Sounds about the same as the mileage on the 93 altima I am planning to buy.

Altima's are pretty heavy compared to other similar sized cars. Also, engine
displacement is higher than its competitors. Nissans are not know for their
fantastic mileage.... if that is what you were goin for, you shoulda gotten a
honda or toyota....

BUT take some of the pointers that 'AS' suggested, as these points will also
often help point you to other maintenance issues that should have been done
anyways. And who knows, maybe you can squeeze another couple MPGs outta the
car....

Try a bottle or 2 of Lucas Upper Cylinder Lubricant in the gas tank, or
Chevron Techron (I've heard good things though never tried, can't find it in
Canada....) If there is a compression issue due to carbon in combustion
chamber or dirty valve train, that stuff will clear it right up. Increased
compression on the 93 altima from 85 to 160 PSI, 80% leak down on intake
valves to 35%.... so obviously it could still be improved....

t

dan.penton (AT) gmail (DOT) com wrote:
--
Message posted via CarKB.com
http://www.carkb.com/Uwe/Forums.aspx...ltima/200603/1

Hey there. Thanks for the tips.

I just checked the tire pressure...they were all down at least 6 psi. I
topped them all up.

The front tires have uneven wear on the outside edge. Very badly on the
front right tire. I am getting the front end aligned this week.

Brakes are good...tranny is fine.

I have no exterior accessories (roof rack..)

I will check air filter/plugs/wires tonight. Maybe put a K&N in there.

I dont know about the timing belt or chain...but the alternator belt
chirps once when I start it cold...will get that tightned at the time
of alignment.

Not sure about the thermostat...but it heats up fine and really fast
(Less than 2 mins of driving with a 30 sec warm up) in -0 celcius
weather consistantly.

The timing/compression, i am unsure of. Things to check when I send it
in.

Oil has been changed less than 500kms ago.

The car is empy aside from an empy gerry can and a blanket.

--

Nissan recommends against the use of additives...any problems with this
in anyones car?

I do mostly city driving. And my wife drives it almost all the time.

Regarding additives, not sure about nissan, but in my honda manual it says
additives are a waste of money, but it does not say that they are not
recommended. I guess just take a look at the additive. Chlorine and Teflon
are common ingredients in some additived. These are not found in fuel or oil,
so why would you put that in your engine? Higher quality additives are just
re-refined oils with different properties, perhaps questionable in their
efficacy. Lots of Injector cleaners are alcohol or petroleum distillates, so
they should be fine. Only time you gotta worry is if it'll eat fuel lines
and fittings....

Sometimes it just takes a tank of high octane and a lead foot to really clean
out the combustion chambers....

I use the odd bottle of injector cleaner, seems to have done no damage so far.
....
t


dan.penton (AT) gmail (DOT) com wrote:
--
Message posted via CarKB.com
http://www.carkb.com/Uwe/Forums.aspx...ltima/200603/1

I was doing an emergency rebuild of a pickup so it'd pass inspection
while camping in another state. I was kind of grimey when I'd buy
parts. The parts store owner's son said Hey, try this Restore. It has
Teflon that melts and fills any scratches in the cylinder walls
improving compression. I used it, and again. The truck started
smoking. The stuff may fill cracks but it also builds up on the valve
stems. So, after using the stuff if you run the engine to a rev it
usually never reaches the buildup tears into the valve seals. Smoke.
I sometimes wonder about the carbon cleaners and their effect on O2
sensors. The chemical has to be pretty strong so what's the odds of it
killing the chemical sensor and what's it do to the converter catalyst?