1st get 01 sequoia fuel mileage, and other stuff.

Hey! First time posting here. Just want other people's thoughts and opinions.

I am an Entry-Level ASE Certified Tech, I am still learning, so please don't just call me stupid. Please, feel free to tell me if I am wrong, if you do, please tell me why as well, I am still in training.

I just bought a 2001 Toyota Sequoia 2WD Limited - Decent Enough condition.
The previous owner put on 33"s (really 32.6"s but close enough,) and they are too wide for the front without wheel spacers (LT285/75R16.)
They rub bad (I already hammered the pinch weld back to keep them from being completely torn up until i can get other tires,) and turning radius sucks, also afraid if I turn too far they will bend the control arms (without spacers.)
Does anyone know the exact size of tire that won't rub without spacers, I've been looking and there seems to be alot of debate on it.

As it also stands the previous owner put 1.5" or 2" strut spacers on the front, I plan to remove these as I don't like the squated look at all and plan to eventually put on a full 1" lift kit.

Now to my real issue.
It was getting 9.8 MPG, I fixed all of the vacuum leaks, now 11.2 MPG.
And yes, I realize that this is a V8 and was going to get garbage as milage from the start.
Of course the big lumpy V8 is a gas guzzler, but right now.. It feels like it's drinking it faster then I can put it in the tank.
It's supposed to be at 14 MPG, no?


--This vehicle has straight piped catalytic converters. With no modifications to the downstream O2 Sensors.--

It also has a cherry bomb glasspack in place of the bulky muffler.
It is idling around 1,250 RPM at operating temperature (closed loop.)
First on a warm start, 1,400-1,500 RPM on open loop, then goes up to 1,800 RPM after switching to closed loop to get to operating temperature.
Then 2,550 RPM on full cold start (haven't checked loop status yet,)
These are values when in park or neutral.

Those Engine RPM seem excessive to me.

My guess?
"Too much fuel, caused by the downstream O2 sensors when it goes into closed loop. Fix? Needs a tune."

Also oil pressure goes above the 2nd hash mark on a cold start. (I believe this is normal because of the high idle.)

The pcv valve has never been replaced, (280k-ish miles) this would also explain the minor oil leaks from the valve cover gaskets.
I haven't taken it off yet to see if it rattles or not (stuck,) and I'm not interested, it's waaay past time for it to be replaced anyway.
After I replace the pcv valve then I'll do the valve cover gaskets, I have the gaskets rn, but I think if I replace them it will start leaking from somewhere else, or the valve cover again, so I'm gonna wait until I get the valve.

ANYWAY, when running I can smell it running rich, it stinks up the whole neighborhood. Also a bit dangerous with all of the fumes if I don't have recirculation for the A/C on.
I'm looking for a stage 1 flash/plug & play tune to get it back to the right 14.7 mix, or at least in the ballpark, fix the O2 sensors, and turn off my check engine light (codes from the downstream sensors) as I am tired of looking at and smelling it.
I have been looking at one and need opinions if it actually works, I'm not in the market for snake oils.
I have linked it below:

https://www.performancechiptuning.c...module-obd2-for-toyota/?revpage=2#tab-reviews

Another issue,
When sitting in gear with the brake applied, like at a stop light, idle drops to around 800 RPM
(I haven't done a stall test yet, afraid the excessive stress will blow up the trans)
Whenever the idle drops that low the oil pressure gauge almost bottoms out, but barely just above it.
I have not been able to check oil pressure with a scan tool.
I have attached a photo, this is not my oil pressure gauge, (or gauge cluster) just an example.

The red line is where it sits when idling in gear (or maybe just a hair above that.)
The blue line is where it sits when the key is in the off position.

Because of this, I believe it's time for a new oil pump soon.
Although I could be wrong. Maybe the filter is cloging up, (yes, i know about the bypass valve) as it is pretty old, the oil was just changed tho, at least that's what the seller told me, condition of the oil on the dipstick backs this up. However the filter looks old and was not replaced with the oil change.
I have 7qts and a filter in the back rn just waiting on a drain pan.

I can't really complain when I got this thing for $1.3k, besides, I knew it had issues.
Oklahoma btw, so not worried about emissions standards. There are none here.

Oh, also I did an induction service with 16oz of seafoam to clean the valves, I had 3 gallons of gas left in the tank afterwards and put 3oz of seafoam into the gas tank to clean injectors, then 1oz into the engine oil to clean inside. I did all of these at separate times. And it has been awhile since the induction and gas treatments, there is no more in the system.
It has been only 7 miles since I put it in the oil, I'll change the oil around 10-15 miles, or right after I get the drain pan.

