High mileage mini tune-up?

[roddyc]

Going to do a few small things to try to improve performance/mpg and was wondering what else I could do that is easy and cheap; so far on the list:

1) Remove hydrocarbon filter
2) Clean MAF sensor
3) Some type of fuel additive injector cleaner
4) AFe pro dry air filter?
5) Seafoam? Do I really need to? What does it do?

It is a '03 V6 SR5 and has 152k miles on it now and had a service at the dealership @ 143k mi; not sure what was done since I didn't own it then. The Toyota website tells me there was a check engine light, they replaced some exhaust manifold assemblies, there was a fuel injector and throttle service which included a EFI flush kit and air intake cleaner. The serpentine belt, cabin filter, brakes, spark plugs, and power steering flush were done @ 134k.

Any advice is appreciated, thanks!

 

[MikeInNH]

#3 and #5 are the same....And really NOT needed unless you're having a problem.

The fuel injector and throttle service...is what's known as dealer profit ripoffs. Those are bogus services that really do NOTHING.

Everything you've stated is NOT going to increase performance/mpg...UNLESS the truck isn't running right...They are only designed to FIX a problem if one exists..NOT improve on already good working parts.

 

[roddyc]

Gotcha, so no need to do anything?

 

[lightfreak]

If maintenance history is suspect I would try these:

Clean MAF, there's a good writeup on here somewhere, only needs basic tools and takes all of 5 minutes to do. Electrical cleaner or MAF cleaner is only a few bucks. I do this annually.

Check air filter and replace as needed, takes less than a minute to do.

Replace PCV Valve. A clogged valve can cause sludge leading to parasitic drag on vital engine parts and degrade fuel economy. Inexpensive part (less than $10) , takes a couple minutes to replace. It's on the rear of the V6, accessible from the top, if i remember correctly you'll need a 17mm socket.


Some like to run fuel system cleaners for piece of mind. A good detergent based cleaner may be beneficial in a neglected engine, you wont' know until you try. Gumout Regane, Redline Sl1, Amsoil PI, Techron Concenrate would be good products to use. The cheapo cleaners are basically just solvents with no active detergents.

Check tire pressure all around.

Check tranny, engine, and differential fluids, replace if necessary. If service history is unknown I would just replace them.


Check brake calipers for frozen pistons, a notorious problem on 4th gen 4runners. A frozen piston can cause the pad to drag on the rotor and effect fuel economy. This happened to me, I caught it early on and there were no signs of brake problems yet, just a noticeable decrease in fuel economy and the front wheels were getting abnormally hot.



btw what are you trying to improve on? What's your mpg right now?

 

[roddyc]

Maintenance history is fairly solid based off what I was able to find on the owner's website, just pretty much feel like wrenching on the car a little.

Tranny and differential fluid were replaced at 116k, not sure what the interval is on these but I'm guessing 60k so not until 175k mi?

Mileage isn't bad, about 20 mpg on the computer in 40/60 mixed city/highway driving and 17.8 mpg hand calculated. Just trying to make a good thing a little better