Some questions

[emuzeg]

Hi. I bought an X reg auto Micra a couple of month ago. Since then I've done a 170 mile round trip and it's been fine.

However, in 2 days we're driving down to London which is a LONG way. Taking into account the car passed it's MOT in early October 2011, I have the following concerns:

1. The oil level is fine but the colour is darkish. Should be okay though as it passed it's MOT.

2. The brake fluid level AND automatic trans fluid are both filled to OVER the max mark. Is this bad? Can I draw out some from the filler resevoir with a straw and my mouth!?

3. I know the colour of auto trans fluid should be pinky red. Mine is darker. Bad?

4. When I turn the ignition on, various dash lights come on and then go out when the engine starts. HOWEVER, when I read the cars manual, it listed some lights that should be lit when the ignition is on that are NOT lit on mine. Issue or is the manual just a general one for various models?


Thanks in advance!

 

[Guy]

I'd deffo change the engine and gearbox oils, you never know what grade it is or when it was last changed with a 2nd hand car :grinning:.

 

[Smc92]

I think the reason why your fluids such as engine oil and so on are dark are probably because they have been in the car for a while, so just change them like guy said you never know when it was last done or what grade and so on. and my brake fluid was once over so i just shoved a sponge in to get some out because brake fluid is pressurised and i didnt want have too much in there and then a brake pipe blows or something

 

[pollyp]

Should always change the oil n filter after buyin a 2nd hand if the oils dark brown cos wont be good for bearings etc if ya wanna keep it running. Black oil is very bad as it becomes full of soot, losing all its additives and becomes sludge so engine starts to wear fast n wont last long till summin breaks.

Can never change the oil too often, more often within reason the better for reliability. I change once a year or after each severe loaded trackday or when the oils dark brown.

Unless the brake/tran fluids brimmed it shouldn't overflow but its recommended to have it at near max level.
Dont suck the fluids by straw, stuffs toxic n wont be good for u n will taste horrid. Use a syringe or sucker or absorbant.

Which lights missin? If its airbag or abs and u have these features then maybe the bulbs been removed to hide a fault?

 

[NeX]

as other people have said, but also, never try and remove any car fluids with your mouth, they are dangerous chemicals and you don't want them anywhere near you at the best of times especially inside you.

MOT doesn't cover the functionality of the engine, so if you rolled into an MOT station with a perfectly good car but it didn't start, it would probably pass (they might fail it saying they couldn't drive it into the test centre), but anyway an MOT check wont look at any oils other than maybe brake fluid.

 

[emuzeg]

Thanks a lot for all that input. Well, we did the 380 mile round trip to London and back to York. It was not uneventful:


1. Drove fine for over 2 hours, then the orange engine shaped light came on on the dash. Quickly looked it up in the manual and it said that it indicated a possible malfunction with the emissions control system and that while the car was still drivable, I ought to get it sorted to avoid damage to the emissions control system. Got to London, next morning started up car and the light stayed on after engine started, but then went off 5 mins later or so and stayed off all the way back to York. What are your thought on this??

2. On the return journey however, different issues arose: Drove back fine for 1 hour, went up to 80mph comfortably. Then stopped for lunch for 20 mins, got back in car, turned key but it just cranked over and ALMOST started. Tried a few times and eventually got it started by just revving whilst turning the key. Had to keep on the gas for a few mins to keep it idling by itself. Could this be a battery issue, low voltage hence the starter spins slower? I say this because now only the fastest setting on the heater works (used to be fastest 2 settings) and because when I turned on the rear window de-mister the engine seemed to struggle at idle.

After it started drove it home with no issues whatsoever for the last 2 hours, so now it appears fine..


The #### that sold the car to me failed to mention the heater not working on most of the settings, the drivers door speaker working intermittently and now I am beginning to suspect gave the car to me with a host of other hidden problems.

