gas mileage??!
02-07-2008, 09:18 AM
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gas mileage??!
i've had my '95 civic for about 3 years now & my gas mileage seems to have gone down the *******. it costs, on average, about 25$ to fill now because of the ridiculously high gas prices here in new jersey, which seem to go up every single day. on average i used to get around 300+ miles to a full tank (when i first got the car) now im averaging about 245 miles to a full tank. i've been hearing that my problem could be the EGR VALVE. is this a common problem? i was just shopping around & the average price for an EGR valve is about 200$ (just for the part) if that is definitely my problem i don't mind spending the $ but if it's not i don't see a point in wasting the money. any help would be appreciated.. thanks
02-07-2008, 09:31 AM
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Re: gas mileage??! (B16B_coupe)
yeah i get my oil changed every 3,000 miles i actually just got that done yesterday. i have never cleaned the egr valve, i dont know much about cars, which is my problem. where is the egr valve located & is it easy to remove & put back in??
02-07-2008, 10:45 AM
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Re: gas mileage??! (B16B_coupe)
^^ isn't that for a prelude? Is the civic's EGR valve in a similar location?
OP: It could be 1 out of about a billion things. There's simply not enough detail that can be given over the internet for a vague problem like that. You'd have to either diagnose the car yourself or have it diagnosed.
However, common causes of bad gas mileage can include, but are not exclusive to:
Old/slow/contaminated O2 sensor
Ignition timing
clog in exhaust path
Excessive engine wear
Dirty air filter
Old plugs/wires/distributor cap and rotor
dirty oil or oil too thick
Coolant temp sensor or just plain coolant temp (too low).
Anything that causes you to have to give it "more gas" to go.
Traffic
DRIVING HABITS . Do you find that you drive a lot of short cold trips? Do you let your car warm up in the morning? Have any other habits changed? It's common for gas mileage to go down in the winter since it takes the car longer to warm up (there's no need to let it idle and sit there to warm up, btw). This is ESPECIALLY if you make short trips. The car may not be in closed loop long enough to get good gas mileage.
Also, are you measuring your gas mileage right? Cold weather and age sometimes cause the gas gauge to be off by a little bit. That coupled with rising gas prices may give the illusion of you using more gas.
To check MPG properly:
Fill up to full (remember the gas station and pump #) do not top off.
Set odometer to 0 miles
Drive as you normally would till it gets close to empty
Fill up again to full (at the same gas station and pump #) do not top off.
Divide the miles that are on your odometer by the gallons you just filled.
EX: if you drove 300 miles and filled 10 gallons, you just got 30mpg (300/10 = 30)
Very simple. But you have to have an actual number.
OP: It could be 1 out of about a billion things. There's simply not enough detail that can be given over the internet for a vague problem like that. You'd have to either diagnose the car yourself or have it diagnosed.
However, common causes of bad gas mileage can include, but are not exclusive to:
Old/slow/contaminated O2 sensor
Ignition timing
clog in exhaust path
Excessive engine wear
Dirty air filter
Old plugs/wires/distributor cap and rotor
dirty oil or oil too thick
Coolant temp sensor or just plain coolant temp (too low).
Anything that causes you to have to give it "more gas" to go.
Traffic
DRIVING HABITS . Do you find that you drive a lot of short cold trips? Do you let your car warm up in the morning? Have any other habits changed? It's common for gas mileage to go down in the winter since it takes the car longer to warm up (there's no need to let it idle and sit there to warm up, btw). This is ESPECIALLY if you make short trips. The car may not be in closed loop long enough to get good gas mileage.
Also, are you measuring your gas mileage right? Cold weather and age sometimes cause the gas gauge to be off by a little bit. That coupled with rising gas prices may give the illusion of you using more gas.
To check MPG properly:
Fill up to full (remember the gas station and pump #) do not top off.
Set odometer to 0 miles
Drive as you normally would till it gets close to empty
Fill up again to full (at the same gas station and pump #) do not top off.
Divide the miles that are on your odometer by the gallons you just filled.
EX: if you drove 300 miles and filled 10 gallons, you just got 30mpg (300/10 = 30)
Very simple. But you have to have an actual number.
