City driving I have it on most of the time but on the highway I turn it off. With the SC- I don't need to jump into OD unless towing or in the mtns. I can't believe the crappy mileage that some you get. I almost always get 300 miles + to a tank. What size tank does the 2nd generation Runner/Taco have?

 

DON,T KNOW MUCH ABOUT ECTs BUT I GOT JESUS!!

 

I'm planning to hardwire mine "ON" The only time it gets shut off is by accident.

 

After reading this post i tried drving some with mine on, didnt notice any negatives but did notice it seemed a little more peppy, and when slowing down for a speed bump then hitting the gas after the bump it didnt do that annoying/rough downshift like it used to do. Anyone know of any reasons why not to drive with it on, anything detrimental possibly?

 

I remember reading somewhere that towing should be done with Power "Off". The reasoning was that a freewheeling torque converter in the "On" position generates more damaging heat than a locked converter in the "Off" position. You can still climb about as well by manually downshifting with the gear selector.

 

Thats funny, I was always under the impression you towed with power on and od off. I dont tow so its no biggie for me, but if driving normally with the power on isnt bad ills tick with it because it drives better IMO.

 

Yeah I will probably end up using it again...I've always been scared of high RPM's though, when I have ECT on it usually breaks 4 - 4.5k all the time...but if that doesn't hurt anything then I'll leave it on and just bite the bullet at the pump.

Fink

 

i use ECT most of the time. seems to get slightly better mileage ON and has alot more OOMph, too. i usually get about 230 mile when the light comes on. i towed my jetski once with OD on and ECT on and my trans hump/console got HOT!

 

Are you sure that your mileage got BETTER with the ECT ON? That would be amazing...maybe I need to do some more research with mine!

Fink

 

yup. for about the 1st year i had it (2nd owner) i never used ECT and i used to get about 220 to the light. maybe it just has to do with the way we drive out here. mind you, the RPMs are the same at final cruise speed, so ECT is just about getting me up to speed. i rarely cruise faster than 82. mostly in the 65-80 range. maybe that's why.

 

I have a problem When i go to press The ECT botton on my tacoma It wont Turn on the light on the button is on but on the odometer the light that says ECT Power doesnt turn on. If any one can help me with this i would really apriciate it.

 

Per the manual, I use mine for towing up through the mountains, or when some young buck in a Ford sitting next to me at a stop light gets just a little too smug about what he thinks he's going to do when it turns green and his lane ends 50 feet past the light. Other than that, it stays off, as the gas drain is too much. Someone asked the fuel tank size... 18.3 gallons US on the '02 Taco... about 250 mi/tank around town... 200 w/ ECT on for a whole tank, and best yet was 410 miles out of a tank... that was a straight shot on the highway on a road trip when she was new. Will have to wait til summer to get another good run like that. In the meantime I'll settle for 275-300 in 4H the whole way, and about 220 if the sleds are chasing me on the trailer.

 

Always On

 

brewerbs i guess thats your 4runner drinking the gas? it definately makes it a little easier to accelerate and whatnot, but gas mileage sucks. in the manual it says "for ordinary driving, toyota recommends using the "norm" mode to improve fuel economy". i dont understand how you could get better gas mileage...?

 

i left it on 24/7 for like 3 months and notice a decrease of not more than 1 mpg...

 

question....I'm towing a 6'x12' trailer loaded down from florida to virginia. Should I leave the ECT on and OD off or just use the OD off and no ECT? I know towing with a load damages the tranny if you have the OD on.

 

Only when I'm feelin' saucy!

 

Do you notice any difference in your shifting when you press the button? It may still be working but the light just might not be coming on for whatever reason.
If it still works, personally I wouldn't worry about the light. If it doesn't, it'd probably best to take it in and have Toyota check it out since it's computer-related.

 

I keep my ETC off all the time...I average 320 miles per tank, thats from topped off until the gas light comes on.....

I think the whole towing thing would be less confusing if the owners manual told you what too do....

I do know the manual says while towing to maintain engine braking turn O/D off....

So too whoever asked about towing from Virginia too Florida if you just watch your braking distance I'd keep the O/D on while towing on the highway at speeds +60mph just to keep the engine RPM's below 4000....and the ETC doesnt really matter towing long distances at high speeds because all your doing is changing the shift points, you'll be in O/D 98% of your trip so it wont effect you...if you were just towing around town in stop and go traffic then I'd turn the O/D off and the ETC on...

 

I only average 220 with my 3.4
I think my truck hates me.