Couple of Questions Before I Complain

[Deserter]

My km to empty has dropped steadily every fill up from 700km down to 560ish(I got the truck with 8000km it now has 17000km)has it worked out I have a heavy foot or is this normal or is something going wrong?

And the rear passenger heater vent in the centre console blows virtually no air out at all even on full blower, the dealer told me they are all like that, is this true as the whole back of the car gets no heat?

Thanks in advance

 

[limamike]

My km to empty has dropped steadily every fill up from 700km down to 560ish(I got the truck with 8000km it now has 17000km)has it worked out I have a heavy foot or is this normal or is something going wrong?

And the rear passenger heater vent in the centre console blows virtually no air out at all even on full blower, the dealer told me they are all like that, is this true as the whole back of the car gets no heat?

Thanks in advance

How long did it take you to drive the additional 9,000 km. Or rather, for how many months have you had the truck?

Assuming you've made no modifications to the truck, it's most likely a heavy foot or a change in seasons.

"Virtually no air" means different things to you and me. I find that that rear vents blow less air - even at high speed - than the front. However, I personally wouldn't characterize it as "virtually no air". You may want to check your cabin air filter if you haven't changed it since you bought the truck. A dirty cabin air filter can seriously restrict the efficiency of your heating and cooling system (ask me how I know).

 

[martind]

Depending where you have the air selector set or the auto selector is setting the air path depending on outside temp, floor - floor dash vents - or dash vents will determine how much air is being vented out the rear console vents. There are vents under the front seats that deliver air to the rear floor if the selector is set to the floor and negligble air will be vented from the rear console at that setting.

 

[1engineer]

Read this thread http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/157694-how-your-miles-empty-range-indicator-operates.html and just think about your specific situation. This should explain how you are getting the data you see.
The center back vent does not put out the same volume of air as the front. Why? Because it can't. Your HVAC system can put out a max volume. You are still using the fronts while using the backs right? Well try shutting off the fronts and you will get more volume in the back. People forget you only have so much to begin with and if you split it up you can't magically make the system produce more volume. It also comes out from under the seat so you have to factor that in too.

 

[Intruder]

Alberta winter means high ethanol content in the gas at the pumps. My mileage is always terrible in the winter because of it. It's the Alberta Advantage.

 

[Deserter]

Ah it could be the fuel, I bought the truck in September so it's took just over 3 months to do the extra mileage, I didn't know air came out under the seats, when I say virtually none I mean at full blast from the fan I can barely feel any air passing my fingers if I put them on the vent, dealer said they changed the cabin filter when they told me they are all like that

 

[limamike]

Ah it could be the fuel, I bought the truck in September so it's took just over 3 months to do the extra mileage, I didn't know air came out under the seats, when I say virtually none I mean at full blast from the fan I can barely feel any air passing my fingers if I put them on the vent, dealer said they changed the cabin filter when they told me they are all like that

My guess is seasonal change and heavy foot for fuel economy change. I also wouldn't trust the dealer on changing the air filter, and I'd check yourself. Go to your glovebox and remove the black door in the back of it. Then remove the white door and you'll see the air filter.

If I remember tomorrow I can test the speed of the air at the dash vent vs the rear vent and post what my truck pushes according to an anemometer. At full blast I can definitely feel air in the back, so barely being able to feel anything isn't normal.

 

[eddiebx]

Don't mean to insult your intelligence OP, but do you have the vents fully opened (see picture below)? lol

I can definitely feel air coming out of the rear vents, I just tested this earlier. If you want to test something to see if there might be some blockage along the path, close off all of your front upper vents and open the rear vent; with the air flow directional knob set to the upper vents test and see if you feel the air coming out the rear vent now. Doing this should definitely provide you with substantial air flow because you're essentially directing most of the air straight to the back.

 

[rocklighting]

I have the same situation with the rear upper vents in mine. I do believe that is standard. What is happening on mine is say I set the upper vents to max power (all vents open), the front blows max like it should but the rear upper vent blows what the front would blow if i set it on low. Any lower of a setting and I can barely feel air coming out.

