question for v8 owners
- Thread starter V8Limited4wd
- Start date
Go to the following WEB Sites.
http://www.brianbauer.org/viewdata.php?vehicle=164&fuel=1&user=200
http://www.brianbauer.org/viewdata.php?vehicle=93&fuel=1&user=200
The first one is my real life gas mileage for my 2008 SR5 V8 T4R I have had it 2 months.
The second listing is for my 2004 Scion Xa which is my daily commuter. I drive the Scion 750 miles a week, 150 mile round trip per day.
Both vehicles are driven between 6500 feet and 9500 feet above sea level. Because of the altitude the engines run leaner, hence the better mileage.
CAD-Man
http://www.brianbauer.org/viewdata.php?vehicle=164&fuel=1&user=200
http://www.brianbauer.org/viewdata.php?vehicle=93&fuel=1&user=200
The first one is my real life gas mileage for my 2008 SR5 V8 T4R I have had it 2 months.
The second listing is for my 2004 Scion Xa which is my daily commuter. I drive the Scion 750 miles a week, 150 mile round trip per day.
Both vehicles are driven between 6500 feet and 9500 feet above sea level. Because of the altitude the engines run leaner, hence the better mileage.
CAD-Man
gizmopt2002
New member
For those experiencing bad MPG I recommend a thorough check of this list I made.
-Your right foot. Make sure it is not made of lead, if so, try to convert it to something like titanium or plastic.
-Air filter. If it is dirty, get a new one, or re-oil it if it is on that uses oil. Go OEM or Fram, for me Fram was good enough and half the price of our stealer.
Check out this picture, can you guess which one is Fram and which one is OEM? (NOTE: One of them is new, and one is dirty)
-MAF. Thoroughly clean it. Get a can of electronic contact cleaner and GENTLY spray it, DON'T use anything else, or your asking for trouble, it is very delicate. (NOTE: 2nd gens do not have a MAF, air measurement is done through mechanical means.)
-Check & clean out throttle body.
-Seafoam the engine by using the vacuum lines.
-Put some seafoam (According to instructions) in the crankcase. IIRC, idling for 5 - 10 minutes. Then let it drain, and put in Mobil1 0W-30 Synthetic (New from Mobil1, meets or exceeds 10W-30 and 5W-30). Or you can use Mobil1 High Mileage. Follow that up with either a Mobil1 filter or an Amsoil.
-Check the spark plugs. Look for proper wear and gappage, V8 owners you have Iridium or the like, so yours need not to be gapped. Replace if neccesary(NGK or Denso). If you have a previous generation 4Runner change the wires(NGK) and the cap & rotor (OEM)
-While you are it check the drive belts, just in case.
-Check the driveline fluids. Transmission fluid should be bright cherry red.
The 2003 models can be flushed as these have a tranny dip-stick.
First you would have to determine which line on the tranny cooler is the output from the tranny. T
hen obtain a case or more of type T-IV ATF (it cost $ 4.71 at my dealer) Connect some clear tubing on this output line and place the other end into a 5 gallon bucket. Start the engine and drain out two quarts of AFT into the marked waste bucket. Shut engine off and fill tranny with 2 qts of new AFT. Repeat procedure until the waste bucket reaches the 14 qt mark.
Note1: Before doing this take your 5-gal HomeDepot bucket and add two qts of water at a time, while marking with a Sharpie Magic Marker each interval. Dump out water.
Note2: Mobil also makes a replacement fluid that is compatible with Toyota
-Your right foot. Make sure it is not made of lead, if so, try to convert it to something like titanium or plastic.
-Air filter. If it is dirty, get a new one, or re-oil it if it is on that uses oil. Go OEM or Fram, for me Fram was good enough and half the price of our stealer.
Check out this picture, can you guess which one is Fram and which one is OEM? (NOTE: One of them is new, and one is dirty)
-MAF. Thoroughly clean it. Get a can of electronic contact cleaner and GENTLY spray it, DON'T use anything else, or your asking for trouble, it is very delicate. (NOTE: 2nd gens do not have a MAF, air measurement is done through mechanical means.)
-Check & clean out throttle body.
-Seafoam the engine by using the vacuum lines.
-Put some seafoam (According to instructions) in the crankcase. IIRC, idling for 5 - 10 minutes. Then let it drain, and put in Mobil1 0W-30 Synthetic (New from Mobil1, meets or exceeds 10W-30 and 5W-30). Or you can use Mobil1 High Mileage. Follow that up with either a Mobil1 filter or an Amsoil.
-Check the spark plugs. Look for proper wear and gappage, V8 owners you have Iridium or the like, so yours need not to be gapped. Replace if neccesary(NGK or Denso). If you have a previous generation 4Runner change the wires(NGK) and the cap & rotor (OEM)
-While you are it check the drive belts, just in case.
