Honda Accord 4 cyl/150HP automatics get very dissappointing gas mileage

bd21

I have a 2001 Honda Accord LX 4cyl/150hp automatic that I bought new a year ago and I am very dissapointed in the gas mileage that I have been able to obtain. The car is meticiously maintained, I'm a mechanic. The car was broken in properly, 5W-20 weight oil is used and correct tire pressure maintained. In over 15,000 miles of driving using a very conservative driving style I get 21-22.5 MPG in the light flat city driving and 27-28.6 MPG on pure flat interstate 10 driving. The car is rated at 23 city/30 highway. I have never owned a car that I didn't exceed EPA estimates by at least 2 or 3 miles per gallon. I have had Honda check out the car and they changed the computer, but the mileage stayed the same. I have also talked to several people that have a Accord like mind and they are in the same boat. Accord's gas mileage is just not very good when compared to a like cars, Camry, Altima etc.

lancerfixer

...but are you using gas with any additives, such as ethanol? I noticed when I used ethanol-"enriched" gas in my '94 Accord 5-speed my mileage dropped by about 4 mpg in the summer and as many as 6 mpg in the winter. I now run 100% gas strictly, and see about 33 mpg highway and in the 26-27 range in town (anywhere from 1-3 mpg less in the dog days of summer with the A/C cranked, which will also definitely hurt mileage, and I'm guessing you're using it a lot if you're driving down south on I-10.)

bd21

Lancerfixer, all gas has additives in one form or another, but I assume you are concerned about the effects of adding Mentanol and Ethanol. I have used gas from Shell, Cheveron and Racetrack. No difference noted between any brands. You have a 5 speed in a less powerful older technology Honda, so I would expect your mileage to be about where it is. I think the latest Honda should get at least 25 MPG in the city and 32 on the highway. My 1991 Mercury Sable with a V-6 gets better gas mileage than my Honda. A new Honda should at least be able to beat a 12 year old heavier car!

lancerfixer

Obviously all gas has additives. Here in Iowa, a 90% gas/10% ethanol blend is sold, and I know similar blends are sold in other states; I don't know if Florida is one of them. Of course having a five speed helps my mileage, though from what I understand, a VTEC-equipped engine should have better mileage than a non-VTEC; as an aside, the owner's manual for my other car (a Volvo) specifically states not to use ethanol/methanol gasoline.
Just trying to help. Resume complaining about your mileage at your leisure.

q45man

Generally gasoline that is oxygenated [MTBE or Ethanol] only decreases mileage by 5% due to low BTU of that fuel but 10% ethanol can absorb up to 5% water which might reduce mileage by another 5%.
Great way to decrease imports by 15%.

wain

something wrong with the Honda for sure.
My heavier? 94 Camry 4 cyl does a lot better and its LOW tech

tntitan

I have a 2000 Accord SE with the 4 cylinder VTEC 150 HP engine and an automatic transmission. I keep detailed records since day one and have averaged 25.7 MPG after 31,000 miles. My office is less than 5 miles from home and the golf course is 12 miles - neither on the interstate. I do not drive conservatively and when I am on the interstate (about 25%) I drive at 80. On the few trips I have taken I averaged around 30-31 MPG driving at 75-80 MPH. The only thing I have done differently is that I use 10W-30 (which was the recommended oil for my car).

I was a little disappointed in my mileage when I first got the car but decided that it was worth the price for the additional power over what I originally expected from the car. I think you should be upset if you are not averaging at least 24 MPG and have the dealer check it out. Something sounds wrong.

karl

Could the gas be evaporating out of the tank/ fuel lines somewhere ?

Do you park in a garage at night ? notice any gas smells ?

Also, has the dealer confirmed that your speedo /odometer is set up correctly ? (I don't know if these are gear-driven on the Accord, or if it's entirely electronic.) For example, on my Jeep, there's a small plastic gear that triggers a sensor that tells the speedometer how fast I'm going, as well as how many miles I've traveled. If I change any variables such as axle ratio or tire size, I affect the final drive ratio, and will cause the speedo/odo to be inaccurate.
Correcting this inaccuracy is done by changing out the plastic gear to one with the correct tooth #.

-Karl

bburton1

Tntitan says 10W-30 weight oil is recommended for his 4 cyl accord. For mine it is 5W-30 and it's a 97 LX non VTEC. Has Honda changed their recommended oil for newer accords. Just curious.

tntitan

My wife has a 2002 CRV-EX and the recommended oil for it is 5W-20. I rechecked my 2000 Accord SE to make sure I was not having a senior moment and it is 10W-30. The dealership I bought both of these gave me a free oil change on the first change and they put 10W-40 in my Accord and 5W-30 in the CRV. It was what they "had in stock" at the time. I now do as much maintenance as I can on both of my cars. IMHO dealership service departments rank right behind "rust protection" and extended warranties.

tntitan

I popped the hood and checked my 2000 Accord SE does call for 5W-30 but I still use 10W-30 because it is over 90 all summer and I am satisfied with my 25.7 MPG.

lolaero

Okay, I have a 2002 Honda Accord LX Auto. I'm suppose to have 23 mpg for city, but to my calculations, I am only getting about 12 mpg with a full tank of gas. I drive conservatively and I am only getting around 200 miles for each tank! What's wrong?? I haven't changed anything. Everything is stock. I use Chevron's premium gas.

bburton1

To accurately calculate gas mileage-gotta go from fillup to fillup and then do the division. If you really are getting 12mpg with a 4 cylinder accord-you have big problems-smell/look at the exhaust-is it black and really burn your nose. I think it highly unlikely you could even get that much gas through a 4 cyl accord without fouling the plugs with a really over rich mixture. Also a mixture that rich would be running raw gas into the cylinder heads-big time wear problem.

Got a 97 i4 accord-did a 380 mile road trip, 80 miles at 63mph and 300 miles at 80 mph with ac on most of trip-used 12.2 gallons of gas-same pump for both fills and filled it to the top each time-that works out to 31.1 mpg. Usually get from 29 to 32 MPG and drive at 80 most of the time.