I used to be a bit cheesed off with my Vectra's lack of fuel economy till the diff broke then I was so pi**ed off with it I traded it in for a Honda Accord.

It was a 1.8 ecotec and I used to get about 30 mpg from it.

The accord is a 1.8 VTEC state of the art thingy but doing the same type of motoring I get a staggering 24mpg

How can this be?

does any one know if there any way to adjust anything to improve this? I don't think my wallet can stand much more

TIA

Mark

Might just have to adjust your right foot a bit
Seriously though you could get it checked cos it could be running rich for some reason (emmisions or coolant sensors not working maybe?)

Hi Mark

That seems very low for a Honda.

I have a Rover 216 with the Honda Twin Cam engine and with normal driving I get 36-38 mpg (average)

If I put my foot down that figure becomes nearer 30 mpg and if I drive like a hooligan it becomes sub 30.

Sounds like there might be a problem.

Cheers

Mark

There's always Plan B (or is it C, D or E )

My son has a Vectra 2 litre turbo diesel - he gets annoyed if he gets less than 50mpg, and his drive to and from work is fast country roads.

David

I get 25mpg over-all with the wife driving 14miles to work & back each day out my 2.5 auto estate Omega (when its got an oil filter on it ).

Thanks for that Mackie

I have been trying my very best to drive economically for the past couple of tankfulls and it hasn't helped

Doing the same runs in the vectra gave just over 30mpg so in all seriousness I don't think it's my right foot - I could definitely get a lot less mpg if I did the hooligan thing!

If I had an auto Omega I would be quite happy with that figure, mind you I wouldn't buy another vauxhall after the last one anyway

I would have preferred a a diesel to both the vectra and the accord but they were both 'distress' purchases i.e. I needed a car quickly so they seemed to be the best available for the money I had at the time

Anyway next stop honda garage I suppose - will keep you all posted - thanks for showing an interest.

Cheers

Mark

I've often heard stories about cars returning bad mpg, caused by faulty sensors sending duff info back to the ECU.

I must admit, I would have expected the Accord to be around 30+mpg with steady driving.

David

Just as a tangented comparison, my dads Honda Jazz 1.4 (petrol) returns up to 60 mpg on the motorway, cruising just over 70.
Pat....

I had a 306 xsi which gave very poor mpg when the lambda (oxygen)sensor went on it, once replaced all was well.

Ben

If any one of the 9 sensors on my Honda engine fails, a warning light comes on to tell me to 'Check Engine'?

Does the Accord have a similar light?

Just wondered and yes I do think Mark would have noticed it before the posts start.

Cheers

Mark

Hi, it could well be the lambda sensor, I dont think the engine management would complain unless the sensor(s) compleately die.

It's an easy thing to test if you have a multimeter. This link might help you out Accord workshop manual but not sure what year your car is.

I had the very same car and regularly saw 35-40mpg. Worst was 30'ish mpg when driven hard. Get it seen to...

The Honda ECU won't even look at the status of the sensors until the engine comes up to temp.

Get a new one from a dealer (Honda) as they are more likely to be right.

If this is the problem you may find that the check engine light starts to trip when the engine warms up. (after the new thermo)

My wifes CRV gets 24mpg, with a 2.5 iVETC.

Some really good suggestions there guys thanks, I will see what I can do.

Cheers

Mark

ps it's a 1999 car and the warning lights go off as they should.

[Edited on 26/10/04 by mookaloid]