Honda Car Forum

My 93 EX automatic has over 200K miles on it, I am recent nth. owner,
car runs perfectly but only gets low 30's with careful suburban
driving.

Based on experience, what one item would you suggest replacing that
can have an immediate positive impact on fuel economy?

Thanks in advance !

Tire pressure.

Here is a long list, grouped by approximate cost:
http://honda.lioness.googlepages.com/gasmileagetips

A lot of this one would do in the course of a normal tuneup.
You do not know exactly where the car is in its maintenance,
so if you have the bucks, you might next want to start with
a tuneup.

<septicman@peoplepc.com> wrote
> My 93 EX automatic has over 200K miles on it, I am recent
> nth. owner,
> car runs perfectly but only gets low 30's with careful
> suburban
> driving.
>
> Based on experience, what one item would you suggest
> replacing that
> can have an immediate positive impact on fuel economy?
>
> Thanks in advance !

On Fri, 07 Nov 2008 18:16:26 -0800, septicman@peoplepc.com wrote:

> My 93 EX automatic has over 200K miles on it, I am recent nth. owner,
> car runs perfectly but only gets low 30's with careful suburban driving.
>
> Based on experience, what one item would you suggest replacing that can
> have an immediate positive impact on fuel economy?
>
> Thanks in advance !

apart from all the usual maintenance items, look at the tw sensor. even
though testing showed mine to be "in limits", replacement took my civic
from 31.8mpg up to 36.2mpg.

i only really spotted the difference because i have two cars essentially
the same - civic and crx, both automatic, same engine, maintained to the
same standards, even same tires/tire pressures. crx was in the 36's long
term average, civic as stated. oil always got dirtier quicker on the
civic too and it had a problem warming up in cold weather, even with two
new thermostats. finally concluded it had to be the sensor, and hit pay
dirt. was totally convinced when i went to my local junkyard and
discovered that there was hardly a honda in the place that still had a tw
sensor in it. someone, somewhere was switched on to this problem some
time ago!

jim beam <spamvortex@bad.example.net> wrote in
news:epOdnekp3rC5ZonUnZ2dnUVZ_oHinZ2d@speakeasy.ne t:

> On Fri, 07 Nov 2008 18:16:26 -0800, septicman@peoplepc.com wrote:
>
>> My 93 EX automatic has over 200K miles on it, I am recent nth. owner,
>> car runs perfectly but only gets low 30's with careful suburban
>> driving.

low 30's is good.

>>
>> Based on experience, what one item would you suggest replacing that
>> can have an immediate positive impact on fuel economy?

The DRIVER.

>>
>> Thanks in advance !
>
> apart from all the usual maintenance items, look at the tw sensor.

I believe you mean "temperature sensor",or CTS(coolant temp sensor).
probably just a typo,but for the neos....

> even though testing showed mine to be "in limits", replacement took my
> civic from 31.8mpg up to 36.2mpg.
>
> i only really spotted the difference because i have two cars
> essentially the same - civic and crx, both automatic, same engine,
> maintained to the same standards, even same tires/tire pressures. crx
> was in the 36's long term average, civic as stated. oil always got
> dirtier quicker on the civic too and it had a problem warming up in
> cold weather, even with two new thermostats. finally concluded it had
> to be the sensor, and hit pay dirt. was totally convinced when i went
> to my local junkyard and discovered that there was hardly a honda in
> the place that still had a tw sensor in it. someone, somewhere was
> switched on to this problem some time ago!


Hmm,"tw sensor" used twice;can't be a typo.

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net

Jim Yanik <jyanik@abuse.gov> wrote in news:Xns9B4FDEAF3E2A9jyanikkuanet@
74.209.136.84:

> jim beam <spamvortex@bad.example.net> wrote in
> news:epOdnekp3rC5ZonUnZ2dnUVZ_oHinZ2d@speakeasy.ne t:
>
>> On Fri, 07 Nov 2008 18:16:26 -0800, septicman@peoplepc.com wrote:
>>
>>> My 93 EX automatic has over 200K miles on it, I am recent nth. owner,
>>> car runs perfectly but only gets low 30's with careful suburban
>>> driving.
>
> low 30's is good.



Exceptional for an Accord EX, but just good for a Civic EX. OP does not
state his model, just his trim level.



>
>>>
>>> Based on experience, what one item would you suggest replacing that
>>> can have an immediate positive impact on fuel economy?
>
> The DRIVER.


Yep. That plus proper maintenance.

If there were anything more, the automakers would already have taken
abundant advantage of it, being regularly cattle-prodded as they have been
by the government's CAFE regulations since 1975...



>
>>>
>>> Thanks in advance !
>>
>> apart from all the usual maintenance items, look at the tw sensor.
>
> I believe you mean "temperature sensor",or CTS(coolant temp sensor).
> probably just a typo,but for the neos....



Honda does actually refer to the engine coolant temperature sensor
as the "TW" sensor. "TW" stands for "Temperature Water". This is the sensor
that's monitored by the ECU/ECM/PCM, not the one that feeds the dashboard
gauge.

Similarly,
the sensor for ambient air temp is called "TA" (Temperature Air).
the sensor for ambient air pressure is called "PA" (Pressure Air).

And so on in the same vein...




