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2002 RL with poor gas mileage and missing upper cover steering columnpart
So I have had a 2002 RL i bought from my brother for about 4 years- i have liked the car but am ready to move on.
last year the mpg degraded horribly, getting about 13 MPG hiway.
Does anyone have any thoughts on what is causing this? Already had mechanic change spark plugs and clean injectors, i am thinking maybe oxygen sensors? Before I take it to acura dealer for $149 diagnostic, i would welcome any input!!
In addition there has been a long term whine in the transmission, which is most noticeable under 30mph and then again around 65 MPH. A mechanic told me there was an Acura update regarding this issue and added something to transmission fluid, but i didnt notice any long term change.
There was also a dead odometer panel for a long time- I just got that fixed, but in the process, they broke the cover piece for the steering column. it now looks like the pics below.
Oxygen sensors along with dirty or plugged air filter/box could cause a drop in mileage for sure are you getting any "check engine" lights? Did the mechanic remove, clean and reinstall the fuel injectors or just hook it up to a machine to clean them? Is the car hard to start? Any hesitation or rough idling? Pep Boys, Auto Zone and O'Reily's will perform free diagnostic checks and that would be my first step to see if any codes are set. My 2000 gets 14 mpg in city driving which sucks but it's mostly stop and go but I do get a consistent 22 mpg on the highway. As far as the steering column trim piece goes I don't believe it's broken, my 2000 RL looks the same, it's more noticeable the lower you have your adjustable column set, run your column up more and you won't see that big gap. There may have been some foam piece in there at one time covering those white edges but that gap is necessary to allow the column to run up and down. A 2002 RL with 92K miles on it is a keeper if you can resolve the mpg issue. My 2000 RL has 108k on her and I love it!
TY! No check engine light is on, does that eliminate sensors or filter/box as a possibility? I will definitely try one of those places and see if they can tell me anything.
Its a great car for sure, would love to be able to keep driving it!
Yours is a beaut, did you add those rims? they look great.
Yes a dirty filter or plug air box would cause your car to run richer and kill gas mileage but to be sure have your car checked for codes to eliminate any unknown issues. Check and replace your filter and check your fuel tank visually for any obvious cracks or damage. The rims on my car were an option on the 2002-2006 Honda Accord, I picked up on Amazon.com for $200 and I bought some center caps and Acura "A"s for them.
05-22-2019, 08:00 PM
