I have a 2001 honda civic Lx. Automatic. 4-door. It seems that i get HORIBBLE gas milage. What could it be? I have A clean air filter. I DO need an oil change but i JUST hit 3000 miles. Sumtimes I have 1/2 tank when i turn my car off, then it sits for awhile and i turn it back on and its on E! After driving for awhile it rasises a little bit. I really need to know what i need to do.. Please help ASAP!! Thank you Heylookitsbret.. you can IM me at AIM: Heylookitsbret or Windows Live: Heylookitsbret@hotmail.com thanks again
2007-08-21 04:25:51 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Have you actually checked your gas mileage?
Fill the tank. Note the odometer mileage at that time. Drive the car normally!
When you need gas, fill the tank again! Note the mileage at this point. Subtract the mileage now from the mileage at the first fill up. (you could also reset the trip odometer at the first fill up and note the mileage on that at the second)
Divide the miles driven by the amount of fuel used (the amount it took to fill the car the second time) this will give you the miles per gallon.
Your fuel gauge is not actuate enough to judge gas mileage! I have a car that will go 175 miles before the fuel gauge moves from full! It then drops rapidly!
2007-08-21 04:40:42 · answer #1 · answered by fire4511 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Have you compared how much gas you fill the tank with to the actual reading on the odometer? It sounds like the fuel sending unit in your car may have a weak ground connection or a stuck float. If that's the case it will cause your gas gauge to read erratically and not always tell you the correct amount of gas. The next time you fill up, make sure to fill the tank all the way, then mark the mileage down or reset your trip odometer. When you fill up again (make sure to fill it all the way again) take the number of miles driven since your last fill up and divide it by the number of gallons you put in the tank. This will give you MPG. If the number is between 30 - 40 (normal for your car) then you know to start looking at the fuel sending unit which mounts inside the gas tank. If it is a lot lower then you have a problem that is going to require more information and probably a mechanic will have to look it over.
2007-08-21 05:01:33 · answer #2 · answered by kypkanon 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It sounds like either the fuel gauge or the sensor in the tank is messed up.
Fortunately you can pretty much ignore it - to determine your actual mileage, bring a full gas can with you, and drive it until it runs completely out, put some gas from the can in it, and drive it to a gas station - put a couple of gallons in it (make note of how much you put in it) fill up the can too, reset your tripometer (or take note of the odometer reading) and drive it around until it runs out again. Divide the number of miles you went by the number of gallons of gas you put in it - and voila.
If it seems to be lower than you expect, then you have a few options.
1) Stop driving it so fast - speed is the #1 killer of gas mileage, and most people drive WAY too fast.
2) Tune up the car - you got the air filter, that's good, oil changes are very important, but won't affect gas mileage noticeably. Check underneath your air filter to see if there is a breather filter - replace it if necessary.
Change your sparkplugs, and the wires too if they are old. Maybe run some fuel injector cleaner in your gas.
Make sure you tires are good, and fully inflated (read on the side of them for the proper pressure) tires that are low on air will kill your mileage too.
If it continues to have problems, maybe take it to a mechanic (ask friends or family if they recommend anyone that is reliable and relatively cheap). Have them give you a quote before doing anything to it.
Things they might be looking for:
bad wheel bearings (causes more rolling resistance)
low compression - rings or head going bad/warped head
weak spark - bad coil, plugs, plug wires
fuel problem - bad fuel pump, clogged injectors
generally if it is something serious - you would notice the car running like crap on top of not getting good mileage.
Good luck!
2007-08-21 04:45:32 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
First off change your oil, that helps when it comes to gas mileage, try using synthetic oil when you do change it, also something might be wrong with your gauge, have it checked out
2007-08-21 04:35:08 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
spark plugs
plug wires
fuel filter
pvc valve
all should be swapped out for better mileage.
the plugs being the #1 reason for poor mileage
2007-08-21 04:47:09 · answer #5 · answered by cgriffin1972 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
change the oil, and change the fuel filters, and get them to check the lines... and the gauge
2007-08-21 04:38:06 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