02-07-2008, 11:16 AM
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Re: gas mileage??! (B serious)
yeah i don't really travel any far distances. just to school & work basically. school is about a 20-25 minute adrive & work is about a 10 minute drive. i let my car warm up for about 10-15 mins b4 every trip, long or short distance.
from full (without topping it off) i usually get about 225-235 miles be4 the gauge shows empty. my gas light doesn't work properly which is weird. it only comes on when i'm getting gas (when the pump is inserted) it has never otherwise came on. but one time i tried pushing it to see if indeed it was just the gauge broken. i hit about 250miles & the next morning i came out to go to work & it was bone dry it wouldnt even start up.
from full (without topping it off) i usually get about 225-235 miles be4 the gauge shows empty. my gas light doesn't work properly which is weird. it only comes on when i'm getting gas (when the pump is inserted) it has never otherwise came on. but one time i tried pushing it to see if indeed it was just the gauge broken. i hit about 250miles & the next morning i came out to go to work & it was bone dry it wouldnt even start up.
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02-07-2008, 08:00 PM
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Re: gas mileage??! (prf0188)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by prf0188 »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">yeah i don't really travel any far distances. just to school & work basically. school is about a 20-25 minute adrive & work is about a 10 minute drive. i let my car warm up for about 10-15 mins b4 every trip, long or short distance.
from full (without topping it off) i usually get about 225-235 miles be4 the gauge shows empty. my gas light doesn't work properly which is weird. it only comes on when i'm getting gas (when the pump is inserted) it has never otherwise came on. but one time i tried pushing it to see if indeed it was just the gauge broken. i hit about 250miles & the next morning i came out to go to work & it was bone dry it wouldnt even start up.</TD></TR></TABLE>
Well, measure the mileage to see where you're at so you can get an accurate picture.
Also, letting your car warm up for 10-15mins would be considered excessive even if you lived in the antarctic.
According to your manual, you get in, turn on the key, and drive slowly for the first few miles till it warms up. Then drive like you normally would. It saves gas.
If you're doing the warm up thing for comfort, you really only need about 5 mins. This could definatley be the cause of your shitty gas mileage.
If you make 2 trips a day, your car could be idling for a half hour
. Consider that you'd spend about 50 mins driving it. That's a half hour of idling for 50 mins of driving. Meaning 60% of the time your car is on, you are getting ZERO MPG. That's not counting lights or anything either.
Rethink the warm up strategy.
from full (without topping it off) i usually get about 225-235 miles be4 the gauge shows empty. my gas light doesn't work properly which is weird. it only comes on when i'm getting gas (when the pump is inserted) it has never otherwise came on. but one time i tried pushing it to see if indeed it was just the gauge broken. i hit about 250miles & the next morning i came out to go to work & it was bone dry it wouldnt even start up.</TD></TR></TABLE>
Well, measure the mileage to see where you're at so you can get an accurate picture.
Also, letting your car warm up for 10-15mins would be considered excessive even if you lived in the antarctic.
According to your manual, you get in, turn on the key, and drive slowly for the first few miles till it warms up. Then drive like you normally would. It saves gas.
If you're doing the warm up thing for comfort, you really only need about 5 mins. This could definatley be the cause of your shitty gas mileage.
If you make 2 trips a day, your car could be idling for a half hour
. Consider that you'd spend about 50 mins driving it. That's a half hour of idling for 50 mins of driving. Meaning 60% of the time your car is on, you are getting ZERO MPG. That's not counting lights or anything either. Rethink the warm up strategy.
02-07-2008, 08:16 PM
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Re: gas mileage??! (B serious)
I noticed this winter that i get around 20-30 miles less per fill up... which actually seems to be every winter. Isn't that pretty common, or am i crazy?
02-07-2008, 08:22 PM
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Re: gas mileage??! (Prof007)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Prof007 »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I noticed this winter that i get around 20-30 miles less per fill up... which actually seems to be every winter. Isn't that pretty common, or am i crazy?</TD></TR></TABLE>
It's common. But you're probably crazy as well. Try a
and a prozac.
It's common. But you're probably crazy as well. Try a
and a prozac.
02-07-2008, 08:36 PM
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Re: (import2ner)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by import2ner »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">dam 25$ to fill up!!i needabout 40-45 here in chicago.dam gas prices are so high.fully stock eg to</TD></TR></TABLE>
$45 to fill up a 12 gallon tank?!! It's not 3.75 in the city yet, is it?
Usually, you fill up at about 10 gallons. 12 gallons would be bone dry. So $4-$4.50 a tank? Either you're filling up race gas, or you're being burgled.
