Poor gas mileage?

Tiny
SHYLAJENNINGS
  • MEMBER
  • 2009 TOYOTA COROLLA
  • 1.8L
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 194,000 MILES
My car has been experiencing poor gas mileage pretty much since I’ve got it. I got it used off Facebook marketplace which I know is probably already a red flag but it’s all I could get. It has no check engine lights, and no lights on the dashboard besides a tire pressure light, which is just faulty. It drives perfectly fine transmission shifts perfect sounds perfect. Gets regular oil changes and everything it used to have kind of a rough low idle, but for some reason, it has randomly gone away. I’m not sure why I have done a lot of things to try to fix this gas mileage. I’ve changed my fuel injectors I’ve used fuel additives. I’ve cleaned the MAF sensor. I’ve cleaned the throttle body. I’ve changed the PCV valve. I’ve checked for vacuum leaks. All of my tires are at the correct psi. I’ve checked the air filter. I’ve changed the spark plugs. I have done all this and have not seen an increase in miles per gallon. I’m getting around 20 to 22 on the highway once again, my car drives perfect and shows no signs of any problems. The idling has gone away and now I’m just kind of stuck with this poor gas mileage. I brought it to a mechanic and paid $120 for them to tell me absolutely nothing and say they couldn’t find anything wrong. I have wasted my time, I’ve wasted money throwing parts at it money I don’t have trying to save more money on gas, I don’t know where to look next or what to do. My car is not misfiring. My car doesn’t have any smoke coming out as exhaust. My car is not shaking and appears to be in excellent condition as far as how it drives, but except for the gas mileage please if there’s someone who could help me figure this out because I got this car for liability number one and for its gas mileage number two so it’s been a real bummer not being able to get the full potential out of this car. I do all my work myself so if someone could please point me to the right direction or maybe it’s a common issue or experiencing the same thing, please let me know. Thank you.
Friday, June 20th, 2025 AT 7:30 PM

3 Replies

Tiny
CANNON1349
  • MECHANIC
  • 862 POSTS
Hello, thanks for your message. First, it's a great thing that you have done all of that maintenance. These cars will definitely last a long time as long as the maintenance is taken care of. Do you by chance have a scan tool that can read live data? If not, they are relatively inexpensive on Amazon for around $20.

See our article on scanning the system: https://www.2carpros.com/articles/can-scan-controller-area-network-easy

What I am interested in seeing is if there are any codes stored in the memory, and to see the live data numbers during idle, after all diagnostic checks are run by the computer. I would be interested in seeing the short term / long term fuel trim values and the EGR status. There is a possibility that the O2 sensors are fouled but not causing a check engine light, yet. There could also be a possibility of the EGR system not functioning properly or the catalytic converter becoming inefficient.

I would say worst case scenario, the fuel pump/filter would need to be inspected and/or swapped out. Though rare, sometimes I have replaced these with noticeable results, especially if the car has spent a long time sitting before being used regularly.

Please let me know,
William
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Sunday, June 22nd, 2025 AT 6:27 AM
Tiny
SHYLAJENNINGS
  • MEMBER
  • 6 POSTS
Thank you for responding! So I actually believe it does a stored code for p0607 for ecm the the light for it came on a few months ago and I figured it was because I was messing with the battery so I just cleared it. It hasn’t came back on since but I know it is stored so I’m not sure exactly what that’s about. I will say I had a code for the downstream O2 sensor and the problem was not my sensor. It was my air conditioning condenser leaking on the cords I cleared out my condenser drained it and it’s fine. It cleared immediately on its own and has it came back either and it was also a pending code. I have heard things about the EGR valve, but I haven’t really dove into it yet I might need to, but honestly like I said I don’t wanna keep just playing under the hood so I’m really just trying to see if there’s a way that I can find a solution without having to just fix and pray I will look into getting a live data scan tool i’ve actually been wanting one, but they are kind of expensive but you mentioned there is a $20 one is there anyway you can give me the name for that on Amazon? I’ve seen some but I’m wanting to see the short term in long-term fuel like you had mentioned and I’m not sure if the ones I’ve seen are capable of that I’m hoping it’s not fuel pump. I think I’d have more problems if it was but who knows thank you again.
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Tuesday, June 24th, 2025 AT 10:25 PM
Tiny
CANNON1349
  • MECHANIC
  • 862 POSTS
Hello,

Here is an example of a simple scan tool with live data: https://a.co/d/0ZWQkaa

If you had p0607 it could be an ECM issue, which can be a reason for poor gas mileage if it does not learn base values. We can double check this with the scan tool. If P0607 continues to appear then we would look at replacing the control module. Being a stored code means that the issue was confirmed and retained in the memory and will remain there until the computer sees that it is not recurring. They can be purchased preprogrammed in most cases. About O2 sensors, they can wear out from time and use, and become caked with carbon or deposits from burning foreign materials (like coolant, excess oil, etc.).

Hope this helps,
William
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Wednesday, June 25th, 2025 AT 7:57 PM

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