Increase Your Aging Toyota’s Fuel Efficiency with These Easy Steps

Still Running After 200,000 Miles…..But Not Quite as Well

If you are a Toyota owner you’ve likely taken pride in the fact that it is among the most reliable vehicles made that can achieve well over 300,000 miles---provided it has been well-maintained and not abused. However, this does not mean that it should still run as good as the day you bought it new.

One concern of Toyota owners---aside from oil burning issues in some models---is that of what kind of gas mileage you can realistically expect. The good news is that if your Toyota has been properly maintained you really should not experience much difference between the day it was purchased new and when it has reached 100,000 miles…and sometimes more, as we discovered in an earlier article with one Toyota model after 13 years and 115,000 miles on the odometer.

Related article: New Toyota Brought in Garage After Only 900 Miles! Why?

But what if your Toyota has not been maintained as regularly (and properly) as it should have been?

Lowered Fuel Efficiency Problem

According to a recent Toyota Maintenance YouTube channel episode, that was the case with one 2004 Toyota Sequoia with 185,000 miles on it. Originally, the vehicle was brought in for a burning oil smell due to leaking valve cover gaskets---an easy fix. But added to the owner’s complaints was that the vehicle was now only getting about 12 miles per gallon in-city driving.

To find out why this Toyota was getting such poor mileage, follow along with the host as he addresses the fuel efficiency problem and shows how simple it can be to increase an aging Toyota’s miles per gallon to something closer to what it really should be.

The Value of This Video

The value of this video is that you will learn:

• Why spark plugs need to be examined
• To check your air filter
• How to go about cleaning a dirty mass air flow sensor
• Throttle body checking
• The importance of clean battery terminals
• …and more

How to increase gas mileage in your car

And finally…

Be sure to check out the comments section following the video as there are some helpful tips on how some Toyota owners manage to squeeze a few more miles per gallon of gas.
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For additional news related to the topic, here are a few related pieces that are very relevant to what the host was pointing to in the video:

• Spark Plug Car Maintenance Mistakes Many Car Owners and Service Centers Make

• 10 Real Ways to Really Save Gas and Money

• Car Battery Maintenance, Testing, and Replacement with This Ultimate Guide

Timothy Boyer is a Torque News automotive reporter based in Cincinnati. Experienced with early car restorations, he regularly restores older vehicles with engine modifications for improved performance. Follow Tim on Twitter at @TimBoyerWrites for daily new and used vehicle news.

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