Drinking fuel

Arnold

Arnold

www.alanarnold.co.uk
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Ok i've had enough of my K10 and i really need a solution to this. Its currently getting through a whole tank in 180 miles (from Full to E). When pulling up at lights, junctions etc, there's a huge overwhelming stench of fuel. I know something isnt right!

I've had suggestions to check the fuel tank and lines for leaks, but can anyone recommend anything else which might be a problem? Could it be mechanical? The only thing which hasnt been changed in recent years is the dizzy and the carb, but its had regular servicing and parts changed etc.

Cheers
Arnold
 
you havent got that lambda system have you.

all i can say is check all vauummeeee hoses and timing
 
Na it doesnt have that emissions stuff mate.

Check what hoses? lol.... and i think the timing is fine.
 
its only a guess but if you still have the hitachi carb there is a small pipe that goes from carb into air box and a few ruond the back of carb, mine were out at a point and it didnt like it at all,

a micra shouldnt do 180 to a tank, thats what my 200sx does lol when ive got the happy foot down and thats got a bigger tank
 
Yeah still has a hitachi. Im thinking about ripping the whole engine out and putting a 1.2 in its place.

I'l check those hoses later tho, thanks :)
 
Arnold said:
Im thinking about ripping the whole engine out and putting a 1.2 in its place.
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do it, you wont regret it, not a hard job either, can be done in a day easy
 
Ok mate i'l look into that, but if anyone has any other ideas why i have this problem, please post them up!

Cheers
 
Mark said:
arnold going for a MA12???? never thought i'd hear that
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:p

well i know they're weaker than the ma10, and the way i drive it might not last that long, however my girlfriend can get 300+ miles from her ma12. If im gonna replace the engine, i might as well get the extra power! They cant be all that crap, they're jap after all.
 
ma12 are not crap at all they make the k10 much nicer to drive and take just as much abuse ;) if i can make it up at the weekend ill come see whats wrong ;)
 
Yeah if your free mate that would be good! We can talk about changing the engine and fixing my suspension etc too :p
 
If i had understood your question right it can be the carburetor.

I had a problem like this too.

- 12-14 l /km
- The topspeed was only 120 km/h
- co2 portion of exhaust gases was over 8% (0.2% are normal)

second gradates from the carburetor is the problem, so change the carburetor ;)
 
Ok thanks for those suggestions guys. I'l get another one from the scrappy on saturday. Never removed one before so anything in particular i should be aware of? Krazy.. you definitly going to be busy? your help would be very much appreciated. I need to get myself a carpet too and im gonna be nackered taking the interior out etc.. (just like when i stripped that super s!)
 
Arnold said:
Never removed one before so anything in particular i should be aware of?
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Be prepared for a nice cramp in your hand and arm, as the bolts couldn’t be in a more inconvenient position. Take the radiator cap off as well, just to let the pressure out, or the water underneath the carb will come out all over ya hand. Prob drain a bit off to thinking about it. That’s about it I think.
 
I realise leaks have allready been sugested, but if you can really smell the fuel I think it must be dripping out somwhere...

My guess is its at the front somwhere and the fumes are comming in through the vents???

If you have a garage or somwhere not too windy...you could lay down newpaper under the whole car. If its the tank or underpipes then you will find drops overnight. If it only drops with the engine running then it could be slack fuel pipe on the filter or pump connections or split fuel filter housing. (the fuel only leaks when the fuel pressure in the pipes rises??)

May be the carb is flooding (punctured/broken floats?)....can a carb floatchamber overflow to the outside??
If this is the case it could be running super rich most of the time....Dry black sooty deposits on your plug electrodes will show if this is the case....

Sorry for rambling...ive had beers!
 
Cheers for that reply

I'l get the carb changed first and see where that leaves me. I can obviously check pipes connecting to the carb at the same time. I dont have a garage so i cant really get under the car to check it out.

I might just get a local mech to have a look when im at work and get it sorted out, as ive worked out for every two times im filling it up, approx one whole tank is being ###### out on the road somewhere! Ive filled up about 6 times this month already, so im wasting alot of money
 
all this is very good advice but it could be as simple as the carb needing some tuning, thats somethign i can talk you through on the phone, ill call you later as discussed ;)
 
Oh something else...(off on a tangent a liitle though and less likely to cause such a huge fuel loss and smell of fuel)

Valve tappet clearances. I would take a large error on these to drink fuel but is possible, perhaps if the locknuts wernt tightened to the correct torque some might have moved

Any back firing??
 
No no back firing mate. Started to hear more random noises coming from the engine earlier, like a belt was catching or rubbing or something. Had both belts changed recently tho so i dont think its anything serious - then again, its certainly not normal.

Engine does seem to be a bit noisier than say a few months back. How do i check tappets etc, is that something i should leave for speedle ;)
 
Cheers MM!

Im keeping my eyes open for a MA12 now. If anyone knows of one going, please get in touch. Obviously low milage preferred.

