[camry.toyota1998]

Hi All,

I have 1998 Camry, after year was checking Mpg and it gave around 15 - 16 miles per gallon. Can you please suggest me is it normal for car this old. Does high mileage oil change help in getting better mpg. Please share your inputs.

Year: 1998 Camry LE v6
Miles driven: 173000


Thanks

 

[dc_98_cam]

... have an '03 xle V6. ... Get roughly the same driving in the city. ...Just too many stoplights and stop signs. Highway driving is in the low 20's. ... Keep the tires fully inflated.

 

[MacQ]

Have a '99 Solara SLE, V6, with the 16" wheels. I get about 27.5 mpg on the highway at 70 mph and 98% of my driving is highway. I use Pennzoil synthetic. I use 85 octane fuel. All high mileage oil does (IMHO) is condition the seals to help prevent leaking.

Little things that can add up to increased mileage: Don't accelerate at warp speed, keep tires properly inflated, change plugs/wires at recommended intervals, use "top tier" gasoline (or use something like Techron every 3000 miles), change air filter at recommended intervals (sooner when dirty), change fuel filter at recommended intervals and make sure all your emissions stuff (i.e., O2 sensors) are working.

 

[BMR]

+1 on the O2 sensors. If you're still on the originals, chances are good they're not performing as well as they should. But not bad enough to trip a CEL. They play a critical role in keeping the air/fuel mixture optimized.

 

[gaijin666]

What is a "CEL"..?

 

[BMR]

CEL = Check Engine Light.

 

[Kingdom934]

15/16 MPG is pretty bad. AGain, depends on how your 'city' traffic is. For us, it's usually stop and go from 0-20-30 and freeway traffic can be a crawl.

On my mix 65/45 city to freeway, I get around 20/21 in my 1998 LE V6 at around 216K miles. It has a bad cat and throwing a knock sensor code. It is a pig right now. My 2004 XLE V6 at 108K runs about the same ish at 22-23. My 2004 SE I4 5spd manual runs about 28-30

Things to look for with a car this old

-When was the last timing belt, water pump, seals done? The biggest thing that can play a roll is the timing belt. Timing belt usually will start to stretch over time and can cause some performance/economy drop.
-Any CEL codes? Or is your check engine light even working? When turning your key into the 'ON' position, do you see the 'CHECK' engine icon lit up?
-As mention O2 sensors can be worn and tired by now. They usually triggle CEL but they might not.
-Spark plugs and wires. Check/inspect the spark plugs and check/replace the spark plug wires. Some would just do the plugs, but if the plugs are original I'd just replace them. It's about $60 for a complete set on Amazon (toyota ones) that come pre-assembled in the harness. Might as well do it since your down there. The rear bank tends to get neglected due to it being a bit difficult.
-Vacuum leaks. There's quote a lot of vacuum hoses on the 1MZFE. Take note for any obvious broken ones.
-Alignment. If your tire wear is OK, alignment is probably okay
-Take your last year christmas gift out of the trunk. more weight in the trunk = more luggage and more gas consumption (but not by much...)

 

[Toyota_JP]

2000 Solara, 415,000 miles....was getting about 25MPG at last check so I agree your MPG is too low. Even my 4WD Tacoma gets 18MPG. Jackrabbit acceleration from stoplights, running 90mph, lots of city driving, towing a trailer, and parts like your O-2 sensors, plugs, clogged up air filter, plug wires, etc. have a lot more to do with your gas mileage than the type oil you run. If some of your parts are no longer functioning properly to the extent you are 10MPG under expected, I think you would likely notice a rough idle, balking on acceleration, smoking, or gas odors in the exhaust.

This is a good reminder for me to check my MPG again as it has been some time since last check.