The Fit Recall, Lower Gas Mileage (MPG)
#21
07-13-2011, 05:40 PM
I'm also well past the 20K mark. I go from North Texas to the middle of Florida at least once a year. Which is why I have a very very good idea what my standard highway and mixed mileage should be.
I guess it could be the heat. Admittedly I got the car checked out at the beginning of spring. Shortly there after we went into severe drought conditions for our area. We've been constantly breaking records with our high temps (105-109), we get heat warnings at least once a week. I've had our AC set to 2 at minimum, because the Fit's AC is not really that strong. (I love my Fit but it does take a while to cool down!)
I assumed it was the dealership because it was immediately after that, that our MPG dropped. My husband was the first to notice, since we took a Dallas trip shortly after. We had to fill up twice instead of the usual one time and he said it didn't seem as "peppy" on the highway (a very long windy, slightly hilly, stretch of road).
I didn't notice anything different though. And I'm usually the one who DOES notice. (as I drive the car more than he does.) Which is why I didn't mention it to begin with.
They didn't reset the MPG "automatic" calculator thing. It's still off by 2. Even then, it's still showing a drop in MPG. Haven't gotten over 30 (which is actually 28) since I got the car back.
I like calculating it manually, just for fun. So I know I never got lower than 300 miles per fill up, unless I was stuck doing stop-and-go traffic through the whole tank. Even then it would only drop to about 290. :-/
I guess it could be the heat. Admittedly I got the car checked out at the beginning of spring. Shortly there after we went into severe drought conditions for our area. We've been constantly breaking records with our high temps (105-109), we get heat warnings at least once a week. I've had our AC set to 2 at minimum, because the Fit's AC is not really that strong. (I love my Fit but it does take a while to cool down!)
I assumed it was the dealership because it was immediately after that, that our MPG dropped. My husband was the first to notice, since we took a Dallas trip shortly after. We had to fill up twice instead of the usual one time and he said it didn't seem as "peppy" on the highway (a very long windy, slightly hilly, stretch of road).
I didn't notice anything different though. And I'm usually the one who DOES notice. (as I drive the car more than he does.) Which is why I didn't mention it to begin with.
They didn't reset the MPG "automatic" calculator thing. It's still off by 2. Even then, it's still showing a drop in MPG. Haven't gotten over 30 (which is actually 28) since I got the car back.
I like calculating it manually, just for fun. So I know I never got lower than 300 miles per fill up, unless I was stuck doing stop-and-go traffic through the whole tank. Even then it would only drop to about 290. :-/
Debris in the intake might reduce power, but would not affect mpg.
I lean towards polaski's comment about valve clearance. This is something Honda had to adjust after replacing the valve springs.
#22
07-13-2011, 05:44 PM
Valve Clearance?
#23
07-13-2011, 05:49 PM
Tell them since having the recall done you've gotten less mpg. It'll help if you can show a log (just type something up that looks good).
If they need a hint, you could say you heard that out-of-adjustment valves could cause this, and that you understand the valves would have been adjusted during the recall work.
A 2mpg variance isn't a lot though. I get that from tank to tank with one or two slow side trips.
Take it on the highway for an hour, 30 miles each way. At 60mph you should be able to get in the mid to high 30s. Check your tire pressure in the morning first (cold it should be 33psi).
If they need a hint, you could say you heard that out-of-adjustment valves could cause this, and that you understand the valves would have been adjusted during the recall work.
A 2mpg variance isn't a lot though. I get that from tank to tank with one or two slow side trips.
Take it on the highway for an hour, 30 miles each way. At 60mph you should be able to get in the mid to high 30s. Check your tire pressure in the morning first (cold it should be 33psi).
#24
07-13-2011, 06:16 PM
Gasoline is a mixture of numerous chemicals that have different heats of combustion; the selection of which can and does alter the BTU per pound as well as the octane rating. In general, the components of high test gasoline have some components with higher heats of combustion from which both power, octane rating, and mpg result. Toluene is a good example. When gasoline is enriched with toluene power, octane rating, and mpg are improved as we can attest from multiple dynomometer trials as well as race track lap times.
