NEW (to me) 2007 LS460L US Spec in Ukraine.

jdanielca · July 23, 2018

Hi

I'm a Canadian guy I live in Western Ukraine. Recently bought a 07 US Spec LS460L had it checked out looked good no issues. I have had the car less than a month. Other than driving it back from Kyiv I have had only city driving on mostly horrible cobblestone streets. Since I have been recording my mileage I have only had city driving plus one of town for about 120km total round trip. My mpg is horrible. I am getting about 23L/100KM.

I've googled and they list of things to check is as follows:

Dirty Oxygen Sensor: An oxygen sensor measures exactly how rich or lean the exhaust gases are when they leave the combustion chamber. The data is used by the vehicle computer to adjust the amount of fuel entering the engine. If the sensor is dirty or failing it can lead to a drop in miles per gallon. It can also lead to failed emission tests and a rough idle.
Dirty Fuel Injectors: Fuel injectors spray fuel into the cylinders where it is mixed with air and ignited. Over time the fuel injector system can become clogged. This can lead to a drop in fuel efficiency as well as slow acceleration and the car not having enough power. If caught early, simply cleaning the injectors can solve the problem. As it progresses, the injectors may have to be replaced.
Bad or Dirty Spark Plugs: Spark plugs ignite the fuel in the combustion chamber. If they are dirty or working incorrectly, it can cause the engine to misfire, leading to poor engine performance. This can lead to a lack of power as well as a big decline in fuel efficiency.
Malfunctioning Mass Airflow Sensor: A mass airflow sensor detects the amount of air coming into the fuel injection system. It delivers that information to the vehicle's computer, which crunches the numbers and then delivers the proper amount of fuel to the air in the vehicle. A dirty airflow sensor will degrade fuel efficiently and lead to a rough idle and even stalling as the problem progresses.
Misaligned Tires: Tires that are low or out of alignment can lead to a drop in fuel efficiency. Checking the tire pressure and have the alignment checked on regular basis can help prevent this problem.
Defective Fuel Pump: Fuel delivery issues can drastically affect fuel efficiency. The fuel pump pulls fuel from the gas tank to the fuel injectors. The fuel pump can become clogged or malfunction. A bad fuel pump can lead to a rough running engine because it is not getting enough fuel. This will lead to a decline in gas mileage. If this issue is not addressed it will lead to a rough, idle, sputtering and stalling.
Clogged Fuel Filter: A clogged fuel filter will also cause problems with gas mileage. The fuel filter screens out contaminants in the fuel, and over time it will become clogged. Fuel filters need to be replaced periodically.
Stuck Brake Caliper: A stuck caliper on a disc brake or a stuck shoe on a drum brake can lead to a serious decline in gas mileage. In addition, any brake issue can make the vehicle dangerous to drive. If the decline in efficiency is accompanied by the vehicle pulling to one side, the brake system should be inspected immediately.

Anything else you guys can chime in with would be appreciated. If there is anyone else in Ukraine who can provide advise on specific products to use.. in the US forums the recommend Techron fuel system cleaner but I do not know if I can get it here, might have better luck with a German or European product so recommendations would be appreciated.

THANKS!

NemesisUK · July 23, 2018

The official EPA city fuel figures are 18 mpg = 13.07 L/100km so your 23 isn't that unexpected?

Ben01 · July 23, 2018

19 minutes ago, NemesisUK said:

23 isn't that unexpected

23 LITRES per 100km is unexpected vs. 13l/100km, indeed. Or lets say 16/100km in my mind for 4.3 or 4.6 in real ukrainian city on ukrainian petrol, not EPA ideas.

Jay, find any decent garage with OBD2 diagnostics capabilities (any brand, audi, merc toyota specialists), they could read the errors (codes) from engine control system, next back with this list of errors here, next we will braining.

Farqui · July 23, 2018

Your fuel consumption does seem a little high, when was the vehicle last serviced?

Has it been well maintained until now e.g. plugs changed at defined interval, etc?

How about a sticky caliper (or two, or more!)?

Ben01 · July 23, 2018

I think to achieve 23l/100 (about 10mpg) LS needs much more than neglected maintenance, old plugs or sticky caliper or two, especialy if Jay said " looked good no issues". I expect hefty errors/failures, like MAF, O2 probes, throttle body, ignition, etc (and disconnected "check engine" and other warning lamps).

Second thought - I imagine one item from "neglected maintenance" could kills consumption like above, 100yr old air filter full of goo and unexperienced owner thinking 4000rev in the city ride is normal for V8.

jdanielca · July 24, 2018

Hi guys thanks for the responses, the car was brought to a garage for checking, there were no error codes at that point, so they might have been cleared. I will check for codes again. Even if the check engine light lamp was disconnected do we have to physically look at this? upon start up it lights up like when you start your car all the lights on the dash flashup once no? So it cannot be disconnected. Let's see if there are any new error codes. I will post back. THANKS

Ben01 · July 24, 2018

1 hour ago, jdanielca said:

So it cannot be disconnected

There are "smarter" ways to do this than easy "disconnected" way. But if you had no codes and EML is blinking, lets presume everything was OK . Check the codes now, and check the air filter maybe, if not very wet or oily, etc, it's easiest possible check.

jdanielca · July 24, 2018

A friend with a reader came and checked the codes 0 problems except for steering wheel not imobilised when car is locked.. so I assume some immobilizer failure. Everything else reads fine. I shall check the filters today. I am also bringing it to a pro next week. For now I just wanted to check that theres no HUGE issue that would cause BIG problems if neglected.

