friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

, a small screwdriver helps too, to get rid of the large deposits beforew spraying it with carb clean

bruistopher

cool! well i will seafoam the intake manifold monday when i replace the old spark plugs with fresh new ones and i will seafoam the crankcase sometime next month when im in need of a oil change.

i can't wait! i know with new plugs i will expect more power and more gas mileage!

how many miles are you suppose to get on a full tank when using the trip meter?

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

depends on how you drive and such, but for me it is about 300 when the light comes on, but i do occasionally like WOT though, plus i got mourning rush hour traffic to deal with too

01tl4tl

for best results on foam- do the intake manifold and TB plate a few days before plugs- so it has a chance to ~blow out~ as much crud as possible with driving,
there is instant cleaning then more action thru the injectors if you added to gas at the same time- 1 can to 1/2 tank

then its ready to rock

Air filter good? cabin filter new? brake fluid, ps fluid new- then its ready to go miles without concern

mastini

iTrader: (6)

first i went just to install spacer and then decided to clean EGR, but had only one can (bought it long time ago for another car) and it was to late already, all shops were closed

bruistopher

I just hit 230 something yesterday. City driving must really kill gas bad with these cars (stop and go). I must learn to stay on the highway and obey the speed limit (55 mph) because doing that, I can get good mileage instead of going 70 or 80 mph!

I was going to seafoam the gas tank and seafoam the intake manifold before the plugs so everything will be new anyway. But thanks for suggesting it to me 01tl4tl. I was one step ahead of you!

the air filter was replaced at 84k and I'm at 99k now. And I checked it when I did the EGR cleaning and the filter was clear. I replaced the cabin filter yesterday. The filter was dirty!! After replacement I get free flow air and clean air now!

Brake fluid was replaced at 94k iirc. And the power steering hasn't really. How do you replace power steering? Is it something I can do from my front door or no?

And I need brakes badly. Sometimes the steering wheel shakes when braking. Sometimes I hear a grinding sound which means my front rotors are glazed. They were new and replaced at 94k. Midas did a horrible job. I have a loose shim in the right caliper and its squealing. I can tell they are glazed because if I brake from high speed I could feel or hear grinding. GLAZED NEW ROTORS!

Glad I'm taking braking class at my college because all four rotors are getting replaced along with ceramic pads for all.

Sent via BlackBerry

01tl4tl

never assume whats wrong with brakes
get it in the air with the wheels off- could have a caliper problem, grinding and shake are never good..
ceramic pads are so-so braking

Brake fluid should be flushed every year

PS fluid DIY done from above engine at the ps pump- stick and clamp return hose into a length of hose into a catch can- simple- see DIY

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

well you got 3500 pounds to accelerate plus the driver (so say 3700) when in town, and our cars are not light weights by anymeans (my old 94 accord was still under 3000 with me in it)
then also you got a v6 to idle when you are just sitting there in traffic, which is going to take more fuel then a 4-banger, and it is fun to actually use that v6 too,

and yeah the highway is where these cars really shine with their MPG (they are basically touring cars afterall with the long wheelbases)
and for me 75-80 (that is what traffic moves at sometimes on the roads i drive; also the interstates here got a 75 MPH speed limit on them, so sometimes 85-90) is actually pretty normal for me (and i still get 20-24 with the occasional WOT), so only 55 with no WOT runs would help the MPG even more

bruistopher

@fries: wow you know I never took the weight or the idle in consideration! I know now during morning startup to idle for a minute or two and pull off. Because usually I let the car idle till it reaches operating temp and pull off.

Also I really am going to sound like a n00b with a question like this...so here goes: why do cars get better gas mileage when on the highway than city?

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mastini

iTrader: (6)

^ simple: because you are not slowing down and then accelerating every 2 minutes

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

also when you start it up in the mourning, just basically go right away (as you want to do now)(of course after you make sure the oil light and such goes off), cause for one thing the engine will warm up faster when you drive it vs just sitting there (load vs no load),
and when a engine is cold it uses even more fuel then at operating temp just to run, cause cold engine runs much better when the fuel mixture is rich (plus all the tolerances inside of the engine come into spec, so the rings and such seal better too, so more efficient then too, from less blowby and such)

x2, (every 2 minutes , more like every 30 seconds or less for me) constant load on the highway, also the engine is at a more efficient rpm on the highway, plus you are actually moving vs just sitting there

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

also if you are woundering why hybrids get better mileage in town alot of the times, is because they actively shut off the engine automatically on a regular basis (they don't use regular starters like our cars), so no fuel needed then


also if you want to try and help your fuel mileage some in town, when you are going to sit for a little bit (at like a light or something that just turned red) you can always toss your tranny into neutral for less load on the engine then sitting in gear (just make sure to shift back into gear before you actually have to go [like when the other light is turning yellow), so it is fully engaged when you push the accelerator) , i am not very good on that though, putting it into neutral at lights, so don't included that in my gas mileage
you can also shut off the engine and such, but not as recommended, cause you lose the a/c and such during the summer, but mainly it can be kinda hard on the starter and such from that many more starts
but if you are sitting at some train tracks with a really long slow moving train (so you know you will there for at least a couple of minutes) then i would definetly recommend shutting off the engine then

