Go Bottom80 s Sentra 65 mpg
 | Justus
Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 179 Justus, Pa. 
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2006-05-28 129966
I spent some time with one of my best friends a week ago and we got to talking about when we met in the mid 80's. He asked me if I remembered the Beige Nissan Sentra he had; which I did. He said it was a 4 cylinder with, he thinks, a (Standard)4 speed trans. I was going to post about it in my own words but decided to ask him to write to me about what he had said so that I didn't get anything wrong. He's NOT one to exaggerate at all. I think you'll find this as interesting as I did and I wouldn't be surprised if some of you can add to it. It is very disappointing that we aren't getting (at least) this type of mileage today.
Here's what he had to say (I just omitted last names).
I bought that car in the early 80's. I needed reliable transportation and good gas mileage. The sticker said I should get about 45 miles to a gallon. I noticed I was getting very good gas mileage and I started checking it out and found I was getting better than 60 miles per gallon. None of the guys at work believed my mileage was that good. John xxxx, myself, Marlo xxxxx and one other girl that I don't remember, went to Cedar Point in Sandusky Ohio. We filled the gas tank right to the brim and drove up and back. When we got back, we filled the tank back up to the brim (John put every drop of gas he could into it). With 4 adults in the car we averaged 65.4 miles per gallon. John could hardly believe it.
I had taken the car in for a routine oil change and the salesman who sold the car to me asked how I liked it. After I told him I was very pleased with the vehicle he asked what kind of gas mileage I was getting. I told him he won't believe it but I was getting better than 60 miles per gallon. He told me that he sold a lot of Sentra's and they all were getting in the mid 40's for gas mileage except for the three beige cars he sold. (He was the only salesman who sold the beige colored Sentra.) All three beige Sentra owners were getting over 60 mpg. He also advised he could no longer order the beige color car from the manufacturer. All other colors yes, but not this one. He said when he checked into it, he was told that the beige color all had special test carburetors installed and that they were never supposed to be released to the public. Somehow one batch did get shipped with the general inventory and that this dealership received 3 of these.
I got rid of the car after I wrecked it and bought my Toyota truck. I don't know how much of the story of the beige Sentras the salesman talked about having test carburetors is true, but I do know that I got 65+ mpg on that Sentra. They had the technology to get better mileage and that was over 20 years ago. The auto makers tell you that it's because of all the pollution equipment necessary that we can't get more than 25 or 30 mpg. The cars back then ran cleaner than the ones today. I believe it's all a scam between auto makers and oil companies. We can go to the moon but we still can't make a car that gets over 25 mpg. BULL_SHIT....
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 | kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 5764 NW Oregon 
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2006-05-28 129969
No offense intended, and it's a good story, but I don't believe it. And the line about cars running cleaner back then than today is certainly wrong. A well tuned car would run fairly clean back then (except for NOx) but it wouldn't stay clean for long without maintenance. With the government requiring 50-75k pollution control warranties the pollution controls are designed to keep the exhaust clean even with no maintenance. ....
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| Justus
Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 179 Justus, Pa.
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2006-05-28 129971
Like I said KW, I know the guy for over 20 years and he's never exaggerated anything. He has nothing to gain by telling anything untrue about the car. As far as cleaner burning, I have no expertise in the area and neither does he. That was an opinion on his part. As for the 65 mpg, if he said it got it, I stand behind him on it. ....
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| kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
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2006-05-28 129972
Here's my thinking on it, I may be off base. As I understand it most fuel efficiency is lost to friction and heat. Better carburetion doesn't reduce friction, and as far as I can see it won't reduce heat. If it runs 50% leaner the engine won't last long. If it atomizes the fuel better you could gain a little but I can't see a 50% gain over the mileage of a standard Sentra. Does your friend know for a fact that the engine, gearing and performance was similar to other Sentras? ....
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| Justus
Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 179 Justus, Pa.
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2006-05-28 129973
Does your friend know for a fact that the engine, gearing and performance was similar to other Sentras?
KW, It's like he said (and I just got off the phone with him) He doesn't know if what the saleman told him about beige Sentra's of that year being different is true, but he said he does know for a fact he got 65 mpg. I told him to register for Tractorpoint to discuss some of these things on his own and I believe he'll look into it tomorrow, we'll see. All I can say KW is that he's an honest, no baloney guy. In fact we were laughing about all the progress that's been accomplished the last twenty years; cell phones, computers, medecine (He's survived cancer and me a heart attack because of advances in medecine) but some cars still get twenty miles per gallon. I'm hoping he registers and can comment on his own. Thanks for your input. Steve ....
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 | Peters
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 3034 Northern AL
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2006-05-28 129974
Well most of the Sentra's of that era were a collection parts barely rolling in formation but it was the era of the lean burn experiments. Like Ken said they ran well for a time until they burned a hole through the piston. As he wrecked it who knows. They were also experimenting with ceramic pistons to over come this but it is still just a dream.
In the mid 80's a company in Australia had a fuel injection system that used air and fuel like a paint gun to inject fuel into the cylinders. In theory this provided greater atomization of the air. I noticed the other day a car manufacturer talking about the same concept in a new car. ....
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 | Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999 Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2006-05-29 129982
I wouldn't want to say your friend was exagerating even in the slightest.
I would however suggest that he was badly in need of a new calculator.... LOL.
Best of luck. ....
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| Peters
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 3034 Northern AL
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2006-05-29 129984
I agree Murf he is likely making a mistake in the calculation or using a pump that is generous.
This is the Australia engine design that claimed very high effiencies and was using the air and gas high pressure injection design. The site say Malhindra has bought the technologies so maybe we will see a new tractor engine design? ....
Link: Australian Revetec
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 | DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 5116 Northern Nevada
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2006-05-29 129985
There is a more logical explanation.
He had a metric odometer.... it was ticking off kilometers instead of miles.
The ratio between 65 mpg and 40 mpg just coincidentally is the same as 1.61 (kilometers) to 1 (mile). ....
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| Peters
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 3034 Northern AL
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2006-05-29 129986
It could also explain why the thing should never have left Japan. ....
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| kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
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2006-05-29 129987
Good thinking Mark. That sounds very plausible. ....
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 | Chief
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 4299 Southwest MiddleTennessee
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2006-05-29 129988
This is a great story for "Puzzlers" on Car Talk. ;O) Good call Mark! ....
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| kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
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2006-05-29 129990
Thanks for posting the Revetec link Peters. I love seeing new out-of-the-box thinking like this. ....
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| Peters
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 3034 Northern AL
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2006-05-29 129992
They claim 1/4 the weight and 100% more power. I am not sure this is the same engine I was thinking of. There was another design using a Geneva wheel that uses a slightly different placement. This is out of Australia also.
The other engine was tied to Jack Brabham as with the page below that describes the air/fuel injection technology. The orbital technology is similar also. ....
Link: Jack Brabham Engines
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