EK poor consumption? Leak spotted?

[manonastick]

Hey guys
I'm been driving in my new 99 ek1 for 2 weeks now and i realized it has fairly terrible fuel consumption as i only can go 300km ~ 350kms on 30Litres =/ . My previous Ek did go 450km ~500kms on the same amount so i was wondering if some of the mods that came with the car has as anything to do with it. Its got a aftermarket muffler for all i know and pod filter installed. My car was also serviced 1 week ago and spark plugs where changed as well, but i was thinking could it be a poor 02 sensor and maybe needs replacing? I also usually shift before 3k revs as well and only once it a while push it bit so i do not think that my driving style is the cause of the bad fuel consumption.
20217
The Pod Filter
20218
I also was installing new speakers today and i realized that something was dripping underneath the car on the left side underneath the the back of the front wheels
http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy112/Magikmonkeyman/IMG_1227.jpg
Could this be the problem?
Any replies will be appreciated

[dc2r-0636]

driving 350ks on 30litres isnt bad.

that leak could be anything, touch it and smell ur fingers to see if it smells on fuel

[mattsrea]

My EJ8 is also having problems with poor fuel consumption. I've travelled 174km and has used up half a tank already. My car is automatic and everything is stock. I just changed the fuel filter, spark plug, oil, oil filter and standard oem air filter. Even my brothers DC2 has better fuel consumption :(
How much does an EJ8 hold? 30L or 40?

[manonastick]

It had scent of fuel but it wasn't very strong. I could smell fuel after driving or sometimes during driving too if that helps.

[manonastick]

Updates *
I did abit of research and just driving i found a few things
1. I figured the leak has something to do with the air con so i don't think that is important issue.
2. I also realised time to time i can smell petrol? i don't know if it from the other cars or what but i can definitely smell petrol in my car some times.
3. If i remember correctly the EK tanks should hold 45L right? But when my arrow is near empty i only need to feel up 30L and i dont think it holds that much petrol as back up and i never got the petrol light on when the gauge is reading empty.

Also on my last refill i got 290km's on 30L on e91 to fill it up. Its not very good i was expecting/hoping to get around 400kms on 30L as i hear people getting 550kms on 40Litres. This is not as bad as my first car 97 mitsubishi verada that was running 25litres on 100kms and spent 1.5k to fix the problem but i never got it fixed and the reason i sold it.
I'm thinking off changing both the o2 sensors in my ek right now as that is the only thing i can think of that maybe able to change the poor fuel economy. An extra question i also have is will any universal 02 sensor work for the d16y4 engines as i planning change both sensors myself (never done 02 sensor change before) or would i be better off getting a mechanic to change it? How much is it for 02 sensors?
any replies will be appreciated. . again : )

[mocchi]

for o2 sensor, as long as the are correct type, it should be interchangeable.
1 wire or 4 wire sensor.

[Boznian]

Updates *
I did abit of research and just driving i found a few things
1. I figured the leak has something to do with the air con so i don't think that is important issue.
2. I also realised time to time i can smell petrol? i don't know if it from the other cars or what but i can definitely smell petrol in my car some times.
3. If i remember correctly the EK tanks should hold 45L right? But when my arrow is near empty i only need to feel up 30L and i dont think it holds that much petrol as back up and i never got the petrol light on when the gauge is reading empty.

Also on my last refill i got 290km's on 30L on e91 to fill it up. Its not very good i was expecting/hoping to get around 400kms on 30L as i hear people getting 550kms on 40Litres. This is not as bad as my first car 97 mitsubishi verada that was running 25litres on 100kms and spent 1.5k to fix the problem but i never got it fixed and the reason i sold it.
I'm thinking off changing both the o2 sensors in my ek right now as that is the only thing i can think of that maybe able to change the poor fuel economy. An extra question i also have is will any universal 02 sensor work for the d16y4 engines as i planning change both sensors myself (never done 02 sensor change before) or would i be better off getting a mechanic to change it? How much is it for 02 sensors?
any replies will be appreciated. . again : )

ive got the exact same petrol consumption problem 300k on 30 L and it wont let me fill up 45L, might change the sensor soon its looks like a rusty mofo

[dahon]

try using higher octane petrol.. e91 is crud..
at least 95 octane.
i've noticed the needle on the civic doesn't read correctly fuel wise..
you've probably got more fuel in there than whats showing..

[mugen_ctr]

My EJ8 is also having problems with poor fuel consumption. I've travelled 174km and has used up half a tank already. My car is automatic and everything is stock. I just changed the fuel filter, spark plug, oil, oil filter and standard oem air filter. Even my brothers DC2 has better fuel consumption :(
How much does an EJ8 hold? 30L or 40?

ek,ej8 and em1 all use a 45 liter tank....

Im averaging around 10 liters per 100kms, but id consider that good simply due to having few basic bolt on mods atm.... any mods will increase ur fuel consumption

[manonastick]

@mugen_ctr
What mods are on your ej8? I would of thought a after market pod filter and a muffler would increase performance and economy. I didn't get time to try to change my 02 sensor this week so i have yet to see if the 02 sensor is the cause of the poor fuel economy.

