Spurious' Jimny thread. Probable blocked 🐱

[Spurious]

On 4/18/2021 at 3:56 AM, Ghosty said:

I had TOCA2 for PC, impossible to play as a kid but fun nonetheless. Especially the Fiesta one-make race as my mum actually had a Fiesta like that at the time.
The menu music always stuck with me: 

 

https://youtu.be/xLyL-NBjVNE

 

Honestly late 90s was a golden age for car games. 

 

 

[richykitchy]

I had my eye on this one myself, but I've ended up going in a completely different direction. So different that it doesn't really cover the same thing.

Anyway, had a Primera once - a 2.0 eGT (I even checked!) Quite liked it in some ways. Engine was tuneful, though a bit limp (couldn't shake a Saxo VTR - driven by my wife - in a straight line). I liked the looks and even the interior, to an extent. Handling was pretty good, though the suspension was solid as a result. It was pretty troublesome for me, though. I remember snapping a driveshaft (they do that, apparently), a seized caliper, an engine that refused to start when semi-warm...my BX 16v solidered on alongside it, without issue! Role reversal?

I do like them, though. Had an MG ZS years later and got the same kind of vibes.

[Spurious]

Hoping it's just the cooling system just working out air but the coolant was slightly above the minimum mark. Topped it up and I'll keep an eye on it. 

Dollywobbler had changed the water pump so it's been open recently but I can't spot any leaks 

[dollywobbler]

Oops. Bit late to this.

I doubt it's done much over 1000 miles since the last service, but it DEFINITELY did a lot more miles before that between oil changes, which is why the oil isn't exactly super clean. There is indeed a rocker cover leak, which you'll see when you pull plug 3 (I think). I think I've only topped up the coolant once since the water pump job (which I didn't do due to access!). I liked the sound of the radio but yeah, that duff screen is a pain!

Good to see it already undergoing cosmetic improvements. I agree that fresh rubber is a wise idea. Maybe that'll calm its tendency to wheelspin quite so readily, though an ABS test in the dry proved surprisingly reassuring. 

[Spurious]

1 minute ago, dollywobbler said:

Oops. Bit late to this.

I doubt it's done much over 1000 miles since the last service, but it DEFINITELY did a lot more miles before that between oil changes, which is why the oil isn't exactly super clean. There is indeed a rocker cover leak, which you'll see when you pull plug 3 (I think). I think I've only topped up the coolant once since the water pump job (which I didn't do due to access!). I liked the sound of the radio but yeah, that duff screen is a pain!

Good to see it already undergoing cosmetic improvements. I agree that fresh rubber is a wise idea. Maybe that'll calm its tendency to wheelspin quite so readily, though an ABS test in the dry proved surprisingly reassuring. 

I do have a rocker cover gasket on the way, but I'm going to hold off and actually clean the rocker cover and perhaps give it a bit of a shine when it's off. I've other bits to do. 

The oil isn't the worst but like you said, it's probably no harm to do an oil change with some cheap oil. Tesco have bog standard 10w40 for 12.50. I'll run it for a few hundred miles and change again. I've a second filter on the slow post from Autodoc so that might come in a month or so with some decent oil. 

The duff screen is no more. I'll keep it in a cupboard for originalities sake but mod cons like Bluetooth are great. I occasionally like to catch up with some Irish radio stations and short of listening on Long Wave, it's pretty much Bluetooth or nothing. 

I can get Uniroyal Rainsports for £47 a corner fitted with a discount code from the BlueLight Card so that's on the lines when I get paid at the end of the month. Then again, maybe a few quid more and get an oil season as I work up in the Pennines. 

I just took it for a half hour drive @dollywobblerand it seemed to stay at the right level. I suspect it's just working air out of the system. Can't see any leaks there and I might shove some cardboard under it tonight and double check and see if there's staining in the morn. 

