New to the forum and to eco driving

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by Bergi85

Yeah, I will have to post my results after I change them and reset my ecu. I know 75 is a bit fast, it will take time for me to learn to slow down.

I did just inflate my tires today to 45psi (the max pressure according to the sidewalls) it was at 35psi.

Wow! 22 mpg. That's hard to explain in a car that should get at least 20% better city and at least 30% better freeway. The O2 sensors are possible culprits, but if they were really bad your car's ECU should throw a CEL for it. Still, check. Also check the distributor ICM and coil. You can get a complete replacement with a lifetime warranty from Autozone for about $200. And the spark plugs. Check them to see how fouled they are. Check for front disk brake drag too. Piston might be partly engaged all the time (more so than normal, that is). Does the car pull to one side or the other much of the time?

[Shortie771]

22mpg is kind of rediculous, I actually didn't think a Civic could get that low. Something is definitely going on there.

Well you should notice a small improvement by inflating your tires which can give you a few percent gain. Are you throwing any CEL? Might want to check your cat as well... I had that problem once, with no CEL.

You may want to consider slowing down a bit as well. I don't think the difference between going 75mph and 60mph on a 18 mile trip is going do make a dramatic difference in the amount of time it will take you to get to your destination, maybe a few minutes.

There are plenty of mods in the 65+ Efficiency Mods section that you can look through to see how extreme you are willing to go with your car, but that car with the right mods and driving habits can achieve some incredible numbers. Just look at the left side of the ecomodder homer page and you will see that 8 (5 being Civics) of the top ten mpg vehicles for the site are Hondas.

[Bergi85]

Originally Posted by California98Civic

Wow! 22 mpg. That's hard to explain in a car that should get at least 20% better city and at least 30% better freeway. The O2 sensors are possible culprits, but if they were really bad your car's ECU should throw a CEL for it. Still, check. Also check the distributor ICM and coil. You can get a complete replacement with a lifetime warranty from Autozone for about $200. And the spark plugs. Check them to see how fouled they are. Check for front disk brake drag too. Piston might be partly engaged all the time (more so than normal, that is). Does the car pull to one side or the other much of the time?

Thanks. The car isn't throwing any CEL's but that doesn't necessarily mean everything is working in tip top shape.
The previous owner gave me the records of the things that were replaced and in January of last year they replaced the distributor cap/rotor and wire set along with new plugs. I just replace the plugs again on the 17th of this month.

I am planning on checking the fuel delivery system, maybe the fuel pressure regulator is stuck open or something like that. There was a new fuel filter replaced back in January of last year as well.

Anyways, I will keep this updated as I tune things up and record my mpg's.

[Bergi85]

Originally Posted by Shortie771

22mpg is kind of rediculous, I actually didn't think a Civic could get that low. Something is definitely going on there.

Well you should notice a small improvement by inflating your tires which can give you a few percent gain. Are you throwing any CEL? Might want to check your cat as well... I had that problem once, with no CEL.

You may want to consider slowing down a bit as well. I don't think the difference between going 75mph and 60mph on a 18 mile trip is going do make a dramatic difference in the amount of time it will take you to get to your destination, maybe a few minutes.

There are plenty of mods in the 65+ Efficiency Mods section that you can look through to see how extreme you are willing to go with your car, but that car with the right mods and driving habits can achieve some incredible numbers. Just look at the left side of the ecomodder homer page and you will see that 8 (5 being Civics) of the top ten mpg vehicles for the site are Hondas.

Yeah the cat was replaced in November of last year so I can't imagine that would be a factor here.

I saw the story on KSL.com, it is just so hard for me to sit in the right lane and go 60 when everyone around is going closer to 80. It will take time, but i think i can get there.

I have order the OBD2 Bluetooth transmitter and have the torque app, I will be giving that a try.

Like I said earlier, I can smell that I am burning rich which makes me think that it has to do with the fuel delivery system. I found a DIY fuel injector cleaning video on YouTube the other day and want to give that a try. Along with testing my fuel pressure regulator.

[MetroMPG]

Another thought: I once had a vac line leak that caused a horrendous rich condition that literally cut my city mileage in half and didn't throw a CEL. Suzuki engine though.

[Bergi85]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Another thought: I once had a vac line leak that caused a horrendous rich condition that literally cut my city mileage in half and didn't throw a CEL. Suzuki engine though.

Thanks! I was thinking about that as well. I looked up a few way to check and I will try them out. But first I'll check if all the hoses are attached.

[Bergi85]

Originally Posted by UltArc

Does that system have an amp? lol I am looking for one.

Ok, so the amp is an MTX Thunder 81000D and the 1 sub is a 12" Thunder 8500. According to Crutchfield:
Specifications of the amp
Peak (Dynamic) Power (measured at 14.4 Volts DC):
850 Watts x 1 into 4 Ohms
1500 Watts x 1 into 2 Ohms
It is a sweet setup, but super heavy! It was noticeable. My wife got in the car and could tell that it was lighter.

[Bergi85]

I only had one of my O2 sensors come today so it looks like I will be replacing them on Monday.
I filled up today and got 27.55mpg on my last tank. So it is an improvement. I think the fuel filter may need to be replaced as well. Every so often the car will "chug" when accelerating.

[PressEnter[]]

Originally Posted by Bergi85

Every so often the car will "chug" when accelerating.

I had an Escort that did that when there was a bad spark plug...you said yours are new, right?

[Bergi85]

Originally Posted by PressEnter[]

I had an Escort that did that when there was a bad spark plug...you said yours are new, right?

Yeah I just replaced them last week. It isn't a bad "chug" and it doesn't happen every time I drive. I will do some more research and see if I can isolate the problem.