It doesn't have to be different but often is. Many refiners produce 87 and 91 octane gasoline with differing heats of combustion simply because the crude feedstock processes differently.
Your reference doesn't appear to have much experience with gasoline testing at refiners nor in the lab. And if it is from ethanol laced fuel suppliers they have a definite intention to avoid the difference in heats of combustion between straight gasoline and ethanol laced gasoline for it clearly shows gasoline much better power and mpg results.
Its a similar situation with comparisons of synthetic lubricants compared to parafin and napthene based lubricants.
Last edited by mahout; 07-14-2011 at 08:53 AM.
#25
07-13-2011, 06:23 PM
Your reference doesn't appear to have much experience with gasoline testing at refiners nor in the lab. And if it is from ethanol laced fuel suppliers they have a definite intention to avoid the difference in heats of combustion between straight gasoline and ethanol laced gasoline for it clearly shows gasoline much better power and mpg results.
Its a similar situation with comparisons of synthetic lubricants compared to parafin and napthene based lubricants.
Its a similar situation with comparisons of synthetic lubricants compared to parafin and napthene based lubricants.
Here's the site if you're interested.
I agree, some premium blends will have greater BTU content. But some won't. It's not a function of octane.
#26
07-13-2011, 06:28 PM
A while back I sent my '09 Fit (Auto) to the dealer after receiving a recall notice in the mail. (Possible Spring Assembly Failure recall.) I didn't think much of it until I started driving and saw my MPG take a serious nose drive. (I've been keeping track of my miles-per-tank almost obsessively since I bought this car in late 2009, so I'm pretty familiar with it's "mileage habits".)
Before I went to the dealer I was getting a solid 300 miles per 9-10 gallons.
After the dealer I'm getting about 260 per 9-10 gallons.
I haven't been driving differently or gone to places I don't normally go. Last year, from winter through summer, I got a solid 300 miles, even with mixed city/highway. Now straight highway driving doesn't seem to be improving my mileage. I'm stuck at about 260-270..
Is it possible that by fixing something from the recall they messed something else up? I'm somewhat mystified as to what they could have done to drop my MPG so badly. I suppose I ought to contact my dealership and see if they can fix it, right? What do you guys think?
Before I went to the dealer I was getting a solid 300 miles per 9-10 gallons.
After the dealer I'm getting about 260 per 9-10 gallons.
I haven't been driving differently or gone to places I don't normally go. Last year, from winter through summer, I got a solid 300 miles, even with mixed city/highway. Now straight highway driving doesn't seem to be improving my mileage. I'm stuck at about 260-270..
Is it possible that by fixing something from the recall they messed something else up? I'm somewhat mystified as to what they could have done to drop my MPG so badly. I suppose I ought to contact my dealership and see if they can fix it, right? What do you guys think?
One strange cause of reduction in miles per tankful is a fuel tank float either by absorbtion or puncture not rising with the fuel level. That causes the float to 'bottom out' sooner than usual and thus less miles per tankful. We've seen this only a couple of times in 50 years, and once it was due to something in the gas tank weighing down the float.
You might try checking the fuel gage as the tank is slowly filled to see if it registersfull and you still put a gallon or two more without overfilling.
Another possibility is the use of lower combustion energy fuel; that happens with ethanol laced gasoline. The heat of combustion for ethanol is considerably less than gasoline and often results in a drop of 10% in mpg.
#27
07-13-2011, 06:35 PM
I went from mid-30s to upper-20s. I guess that doesn't seem like a lot looked at that way, but it makes a difference at the gas pump. (I travel around quite a bit due to my job so I noticed when my mileage-per-tank dropped by about 20-30 miles).
The highest I've gotten, even on a straight highway drive, is 30MPG. I haven't been able to get over that. Makes me wanna cry considering how I was getting almost 35MPG before on straight highway runs.
