High RPMs 5,000 at 55-60 MPH?

SHWETANK

MEMBER
2012 TOYOTA CAMRY
4 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
96,000 MILES

Hi, I have the car listed above XLE. I recently got the alternator and serpentine belt changed. I trusted my mechanic, so I never questioned whatever he said.

Now, I noticed a few things:

1. The car requires very high RPMs (4-5,000) and gives a very low mpg (21) at gentle highway driving of 55-60 MPH. Earlier I easily used to get 35+ MPG on highways.
2. In city driving at 30-40 MPH, the RPMs are normal, but it feels like I need to press gas pedal more, especially from a complete stop at the red light. MPG is same (21), but this is normal for city driving.
3. Cruising Distance shown is suddenly way off the actual distance that the car can ride. For example, after I got the recent fill, the car showed that the causing distance is 440 miles. It never used to show more than 325 miles earlier.

The only thing I did differently was to get the gas filled from a different gas station.

I no longer trust the mechanic and I have no idea what to do either. Shall I talk to a different mechanic or go to an official dealership?

3 Replies

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
108,262 POSTS

Hi,

Since it seems to require more throttle to pull out and the RPMs are very high (too high) at highway speeds, it sounds like the vehicle is stuck in limp mode. Basically, it is only using one gear to help "limp" the vehicle to a safe place to stop. Don't drive it at that high of RPM for an extended period of time. It could cause engine damage.

Now, does the check engine light stay on when the engine is running? If it does, we need to have the computer scanned for diagnostic trouble codes. This will help point us in the right direction for repairs.

Here is a link that shows how to scan all the different modules at the same time:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/can-scan-controller-area-network-easy

Replacing the alternator and belt shouldn't have caused this to happen, so I'm not quite sure at this point. If you are unable to scan the computer yourself, most parts stores will do it free of charge.

Let me know if that is something you can have done.

Take care,

joe

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Sunday, August 6th, 2023 AT 11:20 PM

SHWETANK

MEMBER
2 POSTS

Hi, thanks for your reply.

I was driving in manual mode, 3rd or 4th gear, I do not remember exactly. It was really stupid of me. Everything turned fine that day when I entered the city, like it was a new vehicle.

Everything is fine once I changed to normal mode the next morning.

Now I hope that there is no serious damage to the engine because of that.

In case you are wondering, I do not drive that much (less than 5k miles per year) and very rarely on highways, so I did not notice it. But yes, it was really stupid.

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Monday, August 7th, 2023 AT 2:06 PM

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
108,262 POSTS

Hi,

Thank you for the update, and by no means is that stupid. Things like this happen to all of us. I'm sure the engine is fine. You would already know if it was damaged.

Take care of yourself and feel free to come back anytime in the future.

Joe

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Monday, August 7th, 2023 AT 2:15 PM