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Thanks for taking the time to reply. The transmission was serviced at 60,000 miles but it's probably time to do it again. Perhaps that will help. I found a TSB number that may be related but I don't know what website to go to in order to read the TSB. I'm going to ask our local mechanic shop to check on it.
At any rate, I'd be very wary of anyone offering a "transmission flushing" service, since this is a good way to damage a transmission. (As I recall, there are fluid valves and diaphragms within automatic transmissions that can be easily damaged by forcing fluid through the tranny.) Instead, have the transmission fluid drained by gravity alone, then replaced with fresh fluid that is merely poured in rather than forced in under pressure. Transmission additives should probably also be viewed with great skepticism, and probably best avoided as well.
Modern automatic transmissions are electronically (i.e., microprocessor) controlled. Voltage surges (such as might occur by improperly changing the truck's battery, or improperly grounding the vehicle prior to working on the electrical system in some fashion); or prolonged periods with the battery disconnected, may cause on-board microprocessors to malfunction. Thus, if your transmission problem persists after properly changing the fluid, it would likely be worthwhile to have the tranny's computer chip "re-flashed". If this doesn't solve the problem, you may be looking at more costly repairs.
Best holiday wishes to everyone. KH.
Thanks for the advice. I know our local mechanic shop has the tranny flush system, but I'm sure they would drain it the old fashioned way if asked. I'll give that a try. It's going in their shop on Friday for an engine miss anyway. I think it may have a bad plug wire.
Dogbreath
Thanks.
Steve, Host
I have a 2005 SR5 V6. I went to my Toyota dealer to get an oil filter and drain plug washer to change my oil over the weekend. I went home and started the process. After I got the old oil filter off (still the original filter from the factory; this is the 1st oil change), I compared the new one with the old. I noticed that their size was the same, but that there were many differences:
1) The old filter was made in Japan, but the new filter made in Thailand;
2) The contact gasket and filter bottom is different;
3) The original filter part number is 90915-20004, while the new filter number is 90915-YZZD3;
4) The inside of the filters seem to be a little different, as well
The filter cost was $6.50 and the washer was $1.00. I called the Toyota parts dept. to be sure they gave me the right filter because of the obvious differences and they said that it is the correct filter and that they don't have any oil filters for my vehicle made in Japan. As long as the filter is upto the original equipment standards I guess that's OK, but I still would prefer the filter made in Japan (if nothing else, from a quality of manufacturing and craftsmanship standpoint; more control can be obtained by in country plants).
As an after thought, I went to an automotive parts store to see if they had a FRAM or PUROLATOR oil filter for my year and model. They didn't have any for 2005, but did have filters for 2003 and possibly 2004. I don't know for sure, but these filters would probably fit on the 2005 (same engine?). I think that I would prefer an American name brand over a Thai made copy of a Toyota original part. Also, these American name brand filter are about half the Toyota filter price. Any thoughts? Thanks.
(By the way, how do I post a few pictures?)
Steve, Host
I stay with the Toyota filters because of reasonable confidence that they're good quality and no warranty finger-pointing if there ever is an oil-related problem. The difference between cheaper filters and Toyota-brand ones is only a few dollars a year anyway.
You're wise to question the dealer if you're uncertain about the filter, though. The first time I bought filters at a local dealer, they gave me the wrong ones. They were physically compatible, but were apparently for the old V6. I later exchanged them.
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I have the 2004 SE V6 use high octane and get 22 mpg highway and 18 city."
Yeah...right, and Hondas Civic actually produce some gas which is then sold by their owners back to OPEC contries....
I just bought a 04 4Runner SR5 V6. Very impressive overall but they still have not designed a defroster that hits the wiper blades.
We had some light snow with freezing rain the other day and the passenger blade keeps freezing up. Even if I park the blades just off the stop. The winter blade do better but look like @#$!.
Has any one out there done any mods to fix this problem? I think it was a Dodge caravan that I saw with a electric wire (like on a rear deicer) just under the blades on the windshield.