Its surprisingly solid underneath. I'm used to Japanese cars being rather crunchy but I think the hybrid Euro-Japanese routes led them to do a better job undersealing it for road salt. 🤔

[Spurious]

3 hours ago, richykitchy said:

 

 

 

I think mine is only the 130 hp engine and not the 150 bhp but I think I'll give the rocker cover a paint job. Perhaps black. Red seems a bit sporty but black might bling it up slightly. 

[dollywobbler]

Yes, 128bhp in this one. I did wonder what they did to get them up to 150...

[jonathan_dyane]

I think all you need to go GT spec is GT cams (maybe just the exhaust cam I don’t remember), manifolds, front pipe and ecu.

Very worthwhile if you can find the bits.

[Spurious]

12 hours ago, jonathan_dyane said:

I think all you need to go GT spec is GT cams (maybe just the exhaust cam I don’t remember), manifolds, front pipe and ecu.

Very worthwhile if you can find the bits.

* takes notes *

Would certainly be interesting if I could find the right engine. 

[richykitchy]

13 hours ago, Spurious said:

I think mine is only the 130 hp engine and not the 150 bhp but I think I'll give the rocker cover a paint job. Perhaps black. Red seems a bit sporty but black might bling it up slightly. 

I doubt there's much in it at all, to be honest. I'd imagine they feel very similar.

13 hours ago, dollywobbler said:

Yes, 128bhp in this one. I did wonder what they did to get them up to 150...

My guess is that they didn't. Mine certainly didn't feel like it had 150bhp.

[Spurious]

Made some progress on this today.

Job the 1st

Sort out that squealing belt which was getting worse.  It was a loosy goosey alternator drive belt, usually on startup, especially so if you left the lights on.  I could move it on the long section about a 1.5-2cm on the long section.  About twice the slack that should be in it.  Not good. Fortunately, a simple job, tighten the adjuster on the alternator.  Simple. 

I'm pretty sure that's the rocker cover gasket that's been leaking long term is dribbling oil down the block. 

 

Job the 2nd.

Oil.  Some of Tescos finest cheapest Redex 10w/40.  It's going to be a couple of hundred miles between this change and the next, so any old oil of the right grade will do just as a bit of engine maintenance .  The filter is easier with the nearside front wheel off and you can reach underneath or in the side.  It's a bit awkward nevertheless because transverse engine.  Not as bad as some cars, but not an easy one...

 

Bring in the Patented Stubby Strap Wrench™ to make said job easier (I'm pretty sure I cut this to do a filter on a TD5 Disco, awful awful job).  I need to be super careful about not dropping oil, the landlord has mentioned it before.  Lots of cardboard.

 

It's actually bloody quiet with the new oil in.  Wonder if it's a thicker grade now...

 

Job the 3rd

Well, just kind of a quick peek at the ignition system.  The plugs are new Bosch.  The HT leads are Nissan branded, so I suspect the factory ones.  The dizzy cap and rotor weren't looking happy.  The rotor was rusty,  needed a quick wipe of sandpaper to clean up.  I do have some fresh Autodoc parts on the way for it. 

 

Also tightened up the throttle cable.  There was about 1cm of play in it.  Also checked the throttle sensor voltage readback.  It's about 0.5v at idle and 4.2v at fully open.  It's reading back correct, so I'll leave it be. 

 

 

 

Last job was cleaning the bonnet and seeing if there's some shine.  This dragged on a bit.  There was some clay barring and a polish (avert your eyes detailers, I used a drill!) and some posh turtle wax on top.  I've no after photo, but before it was a bit sad.  Got rid of most the swirl marks and some of the lighter scratches and brought a shine on.  The chips and deeper scratches aren't going anywhere.  I suspect this has been a farm, rural car.  There's lots of scratches on it. 

 

Here's the before. 

Left side is polished.  Right side is just clay barred.  A difference never the less. 

And in action.  The light got a bit rubbish before I got the final waxed photo, I'll upload tomorrow . 

 

That's all for the moment.

