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Thread: MPG and Previas

  1. #21
    Van Fan Monster's Avatar
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    Re: MPG and Previas'

    I'm still currently getting crappy gas mileage, 230 miles to a tank is the best I can do and thats pushing it. 200-220 is about average for me but my van is also running rich, so I'm gonna spend some time replacing the o2 sensors, and try cleaning the EGR out to see if it helps

  2. #22
    Van Fan batook's Avatar
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    Re: MPG and Previas'

    Amazon usually has the best prices on the OEM (denso) o2 sensors. The front/upstream sensor is the more expensive of the 2 and includes 2 heater wires along with + and - leads. You can save yourself $20-30 by buying the "universal" Denso sensor and soldering the connector from your old sensor onto to bear wire leads it comes it. I have gone this route on both my vans and soldered/shrink wrapped the connections and they work great.

    Front/Upstream sensor
    234-4050 (universal) currently $29.99 + $2.99 shipping from seller "AD Auto Parts" through Amazon, or $43.27 through Amazon directly:
    http://www.amazon.com/Denso-234-4050...dp/B000C5SG2W/

    Front/Upstream sensor 234-4072 (direct fit) currently $63.83 at amazon:
    http://www.amazon.com/Denso-234-4072...dp/B000C5UFMG/

    Rear/Downstream: Denso 234-2052 (direct fit) currently $35.98 at amazon:
    http://www.amazon.com/Denso-234-2052...dp/B000C5YCFM/

    Denso also sells a universal style for the rear/downstream sensor, but it's more expensive than the direct fit. Both versions with the diamond-shaped flange and gasket you need to install them...the only difference between the universal and the direct-fit versions are the presence or lack of the wiring connector terminal.

    If replacing the o2 sensors and cleaning out/testing the EGR system don't help your mpg, I'd look to EFI problems like leaky injectors or bad FPR or something like that. I think the FSM has a list of things to check in order of priority to diagnose a rich running condition.
    Last edited by batook; 01-14-2013 at 12:02 AM.

  3. #23
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    Re: MPG and Previas'

    I have a 1991 all trac. I'm getting around 270 miles per tank. I ran my van down until the fuel light came on. I think i only have a tank that's right around 16 gallons.
    Most of my driving is in town, running to work, running a kid to school, picking her up, running to the store. I don't get much freeway driving.
    I actually just did the lift on my van, so I'm wondering if that's going to give me less mileage per tank.
    I'm thinking i'm going to replace my plugs this weekend.
    I'm running a full tank of premium gas right now, so we'll see if that makes a difference at all.

  4. #24
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    Re: MPG and Previas'

    Old thread but I will reply anyway cause this always comes up.

    So anyhow, my 91' had about 320k miles on it when I got it and mpg was pretty low....I didn't really realize how bad it was though until I replaced my O2 sensors. As others have stated here it makes a huge difference. This summer I was driving at altitude (over 8,000 ft in the San Luis Valley Colorado) on a road trip back from Mesa Verde and calculated at just under 25mph (it was like 24.8 mpg or something) which I was really pleased with (4 people in the car and all our stuff as well).

    I just pulled the o2 sensor on my new previa today and have it soaking in gas overnight. I'm expecting similar results although I haven't cleaned up the throttle body or EGR passageway on the new van yet. Maintenance makes a huge difference on MPG in the Previa and not keeping up on it will see your mpg decline by almost 25% in worst case scenarios it seems.

  5. #25
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    Re: MPG and Previas'

    I got up to 400 miles per tank on the highway on my old 95 na 2wd supercharged. My 96 doesn't do as well, don't know why. Alloy wheels help a little. Cleaning the EGR passageways under the drivers seat helps. Of course, new plugs and wires and cap and rotor help. Tire pressure helps. If your mileage is bad, then make sure no leaks from filler pipe or tank. I cut my 95 fuel filter with 140 k open once and it was surprisingly clean. 95 avg.about 22mpg overall on fuelly, 96 and 97 alltrac avg about 20 mpg, slighty more highway than city driving

  6. #26
    Forum Newbie herrstrand's Avatar
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    Re: MPG and Previas'

    Here are my mpg figures for the statistics. I have a NA 1993 Previa with automatic that runs at around 17 mpg with mostly town and short trips. At highway speeds above the point where the interlock bridges the converter, the mpg improves up to 24 mpg. There is little difference in consumption from summer to winter.

