Suspension system.

John_D

Club Member
Radio Code Guru
An example of this would be.
And I don't really know much about these.
Probably I had disturbed it from eating the its meal as there was a dead rat near by.
View attachment 72257

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Nice, we have a fairly well established colony of Red Kites round here in Hertfordshire........
Red Kite.jpg

These are very impressive in flight with a wingspan between 5 and 6 feet!
 
I will try to remove the rust with a wire brush attachment.(Dremel tool)
Spray it down good with penetrating fluid.
Then I'm going to hit it with the impact.
I will post a video of the difference between the two struts. (New and old)
And hopefully find that it wasn't a wasted effort to replace the whole lot.
I'm pretty sure they won't be that much life left in them if any at all over 100k miles

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As I am soon going to get the springs and new shocks fitted too, I thought this maybe helpful...

I've been looking at caps for the strut tops and I've found one maybe two possibilities...

The genuine Nissan part in the first image won't work (I don't think) because of the lip and where the where the strut tops are located on K12's however part in the second image will work (I think) because they sit inside the rim of the top of the strut :unsure:


1511172557950_big.jpg


s-l1600.jpg

 
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John_D

Club Member
Radio Code Guru
As I am soon going to get the springs and new shocks fitted too, I thought this maybe helpful...

I've been looking at caps for the strut tops and I've found one maybe two possibilities...

The genuine Nissan part in the first image won't work (I don't think) because of the lip and where the where the strut tops are located on K12's however part in the second image will work (I think) because they sit inside the rim of the top of the strut :unsure:


View attachment 72261

View attachment 72262
Yes you have to use the hex of the centre nut for location of the cover. This is what I fitted.....
K12 strut top.jpg


i did have to fit a second half nut (stainless) onto the top of the strut shaft thread as the plastic hex location bottomed on the the strut shaft before it located on the hex nut......
 
They look neat, I have purchased some of the aforementioned from eBay and I shall report back if they fit.

You have the oil coloured stains around the top mount nuts too, I wonder what that is, tried cleaning it off but it wouldn't go, I think a drop of thinners may shift it.
 

John_D

Club Member
Radio Code Guru
They look neat, I have purchased some of the aforementioned from eBay and I shall report back if they fit.

You have the oil coloured stains around the top mount nuts too, I wonder what that is, tried cleaning it off but it wouldn't go, I think a drop of thinners may shift it.
I suspect that the stains are some sort of wax based rust protection......my covers are made from a large rubber blanking grommet, with a hole cut in the centre to fit over a plastic nut protector......
Strut cover1.jpg
Strut cover2.jpg
 
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John_D

Club Member
Radio Code Guru
The top covers I have are from a versa they didn't fit on the first struts.
Have not tried them in the new ones as yet.
May just fill up with grease and pop them back into place if they actually fit tight.


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Was this down to the A/F size of the nut at the top of the strut being too small? As far as I remember the OEM nuts on the K12 are 18mm A/F but 19mm A/F nuts, with exactly the same thread available, which is probably why I put an extra half nut on each of mine to fit the plastic nut protectors.......
 
The ones I have look like these they don't fit onto the nut the fit into the recess.
Mine are from a Nissan versa they looked identical and I think they are only it was half the price of the others I could see at the time.

Have just dismantled the old struts and they rise quickly when depressed.
Both are same I tried 5 times and they are at top in a matter of not many seconds.
Not what I expected but still very worn out.

Doing a video of this would be a waste of time they are much quicker than the new ones.
The springs don't feel as firm also.

Screenshot_2020-09-04-17-37-20.jpg
P_20200904_173429.jpg


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John_D

Club Member
Radio Code Guru
The ones I have look like these they don't fit onto the nut the fit into the recess.
Mine are from a Nissan versa they looked identical and I think they are only it was half the price of the others I could see at the time.

Have just dismantled the old struts and they rise quickly when depressed.
Both are same I tried 5 times and they are at top in a matter of not many seconds.
Not what I expected but still very worn out.

Doing a video of this would be a waste of time they are much quicker than the new ones.
The springs don't feel as firm also.

View attachment 72270View attachment 72271

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I decided very early on when looking into the question of top caps on the K12, that due to the actual shape of the recess in the body at the top of the struts that there was no logical way to retain the covers by locating them in the recess, which is why I decided to use the hex nut as a firm fixing point that would not work loose.
 
