The £80 Micra

[Ihtisham Rauf]

your ecu will be running closed loop most of the time ihtisham, using the primary lambda sensor feedback to calculate the injector durations.
which is why your qg injectors made little difference.
mark will have changed the open loop fuel tables, so it will probably overfuel when booted with bigger injectors

Right okay didn't know this. Do you have any suggestions for what I should do regarding injectors then?

1. Stick with the CR12 injectors that Mark recommended as that's what the ECU has been calibrated for.
2. Put the QG15's in anyway

Thanks.

 

[frank]

most dyno,s will give an afr printout, best to try the stock ones first then fit the qg ones if you lean out on the dyno

 

[Ihtisham Rauf]

most dyno,s will give an afr printout, best to try the stock ones first then fit the qg ones if you lean out on the dyno

Perfect thanks!

 

[fuzzy-hair-man]

Yeah I completely understand. BUT, none of my local dyno tuners can produce injector duty cycle graphs!

I think nistune and obd readers can tell you duty cycle from within the software, I'd be surprised if others can't maybe they can't graph it but... or perhaps because the answer is dependent on your tuning software, i don't know thou are going to need a graph just they keep an eye on afr and duty cycle during the runs.

 

[richardwbb]

Loud noise at WOT is great, daily driving should be nicely humming like hey there I'm fast! I find. But the injectors won't hold up with the ITB's and now a ecu remap has been chosen but the injectors need to be different? Is this sound or is it just me?

 

[Ihtisham Rauf]

Loud noise at WOT is great, daily driving should be nicely humming like hey there I'm fast! I find. But the injectors won't hold up with the ITB's and now a ecu remap has been chosen but the injectors need to be different? Is this sound or is it just me?

Yes that was the issue, but as it turns out, the injectors that the ECU has been remapped for are 216cc/min which will be plenty to fuel the ITB's.
I originally thought the injectors that the ECU has been mapped for were 150cc/min, which wouldn't have been enough.

 

[Ihtisham Rauf]

So today I dropped the car off to the garage along with the bike throttle bodies and all the relevant parts. Should get it back within a few days.

In the meanwhile, I've been working on getting my YouTube channel up and running, where I can share about this project car, so been busy making videos for that. Will update on here when my first few videos are up, so make sure you watch them and subscribe to my channel!

Also, my mechanic was working on this beast today. It kinda confirmed that the garage I have chosen to carry out the bike bodies conversion is a good choice.

 

[Low Rider]

150g/min on n-heptane is just short of 220cc/min, so you'll be fine for fuelling

 

[Ihtisham Rauf]

150g/min on n-heptane is just short of 220cc/min, so you'll be fine for fuelling

Perfect thanks for confirming mate!

 

[Ihtisham Rauf]

We've ran into a problem! I kinda expected there to be issues to be honest - very difficult to get everything perfect on the 1st attempt.

Basically, the Boggs Brothers inlet manifold is angled at around 60 degrees, which has meant the throttle linkage clashes with the power steering reservoir. And the even bigger problem is that there just is not enough space to put the airbox on. The airbox clashes with the firewall, the servo and the bonnet!

To solve the first issue, we thought about putting the throttle bodies on upside down, (as I'm not using the bike injectors anyway) but then the bike rail clashes with the firewall. We could remove the bike fuel rail and injectors but then I would need to plug the holes.

In the end, we've decided to make changes to the inlet manifold. We are just going to adapt it so that the throttle bodies sit 90 degree to the head; basically like this setup, courtesy of 'Skinners Sprint Micra' blog on here, which was a brill read!

This then solves both problems at once. Instead of sending the manifold back to the Boggs Brothers, we'll be using a local welder (who works out of his home) called MK Engineering in Maltby tomorrow.