I am thinking of taking it for a service at Kwik Fit to get the oil changed, fluids changed and electrical faults fixed. Any advice, possible causes and remedies for the above - and how much I should worry - would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[pollyp]

the fan issue is a common blown resister card fault. simply repair the broken circuit with conductive paint or grab another one from scrappy.

the cold idle issue sounds like the IAV is sticky and not opening up for fast idle when engines cold and when under extra loads like demister, PAS, lights etc. remove & clean the IAV in front of TB and maybe adjust warm idle speed too.

also check the batterys above 12v after leaving for awhile incase its dying.
struggling to cold start could be flooding from faulty ecu coolant sensor, faulty lambda. also if u have a dizzy, the cap points need regular wirebrushing to remove the white oxide layer that could hinder the spark

 

[emuzeg]

the fan issue is a common blown resister card fault. simply repair the broken circuit with conductive paint or grab another one from scrappy.

the cold idle issue sounds like the IAV is sticky and not opening up for fast idle when engines cold and when under extra loads like demister, PAS, lights etc. remove & clean the IAV in front of TB and maybe adjust warm idle speed too.

also check the batterys above 12v after leaving for awhile incase its dying.
struggling to cold start could be flooding from faulty ecu coolant sensor, faulty lambda. also if u have a dizzy, the cap points need regular wirebrushing to remove the white oxide layer that could hinder the spark

How do I locate card for the heater and also the IAV (what is that?) and what is TB?

Cold start struggle has only happened once and not since, odd!

 

[karlj]

Heater card is under/behind glove box

IAV= idle adjust valve

TB= throttle body

 

[pollyp]

this is the IAV device at the front of the throttle body that gets stuck with dirt n crud after few thou miles

 

[emuzeg]

The throttle body looks like the carb in my Beetle! Where is it located in the engine? All my tools are left at home, so can I remove the IAV with just screwdrivers and spanners?

 

[pollyp]

heres a clearer view at back of engine

you'll need to unzip the inlet pipe from the airbox,
10mm socket to unbolt airbox from support bracket under the inlet,
philips head to loosen airbox off the TB underneath,
wriggle airbox off,
remove the plugs in the way,
you'll need an impact driver with philips head to loosen the IAV screws if they've never been touched to prevent rounding em off,
pull IAV out as shown above,
clean & wriggle the valve bit free with carb cleaner,
wipe inside the port clean with rag too,
smear oil on o-ring and fit onto end of IAV,
push n twist the IAV into place,
reassemble

 

[emuzeg]

Hmm thanks, I can't find that area though on this photo of my engine bay, I see it should be next to the black-capped brake fluid resevoir but it doesn't seem to exist! Because my car is automatic..?



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In the mean time, here's a photo of under the glove box - where do I attack to get at the heater card and how do I remove it?



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[frank]

yours is the coilpack engine (different throttlebody) and the brown wiring connector clips into the resistor card

 

[pollyp]

that big black box is the air filter, look under that

do facelift coilpacks not have IAV frank?

and yea unplug that brown connector, remove two 10mm bolts and the card slips out

 

[frank]

do facelift coilpacks not have IAV frank?

different type aint they paul, stepper motor iirc
http://www.bba-reman.com/catalogue/DetailedProduct.aspx?DetailedProduct=135

 

[pollyp]

different type aint they paul, stepper motor iirc
http://www.bba-reman.com/catalogue/DetailedProduct.aspx?DetailedProduct=135

thats awkquid to get to without taking the TB off. i guess nissan found that the primative old waxstat fast idle plunger thing was rubbish after all and let the IAV do all the work in the facelift :grinning:

 

[emuzeg]

Ok well I have just taken the card out (was two phillips bolts), what does it look like to you? Seems to be what seems like bathroom silicone where the card meets the plastic connector, it's dirty, has some rusty bits on the end and 2 areas have gone white.

Where can I find a new one or is this fixable?



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[emuzeg]

thats awkquid to get to without taking the TB off. i guess nissan found that the primative old waxstat fast idle plunger thing was rubbish after all and let the IAV do all the work in the facelift :grinning:

So how can I get at my IAV to clean it??

EDIT: Oh sorry you said look under the air filter in the engine bay? Unclip them clips and it should be under there?

