the horrible gas milage my 04 is getting

[Mpower3]

You're not alone.

2004 V6 with 100,000

265/70/17 Terra Grapplers are the only real change and I am getting between 15-16 MPG. I seafoamed it and it improved slightly.....I realize the est. MPG and miles remaining on the display can be off by up to 10%. Put platinum plugs in as well at 30k. My wife drives it as well, granted it's probably 80/20 in favor of city driving vs. highway.

Prior to seafoaming my display would show 310 miles after fill-up...after seafoaming it spiked to 370 but by the end of the tank I would check the tripometer and it would be 330-340 on average.

 

[bergs]

bergs: when you say driveline bearings do you mean to check to make sure they're lubed?

I mean check for bad bearings in the driveline...mainly wheel bearings and driveshaft bearings

Check for any amount of play which exceeds tolerances, a grinding/ humming noise (not to be confused with tire noise), excessive heat from the bearing area after a road trip, any powdery rust coloration from the bearing area (which indicates the seal is bad and lube has been washed away. The metal bearing race and bearings are being ground into dust)

 

[santana]

just a question to you all experiencing this issue.

did any of you go through a period of time where you were filling your 4runner with regular gas in quantities less then 15 gallons?

so for a period of time say a month or two months or longer you were just squirting in 5-15 gallons and never filled up beyond half a tank?

 

[M1911]

just a question to you all experiencing this issue.

did any of you go through a period of time where you were filling your 4runner with regular gas in quantities less then 15 gallons?

so for a period of time say a month or two months or longer you were just squirting in 5-15 gallons and never filled up beyond half a tank?

No. I have not.

 

[ronsta]

all my fill ups are done at 1/4 tank or less

 

[ronsta]

the past few fillups put it at 280 miles! But this morning, after reading this and in need of a full tank of gas, I went premium and it displayed 330 miles. MPG's also increased to about 19.. Originally I did premium just to run a tank of premium through it since I never have before. But if the MPG's stay elevated I may just keep using premium.

CNJ: did you fill up since 12/3? If yes what are the real MPGs you're getting and is the range display still showing 330 or better?

 

[CNJ Runner]

I have filled up since, and sad to say they are in the 16-17 range. slightly higher from when i switched, but not enough to warrant the extra cost. On an important note, 80%-90% of my driving would best be described as city.Congested driving at speeds of 25-45 about 10 miles in each direction. I dont grandma it but i dont drive like a teenager ever(to date I dont think ive ever WOT it unless I was messing around in the snow), if that makes sense. Highway mpg have improved as well, but again I dont think the added mpg offset the added cost . My recent trips on highways have averaged about 18.5-20.5 mpgs. All of my numbers are from the trip computer, I know its inaccurate.

 

[CNJ Runner]

my last fill up on sunday the range was still at 330. I fill up as close to a 1/4 tank as possible. Id say on highway trips I do get that, but in my normal work week with city driving I dont.

 

[jcd]

Bergs, you offer an interesting point. I have an everlasting hum from my rear diff, ever since I bought it. You have me wondering if that is contributing to my avg 14mpg. That avg. Is hand calculated, and I have seen no change from stock to now..it has 75,000 miles. I've done plugs, air filter, cleaned maf sensor. 2004 Sr5, you are not alone.if your theory on the O2 sensor is correct, and you change them, can you let us know the results....its crazy how some of the v8 owners are killing our mileage. I'd love to be up around where most of you are.
JD

 

[ronsta]

Just got my results back from blackstone labs (analyzed my oil after 5k miles). Mentioned to them about the bad MPGs and this is their response:

"Universal averages show typical wear for this engine type after about 3,900 miles on the oil. Your oil was in use for 5,000 miles, but the longer run doesn't explain the extra aluminum and iron. The Seafoam may though, and we'll let you know what we see as trends develop. The MPG could be the result of a dirty/incorrect EGR valve or spark plugs. A tune-up may help, though sometimes just disconnecting the negative battery terminal for a few minutes to reset the computer can increase MPG. Give it a shot and tell us what you find. We'll know more next time."

 

[simple]

You're not alone.

2004 V6 with 100,000

265/70/17 Terra Grapplers are the only real change and I am getting between 15-16 MPG. I seafoamed it and it improved slightly.....I realize the est. MPG and miles remaining on the display can be off by up to 10%. Put platinum plugs in as well at 30k. My wife drives it as well, granted it's probably 80/20 in favor of city driving vs. highway.

Prior to seafoaming my display would show 310 miles after fill-up...after seafoaming it spiked to 370 but by the end of the tank I would check the tripometer and it would be 330-340 on average.

If you're getting 15-16 with bigger tires and 80% city, I think thats pretty good!

 

[RoyR]

Same here...at about 16.5mpg with 20" wheels, and 60% city driving....my supercharged 08 Mustang gets better mileage! I'm about to get a junker as my DD....

 

[M1911]

If you're getting 15-16 with bigger tires and 80% city, I think thats pretty good!

I'm getting ~15-16 with stock tires, and ~60% city.

 

[zstampe]

15-16 with mostly city driving is good. I guess I'm still confused on what some of you guys were expecting to get when you bought a body on frame suv.

 

[M1911]

15-16 with mostly city driving is good. I guess I'm still confused on what some of you guys were expecting to get when you bought a body on frame suv.

It isn't that I was expecting better. It is that I was getting ~2 mpg better previously on the same commute. I've had my '03 since new, and it isn't getting as good mileage as it used to.

 

[zstampe]

It isn't that I was expecting better. It is that I was getting ~2 mpg better previously on the same commute. I've had my '03 since new, and it isn't getting as good mileage as it used to.

It is almost 9 years old though.........

 

[ronsta]

It is almost 9 years old though.........

Well what about mine? It's barely over 5 years! also my mechanic who bought his certified doesn't know any better!

Look at the spec sheets for any 4th gen and you'll see the city/hwy range avg about 425 (when you total the city & hwy & divide by 2).

 

[zstampe]

Well what about mine? It's barely over 5 years! also my mechanic who bought his certified doesn't know any better!

Look at the spec sheets for any 4th gen and you'll see the city/hwy range avg about 425 (when you total the city & hwy & divide by 2).

That is the EPA rating correct? Those are always fairly generous.

 

[PWGUNNY]

To the OP:
There is surely an issue if you are getting that low MPG. I hope you resolve your issue. I have an '04 V6, 110k miles with new plugs a year ago. My original avg as per the onboard computer was about 18.5mpg. Now that I did a little lift and bigger tires, I'm at 17.5mpg. My miles are a 50/50 mix of city/hwy, I lean towards the heavy foot of driving style. I've never used any seafoam or cleaning products(I'm a Skeptic) I've never used premium fuel either. Best thing would be to get it on a computer and zero in on the issue.
Good luck.

 

[SR5 Iron]

Just thought I would share the results of my recent MPG quest. I seafoamed and cleaned the MAF sensor on my 04 V6 and realized a gain of about 1.75 mpg.