VERY Dissappointed with the Celica.... Options

[6G96GT]

well, i bought the celica with hopes of getting Much better gas mileage than my other car. 1999 mustang 3.8 v6 5 spd. so i filled it up last week, set the trip, and today the trip meter hit 280 miles and i was due for a fill up. well, it took 14.4 gallons. it comes out to about 19.5 miles per gallon. my mustang gets 21 average! i've gotten up to 30!. this really was quite a let down. i still love the celica but is everyone getting such horrible mpg?
maintainance is kept up. runs great. plugs, wires, filters. only thing i can think of is it needs of an alignment. what else could be the problem?

thanks, sorry for knocking the celi's.


Erich

Don't be sorry for us, only yours sucks. Mine is awesome!

[Badkarma]

everyone always tries coming up with a "operator's error" comment. Over drive is ON.

but thanks for the input. ill update when the tank gets low.
Thanks, Erich

[99CelicaGT]

For all of you 5s-fe owners, I've done some comparisons with spark plugs. Bosch Platinum +2 plugs work great on the 5s-fe and give great gas mileage. Also, make sure you perform a coolant flush once a year. If the engine is running at optimal temperature, you will get better gas mileage. Cleaning out the throttle body twice a year also helps gas mileage by removing harmful contaminents within the TB.

[azian_advanced]

there are sooo many things that will lead to poor fuel efficiency.. like a lot! but it all really comes down to how well your car is maintained and how you use it

This post has been edited by azian_advanced: Mar 29, 2008 - 12:13 AM

[DEATH]

For all of you 5s-fe owners, I've done some comparisons with spark plugs. Bosch Platinum +2 plugs work great on the 5s-fe and give great gas mileage.

You'd be close to alone on that opinion - I and many others have had bad experiences with bosh plugs on Toyota engines. NGK FTMFW

[Silver94CelicaOw...]

Yeah, most Bosch plugs on Toyotas don't work too great, in my experience.

I pulled a totally beat set of Bosch Platinum +4's out of my Corolla that were obviously way too hot of a plug for the car.....and you would think the little 4AFE wouldn't be so picky. I also had a set of +4's on the 5SFE in the Celica long before I swapped the 3SGTE in, and it was the same deal with those. Plugs looked like they were running white hot upon inspection.

With our Toyotas, If you're going to use Bosch plugs make sure its a cooler plug with a core made from iridium or copper or the like.

I've used nothing but cooler NGK plugs ever since and to great success.




Back on topic.....Badkarma, I would definately replace your primary O2 sensor in the exhaust manifold. Check your ignition timing as well to make sure its in spec.

You really shouldn't be getting poor gas mileage like that....I get comparable if not better gas mileage with my swap utilizing a big fuel pump, 540cc injectors, and lots of boosting!

[99CelicaGT]

+4 plugs are meant for larger displacement engines such as 3.8-4.0 v6's. It allows all the fuel in each cylinder to completely burn. This is why +2 was the most efficient plug for my 5sfe. My gas mileage improved greatly after switching from NGK to the bosch plantium +2.

Now on other hand, I used to have a Nissan Sentra 2.0 that would run the bosch +2's too hot, and they would turn white with no effort. It would only run good with Autolite plugs. Sometimes, an individual engine can be very picky about what you give it.

[Badkarma]

where on the exaust manifold is it located?
any diagrams? prolly do a search on that.

and i don't have a timing light. now i have ever checked my timing before. so ill prolly have to get that done somewhere.
Thanks for the help. its much appreciated.
girlfriend is driving the car for now.

Thanks, Erich.

[99CelicaGT]

Your exhaust manifold is located where the metal cover in the center of the engine bay is. You will most likely see a hand with a cross through it that says do not touch. Most o2 sensors can be cleaned and polished back to good condition, BUT a bad o2 sensor will not really hurt your gas mileage that bad. If the o2 sensor is bad, your check engine light will come on. Also, your car will idle very rough. I suggest cleaning your MAF sensor, throttle body, and you might want to get a CAI kit that mounts to the inside of the drivers side fender. This will allow your engine to pull in a lot cooler air. Cool air = better performance = better gas mileage.

[6strngs]

Your exhaust manifold is located where the metal cover in the center of the engine bay is. You will most likely see a hand with a cross through it that says do not touch. Most o2 sensors can be cleaned and polished back to good condition, BUT a bad o2 sensor will not really hurt your gas mileage that bad. If the o2 sensor is bad, your check engine light will come on. Also, your car will idle very rough. I suggest cleaning your MAF sensor, throttle body, and you might want to get a CAI kit that mounts to the inside of the drivers side fender. This will allow your engine to pull in a lot cooler air. Cool air = better performance = better gas mileage.

our cars don't use a MAF sensor. and while cleaning out the throttle body may be a good thing to do, it won't really affect gas milage noticably.

[Badkarma]

I know where the exhaust manifold is. im not that inexperienced...lol
but what i was asking is.. where is the O2 sensor you suggest replacing located?
is it easy to get to? do i need to take anything off to reach it? how long...."should" it take.

Thanks , Erich

[6strngs]

if you're looking at the exhaust manifold and look down into the engine bay you should see it poking out of the driver's side of it. I tried to take mine off with the manifold still in the car and couldn't. actually, once the manifold was out I still had a hell of a time getting it out! I actually bent a wrench because it was so tight... but if you've got the right tools or just a lot of muscle I'm sure you could get it out with the manifold still i the car. you might need to remove the heat sheilds though. you'll just need to unplug the electrical connector, unscrew the old sensor, screw in the new one and re-plug in the connecter... it sounds easier than it is though.

[GriffGirl]

Have you replaced your distributor cap and rotor? If the contacts are burnt out, it will have a significant impact on your mileage too. Plus it's easier to get to than your o2 sensor. : )

[b1gr3d]

my gt gets around 400 miles on a tank...almost all highway miles too

[Batman722]

replace the 02 yet ?

[daazndood]

i recently achieved 260 miles off of 11 gallons.

of the 260, about 150 were highway miles.

this puts me at about 23mpg mixed driving. i drive hard too =[

[dnyluong]

its all about the style of driving....
drive to ur cars abilities, not urs.... lmao
it dissapoints me that the celicas mpg goes down soo much with speed......
worst point of the celica
even more than the cup holders....
my stepdads vette gets better gas milage than my car in just the sole reason it doesnt have to work as hard to get up to speed.......

LOL
the cup holders are pretty damn bad, this made me smile ahha

[Rider]

I usually shift anywhere between 2,800 - 3,400 rpm and that gets me about 26 miles per gallon in mixed driving (more highway than city though).

I got 27 mpg on the last tank by shifting on average around 2,700 - 2,800 rpm... No real loss in performance.

I recently changed the spark plug wires and O2 sensor and I use a fuel injector cleaner every now and then. Oh, and I have four springs and four shocks sitting in the trunk, that might make a difference, lol.

EDIT: 29 mpg almost all highway driving.

This post has been edited by Rider: Apr 15, 2008 - 12:42 AM