 

[pollyp]

looks like the small resister bit has rusted off. and theres also abit of rust in the outer circuit track.

simply sand the rust area off till u expose the shiny metal track then join the connection using conductive paint and a small paintbrush

http://www.maplin.co.uk/electrically-conductive-silver-paint-36275?c=froogle&u=36275&t=module

 

[pollyp]

So how can I get at my IAV to clean it??

EDIT: Oh sorry you said look under the air filter in the engine bay? Unclip them clips and it should be under there?

under the air filter box. u have to disconnect the inlet pipe, small L breather pipe from the engine cover, unbolt from the bracket, loosen the clamp underneath thats holding it to the TB then pull off.

cos the IAV is facing abit close to the bulkhead, either try n fit a philips bit on a small ratchet (but risk rounding the head), or unbolt the TB from the manifold for better access (need allen head on a socket extension)

 

[emuzeg]

looks like the small resister bit has rusted off. and theres also abit of rust in the outer circuit track.

simply sand the rust area off till u expose the shiny metal track then join the connection using conductive paint and a small paintbrush

http://www.maplin.co.uk/electrically-conductive-silver-paint-36275?c=froogle&u=36275&t=module

Thanks. I have solder and an iron, could I use that instead? Do I have to follow those thin lines exactly or can it spill over?

 

[pollyp]

you can. long as the tracks dont short and are round bout the same resistance as before

 

[emuzeg]

you can. long as the tracks dont short and are round bout the same resistance as before

Is the paint a safer option than solder and much less chance of ruining the board?
What would happen if it shorted, just the card would be junk right?

Edit: By the way I just started the car with the card removed, and the heater setting on full still worked. Should it!?

 

[pollyp]

Is the paint a safer option than solder and much less chance of ruining the board?
What would happen if it shorted, just the card would be junk right?

Edit: By the way I just started the car with the card removed, and the heater setting on full still worked. Should it!?

perfectly safe, worse that could happen is just break connection if u apply too thin. used conductive paint on mine and no probs ever. much easier & precise to apply than trying to solder plus no risk of oveating & burning the tracks

if 2 tracks r shorted, two fan speeds may just end up having almost similar resistance = speed

and yes full fan speed bypasses the resister card so full 12v flows through the fan motor

 

[emuzeg]

Well I sanded (with a nail file..) the crusty resistor and also chipped a little of the top layer where the circuit was broken elsewhere to reveal the shineyness underneath. I am going to go with soldering since I have that to hand.

A blob on the resistor area and a thin trail on the other broken areas is what is needed right? Any tips and do's ad don'ts before I proceed?

 

[pollyp]

yeah a blob of solder to connect the large track where the resister used to be. the outer track looks fine n continuous. the inner small track, is that just a surface oxide or is it broken?

 

[emuzeg]

yeah a blob of solder to connect the large track where the resister used to be. the outer track looks fine n continuous. the inner small track, is that just a surface oxide or is it broken?

That's actually broken, as is the track on the outer edge. They are just white which i guess what is underneath the shineyness, plus i can feel a groove there. Does it matter if the solder spreads and covers several tracks?

 

[emuzeg]

Well I have done it, but I dropped a big splat elsewhere on the card, luckily on top of one of the broken lines. Looks really messy and it's much harder than it looks doing this! However do you reckon it is ok? I have yet to try it out...

 

[emuzeg]

Just tried it and now setting 4 works as well as 5 but 1, 2, 3 still don't. Why!

Edit, hmm actually the lumps of solder have just all come off after prodding them a bit. I think i didnt heat it up enough or maybe too much?

 

[r-reg-sr]

i recon your cards done in :grinning: scrap yard or get one on here
or sucker the solder of and go with the cond paint

 

[emuzeg]

Well ###### me, i redid it and now all the settings work!! Hurrah! What a wonderful feeling. I just hope now that with the protruding solder the card will fit back into its slot..

Thanks for all your help and advice, its saved me a bob or two doing by myself.

 

[pollyp]

hope it holds, least u get to practice more soldering

 

[emuzeg]

hope it holds, least u get to practice more soldering

Why would it not hold, if it gets too hot and the solder drops off or different areas of the circuit burn up? Why does that even happen in the first place, surely it shouldn't!?

