Fuel Consumption Of 2007 Sentra?

[mike131211]

Hi Everyone.
I own a 2007 nissan sentra 2.0s CTV.
I got it in 2010 summer and the fuel consumption was acceptable which is arrund 9L~10L/100km(city) in summer time which i think is poorer than other same level same engine(2.0 liter)'s car. It starts getting worse when the winter comes.

I live in Manitoba in Canada so the temperuture in winter time is like -20~-30 without wind chill.

I "do know" the fuel consumption would be worse in the winter time but my sentra's fuel consumption in winter time is like 12~12.5/100km which mean 50 liters of gas can only be using for 350km(215 miles). It is ridiculous... and also i dont warm my car before i drive. what i do is drive it slow when the temperuture is low and when it gets warmer ill just drive normal.

other thing bothers me is the Fuel Consumption of my sentra seems poorer than other same level same engine(2.0 liter) car even in the summer. For example, one of my friend got a 2010 2.0 liter Mazda 3. The same mileage which is 350km he used 39 liters of gas and i used 47 liters of gas so im thinking is there anything wrong with my sentra? And thats the reason im also looking for a sentra owner to see if his/her Fuel Consumption the same as my sentra.


Btw, I plan replacing the spark plugs to improve the fuel consumption . Anyone thinks is a good idea? Or anyone can recommend a good brand of spark plugs for sentra.

Thank you guys for the help!!!

[Faja]

I would say that is a little on the high side. I have an 09 2.0s and get about 8.5L/100km city and around 7L/100km on the hwy if I keep the speed limit which I rarely do so realistically it's more like 7.5L/100km. I live in Ontario and have a remote starter which I use mainly in winter and do warm up the car for about 5-10 minutes when it's cold so the numbers I quoted include this. The only difference is that mine is manual transmission but I don't think that should make such a big difference.

What sort of condition was the car in when you bought it? Do you know if the car is still stock or did the previous owner do any modifications on it? Was the car clean - no accidents, replacements of any parts etc?

Also the spark plugs that came with the car are good for 160,000 kms so there's no need to really change them unless you know for sure that there is a problem (I'm assuming you're nowhere close to that mileage?)

[mike131211]

i bought it 6 months ago. the owner told me didnt have any serious accident before.I didnt notic there is any problem with it and any modifications, the car was clean. just feel its not so good on gas. As you said your 09 2.0s gets about 8.5L/100km city and 7L/100km(i assum is summer fuel consumption) And mine in the summer is like 9.5L/100km city which is poorer fuel consumption than other same engines cars already... winter is even worse. 12.5L/100km... i would say there is nothing wrong with my driving habit.

my sentra is now only 40000kms so....not even half of 160000kms...

so should i take my sentra to nissan dealer?

[Faja]

I'm not sure if you strictly going by the computer readout on your display but I would fill up my tank, then set the odometer to 0 and check how many kilometers you actually get before the gas light comes on. My light comes on when there's about 50-60 kms left for the DTE. Do the math and you'll get a true figure. If it's the same as you stated before and there's no Check Engine Light, I don't really know what the dealer can do as they'll probably just hook it up to the computer and tell you that everything is running according to spec. Post back after you run your next full tank.

FYI, I get approx. 575 kms per tankful.

[mike131211]

good thing for me i always record and keep the reveive when i fill up my gas. the best i get in summer is around 550kms a tank(50 liters). And the worst is 360kms per tank.

thank you so much for your help!!!

[Faja]

good thing for me i always record and keep the reveive when i fill up my gas. the best i get in summer is around 550kms a tank(50 liters). And the worst is 360kms per tank.

thank you so much for your help!!!

This doesn't sound right at all!!

[mike131211]

thats exactly what i thought lol.
couldnt find any explaintion for this...
D:

[mike131211]

anyone eles can help me out?
like...what sould i do with my sentra?
or where i should bring it to check out?

[Faja]

Hey Mike, there was one thing that just came to mind....... I know there was some rear end alignment problems with some of the 07s that also caused some bad mileage along with unusual tire wear.

2007-sentra-2008-sentra-rear-alignment- ... 67820.html

[mike131211]

this is REALLY helpful!!! i love you

[Faja]

Take your car to a specialty alignment shop and have them check it thoroughly. Even print some of the relevant pages from the thread above so they can compare or fix it accordingly if they find anything out of spec. Also check your tires for any uneven wear.

[DudeZ]

1) check tire pressure, make sure there are at or above factory spec and all the same

2) try a session of fuel injector cleaner, will clean out the fuel system and provide better performance

3) ensure that you are using a good brand of gas. Shell, for example, is a good brand.

good luck!

