1.3 dosn't run on all cylinders..?

Niko C

Niko C

Hi, My micra has had this what used to be a little issue of it not running on all 4 for a little time, it would do it for a couple of seconds only and work normally again, but today it hasn't ran on 4 at all, I can't really (and I shouldn't I assume?) drive it since it's 1. VERY embarassing since it sounds exactly like a moped car, 2. It perfoms like one too. It CAN be driven tho.

I recorded this probably useless thing to demonstrate how it sounds exactly: http://vocaroo.com/i/s1LDQ2sIxyEO

It did this when I bought it, I did know it had this issue, I changed the spark plugs little after I bought it, but the problem (running on 3(?)) didn't stop.

So what else could be causing this, is my micra basically dead or can anything be done? I tried giving it high rpm's, since that helped when it did this before, but now it won't run on 4 at all.

E: Just now I found this article, should I try the advice it gives? (testing if one of the plugs isn't firing) http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_it_when_a_4_cylinder_car_is_running_on_3_cylinders?#slide=1
 
Stani1029 said:
All you have to do is remove the ht leads one by one whilst the engine is running to see if the revs drop further or stay the same. If they stay the same theres a problem with that cylinder. Swap ht leads and spark plugs to try and shift the problem to another cylinder and that will pin point whats faulty. If theres no change youll need to have a look at the injector for that cylinder and perform a compression test if the problem hasnt been found after testing.
Click to expand...


Thanks, so I don't need any "safety gear" while doing this if I just simply remove the ht leads 1 by 1? Just making sure, I don't feel like dying today!
 
Okay, just came back from testing, so I took the ht leads off 1 by 1 and 3 of them caused rev drops but 1 of them did absolutely nothing, so we got something, When I held the said ht lead by the part of it that is not visible when it's attached to the plug, I could feel this VERY little, I don't know how to describe it, shocks? going thru it? I'm not sure but I'm sure I felt something, I don't know if it was smart thing to do, but well, I did, by accident to be honest
 
Just tested, it ain't the ht lead that's failing, and I assume it's not the splug either, since it did this when I changed the plugs and before, it didn't do as much of it (after changing) tho, atleast IIRC, I will still test the plugs tho in a bit!
 
Tested the plug, wasn't it either. I noticed that the other plugs were almost black but that one was just a bit brown(ish), I took a pic I'll upload it if any1 wants to see, but you get the idea, the difference is more than noticeable. I'll see if I can test injectors today, might not since it's raining pretty hard.

And how should I go about taking the airbox off? All I can see is 1 screw from a quick look
 
Stani1029 said:
Brownish is ok though, possibly no fuel from that injector then. Do you use supermarket fuel??? Tesco fuels over here has cause 2 injector fails for me previously.

The airbox is 1x 10mm bolt at the bottom rhs underneath the feed pipe. Then a flathead screwdriver for the jubilee where it connects to the throttle body.

There are 3 bolts holding the fuel rail onto the inlet manifold, be careful with this as there are 3x black plastic spacers inbetween the rail/inlet that could fall away. The are sat on a half moon ridge so just be gentle when lifting the fuel rail up. There isnt alot of space but its better just lifting and tilting the rail in place rather than removing more parts
Click to expand...
I thought Tesco sourced their fuel from BP?

I usually run Shell but have had to use BP more recently while Shell is closed.
 
Stani1029 said:
Brownish is ok though, possibly no fuel from that injector then. Do you use supermarket fuel??? Tesco fuels over here has cause 2 injector fails for me previously.

The airbox is 1x 10mm bolt at the bottom rhs underneath the feed pipe. Then a flathead screwdriver for the jubilee where it connects to the throttle body.

There are 3 bolts holding the fuel rail onto the inlet manifold, be careful with this as there are 3x black plastic spacers inbetween the rail/inlet that could fall away. The are sat on a half moon ridge so just be gentle when lifting the fuel rail up. There isnt alot of space but its better just lifting and tilting the rail in place rather than removing more parts
Click to expand...

I don't know how to answer about the gas? I don't know how things differ around there and here in Finland, but I just use the ordinary 98-octane that most people use, we really only have 95 and 98, those are the basics you get here, and it's pretty much all the same no matter where you get it from

Oh yes, and if it is the injector, how should I continue? I'm asking in advance to prepare my an** since I can already feel my wallet getting lighter..
 
If ur engine has a dizzy, remove the dizzy cap and check the condition of the 4 electrode points.

They tend to build up a lot of white insulating oxide and affect ignition, especially cold starts.

Wirebrush the oxide layer off. If the electrode appear excessively worn n pitted, may need replacing to restore the minimum gap.

Also check ur spark plug gap and condition.
 
Stani1029 said:
If it is the injector is there a scrapyard you can go to to get ones? Youll only need to remove 2 screws to get the injector out (cheap fix for the wallet if so) If you find it only spraying 3 out of 4 its best to swap injectors over to make sure the wiring is good unless your handy with a multimeter
Click to expand...


Yea there is couple actually, last time I checked they had multiple micras too
 
Update: Yeah, I guess i'm ****ed.. tried to unscrew the injector (not sure if the right word, the thing that goes to the fuel rail anyways) and the screw didn't look too good, and what happened is that it basically turned from (+) to (o) in shape, it was like it was made of butter, it just shredded and pretty much can't be taken out now... Don't know what should I do now?
 
Unplug the rear loom connections and HT leads off the current dizzy.

Mark, note, or photo the precise angle of the dizzy relative to the engine head.

Remove the two 12mm bolts holding it to the head and just pull the dizzy out.

Unscrew the cap and inspect the 4 contact points inside for any white oxide and wirebrush it clean to ensure good cold start spark
http://www.micra.org.uk/index.php?posts/500361

Peak inside the dizzy hole in the engine head to note the position of the offset notch at the end of the cam shaft.

Rotate the dizzy shaft till the notched tip is at the same angle.

Insert and jiggle the dizzy into the hole and it should eventually slot in.

Insert the bolts, position the dizzy to the same angle as before, tighten the bolts.

Reconnect the loom and HT leads.
 
Stani1029 said:
Just remove the distributor cap (3x6mm bolts, possibly 8mm) and clean off any oxide on the metal points on the inside of the cap
Click to expand...


Might aswell do that too, I've lost my mole grips, but I'll borrow from a mate tomorrow, I'll let ya know wassup when I get to it! If it is the injector that's failing, am I right that it's pretty easy, just get another from a scrapyard and stuck it in there and I'm fine?
 
If I need to change the whole rail it's a bit more complex so I hope I don't, atleast it looked like it, since the middle bolt was in a pretty bad spot? Do you mean they might only sell it as a whole, or that I might need to change the whole thing anyways?
 
dremel a slot across the screw head and then undo it with a big flathead screwdriver or preferably an impact driver with a flathead bit?
 
Update: Turns out the injector is failing, does not spray at all, I guess it's "good" news? And as a side question, how can I pull the injector out of the fuel rail, I took off the 2 screws and the =O= shaped thing but it won't come off? I called a local scrapyard and they said they only have a 1.0 model, and something about serial number for the injector or something?
 
Stani1029 said:
Yeah thats good news mate, they normally have good grip on the o ring seal. You can twist and twist while pulling upwards or you can knock them out from the underside with something soft against it. 1.0ltr has the same cc so will be fine, just make sure its a distributor model before wasting a journey :)
Click to expand...


Ah, good to hear, I tried to pull it preeeetty hard and it only moved just a tiny bit, it will be annoying to get it out. The injectors differ from non dizzy and dizzy model? Why's that?
 
Niko C said:
Ah, good to hear, I tried to pull it preeeetty hard and it only moved just a tiny bit, it will be annoying to get it out. The injectors differ from non dizzy and dizzy model? Why's that?
Click to expand...
Side-feed injectors on dizzy model cars and top-feed on coilpack cars
 
Update (little late tho) So I basically gave up for now, since it's so cold outside, my both doors are stuck, not even mentioning my hood, it won't open anytime soon and it's way too cold to work on it and there's no garage for me to use at this moment so I just let it be for now, I'll see what I can do in about a month or so, maybe I can get a garage, that's the only option, Atleast I know what the problem is and it's "easy" to fix so I'm happy about that, just sucks when it finally started snowing and I imagined myself playing in the snow with him, he broke down on me :p

Well, see yall when I finally arrange myself a garage and well, money too.

Oh, and just wanted to share this beauty with you all, hope I had the money I'd instabuy it.. (it's a finnish site, but you'll figure it out) http://www.nettiauto.com/nissan/micra/6162054
 

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