It didn't help once you got moving and the windshield wipers started accumulating ice.
It was of limited real value. I usually stick my arm out and snap the driver's wiper when it gets near the edge, to free some of the ice.
Those big lumps of snowy slush that form behind the wheels and then fall off and make a big thump are called fenderbergs.
I haven't liked Winter much since I was a kid.
I don't know about highway. That may be true,but how do you exactly measure the city? I would suggest you to fill up and drive in the city the whole day and see what your computer says. The truck is heavy and tall. Anything higher than 16(optimistic) I would say is unrealistic. 13-15 is closer to the truth.
Thanx
First of all: you came up with a new definition of "city driving", next time be more specific.
Secondly: I know this message board is read by mostly people who love and own 4runners and I know it's easier to think that your truck doesn't eat as much fuel when it really does.
Here's what Motortrend came up with for V8 engine:
EPA, city/hwy 15/19 (city/highway)
Observed average, mpg 15.5
Observed worst, mpg 9.7
Observed best, mpg 17.4
Note the tendency: manufacturer anounced 15/19
Observed average, mpg 15.5 (your definition of "city driving" I believe falls into this category)
"Observed worst and observed best" I leave without comments. They speak for themselves.
I don't speed up from the lights either but I know for sure that either your trip computer is not accurate or you'd have to be pushing hard with one foot at traffic lights to achieve the kind of numbers you claim.
The numbers for V6 (4x4) should be better by 1MPG
With that said, I own a 2004 Toyota 4runner SR5. I live in (very hilly) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I leave my V6 SR5 in 4 wheel drive all the time for extra traction, and in the 4runner there is a computer that monitors my gas mileage. Here is what I get:
I average 19.3
75% of that is city driving
25% of that is highway
I also use high octane gas from Costco
I have 13,000 miles on the vehicle and absolutely no problems with the engine.
I consider my average mileage to be great considering it is an SUV, and a great one at that!
Just wanted to see if anyone knows much about this and the overall performance of the 05 V8 engine?
Thanks,
Mike
1) brand of gas
2) altitude
3) ambient temperature
4) use of A/C
5) tire pressure
6) driving style
7) city or highway driving in % to each other
7) average driving distance per trip
8) how loaded your vehicle is with your stuff and/or passengers, and even how much you weigh yourself - a 100 pound difference between two people is not unheard of these days, and the heavier guy would pay the price at the pump
8) the time of the day you fill up (when it's hotter, you get less gas for the same amount of money, as it expands)
Plus, I've never heard of a computer which monitors gas mileage giving lower MPG numbers than the actual consumption. I have, however, read on very many occasions that the computer usually gives a rosier picture by about 2 MPG.
In light of the above, no need to argue, let's be friends
Caves are 55 degrees year round. I'm betting that gasoline is about 55 degrees year round, too. It will expand after you buy it in the Summer. It may contract if the temperature is colder than 55 degrees F. in the Winter.
It sure gets colder than that in the Winter where I live. How else would I know about fenderbergs.?:
I have noticed when I first fill up, and reset my dashboard gas mileage computer, it usually reads well over 20 MPG in city driving for a few miles. That may be one of the reasons it ends up with a high reading over all. It starts out very high, then ends up about 2 MPG high, when it's time for another fill up. Just a thought.
I just had to check that out and was surprised to learn that gasoline has one of the largest thermal expansion coefficients of any material. The volume of gasoline will increase by about 0.1% for every degree Celsius increase in the temperature.
Roughly speaking, if the 20 gallons in your gas tank warms up 20 degrees Fahrenheit then its volume will increase by about 0.2 gallons.
tidester, host
Frequent cold starts (short trips) vs longer trips--The engine is set to run rich when cold, and if you did a lot of 2-5 mile trips in cold weather from cold starts, that could cost you significant mileage.
