2005 ES330 bad city fuel consumption
12-04-16, 08:24 PM
#1
Rookie
Thread Starter
2005 ES330 bad city fuel consumption
After driving my new 2005 ES for almost 2000 KM, I noticed a poor city fuel consumption of 16-18L/100 KM (AVG). If I remember correctly, I think owners here had 12-14L/100 KM city consumption. When I am on the highway, I find it very efficient at about 8L/100 KM (AVG/trip). My driving style is very calm with gentle acceleration and braking, so I don't think it has something to do with any sporty style, lol.
I am taking the car to a mechanic soon for a timing belt change. What should I be looking for to replace that may help increasing the fuel efficiency? Air filter, spark plugs?
I am taking the car to a mechanic soon for a timing belt change. What should I be looking for to replace that may help increasing the fuel efficiency? Air filter, spark plugs?
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elvenrider (12-10-16)
12-05-16, 08:23 AM
#3
After driving my new 2005 ES for almost 2000 KM, I noticed a poor city fuel consumption of 16-18L/100 KM (AVG). If I remember correctly, I think owners here had 12-14L/100 KM city consumption. When I am on the highway, I find it very efficient at about 8L/100 KM (AVG/trip). My driving style is very calm with gentle acceleration and braking, so I don't think it has something to do with any sporty style, lol.
I am taking the car to a mechanic soon for a timing belt change. What should I be looking for to replace that may help increasing the fuel efficiency? Air filter, spark plugs?
I am taking the car to a mechanic soon for a timing belt change. What should I be looking for to replace that may help increasing the fuel efficiency? Air filter, spark plugs?
The following users liked this post:
elvenrider (12-10-16)
12-05-16, 09:49 AM
#4
After driving my new 2005 ES for almost 2000 KM, I noticed a poor city fuel consumption of 16-18L/100 KM (AVG). If I remember correctly, I think owners here had 12-14L/100 KM city consumption. When I am on the highway, I find it very efficient at about 8L/100 KM (AVG/trip). My driving style is very calm with gentle acceleration and braking, so I don't think it has something to do with any sporty style, lol.
I am taking the car to a mechanic soon for a timing belt change. What should I be looking for to replace that may help increasing the fuel efficiency? Air filter, spark plugs?
I am taking the car to a mechanic soon for a timing belt change. What should I be looking for to replace that may help increasing the fuel efficiency? Air filter, spark plugs?
Also, if you getting nearly 30 mpg at highway speeds, I doubt that there's much wrong with your car, as that's on the high side of normal. There's no reason that dragging brakes, plugs, or O2 sensors is going to affect fuel economy only in the city. Air filters have minimal affect on fuel economy, but if you want to replace it, it certainly won't hurt anything. You could spend a lot of money changing things that don't need changing and still not get much benefit.
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elvenrider (12-10-16)
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elvenrider (12-10-16)
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elvenrider (12-10-16)
12-09-16, 07:42 PM
#7
Lexus Champion
I used to have a 2005 ES330. In rush hour stop and go traffic I'd get 14L/100km (16.8MPG), which I considered pretty bad. My Solara with the 3.0L V6 engine still gets about the same, while my GS350 is getting 11.5L/100km (20.4 MPG, premium).
I think many gas stations in Ontario have fully switched to winter blend gas now, so that helps to drive down the fuel economy too.
I think many gas stations in Ontario have fully switched to winter blend gas now, so that helps to drive down the fuel economy too.
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elvenrider (12-10-16)
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12-10-16, 11:20 AM
#8
Rookie
Thread Starter
Ok, but I don't think it has something to do with dragging calipers. The car goes smoothly when brakes are disengaged.
Thank you for your suggestion.
Yes, I think I will do that. Thank you for your suggestion !!
Yes, I noticed a drop from 15 mpg in October to 13 mpg now. What concerns me that the current mpg is even less than the winter worst case scenario suggested by other here.
