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Micra Urban Van.

They are valeo ones not glass they do have a good clear look to them.
And look great when they are turned on.
Am wanting the Headlights to be more clear. Glass like have been thinking about getting a pair to refurbish. And clear coat. The rear have that kind of look but they had little done to them just a polish and light buff.
 
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Today I received after a long wait bolt removal sockets..
Here is what they sent me I was fuming
They let me have #2 #4 and all I needed was #1
If you see them on eBay avoid the user strangeflowers..
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Had a try with the dremel disc cutting tool they don't last long before the shatter.
My drill is rather more powerful being 18v.
I can see the bolt head is still on was just hiding under rust.

Anyhow I just wanted to show some previous work that had been done before I purchased the vehicle.
It has been welded on the driver's side. Under headlight unusual being reverse side from the norm here in UK.
Was told it was the engine mount. Not sure if this has been done well or badly. As I am not experienced in welding. Maybe other more advanced users could comment on this.
The reason its on other side is it has had spent some years in France.
Have now put some larger penny washers in place and the parts are all stainless steal.
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Had a try with those removal sockets yesterday.It gripped onto just one but I could not tap it on further and even if that was possible I could only use a couple centimeters swing action.

Next I'm going to try shocking the bolts. Then tap them loose and remove with vice grips if that fails. I'm going to have to consider getting a mechanic to aid in the bolt removal.

Edit :- May try a right angle drill with some new metal drill bits. Before I decide to finally decide to give in and let a mechanic show me how easy they can be removed.

Just had a practice run on the bolt that was removed. To see how it responds to being filed down with needle files. Was surprised how easily I could make a good flat side to grab onto.
(Possibly may work)
When putting a spanner over this bolt it was between 9.5mm and 10mm.
This is another useful method.

My project is coming to a halt for a while. As I am starting to do my driving lessons. I have just had my first of last week and it is going well.

Will be keeping the vehicle and continuing work even if progress is slow atm.
 
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My last attempt at bolt removal on the manifold for the heatshield.
So far I have only tried a few things out of what I could possibly do.
Have been looking at right angle drills cordless. They look great and would do the job very well IMO.

So I had to come up with a solution. To bring right angle to my current drill setup without spending too much.

So a decent set of hex drills. I figured would be needed for the right angled hex adapter. That is mainly aimed at screwdriver type work.
The thread is around 6mm roughly.
I'm going to try going in with 2mm ish then work up to the 4mm as my final drill cut.
However this drill set jumps to 4.8mm and that maybe a little over what I want to remove to stay on the safe side of keeping the threads intact on the manifold.
Fingers crossed this will work.
Maybe I'm making this complicated. But I want to be able to work on and remove small parts like that. Without having to dismantle more than is necessary.
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Have put a notch onto one bolt and tried tapping side ways it did nothing at all. Might work with heat. I'm likely to go with that method next. Before surrendering the job to the trusty drill.
The right angled bit is cool but one of them wanders a little from side to side.
Would be best to centralize the first hole made with a drill.
The drill will most certainly be used at top bolt remaning.
The bits are not left-handed but they should work still hex bits are limited to certain types.
 
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So today I have had a go at drilling and the. 90 degree angle is slightly over what's needed.
I'm unable to get the angle for drilling. The same goes for the flame gun its possible to use in one but that will not complete the job.
Have given a few taps here and there. The bolts are beginning to look rather chewed up.
Pretty much running out of cash/ideas for a simple solution..
Probably going to ask when it goes for the Mot if they can remove them for me.
 
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Going to move on to the drum brakes next week.
Been wanting to do those for a few months now.
Should be able to show a result at the end with those.
 
Rusty door after using bump stops to protect the paint..
Noticed the paint was cracking.
Have touched it up might be okay hope I caught it in time.
 
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It ain't pretty. Better than a rusty corner. Might help if I sand it back very lightly. Will let it cure a few days first though.
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Okay so am having another look at this code reader that is bluetooth didn't work at first when I got it.
Just trying a google search and brings me this page https://obd2-elm327.com/
This image shows compatible vehicles listed with protocol.
So most likely I should be using the iso 9141 protocol.
Will try it again tomorrow and see if it will connect or not.
 

