Marm's Motors: MOT day

[Fumbler]

Forgot to ask in light of finding more crossmember woes on my car- have the engine undertrays been removed yet? They block the crossmember drains and give the inevitible crust in that area a kick start.

[Marm Toastsmith]

2 hours ago, Fumbler said:

Forgot to ask in light of finding more crossmember woes on my car- have the engine undertrays been removed yet? They block the crossmember drains and give the inevitible crust in that area a kick start.

Good tip - I'll have a little look. I still haven't been under it at all, just been driving it (and loving it).

[Fumbler]

45 minutes ago, marm said:

 just been driving it (and loving it).

Good! The nice thing is that if the car doesn't have PAS, a holed crossmember isn't an MoT fail, or so I've heard.

[Marm Toastsmith]

20 minutes ago, Fumbler said:

Good! The nice thing is that if the car doesn't have PAS, a holed crossmember isn't an MoT fail, or so I've heard.

This one does have PAS, pretty much the only concession to luxury, which is OK by me. MOT history doesn't mention any corrosion so I'm  blindly confident that it will be allright.

[Fumbler]

4 minutes ago, marm said:

This one does have PAS, pretty much the only concession to luxury, which is OK by me. MOT history doesn't mention any corrosion so I'm  blindly confident that it will be allright.

With the undertrays on they won't be able to see it. You'll only know about it once they fall off, due to the bolt holes being friction drilled into the thin mild steel. Usually corrosion starts at either end as they're the lowest point of the crossmember.

[Marm Toastsmith]

15 hours ago, Fumbler said:

With the undertrays on they won't be able to see it.

Sounds as if it will pass the MOT then. 👍

TBH I'll probably not go looking for rust problems on this car. The discovery of holes is rarely a cause for celebration. Out of sight, out of mind, it's a £200 micra, and while I intend to look after it, it doesn't need to be pristine.

[Marm Toastsmith]

Micra oil leak is a bit worse than expected - it marks its patch fairly quickly. Hopefully it's rust-proofing the front crossmember, too.

[Marm Toastsmith]

Never mind the oil leak, the level's still fine after a week and a few hundred miles, but I ought to stick this back. Someone's made a go of it before and glue is visible. It's more of a hard plastic than rubber and apparently just trim, not a seal.

Wondering what kind of adhesive to use... the best thing would be something thin-ish that sets fairly slowly I think, so I can apply it and then push the trim back into place. I suppose it also needs to be fairly water resistant... any ideas?

[Marm Toastsmith]

More pressingly: sometimes the starter clicks but doesn't turn the engine over. So far, trying again has invariably solved the issue, but this evening, with the engine warm(ish), it took three tries, which has made me a bit nervous.

Seller reckoned the battery might be on its last legs and had charged it recently. I noticed the clamps were loose, they are tight now, but it hasn't made any difference...

[tom13]

On 1/23/2022 at 4:24 PM, marm said:

Never mind the oil leak, the level's still fine after a week and a few hundred miles, but I ought to stick this back. Someone's made a go of it before and glue is visible. It's more of a hard plastic than rubber and apparently just trim, not a seal.

Wondering what kind of adhesive to use... the best thing would be something thin-ish that sets fairly slowly I think, so I can apply it and then push the trim back into place. I suppose it also needs to be fairly water resistant... any ideas?

It might seem expensive but you want Tigerseal here. The stuff is great and its black so it wont look too bad either. 

[BeEP]

15 hours ago, marm said:

More pressingly: sometimes the starter clicks but doesn't turn the engine over.

I would put (a small amount of) money on it being the starter motor at fault.  I've changed two recently with exactly the same symptoms.  If you have a helper to hand and the starter is accessible, keep turning off and on until it does the click thing then, without letting the key turn back from the start position have them give the starter a whack (either directly or via a breaker bar etc).  If it suddenly starts turning then you've definitely found the culprit.

[Marm Toastsmith]

On 1/23/2022 at 4:24 PM, marm said:

Never mind the oil leak, the level's still fine after a week and a few hundred miles, 

Having had a look underneath I think there's a good chance it's gearbox oil, which it appears is a bit of a PITA to check. At least if it's leaking there's still some in there...

[Andyrew]

Is the rear screen bonded in and the rubbers just a out trim? 

If it is id sack the trim off and  back fill the void with tigerseal, 

Cheaper alternatives are available, 

Body+, and simply brand pu sealant are good and usually half the price of tiger. Any black poly sealant would do the trick. 

