7-8MPG city driving First car 2004 Camry LE

Question

Posted this on reddit aswell for some help but have added more info here.

HELP 6.7 MPG ON MY FIRST CAR (2004 Camry LE). I WAS SCAMMED AND COULD USE SOME HELP!

Well guys here's my story. The 5th of July, I bought my first car a 2004 Camry with 160 000 km which is around 100k miles. Paid 3.5k cash CAD$ from a garage. It seemed like a good deal and I got it checked/inspected at another garage where my stepdad was working. Missing Link kit and only ac blowing warm air to have fixed. They fixed it and I bought it the very next day. I was pretty desperate because I have been biking to work everyday for 20 minutes during raining days and thunderstorms...

It’s been 6 days that I’ve had the car under my name and I filled the tank to full with 100$ and 150km (93 miles) later I’m almost out of gas 1/4. I went to see the my stepdad and he said the gas tank is faulty and has oil leaking out. Went to the garage who sold me the car and they said that everything is fine and that it’s normal. I tried telling him that it really wasn't but he didn't care, he already has my cash and with no contract or sellers agreement whatsoever he won't go out of his way to fix it. Soo far on the first full tank fuel up I'm getting approximately 6.77 mpg or 2.9 km/L.

It sucks but I'm glad to finally have a car. I was really looking forward to working on all the scratches and rust on the car and cleaning the interior but I have bigger issues to deal with right now unfortunately. the issue is most likely a gas leak combined with horrendous gas economy.

r/MechanicAdvice - HELP 6.7 MPG ON MY FIRST CAR (2004 Camry LE). I WAS SCAMMED AND COULD USE SOME HELP!

*The odometer is in kilometers because I am living in Canada, Qc

- What can I say about the car. It idles at 1k rpm, I notice the Gas gauge go down a bit when starting the car in the mornings and it also smells like gas when I start it up in the mornings and when I stop at a light with my windows rolled down I can smell the gas again. It also has a tiny bit of white smoke that comes out when I start it.( around this much).

- I have checked the Air filter and its brand new.

- The o2 sensor looks pretty clean, but I will be purchasing a CRC 05110 Mass Air Flow Sensor Cleaner

- I'm going to clean the Throttle Body with CRC 05078 Throttle Body and Air-Intake Cleaner

- I have bought Mobil 1 High Mileage Synthetic oil to change soon, because the oil is kind of black/dirty but I am waiting to receive an Oil Filter thePurolator PL14477 ONEto be exact and I also am trying to find the right washer and *screw* or *bolt* to replace the old one.

- I am going to change the Cabin Air filter tomorrow when I receive it

- I will try to purchase an OBD2 scanner with live data stream” and evap test or o2 sensor test as well

The mechanic say that there is a leak or crack in this part of the Fuel tank and says that it smells of fuel but it is not leaking and does not have any smell when I rubbed my hands against it and smelt it. I will be posting an image of the actual fuel tank later. But for now, This is where he said it was leaking from.

*Where the metals of each side kind of touch. and are sealing the tank

I know that I should probably listen to the mechanic, but I want to try out any other possible options that won't be costing me an arm and a leg to fix.

Which is why I am also going to try check the pcv valve and change it if necessary.

I am also going to be using my dads pump to check if the tires are properly inflated.

I have been looking under my car every day for and drips or leaks when I move it in the morning and I never see anything.

Other than all of this I'm open to any other ideas that you guys might have. I drive very conservatively as in don't try to press the gas too fast and don't really use A/C that much. My commute is 10 minutes of city driving which is pretty short, but it still doesn't explain 7mpg or 3km/L.

I also had a good recommendation from a comment on the facebook post I made, if I ever do need to change out the whole gas fuel tank I'll go see if I can buy one from an scrap yard

*Edit 12/07/2022 6:24pm

First of all, I was not expecting this post to get so many people trying to help me out in the comments and would like to thank everyone who has read, shared and posted a comment trying to give pointer or advice to me. I have just read all the comments and replies and have some pretty bad news.

The useru/Call_Me_At_8675309explained that the car might have had the CEL removed or tampered with so I went to check the dash with the key on-engine off and he was right sadly enough the car was sold to me without the ABS light, Maintenance required light and without the CEL. I had no clue that cars did that and am probably over my head for repairs but I'm grateful to at least know why I’m burning threw gas. The display always shoes these 2 signs below for gas and battery I think

I will be buying the BlueDriver Bluetooth Pro OBDII Scan Tool from amazon (120$) but I think that it’s going to be a worth investment.

