Fuel consumption TOO HIGH what do I do?

[DDC73]

I have just bought a used 2011 Kluger Grande AWD with 45k kms and am averaging 21.4L/100km!

I have done 170km since I purchased it, and filled it up with BP Ultimate 98 off an empty tank.

I have also filled each tire to 40psi each.

Could it be possible that the previous owner tempered with the regulation of the fuel system? , eg changing chips or settings for extra grunt for towing etc? .

Im interested to see how you go and what the service centre finds...........hope all can be sorted for you as they are GREAT cars to drive.

[TLong]

So I ended up getting $1400 worth of toyota servicing done, which shockingly didn't included the fuel filter, which still needs to get done and will cost another $900 evidently.

Ah the joy of buying used cars.....

My consumption is better, but that is likely a product of having driven on the highway since I got it serviced.

As this Kluger has no tow hitch, I think we can rule out changed chip settings for extra grunt.

They also reset the computer, but it's still showing that that car is consuming 30L/100km when idling

at the lights. Very strange.

I am going to manually calculate my mileage on this tank and will report back.

Just to reiterate, I don't drive hard or aggressively, so we can rule that out.

[11/16Aurion 12Kluger]

$1400 for a service?? Ouch !! I wonder what they did for that.. replace half the car?
But as you say Tim, that the joy of buying a used car.. it's previous life is a mystery.

Pay no attention the the consumption readout shown whilst idling. To get an accurate reading the input to the system must include fuel flow and vehicle motion. Simply, the car must be moving and moving for a reasonable distance.
When refuelled mine automatically returns to the maximum consumption figure and then gradually reduces as I drive.
I find the best indicator of highway consumption is to fill the tank at a servo near a freeway then take a look at the readout about 30-40 k after that. Several times I have had my 2012 2WD showing 7.0/100km and remained at that rate for well over 160km.
The worst it has returned was 14/100km but that was towing a caravan.
If you have been driving short distances around town for a fair while then it will take a long time for the average consumption to reduce once you hit the open road. Don't take too much notice of that read out, in fact I leave mine turned off.. it can become an obsession looking at it all the time.

If all is ok with the car and driven normally the consumption on an awd should be around 14 from what I have seen.

I cleaned the throttle body in mine a couple of days ago @ 32000k/m and it made a lot of difference.
My consumption was beginning to creep up and the performance was starting to drop off a little.

It is definitely worth doing every 15-30k/k... anyone can do it and the cleaner is cheap. No need to remove the air filter box... just undo the 2 clamps holding the large rubber tube to the throttle body, unclip a connector and vacuum hose and take it off. With the ignition OFF hold the butterfly valve open and give the inside a spray all around. Let that soak for 5 minutes then get your spray in there and this time give it plenty. The black carbon will wash away. You can get in there with a bit of cloth to help it but be careful not to drop anything down there.
If the spray can has a tube with it then use some good tape to fix it to the spray can as they can come off and fall in.

Apart from any abnormal wear or previous fiddling the only other possible cause could be low tyre pressure (36psi minimum), heavy load (don't carry a ton of tools around??) or driving style (which you know about).
I cannot imagine anyone modding the motor for more grunt as it had tons of that in standard form.

Edited April 28, 2015 by KX-R & ACV40R

[TLong]

Tires are at 40psi and I don't have anything heavy in the vehicle.

I will see about working on the throttle body.

What were you spraying it with?

[11/16Aurion 12Kluger]

Go to supercheap auto and get their 400g one for $6.29
DO TAPE the nozzle to the can... if it comes loose and goes down the throttle you wont be happy...

[TLong]

Thanks Barn.

[TLong]

Hi Barn, I followed your advice and cleaned the Throttle Body, and MAF for good measure.

Hard to say if it has/will made any difference.

The Throttle body was pretty clean, but I did wipe off a reasonable amount of black gunk.

Out of interest, I noticed my throttle body didn't close all the way, do you know if that is

normal? I could push with my finger and get the throttle body to go flush to the walls

of the chamber, but that's not how it normally sits.

I wonder if that could be my issue?

[TLong]

Just as an update for anyone interested, I can confirm that my RPM's when the Kluger is idling has gone down from 850 to 650 since I cleaned the throttle body and MAF (Mass airflow sensor).