01tl4tl

at freeway speed its a constant low 2000s rpm- low fuel draw and good combustion on the lean run cycle, aero in play etc

In town rpm to 2500-3500 shiftshiftshift and then stop again- 3500 and stop, repeat until dead- bad news

You can help in town by watching ahead- the lights red?, if traffic allows,, lift off throttle and brake slightly then release- coast to light and if it goes green you are rolling- most of the fuel used is getting you up to speed

I use cruise control anytime over 35mph-in town it really helps, keeps the rpm stable, and I notice my foot weight on gas pedal increases speed and rpm when on cruise, so watch for that -its using extra gas over what the car requires
Helps avoid tickets too- set it and legally cruise thru town- catching more green lights than before as you get their timing down~

At a train crossing I will use Park and park brake- that reduces the vacuum draw by the brakes holding you stopped, easier on the engine
Shut it off? No thanks- do you know what a TL starter cost!? not to mention the cold or hot temps outside and I like my comfort~, and the temp shock to the engine by stopping its cooling flow of water and oil---notice temp guage goes UP when you turn off the car? not good for aluminum heads to get severe heat cycle
These engines are tight tolerances everywhere, the few pints of gas you may save over a year of doing that wont pay for the other repairs

Best mileage- new plugs if more than 60kmiles on yours now, seafoam gas -manifold and oil
ck tire pressure is correct- not the door sticker but the actual percentage of weight on the tire vs its max cold at max weight
subtract pressure % from max psi- its often several psi higher than you think for best performance ...32 psi is a joke

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

, but yeah even park helps, and not mandetory to shut off the engine if other circumstances occur


and about the 32 psi is a joke, 36 seems to work best on mine for the best tread wear (even wear across the tread) (and above 36 wears out the center section of the tread faster then the outer edges), while also keeping it somewhat comfortable (since the tires are part of your suspension), and good fuel mileage
also being responsive to steering wheel input (turn-in???) (32 seems mushy to me)

mastini

iTrader: (6)

Totally finished mine + P2R spacer installed.
Run only in one trouble - coolant hoses are to short...
Plugged them as is, but will have to buy new one.

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

i don't think that they be too short , never installed my spacer though; came installed on the car already, but they look to be the origional hose though


so what did you plug them with, cause depending on what you used, the car should should not be driven with whatever you used to plug them,

ie: plug pops out or breaks (remember it can be almost 200F degrees at times at those hose), then you lose alot of coolant, then the possibility of overheating your engine then

bruistopher

thats crazy! i knew something was fishy about the 32 psi. it seems a joke!

i thought if you went a few psi above factory that it will improve tread life and gas mileage.

my gosh! well now i know, when i go to my college auto shop i will feel the tires a few extra psi.

and fries while i did my spark plug replacement i checked under the car and tried to look for the o2 sensor and found this:


i pointed to it with a red arrow. is that the before cat o2 sensor or another o2 sensor?

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

correct the main o2 or the o2 before the cat (the one that the ecu relies on heavyily), as long as the yellow arrow is pointing to the front of the car (kinda hard to get my orientation at first, but the rear tire helped)
, then the thing right behind it with the weaved metal, is the flex pipe, it gives the exhaust system some flexability (due to engine movement with the motor mounts)

then the blue arrow would be pointing to the cat itself (with that aluminuim heat shield around it and such), and the rear o2 will be sticking out of that on our cars (normally it is mounted a little further back, and not mounted on the cat itself, but this way works too)

bruistopher

cool dude...it makes perfect sense now. now if i wanted to i could of took that off with a wrench and checked the sensor to see if it was covered with crud or not, right?

and my gas mileage is awesome now. i drove in the city for a good distance or so and it moved a one notch. usually it would guzzle 3 notches if i drove a good distance of stopping and going.

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

not really, the damage is done internally (of the sensor), but you can see how the entire engine has been running (kinda like how you can read sparkplugs), but that is about all you can do (even then that is kinda iffy)


and at least your mileage has increased , thats always good, so what are you getting now as far as MPG goes

bruistopher

nice that's why you replace them if they are awful.

well it hasn't hit half a tank yet and its at 105 miles on the trip meter. so i think that's good. i mean i did do a lot of stop and go and the gas guage needle was 4 needle slots away from the full tank mark when i changed my plugs so its 5 need slots away from the full tank mark now.

its funny usually i would do like a highway drive or drive to a few places around my area i would always look at my gas guage and i would see it move down a needle slot and i would go crazy.

after today its like it isn't moving at all and if it is, its moving really slow. plus i haven't did wide ope...actually i did do it one time though. a buick cut in front of me for no reason and i just floored it to overtake him lol

sorry but the response when i hit the gas pedal was awesome. it made my body suck to the seat lol i was like "WTF?" POWER ITS BACK! VTEC KICKED IN BABY!! lol

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

yeah most sensors on a car are replaced because of them going bad internally, not physical damage itself (unless of course you/someone damaged it) or it had an impact to it

in like the past 5 years i have been doing this professionally, i think i have replaced one (maybe two) sensors for visable damage, was a knock sensor on a subaru, that had a crack in it (they get litially cooked btw; tight confines on the engine)


yeah kinda hard to tell if the mileage is good especially considering that you did not even start with a full tank, but you really need to find out the mileage (with mileage/gallons=MPG) to tell what it is (start on the next tank, since this one won't be accurate)

bruistopher

and how many miles per gallon are you suppose to get on normal driving conditions (full throttle, stopping and going) like what's the average? 20 miles per gallon or what?