--
Tegger

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

On Sat, 08 Nov 2008 02:53:26 +0000, Jim Yanik wrote:

> jim beam <spamvortex@bad.example.net> wrote in
> news:epOdnekp3rC5ZonUnZ2dnUVZ_oHinZ2d@speakeasy.ne t:
>
>> On Fri, 07 Nov 2008 18:16:26 -0800, septicman@peoplepc.com wrote:
>>
>>> My 93 EX automatic has over 200K miles on it, I am recent nth. owner,
>>> car runs perfectly but only gets low 30's with careful suburban
>>> driving.
>
> low 30's is good.

but i'm an anal asshole perfectionist - that's not good enough!



>
>
>>> Based on experience, what one item would you suggest replacing that
>>> can have an immediate positive impact on fuel economy?
>
> The DRIVER.

ya think??? so why the difference between cars before, and not after then?



>
>
>>> Thanks in advance !
>>
>> apart from all the usual maintenance items, look at the tw sensor.
>
> I believe you mean "temperature sensor",or CTS(coolant temp sensor).
> probably just a typo,but for the neos....

in the honda service manuals, and their parts lists, it's referred to as
the "tw sensor".


>
>> even though testing showed mine to be "in limits", replacement took my
>> civic from 31.8mpg up to 36.2mpg.
>>
>> i only really spotted the difference because i have two cars
>> essentially the same - civic and crx, both automatic, same engine,
>> maintained to the same standards, even same tires/tire pressures. crx
>> was in the 36's long term average, civic as stated. oil always got
>> dirtier quicker on the civic too and it had a problem warming up in
>> cold weather, even with two new thermostats. finally concluded it had
>> to be the sensor, and hit pay dirt. was totally convinced when i went
>> to my local junkyard and discovered that there was hardly a honda in
>> the place that still had a tw sensor in it. someone, somewhere was
>> switched on to this problem some time ago!
>
>
> Hmm,"tw sensor" used twice;can't be a typo.

no it's not - see your honda service manuals.

<septicman@peoplepc.com> wrote in message
news:3cb719db-091b-4016-b13f-f5ef2132c7a9@q30g2000prq.googlegroups.com...
> My 93 EX automatic has over 200K miles on it, I am recent nth. owner,
> car runs perfectly but only gets low 30's with careful suburban
> driving.
>
> Based on experience, what one item would you suggest replacing that
> can have an immediate positive impact on fuel economy?
>
> Thanks in advance !

Driver.

septicman@peoplepc.com wrote:

> My 93 EX automatic has over 200K miles on it, I am recent nth. owner,
> car runs perfectly but only gets low 30's with careful suburban
> driving.
I got 35mpg with a 2l4 european accord and 60mpg with a Corolla diesel
1l4...

bye
--
Volem rien foutre al païs!
Philippe Vessaire Ò¿Ó¬

"Tegger" <invalid@invalid.inv> wrote
> Jim Yanik <jyanik@abuse.gov> wrote
>> jim beam <spamvortex@bad.example.net> wrote
>>> apart from all the usual maintenance items, look at the
>>> tw sensor.
>>
>> I believe you mean "temperature sensor",or CTS(coolant
>> temp sensor).
>> probably just a typo,but for the neos....
>
> Honda does actually refer to the engine coolant
> temperature sensor
> as the "TW" sensor. "TW" stands for "Temperature Water".

To try to further clarify, I see at the UK site
(http://ww1.honda.co.uk/car/owner/workshop.html) per the
Concerto and 95-97 Civic manuals, all of the following terms
refer to the same sensor:

ECT sensor = engine coolant temperature sensor = coolant
temperature sensor = coolant temperature (TW) sensor = TW
sensor

More importantly, it is located on the engine block beneath
the dizzy housing. If memory serves, there is at least one
other sensor near it, so for a changeout, one needs to be
careful to find the right sensor. The TW sensor controls the
"basic discharge duration" of the fuel injectors.

I am inclined to try changing it out on my 93 Civic. Beam's
observation jives somewhat with my observation that changing
out the dizzy housing on older Hondas results in changing
out the housing's three engine sensors (CYP/CKP/TDC) and
also may improve miles per gallon. IOW, engine sensor
performance can easily degrade over time, perhaps one might
say depending on how noxious the environment is. E.g. if the
coolant system has not been kept clean via regular changing,
indeed maybe the TW sensor is fouled.

On Nov 7, 8:36*pm, jim beam <spamvor...@bad.example.net> wrote:
> On Fri, 07 Nov 2008 18:16:26 -0800, septic...@peoplepc.com wrote:
> > My 93 EX automatic has over 200K miles on it, I am recent nth. owner,
> > car runs perfectly but only gets low 30's with careful suburban driving..
>
> > Based on experience, what one item would you suggest replacing that can
> > have an immediate positive impact on fuel economy?
>
> > Thanks in advance !
>
> apart from all the usual maintenance items, look at the tw sensor. *even
> though testing showed mine to be "in limits", replacement took my civic
> from 31.8mpg up to 36.2mpg. *
>
> i only really spotted the difference because i have two cars essentially
> the same - civic and crx, both automatic, same engine, maintained to the
> same standards, even same tires/tire pressures. *crx was in the 36's long
> term average, civic as stated. *oil always got dirtier quicker on the
> civic too and it had a problem warming up in cold weather, even with two
> new thermostats. *finally concluded it had to be the sensor, and hit pay
> dirt. *was totally convinced when i went to my local junkyard and
> discovered that there was hardly a honda in the place that still had a tw
> sensor in it. *someone, somewhere was switched on to this problem some
> time ago!

Thanks ! What does "TW" stand for? What is its technical name?