Poor Gas Mileage On 1997

Othius,

Here are some numbers to work towards.

My 1995 Corolla with 1.8, 4 speed auto, 194K miles, Mobil 1 5W-30 at 75MPH.....

Warm weather with AC on all highway- 39 to 40 MPG

Warm weather with AC on mixed highway/city - 35 to 36 MPG

Normal winter weather - 31 to 33 MPG

Severe cold weather - 30 to 31 MPG

Generally 400 miles per tank. Not babied but well maintained. I don't change things for the sake of change. I watch performance and MPG and go from there.

With the car being new to you, I would do all maintenance such as plugs, PCV, filters, throttle body cleaning. If it runs well aside from poor MPG, I would wait on the wire, cap and rotor. If the oil has been well maintained, you might try synthetic oil. I figure I get 2 to 3 MPG increase from the oil.

Jay in MA

Hi, I'm new here but I've been lurking for a few months.

So I've got a 97 Corolla base model with 180,000 miles on it. Purchased it a few months ago and it runs fine except the mileage sucks. 20-21 at best. Mostly city driving (6 miles round trip) but some longer trips, even then crappy mileage. I'm getting about 225 miles per tank..... Any thoughts? I've run some injector cleaner through but not seen any improvements.

Thanks-

Othius

Hi, I'm new here but I've been lurking for a few months.

So I've got a 97 Corolla base model with 180,000 miles on it. Purchased it a few months ago and it runs fine except the mileage sucks. 20-21 at best. Mostly city driving (6 miles round trip) but some longer trips, even then crappy mileage. I'm getting about 225 miles per tank..... Any thoughts? I've run some injector cleaner through but not seen any improvements.

Thanks-

Othius

I recommend doing a tune-up. Mostly spark plugs, wires, etc.

 

Also change filters, air, oil, fuel.

Check tire pressure as well.

You should check your tire pressures, underinflated tires can cause more drag and poor gas miles, 30psi front and back for your car, also check and see if your brakes are engaging properly. Pads that stick can cause a signifficant decrease in gas miles. In city conditions with frequent stops, drive with the O/D button off (turn off your 4th gear) it'll save you some gas too.

I go to school at West Virginia University. Morgantown WV, has terrible traffic and crazy hills. When driving through the city, in the traffic and up the hills, I get around 17-18 mpg. I have to fill up at the 225 mark. When I return home for summer or Christmas break I average around 31 mpg and do not have till fill up until around 350 miles on the tank. So it is probably just the driving conditions you're under wherever you may live.

Just to add my 2 cents worth here;

I have a '97 Prizm with the 1.8 liter engine and overdrive transmission. I have kept pretty good records with regards to fuel usage and I can say with a degree of accuracy what kind of mileage I average.

Over ten years, I have gotten an all-time low of 13 miles per gallon city driving in the dead of winter, (long warm ups, rush hour traffic congestion, drive-thru waiting lines, etc.) to an all time high of 41 miles per gallon, (with 3 people in the car, A/C on, highway driving @ approx 65- 70 mph).

Overall, city mileage for me is about 24- 26 MPG in the city, including frequent stop and starts and around 35- 38 MPG on the highway. The fuel economy sticker on the car when it was new estimated it at 27 city and 34 highway, so I figure that my numbers are both accurate and realistic.

Oh, and I always change my oil every 3K miles and keep my tires inflated to the max recommended pressure stated in the owners manual. I also follow the recommended service schedules as well.

Main things to remember, any acceleration from a dead stop, or idleing in traffic/drive-thru lanes will significantly lower your fuel economy numbers!

Help this helps a little!!!

regards,

timkedz

You get zero miles per gallon while idling in traffic. You just burn gas.

True, you DO get zero miles per gallon idling and that in turn drops your OVERALL mileage numbers.

Most people on a daily basis practice some type of bad driving habit, whether intentionally or not, which leads to lower fuel economy. Usually, though, it can't be helped.

If you bought it used with such high mileage, I'd do a FULL tuneup on it. ALL fluids, plugs, and wires. Transmission, oil, coolant.

As already mentioned, check your tire pressure and dragging brakes.

Sounds like your driving situation is hurting too. Do you have a 3sp or a 4sp? The 3sp was not rated as high for fuel economy.

A good tune-up will improve your engine performance and give better mileage.