[mike131211]

Thanks Faja! im gonna get it done since i have a day off tmr.

Thank you DudeZ!! ill try all this to see if my feul consumption gets any better.

[Faja]

Yeah, let us know if what they say. Good luck!!

[mike131211]

so...i took my sentra to the auto service named Midas and gave them a quite check witch is free.
And they said if i wanna check and do the alignment i would have to replace the control arm which would cost me 500 CAD.

umm.. iunno.. i might have to ask the insurance conpany to see if they cover it...
oh btw, i went to Nissan dealer as well and they told me there is a recall for the brakes? anyone knows about it?

[Faja]

I believe there was a recall on the brake master cylinder so you should have that done since it's free anyway. While you're there, ask them to look at the control arms and see what they say. Midas is a ripoff!!

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Yeah I wouldn't trust anything Midas tells you.

[sentraLcar]

Any follow-up on this? I couldn't resist signing up to the thread. I got exactly the same issue with the exact same car (sentra 2007, 2.0S, CTV). Here are my numbers:

City Summer:
13L/100km => 423km on 55L tank
18 mpg (US Galon)
21.7 mpg (Imperial Galon)

City Winter:
18L/100km => 300km on 55L tank
13 mpg (US Galon)
15.7 mpg (Imperial Galon)

Hwy Summer:
9.2L/100km => 600km on 55L tank
25.6 mpg (US Galon)
30.7 mpg (Imperial Galon)

I live in Canada so I calculate my consumption in liters and I converted it to approximate mpg's. I also calculate the consumption by: filling up the tank to the full, driving a good measure of km (100 to 200km) and then fueling back to the full tank. Dividing driven km by misplaced liters gives me my consumption. I don't drive hwy in the winter much so I don't have these numbers.

So basically my hwy economy is what it should be in the city. I do not have a lead foot (I even drove like a gramma for one fill-up, getting honked by every driver - did not change consumption by a bit), I do not rev the engine when I start and I did drive other cars with 2L engine and know that I've never seen such a poor fuel economy.

I first thought it was the oxygen sensor but then the check engine light is not on. The computer doesn't throw any codes (checked by both 'pedal dance' and code-reader at the mechanic's). I read somewhere that there still could be a problem with the sensor even if no code is generated, but the mechanic does not recommend replacing it. Next, the spark plugs were removed and inspected - mechanic says I could change them but there's still life left in them (I only got 80000km on the car and the plugs should normally last much more than this). Anyways, I might change them but I doubt it will drastically improve the economy. The mechanic believes the problem is in the catalytic converter but of course cannot guarantee that the replacement would make a difference (and it is quite pricey).

I went through many forums to try and figure it out, and don't know what to do. Some suggest using the additives to clean the injectors and what not, but nissan's official user's manual advices against any kinds of additives, so haven't done it yet. Then there's those who say it's the MAF sensor, CAM sensor and what not, but again the ECM does not throw any codes and I cannot just go and replace all those things.

It seems that there's a few sentra owners (interestingly 2007 year) who claim they get about the same poor economy and seemingly nothing wrong with their cars. The dealer refuses to even inspect the vehicle as it is per fuel consumption and "there's nothing wrong with my car", the numbers did not strike him as outrageously low.

I hope you guys can point me in the right direction, do I still go and replace the oxygen sensor? Cat converter?

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Well if you want to test the catalytic converter theory, just remove and drive around for a hundred kilometers or so and see if the fuel economy improved.
Typically if a cat goes bad (implodes and clogs the exhaust), then your performance suffers as well.

[mike131211]

your car is worst...
i claim my insurance coz i had a car accident so im taking my car to
the car servise to fix.
see if the fuel economy gets any better.
i will let you guys know..

[mike131211]

so, My car is back from auto shop, they did the alightment and replace the bumpers that is damaged.
I'll see if the feul econ gets anyway better...if not, i think i would sell the car....

[Faja]

so, My car is back from auto shop, they did the alightment and replace the bumpers that is damaged.
I'll see if the feul econ gets anyway better...if not, i think i would sell the car....

Report back in a week or two about the mileage . Interested to know if related to the alignment problem. Thanks for the update.

[mike131211]

so i have only 3 gas level left,and the mileage is onlt 345kms. it seems like doesnt improve much... i dont know what to do now... anyway, i will give exact fuel econ in 3 days

[Mehcoib]

Any follow-up on this? I couldn't resist signing up to the thread.

My godness, when I read your post I thought I wrote it!! Except the numbers I share the same feelings and thoughts about my 07 Sentra. I bought it 10 days ago (44,000 km) to replace my 4.0L Mustang (I do on-site computer repairs so I drive A LOT (~2,500km a month))... but it seems that my Sentra's gas mileage is very close to the Mustang's !!