 

[frank]

or else tilt the engine forward via the rear mount

 

[Ihtisham Rauf]

or else tilt the engine forward via the rear mount

Ahah! I read one of your earlier posts (...the front engine mount does 'naff all'... lol) and we actually tried this in the workshop today. But even at the max limit of tilting the engine foward to the point where it was touching the body, there still wasn't enough space.

I should've mentioned this in my post before.

Seems like a genius idea tho if I'm honest; just a shame it didn't work in this specific case :/

 

[Ihtisham Rauf]

Update:

Delays, delays, delays...

So finally my car is back together and drivable.
The manifold is with Martin at MK Engineering who needs around 2-3 weeks to make the adjustments, as he's really busy.

Meanwhile, I found this quite interesting:

• Basically, I could always run my car without the MAF attached. Of course, this would make the idle slightly rougher, but the drive was pretty much the same as with the MAF on.

• However, now, when I got the car back, my mechanic had forgotten to connect the MAF up, and the car didn't run properly at all, like it would lurch with massive power loss and then surges of power. With the MAF attached, it runs great, and the car feels even quicker than it did before it went into the garage.

• Basically, something must have happened with the ECU so that now it refuses to run at all without the MAF attached, whereas before it used to run okay even without the MAF.

So it seems the ECU had been running a safe map all that time, and not really using the output from the MAF or something like this???

 

[Ihtisham Rauf]

So the car continues to be different...

When I started the engine from cold, it stalled straight away. I restarted it and it did start, but the idle was around 750rpm, which is too low. I then pulled out of the drive, and when I got to the first junction, it started idling at 1200rpm, which is more reasonable on a cold engine. However, it then persisted to remain idling at 1200rpm even when the engine had fully warmed up. I'm guessing the idle air control valve hasn't been set properly. But I don't understand why my mechanic would have fiddled with it in the first place.

Previously, if I revved the engine while in neutral, the revs would drop down slowly. Now they drop down much more quickly. No idea why this change has happened, although it sounds more healthier when revved...

Thirdly, I'm getting whines when turning the steering. It turns out the power steering fluid is realllly low. I don't understand how it could have gotten that low as it was fine when I brought the car into the garage.

Next, there’s a three pin plug that doesn't connect to anything, and its near the throttle body, making me think they've forgotten to connect a sensor up. I can't figure out what its supposed to connect to, will upload a photo tomorrow.

Lastly, I checked the odometer when I picked the car up, and it has been driven 32 miles since I dropped it off at the garage.

I just hope 'the lads' haven't been rallying it about, but I don't see why they would have driven 32 miles. I get the fact they would have test drove the car to make sure its all okay, but 32 miles is a bit much.

I'm going to give the car a thorough check over tomorrow, as its just not the same as it was before it went into the garage.
This garage is my long time garage, and we've always had great mutual respect, so it doesn't make sense for them to do me wrong.

 

[Low Rider]

The IACV is 3-pin and plugs in from below, so is an easy miss even when you're looking for it.

You'll likely never find out but they probably ended up doing multiple drives out because they were trying to fault find why it wasn't running right...

 

[Ihtisham Rauf]

The IACV is 3-pin and plugs in from below, so is an easy miss even when you're looking for it.

You'll likely never find out but they probably ended up doing multiple drives out because they were trying to fault find why it wasn't running right...

Yes it was a 3 pin with an orange outline.

Thanks for likely clearing that up.

Yeah I think I was being too sceptical yesterday, this is my long time garage, wouldn't make sense for them to do me wrong.

 

[Ihtisham Rauf]

I connected the IACV 3-pin plug back up. Whether the IACV is connected up seems to make no difference to the drive, it only affects the idle, which makes sense.

However, the car is not running great. At any junction or a set of traffic lights, the car revs from idle to 1500rpm, then drops back to idle, then up to 1500rpm again and keeps doing this, and the noise of the CONSTANT revving at EVERY traffic light has literally given me a headache. I am pretty sure its the MAF.

I have just ordered a whole throttle body as no one around here is willing to just sell me a second hand MAF.

