An Acura 2.5TL & A Mazda Miata

Question: 1996 Acura 2.5TL Fuel Economy

Hi Vince, I have some questions about the cars I presently have.

1. 1996 Acura 2.5TL (39K orig miles) - Yes, that's correct, it's not a typo. This is my wife's car was given to us about a year and a half ago by my mother whom obviously didn't drive it very much. Since this car is not driven much, less than 4000 miles per year (my wife is a stay at home wife), is it bad to fill up every 6-8 weeks? How long before the gas starts gumming up and causing damage? Should I use a fuel stabilizer like Sta-Bil during fill ups? How about fuel additives? Do they have any prolonging additives added to them to stabilize gasoline? If so, will this cause any premature damage to any fuel components or fuel lines? Should I only fill up half a tank at a time?
2. 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid w/CV T - Is it bad for the CV T transmission to shift the car into neutral while on the freeways to coast when I'm going downhill to keep my miles-per-gallon at an optimum level? (This is as you may know a "hyper miler" thing)
3. General Question: A mechanic I know once said it's good to downshift rather than using your brakes as much to prolong the life of your brake pads and shoes. Is this correct? Would it be OK to downshift as long as you're not putting excessive strain on the engine?

Regards,

Brian

Answer:

1. If the vehicle is going to sit that long then I would recommend using a product like Sta-Bil. If your fuel doesn't not have ethanol blended into it, I would also recommend a dry gas product to take out any condensation that may form. That should be all you will need.
2. It will not hurt the transmission to shift into neutral, however shifting back could. That minuscule amount of fuel you save by coasting will get used up by bringing the car back up to highway speed.
3. Downshifting puts a strain on the engine and transmission. And last time I checked it was cheaper to replace brake pads than engines or transmissions.

There are a lot of gas saving tips but some, like these, usually cause more harm than the cost of the gas they save. On the highway get to your cruising speed and kick on the cruise control. That will save you the most fuel. Read Gas Saving Tips & Suggestions for more, practical, ways to save fuel.

And be wary of gas saving products. Advertising for them increases in direct proportion to the increase in gas prices. Read Gas-Saving Products: Facts or Fuelishness? to know what to watch out for. General rule of thumb, the more gas it will save you, the better the chances it's a fraud.

Question: 2000 Mazda Miata Oil Drips

I had my son do the oil change the last time and since then, I have had my Check Engine Light on all the time. The other day I had a friend of mine, whose house I was at, tell me that they noticed the last time I had parked in their driveway that there were a few spots of oil under where my car had been. I have checked the dip stick and it does not show that the oil is low, so I am wondering if the check engine light is on because oil is leaking and if perhaps the oil is leaking because my son did not tighten something while changing the oil. My car is a 2000 Mazda Miata. Can you help with this?

Thank you.

Answer:

First off I have to ask... are they sure the oil was from your car? If they are then a few drops of oil is really nothing to worry about. Sometimes when the oil filter is removed oil spills into recesses and channels. A good mechanic will wipe up any spills the best he can with a shop rag so it doesn't drip out over the next few days. This is probably what happened here. However, to be on the safe side, let him double check everything to make sure the drain plug and oil filter are properly tightened.

An oil leak will not turn on the Check Engine Light. Your son may have disconnected something that he forgot to reconnect or accidentally disconnected something while doing the oil change.

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