Seem to be running on three cylinders

[jojofabba]

I think it's running on three cylinders. It has lost a lot of power and seem to flutter in low revs and judders on idle, and misfires sometimes. I took it to a garage and he said it was the spark plugs. So I changed the spark plugs and still the same problem. I went to a better garage and he found the last cylinder wasn't sparking, and said it was either the HT lead or and distributor. So I changed the HT leads and no difference. I think there's nothing wrong with the distributor either since it is now sparking in the cylinder (when you take the HT lead out a bit it clicks). We took out the spark plug a couple days after I changed them and the one in the cylinder which wasn't originally sparking but is now is black on the end, which I think means it hasn't been igniting stuff, and isn't damp either. I think it could be something to do with the valves but I ain't sure. My friend said if a valve is sticking or something it will cause it lose more power from the other cylinders as well.

Any ideas? I'm really stumped on this one. Hopefully if I get it sorted by next week it'll still be covered on warranty XD

 

[Alienfish360]

Throttle body, MAF sensor has dry joints.

http://www.micra.com.au/technical-articles/cg13de-throttle-body-resoldering-guide.php

 

[frank]

have you checked inside the dizzy cap ?, or injector maybe ?, and you can do a rough compression test (to test the valves) by rolling the car down a slight hill in 3rd gear (ignition off) where you should feel a distinct compression about every 1ft

 

[jojofabba]

The dizzy cap looks alright, and it shocked me mate out of it so I think it works hahaha.

 

[mrogers]

Hope you get it sorted, mine has the exact same symtoms and i'm stumped too. I have changed the Dizzy Cap, HT Leads, Plugs, re-heated the connections on the MAF (dry joint thingy) and its still sounds like a VW beetle.

 

[Alienfish360]

Do you have a haynes if the above doesn't work, use a multimeter and do the tests that are covered in the throttle body section,.

 

[jojofabba]

Right I have an update. I went to my friends and we were going to go to the garage, but on the way it fixed itself :S. Don't know how but it just stopped which makes me think it was a sticking valve. Now I get misfires every now and then, but I am running on four cylinders again. The garage said sticking valves are quite common on micras, so it could be the same for you mrogers, but I hope it isn't. To get it fixed they said it'll cost 600 :|, since they have to take the whole engine apart or something. Anyway, for now they are going to try and put some 'forte' in and see if that unsticks it. I can't see it being a big stick since it just came unstuck this morning...

I was just wondering if anybody knew if it could be anything else. I'm clutching at straws because I really don't want to spend that much on a micra... Speaking of clutch, I need one of those soon too hahaha.

 

[frank]

The garage said sticking valves are quite common on micras, so it could be the same for you mrogers, but I hope it isn't. To get it fixed they said it'll cost 600 :|, since they have to take the whole engine apart or something.

i would give that place a wide berth :suspect:

 

[jojofabba]

Wide berth? Must be a brummy thing hahaha, is that a pure rip off? I'm new to this sort of thing...

 

[frank]

Wide berth? Must be a brummy thing hahaha, is that a pure rip off? I'm new to this sort of thing...

lol, its a seafaring term from the 17th century aparently (showing my age eh)
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/wide-berth.html

 

[jojofabba]

Ahhh, very nice haha. But I have YET ANOTHER update. I have rang the dealer I got it from and they have said if the valve is still sticking after I get the oil changed and the 'forte' stuff put in then I just take it there and they fix it for me XD. Much better than paying 600...

Hopefully if it just came unstuck this morning out of nowhere it isn't stuck that badly so the forte stuff should sort it. Otherwise I gotta drive it misfiring, and might just pop back to three cylinders at any point, on snake pass.

 

[mrogers]

mine is deffo firing on 3 cyl, no 3 is the culprit. took the plug out and it didnt smell petrolly like ti would when i guess the injector is firing in fuel and not sparking. its deffor sparking but nothing is happening.

why do i need to check next and how do i do it.

 

[frank]

mine is deffo firing on 3 cyl, no 3 is the culprit. took the plug out and it didnt smell petrolly like ti would when i guess the injector is firing in fuel and not sparking. its deffor sparking but nothing is happening.

why do i need to check next and how do i do it.

swop 2 injectors, then see which one is firing/missing

 

[mrogers]

i know number 1,2 &4 are firing, how hard is it to swap the injectors over?

 

[frank]

i know number 1,2 &4 are firing, how hard is it to swap the injectors over?

2 screws (use a quality screwdriver, they,re usually very tight )
swop 3 and 4, and if 3 is still missing then its a signal/wire problem, or maybe a burnt valve ?

 

[Alienfish360]

jojo, try doing what I suggested further up, it will cost nothing. It's very UNcommon for them to have sticking valves.

 

[jojofabba]

Well I just drove it back from work and it didn't seem to misfire much at all. I'll have a go with the resoldering thing tomorrow if me mate isn't busy, and if I isn't busy haha, but it will cost me nothing at all, since the dealer said he'll fix it for me.

 

[jojofabba]

Throttle body, MAF sensor has dry joints.

It isn't running on 3 cylinders anymore, but it is misfiring. Can it still be the throttle bodies? Because I don't fancy me hand to a soldering iron hahaha.

 

[Alienfish360]

It causes the ECU to receive an inaccurate voltage from the Mass Air Flow sensor, thus the ecu injects the wrong volumes of fuel, so causes poor idling, poor performance, mpg etc.

 

[jojofabba]

It causes the ECU to receive an inaccurate voltage from the Mass Air Flow sensor, thus the ecu injects the wrong volumes of fuel, so causes poor idling, poor performance, mpg etc.

But can it cause misfires?

 

[Alienfish360]

If there's too much or too little fuel in a cylinder then there will be no combustion in that cylinder.

Have you done a spark test also?

 

[jojofabba]

Just took it out and there seemed to be nothing wrong. I had ignition off and in third gear (obv with clutch down) and felt no change in anything, but I'm not exactly sure what I'm looking out for...

 

[Alienfish360]

Do a spark test and compression test, you can get a compression tester from most auto spares stores. You can also buy a handheld spark tester, or you can use the engine block and a big metal screwdrive pushed in the HT lead.

 

[jojofabba]

It's booked into the garage tomorrow so I'll ask them, but if it's a sticky valve and only occasionally sticking and misfiring, surely it'd be sparking and be alright whenever it isn't stuck?

 

[Alienfish360]

I highly doubt you've got a sticking valve.

 

[jojofabba]

Well I'll take it to the garage tomorrow morning and ask them to do a full diagnostic on it then. It's just a sticking valve seems to tick the boxes for the problems I had with the cylinder, and since it just unstuck one morning, and then misfiring now instead of just a cylinder not working, it seems to coincide with the whole sticking thing. But I don't know, I'm no mechanic, so we'll see what the mechanics say tomorrow.

Thanks for all the help though, it's given me ideas of what else it could be, and other things to try.

 

[mrogers]

Mine was the injectors. Had a set of re-con super S ones (probally the same as normal). fitted and now runs sweet as a nut

 

[jojofabba]

How hard is it to fit injectors? Did you change the inlet manifold while you were at it? Cuz I've been thinking of doing that sort of stuff. Pretty sure it's the dizzy now anyway, just can't afford to get a new one atm, so I'm making do with it jittering every now and then...