I've also just noticed that the passenger side stop light doesnt work, i guess a blown bulb or loose connection, is removing the lens easy?

 

[pollyp]

Why would it not hold, if it gets too hot and the solder drops off or different areas of the circuit burn up? Why does that even happen in the first place, surely it shouldn't!?

I've also just noticed that the passenger side stop light doesnt work, i guess a blown bulb or loose connection, is removing the lens easy?

the card is exposed to years of wet humid or dirty dusty incoming air from the scuttle panel and so the metal resister n tracks rust/overheat till they burn out

just unclip out the bulb holder and inspect bulbs & circuit

 

[emuzeg]

the card is exposed to years of wet humid or dirty dusty incoming air from the scuttle panel and so the metal resister n tracks rust/overheat till they burn out

just unclip out the bulb holder and inspect bulbs & circuit

Oh okay. Well the card itself is is pretty solid rust free condition it seems.

To get to the bulb holder though dont i need to remove the rear plastic lens?

 

[karlj]

No you do it from inside the boot

 

[emuzeg]

Im getting to rather like this car despite it being a temporary whilst living here. I have fixed the heater card, replaced some bulbs and the cold start issue has not happened at all since. Done almost 1000 miles since i got it. Now the cold has really started i need to replace the windscreen washer fluid, coolant and still need to do the engine oil.

I want to learn more about my specific model, the 1.0 litre auto S. What differences does this have to standard models?

 

[emuzeg]

Got 2 more questions!

Firstly, I can't get the speaker panel off the door to get at the speaker wiring to check for a loose connection. There seems to be 2 inlets and I have tried gently prying them, but don't want to damage it. How can I get access to the speaker wire connections??

And secondly, the drivers side door knocks on the striker on the pillar when I shut the door, door sags slightly. When I lift up and down there is a small bit of play in the door but not on the passenger side. I saw someone once fix a sagging door by just pulling up on the door to bend the hinges slightly, needless to say that was no long term fix. How can I remedy this?

Cheers!

 

[Paul Smith]

The door card needs to come off then, it is screws from the back. This will allow access to the speaker.

sounds like a new hinge for a long term fix but thats just a guess.

 

[emuzeg]

The door card needs to come off then, it is screws from the back. This will allow access to the speaker.

sounds like a new hinge for a long term fix but thats just a guess.

Thanks. What's the door card? And screws at the back of what?

 

[Paul Smith]

The door card is the grey panel the speaker cover is attached to. Remove the interior door handle (2 screws) interior door lock casing (unclips and 1 screw) then the card justs pulls off and the clips should just pop back it when putting back together. on the back of the door card will be a couple of screws that will release the plastic speaker case. When you pull the door card off there will be a connector to disconnect the speaker wiring.

 

[emuzeg]

OK thanks.

Can I change the oil myself WITHOUT a jack? Just drain and fill?

 

[emuzeg]

Ok going back to one of my previous posts where IAV was mentioned, could a sticky one of those be linked with a pool of oil in the air box and a very gunked up filter? Or is it just blow by about which i can do nothing? I only have a philips screwdriver so is it pointless to attempt removing the IAV?

 

[frank]

Ok going back to one of my previous posts where IAV was mentioned, could a sticky one of those be linked with a pool of oil in the air box and a very gunked up filter? Or is it just blow by about which i can do nothing? I only have a philips screwdriver so is it pointless to attempt removing the IAV?

yes, tis

 

[emuzeg]

yes, tis

Ok, good. So i have cleaned it all up but replaced the old filter because i want to install the new one after i do the oil change. The big plastic tube that goes to the air box was not clamped down and i can see there is a groove where a clamp should go. The gunge from the filter and tube has dripped down as a result and caked the wires and bits below it. I have cleaned this up best i can, and guess i need to get a big jubilee clip to secure the tube so no more gunge drips down.

The oil is really jet black but there was some yellowy sludge in the filter. What is this?

The engine block comes up really nice with a metal scourer.