[anzai]

lol this might sound stupid but check your fuel tank to see if its dented..

i had the same problem like yours with my ek when needle is on red i can only fill up to max 30 litres

found out my fuel tank is dented in by like 5cm right at the centre, so i could never fill up to the max.

next time you fill up just work out the Litres/100km that you're pulling, EK should be around 7-8 if driven sensibly,

so you know the deal:

- so drive it until needle hits red line
- fill up until it clicks
- reset your odometer,
- drive it for at least 3/4 of tank,
- fill up again until it clicks
- note how many litres that was
- note how many kms from your odometer for that amount of petrol your car drank

a few things you should check, always make sure:

- tire pressure is normal
- air filter is clean
- oxygen sensor is not fkd, get denso ones i got mine from ebay for cheap cheap

http://www.densoproducts.com/resultsSearch.asp?s=9&txtPartNumber=234-4065 (should be the one for your car, go double check though)

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/DENSO-Oxygen-Sensor-234-4065-Honda-Civic-Del-Sol-Acura-/230684843360?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item35b5e35d60#ht_773wt_905

- spark plugs isnt too old (if its standard copper), if so change it and just buy standard copper ones, much cheaper than iridium

- ignition leads arent too old, i replaced my 12 year old leads on my integra, and so far noticed fuel consumption is better off by 0.5L/100km

- thermostat isnt fked. does your car take ages to warm up to hit optimum temperature? remember the engine uses more fuel when its cold.


thats all i could think of... fuel consumption had always been an issue for all the cars that i've bought, i ticked off all the above and now its running beatifully! =)

gl, sleep time for me

[sebtoombs]

try using higher octane petrol.. e91 is crud..
at least 95 octane.
i've noticed the needle on the civic doesn't read correctly fuel wise..
you've probably got more fuel in there than whats showing..

actually, thats not true. a fuel with a higher RON rating has a higher temp/pressure at which it will combust. This is due to the presence of branched chains etc within the molecule which limit the availability of oxygen to the carbon atoms. So a fuel with a higher octane rating will help to prevent pre-ignition (knocking) in a high compression engine (hence its use in turbo cars), or with far advanced timing. It also burns slower and in a more controlled fashion.

[dougie_504]

actually, thats not true. a fuel with a higher RON rating has a higher temp/pressure at which it will combust. This is due to the presence of branched chains etc within the molecule which limit the availability of oxygen to the carbon atoms. So a fuel with a higher octane rating will help to prevent pre-ignition (knocking) in a high compression engine (hence its use in turbo cars), or with far advanced timing. It also burns slower and in a more controlled fashion.

However if your car is tuned (standard or not) to run above 91 RON then you will certainly see a difference. I wouldn't use less than 95 personally, just how I roll and I 'save money' in more effective ways LOL

OP, just drive until your light comes on, then re-fill etc. My needle doesn't drop until I've done 130+ KMs. I usually get 450km before my light comes on.

[sebtoombs]

However if your car is tuned (standard or not) to run above 91 RON then you will certainly see a difference. I wouldn't use less than 95 personally, just how I roll and I 'save money' in more effective ways LOL

Yes, like I said, with far advanced timing. This will net you more power, but not better economy.

[mugen_ctr]

Yes, like I said, with far advanced timing. This will net you more power, but not better economy.

on d-series they dont advance there timing automatically, thus only doing it by hand, therefore its pointless again, but i still use 95+ ron anyways, lol, cause if u want the best u have to treat it to the best

I found that my d-series performed much much better on 95 RON than 91, on 91 it felts a bit sluggish, and got less kms per a tank than 95

[manonastick]

I've been driving a while on the needle pointing at empty and still haven't seen the low petrol light yet. Im on 370kms and still going.
I don't know if this is good or not anyone mind sharing there average per 100km?

[Underoath87]

I drive my EK1 really really easy, a lot of highway driving and I get between 550 and 600 using 98 BP Ultimate. 98 may not show you huge increases in performance but you'll definately notice a difference between 98 and 91. And to be honest it's only a couple of dollars extra per tank. Mine take around 36L to fill from needle at empty to full. Works out to be around 6.5L/100KM

[anzai]

I've been driving a while on the needle pointing at empty and still haven't seen the low petrol light yet. Im on 370kms and still going.
I don't know if this is good or not anyone mind sharing there average per 100km?

your fuel light might be busted like my old ek, becareful not to run it down til theres no fuel at all

[Underoath87]

I think the Low Fuel Light not working is a pretty common problem in the EK. Mine has the same issue.

[dahon]

sebtoombs: it all depends on what his engine is tuned for.
and practically, after driving a D for the past 4 yrs, i'm sure at least 95RON will net better fuel consumption than e91. - you also have to factor the sluggishness (= more pedal = more gas)..

manonastick: bring a Jerry can with you, just in case..

[manonastick]

Don't worry, the fuel light eventually came after driving 100kms needle pointing towards empty and i had to fill up at 400kms.
Soo my average is currently 100km/ per 10l and im not really happy with this economy =/

[subie]

your fuel light might be busted like my old ek, becareful not to run it down til theres no fuel at all


I think the Low Fuel Light not working is a pretty common problem in the EK. Mine has the same issue.

just check my diy on how to check low fuel light , hope it help

Cheers

[dmad_dood]

Same problem but im pretty sure i've SOLVED it. I picked up my ek1 about 6 months ago and was getting pretty bad fuel economy between 8-10l/100km depending what kind of driving and how. I noticed the air filter was dirty so i chucked it and that made a little difference (little more economical and smoother), BUT!!! Im pretty sure i found the problem :D My thermostat. Car wasn't getting up to temperature and was running too rich which fouled my plugs and didn't burn the fuel efficiently so i changed the thermostat, plugs, and fuel filter and so far so good (its my first tank with the changes). I would fill up the tank plus the fuel filler cap so plus another 250-500ml and i would get about 350-400km until it was "empty" where i could only fill up about 35L. I would get about 30-60km until the needle dropped under the fill mark but so far i've gotten 90km and i didn't fill up the fuel filler cap!!! So its sounding quite promising. It might not be the same problem but its defiantly something worth checking out along with your plugs and fuel filter.

All the best!!