Hello from snow country Idaho,
Just purchased an '87 sentra (carburetor, automatic), for a short commuter, not exactly what I wanted but, got sucked in by need and promises of great gas mileage. The problem is that the gas mileage is terrible! Barely 20mpg. I tuned the car up immediately (except for the pcv valve, can't get to it yet) but to no avail.
I know I need a muffler (and perhaps catalytic converter?) but could that warp my mileage so much? My quandry, besides having no money and no time, is what should I have a "qualified" mechanic tackle first - the exhaust system or have a look at the carburetor? There are 122,000 miles on it. No history but extremely clean. It runs fine aside from the gas mileage and the quirky start ups - great cold starts, but I must hold gas pedal to floor for a rough start after it is warm. It barely catches.
Also there seems to be a lot of carbon build up on muffler and old plugs. Any help?
Just purchased an '87 sentra (carburetor, automatic), for a short commuter, not exactly what I wanted but, got sucked in by need and promises of great gas mileage. The problem is that the gas mileage is terrible! Barely 20mpg. I tuned the car up immediately (except for the pcv valve, can't get to it yet) but to no avail.
I know I need a muffler (and perhaps catalytic converter?) but could that warp my mileage so much? My quandry, besides having no money and no time, is what should I have a "qualified" mechanic tackle first - the exhaust system or have a look at the carburetor? There are 122,000 miles on it. No history but extremely clean. It runs fine aside from the gas mileage and the quirky start ups - great cold starts, but I must hold gas pedal to floor for a rough start after it is warm. It barely catches.
Also there seems to be a lot of carbon build up on muffler and old plugs. Any help?
