1. Home
  2. General Toyota Forum
  3. Slow acceleration... '90 Celica

Slow acceleration... '90 Celica

I hope that no one minds me asking so many questions in this group. I seem to trust you guys a little bit more. Those that I ask out here don't give me too many answers and I'm often told, "Well if you had an American car..." *LOL* BUT ANYWAY...

I have a '90 Celica ST. I understand that the ST isn't exactly the fastest vehicle but I was wondering if there was anything I could do to boost the acceleration a little bit. Would fuel injector cleaners help? I heard that these sometimes shouldn't be used because if there was some sort of grime sealing a leak somewhere on the vehicle, the cleaner would clean the grime and cause the leak to come back. Any truth in that?

What other options do I have?

Thanks again!

Reply to
omnineko
Loading thread data ...

Also, would a "throttle body cleaning" help? Is there any way I can check to see if this would be necessary? And one more: Does anyone know an average price range for this service?

Reply to
omnineko

There are many things that affect a vehicle's acceleration.

Assuming that there are no obvious performance issues like hesitation, knocking, pinging, etc., here are some tings to check:

Make sure the brakes are not dragging. Make sure the wheel bearings are in good shape. Make sure the tires are properly inflated. I recommend mfr's recommended inflation + 4 or 5 PSI. Make sure the vehicle is properly aligned. Make sure there is no excess weight in the vehicle Stuff like spoilers, etc. tend to slow down a vehicle without a lot of horsepower Make sure the AC compressor disengages under WOT conditions Use OEM ignition parts Use the proper weight motor oil Make sure the accessory drive belts are not too tight or loose Make sure the transmission and differential fluid are in good condition and the proper weight Make sure the transmission and/or clutch are not slipping Make sure the vehicle passes emissions tests Make sure the air filter is not clogged Make sure there are not restrictions in the exhaust - you can try a fuel injector cleaner like Chevron Techron or the Toyota branded stuff that Toyota dealers sell, or Motor Vac.

Reply to
Ray O

Throttle body cleaning will not make the car accelerate faster.

If the throttle pedal is difficult to depress from idle, then the throttle body may need cleaning.

I do not know the average price for this service, but it is very simple to do yourself if you can identify the throttle body, can depress the nozzle on an aerosol can, can wipe up a mess, and know "lefty-loosey, righty-tighty."

Remove the plastic tube leading to the throttle body, spray the inside of the throttle plate-butterfly valve with carb aerosol carb cleaner, wipe out the mess from the inside of the throttle body. Then, rotate the bell crank on the side of the throttle body to pen the throttle plate and spray the other side of the plate and wipe out. Pay attention to where the edges of the plate touch the inside of the TB to make sure all the gummy residue is gone.

The engine will smoke badly after you do this service but should clear up shortly.

Reply to
Ray O

That's OK! Ask away! We'll send you our PayPal addresses after the third question! ;)

Reply to
Hachiroku

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.