I've been noticing that I've been getting awful gas mileage. I do mostly city driving or moderate traffic highway driving. I've been getting between 150-200 miles per fillup, and i'm usually filling up right after the gas light comes on. It usually takes between 13-14 gallons to fill the rest of the tank. I also noticed recently that the muffler tips are very black on the ends. Could this mean the engine is running rich or lean or something like that? Maybe it's why I'm getting the poor gas mileage. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks for the answers in advance.

Donny

 

Black tips usually mean that engine runs rich, too much gas in the fuel/air mix, it would also explain terrible gas mileage. There is not much you can do yourself besides checking air filter - if it is clogged, what you describe is possible to happen. If filter is not dirty, take it to the dealer - engne diagnostics require all kinds of equipment no one else has.

Good luck.

 

I should have added that the car is an '03 TL-S with about 2,700 miles on it.

Donny

 

Whoa! I thought I was getting Crappy mileage, i've only been getting about 250 per tank. but your mileage, it TOTALLY unexceptable. bring it back to the dealer.

 

Then your filter should be fine, unless you sucked in a plastic bag or something and it blocks your air intake.

 

Well, first things first. What type of gas are you filling up with? You should be using nothing less than 91 octane gas. Most "supremes" at gas station meet or exceed the 91 measure.

As far as the black grime on the muffler tips goes I would expect some grime there. How old is the car? Use any additives or anything in your fuel?

You say you only fill up once the gas light comes on. I do this too. I think our fuel tank capacity is 18 or 18.5 gallons. So assuming once the engine light comes on, you have 4 gallons left, you have used 14 gallons so far. I would assume the worst mileage one should get with the TL-S is 19miles/gallon if you do nothing but city driving. Something must not be right with your engine. 14 gallons x 19miles/gallon = 266 miles. You are saying you only get 150-200 miles out of 14 gallons of gas. Man, I would get that checked out at your dealership. Maybe bring in your gas receipts.

 

osofastferu, you may want to think about doing it yourself - most ppl (including me) get 350-400 miles per fill up.

 

I usually fill up with Amoco Ultimate, which is 93 octane. I scheduled an appointment for Monday morning at Acura of Valley Stream, we'll see what they have to say.

 

i am experiencing about the same performance from my 03 TLS. i drive mostly in D4 doing " city driving " , in other words mostly under 60mph with the A/C on. right now i'm almost on E, the light will come on soon, the millage is at 230. the total millage is only 1700. i'd say i've been filling the car up with gas when it gets to be in the low 200's. i do " punch it " sometimes, but overall i drive fairly conservatively.

is this something i should check on?? or should i wait til after the first oil change before worrying??

 

Gas tank capacity for '02 and '03 models is 17.17 US gallons.

 

alot of people have been telling me that they hit 300 all the time, are you guys using your AC????? I drive like grandma and I still can't get near 300!!!!!

 

Last fill up, I did 378.2 Miles for 15.9 Galons. So, it is 23.78 MPG.

I average 22-23 MPG

 

hey, u live near valley stream??
i won't take it to Acura of Valley Stream...i dun like their service their...very ghetto...
i brought my car their for my first maintenance service...
the ppl there kinda gave me an attitude...and wasn't to responsive to my questions...i had to ask a couple of times b4 they would answer my q's...
their service dept. was ghetto too, i thougth it was the parts dept. when i first stepped in...i was like, where should i go to get the paper work done...and was pointed out to go to a desk the corner, which looked like a desk counter that u would see at a gas station...

all in all, i dun recommend goin there...maybe try the dealer at roslyn...that's where i'll be taking my car next...
dunno haven't been there yet...could be worse...

just my opinion....

 

Driving in D4 (as opposed to D5) will almost always have a negative impact on fuel economy. D4 and D5 are both overdrive gears. Overdrive gears by definition are designed for fuel economy. Since the car wants to shift from D4 to D5 at around 45 mph (assuming moderate load) and will stay there longer when you coast, any time you are running in D4 above 45 mph, you are turning higher RPMs than someone driving in D5. Higher RPMs equals more fuel used. If you and I took identical cars and drove them exactly the same places in exactly the same way, except you always kept yours in D4 and I kept mine in D5, I would get better gas mileage than you.

Also, city driving really hurts gas mileage, as does using the A/C. I've noticed that when I mix city and highway driving I average 23 mpg. If I'm using SS and really romping on it, I average 18 mpg and if I'm all highway cruising at 75 mph on a long trip, I average 28 mpg.

 

hmmmm, maybe i'll try always driving in D5 for a while and see if my numbers improve

 

plus our engine are still new...give it till about 3000+ to let it come down a bit....i have the same situation but its getting better

 

No matter just driving in D4 or D5...150-200 is way too low. My average for a full tank is 330- 370. That's 60% highway 40% city. A full tank is 14.5 Gallons for me when i pour gas.

 

I used to drive around in D4 for city driving, and mileage was ok.

This time I filled up and am trying D5 - and not too much aggressive driving. I'm at 145 miles with just under 1/2 tank left.

150-200 miles on a tank is way too low!

 

are you driving aggressively? That could be the problem....especially if you have the a/c on all the time too. The black exhaust tips probably means that you haven't cleaned them in a while! Put a coat of polish on them and get the gunk off and lighten up on the gas and I bet you will notice a difference.

 

I really don't drive too hard. I really floor it maybe twice a fill up. The A/C has been on a lot lately because it has just been so hot in NY lately, but how much of an effect could that really have? We'll see what they say when I bring it for service. It's a good chance to have them take care of some of the rattles too, hopefully. Thanks for the responses.

Donny

 

I drive fast all the time. This is why I bought the Type S. I mean I have been driving a 4 cyl 94 Accord for 5 years now. The power I now possess is intoxicating. That would explain my lower mileage. I like to accelerate. Oh, and my AC is on all the time because of the ridiculous heat of late.

Anyone know how many gallons are left in the tank when the gas light comes on in the dash? Maybe I just need to sitdown this weekend and read the owner's manual in its entirity.

 

About 3 gallons, on my largest fillup of 17.559 gallons I drove about 60 miles with that light on.