Here is what my gauge looks like after roughly 10km of me driving to work Canadian tire to set up a rendezvous this weekend for a carburation system inspection (60$) and back. You guys can compare it to the initial picture above to see where it was sitting at last night

Here are some answers to some questions regarding people giving advice but needing some more information or details.

-Is somebody siphoning my gas: I doubt it because my parents have a home security camera and when I looked at the past nights with my car parked and I saw nobody siphoning my gas.

What type of gearbox is it: Automatic

Do I drive in D: Yes

Do I disengage the hand break when driving: Yes

Is my transmission shifting through all gears: Yes

Is my gauge Faulty: Not sure

A quick question when I open the gas cap, should I hear or feel pressure being released?

Thank you guys for all the help and sharing advice on what I should do in this situation.

*2nd Edit 3:11 Pm 13/07/2022 Updates

- First of all, I rechecked some stuff like the MAF Sensor. I could of sworn that the MAF sensor looked pretty good but when I rechecked it today to be sure it's actually super dirty.

- The gas this morning in the gage was noticeably lower than how I left it last night here is a picture I took this morning ***Before I went to work. Same Km on the trip 160.8

No leaking gasoline under the car though.

- I listened to the fuel injectors each one of them (4 total) in my 2004 Camry LE 4cyl. They sound perfectly good. I referenced myself with Chris Fix's video titles " Testing Fuel Injectors Fast"

- I have yet to change the oil because I am still waiting on the oil filter from amazon and the oil drain plug gasket.

- The dash also gives me the Charging system warning light and also the Low engine oil pressure warning

- Here is a video where I show the PCV valve hose, which im not sure if it's tight enough but wasn't able to tighten it and fit it close to close up. And you guys can also hear a really loud sound constantly coming from the engine. It sounds like air in a radiator but its coming from about the top of the spark plugs. Near the end you can kinda hear the Fuel Injectors but it's not really clear on my phone audio. (HEADPHONE USERS WARNING THE VIDEO WILL BE PRETTY LOUD)

https://youtube.com/shorts/Fu79eEFeLUk?feature=share

-The idle rpm for my car was actually around 500-650 rpm. It starts initially at 1.5k then goes down I guess.

-This is what the oil currently looks like and why I'm going to change it

- I have changed the Cabin filter and that's about all of an update I can give for today!

*3rd Edit 12:09 am 15/07/2022

- Just bought the MAF sensor cleaner and will be using it tomorrow to clean the sensor and the throttle body.

- I have went back to the garage who sold me the car and tried to explain that the mileage that I am getting is not normal and that something is wrong. They said to come back with the tank near empy. Hopefully they will check it out but I am seriously doubtful. I will try to go tomorrow after work if I finish early because my low fuel light is on.

I will be letting you guys know what happens tomorrow if I end up going to the garage. If not this weekend I have a rendezvous at Canadian Tire for them to check my carburation system?(60$) I asked for them to check for leaking gasoline anywhere and that's what the paper say's that they're going to check.

Thank for any help you guys and stay safe on the road!

*4th edit 1:27am 24/07/2022

Soo far I've changed the oil, oil filter, air filter, cabin filter and am going to order spark plugs and a fuel filter pretty soon. I brought it to a garage that sold me the car and they changed the fuel injectors with other used ones and at another garage checked out the car and they suggest changing the fuel tank.

Here are some unusual numbers from scanning the car on Idle my STFT is 19.5% and LTFT 44.5% at 664rpm. MAF rate 2.76g/s and codes are P0171 (system too lean bank 1), P2195 (o2 sensor signal biased stuck lean) and P2238. Any suggestions?

Thank you guys and take care!

