Gas Mileage Issue - Is this a Lemon?

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03LimitedRunner

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I just bought a used 2003 4Runner Limited w/ V8. I love this vehicle and its in immaculate shape, but it seems to have a gas mileage issue.

The first full tank I only got 240 miles total. In my estimates, that means I got (240/23)=10.43 mpg's.

The next tank I put in 14 gallons and it was gone in 2 days. I only went 140 miles. Thats still an average of 11 miles per gallon.

And so on.

I drive pretty much normally.

I then took it to a certified Toyota dealership and had diagnostics ran on it. All they could say was that "man its a V8!"

Before this SUV I had a Jeep Cherokee (V6 manual) and I was putting in about $30 a week. Now I'm putting in around $90.

My friend also has a Limited with V8 and she gets on average 400 miles per tank. Thats about 17 mpgs average.

My question is, what do you get, what do you think is wrong, and what would you do in this situation? Go the lemon law route? Have the dealership buy it back if possible? Is there a way to test how many MPG's it getting?

Any help is appreciated :cheers:
 
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03LimitedRunner said:
I just bought a used 2003 4Runner Limited w/ V8. I love this vehicle and its in immaculate shape, but it seems to have a gas mileage issue.

The first full tank I only got 240 miles total. In my estimates, that means I got (240/23)=10.43 mpg's.

The next tank I put in 14 gallons and it was gone in 2 days. I only went 140 miles. Thats still an average of 11 miles per gallon.

And so on.

I drive pretty much normally.

I then took it to a certified Toyota dealership and had diagnostics ran on it. All they could say was that "man its a V8!"

Before this SUV I had a Jeep Cherokee (V6 manual) and I was putting in about $30 a week. Now I'm putting in around $90.

My friend also has a Limited with V8 and she gets on average 400 miles per tank. Thats about 17 mpgs average.

My question is, what do you get, what do you think is wrong, and what would you do in this situation? Go the lemon law route? Have the dealership buy it back if possible? Is there a way to test how many MPG's it getting?

Any help is appreciated :cheers:
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Its a V-8 not a lemon! From my calculations you got 240 miles and you put 14 gallons in the tank. Therefore you got roughly 17 miles per gallon -->240/14 about 17
 
How many Miles on it?
What kind of driving?
Maintanence history?

Claiming Lemon Law on a 2003 is a little bit of a stretch.

What is a Lemon?
A vehicle that continues to have a defect that substantially impairs its use, value, or safety. Generally, if the car has been repaired 4 or more times for the same Defect within the Warranty Period and the Defect has not been fixed, the car qualifies as a Lemon. All States differ so you should consult the Lemon Law Summary and the State Statutes for your particular State. Note that the warranty period may or may not coincide with the Manufacturer's Warranty.

Do I have a Lemon?
If the paint is peeling, the light switch came out when you pulled on it, the car makes "funny noises" but otherwise drives just fine, or you found 10 things you don't like about your new car but none of them prevent you from driving it, then No, you do not have a Lemon.

If the brakes don't work, the car won't go into reverse gear, the darn thing won't start on cold mornings or hot afternoons, the rear door opens all by itself, the driver's seat wobbles, or the car chugs along at 30 mph when it should be going 50 mph, then Yes, you may have a Lemon. Providing you've given the manufacturer an opportunity to repair the defect.

In most States, 10 different defects during the Warranty Period does not brand the car as a Lemon. In some States, a single defect that might cause Serious Injury makes your car a Lemon if the manufacturer cannot fix the problem within 1 attempt.
 
03LimitedRunner said:
My question is, what do you get, what do you think is wrong, and what would you do in this situation? Go the lemon law route? Have the dealership buy it back if possible? Is there a way to test how many MPG's it getting?

Any help is appreciated :cheers:
Click to expand...

I would guess it is your driving style if you have checked all the normal things (oils/spark plus/air filters/tire pressure/alignment etc...)

And there is NO way the lemon law route would get your vehicle bought back by Toyota. Lemon Law varies by state but typically it is for relatively new vehicles (usually under factory comprehensive warranty, so 3yrs/36k miles) and with your vehicle being 7yrs old it would not apply.

And not to question your math, but you really drained the full 23 gallons in your tank the first drive in your truck? Is that an estimate or how much you actually put back in the truck on your next fill up?
 
Great point BairB. I've played the gas light game and run it down until the computer says 0 miles. When I fill up its usually 21+/- gallons.
 
BlairB said:
And not to question your math, but you really drained the full 23 gallons in your tank the first drive in your truck? Is that an estimate or how much you actually put back in the truck on your next fill up?
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I'll question his math.. I've never filled up 23 gallons in my v8. Closest was something like 22.3 and that's after driving 75 or more miles with the red light on and 50-something miles past the 0 miles left on range.

Even if you went 140 miles, and filled up 14 gallons, wouldn't that be 10mpg?

Try this out.

