Hello Folks -
Well, the saga continues. My latest problem/project/question involves my 95 Camry with 135k.
The back end of the car is always "sooty," for example the white liscense plate is currently grey from exhaust. I was following my wife last weekend (an adventure in and of itself! Shh!) when I noticed small puffs of black smoke when she accelerated (a frequent event for her....ugh!). Through a little bit of research I have come to understand that black exhaust smoke if often a sign of the engine running "rich" from fuel. This little tidbit caught my attention as I have been trying to figure out why this Camry (4V) gets gas mileage in the low
20's. It had dipped below 20mpg a month ago, increased tire pressure and cleaning the air intake helped it get into the 23 area. A bit of history might help. The distributor cap, wires, and spark plugs were all replaced at a shop about a year ago, however while I paid a pretty penny for these items (80-90 for the wires alone) I have since determined the shop to be pretty darn crooked and I would not be surprised if they replaced these parts with crappy non-oem stuff.So my question, drum roll What do I need to fix, replace, clean to make the engine stop running "rich." ? Fuel injectors? O2 sensor?
As always, thank you to all in this forum who have help me with a variety of projects over the last few months.
Blake