I agree with you. The inconsistency between highway and city consumption has really confused me. I don't want to spend $$ on things that won't help me save more later.
Is it possible that the specific route taken in my daily trip is not fuel efficient?
Thank you for your suggestions.
That is a good mpg compared to my 13 mpg
Hi Speedkar. Yes, I saw your post earlier mentioning a "bad" mpg at 14L/100km and I wondered what is wrong with my 17,18L/100km. As in my reply to "285exp", I noticed an mpg drop from October to November, yet the initial one was still bad compared to yours or others with the ES330.
Now, I am doubting that the nature of my daily trip might be the root cause of the inefficient consumption. Possibly too many stop signals. As 285exp mentioned, it is illogical to see this inconsistency between highway and city mpg.
P.S. I am sorry to everyone for my late reply. Had access problems !!
Thank you for your suggestion.
When you say you noticed the poor economy, has it changed? It is normal for fuel economy to drop when the weather gets cooler, especially if you do a lot of real stop and go city mileage and do mostly short trips. It's not hard to get down to 14-15 mpg.
Also, if you getting nearly 30 mpg at highway speeds, I doubt that there's much wrong with your car, as that's on the high side of normal. There's no reason that dragging brakes, plugs, or O2 sensors is going to affect fuel economy only in the city. Air filters have minimal affect on fuel economy, but if you want to replace it, it certainly won't hurt anything. You could spend a lot of money changing things that don't need changing and still not get much benefit.
Also, if you getting nearly 30 mpg at highway speeds, I doubt that there's much wrong with your car, as that's on the high side of normal. There's no reason that dragging brakes, plugs, or O2 sensors is going to affect fuel economy only in the city. Air filters have minimal affect on fuel economy, but if you want to replace it, it certainly won't hurt anything. You could spend a lot of money changing things that don't need changing and still not get much benefit.
I agree with you. The inconsistency between highway and city consumption has really confused me. I don't want to spend $$ on things that won't help me save more later.
Is it possible that the specific route taken in my daily trip is not fuel efficient?
That is a good mpg compared to my 13 mpg
I used to have a 2005 ES330. In rush hour stop and go traffic I'd get 14L/100km (16.8MPG), which I considered pretty bad. My Solara with the 3.0L V6 engine still gets about the same, while my GS350 is getting 11.5L/100km (20.4 MPG, premium).
I think many gas stations in Ontario have fully switched to winter blend gas now, so that helps to drive down the fuel economy too.
I think many gas stations in Ontario have fully switched to winter blend gas now, so that helps to drive down the fuel economy too.
Now, I am doubting that the nature of my daily trip might be the root cause of the inefficient consumption. Possibly too many stop signals. As 285exp mentioned, it is illogical to see this inconsistency between highway and city mpg.
P.S. I am sorry to everyone for my late reply. Had access problems !!
12-10-16, 12:22 PM
#9
^I thought the same thing for my brakes when driving, but upon further investigation the slider pins were sticking and my gas mileage went up 2-3 mpg. That being said, these cars don't get that great of gas mileage in the city, on the highway though I get around 28 mpg consistently. Assuming your car is mechanically fine, its probably the winter mix gasoline and the way you drive that are the reason for the drop
12-10-16, 05:27 PM
#10
Rookie
Thread Starter
^I thought the same thing for my brakes when driving, but upon further investigation the slider pins were sticking and my gas mileage went up 2-3 mpg. That being said, these cars don't get that great of gas mileage in the city, on the highway though I get around 28 mpg consistently. Assuming your car is mechanically fine, its probably the winter mix gasoline and the way you drive that are the reason for the drop
could you suggest guidelines to help checking if mine is having this problem؟
12-10-16, 06:13 PM
#11
The 28 mpg is my highway average, the 2-3 Increase was in my city mpg after cleaning the slider pins and its now back to its normal 20-21 mpg. As for checking it, you pull the pins from the caliper after removing two 14mm bolts (I think) then clean and lubricate the pins. Just dirt, grime, and water get in there and gum up the pins preventing the calipers from releasing easily. If it doesn't help the gas mileage, its not a bad thing to do as general upkeep. If you can't, I know some places do this "service" for like $90 for all four corners.