The MAF is incredibly easy to clean and evidently you should do this after every filter change. The throttle body is a little more involved, but I did both in under an hour and have literally never done anything to a car engine before in my life.

[11/16Aurion 12Kluger]

Hi Tim,
Glad to hear you cleaned the TB .. the result is very noticeable hey?? :-)
Yes, it is normal for the butterfly valve to be partially open.
Make sure when cleaning the TB that you have the ignition off otherwise you could damage the cogs/motor inside it.
BTW.. there is no need to remove the air filter assy when doing this... just undo the two clamps on the large rubber tube, unclip any hoses & wires and take out the tube.
I did our 07 4cyl camry as well (90,000km) and it runs like brand new again.. sweet !!! :-)
Cheers M8

[TLong]

Hey Barn,

I can say now on a new tank of fuel that the difference after cleaning the Throttle Body and MAF is significant. Great advice!

Thanks for clarifying about the butterfly valve being open.

Again. Much appreciated.

T

[11/16Aurion 12Kluger]

Good to hear Tim :-) Thanks for the feedback.
I reckon cleaning it every 20,000k would not hurt.
Speaking with a dealer service manager recently and I asked if they do it during a service at any time and he said they rarely do...

[Speedz]

AWD model being a permanent AWD (not the on demand rubbish) means higher fuel consumption but hey in the wet you feel a lot more secure on the road. How I wish Toyota made those Hybrid models available here.

[Mr Lee]

BP 95 fuel gets me the best at around 12.9. Even BP 98 Ultimate does not give me that. Shell 95 is a close second with a similar number but is not consistent.

Tried most others with dismal results.

[11/16Aurion 12Kluger]

MrLee... Best of 12.9? Worst I have ever had was 14 and that was towing a caravan. City I get in the 10's and highway low 8's... it is a '12 2wd though.

[TLong]

I have stayed quiet on this topic for a couple of months as I have been collecting more data on my fuel consumption.

Unfortunately my findings are pretty disappointing.

Over the last 2 tanks of 95 octane Caltex fuel, with little to

no highway driving, I have manually calculated my fuel

consumption at 18.5L per 100km.

Again, I own a 2011 AWD Grande with no after market stuff that would negatively affect my results.

It's pretty awful results, but does reflect I live in a very hilly suburb and don't drive on the highway much.

So there is where I landed. Would be interested to hear

other AWD owners who see the same results.

[Mr Lee]

I have stayed quiet on this topic for a couple of months as I have been collecting more data on my fuel consumption.

Unfortunately my findings are pretty disappointing.

Over the last 2 tanks of 95 octane Caltex fuel, with little to

no highway driving, I have manually calculated my fuel

consumption at 18.5L per 100km.

Again, I own a 2011 AWD Grande with no after market stuff that would negatively affect my results.

It's pretty awful results, but does reflect I live in a very hilly suburb and don't drive on the highway much.

So there is where I landed. Would be interested to hear

other AWD owners who see the same results.

I have GSU45R AWD Grande 2007 with side steps, nudge bar, roof racks. Using Caltex fuel I was getting terrible results (even their premium)

I changed to BP 95 and it is way better. Do remember that if you start / stop and wait at lights often in your drive, the econo will start to creep up. Mine is on 13.9 this morning but traffic was a bit backed up (Adelaide backed up that is)

Cheers

[Mr Lee]

MrLee... Best of 12.9? Worst I have ever had was 14 and that was towing a caravan. City I get in the 10's and highway low 8's... it is a '12 2wd though.

Yep, AWD are thirsty compared to 2WD. My worst was 18.

12.9 is suburb and city fringe in Adelaide. On highway for say 3 hour drive I normally see high 9's

[TLong]

I have stayed quiet on this topic for a couple of months as I have been collecting more data on my fuel consumption.

Unfortunately my findings are pretty disappointing.

Over the last 2 tanks of 95 octane Caltex fuel, with little to

no highway driving, I have manually calculated my fuel

consumption at 18.5L per 100km.

Again, I own a 2011 AWD Grande with no after market stuff that would negatively affect my results.

It's pretty awful results, but does reflect I live in a very hilly suburb and don't drive on the highway much.