With how mine was one would sometimes still have the water stood and the other did not.
I had it sealed up and this worked but when I inspected it must have left a gap.
Then it was standing water again.
I'm just going to get those caps when I get chance and use those like you have.
If the versa ones fit tightly I may use and see how if that works.
While looking closer at this area tho it appears they also need to breath because if you block it off then it might cause the same thing to happen.
By this I mean with just those big plastic caps.


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The ones I have look like these they don't fit onto the nut the fit into the recess.
Mine are from a Nissan versa they looked identical and I think they are only it was half the price of the others I could see at the time.

Have just dismantled the old struts and they rise quickly when depressed.
Both are same I tried 5 times and they are at top in a matter of not many seconds.
Not what I expected but still very worn out.

Doing a video of this would be a waste of time they are much quicker than the new ones.
The springs don't feel as firm also.

View attachment 72270View attachment 72271

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When you say "Have just dismantled the old struts and they rise quickly when depressed" I guess that was unexpected because you thought they were shot? They obviously look worse than they perform.
 
When struts get that far gone its best to renew as it wouldn't be long before they give up altogether and I would guess it would be right in the middle of winter!! one problem less to worry about and as you move along the car renewing years of fatigue and corroded parts it can only give you better peace of mind.?
 
Aesthetically they were way past their best.
And for safety reasons they will be disposed of responsibly.
It would be silly to assume they are still functioning when obviously they are completely shot.
Not to mention the springs had no cushions to rest on, There was also a gap between the spring and the end stop on the strut.
Another thing I noticed is I could semi compress the springs by hand..


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They should rise slower than they are although they are not completely flat.
When pressing them down is very little to no resistance.
So that says they do work but not as effectively as the new set.

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Yes that is what I thought, the surprised tone of what you wrote made me question what I thought was right. The dampers on my current 70,000 miler seem good as new as far as I can tell but when I remove them they may well be the same as yours.
 
recycle centre is best, they will be melted down and used elsewhere. best to move along to other more important parts before weather puts a stop to work as you have to work outside so timing is crucial?:unsure:
 
If I'm able to soon I would like to get the new belts installed.
These I have had for a while now and I think they should be replaced.
Its not that hard of a task hopefully and won't take too long.
I also have the spark plugs.
Need to decide what to focus on next though as I still need to replace the bolts and add springs to down pipe that connect to the silencer.
Am mostly thinking get the front end area parts fitted tho that way it will be complete and I won't have parts hanging about.

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look for the jobs that you have to prepare well for like the exhaust system, spark plugs are a job you can do relatively quickly if weather is unpredictable.:unsure:
 
Would be wise to do the exhaust first then since I don't have access to a creeper sometimes I just use cardboard so I have a little comfort.
Probably least favorite but most important.

Something else is the light we don't get much in the next few months and this will lessen the work times.


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So i think be a good idea to check the castor and camber as the passenger side was a pain to remove the anti roll bar links.
This has me thinking its going to be out of alignment on that side if not both.
Hope that this makes sense that the rotor moved a lot during the install on that side so best to see and adjust if its way out.
 
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caster adjustments are usually fixed by manufacturer, you can alter this slightly by changing the lower suspension leg bolt for cam bolts, but I don't think this is what you need, camber will be set to manufacturers tolerances when you have your wheels aligned. the drop links are sometimes a pain to remove, I just cut them off with a cutting disc and throw away,
The only thing left with you steering would be the front anti roll bar stability bushes and also the front upper support arms both side that could cause a problem with the steering?:unsure:
 
So far I cannot say if the alignment is out or not. Until the car has been driven.
But if it is I will try to do a basic alignment with the tie rods.
This is only if it pulls to one side.
And I in unable to confirm this as I'm not able to drive it on my own.
I can understand that the bushing for anti roll bars might need replacing have got them listed so I know what to buy if are needed.
I should have gotten the tool before hand so I could have a guide from before the change.
It will be nice to see what the readings are for left and right side front.


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Its cheap enough to get it done professionally and I was happy with the last one.
This time though I at least want to try and see if I can get it close myself.
Then I will have some confidence while changing out the other parts that I won't be driving down the road on an angle.

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The camber castor alignment tool is more for when a car has been lowered.
But can also be handy for checking after the struts have been replaced.
You can also get bolts to help with this adjustment if you really need them I don't think so but they might be handy if you want to get a more exact set up or reading.
This is as far as I know from reading and watching guides.

