Horrible Gas Mileage

[BrooklynRacer]

On my 1998 Acura Integra, I am only getting 140 miles on a full tank in New York City stop and go traffic... this has to be horrible.. I dont know if this is good cause this is my first car, i dont know if this is supposed to be because of the traffic conditions or am i just getting bad gas mileage?

[K2sInteg98]

I have a 98 integ and i had the same problem. I recently just changed my spark plugs (ngk's are good) and my spark plug wires. I also changed the fuel filter and added some fuel injector cleaner. I seem to be getting better gas milage. I would recommend u do all of those, along with cleaning your air filter. You might also want to make sure that your brakes arent rubbing, that will cause more friction and you'll be burning double the gas just to go 50mph.

[Igovert500]

All those suggestions are great.
Tune up, plugs, wires, fuel filter, air filter, check tire pressure, make sure brakes aren't rubbing, and that ebrake handle isn't partially up.
Are you getting a check engine light...it may be bad o2 sensors...

Could be quite a few things, are you getting any lights, any backfiring, any smoke coming out of the exhaust(if so, what color, white, blue, or black?)

Also what rpms are you shifting at.

stop and go traffic is bad for mileage, but 140miles per tank is pretty freaking bad.

[whtteg]

Is it an auto or 5 spd? The auto is naturally going to get worse gas mileage than the 5 spd, but like everybody said 140 is kind of low. MY gf's old 94 auto got around 200 per tank city so that is probably close to where you need to be.

[BrooklynRacer]

Originally Posted by Igovert500

All those suggestions are great.
Tune up, plugs, wires, fuel filter, air filter, check tire pressure, make sure brakes aren't rubbing, and that ebrake handle isn't partially up.
Are you getting a check engine light...it may be bad o2 sensors...

Could be quite a few things, are you getting any lights, any backfiring, any smoke coming out of the exhaust(if so, what color, white, blue, or black?)

Also what rpms are you shifting at.

stop and go traffic is bad for mileage, but 140miles per tank is pretty freaking bad.

Thanx for all the suggestions... Well i did a tune up.. I changed plugs (using Denso Iridum), K&N Air Filter with a Cold Air Intake, Had my fuel filter changed along with a fuel system cleaning at Strauss Auto (Who knows if they did it right cause they are real Asses when it comes to cars). The only thing i neglected to change was my wires. I am not getting any smoke out of exaust and no check engine lights so i don't think it is my 02 sensor... I am not getting any backfiring either...
I wonder if it could be a clogged exhaust or intake restriction.
What do you guys think

[gsr916]

i think if they did good work your problem is most likely fixed. you should just top it off w/ gas again and see how many miles you go on it now

[BrooklynRacer]

Originally Posted by gsr916

i think if they did good work your problem is most likely fixed. you should just top it off w/ gas again and see how many miles you go on it now

Nope, after i did all of that i am still getting 140 miles per tank..

[gsr916]

what mods do you have? are u getting any soot in your exhaust? my car is running a little rich, i dont think the milage is necessarily great, but i havnt checked it (i only have to fill up 1 time a week so that seems normal to me). 150 miles in a tank when your just in stop and go traffic might be somewhat off target... maybe everyones conception of how bad that really is different. do you ever get on the freeway? imagine how long it takes to go 150 miles in new york city. how far is your commute each day? and did u check the brakes? what rpm do you idle at? what rpm do u shift, and how fast do u accelerate?

[BrooklynRacer]

Originally Posted by gsr916

what mods do you have? are u getting any soot in your exhaust? my car is running a little rich, i dont think the milage is necessarily great, but i havnt checked it (i only have to fill up 1 time a week so that seems normal to me). 150 miles in a tank when your just in stop and go traffic might be somewhat off target... maybe everyones conception of how bad that really is different. do you ever get on the freeway? imagine how long it takes to go 150 miles in new york city. how far is your commute each day? and did u check the brakes? what rpm do you idle at? what rpm do u shift, and how fast do u accelerate?