-Check the driveline fluids. Transmission fluid should be bright cherry red.
The 2003 models can be flushed as these have a tranny dip-stick.
First you would have to determine which line on the tranny cooler is the output from the tranny. T
hen obtain a case or more of type T-IV ATF (it cost $ 4.71 at my dealer) Connect some clear tubing on this output line and place the other end into a 5 gallon bucket. Start the engine and drain out two quarts of AFT into the marked waste bucket. Shut engine off and fill tranny with 2 qts of new AFT. Repeat procedure until the waste bucket reaches the 14 qt mark.
Note1: Before doing this take your 5-gal HomeDepot bucket and add two qts of water at a time, while marking with a Sharpie Magic Marker each interval. Dump out water.
Note2: Mobil also makes a replacement fluid that is compatible with Toyota
All good stuff gizmopt2002! My only suggestion in your process is to address the spark plugs AFTER the seafoam treatment via intake hoses. That way you're not fouling up your new plugs, as seafoam has been known to foul a few when running it through the intake. I would also suggest synthetic gear oil in the differentials and transfer case, as it seems to flow easier.
I don't think I could handle the higher psi on the tires though, I'm really picky about a softer ride, but just my own preferences.
The V8 owners: even though we have those 100k spark plugs, I replaced mine around the 55k mark anyway with NGK's, and was very happy with the results. Much smoother operation overall.
I would also suggest a good detailing job, including the use of the clay bar, to reduce drag as much as possible. Rain-X on all windows and lens covers too. In the past, I've noticed not only a much quieter ride (practically 0% windnoise), but better mpg's too, as the cars I've done this too seem to slice through the air like a warm knife through hot butter. Haven't done it yet to the 4runner, but did it to the Mazda 3, and picked up about 2 more mpg's on the readout. Also did this to my former LS400 "along with the other stuff you mentioned gizmopt" and was easily getting 26 mpg on the highway at the time of sale, at 12 years of age with 132k on the clock.
I don't think I could handle the higher psi on the tires though, I'm really picky about a softer ride, but just my own preferences.
The V8 owners: even though we have those 100k spark plugs, I replaced mine around the 55k mark anyway with NGK's, and was very happy with the results. Much smoother operation overall.
I would also suggest a good detailing job, including the use of the clay bar, to reduce drag as much as possible. Rain-X on all windows and lens covers too. In the past, I've noticed not only a much quieter ride (practically 0% windnoise), but better mpg's too, as the cars I've done this too seem to slice through the air like a warm knife through hot butter. Haven't done it yet to the 4runner, but did it to the Mazda 3, and picked up about 2 more mpg's on the readout. Also did this to my former LS400 "along with the other stuff you mentioned gizmopt" and was easily getting 26 mpg on the highway at the time of sale, at 12 years of age with 132k on the clock.
Last edited:
MercuryEvo
New member
i get like 350 miles to the full tank, max
Bossman
Senior Member
I noticed that my gas mileage improved slightly by simply replacing the dirty air filter and switching to full synthetic oil - but I'll keep the other suggestions already in this thread in mind for the future.
I'm getting about 15/16 mpg for city driving and 24/25 for highway. My city driving mpg goes down to about 12/13 in the cold Canadian winters.
I've not tested how far I could go on my 80 Litre gas tank - I like to keep the tank at least half full at all times.
I'm getting about 15/16 mpg for city driving and 24/25 for highway. My city driving mpg goes down to about 12/13 in the cold Canadian winters.
I've not tested how far I could go on my 80 Litre gas tank - I like to keep the tank at least half full at all times.
Jeep to Yota said:
yeh i know. i get terrible mileage in my '03 4R V8. is it the vvti in the 04? i think the vvti came out in 04? i cleaned my tb, new air filter, oil change, cleaned maf, & rebooted ecu. my onboard avg mpg meter say fluctuates between 15-17mpg. i struggle to get 300miles on a tank of gas. imma acetone my tank this week when i drive from la to san fran and we'll see what kind of mpgs i get.
Just a couple of weeks ago my wife took our 4runner to the beach house in Atlantic Beach, NC "just south of outer banks". It's about a 380 mile round trip. She was loaded down with baby gear, her mom, and the dog. She did this on a little over 3/4th of tank. It's mostly back country roads, with constant speeds of about 60mph.
A side from driving techniques, I think mpg's are quite sensitive to altitute, flat surfaces, and air/humidity mixtures. All I have done on the 4runner is new plugs, air filter, seafoam in the crankcase a couple times before oil change, M1 in the differentials & transfer case.
A side from driving techniques, I think mpg's are quite sensitive to altitute, flat surfaces, and air/humidity mixtures. All I have done on the 4runner is new plugs, air filter, seafoam in the crankcase a couple times before oil change, M1 in the differentials & transfer case.
