I have a 99 automatic maxima

I just calculated my mpg at 12.7 mpg,


I dont use my car a whole lot, up to a week at a time without using it. And when I do its usually less than 2-5 miles round trip.

Could this be the reason?



I have had the oil changed recently. I bought some engine cleaner and plan on changing the air filters. I read that having bad sensors can be bad. The check engine light is off. I have good tire pressure as well.


Not sure what else to do

12/12/2007 4:19:57 AM

clean the Maf (big sensor\tube near the filter)
make sure your coils are good (maxima is known for having bad coils)
check knock sensor, O2 sensor, and tps sensor

12/12/2007 7:31:34 AM

if it's stop and go city driving, there's one place to look...

Previous EPA estimates were 21/28, so with the new more realistic method, it's probably closer to 19/26. I'd check tire pressure again to be sure, air filter, driving habits, fuel injector cleaners (maybe, but possibly snake oil), loose fitting hoses or busted hoses. the check engine light being off is interesting.

12/12/2007 8:25:47 AM

does it smell strongly of fuel?

how exactly did you calculate your mileage? just covering the bases

12/12/2007 8:30:29 AM

Quote :

"2-5 miles round trip"

there's your problem.

half of that has to be starting/stopping and basically no cruising which equals shitty gas mileage. any possibility of going on a longer drive sometime soon to see if it raises back to a "normal" level then? hard to say if there's really a problem with that amount of driving

12/12/2007 8:47:15 AM

^ also, with trips that short, i bet the car never fully warms up..

12/12/2007 10:00:51 AM

yeah, your engine is engineered to run efficiently at a certain power band, and I'm sure you're not hitting that. If you're only going that far, why the hell are you worried about it? Surely you can't be filling up more than once every few weeks if you go that long without driving.

12/12/2007 10:01:18 AM

I calculated by filling the tank, using the trip odometer then waiting till the tank was on empty then filled up again. Miles/ gallons used.

I figured it was the short trips but just wanted to be sure, im planning on going to WV soon and was worried about the MPG for that trip.

[Edited on December 12, 2007 at 10:53 AM. Reason : ;]

12/12/2007 10:52:43 AM

just to make sure, I hope you mean that you're calculating the gas used from the exact gallon amount you pumped into your car and not by gas tank capacity.

i.e. you don't REALLY have to wait for an empty tank, but an empty tank will be more accurate, of course.

12/12/2007 12:54:48 PM

I've been getting pretty shitty gas mileage recently too. 19-20mpg when I'm using the car strictly for commuting. I have a 4 1/2 mile trip, but it takes 30 minutes. Thats a rough trip, but should my mileage be THAT low for a 1.7 liter I-4 engine? I don't even really get into VTEC at all usually.

12/12/2007 1:14:06 PM

seems to me like 30 mins of idling basically is going to give you a terrible ratio of gas used/distance traveled... doesn't sound out of the ordinary to me.

12/12/2007 1:16:44 PM

Quote :

"I don't even really get into VTEC at all usually. "

ahahahhahaha funny.


the car not reaching operating temp. during these trips could make a difference as well

12/12/2007 1:26:40 PM

^Perhaps. I idle for a few minutes before I take off, but yeah the temperature gauge doesn't get to its normal place until I'm 1/2 way to work.

All this makes me very pissed off that my company moved to a location in NYC thats 2 miles from the nearest subway station. Is it any wonder I'm looking around?

12/12/2007 7:53:12 PM

might as well walk. lazy fux

12/12/2007 8:04:35 PM

Yeah, like I'm gonna walk 10 minutes to the subway, take the subway 30 minutes, and then WALK another 1/2 hr. ESPECIALLY in the winter time when its 20 degrees out and snowing. Lovely solution, ya bastard.

[Edited on December 12, 2007 at 8:26 PM. Reason : k]

12/12/2007 8:25:51 PM

last tank 45.9mpg!

12/12/2007 10:11:33 PM

^^u lazy faaaaccccccc

12/13/2007 12:24:06 AM

if its 2-5 miles just ride a bike or walk

12/13/2007 4:14:02 AM

seriously.

12/13/2007 11:02:21 AM

some of you people are F'ing retarded, lol. Riding a bike would take a while (hello stop lights) plus some nigga stole my bike a few months ago (I'm serious).

And walk 5 miles twice a day, how retarded an idea is that?

12/13/2007 1:26:32 PM

well cant you just take that subway like you mentioned?? or is that the 5 miles you are talking about

12/13/2007 2:00:01 PM

the problem with the maxima is that its too fun to push the gas pedal.

12/13/2007 2:25:27 PM

^^lets just put an end to that conversation and assume that I'm getting to work in the fastest way possible. Its 2 miles AFTER the subway stop.

12/13/2007 10:23:21 PM

Drove this past weekend from NYC to Western MD, then to the DelMarVa Peninsula, then Raleigh, then back to NYC. Never got gas mileage better than 27 mpg

I think I need a valve adjustment, in addition to a few other things...

12/18/2007 1:57:33 PM

my Lincoln 3.9 gets better gas mileage than that on long trips

[Edited on December 18, 2007 at 2:13 PM. Reason : spellage]

12/18/2007 2:13:29 PM

man, 12.9 is terrible its not just the shortness of the trip. i mean christ my lifted jeep got 14 driving to and from school every day (just a couple miles)

12/18/2007 4:14:17 PM

who the hell's getting 12.9 mpg?

^^^Yes I'm aware that MOST cars get better mileage than that, lol.

12/18/2007 11:38:11 PM

aha, i got 26mpg on a trip to char and back, not bad, my average is 21-24 usually

12/19/2007 12:22:03 PM

12.7 (in the first post)

sorry i was off by .2

12/19/2007 3:37:27 PM

Quote :

"clean the Maf (big sensor\tube near the filter) make sure your coils are good (maxima is known for having bad coils) check knock sensor, O2 sensor, and tps sensor"

if you're running engine cleaner, you need to change your oil (again)

12/20/2007 9:14:15 AM

how exactly does one go about cleaning or checking the sensors?

12/20/2007 9:22:14 AM

first thing you need to do is pull the damn plugs and see if it is actually running rich, then hook up a scantool to check your fuel trim while driving and other parameters that are affecting that, then isolate the problem through component testing

12/20/2007 9:53:44 AM

sounds to me like you have a friend with a siphon

12/21/2007 8:09:20 PM