I literally replaced the MAF a few months ago, and it has happened again.

Before taking the car into the garage last week for the throttle bodies conversion, I had removed the MAF and put it into a plastic pouch. This is so my mechanic could mount it into the airbox for the throttle bodies, and he wouldn't have to worry about removing it in the first place.
However, its now clear to me that these sensors are so sensitive, that even putting them in a plastic bag can damage them.

 

[frank]

i doubt if its the maf causing the hunting, more likely the icv needs to relearn its settings

 

[Ihtisham Rauf]

i doubt if its the maf causing the hunting, more likely the icv needs to relearn its settings

Ah righty. So you recommend I leave MAF and ICV both plugged in and let it relearn?

Thanks for the help.

PS - I've ordered another throttle body but will sell it on if not needed!

 

[frank]

Ah righty. So you recommend I leave MAF and ICV both plugged in and let it relearn?

Thanks for the help.

PS - I've ordered another throttle body but will sell it on if not needed!

yeh

 

[Ihtisham Rauf]

I think it might still be a problem with a sensor actually, since the engine light has now come on.

Will check the fault code tomorrow.

 

[Ihtisham Rauf]

So the fault code, or should I say, 'fault codesssss' are:

1. Idle Control Valve
2. Throttle Position Sensor

So it turns out the MAF is okay, wahoo!

At this point, I'm probably just better off changing the whole throttle body.

Will swap my existing MAF over as its still fine, and take the MAF off the second throttle body and keep it as a spare.

 

[Ihtisham Rauf]

FINALLY SOME GOOD NEWS:

So the local welder has said he can adjust the manifold and it should be ready by the end of next week.
He's done me an absolute solid one since his waiting time is actually 4 weeks!
He told me he was going to find some 90 deg bends from eBay and if he couldn't find suitable ones, then he wouldn't be able to do the job.
So today I rang him, and turns out he couldn't find any on eBay so he just made some!
What a legend!

So, changing the throttle body over at this stage may just be a waste of money, if the bike bodies are going on soon anyway.

 

[Skinner_87]

Are you going to run the fuel injectors in there original position on the ITBS or the original mounts on the manifold straight at the head?

 

[Ihtisham Rauf]

Are you going to run the fuel injectors in there original position on the ITBS or the original mounts on the manifold straight at the head?

I will be running 220cc CR12DE injectors on the original mounts so the manifold straight at the head.

I did want to use the bike injectors which are mounted further upstream to allow better time for fuel mixing to get more power, but Mark at Tornado Systems who remapped my ECU, suggested I don't use the bike injectors because:

1. I'll lose drivability as my car is a daily
2. My car isn't highly tuned enough to reap the benefits of using the bike injectors.

Let me know if you think I am wrong as I'm a novice and always willing to learn, and your blog was a massive help!

 

[Ihtisham Rauf]

Okay so as you guys know I was having some running problems with the car and I bought another throttle body since the fault codes were:

Throttle Position Sensor
Idle Air Control Sensor

However, today, before fitting the new throttle body in, I thought to have another look, and realised that the idle air control sensor plug is the same as the throttle position sensor plug and that they had been swapped over!

So my mechanic by accidentally put the throttle position sensor plug in the idle control sensor and vice versa!

Now I’ve swapped them back over and it runs great, so will sell the throttle body!

Gotta love these little cars, they work even when sensors are plugged in the wrong places.

 

[Ihtisham Rauf]

One thing I personally found interesting was that after a few miles of driving with the sensors in the right places, the engine light went off by itself.

I always used to think the battery had to be disconnected for a few min and then reconnected for the ECU to reset the fault codes, but in this case, the fault code erased itself; I'm not complaining!

 

[fuzzy-hair-man]

One thing I personally found interesting was that after a few miles of driving with the sensors in the right places, the engine light went off by itself.

