HELP! getting only 265 miles on full tank
09-18-2011, 06:11 PM
#1
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Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: philly
Posts: 81
HELP! getting only 265 miles on full tank
i only get 265 miles on a full tank doing all city driving. im not sure if this is normal. how many do you 4th gen owners out there get with all city driving?
09-18-2011, 07:13 PM
#4
09-18-2011, 08:01 PM
#6
Knock sensor is a usual suspect in these types of situation. Pre-knock sensor fixed I was getting 15MPG
So you might want to check just like LIMaxima posted.Also, are you doing moderate driving, conservative or jack-rabbitting? It all depends if you're in stop and go traffic or running in a hurry everywhere and flooring it.
Post up specifics!
09-18-2011, 09:25 PM
#9
09-18-2011, 09:43 PM
#10
Miles per tank is irrelevant. MPG is the only important part of this discussion. OP, what is your MPG? A good running 4th gen 5-spd should get 18-20 mpg when only driving in the city. (all stop and go traffic) If you're getting significantly less then you need to fix your car.
/thread
/thread
09-19-2011, 10:33 AM
#15
I get almost 400 every tank (25+ mpg) with 50/50 mixed driving. I would expect around 325 with all city driving.
The OP's mileage is low for some reason. Checking for codes (as recommend above) is a good place to start. I would recommend using a code reader unless you are sure your CEL bulb works. It should come on with the ignition key "ON" but the engine not yet started.
09-19-2011, 01:27 PM
#16
General maintenance such as knock sensor, fuel filter, cleaning my air filter, fuel injector cleaner, and cleaning out my EGR tube+ TB got me better results. There are gobs of info on this topic
I put 18's on my car, set me back a little.
I put 18's on my car, set me back a little.
09-19-2011, 08:46 PM
#18
And to calculate your MPGs, first top off, reset the trip odometer, drive around until your next fill-up near empty and see how much it takes to fill up, which should be between 15-16.5 gallons. Then it's just simple math;
(miles on trip odometer) ÷ (gallons filled up with) = MPG
09-19-2011, 08:53 PM
#19
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 19
2. Drive your car, and when it gets low, fill it up again, write down both how many gallons you put in, and write down mileage again.
3. Subtract old mileage from new mileage.
3. Divide number of miles driven by number of gallons you put in to fill it up.
(miles/gallons=mpg)
09-19-2011, 09:00 PM
#20
09-20-2011, 07:48 PM
#22
Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 227
4th gen has 18.5 gal tank, so miles per tank (range) vs miles per gallon are
20 370
25 462.5
30 555
31 573.5
Official mileage is 27-28 (500-510mile range). Yours are at 265 mile range, equiv. to 14.32MPG, so it is not close to the specs.
Mine is 28 for unspirited driving.
20 370
25 462.5
30 555
31 573.5
Official mileage is 27-28 (500-510mile range). Yours are at 265 mile range, equiv. to 14.32MPG, so it is not close to the specs.
Mine is 28 for unspirited driving.
09-20-2011, 07:54 PM
#23
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Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 227
That range calculation is ideal. When you are with full tank, you carry unwanted fuel weight. If you are almost empty, that give you best mileage out of the car.
09-20-2011, 08:41 PM
#25
Nothing good will come from driving the car to the brink of fuel capacity. Fill up when your low fuel light comes on or asap after it does. Miles to the tank is also meaningless in stop and go city driving. What happens when you are in heavy traffic and just idling all the time? (mpg is biased then too) MPG is much more valuable of a barometer for running condition than miles per tank.
Last edited by beegeezy; 09-20-2011 at 08:45 PM.
09-21-2011, 08:53 AM
#26
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: philly
Posts: 81
Nothing good will come from driving the car to the brink of fuel capacity. Fill up when your low fuel light comes on or asap after it does. Miles to the tank is also meaningless in stop and go city driving. What happens when you are in heavy traffic and just idling all the time? (mpg is biased then too) MPG is much more valuable of a barometer for running condition than miles per tank.
09-21-2011, 09:03 AM
#27
That calculation is ideal and pointless. You can't use the whole tank unless you want to drive around with an emergency gas can. But who would want to do that?
Nothing good will come from driving the car to the brink of fuel capacity. Fill up when your low fuel light comes on or asap after it does. Miles to the tank is also meaningless in stop and go city driving. What happens when you are in heavy traffic and just idling all the time? (mpg is biased then too) MPG is much more valuable of a barometer for running condition than miles per tank.
Nothing good will come from driving the car to the brink of fuel capacity. Fill up when your low fuel light comes on or asap after it does. Miles to the tank is also meaningless in stop and go city driving. What happens when you are in heavy traffic and just idling all the time? (mpg is biased then too) MPG is much more valuable of a barometer for running condition than miles per tank.
09-21-2011, 10:37 AM
#28
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Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: philly
Posts: 81
09-21-2011, 10:38 AM
#29
after my fuel light comes on, i usually drive for about another 15-20 miles to try to use most of whats left in the tank. then when i go to fill up i cant pump no more than about 16.5 gallons! i guess the other 2 gallons or so just sit in there and doesnt get used? maybe thats why my mpg is so crappy
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Is_it_bett...r_almost_empty
Your mpg has nothing to do with when you decide to fill up. Again, it's mile driven / gallons consumed. This is like 5th grade math.
It's your car guys, do what you want to do. I prefer to keep my fuel pump working and I don't like clogging my fuel filter.
09-21-2011, 10:45 AM
#31
We have coil-on-plug ignition systems. You don't need to change spark plug wires b/c we don't have them. Spark plugs can be checked very easily and P0302 is a cylinder #2 misfire...so I know which plug I'd check first. You more than likely have a dying coil though.
09-21-2011, 11:39 AM
#32
I would start off by pulling all of the plugs and checking them. Replace them if you cannot remember when you last replaced them. Pay particular attention to cyl #2 because of the code you got. Install new plugs (with a torque wrench!), reset the codes and drive. Run a tank of gas, check you mileage, then check your codes.
09-21-2011, 11:41 AM
#33
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sorry for being such a noob but what plugs should i check first?
09-21-2011, 11:45 AM
#34
09-21-2011, 12:05 PM
#35
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 17
@ the noobiness in this thread.
09-21-2011, 05:07 PM
#37
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 6,190
It could be an ignition coil, but it could also be a fuel injector.
I had a problem in May 2010 less than 10 miles after using a bottle of Chevron Techron fuel system cleaner and got a P0305 code. I replaced a spark plug and ignition coil. That was not the problem. I took the coil back and ended up having to replace a fuel injector. It got plugged somehow when the fuel system cleaner dislodged something.
I know of a place I am going to take it to that can test it and clean it somehow for $25 and I will keep it for a backup.
I had a problem in May 2010 less than 10 miles after using a bottle of Chevron Techron fuel system cleaner and got a P0305 code. I replaced a spark plug and ignition coil. That was not the problem. I took the coil back and ended up having to replace a fuel injector. It got plugged somehow when the fuel system cleaner dislodged something.
I know of a place I am going to take it to that can test it and clean it somehow for $25 and I will keep it for a backup.
09-21-2011, 07:04 PM
#38
09-24-2011, 10:26 AM
#39
Last night coming back home from work i began from hawkings texas passed the traffic of austin texas and also san antonio traffic as well made it to freer texas plus racing some honda's among the way going about 85 75 on a 96 5 spd i got about 435 miles to the tank getting about 27 or 28 miles i say not bad for a 205355 miles on the car