!I AM NOT ADVERTISING!​

 

Photos of the "new to me" car, also older than I am lol.

 

I think you’re barking up thhe right tree with the o2 sensors.

i dont think i’d trust that ‘tune’ company, but if it works, let us know. I dont know of any tuning available for the pre-vvti engines.

also keep OD off below 50-55mph, if you have the mpg display on the overhead console you’ll notice it gets better milage in 3rd gear lockup (i think it locks @ 40mph) well, i guess skew all that to higher speeds to compensate for the larger tires.

the oil pressure gauges are notoriously low on these trucks, i ran across west texas at 100mph & it seems to have made my gauge run a little higher, but i dont know why.

 

Welcome aboard! I would agree with mr5 also, probably those O2 sensors got you running rich. It’s the primary cause of poor mpg in these in my opinion. Probably contributes to your high idle as well.

Other things you mentioned:
Oil pump- don’t bother replacing, your gauge looks to be operating normally.
PCV- worth replacing to ensure it’s operating properly since it likely has never been replaced. As far as the valve cover gasket leaks, probably need new gaskets.
Tires- no debate here. Run the factory 265/70/16 size and you’ll be golden. Bigger tires that may fit with your moderate lift? 265/75/16 (cheap and plentiful) or 275/70/16 (not very common).

 

The oil pressure gauges are low on these? That's really interesting actually, I wonder why?
I have been putting it in neutral at lights because I was afraid of starving the top end of enough oil I guess I don't need to do that. Thank you!
Also I have been debating on whether I want to take it to a professional to get the fuel mapping looked at.
But, one, money is an issue. And two, the only thing I want is less fuel in the cylinder, so I figured a plug chip would be fine.
Thank you for the response that's was very helpful, actually!
Also, what is with the OD, is it known for slipping?

 

I actually was thinking about just putting the stocks back on, but I actually really like the look of an ever so slightly taller tire. It's grown on me.
So, I was thinking about some 275/70/16, really my biggest issue here is I want smaller spacers. I quite dislike rocks being flung into my window on the highway. Instead of the 2" ones I have now I was gonna down size to a 1" or a 1.5" I need less swing on them when turning, otherwise it just goes straight into the pinch weld. Having an issue where the front passenger rubs slightly on the subframe when at left lock, so I need thinner tires, I believe this is also somewhat caused by the current spacers.

 

3rd gear doesnt lockup in D, but if you turn off OD, 3rd gear does lock up.

in D, i think 4th locks up around 45mph, but at such a low rpm you have to be very gentle with the throttle to keep it locked.

 

Ahh, so it's right on the shifting point, that makes sense.
So it's constantly reving up and down as it switches between 3/4, RPM is just all over the place thus consuming fuel.
I have noticed when going up hill in my town it tries to do it it 4th drops to 1000 then revs to the moon to switch to 3rd, then back to 4 and rpm go back down again. Speed limit is 45....
I thought I was having issues with my torque converter...
Glad to know trans work isn't in my very near future.

I only noticed this because my exhaust is loud

 

Check your trans mount bolts. 2wd’s seem to loosen over time. & dont swap all the atf at once, most folks here drain & fill over time.

here’s some good bathroom reading material to get you started.
https://www.tundras.com/threads/so-...-1st-gen-tundra-eh.115928/page-8#post-3942623

 

I knew about some of this specifically the dex3 and power steering fluid, as I have access to ALLDATA, very handy!

And I knew about the lower ball joints, first thing I did was take it to a toyota dealer and made them fix the recall before I drove it home. Even though I knew about it something really stupid happened.
If I may mention, little damage, no one hurt, we just laughed it off.
The tire fell off lol. Props to toyota for making a brake rotor strong enough that it can convert into an emergency wheel. XD
Those are the two people that were in the car with me.
Replaced the rotors, I inspected it, nothing bent, took it back to toyota, they did inspection, everything seemed fine.
I have to say, I definitely got lucky.
The only thing that is to this day damaged is the corner panel, I shoulder bashed it back in place.
After the incident.

After fixing stuff

 

Confusing post. So you had the ball joints replaced under the recall and they failed anyway?

 

No, it was my fault completely. I under torqued the wheel spacers. Dumb rookie mistake, and I got hella lucky.

 

Ouch.