2005 Accord EX V6 AT. Only 3600 miles on it(yes thats three thousand six hundred)
Car is in great shape but it's getting terrible mileage, avg barely 18+ combined. Car did
sit for a long time. Changed oil, checked to see if brakes were binding, had two tanks of
of fresh gas. I'M not pushing the car hard or anything...Any suggestions short of heading to the dealer?
(under warranty)

Rob

 

Rob, how long did it sit? Was it garaged insideor out in the weather? This is "way out there" but make sure the air filter & the connecting air tubesdidnt haveresident mousenesting in there clogging everything up. It happened to one of my other cars.

I have a 98 Accord 2.3, 115K mi. I get 26 mpg combined @ 75 mph/hwy speeds.I make sure my tire pressure is accurateand have a K&N air filter.

Even with the low miles, check your spark plugs for the heck of it to see if they are burning clean &inspect the plug wires. Check the trans fluid level to make sure it's not "underfilled" causing more frictionHope this helps, let me know.

 

read on, lets see how many you abuse [8D]:

•

tire gauge to set the tire pressures to the

recommended values listed on the driver’s

doorjamb sticker. These values are the

recommended cold inflation pressures that are

the best compromise for ride quality, steering

feel, handling, and fuel economy. When

replacing tires, always go with OEM tires,

they’re optimized for low rolling resistance.

•

viscosity engine oil increases internal engine

drag, and that reduces fuel mileage. Always

use the recommended engine oil for your

vehicle.

•

Avoid pressing the accelerator pedal

excessively. Hard acceleration burns a lot of

fuel. Very slow acceleration keeps the

transmission in its lower gears too long, which

also increases fuel consumption. Moderate,

smooth acceleration gives the best fuel

economy. If the vehicle has an M/T, you can

boost your fuel economy by upshifting as

early as possible.

•

traffic signals to keep the vehicle’s momentum

going. Avoid unnecessary stops and starts.

Don’t tailgate; hugging the bumper in front of

you forces you to make the same stops and

starts as the vehicle that bumper’s bolted to.

Use the cruise control as much as possible to

keep your speed consistent.

•

while driving, you have to accelerate again,

and that uses fuel. When decelerating, take

your foot off of the accelerator pedal or use

light braking. In hybrid vehicles, decelerating

or light braking charges up the IMA battery so

the kinetic energy can be used again when

accelerating.

•

Hybrid models only)

ECON

and with the A/C running, the Auto Idle Stop

feature is active.

•

harder when the A/C is running, and that

reduces your fuel mileage. Turn on the A/C

only when you really need it. If the vehicle has

climate control, select the warmest

temperature that’s still comfortable.

•

effect on fuel mileage at speeds above

45 mph

the drag. Trailers, cartop carriers, roof racks,

and bike racks are also big contributors to

increased drag.

•

in the vehicle add weight. That makes the

engine work harder and use more fuel.

Remove the stuff you don’t need from the

passenger compartment, trunk, or cargo area.

•

the air temperature drops, more fuel is wasted

heating up the engine to its normal operating

temperature after a cold start, and the engine

oil is thicker, increasing internal engine drag.

Also, at temperatures below

doesn’t vaporize properly, so more of it must

be used for the engine to run properly during

warm-up. A block heater helps keep both the

engine and the engine oil warm and reduces

the extra fuel needed at colder temperatures.

•

uses a lot of fuel to warm up to its normal

operating temperature (about

has to deal with higher internal friction before

it does. The shorter the trip, the more fuel

that’s wasted warming up the engine and is

lost to higher internal engine friction. For short

trips, try walking or bicycling if you can. If you

need to drive, keep in mind your fuel

economy will drop quite a bit. This is

especially true if you’re making those short

trips on a cold day or if you’re making them on

a hot day and you’re running the A/C to

quickly cool down the vehicle. Such

conditions can easily reduce your fuel

economy by more than 25 percent.

 

'Don't mean to open Pandora's box of troubles; but would converting to synthetic oil improve mpg data?

The Old Professor

 

Synthetic oil would have the proper viscosity once it's warmed up. It should help when starting a very cold engine since it doesn't thicken as much at temperaturesbelow the 0°C point where the "W" viscosity point is specified.

But it's a very small improvement compared to driving habits.

 

ive got a 2004 ex v6 with 42K. I have similar problems to what the original poster had. I bought it with 27K and the mileage I put on it is about 70% highway. City mileage was bearable(probably around 16-17 mpg and highway was around 24 -25. Recently, since the winter started and I was on Christmas break (I'm in college and used it to commute last semester) the car was driven locally. Since then, whether it was warm here or cold (North Jersey) I've gotten terrible mileage. I usually get $20 whenever I get gas and that gives the car gets almost half a tank sometimes it go through that within 50-75 miles of driving. Now my sister also drives this and she is a terrible driver(constant brake riding, stop and go driving) and I suspect that might be part of the reason for the low mileage, but when it seems like I'm getting 12-13 mpg sometimes I just don't know what to do. I've changed the oil twice(every 7K about) and plan on getting the transmission serviced at 45K with another oil change. I've had the car serviced at a local castrol center but plan on going to the dealer now. I'm only 18 and I drive better than most of my friends(don't real put my foot on the gas hard, and coast when I can, no rash driving) but even then I know I'm not going to get the 21 city and 30 highway. Any more advice will help. Would having 2 or 3 different drivers affect the mileage negatively? BTW on a recent trip to PA I got roughly 27-28 mpg with the cruise control on at 70 mph. I think thats the best I've ever seen. Also, it seems like the fuel gage is highly inaccurate b/c when it goes down it goes down in intervals of 2 or 3 little bars. Besides this I love the car, the only things I have to get looked at are the driver seat moves under hard braking and the key doesnt come out of the ignition unless I tap the shifter a little bit. It has the perfect amount of power, size, and features. So basically I only have real problem with city driving mileage.

 

wow that was a long post...sorry about that guys

 

Driving habits are so important to mileage that it's always risky to compare.

But try this...
Find a flat empty parking lot. Get going straight, very slow, then put it in neutral. You're looking for a feeling of drag which will be easiest to tell just in the fewmoments before it coasts to a complete stop.

Then (if you feel any drag) you'll be looking for brakes that drag, or bad wheel bearings, or stuff like that.

Some cars have sticky, rusty handbrake cables so the handbrake is always dragging. Sometimes it's stuck caliper slide pins or other stuff like that.

Tires at the proper pressure?

 

tcheema: I think there is a microswitch in the tranny shifter that unlocks the key from the ignition. This is so that you can't take the key out without the car in park. This switch might need adjustment or replacement, but should be an easy repair to save you a little agrivation.

One thing about mileage that hasn't been mentioned. EPA ratings do not use blended gas. Most of the gas in the country right now is a blend of gasoline and ethanol. Ethanol hurts your mileage!!!!

Lower Heating Values (@ 60 deg. F):
Gasoline = 116,090 Btu/gal.
Ethanol = 76,330 Btu/gal

Good Chart for Fuel Properties