2004 Civic LX very poor gas mileage

james79s

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Hi guys, I am new to the forum, so all your help is greatly appreciated!

I just bought (2 weeks ago) a 2004 Civic LX from a local Honda dealership, and I got 384km (238miles) until my fuel low indicator came on, which is horrendous! I am pretty mad right now, as there is clearly something wrong with the car, I am just not sure what.

I know that they will fix whatever withing the first 30 days, so I am not too concerned about that, but still, wouldn't you be mad?

Anyway, before I blow my lid, any suggestions as to what it could be?? They were supposed to have the oil and filter changed before I left, but maybe they never did that?

Again, all your help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

James
 

Chris.

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does the car seem to run alright? and how many gallons or litres of fuel did you put back into it when the light came on? try it again. you should be squeezing about 14 gallons into the tank. i can fit 14 gallons in mine. and record the milage the entire time. perhaps your odometer is off. are the tires the proper size? if the car is running properly you should be getting nearly 400 miles or above out of a tank.
 


BlownGasket

Civic From Hell
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i guess the oil filter could in a miniscule way effect the gas mileage. if there is under 10k miles on it. but if you dont change an oil filter for over 20k miles then it could really screw it up. but here is a few things to check if you really think its mechanical.
1) check if the air filter is clean
2) make sure that the oil that is used in the engine isnt more than 30 wieight
3) check the sparkplugs arent caked up with carbon (dealerships dont usually change those)
4) your tranny might be slipping. (just a thought)
5) check the pressure in your tires (use air... Not nitrogen like the dealership uses) run them 3 to 8lbs over recomended pressure
6) if you run it hard....... and want good gas mileage.. dont.
7) one final and rare thing that could happen is your alternator out put may be low. causing youe engine to work harder to deliver spark.
some of this may sound dumb. but its just a few things that i have run into with my 03 lx sedan d17a1. PM me and tell me what the verdict is.
 

james79s

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Hey.. yeah the car seems to run fine no problems at all... When I filled it up I had about 13 gallons in there, maybe a little more...

The tires are brand new, from the dealership, so they should be proper size.... I don't think the odometer is off, it is matching up with the distance that I have driven, it is accurate.

The strange thing is I work about 3 miles from home, I had just under 1/4 tank when I left, and by the time I got here, the light was on and the needles was at E. Seems very strange to me.

does the car seem to run alright? and how many gallons or litres of fuel did you put back into it when the light came on? try it again. you should be squeezing about 14 gallons into the tank. i can fit 14 gallons in mine. and record the milage the entire time. perhaps your odometer is off. are the tires the proper size? if the car is running properly you should be getting nearly 400 miles or above out of a tank.
 


james79s

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Hey, sent you a PM...

i guess the oil filter could in a miniscule way effect the gas mileage. if there is under 10k miles on it. but if you dont change an oil filter for over 20k miles then it could really screw it up. but here is a few things to check if you really think its mechanical.
1) check if the air filter is clean
2) make sure that the oil that is used in the engine isnt more than 30 wieight
3) check the sparkplugs arent caked up with carbon (dealerships dont usually change those)
4) your tranny might be slipping. (just a thought)
5) check the pressure in your tires (use air... Not nitrogen like the dealership uses) run them 3 to 8lbs over recomended pressure
6) if you run it hard....... and want good gas mileage.. dont.
7) one final and rare thing that could happen is your alternator out put may be low. causing youe engine to work harder to deliver spark.
some of this may sound dumb. but its just a few things that i have run into with my 03 lx sedan d17a1. PM me and tell me what the verdict is.
 

Chris.

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did you do alot of uphil driving? mine comes and goes as i go down the highway. i could have a half tak...and by the time i drive 20 miles im at a quarter....but i know its not right. if you park the car on an incline that will affect the guage reading severely.
 

james79s

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Nope it is pretty much a flat road from home to work.... and I parked flat.. turned the car off, then back on, and it was the same...

I am thinking that it is going to be somtehing stupid, like the spark plugs or air filter, but still, I just bought the bloody car, and they say they inspect it, they should catch those things no?

did you do alot of uphil driving? mine comes and goes as i go down the highway. i could have a half tak...and by the time i drive 20 miles im at a quarter....but i know its not right. if you park the car on an incline that will affect the guage reading severely.
 

skivy05

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james... you may be running the A/C all the time & not realize it..... ask snake_shit about how to re-program your A/C function..... I was getting really nasty milage & realized my a/c would not shut off.... I ask here about that issue... & snake_shit helped a bunch. !!! As long as you keep your foot out of the accel... & the a/c off.... & check the other's suggestions... you should see very improved milage !!!

Another thing to add to you "check" list.... disconnect the battery & reconnect.... our little civ's need that sometimes to "reboot" so to speak....!! take care scot.
 

dj_cronic_metal

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I have kindda the same issue with mine. Although I do admit I am a lead foot and we have high speed freeways out here. Most freeways out here which I travel everyday are 65 to 75 mph where I drive. I have a short ram intake and 17 inch rim's, I did calculate to the best that I could the other day getting 28 mpg on an auto civic lx 2 door coupe. I do notice from time to time that my gas cap makes a hissing sound when I open it as if it's depressurizing, but no emissions or cel's. Any ideas on this one guys since were on the same issue?
 

james79s

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I don't thikn this is the case... If the AC was always on, then wouldn't I always notice the temp being colder in the car? If I turn it on and off, I can notice the difference in temp...