Arnold
 
Did he? lol

Im gonna need one soon as shes sounding very very rough! So much crap coming out the back this evening, a belt somewhere is squeaking (both belts arent old) so not sure what effects that'l have. Its noisier and getting through fuel even quicker than before.
 
Well i'm afraid all i can say is errrrr............. prob your fault!!!

Do u remember sayin to me in my car, 'my car used to sound like this', that was until u treated it like a rally car lol!!
 
lmao!!!! yeah i do.. My car felt totally different to yours in quite a few ways tho. Think the 1.2 is definitly the best bet, just gotta get my arse in gear and sort it out before im left with a car which doesnt go anywhere
 
I'm pretty sure dad told me he bought the MA12 in my car for 180 odd quid, and that was about 8 years ago so go for it and find 1!!!!
 
ok, i think you should rev it up, while the revs are high turn the engine off then start it up again. wont really solve anything but it'll shoot a flame out of the exhuast :D. probs not good for the car though.
 
Ian said:
ok, i think you should rev it up, while the revs are high turn the engine off then start it up again. wont really solve anything but it'll shoot a flame out of the exhuast :D. probs not good for the car though.
Click to expand...

See Alan, it can be done! ha ha.
 
sorry for the late reply,


In the meantime (assuming you have a haynes) you need feelerguages and a 1/4 inch torque wrench & socket set and a large flat blade screwdriver, and something to rotate the crank manually (large socket and long bar on 1/2 inch)

Take of the air filter housing, carefully cover the carb inlet so as not to get any bits in. remove the rocker cover. Familliarise yourself with the procedure from haynes. you will be able to see if any of the lock nuts are loose. Also you will be able to see if any of the clearances are way out as there are some COLD clearances given for reference. If you need to make any adjustments, you may ned to do all your adjustments while the enginel is HOT. This depends on the model of your engine. It can be done solo, but I reccomend a 2-person job for speed so that the engine parts dont cool down too much while youre adjusting.

1 person to nip the locknut. the other person to adjust the tappet clearance with the screwdriver while symultaneously feelerguage-ing (firm sliding fit with the feeler guage).

if there are none that seem way out when checking COLD though I would eliminate this from the equation ald look elswhere for the fault.

Hope this is usefull
 
arnold have you checked the fuel pipes above the fuel tank?

take out the rear seats and under the boot carpet under the lil greenish colour cover (held down with 2 phillips screws) under this should be 2 fuel pipes might be these have cracked/ perished and are leaking maybe?

it would explain the smell of fuel

worth a look it will only take about 10 minutes to check
 
Fordy said:
arnold have you checked the fuel pipes above the fuel tank?

take out the rear seats and under the boot carpet under the lil greenish colour cover (held down with 2 phillips screws) under this should be 2 fuel pipes might be these have cracked/ perished and are leaking maybe?

it would explain the smell of fuel

worth a look it will only take about 10 minutes to check
Click to expand...

I havent really checked any of it yet mate. Ed's going to be respraying the door soon and considering he's an expert with all things micra, i thought it would be best to let him have a goocy

My car doesnt have rear seats fitted either so yeah, i've seen that thing your referring to!
 
Speedle said:
it sure can tomsr125 was the king at this with his k10 :D
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I tried it, cant get it to work. Mine keeps firing after i shut it off. Sorry its a bit off topic.
 
just so people with ma10s know that the tappets are meant to be set to 0.22mm when cold on both exhaust and inlet as taken from the nissan service manual.
 
Ok im hoping this is fixed. The carb was changed today for one that's only done 20000 miles. On removal, the carb gaskets looked a bit nackered and the auto choke was stuck open. Also the engine was ticking over too high so thats been tweaked.

Seems to be doing better for fuel but ive only put 35 miles through it - by now it would be on the 1st q/r mark (nearest full) but its still inbetween that and full, so looking good!

£20 for the carb, £1 for the gaskets and a price of a large burger king to the mechanic (speedle!) Cheers for your help mate, very much apprechiated.
 
Thats good to hear Arnold. Glad you got it sorted in the end.

Now you shouldnt have any excuse at the pod then. he he.
 
glad to help mate was worth it for that nice taste triple rodeo burger yummmm :D the bottom gasket on the carb was definatly letting fuel escape that with the worn jets and ######ed auto choke would be the cause of the petrol probs.

i was quite happy with my cut out gaskets blue peter would be proud :D tee hee
 
haha, well im not so sure. Its approaching the top 3/4 mark and its just gone over 40 miles, but its not been tested in the same conditions as i'd usually drive it so its a bit too early to tell. The real test is when i drive it to Ems's before santa pod in a couple of weeks. It should be able to do the whole drive in just over 1/4, not half a tank!
 
id expect at least 50 miles from the 1st 1/4 depending how much you filled it up but ive seen as much as 76 from mine when driving like a loon :p anyway i thought you were going to start driving more slowly and economically :p tell him ems!
 

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