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most code readers just scan through all the protocols, and once it finds one that works it does it automatically

The problem is most likely between the phone and the bluetooth, for example it wants you to enter the same code on each device but one of the 'devices' is the car, maybe the reader comes with an assigned code in the instructions to make the initial link. If you can verify that the code reader works on someone elses car that would be a good way to troubleshoot it also.
 
Looks as though I should try another that has this protocol. As the unit in hand does not so that is the reason for no connection to ecu.
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When scanning it says no connection to ecu.
The Bluetooth part of the device was connected.
And it seems to be stuck in a loop of searching for the ecu.
That's as far as I can remember.
 
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Decided to open it up to see if it has a chip inside since its just a brick to me any how as it stands..

What did i get from it.
Well I now have a obd port that I could use to send solar to the battery or maybe other things not really sure yet.
The is a chip inside might be programmable like a bios chip. Don't really know if can get versions to try on them .
The connector will certainly come in handy tho
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What pins would I need to solder to in order to trickle charge the battery.
Would be interesting to find out what pins would be used for obvious reasons.
The units or cables to attach seem to have an inline fuse also.
I'm searching for an exploded diagram for a solar to obd connector.

Maybe a cigar lighter port connection would be more the way to go but I doubt that the power will be active when the car is parked?
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Just took the battery off to give it a recharge..
Made a big mistake and reversed the cable on the charger. Such a stupid mistake to make.
It was not plugged into the wall and the needle was jumping up and down I quickly removed it but fear the battery isn't safe to use and the charger is probably dead.

Anyways besides that. I notice that the fusable link has corrosion on the lower fuse. I think it was the one furthest to the left and wonder what that fuse would connect to or effect being corroded.


Was planning on replacing the fusable link. With a new one and now may have to change out both parts.
Edit :-
Turns out charger is fine still my dad said he had done it same years ago and worst case would be a blown fuse. I guess I'm overly nervous and much as being lucky. (Didn't even have to change the fuse)
 
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Okay so now I am looking at fusable links does anyone know if one of the cheaper versions may fit at 50 quid for a connector is outrageous..

So there is one for 10 but not saying what Nissan it fits would this be the same.

I'm not sure what the part number is yet. They do look very similar the ones for sale on eBay and other sites.
Edit :-
Also I will post a picture of the one that I'm replacing to show the corrosion on the fuse.
I may also need to source a positive connector fuse cover as this has cracked due to the position the battery sits in the tray being a halfords one I'm guessing the dimensions are not idea for connectivity placement.
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Okay so I replace battery and cleaned this fuse corrosion now when restart the a.c. returns in on position I did not turn it on recently.

That normally happens no concerns their.


I got the fuse wrong its the first one first pick is front view second is the back of the fusable link and I was able to unclip the cover and clean with alcohol solution.
No photo of after on the fuses 99% of the colour was removed on the side I could get in at.

Oh yea the other thing the central locking seemed to disengage when I turned the key.

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Right I am today going to start to prepare some parts I can do easily that I know have a good chance of being needed for the next service
First item on my list is windscreen wipers (rear isn't important for the service) but I'm going to change them as a whole.
So here I have listed the items I'm looking at. Will also need to check fitment will be correct before buying.
These are the cheapest of the cheap wipers the set costing 7 pound...
VistaPro Wiper Blade (Universal Wiper Blade Standard - 18 Inch) (Front-Left-Passenger Side)

VistaPro Wiper Blade (Universal Wiper Blade Standard - 21 Inch) (Driver side-Front-Right)

VistaPro Wiper Blade (Rear Wiper Blade - 12L) (Rear)


Following this I'm going to replace the tyres as soon as possible
Starting with the front two and possibly just replacing the set.
 