=> ¾ of tank (~41L) = 380km, which means ~10.85L/100km (~21.7 MPG (US)) with 50% hwy 50% city (winter).

According to http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/sbs.htm, 07 Sentra (2.0L CVT) should do ~28MPG (8.4L/100lm) in these conditions!!

I read the same things than you on different forums (O2 sensor, fuel system cleaners, etc.). Here is what I did to improve my gas mileage:

* checked tire pressure: was 30 PSI => now ~35 PSI (recommanded = 33 PSI)
* removed hood deflector: bad looking but convenient. Anyway, I removed it.
* allow the engine to warm up before driving (not 1h, just a few minutes). I have no evidence but I do have the feeling that the engine runs slower (especially when starting) when temperature reachs at least the "third level".
* I'm trying not to reach high rpm when starting at green light (i.e. gramma driving ). Meaning <2,500 rpm.
* I'm going back to N position at almost every long red light. (Moreover I prefer the sound of the engine in N position rather than in D with the brakes on )

I did not drive a lot since then but I already noticed a difference in my gas mileage.

Before: 1 gas level = ~38L
Now: 1 gas level = ~43L => that means ~560km with a full tank (9.8L/100, 24 MPG) in winter, city/highway. I guess the gas mileage may improve by ~2 in the summer, so not too far from the official 28 MPG...

Or is this difference due to temperature changes? I don't know, I did not drive enough to get accurate mesurements anyway...

[mike131211]

i just got my feul econ... it was 45.73 liters for 380kms... better but not good enough as 07 sentra sould be.
but today i took my sentra to the dealer for the brake master cylinder recall, which i dont think has anything to do with feul encon...After all these, i still dont know what is wrong with my sentra -.-

[jdansmith]

I have some techniques I use when driving my wifes 08 Sentra 20.s OD off until aprox reaching 2750 rpm when starting from a dead stop then turn it on. Try not to stop at red lights, instead slow enough that the light turns green before having to come to a complete stop and keep rpms under or around 2k rpms when building back speed. Hwy driving, we live in a hilly area so large inclines are common. Anticipate hills and build speed by 4 to 8 mph down hill and be prepared to loose 5 to 10 mph going up hill. The trick is to try and limit the increase in rpm going up hill and before reaching the incline.38 psi in all 4 tires. This allows for aprox 28.5 mpg city and 34 hwy mpg.

I hope this helps some who have poor mpg. I always use 5/30 oil changed aroung 3500 miles and air filter changed at ea. 20k miles. I will knock the dirt out at ea. oil change by tapping the filter lightly against the tire with the side that is taking the air.

[sentraLcar]

2Mehcoib:
These are all good tips u describe. My tires are at 35psi as well (these are not the original tires so i did not go with 33psi on the sticker), I do not have a hood deflector, I do let the engine warm up because otherwise it revs too high and the car barely moves if you stay below 3000rpm (once its warm enough its fine). I also have no problem staying below ~2200rpm when starting from a spot - it's not the kind of driving I prefer but it's manageable. The only thing that bothers me is going to N at red lights - I did not ever do this but wouldn't it put too much stress and wear on the transmission if u do it every time? I mean in the long run busted transmission is kinda more important than fuel consumption. Also, is coasting in N better than in D on CVT (not that I have anywhere to coast in my area, just curious)?
I think that you're seeing slight changes in MPG because of the weather just like me - it's a bit better but nowhere near the MPG that everyone reports.
Speaking of everyone else, I highly doubt that the majority of sentra users who report amazing mpgs use any of the tricks like going to neutral or switching OD on/off. I feel that there's just something wrong with our cars and definitely not the way we drive.

[onefineham]

I can tell you there are (or were) likely multiple things wrong with your 2007 Sentra. I have just completed a 100k tune-up of my 2.0s CVT. Here are some things to look for.
1. Air duct between air filter and throttle body. Brittle. Likely torn holes underneath and out of sight.
2. If you find #1, MAF sensor likely fouled. Use MAF cleaner.
3. PCV valve. Torque replacement to correct spec 22 in lbs.
4. PCV valve hoses (2 diff hoses). They get stiff and crack. Replace and replace the spring clips that hold them on.
5. Use the OEM plugs. NGK. About $12 a piece.
6. mid grade (89 octane) gas. Fuel economy jumped 20% over 87.

PS pay someone else to do post cat O2 sensor. It's likely fused in there.

[onefineham]

I should add: invest in a Bluetooth obdii reader and dash command app to monitor sensor readings and fuel trim. Think I paid about $10 for app and $20 for Bluetooth transmitter. Good luck.