It's like 2.96ish out in the burbs for regular. I'd figure around 3.15-3.20ish in the city for regular. I need about $25-28 for around 8-9 gallons on my EM1.
You sure...$40-45?? Sounds insane.
$45 to fill up a 12 gallon tank?!! It's not 3.75 in the city yet, is it?
Usually, you fill up at about 10 gallons. 12 gallons would be bone dry. So $4-$4.50 a tank? Either you're filling up race gas, or you're being burgled.
It's like 2.96ish out in the burbs for regular. I'd figure around 3.15-3.20ish in the city for regular. I need about $25-28 for around 8-9 gallons on my EM1.
You sure...$40-45?? Sounds insane.
02-07-2008, 09:09 PM
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well i might be exagerating a lil but check this out..Chicagoans are now paying the highest gas prices in the nation: $3.59 per gallon on average. That's way up from last year at this time, when drivers were paying about $2.98 a gallon in Chicago.i know at least 35$.but then again i do havea bit of road rage.
02-07-2008, 09:44 PM
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Re: (import2ner)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by import2ner »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">well i might be exagerating a lil but check this out..Chicagoans are now paying the highest gas prices in the nation: $3.59 per gallon on average. That's way up from last year at this time, when drivers were paying about $2.98 a gallon in Chicago.i know at least 35$.but then again i do havea bit of road rage. </TD></TR></TABLE>
I guess. Chicago has been paying the highest prices for a while. Oh well. It is what it is. We're running out of oil and oil company CEOs are looking for an exit strategy that is gonna make their wallets fat.
Even if you have road rage....it doesn't cost you more to fill up your tank or make your tank bigger when you go to fill it up. However, $35 sounds reasonable if you're filling up 10 gallons at a rate of $3.50 a gallon.
Do you use premium? You said you had a stock EG.
I dont really bitch about gas prices. I drive a civic. I also drive like 500-1000 miles a week. I get really annoyed when people with SUVs bitch about gas. The simple solution of just driving a more economical car should be easy...but I guess it isn't. Most SUV/Truck people just **** me off in general lol.
I'll ride my bike to work in the summer. It's only like 7 or 8 miles. I think more people should take an initiative to find other sources of commuter transportation.
I'm done, BTW. lol.
</TD></TR></TABLE>I guess. Chicago has been paying the highest prices for a while. Oh well. It is what it is. We're running out of oil and oil company CEOs are looking for an exit strategy that is gonna make their wallets fat.
Even if you have road rage....it doesn't cost you more to fill up your tank or make your tank bigger when you go to fill it up. However, $35 sounds reasonable if you're filling up 10 gallons at a rate of $3.50 a gallon.
Do you use premium? You said you had a stock EG.
I dont really bitch about gas prices. I drive a civic. I also drive like 500-1000 miles a week. I get really annoyed when people with SUVs bitch about gas. The simple solution of just driving a more economical car should be easy...but I guess it isn't. Most SUV/Truck people just **** me off in general lol.
I'll ride my bike to work in the summer. It's only like 7 or 8 miles. I think more people should take an initiative to find other sources of commuter transportation.
I'm done, BTW. lol.
02-07-2008, 10:02 PM
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Re: gas mileage??! (prf0188)
When was the last time you changed the Air Filter?
How many miles are on the engine?
----------------
Seafoam does wonders XD
for about 5-6 bucks, and the cost of an oil change - it cleans carbon, the crank case, and injectors...
1/3 of it goes in through the brake vacuum line
1/3 in the crank case
1/3 in the fuel
people say you should change your plugs also, but i've never done that... and it runs great =D
1995 Civic EH2-D15B7 with about 85k, last seafoam and oil change at 84k.
Mods: Ebay Short ram, Ebay 4-2-1 SS Headers.
Google says in a week i do about 169 miles of driving, and my math (including other daily destinations).
I just filled up today.. with 6 gallons of fuel. this is about 28mpg.
This driving is mixed, with top speeds of 90-95mph for 1-2mins, cruising speeds of 65-80mph for 10-20mins, and traffic jam speeds of 5-50mph for 20-30mins,
i must admit i am a little heavy on the gas, but i try not slowing down much and keeping momentum...but i have a tendency of going "oh **** i'm late"
If you want to be technical, one way to school is 19.7 miles (I495-LIE):
on a good day - lighter traffic: 15mins (AVG Speed 78mph)
on a bad day - heavy traffic: 45mins (AVG Speed 26mph)
Also i remember that i normally fill up 7gallons of gas a week, but since i just changed the header from the stock one to the 4-2-1, it saved me a gallon of fuel this week.
