2003.2tl

Im starting to regret buying the TL....the thing is a gas guzzler! I'm doing everything I can to make it more efficient...but its not working...

I used to drive a 99 Civic which is a 1.6 ltr engine...so big change for me...

I've changed to new NGK Iridium Plugs
Proper tire inflation
Tried fuel injector cleaner in the gas tank
K&N air filter (better performance)
Premium gas 91 and 94 octane

I dunno what else to do...it's only giving me 250-260 miles per tank....and im using the highway for 10 minutes in the morning and 20 min in the evening...the rest is city driving


I was really debating using seafoam (O2 sensor issue) and having my injectors professionally cleaned (costly alternative)

any input would be appreciated!

Ken1997TL

Where do you live? What kind of weather have you been getting?

Try doing a 100 mile pure highway trip with the cruise at 65 or 70 mph, refill your tank to see what you get for gas mileage.

cjde2006

i just seafoamed and went from 225 miles per tank to 275 per tank. All non highway driving

hrglas

what is this going to accomplish

fsttyms1

there is no sensor issue. just use the stuff.
Also for mixed driving that seems to be the norm for alot of people. Take it on a hwy trip and see what it does (and i dont mean 10 min to work)

Also try changing your driving habbits

2003.2tl

wow...are u serious?

I live in Ontario Canada....

I bought the car in the states and when I drove on the highway it was amazing...I came up here from Michigan....200 Mile trip +/- 10-15 miles and the car only used 1/2 a tank of gas!!! BUT BUT BUT I must emphasize...the gas in the states is better than Canada. When I used to go down with my honda, I would fill up here and go down there and the tank would be near empty. Coming back up, I would have about 1/2 a tank left and wouldn't need to fill for another week of city driving!

I might seafoam then....so 1 bottle in the fuel tank (before fill up?) and 1/2 in the crankcase and 1/2 in the vaccume line? how did u seafoam ur car? what kind of car (TL or TL-s and what yr)

fsttyms1

1 in the tank, full to half tank of fuel, 1 thru the vacuum line, and i like to add 1 full can to the motor 30 min before a oil change.

fsttyms1

Also try changing brands of fuel. Not all are the same. Also see if (not sure if you can up in ) but look for fuel without 10% Ethanol

Bob_F

Well the bottom line is that you'll never approach the gas mileage that you got in your Civic. The TL is much heavier and has a much larger engine. The automatic transmission doesn't help either. The TL just doesn't do very well in city driving.

Also, the "miles per tank" numbers aren't very useful. Do a few "miles per gallon" calculations based on several full tanks of gas in a row.

FirePR2002

Do you drive between the can in the motor and the oil change or let it sit when you do this?

fsttyms1

I usually change my own oil so i usually dont drive much, just around the block to burn off the smoke show from sucking it into the motor from the vacuum line. It woudl be safe to drive to the oil change place as long as you took it easy.

sbuswell

have you changed your oil recently or hsas it been a while?

2003.2tl

i don't even know where the hell the vacuum line is!
lol

and will this cause the spark plugs to get dirty at all? I just changed them!

fsttyms1

I suggest you read the LARGE thread written up on this. The pics are there of the line to use.

And NO it wont hurt the plugs.

HockyStar89

seafoamed the ol TL has a great thread with pic, check it out...i seafoamed mine, no 02 sensor problems or check engine lights...the stuff is great

2003.2tl

does Murrays automotive sell seafoam?

fsttyms1

Id bet most places do. I saw it at Home Depot just a few hours earlier when i was there.

100degrees

iTrader: (1)

is there any other way to improve gas mileage other than seafoaming? i did a recent oil change and changed my habits of driving(keeping it under 2.5k rpm). still getting crappy gas mileage and with the steep gas prices. its killing me

fsttyms1

Depends on what you mean by improve. If your car is already getting the normal MPG then no. Aso where you drive has as much to do with MPG as how you drive. If its all city you are very limited on what you will get. What are you getting that you think you need to improve?

100degrees

iTrader: (1)

filling up with 93 octane. im getting 14 to the gallon and i do 50/50 on highway/city. also usually keep revs under 2500rpms. oil has been recently changed. whats going on??

2003.2tl

tire inflation? spark plugs? allignment? all play a factor in fuel efficiency

FirePR2002

That's what I got in my Q45 with a 4.9 liter V-8. In the TL I'm getting closer to 24 mpg, mostly stop-n-go and city driving. Do you accelerate hard and often while driving, or keep your speed as constant as possible?

100degrees

iTrader: (1)

i dont accelerate hard and i use cruise control on the highway all the time

vtec260

In winter, with -30C weather I was getting 14L/100km. With 20C weather now, getting 10.5/100km. Same driving style, same route.

b1r469

on the issue of guzzling gas, here's my observation with mine (02 TL).

If I put my foot in the gas heavy, the motor loves to suck up the fuel.

I drive approximately 200 miles a day and I use a 2 lane highway half of the drive. If I step on it to pass cars 2 times, I notice a drop in 1 mile per gallon. It is a big deal for me, because I can squeez out 29MPG with mine if I don't lead-foot the gas pedal. The most I've gotten on my car is 500 miles on one tank.

If you do a lot of stop and go traffic, try to ease into the gas and pick up speed gradually. I know, it's so much easier to just mash the gas and let the cars next to you know you have a 3.2 L V6 engine that can put out. But if you are heavy on the gas, your gas milage will drop.

this is probably not what you wanted to read, but it's what's practical for gas savings.

edit:

duh, I should have read the whole thread before posting... :p

another thing you can check is, once the car is warmed up, smell the exhaust and see if you smell, unburned fuel. If your car is running rich, it may contribute to low gas mileage

6MTUA5

iTrader: (2)

^^^^^ it's so hard not to haul ass in the TL though. especially since i got in intake, it sounds so lovely at WOT.

sbuswell

I drive spirited and go over 5k and hit redline everyday when I drive and I still get a solid 24-25mpg. if I drive moderately I get 27mpg all the time.

03TLS4me

In my opinion these cars make great mileage, I recently got 33 mpg all highway miles. Around town about 20mpg.

No complaints here...