150k, auto, in good shape...recently replaced thermo sensor/switches because overdrive wouldn't kick in and engine ran 500 rps higher then normally typical rpm, so that's solves that. but i'm still getting city only about 17-18 and city/hwy 50/50 about 22-23 at best, and no where near 30+ as some claim and advise...what's going on here, anyone???

i also noticed cold hard starting...i suspect fuel line pressure valve may need replacing because it's oem - it's now 16 years old - and likely no holding correct pressure anymore.

i even tried fuel system cleaners like techron, lucasoil and everything else....anyone had good experiences with any of those?

i wonder if fuel filter needs replacing?...even thought, honda says lifetime filters that never need replacing.

anyone expreriencing the same, or had similar trouble??

thanks to all who chime in!

 

The Oxygen Sensor (O2) sensor will effect all this along with gas milage. As they age, they become lazy (for a lack of a better discription) and can not efficiently keep up with changing conditions effecting the engine.
The screwy thing about it is that a "Lazy" sensor will not set a code, as would an outright failed sensor; but can still cause idling problems and can oftern cause the ecm to fail going into closed loop.

P

 

thanks! i'll check it out and post an update...

 

P

 

This would be my first guess given the circumstances as well. Good Luck.

 

I see you are in MI as well. My MPGs will go down drastically during the winter months. I will average 25-27 during winter with the different blend gas and warmups. When summer hits, I get 28-31.
Use Seafoam, it works good for cleaning the intake. I'll use a third to half in the brake booster hose, and then dump the rest into the tank. I do this about every six months.
I put about 400 miles per week on this car and it hasn't let me down. Except for a lower ball joint letting go, but that was my fault for not keeping up with PM.
Mine burns some oil due to worn rings and I've found that using a can of Restore with each oil change helps alot.
BTW, my car has 225000 miles.

 

appreciate the feedback...i would be happy to get those kinda of numbers, that would be 20-30% improvement for me! i guess something is going on that's causing seriously low mpg for what it should be, i'm going to figure it out!! i definitely figured out the fan switch/thermo sensor was reducing fuel economy because car was running 500 rpms too rich, so that's corrected and now seems like more issues to correct. i'll update and post.

 

Yeah, I had that problem too. Torque converter wouldn't lockup. It was like that when I bought the car. I drove like that for over a year. Replacing the t-stat fixed it.
As for the O2 sensor, it's good PM even if it doesn't fix it. At least we only have one on our cars. My Suburban has four.

 

that's also something i considered, replacing t-stat is next after warmer weather kicks in! i guess i can only help, and it's cheap fix, right?

 

yeah. its cheap to fiox. just be sure to get your O2 sensor and your T-stat from honda. i got a t-stat from Auto Zone before and went thru 2 of them things. the car always over heated. then when i went to honda and got one, the needle never passed the middle.

when it comes to major parts like ignition, engine components, and stuff of that nature, be sure to go to Honda. anywhere else will result in a waste of money. spark plugs and oil are about the only thing i get from auto zone now.

 

interesting...i heard that before, but i would think stant - who makes most, if not all, aftermarket t-stats, would be ok...i guess it's not worth risking overheating and blowing something for few pennies and just go genuine honda eom - i wonder who makes their factory stuff??

 

yeah. i thought "well its the same thing." yeah. ive over heated plenty of times with the t-stat from auto zone and that ended up making my head gasket go bad. then in the end the motor. i think the head got warped. i went thru 3 HG, and coolant still got in the oil. took the head to a shop down here and found out the head was warped. bye bye f22a1 hello f22a6.

oh and another thing:
-make sure you get your oil pressure switch from Honda also. i got one from auto zone and it sucked. period.

-whens the last time you did a tune up? spark plugs, spark plug wires, dizzy cap and rotor?

 

good stuff!

almost 2 years ago i put in bosch platinum plugs in, and changed the wires i got from autozone with lifetime replacement; year ago, i changed cap and rotor...all of which made no difference. also, tried synthetic oil and amsoil trans fluid - which i noticed better and smoother shifting, seems more like it used to be long-time ago.

now i'm thinking with this forum, i need to try sea foam down intake and all over everything!!

 

And people laugh when I call it DeathZone Autoparts.
I haven't seen anything Dura-anything out of that chain.
Mission Critical parts = Honda / OEM only
Cosmetic / Non-critical parts = Parts American, FAP (Foreign Auto Parts, Inc) or online.

 

like honda.lioness said, seafoam has mixed reviews. its good if you use it like your supposed to. some people say they put it in their oil and it blew their motor. that happened because they LEFT it in their oil. your supposed to put it in there drive around for a little bit for it work its way into all the crap gunked up in there then change your oil.

i echo honda.lioness also on the Bosch plus. dont use them for hondas. some MAY be able to get by using them but your car calls for NGK. i used Bosch before in my ricer days thinking "hey. it has 4 prong things on it. i think i can get some more HP from it because the box says i can." so i ened up spending like $8 a plug. on nothing. if you get anything dealing with ignition from auto zone only get spark plugs and make sure its NGK. honda may cost more but at least you know your getting a quality part. not something just made for universal fitment.


yeah. i dont even go to auto zone anymore unless its for my plugs or something for just a temporary fix til i get the part from honda. my friend went thru 3 dizzys from auto zone and his car didnt start. took it to the shop and found out the dizzy wasnt getting any fire. got one from honda and the car started right up. hasnt had a problem since.

 

Evidently, now they can't even scan cars correctly or are giving out erronious scan results. One place gave a guy the hard sell after a scan and tryed to sell him all manner of stuff. In another, I found a repackaged card of Silverstars with one of the bulbs switched out (and there it was, on the rack - ready for some poor sole).
I hardly ever use them, except for (maybe) a bulb or a set of wiper inserts.

 

i complained to the district manager about the service of their store here in NC. the store would be packed and they have like 2 or 3 people in the back on the computer and then like 1 person handling everyone. im like wtf? if you see your store is busy, stay your **** up front and tend top customers.


they forever try to sell you something you dont need. or even try to give you a part you cant use. some many times ive gone in there and the person behind the counter has no clue what im talking about. i also told the DM about the knowledge his employees have. dont hire someone who knows nothing but what the computer screen says. what kind of job is that? you slip up and give somone the wrong part, BOOM. thats $2k for a motor out of their pocket.