 

 

[Spurious]

And just an interesting tidbit of the cars history. Most of the recent MOTs were done at a council MOT place in Guildford. 

Suppose that's better than Gazza's Legit MOTs in a back street garage. 

[dollywobbler]

Wow! Impressive stuff. Wish I'd got on and sorted that alternator belt, but the Rover sort of broke me when it comes to alternators...

[Spurious]

Just now, dollywobbler said:

Wow! Impressive stuff. Wish I'd got on and sorted that alternator belt, but the Rover sort of broke me when it comes to alternators...

I looked at it afraid there would be a pinch bolt on the alternator that I would have to be triple jointed to get at, but no, it was a nice simple job. I think it had just unwound itself, it felt a bit looser than it did the other day. Something to keep an eye on. 

[Spurious]

Between night shifts I did a bit more polishing. The roof and front wing and a quick go over the bonnet again. It's slow work. It's no oil painting but from 6ft or so, it looks alright actually. 

[Spurious]

H1 bulbs? Never encountered a H1 dipped beam before. Assumed they were H7 and I have a few spare as the driver's side blew. 

Seen them usually in fog lights but never as a dipped light. 

ECP had these at a decent price, £4.50 for a pair of "light booster" night breaker knock offs. We'll see how they go. 

[Spurious]

Having a drive in the rain tonight made me bite the bullet and order some tyres for this. Roads were greasy as it's been pretty dry recently and the ABS cut in slightly earlier than I would have expected it to. 

Got Goodyear all seasons off Halfords mobile tyre fitting place. Normally £72 a corner but with a work discount code it was £58 a corner. 

They were the best rated All Season tyre on this YouTube channel last year so hopefully they'll be a good tyre for a good chassis. Yes I know you can probably get away with Summers for cheaper but I work in the Pennines and the weather can be rubbish on the tops of the M62 during the winter... 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHph1mDtCbQ

 

 

[Spurious]

 

[Endfloat]

That's a smart looking car! I liked it when Ian had it, so I was disappointed when he moved it on, but you landed on your feet with it! The polish really brought it up well. 

On the subject of the accelerator cable, it's a common mistake people make with older cable throttle body Nissans that they think the slack shouldn't be there. It actually should, and the way to adjust it is to slacken everything and have someone mash the accelerator pedal to the floor and see if there's any movement left in the butterfly. So you're looking for the full range of movement and the slack on idle, rather than stressing the throttle body and linkage on wide open throttle. I hope I'm explaining myself well here. 

[Spurious]

6 minutes ago, Endfloat said:

That's a smart looking car! I liked it when Ian had it, so I was disappointed when he moved it on, but you landed on your feet with it! The polish really brought it up well. 

On the subject of the accelerator cable, it's a common mistake people make with older cable throttle body Nissans that they think the slack shouldn't be there. It actually should, and the way to adjust it is to slacken everything and have someone mash the accelerator pedal to the floor and see if there's any movement left in the butterfly. So you're looking for the full range of movement and the slack on idle, rather than stressing the throttle body and linkage on wide open throttle. I hope I'm explaining myself well here. 

Thanks @Endfloat

Yes the polish brought it up rather well. There's still the doors and boot to do. But there's time yet. 

I'll have another look at the throttle cable, it sounds like I did take too much of the slack out it. 

[Spurious]

How in the buggering hell did that happen. Predictably I can't find my little magnetic picker upperer 

[Spurious]

Got the plug out in the end. Had to run to Halfords as it was late and pay a cheapo magnetic thingy. I'd been changing them and I must have damaged the replacement plug. Oh well. The current ones are fine, I'll leave them in. 

That rocker cover does need doing though. Maybe at the weekend. 

Some new bits. Mainly ignition bits as it's difficult to get them anywhere else other than Autodoc. 

Some new leads which worryingly are marked for an Almera. But they fit fine. The ones on it are Nissan marked. So unless someone's paid for OEM leads, they're certainty 25 years old now. 

