Poor mileage

Asked by GuruHY28X Jul 07, 2019 at 05:57 PM about the 2003 Honda CR-V LX AWD

Question type: General

I have a 2003 CR-V which I've owned since 2010 and it's now 2019.  I have to admit I
haven't been tracking the mileage, but it seemed bad lately so I tracked it and I only got
14.75 MPG around town and that is with the A/C on all the time (it hasn't been super hot,
but the car feels more comfy with it on).  I usually put the cheapest gas in it.  This is
unacceptable to me.  I'll try the additive people are suggesting, but I doubt it will make a
difference.  I'll even try a better grade of gasoline and see what happens.  A couple mos.
ago it went into "limp mode" and it was 'cuz the emissions system needed work.  Evidently
that didn't help the mileage.  I notice a difference now in the gas pedal.  Hard to explain, but
it's like the car "gulps" occasionally.  Maybe one of you mechanics knows what I mean.  
Thinking this new thing may be making the mileage worse.  I'm sure the repair shop won't
be any help.

1 Answer

80

So many factors. I assume the CRV has 100k+ miles, so several things will effect mileage, dirty injectors, cylinders, etc. To fix this I would recommend dumping sea-foam (may need a bottle or 2, if using 2 separate out the uses by a month or 2) in the fuel tank and start using Top Tier fuels (only need 87 Octane) like Valero, Exxon, Cenex, etc, they have more detergents that help keep the engine clean, you will pay a little more (~1-3 cents per gallon) but it is worth it in the long run. Cheap fuel may be lower quality and fewer detergents which will allow fouling to build up over time and cause issues. I have also noticed that I get better MPG (~10%) in my civics when I run pure gas not the E10 or E15 stuff. The emission system can definitely effect MPG, power, and throttle response, might want to have a Honda Dealership look at it.

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