12-11-16, 05:28 PM
#12
Rookie
Thread Starter
The 28 mpg is my highway average, the 2-3 Increase was in my city mpg after cleaning the slider pins and its now back to its normal 20-21 mpg. As for checking it, you pull the pins from the caliper after removing two 14mm bolts (I think) then clean and lubricate the pins. Just dirt, grime, and water get in there and gum up the pins preventing the calipers from releasing easily. If it doesn't help the gas mileage, its not a bad thing to do as general upkeep. If you can't, I know some places do this "service" for like $90 for all four corners.
12-12-16, 08:46 AM
#13
Until you have some more actual evidence that your mileage has significantly decreased, I wouldn't spend a lot of time and money chasing a problem that may or may not exist. The first thing to do is make sure you're keeping accurate records and measure the economy over an extended time. Let's face it, you've only had the car for around 1200 miles, and it's hard to get a very good baseline of your mileage over 4 or 5 tanks of fuel. Keep a log book in the car and write down the kms driven and liters consumed, and make sure you're comparing like to like. If you drove a lot more highway on one tank, your economy will be higher than one where it was almost all city, and vice versa.
As for your question about whether your route can affect your mileage, of course it can. When people say they are getting 18 mpg in city driving, that only means they're getting 18 mpg in the type of city driving they do. If you make a lot of short trips, your economy is going to go down, if your route has a lot of stop and go and you spend extended times idling, your economy will go down. If it's getting colder, and you spend more time warming the car before driving off, your economy will go down. Lots of perfectly normal things can cause your economy to decrease, and no amount of throwing money at the car will fix them. Since you're getting normal fuel economy on the highway, I really doubt there's a whole lot wrong. If you want to check and service the brakes, there's nothing wrong with making sure your braking system is working correctly, but you'd surely notice if they were dragging enough to decrease your fuel economy by 10+%. You'd get excessive brake dust on the wheels and greatly reduced pad and rotor life. Make sure your tires are inflated correctly, because that's cheap. If there are maintenance items that need to be done, it certainly won't hurt, and may possibly help, so go ahead and do them, but just replacing stuff that isn't bad won't do anything but enrich your auto supply store of choice.
As for your question about whether your route can affect your mileage, of course it can. When people say they are getting 18 mpg in city driving, that only means they're getting 18 mpg in the type of city driving they do. If you make a lot of short trips, your economy is going to go down, if your route has a lot of stop and go and you spend extended times idling, your economy will go down. If it's getting colder, and you spend more time warming the car before driving off, your economy will go down. Lots of perfectly normal things can cause your economy to decrease, and no amount of throwing money at the car will fix them. Since you're getting normal fuel economy on the highway, I really doubt there's a whole lot wrong. If you want to check and service the brakes, there's nothing wrong with making sure your braking system is working correctly, but you'd surely notice if they were dragging enough to decrease your fuel economy by 10+%. You'd get excessive brake dust on the wheels and greatly reduced pad and rotor life. Make sure your tires are inflated correctly, because that's cheap. If there are maintenance items that need to be done, it certainly won't hurt, and may possibly help, so go ahead and do them, but just replacing stuff that isn't bad won't do anything but enrich your auto supply store of choice.
12-12-16, 07:16 PM
#14
Lexus Champion
On my Solara I thought the master cylinder was sticking causing my poor fuel economy. I changed it to a new Dorman unit, and serviced all the brakes (heck even swapped back to stock calipers and then back again chasing the problem). The brakes don't stick anymore, but I'm still left with 14L/100km.
