(4)runnin'it
New member
Does ECT power really help your mpg if you have 285's? I've been getting mixed opinions.
ECT power?
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fightman80
New member
I find it kills my MPG's......not sure though...just seems like it drinks less gas when the button isn't on.....
michael833
New member
querstion.
you have some pretty big tires. what is your gear ratio? i just ditched my 15's and got some FJ 17's. (still need to update my thread...) and for the most part, i'm giving my ODO the benefit of the doubt and assuming it is off by at least 20 miles a tank. in that case i am still getting 15.4mpg, otherwise it's 13.4. i'll upgrade my gears eventually, but i'm still in shock as to how my little pup was getting 15mpg (STOCK) and everybody else with tready tires, etc. are getting over 16mpg.
(4)runnin'it
New member
I hope we're in the same Boat cause apparently I'm getting 13ish mpg too which is terrible.
ChildrenOfBodom
Moderator
My ECT button has long forgotten what it's like being off. I often shift through gears myself because I hate the automatic shift points. Might do a 5 speed swap someday.
Here's a showing of my mileage with 33" tires, 4 cylinder, and 4.56 gears (no supercharger)
Here's a showing of my mileage with 33" tires, 4 cylinder, and 4.56 gears (no supercharger)
Tucson4runner
New member
can someone explain what ect power does? i know it shifts into higher gears sooner allowing you to have faster acceleration but isnt that what happens when i turn the over drive off? so whats the difference and is it ok to turn the over drive off and the ect on? my manual states that its not good for the engine to have the ect always on. why is this?
larrylegend
New member
ECT raises the shift points. So it will hold a gear a bit longer than it normally would. I have found that the ECT button on mine will give me slightly better gas milage than with it off. I keep mine on all the time. In fact a month or so ago I though my runner was a bit sluggish and couldn't figure out why, turns out the ECT button had somehow been pressed off.
THEREALTOR1
New member
I've been doing the same and I think it actually does seem to help with the mpg's, even with running the AC. Combine that with my new brakes/shocks/coils, and its running like a brand new truck. I'd even venture to say she's running spunky
Socco
New member
I've been doing the same and I think it actually does seem to help with the mpg's, even with running the AC. Combine that with my new brakes/shocks/coils, and its running like a brand new truck. I'd even venture to say she's running spunky
Oh no, not again. :hiding:
ChildrenOfBodom
Moderator
Nunyabiz
New member
I certainly need something because I think I should be getting at least 14mpg city at a minimum and I barely get 12.
I know the 3" lift and slightly larger than stock tires cut 'some" mileage down but there are many here with much larger tires and heavier bumpers complete with roof racks that are getting 2-3mpg more than I am.
Probably I need to just go through it and replace or clean MAF, maybe a couple 02 sensors, replace the Catalytic Converter, and definitely change spark plugs.
I need to change the water pump soon, so when I do that I will have everything else done.
I would like to be getting 14-15mpg city and 19-21 hwy which I think should be doable.
brian2sun
Elite Member
That's the first I've heard that. My manual doesn't say anything about leaving ECT on. But I've been doing it for 10 years. The auto shifts way too soon for me when ECT is off, I can barely get to 2K rpms before it shifts. That's no bueno on mountain roads.
12 is low. I'm getting ~16 around town (and it's not flat around here by any means) and I get 19+ on the highway. I was getting 10-12 right before I had my engine rebuilt, but I had 2 cracked heads!
Sounds like your engine is tired and needs some help. I would definitely clean the MAF, change the plugs and wires, and see how that does first because those are cheap and easy. Then maybe change the O2 and the cat. However, throwing expensive parts at it isn't a good way to diagnose. There's a good chance you could spend all that money and still be getting 12 mpg.
Before my engine totally gave up and needed a full rebuild, I did a MotorVac service on it and that took my mpgs from 10-12ish to 16ish. I highly recommend this service to clean the combustion chamber and restore mpgs...
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-g...ning-horrible-but-not-any-more-hopefully.html
Nunyabiz
New member
Well I hope the MotorVac had nothing to do with the cracked heads.
But it sounds like a good possibility that I might do after I try a couple other things.
I need the water pump changed soon, so will of course change all the belts, timing belt, thermostat etc with it.
I will have the spark plugs and wires changed when I do that.
Will clean the MAF myself.
If that doesn't take care of it then I will try the MotorVac if I can find one in this area.
Thank you for the info.
brian2sun
Elite Member
The Tutorial and Documentation sticky has info on where MotorVac services are performed. The cleaning had nothing to do with my heads. I had a rough idle and an intermittent miss for months before the MV was done. And the MV actually got rid of the miss for a couple months. They were cracked before the service, they just got worse with time until it started missing all the time.
The MV raised my mpgs about 4-5 avg. with cracked heads so I'm sure it would help a motor that is in decent mechanical shape. It removes the carbon deposits and restores the engine to almost as clean as new. You could try Seafoam too, but the MV is more thorough.
The MV raised my mpgs about 4-5 avg. with cracked heads so I'm sure it would help a motor that is in decent mechanical shape. It removes the carbon deposits and restores the engine to almost as clean as new. You could try Seafoam too, but the MV is more thorough.
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bhmcfadden
New member
ECT button light either burnt out or something isnt conected...the light dosent pop up on the dash either when turn on...any ideas