ACURATLSGUY

Hey guys I have a couple questions about my 07' type s...The other day I noticed I was averaging 21mpg now today it has dropped down to 11mpg and I recieved a message saying there may be a problem with the emission system.Even though Its about time for a service because the oil has 15% left would that cause the mpg to lower? also I have recieved a message that the fuel cap may be loose but I checked it and it does'nt seem loose but it keeps coming back...Any ideas on whats going on with my car? could it be a clogged fuel filter thats causing the mpg to lower? any help would be greatly appreciated...Thanks...

ChicagoNick

The "check gas cap" problem is common... there are threads on acurazine about this. And I had this problem with my TL-S. Acura will fix this under warranty. They'll ask you stupid questions like, "do you click it 3 times?.. not 2 times, or 4 times... but 3 times?" like it makes a f***ing difference. Then they'll ask you, "What kind of gas do you put in?" you'll say, "premium".. and they'll say, "well, it could still be bad gas." None of these are the problem, it's the car. They need to fix it. It's a super easy fix, too. I don't know why they fight it. Doesn't harm the vehicle, whatsoever.

As far as your mpg's dropping to 11mpg... that's a whole other problem. I've never seen that. The emission system is also covered under warranty. Take it in.

15% left on the oil is no big deal. Just get your oil changed.

The only thing you should pay for is an oil change $40. That's it. Every other problem you're having is covered under warranty (unless you've changed something on the car that is related, ofcourse).

ACURATLSGUY

Yea it's weird i'm not too worried about the gas cap i'm more concerned on why my mpg's have dropped...What do you average on your type s in mpg's? mine use to average 21-22mpg is that about right? also this is a bone stock type-s no aftermarket airfilters,exhaust,chip...Bone stock...

ACURATLSGUY

The mpg's just dropped down out of the blue then i got the message saying-there may be a problem with the emission system that can cause poor engine performance the vehicle may be hard to start and the fuel economy maybe poor...limit driving and have it checked at the dealership...I was like huh? when did this start?

ChicagoNick

I get 20/21 mpgs right now(our cars are rated 19city/28highway...anything in this range is acceptable). I'm dealing with a chicago winter right now, though. I average 25mpgs in summer. I can get 30+ mpgs on the highway in the summer. My car is also stock. I've got 36,000 miles on it.

I would certainly listen to that message and have it checked out ASAP. You never know what harm can come by ignoring it. I've never heard of that before. 11mpg's certainly warrants a visit to the dealership, with or without a message.

Good Luck. Please update after the dealership finds the problem. I'm really interested in finding out what the cause is.

Majofo

Are you experiencing a rough idle? CEL?

ACURATLSGUY

Hey... the idle is'nt too bad a little rough but not too bad...it idles right at 800rpm...I kinda wonder if the sparkplugs are going bad or if I may have picked up some bad fuel...I always put super premium in it. I also noticed today that the mpg went up from 11 to 15 so I'm hoping it just goes back up i'm also thinking about disconnecting the positive terminal to see if the computer just needs to be reset. Or i think it could just be a clogged fuel filter...other than that the car runs fine hav'nt had any weird problems from the way it runs...who knows it just may be something stupid...it only has 33,000 miles

ACURATLSGUY

this car always goes to the dealership either when the maintenance message comes up or the oil hits 10%. i think it's due pretty soon for the major service check...other than that with the mpg so low there is no other service lights on the dash or other messages except for the annoying gas cap message...I wonder if it has something to do with that.I'm not a mechanic but i can tell when there is a problem you know.

M32TLR

I have been having the same kind of problem with my car. I get about 11-15 range in the city driving. I took my car to the dealership and they told me there's nothing they can do about the poor MPG. They asked me a bunch of question about my maintenance records, what weight motor oil am I using, and what type of gas I'm using. I recently got some new tires and they are not the OEM stock tires and they told me that could affect the MPG. I have some Michelin Sports on the OEM rims and I just did an A2 service with new air and cabin filter and an oil change.

The only thing they can do is check my alignment to make sure it's within the parameter. Their explanation about the poor mpg could be due to the tire PSI being low and also because of the winter gas.

I usually just drive the car in the morning to drop off the kids at school and then back to the house, that's about 15-20 minutes city driving. I usually fire up the car and warm it up for a few minutes before heading out. The driving condition is pretty rough, very hilly and pot holes. I don't hammer the throttle, I tried to keep the RPM at around 20-25K under 3000 for sure.

Am I not driving the car enough in the morning to get the car computer to accurately give me a good MPG? Any advice?

ChicagoNick

11-15 for your driving habits is expected, unfortunately.
1. Winter temperature affects mpg's greatly. In the winter, the car takes longer to warm up to optimal operating temps... so, it burns more fuel than normal to warm up properly. Also, winter air is actually "heavier" than warm air. So, at highway speeds, your car requires more power to maintain 70mph in 20 degree air than it would in 70 degree air.

2. Air pressure in tires affect mpg's as well. Low air could knock 3-5 mpg's off. More rolling resistance.

3. You said you "fire up the car in the morning before heading out". When your car is running and it's not moving... you are getting 0 miles per gallon. (although, I understand if you're taking the kids to school and you don't want them sitting in a cold car) Cars warm up faster while driving, anyways. Let's say it takes 10-15 minutes to warm up sitting in the driveway, it'll only take 3-5 minutes to warm up while driving(this is assuming it's below freezing out).

4. Hills kill gas mileage. Potholes slow you down.

Sorry for the bad news, but the mpg's you're getting is due mostly to your environment. You have minimal control over this. Keeping the engine revs under 3000 is about the only thing you can do to help prevent poor gas mileage. Once spring comes, your gas mileage should return to 18 or 19 mpgs.

Here's an interesting read
http://money.cnn.com/2006/05/01/Auto..._mpg/index.htm
And here's a little more 'extreme' take on getting great gas mileage.
http://www.hypermiling.com/car-mpg.html

Hope this explanation helped.

M32TLR

Hey Chicagonick, Thanks for pointers. I was beginning to worry that I may have a lemon TL-S.
Living in the heart of a hilly city takes a toll on the MPG. I usually just warm up the car for a few minutes. I always thought it would be hard on the engine to just start it up and go. Someone had once told me to warm up the car until the thermometer is above the C before driving the car. Old school man.

ChicagoNick

You're welcome!
We've had 3 really tough winters in a row(Chicago). If the outside temp. is near 32 degrees, I just hop in and go.
The only time I let it warm up is when it's really cold out (<20 degrees). I generally wait until the rpm's settle rather than watching the temp. gauge. Basically, the longest I wait is 2 minutes... unless I'm cleaning off snow.
I will say that I drive it easy until the temp. is above C.

New cars use electric fans on the motor that don't turn on until the engine reaches a certain temperature.
I used to drive an '89 Mercury Cougar. The fan moved with the engine. The car would NEVER warm up driving around on a cold day. I had to let it warm up for 15-20 minutes everyday in the winter. It only got 8-11 mpg's

AggieMike07

The emissions problem is an EGR valve. I got the same message in my 08-S and took it in to be fixed. Covered under warranty.