  7. #27
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    Re: MPG and Previas'

    Fuel consumption on my '91 is pretty much identical to batook's (post #18). It seems like there's got to be something not quite right if a tank only gets barely past 200 miles.
    Just supplying another reference point for anyone searching this thread.

  8. #28
    Van Enthusiast tbkilb01's Avatar
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    Re: MPG and Previas'

    My 92 at 165k still gets 19ish city and 22ish hwy. use it for camping now more than just DD. Has had an easy life. If I want economy I use the Prius or MX-5. Previa still gets better MPG than FJ Cruiser! Hauls some stuff too! Not the best on mileage. Sure is a dependable vehicle! However I still got my sites on a SIENNA! great power!
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by tbkilb01; 08-07-2017 at 08:55 PM.

  9. #29
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    Re: MPG and Previas'

    I just recently acquired an 1992 previa AWD with and ABS system at 192,000 miles on it and an very nice thick folder of maintenance history mostly to the dealership. Currently I'm getting 250mpg per tank. I have yet to run it dry (which I do not like doing because of the possibility of burning out the fuel pump) and I wont, Ill fill the tank and drive a bit then fill the tank to get an accurate read of my mpg for a future post. So far I have only filled it with chevron and shell plus, as a means to clean out the fuel system because the vehicle had sat not running for almost a year.

    Having just acquired it as a literal barn yard find I changed some fluids and parts; alternator (needed it, battery was still good though!), shocks, struts, strut mounts and bellows, break fluid, both differential fluids, oil (mobil one synthetic with rislone additive), transmission fluid (castrol and a couple quarts of mobil one aft).

    Parts and jobs I have planned to replace and clean are many the ones related to mpg more so are; cleaning the throttle body and EGR passage way, cleaning the EGR and vacuum modular, new belts, cleaned or new O2 sensors, fluid change for the transfer case. possibly a new fuel filter. I may also change just to be on the safe side; water pump, thermostat and radiator.

    My last previa an 1991 RWD with 239,000miles on it got over 350mpg on an tank. I hadn't even cleaned or changed the O2 sensors or EGR system. I always ran high quality fuel plus. I also always used rislone additive in every oil change, wich quickly and permanently got rid of an noisy lifter.

    I have plenty of miles ahead of me so this will be a good opportunity to get a solid read of the changes.
    Last edited by previa tank; 09-07-2018 at 06:51 PM.

  10. #30
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    Re: MPG and Previas'

    I filled up the tank and drove 52 miles, i burned 2.58 gallons of fuel giving me 20.15 mpg. Not nearly as bad as I had suspected. I did find out that I was around 3/4 of a quart of oil shallow in my engine witch i filled up before driving. I'm not sure if it was just my low oil that was the issue or a sticky fuel gauge preternaturally turning on the low fuel light.

    I still plan to do all the above and are currently contemplating putting on new O2 sensors.

    I forgot to mention in the above that I had a roof box the packasport 90 on my 91 RWD previa and also have it on my 92 AWD I know that usually takes it down a mile per gallon or 3 at the worst. Though its very aerodynamic in shape.
    When I put it on my 91 I noticed that I got around 335 on a tank of fuel down from 365ish I never did let that one burn empty either or track the fuel too much I noticed that when I really had to fill it up it took 14-16 rarely more gallons.

  11. #31
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    Re: MPG and Previas'

    Hi Folks;
    '93 Previa, 2WD, automatic. Remanufactured engine about 40,000 miles ago. Average 20-21 in town. Highway fuel mileage is a different story depending on speed. If I keep it to 55 MPG, then I'll get 26 mpg. But if I'm running 65 - 70 MPH, then I get around 22 mpg. I've read a bit about the wind spoiler above the rear window. It supposedly will add about 2mpg. Apparently, the aerodynamics are typical of a minivan - ie. it's a brick. The spoiler smoothes out the airflow behind the vehicle where most of the drag occurs. That's why Toyota added them on later Previas.

