Will it increase my gas milage?

Question

I'm thinking about changing the spark plugs, wires, and fuel filter. What effect (if any) will this have on my Tacoma?

Answer 1

Yes it will help,especially if you have over 75 or 100 thousand miles on them,most important is your air filter,this is where you can loose mileage if it is clogged up.your engine needs air to mix with the gas and if it is clogged up it has to suck more gas to make up for the air loss.

Answer 2

There is something definably wrong with the way your car is operating unless your trips are less than about 5 miles in town. If your driving is short trips it can't be helped - we canna change the laws of physics. The EPA estimate for the 2000 Grand Prix GT (3.8L N/A, regular gas) is 17 city. That sort of loss of fuel economy gets me thinking about brakes dragging - which lowers freeway fuel economy as much - or a thermostat that is hanging open, which is less important on the freeway. The thermostat is easy to check. Start the engine when it is cold and feel the upper radiator hose periodically as the engine warms up. The hose should stay cold or at least cool as the engine warms up, then rather suddenly become hot when the engine reaches operating temperature. If you do have to replace the thermostat be sure to use an OEM model even if you have to get it from the dealer. Aftermarket thermostats are such junk I once went through three of them before I bought one from the dealer - it worked perfectly. For the tank I recommend buying a tank or two of top tier gasoline. There are lots of economy brands in the list in the second source but the very cheapest brands on the street are non-top tier. The difference in detergency is striking; I have had stumbling engines straighten out within 100 miles when I started trying top tier gasoline. All gasoline is basically the same when it is delivered to the station but top tier retailers have to add significantly more detergent to keep their certification. With your fuel costs I'm sure you have been using the very cheapest, but even cheap top tier gas every third tank can save you money. You could use fuel injector cleaner but it is not only less effective at controlling deposits it even costs more.

Answer 3

If the old plugs and wires are bad maybe you'll see a change. An air filter is a common cause of bad mileage. Large or under inflated tires are another big source of bad mileage.

Answer 4

yes those will make your engine run more efficently, a few other things you can do, upfraded intake such as a cold air intake, and a throttle body spacer if available both of those make it easier for air to get in your engine and makes good MPG. I did both to my car and went from about 280 miles to a tank to over 300. Also your 02 sensor is very important changing those is very good way to increase your mpg

Answer 5

If will help if your old plugs and filter have seen several tens of thousands of miles of use. I would not normally expect it to make a huge difference, but it should improve it slightly.

Answer 6

yes it should. Kind of depends on what shape your spark plug harness is in. Its always good to replace your fuel filter.

Answer 7

Of course it will, if they need to be changed. One tip I heard On CNN. On freeways where the speed limit is higher, driving 60 instead of 70 will save 23% in gas!

Answer 8

Probably very minor unless they are really old.

In my 2nd car, I used to replace all of those every 10 to 15k miles. Truly, I never really noticed any difference after.

Just stick with whatever is called out in the maintenance schedule.

Answer 9

yeah it will- especially the air filter. but not by a huge amount though. and only if you buy quality products. iridium plugs are a must also... look it up...

Answer 10

Slow down to 55 MPH is the biggest improvement you can do.