Good point on the battry I will check that... first thing though, as I said, I have only had the car 2 weeks, I think this is all still in the dealers domain, they should be looking into this...

james... you may be running the A/C all the time & not realize it..... ask snake_shit about how to re-program your A/C function..... I was getting really nasty milage & realized my a/c would not shut off.... I ask here about that issue... & snake_shit helped a bunch. !!! As long as you keep your foot out of the accel... & the a/c off.... & check the other's suggestions... you should see very improved milage !!!

Another thing to add to you "check" list.... disconnect the battery & reconnect.... our little civ's need that sometimes to "reboot" so to speak....!! take care scot.
 

LowNotSlow

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Did you check your right foot?
 

toneekay

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it could just be a problem internally with the gauges, i know our gens have bad issues with gas gauge fluctuating.
 

Wthorp

'03 Honda Civic LX
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Actually, A/C doesn't waste much gas unless your doing inclines. AC takes away power from your engine, causing it to work slightly more in an incline. I drive around all the time with my AC, and I waste LESS gas than I do if my windows are open. I drive on roads OVER 50 MPH so I use the A/C since with windows down, it causes drag on my car and thus more work for the car.

As for the gas cap depressurizing. Thats natural, most cars do that since as you drive the gas goes down and less air is in the tank.

---

James about your tires/wheels. Check them, I bought my car from a Honda Dealership and it CAME with 18'' wheels but the wrong tires. I still don't have the money to get the right size for my wheels. Just cause its a Honda Dealership, doesn't mean everything is perfect. They are trying to sell you a car, remember that =)
 

CenZ

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how high is your rpms going? i just tested it, and 100% city driving shifting at 2500-3000 i got 365.5 miles to 1 tank of gas. filled it up and got 33.31 mpg
 

nyghtryder

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sadly that doesnt sound too far off from what i get. i usually get 278 when the light comes on. its a 03 auto ex. ive been the original owner and have never come close to seeing the mpg that honda advertised on the invoice. if im on the highway for an entire tank of gas i might hit 300 miles. i know that the manuals get great milage, but i think the autos all have bad mileage .
 

james79s

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Hi guys, thanks for all your help, much appreciated... I haven't answered everyone individually, cause I am still trying to get all the answers!

The funny thing is that by the morning yesterday when I started the car again, the gauge went back up about 4 notches, leaving me with 1/8 of a tank and likely another 100km or more, which would bring it to about normal mileage... So what gives? Does it sound like jsut an abberation or something wrong with the gauge/sensor?

It is at Honda right now, and they are checking it out, but of course they are blaming everything under the sun except the car!

Thanks,

James
 

james79s

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Hey, just checked out the tires/wheels and they are stock, the Canadian LX has 185/65/R15 tires, and they is what they gave me... So that isn't the problem!

I am increasingly thinking it is either a gauge problem, or was just a fluke.

In any case, as I said the dealership is giving me the runaround to a certain extent. I will jsut change the spark plugs and air filter on my own, that is relatively cheap and doesn't hurt to do anyway... I might even add some injector cleaner in there.



Actually, A/C doesn't waste much gas unless your doing inclines. AC takes away power from your engine, causing it to work slightly more in an incline. I drive around all the time with my AC, and I waste LESS gas than I do if my windows are open. I drive on roads OVER 50 MPH so I use the A/C since with windows down, it causes drag on my car and thus more work for the car.

As for the gas cap depressurizing. Thats natural, most cars do that since as you drive the gas goes down and less air is in the tank.

---

James about your tires/wheels. Check them, I bought my car from a Honda Dealership and it CAME with 18'' wheels but the wrong tires. I still don't have the money to get the right size for my wheels. Just cause its a Honda Dealership, doesn't mean everything is perfect. They are trying to sell you a car, remember that =)
 

Kaotic_Zeus

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your MPG sounds the same as mine, but i do almost nothing but city driving. I like to gun it sometimes, but i rarely break 300+miles on a tank, and my car runs as good as it did off the lot brand new :D

Change your transmission fluid, that could be keeping back a lot of power. and miles, that's all the advice that i can give you.

If not, don't worry about it, especially if you have lead foot.
 

james79s

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your MPG sounds the same as mine, but i do almost nothing but city driving. I like to gun it sometimes, but i rarely break 300+miles on a tank, and my car runs as good as it did off the lot brand new :D

Change your transmission fluid, that could be keeping back a lot of power. and miles, that's all the advice that i can give you.

If not, don't worry about it, especially if you have lead foot.
Thats the thing.. I was purpusely NOT driving with a lead foot, quite the opposite!! In any case, I am going to see how the next tank goes...
 

Chris.

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how many tanks of gas have you ran in it since you owned it?

when i bought mine... i thought my guage was f**ked up. but no..the car hasnt been ran for a while so the needle was a little stiff....
 


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