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Auto Mechanics..Extra $hitty mileage issues. HELP.

Dog Welder

Dog Welder

Turbo Monkey
Sep 7, 2001
1,123
0
Pasadena, CA
So I finally figured out what was wrong with my 91 Toyota V6 3.0L pickup and got it running after almost a year of sitting on my front yard collecting cobwebs. I put a full tank of gas in with some Lucas injector cleaner and noticed that I'm getting crap mileage. 8 gallons gets me about 100miles. I used to get about 15city/20~highway. A friend sugguested that I replace the fuel filter which i did. The plugs are about 15k old, the check engine light is not on and the car drives like it normally did when I got decent mileage. Could it be that it has just been sitting for a while and that I need to run a couple tanks of gas thorugh it? Thanks
 
BurlyShirley

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
a year of sitting could potentially screw your plugs. a tuneup after a long sit is ALWAYS required.
 
BurlyShirley

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
also, you could have some vacuum lines dry rot, etc. all that stuff plays a factor
 
Dog Welder

Dog Welder

Turbo Monkey
Sep 7, 2001
1,123
0
Pasadena, CA
Hey Burly...finally figured out where your avatar is from...Starship Troopers....I thought the same exact thing when I saw the movie.
 
Dog Welder

Dog Welder

Turbo Monkey
Sep 7, 2001
1,123
0
Pasadena, CA
What is usually involved in a "full tuneup"...that's two words that get thrown around a lot that I never really understood. Are they supposed to check your valve clearances too?
 
Curb Hucker

Curb Hucker

I am an idiot
Feb 4, 2004
3,661
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Sleeping in my Kenworth
Run a 1/2 a quart of ATF in with a full tank of V-Power on your next fillup. That will clean up a lot of crud inside. A bad O2 sensor wont always trip a check engine light, mine didnt. Check around your tailpipe after you drive it for a few days. If it is very dark and sooty its running rich with te O2s being the likely cause. Replace the ones before the cats first.
 
Curb Hucker

Curb Hucker

I am an idiot
Feb 4, 2004
3,661
0
Sleeping in my Kenworth
Dog Welder said:
V Power? What's that?....and Tranny fluid? uhhh...isthat safe?
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V-Power is Shell's premium gas. Its got the best cleaning properties. And yes ATF in with your gas is fine, ask anyone who knows their sh1t. 1qt per 20gal is what I run every 2 months.
 
Curb Hucker

Curb Hucker

I am an idiot
Feb 4, 2004
3,661
0
Sleeping in my Kenworth
Oh, since its been sitting for a year it probably needs an oil change. Before you change this oil, pour an entire bottle of Seafoam (it comes in a white can from your auto parts store) into your current oil. Drive around with that in there for 300 miles or so. Then do your oil change. Seafoam is the best for cleaning out all of the sludge and crap in there from old oil.
 
-dustin

-dustin

boring
Jun 10, 2002
7,155
1
austin
Seafoam in gas and PCV valve if 91s have them. look it up on TTORA. actually, i'd take this whole thread to TTORA.
 
BurlyShirley

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
Dog Welder said:
So does seafoam go in with your oil or with your gas?
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Either one I've actually heard. You can add it to your gas or dump it in your crank case. Im not sure I buy the whole seafoam thing, though.
 
-dustin

-dustin

boring
Jun 10, 2002
7,155
1
austin
BurlyShirley said:
Either one I've actually heard. You can add it to your gas or dump it in your crank case. Im not sure I buy the whole seafoam thing, though.
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when you suck it through the PVC valve, the vehicle becomes a smoke bomb for a little while. it's fun.
 
BurlyShirley

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
the Inbred said:
what bad stuff were people experiencing? i read the first 5 or 6 pages and just saw mention of plugs.

TTORA has a whopping 78 pages of threads with "seafoam" in them.
http://www.tacomaterritory.com/forum/search.php?searchid=567241
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I remember reading through it before that alot of people it didnt help at all and some others it screwed up the way their car started and idled and a few other little things. Alot just said it did nothing and is a big waste of money. Mostly good stuff though.
 
BurlyShirley

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
SkaredShtles said:
This seafoam stuff sure does sound like snake oil.

Has anyone ever done any scientific studies of it?

$9 says it's petroleum distillates. :p
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Yeah, thats what I figure. Just something that makes smoke.

Someone got this result tho.

Well after trying this out (I had a can before this seafoam saga started), my 89 XJ 4.0 will not keep running. The engine is fine and turns over, but will not hold the idle. I put not even a 1/3 down the tb and let it sit for 5 min. then started it up. Good amount of smoke, then after like 3 minutes the car dies. No it won't even hold idle even with the pedal floored all the way. Always dies. Any thoughts or ideas?????
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ALEXIS_DH

ALEXIS_DH

Tirelessly Awesome
Jan 30, 2003
6,201
829
Lima, Peru, Peru
check compression first. if there is a problem with the rings being stuck or the walls scratched, no matter what you do, you wont fix much.

check valve gaps. maybe the valves are pushed in or something.

replace spark plugs, distribuitor cap, rotor and cables.

replace all the filters.

check the o2 sensor (if there is one). even if there is no check engine light on (that light goes on when there is a problem with the signal reception, but that doesnt mean the signal itself isnt messed).

does the exhaust smells like gasoline? any colored smoke coming out?
 
jdcamb

jdcamb

Tool Time!
Feb 17, 2002
20,050
8,769
Nowhere Man!
johnbryanpeters said:
Adding this crap to your oil or gas is like dosing yourself with home nostrums. The best you can hope for is that you won't get poisoned too bad.