Dan · Accepted Answer

Posted by: @chrysaor-chronos The issue is most likely a gas leak combined with horrendous gas economy I doubt it, if you can find anything wet around the fuel tank, it's probably just a fuel system issue. It also has a tiny bit of white smoke that comes out when I start it Check the head gasket, probably has nothing to do with the mpg issue - but worth checking. I have bought Mobil 1 High Mileage Synthetic oil remember to still replace your oil every 3-7.5k miles (5k-10k km). evap test An evap issue won't affect mpg in a noticeable way. check the pcv valve and change it if necessary Again, even if bad won't affect mpg in a noticeable way. using my dads pump to check if the tires are properly inflated Again, even if bad won't affect mpg in such a noticeable way. if I ever do need to change out the whole gas fuel tank I'll go see if I can buy one from an scrap yard Correct, but make sure there's no rust, clean it inside and replace any rubber seals if installed. the car might have had the CEL removed or tampered with so I went to check the dash with the key on-engine off and he was right sadly enough the car was sold to me without the ABS light, Maintenance required light and without the CEL. And that's why you should avoid stealerships and take it to a pre-purchase inspection. During any normal pre-purchase inspection, a scanner gets plugged into the car and any of its issues will pop up. I will be buying the BlueDriver Bluetooth Pro OBDII Scan Tool from amazon (120$) but I think that it’s going to be a worth investment. If you have an ABS / Traction control issue - it's not going to be. https://carkiller.com/scottykilmer/qa/which-scan-tool-should-i-get/ carburation system inspection (60$) and back Your car ain't got no carb, it's fuel injection. Is my gauge Faulty: Not sure When your gas tank goes to 1/4, how much are you filling at the gas pump? The dash also gives me the Charging system warning light Do a battery / alternator test. I could of sworn that the MAF sensor looked pretty good but when I rechecked it today to be sure it's actually super dirty. check it again after driving some more, maybe the engine is so bad it fouls it. also the Low engine oil pressure warning SOLVE THIS FIRST, DO NOT DRIVE. Replace oil and filter, read OBDII. P0171 (system too lean bank 1), P2195 (o2 sensor signal biased stuck lean) and P2238 All of these are O2 sensor / circuit issues, As it seems electrical O2 sensor issues. First you wanna replace the O2 sensor, and if codes persists it's time to go to an electrician. The car tells you it's injecting 50% more fuel ON PURPOSE, what leads it to do that is an O2 issue - it the O2 says it's stuck lean, the car will end more fuel. THIS IS PROBABLY THE ISSUE, although I'd be suspicious of that MAF, 2.76 is a lot unless you really rev it. Afterwards replace the spark plugs or at least inspect them, they could've easily gotten fouled with fuel. MAF rate 2.76g/s Sounds like too much for me. when you rev it how does it affect the value? Might be also a bad MAF. If the car thinks it gets more air than (for example a bad MAF) it does and that it's running lean (bad O2 sensor / circuit) it'll inject way more fuel than it should. solve it asap before the CAT gets destroyed.

jack62 · Answer

I agree with @dan . Fix the charging system and check the O2 sensor/circuit. With that P2195 code and those high positive fuel trims (STFT at 19.5% Plus LTFT at 44.5% giving you a total of 64%) there's no way the computer is keeping the fuel system in Closed Loop the entire time you're driving the car.

In Open Loop you're going to run rich and burn a lot of gas. Even if it's somehow staying in closed loop it's got those fuel injectors dumping fuel into the cylinders.

You also have an O2 (on yours an AF) sensor heater circuit code (P2238) on top of that.

The thing about AF sensors is that they don't work if they aren't hot and they have to be real hot. The exhaust heat isn't enough to keep them hot enough. They need their heater to work or their voltage signal won't be right. On yours the voltage signal is supposed to be right around 3.3 volts. Higher than that is Lean and Lower than that is Rich.

You have the heater circuit code and the voltage signal code (stuck lean ((high voltage signal)).

You need to address that heater circuit code and then see if the voltage signal starts coming down from 5 volts (stuck lean) into that 3.3 voltage range again.

You can't tell by looking at that AF sensor if its heater is shorted out internally. Same goes for the 2 wires that go to the heater side of it. You have to test the sensor and its wiring.

You mentioned that the Charging System warning light is on.

I'd resolve that 1st because the way the computer controls the AF sensor's heater is through a 12 volt duty cycle. It switches 12 volts On and Off very quickly. If it wants the heater to get hotter it increases the 12 volt duty cycle. When you 1st start up the car the duty cycle will be around 60%. Once the exhaust heats up and helps out, the duty cycle will drop lower.

It looks like this on a scope:

If your system voltage isn't giving the computer the 12 volts it needs to do that then it can't control the heater right

scottykilmer · Answer

Well I'd have to see the car and do a bunch of testing but the first thing would be I would replace the mass air flow sensor it could just be way off. If not that it would probably need the fuel injectors replaced if they were leaking too much fuel into the engine. Of course all kinds of things would need to be tested with my equipment to give a true analysis of the actual problem those are the most common