Carbon buildup?

Looks like I'm going to be the thorn in the side here...

A good EFI service is going to be required at some point. Due to the PCV system you are going to have carbon buildup on the throttle plate that will give you driveability concerns. This should not be the case at 50k though.

As for the things where people say "it's not in the service schedule, therefore you shouldn't ever need it," think about this...

Mass Air Flow sensors have a hot wire in them for sensing air flow, over time the hot wire builds up crap on it and reads less air entering the engine and you get lean codes. Every car out there that has a MAF has this problem. They should be routinely cleaned in order to prevent damage to it, but it's not in your service schedule. I clean them with every EFI service I sell. This just shows that there are thing you should do that may not be in a schedule.

 

I usually run a can of Seafoam every 10k miles on my other cars and on my Eclipse. Kept it running good, smoked a lot when put in through the brake booster but I did notice a lower idle. It would normally fluctuate from 800-1600 at idle but the sea foam helped stabilize it. I run it in the truck also with good results and thats only $10.99 a can

Also have a can of MAF sensor cleaner and I do that every other oil change so every 10,000 miles.

 

Next time you go there, ask the dealer if he recommends a power steering flush.

 

Don't forget to top off the blinker fluid

Mike

 

Are the muffler bearings sealed or do they need to be lubed too?

 

I suppose you could pop'a seal out'a there and squeeze sum grease in there

Mike

 

I had a car once without power steering, and when I'd get the oil changed at Jiffy Lube (I was young and didn't know better), they claimed they filled up the power steering fluid. I asked them to show me where they put it, and they said "oh, it doesn't have that it shouldn't be checked". In hindsight, that should have been a clue.....

 

Contrary to Ffjerobbins30 thread, use a bottle of Amsoil PI, or Techron in your gas tank twice a year and you'll NEVER need to even bother having to use your can of MAF cleaner.

One of the Camry's in our fleet has gone 278K ( 2002 4banger )
with normal maintenance, oil changes, filter changes, and the Amsoil
PI 2-3 times a year and the MAF HAS NEVER BEEN TOUCHED, NOR has the car needed any kind of malarky "EFI" servicing.

Relax ! It will be a long time, IF EVER, you will need to worry about your MAF or injection system. Save your money and buy yourself a nice cashmere sweater !!!

 

How does the cleaner in the gas get to the MAF sensor? I don't see the connection.

Tom

 

Cleaning the throttle plate/bore/MAF is an every 60K or longer kind of service. It should be done by 100K. By 150K, if not done, there is the risk that too much carbon buildup will cause the plate to stick.

 

Ran a tank of 4 gallons E85 blended with 6 gallons 87 octane and got 45 mpg with a 60 something mph average speed. The motor ran flawless, no codes I think the rental has a clean injection system now

I'll try a hotter E85 blend tomorrow

Mike

 

6 gallons E85 & 4 gallons 87 octane in the rental Prii & she is liking it E85 is 60 cents a gallon cheeper than regular gas here in Indianapolis Indiana. Saving big $$$ and the Prii is not showing lower mpg's running it. I'll wait until I buy my own Prii before I try 100% E85.

Mike


iPhone

 

While anything is possible, I am 99.9% sure that this will give you a code for lean burn.

 

Hope not but I will report back how she does tomorrow. I know the 1st Gen can run straight E85 with no problems. I bought a E85 converter to install in my Prii when I get it this spring. That will prevent any codes. This is my experiment in a bone stock rental Prii running a E85 blend. So far the experiment is working perfect. I bet the fuel system is super clean after running a couple thousand miles on my E85 blends Definately saving me some $$$ running it.

Mike


iPhone

 

I had the same problem yesterday. Also a 2010 Prius IV. The dealer claimed it was because of ethanol. He caught me off guard and I ponied up the $80. Now I don't trust the dealer to make an honest recommendation.

 

They are all con artist.

 

I'm kinda surprised that you're not seeing a little MPG ding in running E-40. I've switched back and forth from E0 to E10 and didn't see any observable difference, but I would think that you'd see a slight delta with your blend. Definitely not much to be sure.
I'm curious as to which E85 Converter you bought, and how it works. Mind you, I'm not one of the George Noory types out there that thinks that ethanol is wrecking the planet, but the folks in Aichi have stated that you can't use E85 in their car.
If you can buy a $200 widget (that they can probably buy for $25) that allows you to burn E85 in this car, then why don't they use the same technology and put yellow gas caps on the car from the factory???
If the price delta is 60-cents now, what's it going to be when gas hits $5???
Seems to me that either there's an underlying REASON that they don't want you to burn E85 in this motor, or they're missing an excellent opportunity to allow G3 owners to save even more money on fuel costs, which (environmental weenies notwithstanding) is why most people buy this car to begin with.

Reader's Digest Version: I'd be very careful gambling a $25,000 car's health on a $200 Eth-O-lizer. Just sayin'!
Let us know how it works out!!!

 

Only 45 MPG?

Last time I did a long 60 MPH trip (due to foggy conditions) I got 56 MPG indicated. I also got 52 MPG on the return trip at 70 MPH. Relatively flat hwy.

This is 87 octane Chevron "up to 10% ethanol" gas.

 

It was 10-25 degrees outside air temp. Cold driving in the northern states. The car had three people and a few hundred pounds of luggage & supplies.

Mike