I have a 1992 Acura Integra GSR VTEC. Gas mileage SUCKS!!!! what would be causing this? anyone have any ideas? I am getting around 200 miles to a tank.. i think the most I got was just over 250miles. Any help would be great.. Thanks.

 

O2 sensor can be bad......change it, it is not that expensive, it will probably make a difference.

 

just bought a new O2 sensor a month and a half ago.. the check engine light is off.. it is not throwing any codes.. still think that could be the problem???

 

I pulled this off of another site not long ago...


1. Measuring Gas mileage:
The most common and simplest method is to measure tankfuls.
- Fill the tank and reset the ‘trip odometer’
- On the next fill up, note the trip odometer and gas required. MPG = Miles traveled / Gallons used
The gas gauge is pretty non-linear, and otherwise inaccurate. This method gives the additional security that once you
learn how many miles to expect from a tank, if the gauge fails, you know where you are. You’ll also pick up any changes
in mileage so you’ll know if the car needs attention.

2. ‘Regular’ gas (87-89 octane) actually has more energy per gallon than ‘Hi-test’, and should produce higher MPG numbers.
The expensive gas isn’t better for you engine, it doesn’t have extra additives, it won’t make it cleaner, more handsome or
last longer. If you don’t need high octane, you’re just wasting money. The only reason to use higher octane is if your engine
needs it to prevent knocking. This is usually for higher compression engines like the GSR, or forced induction like turbos or blowers.

The ‘old school’ method of tuning went like this:
- Decide what gas you are going to use (octane rating)
- Set the timing, then drive hard (3rd gear WOT pull up a hill) and see if it knocks (sounds like shaking a can full of marbles)
- Keep increasing the advance until you get knocking, then reduce it 1-2 degrees.
It’s a little more complex with modern cars and knock sensors. The best first guess is to use the gas specified in the manual,
and set the timing as recommended.

3. Tune up the car
(Basic)
- Run some injector cleaner through the tank (I’ve always preferred ‘Techron’)
- Replace the plugs (I like the NGK – they are cheap, so do it more often, say 20K miles))
- Replace the plug wires (use good ones- recommended interval is 100K, but I’d do it twice as often)
- Replace distributor cap and rotor (careful with the screw on the rotor)
- Set the ignition timing (see discussion of timing vs. octane; less advance usually helps mileage, but hurts performance)
- Replace the fuel filter (recommended at 20,000 mile intervals)
- Replace the air filter (or clean and oil if K&N type)
- Keep up on oil & filter changes.

(Advanced)
- Set the valve lash
- Check the tension of the timing belt
- Set the timing of the cam gears
- Read engine codes, reset the computer
- Consider replacing oxygen sensor
- Do the ‘Seafoam’ job to clean carbon off the valves (do this before changing plugs or O2 sensor)
- Have the injectors pressure/ultrasonic cleaned by someone with the right equipment
- Consider an adjustable fuel pressure regulator, and a dyno tune with A/F meter to get it really dialed in. Course by this
point, you're beyond worring about a few mpg.

4. Other areas around the car;
- Make sure the tire pressure is correct (run it on the high side for mileage)
- Reduce weight of the vehicle; are you carrying around extra junk?
- ‘Improvements’ (Intake, exhaust, etc) can help mileage a bit if you don’t drive harder because of them.
- Make sure your brakes are in good shape, and not dragging
- Watch out for fuel leaks. Besides the fire hazard, they cost you a lot of mileage.
- Don’t fall for gimmicks; magnets on the fuel lines, swirlies in the intake, e-bay chips and 8 way spark plugs do nothing or make things worse.
- Accessories like A/C and even a high power stereo do put a load on the engine, and cost mpg.

5. Driving

- How you drive is a huge factor in mileage. If you “drive it like you stole it”, you don’t get to complain about your gas consumption.
That’s the tradeoff you make; it takes gas to make power, and if you’re doing high performance driving, you’re pulling a lot of power
out of the engine; and putting more gas into it. The old saying goes: “Speed costs money – how fast can you afford to go?”
- If you want good mileage, keep your foot out of it. Accelerate and decelerate slowly.
- Cruise at moderate rpm’s; 3000 is good, 2000 is probably too low, you’ll be ‘lugging’. These aren’t high torque engines, and if the
revs are too low, it’ll have to work harder. When deciding which gear to use, think about how much you have to press on the gas pedal
to keep a constant speed.
- Shift at moderate rpm’s – not too high, but also not too low, or the revs will drop too much on the upshift (see lugging)
- Mileage is generally much higher on the freeway, where you run constant speed without a lot of starts and stops.
- Air resistance goes as the square of speed- that is, it increases a lot at high speed. Slow down. Don’t even get me started on wings.
- Don’t use the engine to decelerate (downshifting into corners or stops) Brakes are cheaper than clutches and don’t use any gas.

 

Wow, good post stasi, information on gas mileage and consumption like that should be compiled into a stickied thread somewhere in honda-tech. It is good information that will help everyone and reduce gasoline consumption.

 

Glad I could help. I agree, they should sticky it. With insane gas prices these days, we needs to be saving our money for more mods, not spending it on gas.