John_D

Club Member
Radio Code Guru
Right I am today going to start to prepare some parts I can do easily that I know have a good chance of being needed for the next service
First item on my list is windscreen wipers (rear isn't important for the service) but I'm going to change them as a whole.
So here I have listed the items I'm looking at. Will also need to check fitment will be correct before buying.
These are the cheapest of the cheap wipers the set costing 7 pound...
VistaPro Wiper Blade (Universal Wiper Blade Standard - 18 Inch) (Front-Left-Passenger Side)
VistaPro Wiper Blade (Universal Wiper Blade Standard - 21 Inch) (Driver side-Front-Right)
VistaPro Wiper Blade (Rear Wiper Blade - 12L) (Rear)

Following this I'm going to replace the tyres as soon as possible
Starting with the front two and possibly just replacing the set.
Wiper blades are something, like brake pads and tyres, that I always buy quality rather than budget, your choice of course...............(However I do not, of course, pay list price and can usually find a worthwhile discount supplier;))
 
Yes those are the most budget ones as I think they will do for my needs.
Probably only going to need the rear one as I find it squeaks a little..
(Doesn't hurt to have spare ones)
As for tyres I'm going to try and get something that has quality at an affordable price.
These are my up most important part to renew..

I'm sticking to the budget items as of now until I see what may be needed in future.
And won't be doing. Such as brakes or oil changes myself. As It would be a wiser choice for me to let my mechanic decided what maybe needed.
I have prepared to be able to do them myself. But the area I have isn't suitable for the tasks I would like to perform.
And also would like to have a second opinion of the trusted mechanic. As to if the vehicle is in fact worthy of putting my efforts and money into.
 
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John_D

Club Member
Radio Code Guru
Tyres are very subjective, shortly after buying my K12 I found that the budget tyres on it, while still having plenty of tread, were very noisy and left a lot to be desired in the grip department........ I replaced them with a set of Vredestein Quatrac 5 185/50 R16 all season tyres (about £60 each inc carriage from Germany). These have been brilliant but sadly a few weeks ago, after about 20K miles of spirited driving, I got nails in two tyres, near the side walls, and while they still had more than legal tread, were not suitable for repairing. Ideally I would have replaced them with identical tyres, but it would have taken several days to source a pair and I needed the car on the road so settled for a pair of Continental ContiEcoContact 5 185/50 R16 81H at the very reasonable price of £60 each fitted.
Unfortunately, while the grip and noise levels are OK with these tyres, on the front of the car, the side walls are a lot less stiff that the Vredestein ones and the car now exhibits body roll when cornering 'enthusiastically' and they are showing signs of wear on the outside edges already :(.
As a comparison, on my Saab Sport Wagon, when I bought it, I was horrified to see that it came shod with a brand new set of Chinese manufactured tyres :mad:. Having had a bad experience, on a previous car, with Chinese made 'Wanli' tyres (Teflon ditch finders!) I was ready to replace the set PDQ with something better. However in the next week or so I realised that they were performing very well in all weather conditions so left them on the car and have since, after many miles and a couple of years, replaced them with an identical set at the stupidly cheap price of about £75 for a PAIR! The tyres in question are 'Triple A' 225-45-17 94W and may well get another pair in the next few months......
 
In the rear I have good branded tyres not sure the name of have to check but they are quality brand
The front however has some strange looking ones from Europe.
I would like to think changing these out will improve handling somewhat. As at present that is one of the only things I can complain about.
 
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Mika The Finn

Site Supporter
I have on my Micra LingLong 205/50 R16 made in China, excellent tires for the price.
I'm also cornering 'enthusiastically', grip is awesome on dry/wet pavement! :)
 
Going to try and get something with a decent tread pattern like these..
Won't be getting toyo ones. That's the tread type that I will be in favour of. They tend to look great and hold the road well on what they call roads here in the north
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So in the front the one I am concerned about I thought it was a Chinese tyre bit is actually a continental.
And on the rear is goodyear this one still looks good.
After checking the depths I know for sure I need two new in the front..
And the rear are not far away from needing to be replaced.
Also they are slightly mismatched. That surely does not do the handling any favors.
Here are a photo of the old ones front and rear I could not get a focus on the passenger side as the sun is intense today.
As far as I can see the rear looks to be in pretty decent shape still.
I'm not a fan of the goodyear tyre tread type tho. Appears to be a winter tyre according to the ice sign if that's what it is.
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John_D

Club Member
Radio Code Guru
The Goodyear is actually a winter tyre, see the mountain and snowflake motif on the sidewall......
 
