John Salb

Hey guys, this is my first post here, so please bear with me. New to Hondas in general, too.

Some drunk teenager totaled my beautiful 99 Sunfire, and the next day someone put up an automatic 95 Del Sol S out for sale. Everything else I could find was 3k+ and needed work, while this was only $1750 (160k miles) and needed work. It's got an aftermarket radiator (aluminum, looks like a $300-400 one) and a cheapo cold air intake that was falling apart (slapped some gorilla tape on it). The battery and alternator (original) were dead, so I replaced those. The tires were 15" and rubbed on the frame (sounded bad, felt bad), so I replaced them with some 14" MSW Type 14s and Riken tires. The car starts a little rough, but is practically silent once it warms up, and starts silent if it's already warm.

So far I've only put 200 miles on it, but I'm only getting 29MPG on 90% highway driving. I was hoping for closer to 40, at least 35. I figure I need to put more miles on it to get used to shifting (seems to stick a bit in the first two gears), but I'm wondering if I should find an OEM air filter? I'm not terribly worried about 'performance', just looking to get my mpgs up. Also, I've heard that putting larger tires on older cars can affect the odometer, making it seem like I've put more or less miles than depicted. Is that an issue for this model?

Thanks for the help guys, it's a bit of beater so I'll probably be asking a lot more questions!

tony_2018

you bought the wrong car.

quik sol

not the wrong car, try giving it a tune up, i was getting 35 in my 95 del sol vtec

mk378

On any car, tires that are larger outside diameter than stock will make the car travel more actual miles than the odometer indicates. So yes that would look like low mpg. Check your calibration on a freeway with mile markers. I thought that some versions of the del Sol had 14 inch wheels from the factory though.

Setting the ignition timing is very important for good mpg. Also make sure the thermostat is stock temperature so the ECU goes into closed loop mode.

The transmission is largely mechanically controlled. The cable from the throttle to the transmission tells the transmission to stay in lower gears for longer when you are pressing hard on the gas. This needs to be properly adjusted so that it shifts up sooner during milder driving.

Chance EG

Low to mid 30s is easily attainable on a healthy and properly tuned D series.

Tuneup as suggested, check timing, and if you're trying to go the extra mile you can google "MPG mods" and see what other people have done to increase gas mileage.

Also as suggested, check your tire size. If the wheel/tire circumference is smaller than stock, it will hurt things as well as paint an inaccurate picture of what MPG you're getting. Keeping the tires inflated to full PSI will also help with mileage.

John Salb

I looked at a tire size calculator, and the difference in diameter of my 185/60/r14s and the stock 175/70r13s is 0.04%. So that's not the issue, I don't think.

Distributor cap looked relatively new, one of the previous owners did a few modifications to the car so I suppose it's possible the plugs aren't gapped correctly? I'll take a look. Aside from plugs/wires/cap, topping off fluids, and an oil change, what else would you consider part of a tune up?

The engine runs really cold, I'm wondering if there's even a thermostat installed at all. I see the OEM is set to 190f while the autozone is set to 170; I'm a sucker for the failsafe brand, but the price difference is only $3 from the genuine Honda part. I'm assuming I should go with the latter?

Is there an easy way to check if the timing chain has been replaced or replaced recently? The timing belt on the alternator looks brand new, but that's a $15 part and a 20 minute job. I can also tell the engine has been taken out (not sure if it's a swap or not) as there's paint underneath the engine mount. I've never dealt with chains before, any links/videos would be a great help.

94EG8

The automatic is the bulk of your problem. They never did pull very good numbers mileage wise. The Del Sol is also a heavy car when compared to a Civic. The mileage sounds about right.

Chance EG

If the dizzy cap was replaced, make sure the ignition timing is where it should be with a timing light. Stock spark plug gaps should be fine on whatever was used.

As mentioned, Del Sol's are heavier than other Civics. I did not recognize this was also an automatic car, which will also impact things... So you may already be close to the best MPG you can get, with those things considered.

If the engine isn't getting up to proper operating temp that could also play a factor. That's the only other thing along with the timing that I would double check.

tony_2018

eh, its possible to still get good numbers but the number's op is reporting is way lower than what I pulled on mine. All comes down to maintenance and care. Honda's and Toyota's last long but thats only if the owner takes care of it like they should.

I notice I pull better mpg at night driving than during the day when its hot af.

JRCivic1

It has been nearly twenty years ago, but I seem to remember getting about 28-30mpg in my automatic Del Sol Si. I did have larger diameter wheels and tires on it, so I know that this will reduce the fuel economy a bit over the average similar car. Even stock, I would say that 40mpg is highly unlikely in an auto Del Sol. Low to mid 30's may be possible with the right conditions and a hyper-mile mind set.

Chance EG

Just drive downhill everywhere, with the wind behind you.

Freedo_Civegra

tony_2018

auto's rob you of power, switch to a 5spd.

John Salb

I've got good news, bad news, and advice. The advice is, don't buy cars from fortune tellers, even if it's a pretty red convertible.

I had to get the window replaced because it was cracked, and the guy told me there was so much rust on the pinch weld that their policy says they shouldn't even put the new windshield on. I told him it was my work car, and he agreed to put it on without a warranty. A solid hour of angle grinding later, he put down three layers of epoxy to balance it out.

I checked the oil when I got the thing, and the dipstick looked fine. Noticed a leak around the valve cover gasket, but it wasn't bad and I've changed them before. He said he'd had the oil changed recently, and I believed him because the dipstick looked fine. I see my oil light come on while I'm driving, stop at Valvoline, and they tell me I've got a severe oil pan gasket leak (which is fine, I've replaced those too). He also tells me my power steering fluid was almost empty, which is odd, because I'd filled it to max not even 20 miles ago (power steering died the next day). Oil was as dirty as I'd ever seen in an engine that hadn't been sitting on the ground for more than a few months.

Good news is, the thing drives and feels amazing now, and my MPG is up to 34-37.5! I can't say I'm super happy with the purchase, but I'm really enjoying the car. I'm just going to tell everyone it's my mid-life crisis car and call it a day.

tony_2018

Take windshield back off, sand and primer/rust proof before putting the windshield back on. Check elsewhere for rust as well and take care of it. Mistakes can be made, project cars begin.