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

depends heavily on driving habits, but i get around 20-23 or so, been cold, so on the low side lately

try: https://acurazine.com/forums/index.p...vehicleid=1460

to see my mileage tracking

bruistopher

funny thing is when i went to sniff a little bit of the exhaust to see if its running rich i didn't smell gas at all.

bruistopher

and running rich would cause my exhaust to have black smoke...

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

try smelling when you first start it cold, will proably smell then, once warmed the cat will be cleaning most if not all the exhaust up

also a rich smelling engine has a little different smell, then say actual gas by itself, but once you learn it, easy to tell (and you know you should not be sniffing that gas anyways)
you never mentioned that before, but black smoke means it is running really f***ing rich, even a dead cold engine should not be that rich, let alone a warmed up engine (even if the cat is completely shot, or you got a test pipe in there)

mastini

iTrader: (6)

Was able to plug them but they are really under stretch // two of them.
Since i'm not driving my car - will buy longer one later

Do you know if there any "modding" hoses i can buy? like with metal cover or coloured?

bruistopher

because it never happened. i'm throwing out symptoms on what running rich is. black smoke is a indictor if. also if your spark plugs looks dark and burnt thats another symptom because the the engine is recieving to much fuel.

the old spark plugs were fine. as a matter of fact they came out light gray and a little light brown.

i can't see my engine running rich.

my driving habits must really damper my gas mileage too. i'm not the only one driving my TL, my mom uses it also when i'm working or in school or days i'm off and like i said she is an aggressive driver and she does more city driving then highway.

so, to say the least the o2 sensor is the least little gadget on my mind.

01tl4tl

sounds like he had an egr problem

bruistopher

no no no NO NO!! i do not have black smoke coming out my exhaust. how can i stress this enough.

I was saying that black smoke is a symptom of running rich! my exhaust is fine!

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

mine are no where close to being under stretch , but as said never put my spacer on myself

also GATES are a good brand too for the hoses, little more then the generiac stuff, but worth it to me, knowing that they won't let me down any time soon

they are ploably some "MODDING" hoses you can buy, but then it is kinda especially if you don't do the rest of the engine bay also
but if you must have them "colored", look at colored wiring loom, they do make it in red chrome and such if you like the chrome look, or just normal colors also

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

yes black smoke is a indication of running rich, not just a little but REALLY RICH at that

and yes black covered plugs (fouled plugs) are another indication (misfires can cause the same thing also, so only an indication, just one more piece to the puzzle) of a rich running engine

and your plugs, sound like how they exactly should be for a good running engine
and always very hard to get an actual MPG, with multiple drivers, especially without a "SET" driving routine, and as said your mom is more city, and has a completely different driving style then you

and for not taking after your mom in how you drive, gets very expensive when you start getting tickits (especially being younger), and your insurance goes way up, (sadly i found out the harder way when i was younger , but i was more speed then being aggresive though, still same result though with costing you big $$$$$$)

and the piggys say they don't profile people, you know they do, they just won't admit it :shakehead

03c0upe

is air intake kleen the same as throttle body cleaner?

03c0upe

i mean is throttle body cleaner same as carb cleaner? carb cleaner says it oxygen sensor safe

01tl4tl

throttle body cleaner is essentially the same BUT it wont hurt plastic parts, and some TBs have a heating wire and other parts that are sensitive- so use it

On the TL use either without worry to clean the TB plate
Seafoam works really well there and lubes the hinge pivots for the air plate!

03c0upe

ok thanks gonna get started on this today, one last question , i dont have a torque wrench so how much is 16-18 lbs-foot?

01tl4tl

before you remove the bolts- put your socket/ratchet set on it and pull slighty right as if to tighten
Thats the amount of muscle required to get it back to that setting
Spend 15 bucks at harbor freight tools for a torque wrench- the setting is critical!!!
loose leaks -tight breaks

Parts stores loan tools with a deposit refunded on return
Dont trust the indicator number- put it on the bolt as if to tighten- set to spec, if it clicks as soon as you apply slight pressure- thats it
Adjust up or down till it clicks easily and note reading- now you have your calibration from indicated to actual

03c0upe

are you sayin i should get my torque wrench and apply it to the already tighten bolt to see the correct pound/foot?

01tl4tl

yes- you always want to verify the tool is reading what you think it should-
before you loosen the bolt... just in case its not in perfect harmony with itself,,happens a lot more than you would think
You dont want to go to 20 thinking its 15
Always test torque wrench against a known value before use