one too) it is NOT sporty. it's a frank and ester car.

if you are nice and keep in below 3-3.5K rpms. you can get 25-30+MPGS AVG. i do this regularly. having your foot in it and wrapping it up= poor mileage. (not a good example but hey. i usually get about 80-100 miles per quarter tank.. i've also watched the same amount disappear withing lest than 50miles) if your worried about mileage take CARE of it and dont race the damn thing.

to answer question 2. the most plausible answer is something that plaques our engine and it's called "limp mode" it's decreases timing and dumps fuel and ultimately kills your response and peak. the most common cause for this is "knock sensors" but the car has many OTHER things that can limp it as well. also non of these reasons trip the check engine light!

have fun with the avalon welcome to the club dont embarrass us :lol:
(i might be manic) i know i seem severe sometimes but usually its all in good spirit. not trying to give you a tough time.

 

[pet sounds]

Yeah, I get almost 30 mpg in mine.

and lol at drag racing an avalon. classic.

 

[Blazer406]

IMHO, you've never been in anything that is fast. These cars have decent pep for their size, but I would not come close to calling them fast.

To me the fun starts with cars that will break 100 in the 1/4..... my '87 GN will do over that in the 1/8.... but it is not stock. It is a pile of fun on the street.

 

[pmesfun]

To me the fun starts with cars that will break 100 in the 1/4..... my '87 GN will do over that in the 1/8.... but it is not stock. It is a pile of fun on the street.

:smokin:

My cousin has a 87 Regal T-type modded, and a stock 87 GN with 40K miles. I've driven the GN, which is still a blast, stock.