I always used to think the battery had to be disconnected for a few min and then reconnected for the ECU to reset the fault codes, but in this case, the fault code erased itself; I'm not complaining!

It's probably still stored in there somewhere to aid diagnosis, think an intermittent fault where it might be difficult to reproduce at the mechanics.

 

[Ihtisham Rauf]

HEY PEOPLE!

I have just launched my brand new YouTube channel! It would be amazing if you fellow Micra enthusiasts could view my videos and subscribe to my channel as it really does help!

CHANNEL LINK - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKPu9PA8xT4IdVHopK5N1nA/

I will be doing vlogs of fitting of new performance parts, reviews and drives of other cars, 0-60 videos, drag races, exhaust sound tests, and also multiple money-saving tips as I know many of you out there LOVE modifying cars but understand it is an expensive hobby!

All this and a whole load more crazy Micra madness!

I really appreciate any support from the MSC!

 

[Ihtisham Rauf]

Hey people!

1. Adjusted Inlet Manifold - So I have finally received the adjusted inlet manifold! The welder said its as tight as he could do it, so this better fit, otherwise, everything is going on eBay lol and I am going down the turbo route!? (Honestly, n/a is so much work!) Although I am not denying turbo isn't a lot of work either but this bike bodies conversion has been dragging on since last November 2019!

So this is what it looks like now:

2. Universal Adjustable Fuel Pressure Regulator - I have put the adjustable fuel pressure regulator in, quite easy to fit in. Will upload a photo tomorrow as its dark now. I still have a few unused connections but thats the point of getting a universal kit. The stock fuel pressure was 40psi, I have upped it to 50psi. I'm unsure what the best fuel pressure is to run at. The main purpose of putting this regulator was is for the bike throttle bodies. but I didn't think to ask Mark what fuel pressure to run. Any ideas folks?

3. Anti-Roll Bar + HardRace Drop Links - So the stock front anti-roll bar is in (as my K11 wasn't fitted with a roll bar from factory) along with the reinforced drop links, and it has made a very sweet difference to the handling. Car feels a bit more direct in the corners. I'm not going to say its made a MASSIVE difference, but definitely a reasonable difference. With something like a performance anti-roll bar, I am sure the benefits would be way more.

Also, need some advice please! I checked my engine bay after driving for about 30 min, and the power steering fluid was bubbling.
I recently was on dangerously low levels of power steering fluid, I then topped it up. And now its bubbling.
My car has had a very small 'leakage in the power steering system' as it says on my MOT every year.
Any suggestions on what to do? My guess is that when the fluid got too low (which happened in a matter of a few days as the car was left parked), then air was introduced into the system?

 

[Low Rider]

Stock fuel pressure is 3bar (43.5psi). If you're using the stock inboard injectors, just stick with the standard fuel regulator.

If you still have the vacuum pipes from the throttle takeoffs, it's nice and easy to hook up the vac feed to the top of the reg too.

 

[Skinner_87]

I recon thats going to be a tight fit!

 

[Ihtisham Rauf]

I recon thats going to be a tight fit!

yeahhh I’m going to try to do all the fitting myself as I can’t be asked depending on others tbh, like I asked for a 90 degree in the manifold and Boggs didn’t do it at 90 degree and now this local welder hasn’t done it at 90 deg either

so if it still doesn’t fit, I’ll just sort it myself
I know that isn’t going to be easy but it’s better than shelling more cash out to get someone to adjust it for the third time!

If you want something doing properly, do it yourself! Lol

 

[Ihtisham Rauf]

Cheeky shots:

PS - I'd already fitted the AFPR regulator in but I've been told I don't really need it, oh well still looks nice in the bay and was really cheap!

 

[Ihtisham Rauf]

Update:

I've been caught up on my Youtube channel a lot lately so haven't paid attention to my own blog!

1. Anti-Roll Bar - Oh my god, the difference the stock front anti-roll bar has made is mental. I did put some HardRace droplinks as well. The handling is exactly like a go-kart. I have no idea why I didn't think it made much of a difference before. The body-roll that has plagued my car for the last 3 years is finally gone!

