Fuel economy problem with Toyota Corolla seca!

Hi Guys,

It's me again. This time i am a bit more frustrated then usual with my car.

I have 1995 Toyota Corolla Seca 1.8L and the fuel economy sux!!! I check the reading since i bought it, 4 months ago and I usually drive in the city. it is giving me all the time 7km to 8.5km per one litre. According to Toyota it should do 11.7/litre. I dont care about 11.7 at leats give me about 9km to 9.5km?

I am driving with care. pressure in tyres are good. just following all the tips to improve the economy but still it is too less.

Any suggestion from Toyota gurus? Will appreciate your help!

Ray O, I am especially waiting for your tip.

Thanks!

Regards, Faraz Rana Managing Director / Design Consultant DEZIGNO [Print | Multimedia | Web]

- A U S T R A L I A - snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com

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Reply to
faraz
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Reply to
Nick Bourne

Hi Nick,

No, my car is doing about 320km/fuel tank. Yes I am from melbourne and stuck in traffic but not really traffic jam like bumper to bumper. But

320km/tank is too less like it is about 6km in a litre.

A question, if I am stuck in trafic and put my car into "N" while waiting for signal to turn green (1 - 1.5 mins). does that give me more milage? and will it harm my transmission (change "D" to "N" when stop and "N" to "D" when go every time)?

any other advice???

Thanks!

Regards, Faraz Rana Managing Director / Design Consultant DEZIGNO [Print | Multimedia | Web]

- A U S T R A L I A - Phone: +61 3 9497 4107 Mobile: 0422 715 318 snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com

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Reply to
faraz

I thought metric calculations were liter/100km.

Using 1.6 km = 1 mile and 3.8 liter = 1 gallon...

Using this formula to convert km/liter to Miles Per Gallon: km x 3.8/1.6 (math gurus out there, please check my math)

Then 7 km/liter = 16.6 MPG

8.5 km/liter = 20.2 MPG 9 km/liter = 21.4 MPG 11.7 km/liter = 27.8 MPG

Assuming my conversion is correct, fuel economy does seem a little low, even considering urban traffic.

How does the engine perform?

Check these things on your car:

  • Inflate tire pressure to about 5 PSI (35 KPA) over the tire pressure indicated on the driver's door frame or glove box door

  • Check the condition of the engine air filter by holding the filter element up to a light. You should be able to see the light through the filter element.

  • Check the condition of the air flow sensor. If it is the type with an oval opening protruding into the air flow, remove the sensor, spray some brake cleaner into the opening, and let the stuff drip out and dry.

  • Check the condition of the spark plugs. If they have not been changed for the past 100,000 km or they are not NGK or Denso, replace them with NGK or Denso plugs.

  • Check the condition of the ignition wires by measuring resistance. If the resistance is not within specification or they are cracked or split, replace them with Denso plug wires.

  • Check the tires for uneven tire wear, which could indicate that the suspension is out of alignment. If the suspension is out of alignment, have it aligned.

  • Check the condition of the vacuum hoses to make sure there is no vacuum leak and the hoses are not cracked or split.

  • Check the condition of the automatic transmission fluid if it has an automatic transmission. The fluid should be a translucent dark red color. If it is black, have the fluid changed (not flushed).

  • Check the condition of the brakes to make sure they are not dragging.

Is there any excess weight in the car or anything mounted on the roof like an aftermarket roof rack or carrier? If so, remove them.

To answer your other post regarding shifting the transmission into neutral when waiting at a stop, doing so doesn't hurt as long as the care is not in motion when shifting into neutral or into gear.

Reply to
Ray O

Ray my math based on the other post makes it around 15mpg, which is really wrong for this car. even if stuck in heavy traffic.

Reply to
Nick Bourne

I would do what Ray says and check all those things, but i would also be looking for a fuel leak when the car is running. I'm pretty sure you could run a 6l commodore on less fuel than that. the small difference you might gain from putting the car in N is not going to make a big difference to how much fuel you use. there is a bigger problem than that.

Reply to
Nick Bourne

Yup, either way, 15 or 16 MPG is pretty poor for a 1.8 liter engine.

Besides a fuel leak, the other possibility is that he is not calculating fuel consumption correctly.

Reply to
Ray O

messagenews:489280d8$ snipped-for-privacy@dnews.tpgi.com.au...

Hi All,

Thanks for all your replies. Ray (as usual, thanks for your time and tips). I don't know the gallon thing but i am calculating it correctly. It used to run about 7 - 8 km / litre but now it is doing about 6.4 (320km in a full tank till the light of E appears (on flat surface not inclining or declining) I know ther is about 2 litres petrol after the E... so say 6.6km).

I used the other method (fill up the tank) and then drive 100km and then fill up again and see how much petrol used to fill up. the average comes to 7.3km - 8km. i have been using it for 2 months.

Anyway, Ray, i will check all the things that you have mentions and yeah i am damn sure that the tyres are on 35KPA and there is nothing in the car except my ipod :D (no heavy things), i will check the air filter and other on week end.

But thanks for all your help and I will check with TOYOTA and see what they say, I know they charge hell only to check the car in melbourne about AU$150.

Thanks again!

Thanks!

Regards, Faraz Rana Managing Director / Design Consultant DEZIGNO [Print | Multimedia | Web]

- A U S T R A L I A - Phone: +61 3 9497 4107 Mobile: 0422 715 318 snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com

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Reply to
faraz

You're very welcome!

Reply to
Ray O

I wonder if they lie with the mileage ratings in Oz like they do for the US - We do the fuel mileage figures on a dynamometer, with the AC off, on the best high-BTUH high-octane gasoline available (No ethanol or oxygenates) - so the numbers are 10% to 20% high compared to 'real world' conditions.

It might help the mileage, but it would be barely measurable. The engine load drops slightly because the engine wants to hold 600 RPM loaded or unloaded. In Neutral you aren't churning the torque converter and turning that energy into heat loss in the converter, but it still has to idle so the load drop is there but minimal - it can crank the idle control valve back one or two notches.

The advantage is that the transmission fluid runs much cooler, as it has a chance to cool off.

Now if there's a freight train crossing the road and you'll be there for 5 minutes, shut off the engine. That /will/ save serious fuel.

Reply to
Bruce L. Bergman

Hi Guys,

In case if I am not reading/calculating the mileage properly, here is the pic.

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I fill the tank few weeks ago and now the condition is in front of you. Please be sure that I didn't reset the trip meter since I filled up!.

cheers Faraz

Reply to
faraz

The position of the indicator needle on the fuel gauge should not be a part of your fuel economy calculations. All you need to know is the distance traveled since the fuel tank was last filled - in the case of the photo -

292.1 km - divided by the number of liters it takes to re-fill the tank.
Reply to
Ray O

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