86 yota

I have an 86 pickup with the 22r motor and 31 inch tires with 4:56 gears. I was wondering what might be the problem with my mpg. It seems to have dropped from 20 to 16 here lately. I switched to synthetic in the motor recently and it hasn't really helped. I just had a new tranny and timing chain installed about 8,000 miles ago. I was wondering what might be causing this loss in fuel mileage.
The truck runs and idles good and lacks power just like every other 22r motor but, it usually burns a quart of oil between changes. Also what do you guys do for power improvements for the most bang for the buck. Ps. My truck has a 5 spd and 190,000 miles.

Tim_Snapple76

change spark plugs, wires, air filter, distributor cap & rotor... atleast i think.. maybe a new O2 sensor, if it has one.....?? tim.

Jay351

if the o2 sensor has more then around 100K on it then change it out.

do a tune up (obviously)

run a can of seafoam through your intake and some in your gas.

Tim_Snapple76

ditto the seafoam. that might cure a few problems.

86 yota

i actually just bought an o2 sensor and apparently my truck doesn't have one. Neither that nor a fuel filter. Me and my dad looked for these two things for hours and didn't find them on my truck. I just changed the spark plugs and wires about 5K ago so they should be good to go. I recently heard that the carbs on my truck usually went around 200,000 so that could be the problem. I have a k&N air filter that gets cleaned regularly. The seafoam stuff sounds great but, i am a little scared of doing it.

TheVandMan

no o2 sensor or fuel filter???

Jay351

I dont think 22r's had o2 sensors.
But since it was an 86 I figured it would be fuel injected.


no fuel filter is a new thing for me though...

Tim_Snapple76

i thought all of them had fuel filters. im not as familiar with the 22r as i am the 3vz. wish i could help you more. actually the seafoam treatment is great and really produces some good results. it burns up all that gunk in your carb, and smooths rough idle. it'll actually run alot better when you get done with it. try putting it through your brake booster vacuum line. anyways there is a link somewhere for that. i would seafoam the carb, and then if you're still having trouble i might look into finding the fuel pump or filter wherever they may be. tim.

86toysr5

did u check next to the tank....it should b on top of the frame so u gotta look under the the bed but lucky for me mine was rusted off from the seam down it was gone so it was right there but i had a 86 with the 22r also

stormin94

Check your air filter if MPG has fallen off. Also, check timing.

the_gunslinger

25" tires and some 3.55's will get you somewhere. don't forget to pull out the 4wd, lower it, and keep your tank full. (perhaps less air in the tank will allow for less evaporation)

sdstud212001

If you carry alot of gear (I do) maybe unload some of it for around town use.

CyMoN

use carb cleaner if you want to clean the carb try sea foam after you clean the carb and wait a week after cleaning the carb before you use the sea foam.

highway

look here for the fuel filter " Under vehicle, passenger side, below seating area, near fuel tank, mounted on frame rail in fuel line".

highway

SEAIRESCUE

The fuel filter should be on the passenger side of the ENGINE just above the starter. Pack a lunch when changing it and DISCONNECT the BATTERY!

Your low compression (buring a quart of oil...) is your mileage problem. And, you may be getting fuel with 10% ethanol without it being obvious. That will knock down your mileage and the most likely culprit.

A fresh engine, read overhauled, will likely give you up to 5 mpg.

My $0.02

idayota

good info already on this post...

check how much weight you're carrying around town (tools, recovery equipment, passengers, stereo stuff)

seafoam is a great product, but it is no replacement for a carb rebuild (not that difficult)

both my 84 and 83 22r's had two o2 sensors. on both rigs, i cut both o2 sensors out of the system and it didnt change a thing...on the 83 i kept the stock carb, on the 84 i went to a weber carb (32/36) which improved my mileage (when i could keep my foot out of it) and my power (when i put my foot into it)

poor compression will lower your mileage...fact of life

you check your gear oil (tranny, transfer case, diffs)? i've always run lucas oil stabilizer in all my gear boxes and have always felt that it improves my mileage (although i have no baseline prior to putting in lucas since it is one of the first things i do)

what does your exhaust look like? blowing any black smoke? put a white towel or sheet at your tailpipe and rev the motor a bit. see how much carbon is coming through unburned. i had a vacuum line on my 83 that was pulling straight fuel from the charcoal canister (not sure, dont ask...the guy before me wasn't mechanically savvy) and making everything weird. pull off some vacuum lines (one by one) and smell for gas.

what shape are your tires in? how long ago did you rotate them? are they mud terrain (lower mileage). air pressure ok? i would fluxutate up to a couple miles per gallon just by 5-10 lbs of pressure (but at 35 lbs, your ride also suffers compared to 27-30 lbs).

check your wheel bearings? got one dry/loose? check your brakes to make sure you dont got one dragging?

hope this gets some more ideas rolling...in both my 83 pickup and 84 4runner i averaged 20+ mpg with 35's and 5.29 gears. around town with the 84 i would consistently get 20 and at 55 miles per hour, i would average 22. a lot of people think it is impossible, but it isn't. also, a lot depends on your driving style. if you are trying to keep up with everyone off the line of every stoplight, your mileage is going to suffer. if you keep the pedal mashed going up long hills and dont down shift and back off a few miles per hour, you're killing your mileage. just my $0.04.


ps. make sure you're not burning the cheapest fuel in town...especially 10% ethanol.

aviator

The fuel filter on your truck is a small white translucent plastic "can" it looks sort of like a large white "bobber" like you use when fishing. It has two rubber fuel lines coming in/out of it. It is located on the passenger side frame rail just about underneath the fuel filler. I replaced mine about twice a year when I had my 87 22r since I spent a lot of time on const. sites and dirt roads back then.
As for mpg improvements... like all said get a tune up, K&N air filter will help lots, you said you switched to synthetic oil... what grade? I always ran Shell Rotella T 10W30 which is a premium quality non-synthetic but it can be difficult to find. You might put a can of "Engine Restorer" in the crank case next oil change this product will help swell some of the old seals and repairs some of the scoring in the cylinder walls which will help bring back the compression you are loosing there. It worked wonders in my 94 3.0.
Keep an eye on your tire pressure you can loose a lot here as well.
Hope this helped aviator

stevenazevedo00

"25" tires and some 3.55's will get you somewhere. don't forget to pull out the 4wd, lower it, and keep your tank full. (perhaps less air in the tank will allow for less evaporation)"

LOLOLOL the gunslinger that made my day dude..

thats normal your not going to get amazing gas mileage you have a lifted truck with lifted results the people replying are giving you obvious and pointless advice you have a carbuerated motor your gas mileage will vary with driving conditions..! also dont use seafoam like an all cure for your rig jesus people you can fix a car without seafoam i say if its running fine leave it alone F your gas mileage dont fix something that doesnt need fixin especially the carb appearantly none of you have really messed with these things they can be a doozy, a money pit, and a headache..

stevenazevedo00

if your timings off you will lose gas mileage the timing has to be set following the procedure on these trucks which means smog has to be disconnected before timing can be dialed in properly you have big tires no matter what gears theres still a bigger rotation in your tires youll lose gas mileage the new gears just means you wont lose as much we all live with the consequences you may have a carb problem if you dont know what your doing take it to a dealer or a certified toyota tech who has worked on these carbs because they are a pain in the neck if you have to keep the smog lines intact

myyota

Some 22R`s do have 02 sensors. I had an 84 4Runner with a 22R and it had an 02 sensor.