2. Fuel Pressure - So after having a play with the fuel pressure regulator, I have put it back down to the stock level of 43.5 psi, as recommended anyway by LowRider. At the higher pressures, it was overfueling BADLY! It would struggle to start and I had to change the plugs today - they were in a state! The top of the pistons looked wet as well, so I cranked the engine without the plugs to try to dry it out. New plugs in and rechecked and now it all looks okay.

3. Advanced Ignition - After filming the camshaft video yesterday, while I had the cam cover off, I thought to have a go at one of Frank's mods, namely filing down the locating pin on the inlet cam and advancing it. I have advanced it slightly, and the difference is incredible! The car still starts reasonably easy, and I don't feel like I have lost much on the top end. I just love the torque, it feels much more quicker! This is probably the best mod I have ever done, and best part is that it costs £0 to do! When the bike bodies go in, the remapped ECU will mean the new rev limit is 8000rpm, so at that point, I may feel I have lost too much on the top end, so I may consider retarding the inlet cam back to its stock position.

4. Bike Throttle Bodies - the bike bodies are due to go in on Wednesday, but I am going to try to fit them in myself. The last thing I want is my mechanic to open the car up, only to find the bike manifold still doesn't fit on, and then I will get charged for labour yet again! So I will do it myself. I am not bothered on whether I can fully do the fitting, but as long as I can confirm that it does indeed fit (i.e just removing the stock mani and single throttle body and fitting the bike mani and quad bodies on), then I have no problem taking it all off again and putting the stock stuff on, and letting my mechanic do everything. Reason is, I am unsure of things like mounting the accelerator cable, wiring the throttle position sensor, and drilling my precious airbox to mount the MAF sensor! But at least this way, I can be confident it does fit. If it doesn't fit, then I will need to cancel the Wednesday session at the workshop! But we will see how it goes...

 

[Ihtisham Rauf]

Okay so after doing a few 0-60 runs, its clear the car isn't quicker! It just feels quicker because there is so much more torque, so you can gas it in any gear and it will shift.

But my previous 20-60 was around 5.7 sec, now its more like 6.7 sec. And since this car's 'selling point' is the cheeky 0-60 times, I'm going to retard the inlet back to the stock timing. Probably a good idea anyway as the new rev limit will be 8000rpm, and after doing the 0-60 and comparing it with last time, I could clearly see the drop off in high end power after around 5000rpm.

The good thing is that because I have changed cams quite a few times now, I can change a cam in around 90 min, with the bulk of this being taking the cam cover off and on, since I have them stupid Allen screw nuts! This will probably still be slow compared to others, but its just cool to see how far someone can come. My first time took me around 6 hours!

 

[frank]

filing the dowels alters the valve timing only on the coilpack engine ihtisham, and that on the inlet cam alters where the powerband starts and ends
thats because the inlet closing event affects how much fuel/air is captured, and how much it is compressed

 

[Ihtisham Rauf]

filing the dowels alters the valve timing only on the coilpack engine ihtisham, and that on the inlet cam alters where the powerband starts and ends
thats because the inlet closing event affects how much fuel/air is captured, and how much it is compressed

nice to know a bit of explanation behind what I observed!

 

[frank]

yes ignition timing is,nt affected on your coilpack
you need the inlet v-tec from the k12 engine eh, so you get the automatic advancing and retarding

 

[Ihtisham Rauf]

i

yes ignition timing is,nt affected on your coilpack
you need the inlet v-tec from the k12 engine eh, so you get the automatic advancing and retarding

Okay so this VTEC inlet from a K12 fits directly into mine?