So there is where I landed. Would be interested to hear

other AWD owners who see the same results.

I have GSU45R AWD Grande 2007 with side steps, nudge bar, roof racks. Using Caltex fuel I was getting terrible results (even their premium)

I changed to BP 95 and it is way better. Do remember that if you start / stop and wait at lights often in your drive, the econo will start to creep up. Mine is on 13.9 this morning but traffic was a bit backed up (Adelaide backed up that is)

Cheers

Hi Mervin,

Out of curiosity, what RPM's does your engine idle at?

Mine idles at just under 750rpms, which seems high, but

might be totally normal.

[Mr Lee]

Hi Mervin,

Out of curiosity, what RPM's does your engine idle at?

Mine idles at just under 750rpms, which seems high, but

might be totally normal.

Haven't taken notice. I will check and post here. 750 sounds about right

[Mr Lee]

TLong,

See Idle Pic below:

Cheers

I have stayed quiet on this topic for a couple of months as I have been collecting more data on my fuel consumption.

Unfortunately my findings are pretty disappointing.

Over the last 2 tanks of 95 octane Caltex fuel, with little to
no highway driving, I have manually calculated my fuel
consumption at 18.5L per 100km.

Again, I own a 2011 AWD Grande with no after market stuff that would negatively affect my results.

It's pretty awful results, but does reflect I live in a very hilly suburb and don't drive on the highway much.

So there is where I landed. Would be interested to hear
other AWD owners who see the same results.

I have GSU45R AWD Grande 2007 with side steps, nudge bar, roof racks. Using Caltex fuel I was getting terrible results (even their premium)

I changed to BP 95 and it is way better. Do remember that if you start / stop and wait at lights often in your drive, the econo will start to creep up. Mine is on 13.9 this morning but traffic was a bit backed up (Adelaide backed up that is)

Cheers

Hi Mervin,

Out of curiosity, what RPM's does your engine idle at?

Mine idles at just under 750rpms, which seems high, but

might be totally normal.

[TLong]

Thanks Mervin. Same as mine. I can rule that out then. Much appreciated.

[1badkiwi]

You will get more km out of 91 or 98 octane, 98 being the best. In my opinion 95 is a waste of money.

[Mr Lee]

You will get more km out of 91 or 98 octane, 98 being the best. In my opinion 95 is a waste of money.

Many of us have tried all combinations, including a mixture 60% 91RON 40% 98RON. For me 95 works best on my Kluger. 98 is just burning $$.

This may be different for other vehicles but the Kluger is special when it comes to fuel consumption.

[nicco45]

On 8/14/2009 at 11:50 PM, Toyopet said:

Hi there tpham,

I think there are two answers here. 1) City driving and 2) your wife.

I usually get around 12L / 100km with urban driving (somwhere in between city and country conditions) and have only achieved under 10L / 100km once with mainly country driving. The closer to the city and the more stop/start or heavy traffic driving, the worse your fuel consumption is going to be.

I always find that my wife gets worse fuel consumption than me. I notice that she is quicker on the take-off and does not "read" the traffic or signals ahead like I do. So she uses the brakes a lot more and is less likely to achieve a rolling start at an intersection. I guess this is why her fuel consumption is poor.

How are your tyre pressures? I keep mine in the high 30's

Oil change and fuel type? I don't know as I haven't tried.

Good luck.....

Hi, i run 40psi in my Brigestone tyres, recommended by the Service manager & Bridgestones. i get an average of 10-12 in the city, and average 8-9 on the highway/Freeway.

[Carweck]

Hi all, 

new to the forum, I was reading this post and thought I'd add to it.

I've just brought a 07 Kluger Grande And for the wife. I'm a Nissan/ Holden man but it was for her and I really love it, it's nice to drive and goes well, can't fault it except for the fuel consumption! It sits on around 13.5L/100 around town which I think is ok, however we have done a bit of mixed driving including the highway and it was a struggle to even get 400kms out of the tank and we weren't driving it hard. What's really sad is I traded in our Hsv Avalanche which is heavier at just over 2 ton and V8 of course which sat at 17L /100 constantly and yet almost the same size tank we could squeeze 400kms out of. 

Just wondering what others are actually getting out of a tank, i will clean the Tb etc to see if it helps,

cheers guys