Yes I know I have not really noticed it is winter tyre up till now. And I look at it everyday..
Don't think they are a very smart choice for everyday use. As they wear out quickly in dry conditions.
 
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Still wondering if these will fit or not. As was told one is good to have handy as a spare...

Maybe it's time to compare and see if the fuse lines are the same ratings?

Could the be any other differences apart from the fuse sizes.
Edit :- This part is in fact a different item..
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Just replaced the wiper blades on front.
Got to the back and it doesn't fit looks more like the front fittings and my vehicle has a branded one with clip.
I'm happy with the front two.
They actually fit better than the ones removed. Only downside the splash or spray guide on driver side could not be swapped over.
Could possibly swap the blade into the previous blade housing.

Carparts4less. Are a great company. They are going to refund my rearwiper. As long as I return the item and they even pick it up.

Edit:- on second look the rear is now fitted and in place.
 
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Today I was testing my headlights
For pre Mot test.
I have previously sanded one to try and remove the weathered look. That worked for me and they looked great for a while.
On inspection while turned on I find they have a lot of scratches on the lense. However they light up fine and are a good percent clear still not heavily hazed..

Instead of replacing them or using a kit to restore I want to try the hydrophobic lens polish.
My question is has anyone used this and if so does it cover over light scratches on the lens.
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The rear wiper I installed is really silent compared to the one I removed.
Atm I'm on hold in case that there are too many parts for me to possibly repair by me or a mechanic.

All I know for now is what I can see. And it looks like it might be front suspension. As there is a bit of rust at bottom of the arms. I have no idea if that's a bad thing or just cosmetic.
However I doubt it would be hard to repaint if that is the case.

I have owned the vehicle almost a year now.Has been great to learn from and have became more attached than I though I would be.
 
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Unless it's so rusty it's about to fall in half don't worry about it at all. The important thing is that the bushings and ball joint are solid.
 
Just been sanding the lights down with some 800, 2000 and 2500 grit.
Waiting for the K2 lamp doctor to arrive.(decided to use this instead of the hydrophobic for now)
They look very smooth now and I managed to get most of the scratches removed.
Are very hazed up after this process I done it by hand so I could focus on the areas that have visible scratches .
I plan on replacing them afterwards so it don't matter how long it lasts for me.
Still I'm going to machine polish them and most likely use 2 to 3 passes.
 
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So I gave the K2 Lamp Doctor a spin.
The drill batteries didn't last as long as I expected.
So finished by hand.
Seems to smell a lot like brasso to me this product.
It has however done a good job of removing the hazed look..
Okay boring stuff out of the way.
The front and rear after use.
I would definitely recommend using this after sanding and I know that it would have made a better finish with higher grit.
The rear lights did not really need any but wanted to see what it would perform like on lights that are in decent condition they only had a manual buff.
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Okay so today I'm working on a heat shield I have so far used one white board that was getting in the way and also broken.

Have measured up the board and will make further measurements later if the metal will bend in the shape I want or some kind of curve.
Folded the metal to make it double thickness similar to the stock heat shield.
Then turned the metal on the edges to make for a none shape edge plus a little more strength.
Please do not try this at home.
I won't be going for looks here this is a test to see if it will work for the k12.
Will offer it up tomorrow. Hopefully it will not need cutting just to curve and drill some holes.
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Couple more curves later..
Looks like its gonna need to be slightly shorter. Towards the point that I intend to face away from the engine.

Edit :-

Its about double the size needed in measuring up about 25 to 30 cm and 15 to 18 cm
After folding again into half Its gonna be hard to get the curve needed to sit inside the curve on the metal plate where it would be bolted in place.
Have got a nice curve for the shape to fit in the bay.Just not really keen to place this so close to the coil wires.
I'm sure it will work when the correct curve is applied to the bolt in area.