  12. #32
    Administrator timsrv's Avatar
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    Re: MPG and Previas

    I could be wrong, but I was under the impression they only put the spoilers on the LE models with the moon roofs. Something to do with air flow past that window. I'm not saying it won't increase fuel economy, but if it was put there to increase fuel economy, then why not put them on all (including the non-sunroof models)? But then again, I'm only familiar with the 91 - 93 Previas, if they put them on the later model Previas (in all trim levels), I would be the last to know about it. Tim

  13. #33
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    Re: MPG and Previas

    Drag co-efficient for Previa 91-97 is listed as 0.35
    With the footnotes:


    It would appear that the wing has no significant impact on aerodynamics, at least as measured in the wind tunnel.

  14. #34
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    Re: MPG and Previas

    There's this, FWIW:
    http://blog.toyota.co.uk/history-of-the-toyota-previa
    [In 1993] Previa also underwent a subtle revision primarily focused on improving its aerodynamics. The launch version had a drag co-efficient value of 0.35, but by altering the windscreen wiper design and fitting a rear spoiler this value was reduced to 0.32.

  15. #35
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    Re: MPG and Previas

    I've had a few over the years. My 93 NA 2wd got 21-22 on the highway. My 95 Alltrac S/C used to get 19-20 on the highway then I put bigger all terrain tires on it and it went down to 17-18. Then the mileage took a hit and was down around 15-16 couldn't figure it out . Tell the other day when checking my brakes I found the culprit, I had a sticky caliper and brake pad was almost gone. My co-worker used to have a 91 2wd and he swears he used to get 400 miles out of a tank.

  16. #36
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    Re: MPG and Previas

    1992 Toyota Previa LE with a recently replaced engine. It is a low mileage JDM engine, although I do not know exactly how many miles.

    21.5 mpg with a good 50/50 mix of highway and city driving. Also, I do not drive my Previa slow. I typically cruise at about 68-70 mph on the freeway and I get up to speed quickly in city driving.

    I only recently got the van and did do the mpg calculations AFTER having changed my rear differential fluid with Amsoil Severe Gear 75W-90 Gear Oil. Others in various applications have recorded mpg improvements with Amsoil Severe Gear. Although, I do not know if that factor contributes to my 21.5 mpg. There is a noticeable difference with the Amsoil gear fluid though. Just feels like less resistance in the drivetrain.

  17. #37
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    Re: MPG and Previas

    Maybe I should've blogged about it here but I made a full EV conversion of my 1992 Previa (the third one), so here's my take on "fuel" consumption.

    One thing that is clearly visible with an EV drivetrain is that energy consumption starts about 30Wh/km higher than what it settles down to after 30km or so, all of that being unrelated to the motor itself. That's at ambient temperatures of 20°C or so.

    80km/h (50mph): ~200 Wh/km (~320Wh/mile)
    100km/h (60mph): ~250 Wh/km (~400Wh/mile)
    80km/h towing a reasonably sized trailer: ~250 Wh/km (~400Wh/mile)

    City driving takes a bit less than slow highway driving, but those numbers don't really matter. These are summer numbers, at winter it's worse (270Wh/km @ -20°C 80km/h) due to cooler lubricants, less tyre pressure, snow on the road and such, not even counting for heating which can be done economically non-electrically with an off the shelf eberspacher or whatnot.

    My drivetrain is a Nissan Leaf motor attached to the original manual transmission, without a clutch. 2nd gear can be used at all times. 4nd gear is used on long highway drives. 4th gear gets rid of about 30Wh/km of gearing losses as it's direct drive through the transmission and some of the gears will spin slower, causing less losses in moving the transmission oil around.

    My differential oil is probably too thick as I was too lazy to go buy the proper thickness when topping it up.

    My tyres are some old korean crap.

    These numbers are similar to the Audi e-Tron, which is a rather small car compared to the Previa. The e-Tron is said to have a drag coefficient of 0.28, which admittedly makes my numbers make no sense. Maybe the german test labs used duct tape and cardboard? 8)

    Anyway, based on these numbers the Previa's only problem is the grossly inefficient engine. Put a modern one in it and you'll get nice fuel mileage. Too bad they make all of them too tall to fit, except electric ones.

    20190702_174639cr.jpg

  18. #38
    Administrator llamavan's Avatar
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    Re: MPG and Previas

    ^^^ This is VERY COOL!!!

    I hope you will blog more of the details, and also duplicate this post (and add some information if you're so inclined and have the time) in THIS EV Conversion thread.

    Gwen
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