Does anyone know a good way to get better gas millage on a 1990 toyota 4runner like mod's or something

 

What kind of MPG are you getting now?

 

a little less than 16 mpg

 

i am getting round 18 with my pickup v6 5 speed...read my sig for mods...

 

I think you are the one that should be sharing the secrets!!

 

You're doing good... I get about that, most people I know get worse.

I've found that keeping the speed and RPMs low does the best for me. Keep 'em down around 2500 RPM or lower and you'll see a bit of improvement.

 

If you have the 3.0, that is actually a pretty good number. The best way to improve gas mileage is to keep your engine very well maintained. As for MPG specific mods... I don't think so.

 

hi ya,

this topic seems to resurface every few weeks. please search "increase mileage", "mpg", etc, etc.

the short answer is "No". anything you do will only increase your mpg by, say, 1 mpg at the most. you are actually doing alright and i think you should let some of the other guys know your secret!

bob

 

There's no real secret I have just kept up with everything on the car sense i got it the only current problem with it is that im having problems starting it after i have drivin it a while and leave for about 5 minutes and it wont start back up

 

One mod that I hear does directly boost your MPG is the electric fan mod. People have claimed to increase 1-2mpg after switching. I wouldn't know.....yet.

 

Any money you spend on a mod that is known to increase fuel mileage, generally does not justify the gains you will receive. You might as well utilize the money you would pay for the mod to pay for the added cost of fuel.

For instance an exhaust and/or headers will make the engines job easier. It breathes better, doesnt have to work as hard, and generally guys who do mods along these lines will see maybe 1 or 2 more Miles per gallon. But was the Couple hundred dollars (or more sometimes, especially if you get headers) you shelled out worth 1 or 2 MPG extra? Not really. Maybe in the long run, say if you did the mod when you first bought the truck and kept it a really long time. But still likely not for most.

The only way you can justify mods, is for more power, because you plain old want more power out of your engine (whether it be for towing, or because you just like the feeling off the line). The best thing you can do for the 3.0 is to let it breath a little better. For instance a cat-back exhaust would be a good place to start. It will give you a slight performance increase, a slight gas mileage increase, and will help move heat which should also help prevent things like head warpage down the line. It's also a mod on the more inexpensive side as well.

 

I get an average of 18mpg...and thats not driving like a grandma. '94 3.0 w/ 150k miles.

 

Oh man...the electric fan mod! that mod has been the topic of some of the most severe fighting I've seen on TTORA...worse even than the bolt-on vs. weld-on slider fight. lol.
If you follow the directions in your Toyota manual, you can maximize your fuel efficiency. Just like Injohneer suggested. My Tacoma glovebox manual tells me to shift out of 1st at 15 mph, out of 2nd at 25, out of 3rd at 35, out of 4th at 45 (or something very similar to that pattern, I don't recall exactly) It says to get to high gear as quickly as possible and stay there....not ideal for off-roading obviously, but off-road you can kiss that 16mpg goodbye anyway. Toyota says following the manual like this will prolong your engine life and maximize efficiency. It makes a noticable difference, but I don't think they considered driving at 5k-8k feet altitude while using this method. It's a dog. I'd rather use the extra gas and get around at a decent speed.

 

mods & ways to get more MPG.... where do I start...
lets see... first don't drag around crap you don"t need (a hard one for me) clean out yer truck. second consider doing a K&N cone filter mod (a lot of folks here will tell you to do the "deck plate mod" with a K&N drop in filter) this will probably work too but I did the cone thing before I'd heard of the other so I can't comment. third free flow cat and oversize exhaust throw in a header if you've got the cash. 4th try the electric fan mod listed here (i've got the part but hav'ent got around to installing it yet). These and many others may help you improve your already respectable numbers.
Oh yeah! your post dose'nt say but do you have the factory roof rack? if so unscrew and remove the cross bars when you're not using them this will decrease your drag a little bit too. Hope this helped buddy Aviator

 

Besides making sure everything, and I mean EVERYthing, is in proper spec and tuned, the next best thing to do is keep your tires at optimum pressure and don't carry any extra weight around in the vehicle that you don't need to.

Mike in AR

 

try sefoam...then the IRS mod...

 

I get about 18 in the winter and 20-22 in the summer. Thats with a 22RE, buts its on 33's and 35's. I used to only get 14-15 with my 22RE runner with the same tires. The runner had a header and exhaust, which really upped performance and mileage, but the TRD stage II cam dropped me from upper teens to low-mid teens.

I noticed a big drop in MPG around town after putting my header and flowmaster on, I realized I was driving much harder since I liked the sound, once I got back to normal driving I saw the improvment.

I dont drive like a g-ma, I just realize that I dont have a fast rig and dont try to accelerate really fast, and when I can I start coasting to stop sooner...

It also where you live and drive. I live at 3K feet, but dont hit too many hills on the way to work, and can cruise at about 60 most of the way. When I had my rig in seattle with all the hills I only got 16 at best.

Some hints are next time you swap your fluids go synthetic, AMSOIL claims a 4.xx% increase in mileage with just their gear fluid. And it pays for itself with extended drain intervals. If you have ADD put hubs on your rig, its only about 150$ and saves CV's and mileage. The average CV replacment is $200+, and most shops wont replace a boot only, they want to do the whole shaft.

Other simple things are managing your tire pressure, keeping a clean airfilter..K&N's are good, but let some dust thru, so use a K&N on the street and something like a oil soaked AMSOIL for the trail.

On they hwy above about 65-70 mileage really drops off, so If you stay at 60-65 on short drives your only talking minutes of difference, for several mpg. If you can afford the time slow on long hills, I only get about 5-10mph from half to full throttle...

Just some things to think about. You dont have to baby your rig, but notice at what point you get negative returns for pressing the pedal down.

If you want to order some AMSOIL let me know, I am a dealer.

I am sure most of this info is in the other mpg posts of the past, but here it is again.

 

HOW THE HELL ARE YOU DOING THAT. i get close to 11 if im lucky. and i got a 90 5 speed. be happy....

 

I just bought a 2000 4Runner SR5 auto, with 55,000 miles on it. I love the vehicle....I traded in a 2001 Blazer due to too many mechanicle problems. Though, I knew I was buying a bigger car, but i am getting bad gas mileage. My friend has a 1998, and is getting 20mpg, I think i am getting about 12-15? I drive with the O/D on, and the ECT power on normal....

 

Does this mod improve MPG? I was in Home Depot on Saturday and literally stumbled onto the 3" flexible ducting.