Jerking and chugging occasionally

[CMF_timeflight]

Hello

This is my first post after finding this excellent site via Google. I have a 96 1.0 automatic Micra and I'm in the UK.

Over the last few days whilst driving to and from work, my Micra a developed a fault where about 15 minutes into a journey it looses power for a few seconds , chugs and jerks then goes back to normal with no signs of the problem.

Then on my way home, it does it again, once or twice and then is fine for the rest of the journey.

It starts perfectly from cold and seems to idle fine.

I'm not too good with car mechanics but I thought I'd give the soldering job a go on the throttle unit - do you think that would help?

About six months ago I had a part replaced (highlighted in the attached picture) - is that the distributor?

Many thanks for your help.

 

[CMF_frank2]

hi timeflight, yeh thats the dizzy, and the electronics inside can play up, but mine had a similar fault to yours which proved to be a dirty connection on a wiring plug

frank

 

[CMF_timeflight]

Thanks Frank,

I've just spent a couple of hours following these excellent instructions: http://www.micra.com.au/technical-articles/cg13de-throttle-body-resoldering-guide.php

I'm just going to wait for the silicone to set then I'll take it for a spin, fingers crossed the re-soldering will do the trick.

I also cleaned the spark plugs and checked all the connections - wondering whether to replace the spark plugs as they are about three years old, do you think that would help?

I took it to a mechanic yesterday who wanted to replace the distributor again but I replaced it only 6 months ago with a brand new one for £300 and don't want to do it again.

 

[CMF_frank2]

lol timeflight, those plugs are due for a change eh !, but they,re not going to missfire in unison.
i thought mine was the t/b, and soldered it and it ran ok then cut out again, but when i wiggled the maf plug on the t/b it cleared.
the ecu plug/connector played up once too

frank

 

[CMF_timeflight]

I'm new to all this but want to learn!

t/b is throttle body I know!

Whats the maf plug and what does maf mean? - is it any of the two plugs circled below?

Thanks frank

 

[CMF_frank2]

timeflight, the mass airflow sensor is on the driverside of the t/b (near the bit you soldered) the idle control is on the front, and the throttle position jobbie is on the end of the butterfly/shaft

frank

 

[CMF_timeflight]

Cheers frank, you're a star. Going to test my handiwork tomorrow!

 

[CMF_nz_aj]

You have a MAF and/or temperature sender that is starting to die. The problem will get worse, along with fuel consumption.

As well as resoldering, the board interconnector can be a problem. See here
http://k11wiki.com/index.php?title=Throttlebody_/_MAF_/_Idle_control#MAF_repairs

If you can't successfully fix it yourself, there are people who can. You can get them fixed in NZ on exchange for about NZ$240.
Or you can buy a new one from nissan, about NZ$500.
I'd imagine prices should be similar in other countries.

See here for temperature sender (the one to the ECU, not the gauge).
http://k11wiki.com/index.php?title=Temperature_sender

In my experience dizzy problems are more catastrophic. One day the car will start, next it won't. These are either dead transistors or coils that have broken down, giving a very weak spark. On JDM K11, there are three different brands of dizzy, the mitsubishi is the worst, hitachi is the best. This page needs some more writing.
http://k11wiki.com/index.php?title=Distributor
There have been posts some time ago about problems with & fixing the UK spec dizzy that could be added. I think there was something about modding the dizzy for an external coil. Early JDM SR20DE ran external coils, while the dizzy won't fit the CG motor some bits might be useful.

 

[CMF_timeflight]

Just wanted to say thanks for the help. I've been running the Micra for two days and the problem hasn't resurfaced. Prior to the soldering job, it happened every journey every day.

I'll certainly keep my eye on the MAF sensor, but for now it seems ok.

Thanks again
Darren