<FONT SIZE="1">imo, speed limits on this country's highways are low, for cars under 3500lbs it should be 75-80mph (lower depending on the quality of the highway, bumps, potholes, etc.), cars/SUV over 3500lbs 70MAX, and trucks should be limited to 50-60max. taller heavier things shouldn't be traveling as fast as a lower, lighter car</FONT>
Modified by bpr0422 at 11:15 PM 2/7/2008
Modified by bpr0422 at 11:17 PM 2/7/2008
How many miles are on the engine?
----------------
Seafoam does wonders XD
for about 5-6 bucks, and the cost of an oil change - it cleans carbon, the crank case, and injectors...
1/3 of it goes in through the brake vacuum line
1/3 in the crank case
1/3 in the fuel
people say you should change your plugs also, but i've never done that... and it runs great =D
1995 Civic EH2-D15B7 with about 85k, last seafoam and oil change at 84k.
Mods: Ebay Short ram, Ebay 4-2-1 SS Headers.
Google says in a week i do about 169 miles of driving, and my math (including other daily destinations).
I just filled up today.. with 6 gallons of fuel. this is about 28mpg.
This driving is mixed, with top speeds of 90-95mph for 1-2mins, cruising speeds of 65-80mph for 10-20mins, and traffic jam speeds of 5-50mph for 20-30mins,
i must admit i am a little heavy on the gas, but i try not slowing down much and keeping momentum...but i have a tendency of going "oh **** i'm late"
If you want to be technical, one way to school is 19.7 miles (I495-LIE):
on a good day - lighter traffic: 15mins (AVG Speed 78mph)
on a bad day - heavy traffic: 45mins (AVG Speed 26mph)
Also i remember that i normally fill up 7gallons of gas a week, but since i just changed the header from the stock one to the 4-2-1, it saved me a gallon of fuel this week.
<FONT SIZE="1">imo, speed limits on this country's highways are low, for cars under 3500lbs it should be 75-80mph (lower depending on the quality of the highway, bumps, potholes, etc.), cars/SUV over 3500lbs 70MAX, and trucks should be limited to 50-60max. taller heavier things shouldn't be traveling as fast as a lower, lighter car</FONT>
Modified by bpr0422 at 11:15 PM 2/7/2008
Modified by bpr0422 at 11:17 PM 2/7/2008
02-07-2008, 10:22 PM
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Do note that your car uses a lot more fuel in winter/colder weather - it is pretty cold by us now.
Expensive? ****, I fill up in Jersey just for the lower prices, heh.
Assuming you change your oil regularly like you said you did, and that it's not too viscous (using too heavy of a weight oil, you should use 10w30). There's a handful of things it could be.
What I'd point my direction at?
- Air filter
- Primary O2 sensor
- Fuel pressure
The O2 sensor wouldn't always throw a CEL if it's bad - and if an injector jams it won't always show.
My friend had a clogged injector on his B20 - brought his gas mileage down to like 10-15mpg around town with no CEL. So check the fuel pressure (for $30 you can buy a fuel pressure gauge that screws into your newly changed fuel filter). Make sure it's not dumping too early.
If none of those are out of norm check the fuel pressure regulator, if that's not it, things get complex from there.
That is assuming that your car's running peachy - any jerks - exhaust smells weird - any of that? Trouble shooting fuel problems sucks, I had one in my '95 EX. Blah.
Expensive? ****, I fill up in Jersey just for the lower prices, heh.
Assuming you change your oil regularly like you said you did, and that it's not too viscous (using too heavy of a weight oil, you should use 10w30). There's a handful of things it could be.
What I'd point my direction at?
- Air filter
- Primary O2 sensor
- Fuel pressure
The O2 sensor wouldn't always throw a CEL if it's bad - and if an injector jams it won't always show.
My friend had a clogged injector on his B20 - brought his gas mileage down to like 10-15mpg around town with no CEL. So check the fuel pressure (for $30 you can buy a fuel pressure gauge that screws into your newly changed fuel filter). Make sure it's not dumping too early.
If none of those are out of norm check the fuel pressure regulator, if that's not it, things get complex from there.
That is assuming that your car's running peachy - any jerks - exhaust smells weird - any of that? Trouble shooting fuel problems sucks, I had one in my '95 EX. Blah.
02-07-2008, 10:27 PM
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