 

[frank]

i

Okay so this VTEC inlet from a K12 fits directly into mine?

no but the CR engine has a lot of similarities to the CG tho, it would have to be a hybrid build

 

[Ihtisham Rauf]

Update:

1. Tornado Systems Remapped ECU + CR12DE 220cc/min Injectors - so since I am impatient, I have fitted the remapped Tornado ECU in along with the CR12DE 220cc/min injectors that the ECU has been set up for. There is a LOT more power and torque throughout the rev range. The new rev limit is 8000rpm, but since I am still on the single throttle body setup, the car really runs out of puff after 7500rpm.

A phone call with Mark at Tornado Systems has given a lot of information. I have been told that the loss of power after 7500rpm is due to the single throttle body being unable to keep up with the airflow. I'll be able to make use of the 7500-8000rpm range once the bike bodies are in. The engine light is on due to cat efficiency (P0420) and second lambda sensor low volts (P0137). I have been told that this is due to the ECU has been mapped to run the bigger Almera MAF and run the bike throttle bodies, but I am still on the stock K11 MAF and stock single throttle body. So I have ordered an Almera MAF - I have been told this should make a solid difference - more than what people would expect! This is the Almera MAF below:

Overall, the difference in running the new ECU is amazing to be honest. Of course, I understand standalone is unparalleled but the Tornado ECU is great considering its around a 1/3 of the price!

Benefits of the remap:

• increase in power throughout rev range - my rough guess is around 10bhp increase, meaning overall now around 115bhp, 0-60 is now around 7 sec dead
• increase in torque throughout rev range
• 8000rpm rev limit
• car seems to run more smoothly and quieter
• idle is more stable than before
• no more hunting!
• fuel economy has improved
• nasty fuel smell which used to surround the car when idling has finally gone!

Well worth doing mod, can't wait to reap the full benefits of the ECU when used with the bike bodies and the Almera MAF!

2. Bike Throttle Bodies - its actually getting laughable now, but the bike bodies didn't fit again. This is my new 3rd attempt at an inlet manifold! The throttle bodies are finally oriented at 90deg to the inlet manifold, which is what I asked for in the first place, back in December!

3. Blew Adjustable Fuel Pressure Regulator - so the cheap £19.99 eBay adjustable fuel pressure regulator from China has failed! After installing the K12 injectors and the remapped ECU, on the first start, the regulator started to leak everywhere. So I have bypassed it and gone back to using the stock regulator but still using the steel braided fuel hoses that came with the eBay kit. Just as well since raising the pressure gave no gains. I have left the adjustable one in the engine bay because it looks cool...

 

[Ihtisham Rauf]

Re-tidied the engine bay by respraying the rocker cover and airbox, as they we looking a bit worse for wear.

Haven't driven the car much for the last week due to the gearbox issues. Its going into the workshop tomorrow for a full analysis to locate the issue.
Can't wait to properly drive it again as remapping it has made it unbelievably fun!

A few photo's:

Getting 25mm spacers with 185 tyres on the back is actually one of my most favourite mods! It gives the car a much more aggressive look! Also, I used to hate the second facelift tail lights and am well happy with the preface ones!

 

[Ihtisham Rauf]

Thanks to Jack Sheen I now have a replacement coilpack gearbox as mine blew!

 

[Ihtisham Rauf]

Update:

1. Blown Gearbox - Aggressive driving, extra torque, never replacing the gearbox oil will have all been contributing factors. Will be dropping off the new gearbox at the workshop tomorrow morning in the hope the car can be up and running by Friday evening. Going to look after this second gearbox a lot more! The drive to the workshop today was fun to say the least with everyone in the vicinity looking at me due to the crazy amount of noise coming from the gearbox, it sounded like a jet engine!

2. Resprayed Rear Bumper Trim - So the paint matched paint didn't work too well on the rear bumper so I have resprayed in gloss black, which I know bonds quite well to the plastic since the front bumper trims still look great.

3. Painted Exhaust Manifold - So for a video, I painted the exhaust manifold in VHT Silver, looks quite cool in my opinion!