Tulpen · July 24, 2018

I have the same year as you and I get an overall consumption of 10.3l/100km. There really is something not correct with your machine. Even in the city, I only use 13l/100km. I hope it is something simple and am amazed that the reader didn't throw up something. Have you tried ignoring the display figures and doing a full-to-full tank comparison?

In your part of the world, there are lots of 'non standard' things done to cars. Has it, for instance, had extra safety shields inserted in the doors? It might be an idea to get it weighed accurately.

jdanielca · July 24, 2018

those figures are from my comparison. but I have recorded figures again and will avoid filling the car till the light comes on and do another round of testing after I put techron and change air filters

desperatedano · July 25, 2018

What size wheels/tyres are you on? I noticed my speedo is off my 20kmh at 100kmh currently due to me being on a set of loaner BMW m3 wheels while I get my factory wheels refurbished.

Bluesman · July 25, 2018

I use Falken 225/60/16 which I believe are the correct ones for my car but at 70 mph the speedo on the sat nav which is far more accurate shows 64/65 mph.

Malc · July 26, 2018

8 hours ago, Bluesman said:

I use Falken 225/60/16

Looking at sometime soon replacing my Maxxis tyres and discovered that besides these wonderful Falkens no longer being made in our size, neither are the Maxxis now !

Malc

Bluesman · July 26, 2018

4 hours ago, Malc said:

Looking at sometime soon replacing my Maxxis tyres and discovered that besides these wonderful Falkens no longer being made in our size, neither are the Maxxis now !

Malc

That's a real shame. I had heard the Falkens that we are or were using as a direct replacement from the tyres being used by Lexus at the production stage of these wonderful cars.

Ben01 · July 26, 2018

60/16" profile is a bit unusual now for a car, but still is like a 100 models of 225/60/16 on the market... 🤨

ambermarine · July 26, 2018

I recently replaced my tyres with Firestone Turanza ER300 which were manufacturers fit on new 98 ls400 cars in the US.

They have proved to be very good and highly recommend them ,bought them online and they were shipped from Germany in about three days free the tyres were about £120.

Not available in the UK.

Ben01 · July 26, 2018

13 minutes ago, ambermarine said:

Firestone Turanza ER300 which were manufacturers fit on new 98 ls400 cars in the US

But guys, do you understand, you talk now about dreamy trust to any greedy manufacturers and investors, who move whole factories around the world every few years, looking for cheaper resources and workforce? What exactly Firestone Turanza AD2018 has in common with Turanza AD1998, I don't bet even factory spec is the same

(And maybe it is good, because in 1996 or 98 Firestones were not recognised as "good tyres", but as far as remember they were in connection with Japanese Bridgestone all time, so probably Firestones on LSes were not as bad as on Explorers etc.)

I don't trust any tyre name, brand or model historically, they change anything every few years, and I have a very bad experience on this ("give me very same dunlop/continental/michelin as on rims, but newer ones" and car was immediately undriveable or noisy or whatever). I trust only "fresh" opinions of users and pros in this business, and my own, of course 😉

Jake430 · July 26, 2018

OP drives a 460, a little different from a 400. Thread has gone off subject imho.

desperatedano · July 26, 2018

Back on track.

OP i would give it a full service if it hasn't been done

new spark plugs( oem iridium ones are preferred) or Denso equivalent( user manual has part numbers)

Oil/oil filter and air filters

Toyota fuel system cleaner

Disconnect Battery to reset ecu.

That would be a good place to start. All the above is not expensive and DIY capable.

ambermarine · July 26, 2018

4 hours ago, ambermarine said:

I recently replaced my tyres with Firestone Turanza ER300 which were manufacturers fit on new 98 ls400 cars in the US.

They have proved to be very good and highly recommend them ,bought them online and they were shipped from Germany in about three days free the tyres were about £120.

Not available in the UK.

Need to make a correction on this post the name of the tyre was Bridgestone not Firestone.

jdanielca · July 27, 2018

So heres an update: I realised that the previous owner filled it with 5W30 and i have no idea why... i have heard it being done on another forum too... WHY? What are they trying to accomplish?

Anyways I did 600+Km x 2 round trip from Lviv to Kyiv these past 2 days.. I must say on the highway it is a HUGE difference I only needed 1/2 a tank to do 600+km thats what 42L thereabout? My infiniti G35X 2008 back in the day which maxed out at 110kmph because you know canada... people do 160 or more here routinely lol I needed a full tank to do Ottawa to Toronto... which is 70+L...... so highway miles I am getting EPA numbers (more than 25mpg) but as soon as back in the city....especially this city....lol it is back to 11mpg haha I am hoping switching back to 0W20 syn and new spark plugs.. air filters etc etc will make it a bit better...

desperatedano · July 28, 2018

i run 5w30 in mine and the mpg is normal. My user manual says i can use it. it mentions 0w20 offers the best fuel effieciency. I dont have mine long so on next oil change ill try 0w20 to see how it affectts the mpg, if at all

jdanielca · July 28, 2018

oh does the manual say you can run 5w30? I need to read it again thanks for the heads up.

Ben01 · July 28, 2018

One way or another, even if you put 15W40 tarmac-quality Lukoil it is impossible to half a MPGs of this engine with it.

jdanielca · July 28, 2018

8 minutes ago, Ben01 said:

One way or another, even if you put 15W40 tarmac-quality Lukoil it is impossible to half a MPGs of this engine with it.

well did you read my post, clearly it is possible. if the car performs or exceeds EPA numbers on the highway and in the city it is 1/2 the EPA city numbers clearly there is nothing hugely wrong with the car but hugely wrong with the driving conditions.