[Marm Toastsmith]

RESULT!

[AnnoyingPentium]

Wheyyyyy!!!

[Marm Toastsmith]

First tank - pretty much thrashing it everywhere, mix of fast A-roads, windy b roads, and town driving.

[Fumbler]

4 hours ago, marm said:

First tank - pretty much thrashing it everywhere, mix of fast A-roads, windy b roads, and town driving.

You get a low fuel light? How decadent!

[Marm Toastsmith]

9 hours ago, Fumbler said:

You get a low fuel light? How decadent!

Not only that, it beeps!

This car has EVERYTHING.

[Marm Toastsmith]

Turns out it also has an engine management light. Wondering if I should treat myself to a code reader... Any suggestions?

 

[AnnoyingPentium]

1 minute ago, marm said:

Wondering if I should treat myself to a code reader... Any suggestions?

Aldi sometimes do one. Cheap but works nicely.

https://www.aldi.co.uk/auto-xs-car-fault-code-reader/p/707370407397200

It isn't in stock, but there's tons of clones about.

[Fumbler]

1 hour ago, marm said:

Turns out it also has an engine management light. Wondering if I should treat myself to a code reader... Any suggestions?

 

I don't know if they upgraded the ECUs in these to OBDII. There's a window in the centre console that allows you to look at a bank of LEDs attached to the ECU. When you turn the key they'll flash a combination which will give you the the issue. I think the owner's manual has a list of combinations and the Haynes manaul definitely does. That being said, it could be the manifold lambda sensor that's gone wrong- it doesn't have any others downstream IIRC. Mine doesn't anyway but it's a few years older.

[Andyrew]

1 hour ago, marm said:

Turns out it also has an engine management light. Wondering if I should treat myself to a code reader... Any suggestions?

 

If nothing running wise has changed it. Id Disconnect battery, and it may not return. 

Is this the first tank of E10 fuel in the motor now? 

[Marm Toastsmith]

1 hour ago, Andyrew said:

If nothing running wise has changed it. Id Disconnect battery, and it may not return. 

Is this the first tank of E10 fuel in the motor now? 

It's running fine, as ever. I treated it to a bit of premium on the collection mission but it's had at least 2 tanks of E10 run through it in my ownership.

[Marm Toastsmith]

1 hour ago, Fumbler said:

. I think the owner's manual has a list of combinations and the Haynes manaul definitely does. 

Owners manual suggests taking it to a Nissan dealer but apparently it's non urgent as long as the light's not flashing. I'll have a look in the Haynes book later.

[Marm Toastsmith]

The light went out for a few days. At the exact moment I said to Mrs M, "that light's gone out", it came back on again.

Powering this new light seems to be using up all the petrol.  Not so much MPGs on this tank. Otherwise it's not noticeably affecting the running of the car.

I haven't even looked in the Haynes manual yet. But I did shell out for Tescos finest E5 premium.

 

 

[Marm Toastsmith]

On the plus side...

 

[Marm Toastsmith]

Had a look in the Haynes manual - couldn't find anything regarding engine management light/fault codes.

Google says being a later coil pack equipped model it's OBD2 so I guess I'll buy a reader

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Car-OBD2-OBDII-V-309-Fault-Code-Reader-Engine-Diagnostic-Scanner-Reset-Tools-P3-/393863802907?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

Haven't looked for the socket yet...

[Fumbler]

2 hours ago, marm said:

Had a look in the Haynes manual - couldn't find anything regarding engine management light/fault codes.

Google says being a later coil pack equipped model it's OBD2 so I guess I'll buy a reader

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Car-OBD2-OBDII-V-309-Fault-Code-Reader-Engine-Diagnostic-Scanner-Reset-Tools-P3-/393863802907?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

Haven't looked for the socket yet...

Should be in the fusebox that's to the right of the steering wheel

[Marm Toastsmith]

Took some interior trim off and banged/pushed out the dent from inside. It looks better in the flesh but worse in the fotos. Can't decide whether to fill it and attempt a half decent paint job or just rub down and brush some rustoleum on (I have a tin of white). Sprayed a load of Dynax S50 in the cavity for good measure in case of paint/seam sealant damage.

More satisfying still was finally getting round to hoovering it out. It was filthy but came up well.

[Marm Toastsmith]

Running perfect on expensive premium/high octane/e5  fuel and the EML light has gone away too. Be interesting to see if economy is any better...

I suppose it needs it because it's a Sport.