Gas Mileage Advice - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Nehkara · 12-13-2007, 10:25 AM

Hello CP!

I drive a gorgeous

white 1989 Honda Civic DX 4-door sedan. It has 185000 km on it.

In the summer, in the city, I usually get ~450 km from a 35 litre fill. Which works out to 7.78 litres/100 km. This winter, in the city, my mileage has gotten significantly worse, dropping well off to 11.67 litres/100 km or ~300 km from a 35 litre fill.

I was wondering if, in the opinion of my fellow CPers, I should talk to my mechanic about this or if it is probably normal.

Thanks in advance.

Aeneas · 12-13-2007, 10:29 AM

No expert, but that looks to be too big of a drop to attribute to excessive idling associated with winter driving.

maverickeastwood · 12-13-2007, 10:32 AM

Your mileage will drop in the winter (warming up, spinning at slippery intersections, etc). I would say it's normal, depending on your driving habits. The only thing I would do is look at a tuneup for your vehicle if it hasn't been done recently...nothing worse than your car breaking down when the wind is blowing and it's 30 below.

Don't feel too bad about your mileage...my pickup gets about 20 mpg on the highway and 13 in town. I gotta have my 4x4.

4X4 · 12-13-2007, 10:32 AM

Are you on top of your regular maintenance? Little things like air filters and sensors can significantly affect mileage.

ken0042 · 12-13-2007, 10:35 AM

Also, are you filling your tank each time to determine how much gas you are using? Or are you putting in $35 worth and seeing to what point on the gauge it takes you?

maverickeastwood · 12-13-2007, 10:46 AM

Maybe it's just me, but I've found different brands of fuel last a bit longer than others. Petro Can and Esso are OK.

Nehkara · 12-13-2007, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ken0042

Also, are you filling your tank each time to determine how much gas you are using? Or are you putting in $35 worth and seeing to what point on the gauge it takes you?

I fill every time. I use my trip odometer to measure how many kilometers I get from a fill.

return to the red · 12-13-2007, 10:47 AM

probably a stupid question and I'm sure you have thought of it but do you start your car up and let it heat up on cold days?

Nehkara · 12-13-2007, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4X4

Are you on top of your regular maintenance? Little things like air filters and sensors can significantly affect mileage.

Note sure about sensors... I did take my car to my mechanic in November and had him look it over. He did a minor service/tune up. Air filter is less than a month old.

I think I will mention my decrease in mileage the next time I speak with him... just wanted to see what the consensus was.

Nehkara · 12-13-2007, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by return to the red

probably a stupid question and I'm sure you have thought of it but do you start your car up and let it heat up on cold days?

I do, of course, but I didn't think it would burn that much gas to let my car warm up for 10 minutes.

ricosuave · 12-13-2007, 10:50 AM

dont forget to check tire pressure as well, that can have an effect.

btw, when i had a crx si, i was getting 550 on the same tank, so it sounds like something is up.

just saw the post, are you still using phil?

Nehkara · 12-13-2007, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ricosuave

dont forget to check tire pressure as well, that can have an effect.

btw, when i had a crx si, i was getting 550 on the same tank, so it sounds like something is up.

just saw the post, are you still using phil?

I am.

maverickeastwood · 12-13-2007, 11:08 AM

letting your car idle for 10 minutes = how far you can drive in 5 minutes roughly. Plug in the block heater and a 30 second warmup and ur good to go.

burn_this_city · 12-13-2007, 11:11 AM

Its mostly due to idling and the fact your engine cools down quickly in this weather.. If it was warmer outside your engine would remain hot for much longer and would run more efficiently when running errands or making short trips. I found that because I idle my truck for about 10 mins a day and it takes a while to warm the engine to operating temp I get about 30% worse mileage compared to the summer.. Its a brand new truck so I doubt its due to lack of maintenance...

Ironhorse · 12-13-2007, 11:24 AM

In addition to idling / "warming up", with winter gasoline blends your mileage goes down a bit.

automaton 3 · 12-13-2007, 11:30 AM

Mileage does go down a bit in winter for the reasons others have noted, but that 's a pretty big drop.

Does it start ok? Does it idle/ run fine? Have you noticed a reduction of power or hesitation? Is it blowing smoke? If so what colour?

When was the last time you had a tune-up? Have a look at your air cleaner and pull a sparkplug and have a look. It could also be your plug wires, fuel filter, O2 sensor, ect. If that car has a distributor (probably does at that year, many of the new ones don't) you should also check your cap and rotor.

Lot of questions, but these are just some of the possibilities. With a good manual and some basic tools you can investigate most of these things yourself.

Nehkara · 12-13-2007, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by automaton 3

Mileage does go down a bit in winter for the reasons others have noted, but that 's a pretty big drop.

Does it start ok? Does it idle/ run fine? Have you noticed a reduction of power or hesitation? Is it blowing smoke? If so what colour?

When was the last time you had a tune-up? Have a look at your air cleaner and pull a sparkplug and have a look. It could also be your plug wires, fuel filter, O2 sensor, ect. If that car has a distributor (probably does at that year, many of the new ones don't) you should also check your cap and rotor.

Lot of questions, but these are just some of the possibilities. With a good manual and some basic tools you can investigate most of these things yourself.

Recently (past few months) it has had some issues. A few times it was hesitant to start, although it was did. It idles fine when it is warmed up, when it is cold it idles rough and sounds at times like it is going to stall but it never does. When it is cold it is hesitant and lacks power, when it warms up that improves a lot. It has more exhaust than some of the newer vehicles around me but it is just white exhaust so I didn't think much of it.

I had a tune-up recently but, as always happens, all of these issues disappeared as soon as I got my car to my mechanic so I'm not sure he knew what to look for. Perhaps I will discuss it with him again.

Let me know what you think of the above info. Thanks.

4X4 · 12-13-2007, 11:58 AM

BAsed on your last post, you may want to see how much a new TPS (throttle positioning sensor) and/or O2 sensor costs. You can probably get your sensors tested at auto value.

White smoke means that you're not burning all the fuel you're consuming. Could be a few different things, injectors, TPS, O2...

ricosuave · 12-13-2007, 11:59 AM

you could have also gotten some bad fuel, and ran it through causing that.

when was the last time the fuel filter was changed?

Nehkara · 12-13-2007, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4X4

BAsed on your last post, you may want to see how much a new TPS (throttle positioning sensor) and/or O2 sensor costs. You can probably get your sensors tested at auto value.

White smoke means that you're not burning all the fuel you're consuming. Could be a few different things, injectors, TPS, O2...

That would make sense as I noticed a few times recently that my exhaust had a gas-smell to it.

I will look into those things. How do you think I should proceed? Get it tested somewhere?