Take the rig to a competent mechanic and have them check it out.
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My mechanic uses it in the machine he uses to clean fuel injectors with. He doesn't recommend folks put it directly in thier fuel system as directed on the can. Most people don't have the patience to take the time to use it properly and add to much at one time I guess. That and if you don't have carbon or resin buildup issues it is a waste. He says using it as a fuel additive to maintain your fuel system is fine but it fixes nothing and is as good as any other. It is a petroleum distilate. nothing more. I use it because I get it for free. My truck runs fine.
 
DirtyMike

DirtyMike

Turbo Fluffer
Aug 8, 2005
14,437
1,017
My own world inside my head
Ok first off... NO ADDITIVES ON THE TOYOTA AFTET SITTING!!!! Especially ATF!!!!! This is what i do for a Living everyday. What is really common on those setups is the Air tube going from teh Air cleaner housing to the Throttle Bodies Rots out. Reason your Milage drops with that is Because your Mass air flow Sensor is on top of the Air cleaner housing. When it reads 0% air flow and the Throttle position Sensor Says it should Have airflow the Computer Substitues a Value for youir airflow which si Really really rich. But it will run. Its a fail safe for when your MAF goes out on the road. Check that first. Now if you find a hole in it you will need to replace it. There about 80 dollars from the Dealer. You can Wrap it with a double layer of overlapped Vinyl tape to get you by in the meantime. The only additive you will want to run is a Water remover. Stick with the 87 Octane Fuel, Its what that Engine was designed to run on. Run teh gas out, But change the oil before you drive it. Your Ignition system Will be FINE, spark plugs do not have a shelf life, they dont go bad just sitting Neither does the cap and rotor. Wires Might dry rot though, that and they are a favorite snack for tree rats so check you Ignition wires carefully.

Let me know what you find



P.S. ATF eats up the Orings inside the injectors

P.P.S I learned all this When i was Earning my Degree in this Feild
Also i am an ASE Master certifeid Tech. So this def be my feild
 
DirtyMike

DirtyMike

Turbo Fluffer
Aug 8, 2005
14,437
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My own world inside my head
SkaredShtles said:
This seafoam stuff sure does sound like snake oil.

Has anyone ever done any scientific studies of it?

$9 says it's petroleum distillates. :p
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Most all your Additives like Seafoam are Snake Oil's. Prolong for Instance Uses a High amount of chlorine and it works By etching the metal. Remeber this for additives If it says Shake well, DONT USE IT, that means it has solids which just go into pluggin your filter Prematurly, Second they should be 80% Petroleum or higher. Too many of the Wrong chemicals will break down teh additive package already in your Oil when its New. 300 miles of seafoam is about 10000 miles of wear. The oil doesnt stick to the metal the way it is supposed to when its in. Cleaners are Only meant to be run for about ten minutes at the most. There job is to break down teh additive package in the Oil so you get more oil out of the Engine. Downfall is it also Nuetralizes the additive which suspends Dirt and solids in teh oil, Leaving the solids inside teh crankcase instead of in the oil being removed.
 
SkaredShtles

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
67,815
14,159
In a van.... down by the river
DirtyMike said:
Most all your Additives like Seafoam are Snake Oil's. Prolong for Instance Uses a High amount of chlorine and it works By etching the metal. Remeber this for additives If it says Shake well, DONT USE IT, that means it has solids which just go into pluggin your filter Prematurly, Second they should be 80% Petroleum or higher. Too many of the Wrong chemicals will break down teh additive package already in your Oil when its New. 300 miles of seafoam is about 10000 miles of wear. The oil doesnt stick to the metal the way it is supposed to when its in. Cleaners are Only meant to be run for about ten minutes at the most. There job is to break down teh additive package in the Oil so you get more oil out of the Engine. Downfall is it also Nuetralizes the additive which suspends Dirt and solids in teh oil, Leaving the solids inside teh crankcase instead of in the oil being removed.
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Has anyone done the science on these things? I mean other than the companies making the additives. :p
 
DirtyMike

DirtyMike

Turbo Fluffer
Aug 8, 2005
14,437
1,017
My own world inside my head
SkaredShtles said:
Has anyone done the science on these things? I mean other than the companies making the additives. :p
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Yea i do, bout 45 school books about stuff like that. Also i get an info letter From the American petroleum Institute one a month warning about new products and telling about how they work and dont work
 
Curb Hucker

Curb Hucker

I am an idiot
Feb 4, 2004
3,661
0
Sleeping in my Kenworth
DirtyMike said:
Most all your Additives like Seafoam are Snake Oil's. Prolong for Instance Uses a High amount of chlorine and it works By etching the metal.
Click to expand...
Call it snake oil, but when I poured it in before my last oil change, that snake oil completely got rid of my lifter noise that had been driving me nuts for a while. Its been running smoother since.

I've got a couple of friends who are all ASE certified techs that will all say with confidense that ATF is a great fuel system cleaner, and that 90% of those injector cleaners are BS. Ive used ATF with good results.

If his MAF was dead it would throw a code, and a light. It might be dirty so disassembal the intake and get a can of aerosol computer cleaner, one with the anti-static chemicals and not just compressed air in a can, and spray down the sensors inside the MAF. This will usually help alot if yours is dirty.

And oh ya, I run 12oz of acetone for every 22 gallons of gas. It gives me a consistant 1.4mpg increase, and when you get 10mpg city that 1.4 makes a big difference. Ive been running it for a while, and have done tests to confirm that it works. Acetone is the best oil to ever be extracted from a snake :rofl:
 
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