Gas-guzzling Culprits 

Gas-guzzling Culprits

The cost of driving and maintaining a vehicle has never been higher than it is today. The high cost of gasoline makes it even more expensive to own even a small car. While we cannot control prices of fuel, we can do something about some things that add to our driving expenses (Thanks there are hybrids like Toyota Prius and Toyota Highlander but not everyone drives these so others have to look for ways to lessen fuel expenses).

Here are some of the gas-guzzling culprits in our car and things that we can do to prevent them from causing further damages:

* Under-inflated tires - under-inflated tires can reduce gas mileage up to 10 percent and not only that they can be the root cause of a major car accident when the tires (note: not defective but ignored by car owners and are low in pressure) eventually shred or blow out. You have to check the tire pressure regularly and make sure the tires are well inflated.

* Dirty or clogged air and fuel filters – Dirty air filters obstruct clean air from passing through for the engine. This makes things harder for the engine. In effect, the engine easily wears out and gas mileage is reduced to up to 20%. You need to change air filters regularly (see the owner’s manual for recommendations). Likewise, dirty fuel filters may allow dirt to contaminate fuel system and cause damages to the engine.

* Worn out spark plugs – Similar to dirty air filters, worn out spark plugs cause the engine to perform poorly. Poor engine performance can lead to a 12% loss in gas mileage. It is advisable to replace spark plugs and wires every 50,000 to 60,000 miles to achieve maximum engine performance.

* Cracked distributor cap or rotor – this reduces engines performance and similarly decrease gas mileage. It must be replaced if corroded.

* Faulty oxygen sensor – oxygen sensor tells the computer how much fuel is needed by the engine. If worn out, this must be replaced immediately.

* Dirty fuel injectors – you should add fuel injector to the gas tank every 5,000 miles for more engine performance. Dirty fuel injectors cause hesitation and lack of power.

* Faulty PCV valves – faulty PCV valves causes the engine to breathe poorly and thus, reduces its efficiency. Replace the valves as recommended in your owner’s manual.

* Dirty motor oil – you should change oil every 3,000 miles or at least every three months to ensure good engine performance all the time.

Driving a well maintained car is perfect way to reduce fuel consumption and consequently reduce driving costs. To help you maintain your Toyota car, you can go to Toyota Parts Online. This store is your number one resource of high quality Toyota parts that range from Toyota AC condenser to Toyota alternators, Toyota grilles, Toyota headlights, Toyota wheels, Toyota radiator fan and so much more.

Return to Main Page

Comments

Add Comment




On This Site

  • About this site
  • Main Page
  • Most Recent Comments
  • Complete Article List
  • Sponsors

Search This Site


Syndicate this blog site

Powered by BlogEasy


Free Blog Hosting