KTempleton Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 So after having my Pathy for a few weeks now, I've gotten to fill it up a few times. On my last fill up I calculated 13.8 mpg... I work about 3 miles from the house and it's normally stop and go all of the time around town being in a Houston suburb. (In my Tacoma I was getting about 16.) Please tell me this is not normal. I took it on a road trip about 500 miles round trip and seemed okay. About 18 mpg on the hwy running 75-80 mph. Being new to Nissan. Any ideas on what to look for to improve this? I'll be looking into doing air filter, plugs and wires if my next calculation is just as bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KTempleton Posted June 7, 2012 Author Share Posted June 7, 2012 No bad driving habits really either. Pretty easy on it. It's been babied so I figure I'd slowly break it in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pathfounder Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 That mileage is not that bad. We see threads like this pretty often. 3 miles is pretty short. Ride a bike or walk. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Towncivilian Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 (edited) Short trips do not allow the engine to warm up to operating temperature. The engine runs richer, consuming more fuel and also contributing to more fuel dilution of the oil. If you primarily do short trips without allowing the engine to reach operating temperature, take it for a run on the highway weekly to get everything nice and hot to boil off any excess moisture build up. If you have 4WD, install manual locking hubs. Your 2002 does not have wires. It uses ignition coils, one on each spark plug. If you're around 105k miles and don't know whether they were replaced yet, replace them with new OEM ones. See here for a guide on spark plug replacement. Run a fuel system containing polyether amines (PEA) such as Chevron Techron, Gumout Regane, or Redline SI-1 for a couple tanks back to back to thoroughly clean the fuel system. PEA cleans without leaving behind its own deposits as other cleaners might. It's better to allow things to sit for a while and let the cleaner do its work instead of blowing through the entire tank during a highway drive. Air filter takes all of 5 minutes to replace. If it looks crazy dirty, replace it with a Wix/NAPA Gold or OEM one. Fuel filter ever been changed? If not, see here for a guide on changing it. Change to a synthetic 75W-90 in the differentials, this may improve average MPG slightly. Mobil 1 gear oil is great and can be had for very cheap at Advance Auto Parts if ordered online using discount codes then picked up in store. Edited June 7, 2012 by Towncivilian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theexbrit Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 (edited) Good advice by Towncivilian. I installed a K&N air filter, cleaned my throttle body, converted to electric fans & installed manual hubs, my gas mileage went from about 12 city/16 highway to about 16 city/ 24 highway. Oh, I also ran some Seafoam through the intake vacuum line. Edited June 10, 2012 by theexbrit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
02silverpathy Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Seafoam is our friend! This stuff does wonders the first time you use it. I used this on a Mazda mx3 with 249K and it really woke the car up....amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madhornet Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 dont forget to replace the distributor cap and button they burn up bad on these v6 nissans also clean your Maf sensor i gained 5mpg after i cleaned mine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theexbrit Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 Never cleaned the maf sensor, maybe that's my next project. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattyrides07 Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Sounds about right with your calculations "Dream like you'll live forever, but live like you'll die today." -James Dean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 hi all, what is "Seafoam"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Towncivilian Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Naptha and isopropyl alcohol in a pale oil carrier solvent. In other words, an overpriced solvent. I wouldn't put it in the crankcase and there are better choices for fuel system cleaning and intake cleaning. For fuel system cleaning, use a cleaner containing PEA (poly ether amines) such as Chevron Techron, Gumout Regane, or Redline SI-1. PEA cleans effectively without leaving behind its own deposits. It's best to let it sit in the tank for a while, not use the entire tank on a highway trip for example. For intake cleaning, something like Amsoil Power Foam or Mopar Combustion Chamber Cleaner are more effective as they foam up inside the intake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KTempleton Posted June 12, 2012 Author Share Posted June 12, 2012 Good info. I'll def look into it a little more and start to work on it. Thanks for all the help and info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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