4. GizFab 4-2-1 - This bad boy finally arrived after 8 weeks! Can't for this to be in the car along with a cat-back system!

 

[Ihtisham Rauf]

Update:

1. My GizFab 4-2-1 manifold is in! I am so happy with the way it looks in the engine bay. A fellow car enthusiast thought my whole engine had been built (forged pistons, high comp etc etc) purely because the engine bay looks so nice! That gave me so much pride!

Here is a before and after:

Overall I am very happy with how it looks, and this one won't need any maintenance as its stainless rather than mild steel. In terms of any specific gains against the Janspeed, there aren't any. However, the car is quieter and more higher pitched at the high RPM's. I love a quiet car! I have put my Janspeed up for sale, it is rather expensive, but I need to repair the hole that the GizFab blew in my wallet!

I recently posted about how I didn't have a lambda extender on my second lambda sensor, hence I have a check engine light. This is not true, I do have a lambda extender actually, I made a mistake! BUT, the lambda extender I am using isn't that effective, as its large holed. According to Mark, the lambda extender should have a very small hole, around 2-3mm like the one below:

So I have bought this one and will screw this in, rather than the crappy ineffective one that I have been using. Hopefully then, the engine light will go off!

The car was due for a dyno session on Monday but I wasn't feeling well at all so decided to call up and cancel. I am well again so will rebook it, although it needs to be booked in before the bike throttle bodies go in, as I really want two printouts, one before the ITB's and one after, so I can really see the gains by using the ITB's.

Next Steps:

1. Catback System - this will be done by MIJ Exhaust Systems within the next few days.

2. Bike Throttle Bodies - this will be done on 25/03 by Slide Motorsport.

 

[Ihtisham Rauf]

After putting it off for so long, I finally decided to get a custom catback fitted to the sleeper Micra!

I'm genuinely so pleased with it, massive power and torque release! 0-60 wise it is around 6.8 sec now and it literally pulls all the way up to 8000rpm now, whereas before it used to run out of puff at 7500rpm! Can't wait to get it dynoed soon.

I got the system made and fitted by MIJ Performance in Walsall. They have done a cracking job! I asked them to make it as quiet as possible with a single downwards pointing tailpipe to go with the sleeper theme! It sounds amazing, I love it when it hits aggressively off the limiter!

I got to see this 1100bhp Skyline as well. They built this themselves and use it at SantaPod. It was running in the 10's and that was when it was 800bhp!
Fully forged with a massive turbo and Nos!

 

[Ihtisham Rauf]

Next steps are to dyno it, which I did do recently, but just putting together a video for it, and then fit the bike throttle bodies, which the work for has finally gone underway! I'll upload some progress pics at some point! Can't wait to have a Micra running ITB's!

I also thought it would be cool to do some gear pulls to demonstrate the torque (or lack of!) - this is also in the video - I guess this car isn't made for anything less than 4000rpm!

 

[Ihtisham Rauf]

So I finally decided to take the sleeper Micra to the dyno! And it was a flop! I did get triple figures, but it wasn't as much as I was hoping!

105.5 bhp
86 lb ft

The car WILL BE redynoed once the bike throttle bodies are installed, which will be started within a few days!

 

[Ihtisham Rauf]

Time for a big update!

1. Bike Throttle Bodies Conversion - FINALLY, the bike throttle bodies are in and working on the car! The inlet manifold needed adjusting for the third time but it was only a slight adjustment which was done with 45 deg bend silicon hoses. The whole thing has been assembled in a great way in that there is hardly any 'step' in the inlet manifold, allowing for great air flow. The performance gain is INCREDIBLE! I am very happy with it, after 60mph, it still keeps going at a very strong rate! It sounds AMAZING! It is so loud and sounds like a proper V8 rumble! It scares so many people in the streets! It is quicker to 60 in a short race with a Golf GTI.