 

New rotor and cap too. It's actually marked Mitsubishi. I didn't know they made ignition bits. Shouldn't be too surprised as they seemingly make everything. The old one was corroded properly. And not a lot of meat left on it before it ate into the insulation. 

Last but not least. A compression test. Just to settle my mind that the coolant is very slowly working out air locks and not an OMGHGF. A decent result. Cylinders 1-3 were about 11.8-12 Bar and cylinder 4 was 11 bar (all cold). It's just about in spec for the differences but well above the minimum of 9.5bar. The differences are less than 10% which I'm calling f all to be worried about. 

[dollywobbler]

Shame about the plug. I do dislike these deep-tube plugs generally. Had a right game on my Lexus when the rubber bit came out of my socket and wedged itself on top of the plug. Couldn't get a socket on the plug, couldn't reach the bit of rubber to get rid of it. Even had thoughts of fire to melt the sodding thing but somehow hooked it with something in the end.

[Spurious]

1 minute ago, dollywobbler said:

Shame about the plug. I do dislike these deep-tube plugs generally. Had a right game on my Lexus when the rubber bit came out of my socket and wedged itself on top of the plug. Couldn't get a socket on the plug, couldn't reach the bit of rubber to get rid of it. Even had thoughts of fire to melt the sodding thing but somehow hooked it with something in the end.

I'd just swapped for some NGKs that I'd got off autodoc, either I was a bit rough or the postman was.  The Bosch ones which are fine are back in there. 

I then spotted my compression tester in the toolbag and went to pull the plug back out and that happened. I was fiddling with two screwdrivers trying to wedge it out but I gave up and admitted defeat. 

Yes, it's the trouble with twin cam motors, usually the plugs are buried deep inside it. I think a rounded off one would be game over. You'd have to strip the motor. 

[Spurious]

Got new boots today. Goodyear all seasons so should be set up for trans-pennine commuting in the coming Winter. 

There was a mix of GT radials and something else on the rear. All with plenty of thread but starting to get on a bit, the were starting to crack and just felt like hard rubber. Front tyres were a 05 date code. 

Not so much difference in the dry with the new. The car is sure footed but it'll get a little floaty at the back end if you push it really hard enough. Kinda unnerving as you expect it to understeer but it keeps on gripping.  I'm sure this would lift off oversteer if you tried it, not that I'd be keen to experiment outside a track. 

The wet afternoon proved to be wet and greasy, the new tyres are good stoppers the wet, this is the difference between the new and the older tyres. 

Overall, it's a top handling car, very impressed. 

[Spurious]

Beading on a Primera with knackered paint? Surely not. 

 

(It actually hides the chips rather well tbh) 

[dollywobbler]

Yeah, I reckon lift-off oversteer is never far away. It's what journalists demanded at the time, so they could use the word 'lairy' rather than 'dull' when spanking family cars around a track. I never entirely trusted the car, but it is still amazing how quickly it will go around a bend.

[loserone]

8 hours ago, Spurious said:

lift off oversteer

Can confirm!

[tooSavvy]

Given I own my place but have no garden/driveway.....

Landlords will bitch about 'oil stains'?

..... so no pleb tennants with leaky old nails?  Ar$ebiscuits!!

Lots of soda crystals to 'chem scrub' prior to a 'bull$hit parade'

 

[Spurious]

1 hour ago, tooSavvy said:

Given I own my place but have no garden/driveway.....

Landlords will bitch about 'oil stains'?

..... so no pleb tennants with leaky old nails?  Ar$ebiscuits!!

Lots of soda crystals to 'chem scrub' prior to a 'bull$hit parade'

 

It's an effing pain. Hopefully by the summer I'll be in my own place with a garage I can leave oil stains on at my own will... 

I think I left some stains which someone stood on and then complained to the building services and then back to the landlord. 

Then a letter from the building services company stuck in the hall saying we shouldn't be leaving toxic fluids on the drive. 

So I just use a pela pump a lot of the time now.