I do recall someone a few years ago on the forum said they took apart the center console storage and saw the hvac duct had come loose and it was affecting the air output to the upper rear. I have yet to see if there is the same issue with mine. Hope this helps.

 

[Deserter]

Yep the vents are open etc

As for fuel economy, I'm not complaining about fuel economy per say but the 'cruising range' is dropping like a stone and cruising is cruising? Is the computer that clever that it knows the fuel is crappy or I fit a bug deflector etc?

Thanks for all the replies so far by the way

 

[SigSense]

Is the computer that clever that it knows the fuel is crappy or I fit a bug deflector etc?

No, that fancy compooter does not know about the crappy fuel, just like our bodies don't know the difference between good and bad carbohydrates. All it knows is that you've put gas in the tank, and based on past tanks it is modifying the results. Might be best to do a reset on the fuel program in the winter as you start using the weak winter fuel. You won't get as far on a liter of winter gas as you will on a liter of summer gas.

Why You Get Worse Gas Mileage in Winter and What to do about it : TreeHugger

 

[eddiebx]

Yep the vents are open etc

As for fuel economy, I'm not complaining about fuel economy per say but the 'cruising range' is dropping like a stone and cruising is cruising? Is the computer that clever that it knows the fuel is crappy or I fit a bug deflector etc?

Thanks for all the replies so far by the way

Did you bother to read that thread posted by the engineer above??? I pretty much answers your question about the cruise range...

I am not sure how new your vehicles is, but I remember on the first day I picked up my truck it said something like ~400+ mi left. I was very very happy, until I realized that this is only because the computer did not have an accurate basis to generate a realistic range for me, lol. When there is no user driving pattern data stored in the computer, it uses the most optimistic value possible.

Now that you have been driving the truck more, it's starting to learn your pattern, and probably why it's been dropping steadily.

 

[thzpcs]

The more sporadic your driving habits, the harder it is for it to gauge the mileage and range left. If you run cruise control most of the time, it keeps the mileage relatively steady, and the computer gets a much better idea of what the range and average mileage should be. I know when I would constantly accelerate and decelerate, the actual consumption and reported consumption would be at least 3-4 MPG off, but when I did mostly highway cruising, it was almost exact, within .3-.5 MPG. It sounds like you're just being a bit more aggressive with the throttle.

 

[scanny]

I'm getting about 550 in winter too, saw it as low as 510 km on full tank. It improves in summer thought. I don't think I ever saw 700km range on display, but probably because I try to get off major highways as soon as I can : )

 

[limamike]

Here's some data from my truck regarding your vent issue. All vents in the truck were open when I collected the data.

Vent set to chest level - fan set to high; front vent.

Vent set to chest level - fan set to high; rear vent.

Vent set equally between floor and chest level - fan set to high; front vent.

Vent set equally between floor and chest level - fan set to high; rear vent.

Vent set to floor - fan set to high; front vent.

Vent set to floor - fan set to high; rear vent.

 

[Intruder]

Here's some data from my truck regarding your vent issue. All vents in the truck were open when I collected the data.

You've just been waiting for an excuse to post pictures using your little wind measuring thing haven't you? And I'm sure [MENTION=66316]1engineer[/MENTION] is busy placing an order for one too if he doesn't already have one. Man we've got some real nerds around here (says the guy who works for one of the biggest tech companies in the world).

 

[limamike]

You've just been waiting for an excuse to post pictures using your little wind measuring thing haven't you? And I'm sure [MENTION=66316]1engineer[/MENTION] is busy placing an order for one too if he doesn't already have one. Man we've got some real nerds around here (says the guy who works for one of the biggest tech companies in the world).

I usually just hold it out the window and watch it spin like a pinwheel. I'm too lazy to calculate the drag coefficient of my truck. Oh, I use it for shooting, too. :guitar3: