Hello All.
I have an interesting problem and hope you fine U.K. Nissan Micra enthusiasts might be able to help me out. I live in the USA and have a Quicksilver 7.5KW marine generator in my boat that has a cracked engine block. I pulled it out and did some research on it, and what I learned that it was manufactured by Generac (a well known generator maker) in 1989 and they chose to use a Nissan 4-cylinder 1.2L MA12 engine to use as a power source for the alternator. What else I learned is that this engine was only used in 1986-1991 Nissan Micra automobiles and these cars were never sold in the USA. Not surprisingly, I have been unable to source a replacement engine or block to fix my boat's generator. Generac also has very few parts available anymore and pretty much stopped supporting this generator.
I know Nissan had many generations/series of their 1.0L & 1.2L engines and does anyone know of another engine that would be similar to the MA12 that was more widely used and produced? The most important factor would be that the flywheel bolt pattern be the same and that the exhaust ports and manifold bolts are in the same location. This engine in a marine application does not use a radiator, but has a very special water cooled exhaust manifold that is also a heat exchanger. There is a seawater pump driven by the drive belt that pumps seawater through a chamber in the manifold which in turns extracts the heat from the coolant. This allows the engine to be cooled with seawater without having to circulate salt water through the engine. Having the exhaust port configuration the same as the MA12 engine is crucial so this vital part of the system can bolt right to the block.
Does anyone know of a similar Nissan engine that fits this criteria? All aluminum would be a huge plus as well. I could even adopt a more modern fuel-injected engine if the exhaust ports and flywheel mountings were compatible (I'm an electrical engineer). Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I have an interesting problem and hope you fine U.K. Nissan Micra enthusiasts might be able to help me out. I live in the USA and have a Quicksilver 7.5KW marine generator in my boat that has a cracked engine block. I pulled it out and did some research on it, and what I learned that it was manufactured by Generac (a well known generator maker) in 1989 and they chose to use a Nissan 4-cylinder 1.2L MA12 engine to use as a power source for the alternator. What else I learned is that this engine was only used in 1986-1991 Nissan Micra automobiles and these cars were never sold in the USA. Not surprisingly, I have been unable to source a replacement engine or block to fix my boat's generator. Generac also has very few parts available anymore and pretty much stopped supporting this generator.
I know Nissan had many generations/series of their 1.0L & 1.2L engines and does anyone know of another engine that would be similar to the MA12 that was more widely used and produced? The most important factor would be that the flywheel bolt pattern be the same and that the exhaust ports and manifold bolts are in the same location. This engine in a marine application does not use a radiator, but has a very special water cooled exhaust manifold that is also a heat exchanger. There is a seawater pump driven by the drive belt that pumps seawater through a chamber in the manifold which in turns extracts the heat from the coolant. This allows the engine to be cooled with seawater without having to circulate salt water through the engine. Having the exhaust port configuration the same as the MA12 engine is crucial so this vital part of the system can bolt right to the block.
Does anyone know of a similar Nissan engine that fits this criteria? All aluminum would be a huge plus as well. I could even adopt a more modern fuel-injected engine if the exhaust ports and flywheel mountings were compatible (I'm an electrical engineer). Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Marine generators are so ridiculously expensive for reasons that do not make sense. Thank you Thank you Thank you
