Hello to all the users who see this post. I had some general questions I wanted to ask about my 2009 Toyota Venza 2.7L. Sorry if this post is long.
I own a 2009 Toyota Venza. It just reached 260 thousand miles today. I recently replaced my spark plugs with Ruthenium spark plugs. There apparently suppose to last longer and be slightly better than iridium plugs according to Rock Auto. NGK part number : 96355. I did notice an improvement in performance but it’s not a major difference. The main reason I replaced my spark plugs is cause my gas mileage just sucks. I’m not sure if every Venza owner has this problem but I only get about 370 miles on a full tank of gas. My driving is definitely mixed 50% city 50% highway. Do you guys have any tips on getting better gas mileage? I have brand new tires. Tire pressure is always good nothing is overinflated. I was thinking maybe a fuel injector cleaning? Before I used to get over 400 miles on a full tank. I don’t know what to do really.
2nd I normally go to the dealer for my oil change. I normally change the oil every 5 thousand miles and use conventional fluid. My last service, which was I believe two thousand miles ago they started using synthetic fluid. I don’t know if that’s a good idea or not. I was told sticking with whatever the car calls for is a good idea. Using a thinner fluid will cause oil leaks. I don’t know if synthetic fluid would cause any engine damage or not? Do you think I should still use conventional fluid or synthetic fluid?
3rd I wanted to ask will this Toyota really last any longer? I don’t know how long the 1AR-FE engine can last. Nor could I find any reviews on this engine from anyone. Most people I saw only had around 100 thousand miles on their car. I try to take care of it as much as I can. But I don’t know if its going to be a smart choice to keep the car long. I just have this feeling that the time has come and the car engine will give out. I’ve never really had a car last thing long before. I haven’t made any expenses to the car really. But I’m worried one will come eventually. I’m going to try and attach some videos if I can. The engine just sounds rough. I don’t know if this is normal or not. There is some clicking noise that has been going on for at least 20 thousand miles. I took it into the dealer they said no issues could be found.
Engine ( I had to create a MediaFire link but you can probably hear the small ticking noise.)
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Update: I wanted to make another small update post. I took it to the dealer once and I was told it could be an alternator bearing I believe or some sort of pully issue but I don't know which one it could be. I'm leaning more toward the alternator bearing.
Q1: You have a 17.7 gallon tank, going from +400 to 370 MPG, that's about a 35 mile drop over 17 gallons, meaning you lost about 2mpg over the years. I think thats expected as cars age and start to wear, they become less efficient. Youre still in the range of what the cars expected to get, its just decreased over the years due to having over a quarter million miles. *Unless, it did this drop within like a month, or there was a sharp decline in your range*. Not much you can do about this.
Q2: Synthetic fluid doesn't mean thinner, its the way the oil is made. Synthetic oil provides better protection and can last longer. Though with your mileage id still stick to 5k mile intervals, or once a year, whatever comes first. Although synthetic fluids often are a little thinner it doesnt mean its going to cause any new leaks. Have you noticed any new leaks in the last 2k miles?
Q3: Its a machine, it can fail at any point. Nothing last forever, my ex said we would, then we broke up on my birthday. lol anyway. Most people don't take car of their cars so don't go by them, it sounds like you keep up with things so just keep doing that. Yeah, the day will come when something major breaks, then its not worth fixing and you move on. Does it still run okay, and any codes stored in the computer?
Thank you for your response.
1. You made a great point. It's probably just due to the age of the vehicle. I guess this Toyota is officially starting to get into the break-in process.
2. I haven't noticed any oil leaks or anything. I just remember seeing that if you use synthetic fluid instead of conventional fluid it's not really good for the engine. But I haven't noticed any issues. It runs just fine on synthetic fluid. I think it's a good idea to keep using it. I just wanted to get an expert opinion on it.
3. The car runs perfectly fine. It's never broken down on me in my life. Very strong engine. I did figure out it was the alternator bearing but it's just gonna make a small ticking noise every once in a while. It doesn't cause any harm to the engine. If the alternator goes bad or something I'll just end up replacing it. I don't have any codes in my car and the check engine light has never came on. I'll just try and maintain the car as best as I can till it dies.
Yup, just keeping up with maintenance is key. You may experience some valvetrain noise but that's expected at this point.
- Well they are just gas huh? You just have to drive slow and not take off too fast, but they're only going to get a certain gas mileage. That's one of the reasons they're not so popular. They can last long time. I personally would use synthetic fluid and change it every five. But with the mileage that you have changing, the certainly going to be worn, it's going to make some noises. You might start thinking about looking for another vehicle if you don't want to spend big money on Andrew and repairs in the future
Thank you for your feedback.
FYI, no laundry lists please. One question per post are the forum rules. Thanks.
I apologize for that. I didn't know that until now.