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A quick to do list for me for to do after mot is completed.
1. a.c. heater climate control buttons need changing out.
In the process of getting the part number at a guess compatible is the F667191S Valeo one.
I was removing radio and found steering control wire was unplugged pushed it back in tested did not function but may have pulled back out when reinstalling.
2. Install heat shield should be simple enough to install.
3. Clean up rear brake drums also front disk calipers.
4. Install sat nav rear view camera.
5. Replace air intake pipe.

6. Paint interior trim and exterior trim mainly wing mirrors and the panel below front windscreen
7 Replace brake pads / discs if they have not already been done at this stage
8 Tidy up or replace wheel nuts
 
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Mika The Finn

Site Supporter
So I gave the K2 Lamp Doctor a spin.
The drill batteries didn't last as long as I expected.
So finished by hand.
Seems to smell a lot like brasso to me this product.
It has however done a good job of removing the hazed look..
Okay boring stuff out of the way.
The front and rear after use.
I would definitely recommend using this after sanding and I know that it would have made a better finish with higher grit.
The rear lights did not really need any but wanted to see what it would perform like on lights that are in decent condition they only had a manual buff.
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Sent from my ASUS_T00P using Micra Sports Club mobile app

Autosol Alumnum polish did same job to lights of significant other. It doesn't know is it polishing metal or plastic...
 
Just a quick update.
Checked brake fluid seemed low.
Was concerned that the other car was low also so today it arrived.
Closer inspection. Showed that the fluid level was actually well above maximum on the corsa (After a dealership service).
So I removed a little as there was a slight problem with the feel of pedal and the brakes seemed to be sticking a bit.
Added some to the micra just as a top up they are fine as are but wanted to make sure its not ultra low.

Don't really know that much on this subject. But would rather be safe and know there is plenty in the res.
 
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Okay so today I'm booking a full service and mot for next week as its due in less than 10 days.
Seems to be the only option I have right now.
And isn't exactly what I had planned.
As I fell short and still require another month or so before my test..


Edit:- I have canceled my first booking as after reading reviews online I was afraid that the vehicle would be mishandled and then told its unsafe to drive.
So I got back to where I was looking first and they helpfully gave me a time and date that I can work with.
I'm going to say if you are gonna get a service please avoid (service stop)..
They have bad reviews but lure people in with a huge discount.
 
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Had a small problem with the starter making a horrible noise the other day.
It seems okay after the next 2 or 3 and it still started okay every time.

Then yesterday I noticed the battery is going dead. On the key transponder so I've just managed to find a replacement battery after a long search.

I'm guessing that's what it means. When the button won't work from about 2 steps away from the rear of the vehicle.
 
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Gave the wheels a good wash and brush down.They seem to have a lot of scuffs on drivers side .Then bubbles in the paint on the passenger side.
Could be a lot better its a good start for now.
They really need removing and power washing on both side.

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Had a small problem with the starter making a horrible noise the other day.

I've had two micras do this. Like a comedy starter noise... a bit like an old Leyland A series starter sound? Even my new one with only 37k on it has done it once or twice when cold. Starters are cheap for Micras... even new, so I wouldn't worry. My old one got to the stage where it did it consitently, and I left it like that for around 18 months and it never actually failed to start... just used to turn heads in car parks LOL.
 
Last few times it was fine.
I found a thread saying to put clutch in put in first then second then back to neutral and release clutch then start.
Maybe that resets the position unsure.
I think it was just because of a quick turn of the key and letting go way to quickly.
As its been fine last 5 or 6 times.

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Passed with minors.
Tyres and discs at front.
Was a good price didn't get tyres yet but it was less than 100..
Edit :-
Have now decided I can at last go ahead with replacement of the following Heater control panel,
Brake discs and pads.
This will give me a chance to tidy up behind the wheels etc.
 
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Having some fun with this today so eBay said one part number is compatible..
The wire would fit fine but the cable connections are different so I had to replace old one back in.
Further search shows no links to this item..
This is the item I'm replacing.

If anyone reading this. Has replaced one of these and found something out that I have missed. With regards to the selector cables please let me know
As that seems to be the problem area as they will not clip into locked position mainly the one that directs the air to footwell, dash and screen.
via PM thanks.

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