Uphill/downhill vs. flatland driving--This makes a big difference in a heavy vehicle (especially where hills are steep and you can't just coast down) where you burn gas going up and burn brakes going down.
And of course, one person's "city" driving isn't the same as another's. The EPA has a standard city loop, but the rest of us don't.
As for my MPG, (V6 mostly in 2WD mode) I've had city driving with frequent passengers that dropped me down into the mid 15s. I've had highway driving in mostly flat terrain at speeds of 65 and below that that was up above 24 MPG. These are actual measured (not trip computer) values.
As for the trip computer, it's a simple matter for it to keep track of the varying pulse width used for the injectors and estimate instant and total fuel flow pretty reliably. It seems like Toyota is doing what most others do, and calibrating the computer a known amount optimistic. I'll bet if you subtracted 2.2 MPG from everybody's trip computer readings, we'd all be marveling at how accurate the 4Runner trip computer is!
The gas tanks at the gas stations may be buried and at constant temperature, but I've read on quite a few occasions that it is better to fill up either early in the morning or late in the evening, especially in the Summer, as you'd be getting more gas for the same amount of money.
For the same reason (contraction and expansion) it is highly NOT recommended to "top up" when you fill up, especially in the Summer. If there's absolutely no space left in your gas tank and gas expands when the temperature rises, the gas tank might eventually start leaking
The emissions (fumes) from gasoline have to be contained and are done so by a small charcoal canister usually in the engine compartment. So every time you top off the tank to the next dollar value all you are doing is sending gas directly into the canister. Then instead of vapor you have gasoline spilling on the ground. Any additional pressure (from gas expansion) will be vented overboard thru the charcoal canister.
In short it's not good to overfill your tank.
I guess after all I am not the only one on this board who tries to be realistic about the fuel consumption and "computers".
When a liquid is enclosed in a sealed container, its liquid phase exists in an equilibrium with its gaseous phase, and if a pressure gauge is attached to the top of such a closed container, one can measure the "vapor pressure" of the liquid in the container. Vapor pressure is directly proportional to temperature. Highly volatile and nonpolar liquids such as ethers and volatile fuels have high vapor pressures that are very sensitive to changes in temperature. By comparison, non-volatile, highly polar liquids such as water have rather low vapor pressures.
Quite unlike gases (which are highly compressible), liquids are typically very "incompressible" or "non-compressible", and this physical property of liquids is exploited in the field of fluid hydraulics, although certain liquids are more appropriate candidates for hydraulic applications than other liquids.
*A digression*: It's interesting to note that for substances easily capable of existing in either a solid, a liquid, or a gaseous phase-- the solid (i.e., frozen) phase of most of these substances is more dense and occupies less volume than their liquid phase. In other words, when most substances are cooled enough to cause freezing, they freeze from the bottom upward, their solid phase sinks rather than floats within the liquid phase, and the solid phase occupies less space or volume than its liquid counterpart.
Interestingly, water happens to be a highly notable exception to this rule: Because of the rather unique physical properties of water, frozen water (ice) is less dense yet has a greater volume than liquid water. Thus, when a body of water begins to freeze, the ice forms on top, since water ice floats. In addition, water is rather unique in that its volume expands rather than contracts when frozen. This in turn allows water to form a top layer of thermally insulating ice that helps keep natural bodies of water at a more constant temperature below the ice line.
And so, on a planet like Earth, whose surface is ~75% covered with water, these unique properties of water are largely responsible for the existence of life as we know it. On the other hand, these same properties of water may cause cause annoying problems such as bursting household pipes, or cracked engine blocks, if these properties of water are not respected and simple preventive measures not implemented.
You don't have to guess. You can look up the thermal expansion coefficients.
tidester, host
My 2003 4Runner V8 4WD Ltd gets 17-18 mpg (computer says around 19) for my normal commute which is mixed suburban and highway miles. It has gotten as much as 19 mpg on the highway. I normally drive 70 mph+ on the highway. I suspect I could get another mpg or two by slowing down. YMMV.
thanx