Reduced Capacity - 1999 Civic GX

[pro5utah]

I have only had my 1999 GX for a couple months now. I have been filling it a lot and it seemed like that was just the norm for GX owners. Well the other day I was at a station filling and I had another 99-ish civic pull up next to me to fill. I had pulled in with my gas light on and had gotten only 4 GGE on the fill. The lady next to me filling had four GGE already and was still filling at a relatively fast rate. I asked her if she had an extended tank and she said that it was just the plain stock tank. I know that the GX has an 8 GGE tank and many owners only get 6 or so on a total fill but I have never gotten that much. Is there any reason for this? Is this usual? I can only get about 150 miles out of a good 3600 PSI fill if I am running around town. If it get a lower fill the range drops.

-Daniel

[ewrenn]

Re: Reduced Capacity - 1999 Civic GX

I have a 99 Civic GX with 132k miles. The most I ever have ever gotten on a fill with the gas light on is 5.5 gge. At the time, I had 168 miles on my trip meter.

[CNG Utah]

Re: Reduced Capacity - 1999 Civic GX

Daniel, I'm thinking you may have a very pessimistic fuel sensor or gauge. I've seen this in a couple of cars we've had. You probably have at least a couple GGE in the tank still when the low fuel light turns on.

Sometime when you have a free day and a friend with a tow rope you should drive it till it runs out and have someone give you a tow to the nearest station.

I'm guessing you'll be able to go a lot further than you think with the low fuel light on. Just for the record, I've gotten over 7 gge in a 98-00 Civic at only 3400 psi, but I had been riding the low fuel light for quite a while on that one. I've never run out so far.

I don't know what part of Utah you're in, but there is a guy in SLC who will come out and give you a fill up for a fee if you run out.

-Derek

[Curtis]

Re: Reduced Capacity - 1999 Civic GX

Daniel, I have an '04 and I too rarely get much over 4 gge in it. I think the prior reply has a bit of merit, and power, range and fuel economy seem to rise with each generation change. I usually get about 165 miles on 3/4 tank, then add 4.xx gge, so I average in the high 30's, or even low 40's.

Here are some tips that all will make a big difference in your range.

1) Use of the A/C has a big impact on city/hiway mileage.
2) City driving reduces mileage by as much as 50%, depending on driving style and use of AC.
3) Driving style alone makes a huge impact. Learn to drive for mileage rather than to "get there".
4) CNG expands due to heat caused by the refueling (transfer) process. Try filling up at night and then hit it again in the morning. Once the gas tank cools you can usually add at least another gge. This is a lifesaver if you are making a trip and need every mile of range. The tank only needs to cool off. Over night isn't necessary, but cool down time will vary with outside ambient air temperature.
5) you'll get more gas in if you fill a tank that's only 1/4 low than you will in a tank that's empty (less heat expansion).
6) Mileage/range are better if you drive 65 (or less) on the freeway, than at 75-80 (like many do). I drove a 168 mile trip yesterday and stayed at 65 (rather than my usual 75) and got 165 miles on 1/2 tank (my personal record).

Learning all the little tricks takes time, but we've built this site to help you shorten the learning curve. I hope this helps and welcome to the Natural Gas Hiway.

[John Mitton]

Utah mobile refueling

If you run out of gas call 801-573-1295 for a mobile fill anywhere along the Wasatch Front. I think he charges $50.

[siai47]

Re: Reduced Capacity - 1999 Civic GX

There is also a chance that the tank holds something other then CNG. With the age of the car and unknown past history it is possible (somewhat unlikely) that moisture or oil from a poorly maintained commercial station may have ended up in the tank. The best way to check on what's happening is to run the vehicle completely out of fuel and then refuel at a station where you can determine the total amount of fuel added. If it comes up way wrong, you might want to check if the tank has liquids in it .

[jetboatjohnny]

Re: Reduced Capacity - 1999 Civic GX

I have never got over 6 GGE in either of my Civics and have ran my 09 down to empty twice, not by choice. I only did 200 miles on my 99 Civic a couple times with a top off. On my 09 I have done 200+ highway miles at least 6 times and find that if you keep highway speeds 70 or below you can get well over 40 mpg on the highway.

[CraziFuzzy]

Re: Reduced Capacity - 1999 Civic GX

If your station has a pressure gage on the dispenser, then take a look at it after you hook it up, before you start dispensing. This will show you approximately what pressure was in your tanks. (as the residual pressure in hose from the previous fill will bleed through your receptacle check valve until equalizing with the tanks). It's basically a linear relationship between gge and pressure. pressure/36 = percent full.