No soot in exhaust.. Well i am not a daily driver... mostly a weekend driver on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. It is an Automatic. I usually idle at 800 - 1000 RPMs

[kornflakes28546]

no, you should still be getting a lot more than that, change the O2 sensor, thats the only other option i can think of.

[JakeDrummer]

check the o2 sensor. is your tranny slipping?

also are you running your a/c? that usually screws your mileage pretty bad.

anothing thing worth checking about a/c, this might sound stupid but check and make sure your compressor is disengaging, my buddys accord had his compressor stuck on due to a faulty compressor clutch.

fyi my 94 gsr gets 280-300 miles to a tank in traffic and usually 350-400 out of a tank running it at 80-85 mph.

[gsr916]

i added my header and i havnt had time to do anything really cuz of finals but... now i believe my car is running richer because the O2 sensor isnt operating the same way it was with the stock header. the stock header had really short runners to get the exhaust to it as fast as possible so it wouldnt dissipate as much heat. since the ecu takes readings from the O2 sensor, it tries to keep the air fuel ratio set to where the engine has optimum performance. In my case, im runnin rich, not necessarily because of a bad sensor. A bad O2 sensor will do the same thing, trick the ECU into either compensating for a "lean" or a "rich" mixture, even if the mixture was fine to begin with.
ok, now, the reason i typed all of that is because everyone is saying to change the O2 sensor. perhaps they are right, but it seems to me that a mixture that a rich mixture would use more gas than a lean one correct? since you said there is no soot in ur exhaust (which is usually from running rich), how can it be the O2 sensor?

I put in my silencer for 2 days and then i took it out and there was soot like backed up that didnt get through the smaller hole. with the silencer out, it doesnt really back up like that, but try wiping off your exhaust to see and see how fast it gets dirty again... that will give u good insight if it is running rich, which definitely is an indication to the O2 sensor. Ive also heard bad MAP sensors will cause bad milage. If you change your O2, and youve already had your tune up... u can always change the MAP, it takes like 1 minute but they are like $40 i think. sorry for writing a book

[BrooklynRacer]

Originally Posted by gsr916

i added my header and i havnt had time to do anything really cuz of finals but... now i believe my car is running richer because the O2 sensor isnt operating the same way it was with the stock header. the stock header had really short runners to get the exhaust to it as fast as possible so it wouldnt dissipate as much heat. since the ecu takes readings from the O2 sensor, it tries to keep the air fuel ratio set to where the engine has optimum performance. In my case, im runnin rich, not necessarily because of a bad sensor. A bad O2 sensor will do the same thing, trick the ECU into either compensating for a "lean" or a "rich" mixture, even if the mixture was fine to begin with.
ok, now, the reason i typed all of that is because everyone is saying to change the O2 sensor. perhaps they are right, but it seems to me that a mixture that a rich mixture would use more gas than a lean one correct? since you said there is no soot in ur exhaust (which is usually from running rich), how can it be the O2 sensor?

I put in my silencer for 2 days and then i took it out and there was soot like backed up that didnt get through the smaller hole. with the silencer out, it doesnt really back up like that, but try wiping off your exhaust to see and see how fast it gets dirty again... that will give u good insight if it is running rich, which definitely is an indication to the O2 sensor. Ive also heard bad MAP sensors will cause bad milage. If you change your O2, and youve already had your tune up... u can always change the MAP, it takes like 1 minute but they are like $40 i think. sorry for writing a book

Thanx for the advice.. I will wipe out my exhaust and see how fast it takes to get dirty... what color dirt should i look for when i wipe out the exhaust again... How much will it cost to change my O2 sensor... Should i also be looking at my Cat, or possibly an intake restriction?

[kornflakes28546]

good point gsr916. its just the last thing i can think of after changing all the things she's already changed.

[Igovert500]

If a cat is clogged, you will get backfiring, hindered performance, a rotten egg smell, and possibly a check engine light.