Old School

[Tango Charlie]

Hi guys
I drive a 1988 Honda Accord. 5speed manual, 2L, Carburated. I commute 45 miles round trip. I just started tracking my mpg two tanks ago. first one was 30.6. I slowed down with the second tank and saw 31.2. I know, amateur. Read through the 100+ tips and then got infatuated with the 35 page thread on the FrankenSwift. Where's my prize, Darin?
I consider myself an armchair aerodynamacist so my efforts will probably lean that way. But I have a lot to learn about driving techniques first. Think I'll re-read that driving tip thread again...
Since I'm carburated, is the vacuum gauge my only option for instrumentation?

[SVOboy]

Welcome to ecomodder! Don't forget to fill out a fuel log entry.

[Daox]

Welcome to the site. I'd imagine that ol Accord is probably a very capable mpg machine! Fill out that log entry and show us what its worth.

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by Tango Charlie

Hi guys
I drive a 1988 Honda Accord. 5speed manual, 2L, Carburated. I commute 45 miles round trip. I just started tracking my mpg two tanks ago. first one was 30.6. I slowed down with the second tank and saw 31.2. I know, amateur.

Not at all. It's those jumps in response to little changes that reward/motivate you to keep learning. Nice going.



I had an '89 Accord identical to yours for a bunch of years (8?). At that time I would have called myself a "mild" hypermiler. The only "hardcore" tactics I was using was shutting down the engine at stops and on long coasts (eg. coming off the highway). No, P&G. No hardcore "driving without brakes". In summertime highway driving (90-95 km/h), I regularly got 40 mpg US (5.9 L/100km, or 48 mpg IMP).

I rarely got below the EPA ratings in city or hwy. If you want, I'll see if I still have my old stats for the car's "lifetime" mileage.

the 35 page thread on the FrankenSwift. Where's my prize, Darin?

Uh oh.... Ummm.. the prize is your newfound knowledge!

Since I'm carburated, is the vacuum gauge my only option for instrumentation?

Yes - unless you can add a fuel-flow meter, in which case you'll be able to tie it in to the MPGuino project fuel economy computer.

Another option - depending on how hardcore you want to get with feedback - is to super-finely calibrate your fuel tank sending unit with a digital multimeter, so you can at least get trip-level MPG (after the fact). krousdb did this with one of his Hondas.

[MetroMPG]

PS - the guy who bought my Accord (when I went the way of the Suzukiclones) still has it. I ran into him last week and he's got over 410,000 km on it. Kept it oil sprayed too, so the body looks fine. I sold too soon! :P

[Tango Charlie]

Thanks,Metro
Funny thing is, I use to drive a Geo Metro. It was the most uncomfortable car I ever owned.... but I wish I had it back!
I'm not sure I'll get too crazy with the Honda as far as instrumentation and mods. It's so rusty I think I'll wait 'till I can upgrade to a more modern platform. Well, maybe a vacuum gauge would be easy enough, and some aerodynamic cleaning up...
Gosh this is addicting.
My daily commute is 80% through the countryside, so I'm practicing my PnG technique. Can't wait to calculate the mpg at the next fill up!

[MetroMPG]

I found the Metro seat pretty uncomfortable when I first got it. It was one of the first mods I did - adding padding to increase lumbar & thigh support (making the seat more "bucket-y").

Keep your eye open for a post-'95 vehicle next time so you can get a ScanGauge in it. Or at the very least get one with electronic fuel injection and build yourself a MPGuino.

[cfg83]

Tango Charlie -

Welcome to EM! The vacuum gauge will be the way to go. Your Accord would be the height of CAFE MPG, so I'll bet you will see better MPG to come.

CarloSW2

[Johnny Mullet]

A vacuum gauge is what I use on my 1998 and it is simple and does the job. You can use one of them for now until the MPGuino is ready.

[Andyman]

I think something may not be adjusted quite right on your car. Or maybe you have to stop or slow down too much during your driving. I have an '88 Accord too. Mine has fuel injection and automatic transmission. On a recent highway trip of 276 miles (until I filled the tank) I averaged 38 MPG. Mostly I was going about 55-65 MPH but some of the time I was travelling on roads with a red traffic light every few miles. According to the EPA, your car should get about 4 more miles per gallon on the highway than mine.

I found a few things that needed attention on my car. The timing belt was a little loose. After I adjusted the tensioner, a slight knock at full throttle and low speed went away. My distributor advance mechanisms weren't working. The centrifugal advance was stuck but I got it working by spraying WD-40 into the bottom of the distributor and then putting the rotor back on and twisting it several times. The vacuum advance didn't work either. My distributor has two diaphrams and two vacuum hoses on it. The inner hose (closer to the center of the distributor) is connected directly to the intake manifold and the outer hose connects to a vaccuum switch which connects to manifold vacuum when the engine is cold for some additional spark advance. My outer diaphram seems to have a leak and it caused all vacuum advance to go away after the engine was warmed up. By clogging the outer hose with a piece of fat wire, I was able to restore normal vacuum advance for warm operation. I noticed more engine power at light throttle after that. I also suggest that you check for dragging brakes and the front and rear wheel alignment. I like to check alignment by pushing the car with the engine off and checking the bulge at the bottom of each tire to see if it changes depending on whether the car was pushed forwards or backwards. Use a ruler to check how far the tire sticks out beyond the rim for good accuracy. If the bulge gets bigger when you push the car forwards then you have toe out. If it gets smaller then you have toe in. The goal is to adjust your alignment until the bulge is the same when you push the car forwards or backwards. Correct Ignition timing is very important for good fuel economy. You may be able to advance it a little (probably no more than 4 degrees) from the specified setting for better efficiency without knocking. If you get some knocking, just retard it a couple of degrees.