If I recall on my ES, the highway fuel economy was much, much better, somewhere around 8.5-9L/100km for a straight highway run. So I guess driving a 6 cylinder car really takes its toll in the city or in stop and go traffic.
Here's my video on how to service the brakes on an ES here:
If I recall on my ES, the highway fuel economy was much, much better, somewhere around 8.5-9L/100km for a straight highway run. So I guess driving a 6 cylinder car really takes its toll in the city or in stop and go traffic.
The 28 mpg is my highway average, the 2-3 Increase was in my city mpg after cleaning the slider pins and its now back to its normal 20-21 mpg. As for checking it, you pull the pins from the caliper after removing two 14mm bolts (I think) then clean and lubricate the pins. Just dirt, grime, and water get in there and gum up the pins preventing the calipers from releasing easily. If it doesn't help the gas mileage, its not a bad thing to do as general upkeep. If you can't, I know some places do this "service" for like $90 for all four corners.
12-12-16, 07:42 PM
#15
Rookie
Thread Starter
Until you have some more actual evidence that your mileage has significantly decreased, I wouldn't spend a lot of time and money chasing a problem that may or may not exist. The first thing to do is make sure you're keeping accurate records and measure the economy over an extended time. Let's face it, you've only had the car for around 1200 miles, and it's hard to get a very good baseline of your mileage over 4 or 5 tanks of fuel. Keep a log book in the car and write down the kms driven and liters consumed, and make sure you're comparing like to like. If you drove a lot more highway on one tank, your economy will be higher than one where it was almost all city, and vice versa.
As for your question about whether your route can affect your mileage, of course it can. When people say they are getting 18 mpg in city driving, that only means they're getting 18 mpg in the type of city driving they do. If you make a lot of short trips, your economy is going to go down, if your route has a lot of stop and go and you spend extended times idling, your economy will go down. If it's getting colder, and you spend more time warming the car before driving off, your economy will go down. Lots of perfectly normal things can cause your economy to decrease, and no amount of throwing money at the car will fix them. Since you're getting normal fuel economy on the highway, I really doubt there's a whole lot wrong. If you want to check and service the brakes, there's nothing wrong with making sure your braking system is working correctly, but you'd surely notice if they were dragging enough to decrease your fuel economy by 10+%. You'd get excessive brake dust on the wheels and greatly reduced pad and rotor life. Make sure your tires are inflated correctly, because that's cheap. If there are maintenance items that need to be done, it certainly won't hurt, and may possibly help, so go ahead and do them, but just replacing stuff that isn't bad won't do anything but enrich your auto supply store of choice.
As for your question about whether your route can affect your mileage, of course it can. When people say they are getting 18 mpg in city driving, that only means they're getting 18 mpg in the type of city driving they do. If you make a lot of short trips, your economy is going to go down, if your route has a lot of stop and go and you spend extended times idling, your economy will go down. If it's getting colder, and you spend more time warming the car before driving off, your economy will go down. Lots of perfectly normal things can cause your economy to decrease, and no amount of throwing money at the car will fix them. Since you're getting normal fuel economy on the highway, I really doubt there's a whole lot wrong. If you want to check and service the brakes, there's nothing wrong with making sure your braking system is working correctly, but you'd surely notice if they were dragging enough to decrease your fuel economy by 10+%. You'd get excessive brake dust on the wheels and greatly reduced pad and rotor life. Make sure your tires are inflated correctly, because that's cheap. If there are maintenance items that need to be done, it certainly won't hurt, and may possibly help, so go ahead and do them, but just replacing stuff that isn't bad won't do anything but enrich your auto supply store of choice.
Currently compared to the ideal fuel consumption, my current consumption costs around 20$ monthly. So, I guess fixes costing more than 100$, is not economically sound.
In the meanwhile, I will keep an eye on suggestions provided by our community members in the thread, in case my findings confirm symptomatic poor fuel economy.
Thanks again for taking the time to address my concerns.