MPG question??????

[4RUNNERgeo]

I am getting crappy MPG out of my 97' 4Runner, it's a 4cylinder 5speed giving me about 15 MPG. I will give you guys a little history on the 4Runner to see if you guys can help me. I just installed a "0" mile rebuild that now has about 600 miles on it. I have checked and cleaned the O2 sensor that looked clean to begin with. It sits on 31" tires and I am driving more city than highway miles.
What do you guys think may be causing my poor MPG?

 

[Moves2Music]

That's not too bad for mostly city driving. I assume you replaced the fuel filter and air filter with the rebuild?
What are your driving habits?

 

[KHoffRunner]

I have an auto but in my 92' xcab pickup 5 speed i get like 18-20 on average but i could see it respectively lower in the city

 

[bluecollarjock]

my 98 3.4 5 speed 4.30 gears on 265/70-17s BFG ATs, roof rack, 2.5" lift gets 17mpg highway....so I dont think you are bad at all....its a 4x4 in the city 15mpg is awesome to me hahah

Im ditching roof rack this summer and might switch to less aggresive ATs to try to improve mpg

 

[Moves2Music]

Hey Geo, try lower rpm shifts along with low to moderate acceleration (1/4 throttle). Going into neutral when braking is a plus, no engine braking. Try to drive in a higher gear.. 30 mph cruise in 4th gear. When you're on the highway, stay between 55-60 mph with cruise control. It's grandpa mode, but will net you the best mpg.
If this method doesn't net you at least 2-3 mpg more, then the problem may lie else where.

 

[iowajosh]

How far off is the speedo?

what kind of 02 sensor is it and how old is it?

 

[4RUNNERgeo]

Thanks for the replies guys. I have been very easy on it during the break in period being it has a "0" mile rebuild motor just installed with a new fuel pump and fuel filter. The O2 sensor is the one it came with, I believe.
I bought the 4Runner with a blown engine so I am not sure of it's past MPG history. I thought for sure I would get maybe 19-20 MPG, but 14-15:shrug:. I read in the stickies that the O2 sensor could be the problem so I removed it and inspected it but it appeared to be clean. Could the 31' tire cut into the MPG that much? Thanks for the input. -George

 

[PitbullRescuer]

You should be getting better than 15 with a 4cylinder 5 speed. I wouldn't sweat it too much yet, get through the break in period first. Bad O2 sensor, exhaust leak, driveline drag somewhere, sticky e-brake and many other things could be contributing to poor MPG.

 

[BrianSD_42]

it's a 4cylinder 5speed giving me about 15 MPG. I will give you guys a little history on the 4Runner to see if you guys can help me

I think your mileage is fine for a 3rd Gen. Sucky yes but it comes with the territory.

Lookup the 4CYL 3rd Gen 4Runner on the US Government's official fuel economy website and you will see that it gets 15-16 MPG.

Add to that 150K+ miles and it is perfectly reasonable to get 15 around the city.

The 4 CYL barely has better gas mileage than the V6 and most of the V6s get 15 MPG in the city 18-19 on the HWY. The only 4Runners that seem to get 21-22 are ones with super chargers and even those numbers are highly highly debated.

31" inch tires are normal factory sized. Almost the exact same size as the factory 265x70x16 tires.

 

[im4u2nvss]

15mpg city on a fresh engine isnt that bad. Give it a couple thousand miles. I would guess it wont get much better. Your 3rz has alot of work to do to power the bulky 3rd gen-

 

[Brian757]

Hey! Whats so bad with making 15 MPGs?! Haha, I make that! But factory 4Runners make something like 15 city, and 17 highway so off the lot their not the best at fuel preservation. I reset trip counters when I fill my tanks up, and for 2 tanks, I got 280 miles out of my 18 gallon tank. So Im averaging out at around 15.56 MPGs. Although I am lifted 7 inches and have 33s. And I have a different motor and everything. But good luck!