1. Fill up gas tank all the way
2. Zero odometer
3. Drive x miles
4. Fill up tank all the way
5. Take x miles driven and divide by gallons on 2nd tank fill up to get mpg.

Alternatively, sign up for fuelly.com, and let it do your calculations.

If you're still getting 10 or so mpg, there's something wrong.
 
If not done. change your oil, oil filter, air filter, diffs, transfer case, plugs if over 100k, clean the MAF, and throttle body. And jack up your air pressure. I run at 40psi.

Last question. Are you running stock size tires? upsizing makes a difference on MPG
 
M1911 said:
How did you clean your throttle body?
Click to expand...

Found this for ya, looks easy to do!!

810moto said:
I agree, being a DIY person saves alot of money and you learn about your vehicle. Cleaning the MAF and throttle body is easy as pie. 4 bolts on the throttle body and one or two on the MAF. I recently did both on mine at 82,000 +/- a few, and just sprayed some throttle body cleaner on a rag, wipped the inside out on the throttle body and cleaned the valve. It's no biggie at all. My 10yr son could have even done it. My only word of caution is just make sure you don't leak coolant all over your motor or you get that lovely smell for a short time. Cleaning the MAF is a breeze also, just unscrew it, spray it, let it dry, reinstall.
Done in about 30 minutes.
Just search around if you run into trouble, there is plenty of help on here.
Click to expand...
 
03LimitedRunner said:
My question is, what do you get, what do you think is wrong, and what would you do in this situation? Go the lemon law route? Have the dealership buy it back if possible? Is there a way to test how many MPG's it getting?

Any help is appreciated :cheers:
Click to expand...

I would get all the fluids (engine oil/ front/rear diff, transfer case, etc) replaced and do a mild tune up (filters/spark plugs, etc). Inflate you tires (someone mentioned 40psi), remove all crap from your cargo space.......even so.......Seems that your mpgs are very low, but you didn't mention if those were highway/city miles??

Last night I made a trip from Hazleton PA (elevation 1500ft, approx) and made the 95 mile trip on the highway (I-476S) to my place (elevation 400ft approx)......computer gave me a 28.5mpg which I find I little difficult to believe, but then again, I find my V6 Limited to be very (relatively) fuel efficient!

Even after all that, I still wouldn't call your truck a "lemon".........gas hog, maybe............keep us updated!
 
My SUV has only 55k miles and I drive normally - like an old man.

The tires are dunlop or something. The 4runner was just fully reconditioned with plugs and all of that other stuff.
 
If you want a reference point ...

My V8 gets about 11 mpg. That is normal daily driving for me. I can get more on longer highway drives. I used to get 14-15 but since changing the tires, adding full skids, bull bar winch...the mpg just kept falling. I blame Toyota...I'm sure it's nothing to do with the tires or added steel...

:lol:

When it was stock I would typically see about 14. Now I see 11. Not too bad given all the mods. I do notice an improvement after having the oil changed / air filter changed..etc.
 
03LimitedRunner said:
But why does one 4runner get almost average 20mpg and another 11mpgs. Makes no sense.

This guy gets about 20 mpgs average.

View Data

The engine has no modifications.
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Something to consider. In CA the fuel requirements permitted up to 10% Ethanol mixed into your fuel. Most refineries typically blended 5%. CARB now REQUIRES 10% Ethanol. This makes your gas more expensive, lowers the Btu value and decreases your MPG. You will also notice a difference between the winter and summer blends. Winter fuels have more butanes blended into them. This is mainly because its cheap but also because a higher vapor pressure is required in winter (colder starts).

If you are in a state where MTBE is still being used (instead of Ethanol) you are LUCKY! You generally get an extra 1-2 mpg out of the vehicle. MTBE > Btu than EtOH. Sadly the ethanol issue is more political/money based than scientific. If butanol was blended you would still get good oxygenation in the fuel and higher mpg. Also butanol isn't hydroscopic like ethanol either. But then of course the corn to ethanol industry wouldn't get their gov't subsidy (aka your tax dollars.)

Another thing you may want to try is remove the hydrocarbon filter on the top side of your air filter. There are posts about this. This reduces the pressure drop on your intake allowing more air into the cylinders thus improving your mpg. Of course this technically is a grey area for smog stuff...but it is also something to consider.

Best of luck!
 
strange

Something is up...

Either that or you've got a lead foot. Guessing tires are properly inflated and air filter is clean and stuff?

When is the last time the brakes were looked at? A frozen piston or two would hurt mileage for sure.

Lately mine has been 75% city 25% highway and I averaged about 15mpg by my calculations. FYI, the onboard computer usually reads 16.5 or so. I dont worry about mpg much though and I floor it atleast once per drive. :cheers: Im sure I could improve the mpg if I tried.

You may want to yank out your charcoal filter and pitch it in the garbage if you have not already...

I run Toyota air filters and I change them every 6,000 miles along with my oil.
 
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