Poor Gas Mileage

B

bheltzel

New member
99 4runnner
V6
80K miles on it
no upgrades, everything is stock

im getting 12 mpg. im getting 150-170 miles per tank.
im not sure if this means anything, but ive noticed my gas light seems to come on pretty early. if i go fill up right as it comes on, i only put around 13.1-13.3 gallons in my tank. i feel like something has to be wrong but i just dont know much about cars. the highest amount ive ever gotten from a tank is about 225 (all highway on my way back to school). ive also only had the car for about 4000 miles/4 months, but it has been consistently bad.

any help on this subject would be much appreciated. thanks
 
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i searched. no one seems to have it as bad as i do though so i feel like this is kind of a different subject.
 
Not to be rude, but why why does this keep coming up people!!!!!????? Search the threads and you'll find tons of possibilities of what it could be and eliminate them one by one. I swear if another one of these threads comes up I'm gonna go crazy!
 
i dont mean to complain here about these posts because they are some what helpful, but these are all just people saying i get X miles per gallon or i get X miles per tank. i wish they actually included more solutions.
 
What kind of maintenance have you done to the truck? When's the last time your plugs and wires were changed? Have you ever had the throttle body, MAF, IAC cleaned? Any check engine lights ever? Power loss?
 
Literally no maintenance. I bought the car on Dec 26 and havent done anything with it except put some air in the tires and a sub in the back. I really don't know anything about car maintenance, but no lights have come on telling me to do anything. -___-
 
I would start with the things I mentioned. These are all things that are easy to DIY and there are a lot of how to write-ups on this site that will get you through it. If you take it to a shop to have it done, have them look it over and see if there are any other issues that you might not be aware of (probably a good idea to get a mechanics opinion anyways if you're not very mechanical). I would advise changing all of the fluids throughout the vehicle to give it a fresh start too. That last one probably won't make a difference in your mpgs, but it's good to do for preventative maintenance when you buy a car that you don't know it's history.
 
bheltzel said:
I really don't know anything about car maintenance, but no lights have come on telling me to do anything. -___-
Click to expand...



Hmm....I think I may of have found the problem. ;)

What kind of vehicle did you use to drive before the 4runner? Just so you know, no lights will come on telling you to do anything in the 4runner. Except get gas.

You need to take the 4runner to a good shop, and have them do a complete tune-up.

-Air filter
-Spark plugs
-Plug wires
-Oil change
-Clean intake and sensors
-Fuel filter
-check belts/hoses
-check coolant


Even if you weren't getting bad gas mileage, it sounds like you need to do all that stuff...just so you don't accidentally blow the truck up anytime soon. :)
 
Hmm, yeah. I used to drive a suburban. I guess I will look into taking it to a shop sometime this week. Thank you.
 
bheltzel said:
99 4runnner
V6
80K miles on it
no upgrades, everything is stock

im getting 12 mpg. im getting 150-170 miles per tank.
im not sure if this means anything, but ive noticed my gas light seems to come on pretty early. if i go fill up right as it comes on, i only put around 13.1-13.3 gallons in my tank. i feel like something has to be wrong but i just dont know much about cars. the highest amount ive ever gotten from a tank is about 225 (all highway on my way back to school). ive also only had the car for about 4000 miles/4 months, but it has been consistently bad.

any help on this subject would be much appreciated. thanks
Click to expand...

There is an 18.5 gallon tank, you still have 5 gallons in there when the light comes on and you think you need gas....I am not sure if that is mentioned in those links provided above or not, but there is a fix for this as well....if you search.
 
MrBobDobalina said:
There is an 18.5 gallon tank, you still have 5 gallons in there when the light comes on and you think you need gas....I am not sure if that is mentioned in those links provided above or not, but there is a fix for this as well....if you search.
Click to expand...

What do you mean by a fix for this?
 
I have a 1998 4Runner it 290k on it. It gets horrible mileage 12 in the summer and 9 in the winter I’ve changed plugs ect sensor air filter changed oil and tranny fluid there is 2 codes po125 and po171 it’s says it’s running lean but is still getting bad millage
 
P0125 Your ECT (Engine Coolant Temperature) sensor needs to be replaced. P0171 your MAF (Mass Air Flow) sensor needs to be cleaned or replaced.

The ECT is on top of the engine in the valley between the cams. The ECT tells the Engine Management how hot/cold the engine is and is a major sensor for that system.

The MAF is by the airbox. It tells the Engine Management how much air is entering the motor and is another major sensor for the system. When it's dirty or failing, more air gets in than is reported and the engine runs lean because not enough fuel is added by the injectors, resulting in a code.

Take it to a shop or the dealer if you are not experienced with basic automotive mechanical maintenance.

Hope this helps.
 
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