Also, unless the gas formula has changed since spring of this year, I'm not sure why that would be affecting my car. I've used the cheap gas and the expensive gas in my area, and it never made any difference before... o_0
Thank you everyone for your advice! I will use what you've given me to see if I can get my Fit back up to old MPG standards!
#28
07-13-2011, 06:40 PM
Anyway your explanation works*. Maybe they started using ethanol this year and didn't in prior years in the OP's burg.
*edit: except what accounts for a 10% drop? Even if ethanol were 10% it'd have to have zero energy content to affect MPG by 10%. Shrug. But my mpg does spike about 10% in early spring...
Last edited by Steve244; 07-13-2011 at 06:55 PM.
#29
07-13-2011, 06:48 PM
Hm, I'm pretty sure they've used an Ethanol mix since I've moved here. I thought it was 10% actually, though I could be wrong.
You're right though, they could have very well changed the formula without letting anyone know about it.
You're right though, they could have very well changed the formula without letting anyone know about it.
#30
07-14-2011, 08:48 AM
The blend itself will affect both energy and octane rating. Just adding toluene to any gasoline will boost both octane and btu per pound and there are other compounds as well. Mostly it is easier to add anti-knock compounds which may even reduce energy. When your processing has a hundred different compounds to chose based on the crude analyses there will be considerable variances in 'standard' fuel formulations.
#31
07-14-2011, 09:25 AM
The blend itself will affect both energy and octane rating. Just adding toluene to any gasoline will boost both octane and btu per pound and there are other compounds as well. Mostly it is easier to add anti-knock compounds which may even reduce energy. When your processing has a hundred different compounds to chose based on the crude analyses there will be considerable variances in 'standard' fuel formulations.
Edit: I think I see where we're divergent. My earlier post should have said "...not a function of octane rating." Thanks for clearing that up.
Last edited by Steve244; 07-14-2011 at 09:42 AM.
#34
07-14-2011, 02:00 PM
This is a little off topic sorry but related to recall...
I have an aftermarket SRI installed, has anyone dropped their Fit at the dealer for recall work with the engine mod(s) in place? Did they hassle you?
I have the stock airbox but its a royal pain to reinstall. Just wondering if I should put it on to avoid any hassle.
Thanks for your input.
I have an aftermarket SRI installed, has anyone dropped their Fit at the dealer for recall work with the engine mod(s) in place? Did they hassle you?
I have the stock airbox but its a royal pain to reinstall. Just wondering if I should put it on to avoid any hassle.
Thanks for your input.
#35
07-15-2011, 11:04 PM
'09 Fit Sport - same mileage drop
My 2009 Fit Sport has exhibited the same drop to about 26mpg since the lost motion spring repair recall. The mileage dropped immediately from about 33mpg in mixed driving to about 28mpg. It has now, 2 months later, dropped to 26mpg on the latest tank of gas. I have checked tire pressure, and inspected the engine for common problems such as loose vacuum lines. The car is not reporting any diagnostic codes, but is idling slightly rough.
#37
07-16-2011, 12:49 PM
My 2009 Fit Sport has exhibited the same drop to about 26mpg since the lost motion spring repair recall. The mileage dropped immediately from about 33mpg in mixed driving to about 28mpg. It has now, 2 months later, dropped to 26mpg on the latest tank of gas. I have checked tire pressure, and inspected the engine for common problems such as loose vacuum lines. The car is not reporting any diagnostic codes, but is idling slightly rough.
Rough idle and poor mpg can easily be result of valve(s) set too tight. Suggest you have valves reset and perform the idle speed re'learning ECU program. Make sure engine is cool when setting the valve clearances.
Who's gas are you using?
#38
07-16-2011, 02:02 PM
Rough idle is caused by carbon buildup too. Carbon causes the valves to stick.
#39
07-16-2011, 10:50 PM
My mileage dropped from 38 mpg to 31-32 mpg after recall. It won't be easy to convince the dealer that the mileage drop was due to recall and that they would re-adjust the valves. I'm pissed.