However, it is NOT all good news! The ECU had been mapped by Mark to run the Almera MAF, but the car refuses to run with the MAF sensor. With the MAF connected, although the car idles pretty nicely, it bogs down and the revs drop and it eventually stalls as soon as you apply any throttle. Currently we are running it with the MAF disconnected, although this has its issues:
- hard starts from cold
- lumpy rough idle
- misfires when starting from cold and exhaust pops
- 15 to 20mpg!
- very boggy when pressing full throttle at anything under 3000rpm

My first idea on how to get the MAF working was to use a mesh in front of the airbox to straighten the airflow, this only helped a little, to the point where the car does respond to the throttle while stationary, but as soon as I started driving, it bogged down again and stalled.

My second idea on how to get the MAF working is to use the original Almera MAF housing, as recommended by Mark. So I will use a 100mm to 80mm sillicon reducer to connect the airbox inlet to the MAF. Then use a 80mm sillicon connector to connect the mesh side of the MAF to a 76mm intake pipe. Then mount a cone filter on the end of the intake pipe. This should work!

The idle is set at around 450rpm, so it is really low! It sounds like a HEAVILY CAMMED muscle car!

2. Bent Oil Dipstick - So I got quite concerned when I realised my dipstick was bent, fearing that the internals of the oil sump had gotten damaged due to excess oil temperature. After some advice from fellow people on here (thanks!), it appears it was actually due to the oil tube had to be bent in order to make space for the GizFab 4-2-1, hence it was completely normal for the dipstick to be a little bent. The car has consumed around 1.5 litres of oil in the last 8 weeks, so oil consumption is on the high side, but I have been told that tuned 1.3 and 1.4's do have a tendency to burn oil.

3. Cylinder 4 Burning Hot - So again I got quite concerned when GizFab themselves pointed out on my Facebook post that the 4-2-1 manifold has gone 'blue-hot' on cylinder 4. People on Facebook initially suggested cylinder 4 must be running lean due to a faulty injector. This forum (thanks!) has suggested it was because I had placed the intake pipe in front of the header #4 so it was blocking the air flow. I have now removed the intake pipe, which would have been done anyway since I am completely changing the intake setup once I receive the MAF related parts.

4. 4.0 Bar In Line Fuel Pressure Regulator - So after the poor results on the dyno (people have suggested a 1.4 with a 4-2-1 and full system with a performance air filter should make over 100bhp and over 100 lb ft, mine made 105bhp and 86 lb ft, and this was with a 774 inlet cam and a remapped ECU in addition to these mods), I have been told to upgrade the fuel pressure regulator by the rally guys for a 4.0 bar in line Bosch fuel pressure regulator. It looks like-for-like as the original but runs at 1 bar higher than stock. This is supposed to cure the flat spots. I am waiting for it to arrive. The dyno run was done before ITB's.

5. Denso Iridium Plugs - I have been recommended these plugs. I am waiting for them to arrive.

8. Prefacelift March Lights! - Finally I managed to get my hands on the prefacelift March lights. I rewired them today, was actually much easier than expected with only 2 out of the 5 wires need changing over. The red wire needs swapping with the black wire. Everything else stays the same. So happy with how it looks! The lights have naturally darkened over time so they do look a little tinted, which I prefer anyway! Will sell my old clusters on as I do think there will be a demand for them as they are prefacelift Micra lights wired for a second facelift but also with the 'twin reverse light' look.

I also got to see some really cool cars at Slide Motorsport!

Next Steps:

1. Assemble MAF - once the MAF parts arrive, I will assemble them and fit the MAF on. The MAF wiring will need extending. This should make the car run a lot better.

2. Fit Fuel Pressure Regulator

3. Fit Spark Plugs

4. Purchase 774 Exhaust Cam - been recommended by a lot of the rally guys to upgrade the exhaust cam, as the power curve from the dyno shows the power dropping off after 6.7k. 774 Cams should be making good power up until 7.5k.