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What WILL alter the set up is when you change the lower wish bones, as this holds the lower ball joint that wears and relaxes over time, you don't notice at first and get the wheel alignment done to correct the steering, however when the lower arms( in pairs) are replaced with new, the bushes are new and also the lower ball joint, this will realign the suspension, and then a further alignment adjustment is necessary. So forget about any alignment checks until all your new suspension parts are fitted including track rod ends, then when no further work is possible needed, THEN have the steering digitally tracked.(y)
 
Trying to find what noise we can hear.
After the car got its MOT done.
Was told the two lower bolts were not tightened up properly.
This is kinda odd because our two test runs proved to show no signs of any noises whatsoever.
Any how been rocking the car a bit and trying to locate this sound I have been looking at the tops of the strut and could hear and see movement while the car is on the ground.
I tightened them both as much as I possibly could with a hex key and spanner as I'm unable to get in with grips to hold from below this area on the vehicle.
I did notice it made that noise and movement stopped briefly.
But after rolling the car back and forth I can hear it or something similar again.
Later in the week I'm going to put it on axle stands and check over all the parts to see if I notice anything else.
Then I'm going to return to the garage to give them an update and let them re check the torque settings on the drivers side.
I would have been booking for an alignment.
But now my work pattern has taken me away from the car I might ask if they want to put the lower arms in and do the tracking.
This would save some time and will certainly save me from going through getting the car re-aligned twice.
Hopefully in the mean time I can get the noise sorted and not have to worry about that.
Hopefully this isn't too expensive because really I'm ready to move on and get something that is bigger.

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Okay so I have just decided since some of the tools I'm using are causing struggle in certain area's.
Those being 15mm was missing from the last set.(manufacturers tend to be skipping sizes)
Will be getting some decent ring spanners, as these should be useful on a number of jobs but mainly the top nut on the strut. This will give a lot more leverage and better fitting than previously used when checking I had to resort to my least favorite the adjustable Lol?

Not sure of the exact size but this set should do with no skipping sizes from 8 to 22.

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Good, sockets sizes from 8 to 22 without missing any sizes will stand well in the long term and better the quality you can afford the better and should last for years, as you try different vehicles your core tools stay with you and be dependable.;)
 

Mika The Finn

Site Supporter
As I am soon going to get the springs and new shocks fitted too, I thought this maybe helpful...

I've been looking at caps for the strut tops and I've found one maybe two possibilities...

The genuine Nissan part in the first image won't work (I don't think) because of the lip and where the where the strut tops are located on K12's however part in the second image will work (I think) because they sit inside the rim of the top of the strut :unsure:


View attachment 72261

View attachment 72262
Just a thought, would these fit to Micra, they come in nice colors, like BLUE?! ;)

Clio Sport V6 Glanz Schwarz Federbein Top Cover-Set Viele Farben Erhältlich

s-l1600.jpg
 
Update:- Had the car up on axle stands and have checked over all the bolts I can see before hand on the top.
Wheels off I gave the bolts at bottom of strut a check and found one slightly looser than the torque specs of 100 to 117.nm
One one driver side moved ever so slightly at 100.nm so I increased upwards to 110.nm.
Also noticed the two torque screws on passengers side had become loose,due to what I can only guess impact wrench use causing them to loosen due to the vibrations while I struggled to remove the anti roll bars previously.
They were fine initially but must have worked loose after the test drive we first done.

Dropped it back down and the noise had gone we took the car up to the local shopping market and we made a couple emergency stops etc to test everything works as should do under stress.

Then proceeded to take the car back to the garage where it was tested as we were advised to have the bolts rechecked over.
The mechanic had a good look and told us it was all good this time.

I'm really glad of this because it was not a safe thing to have been driving with a bolt becoming loose and its always best to make extra safety checks where necessary.

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Mika The Finn

Site Supporter
... and they fit however they don't click or clip into anything so will just fall off.
Bummer! More colors to life project, went down the toilet on my 'Big Block' Micra! :(
How about couple rounds of tape or pieces of heat shrink around shock nuts, and little bit careful heat with heat gun to strut protective cover cap's
, gently tab them in place with fist... :unsure:;)
 
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After they were reinstalled the same way as before yes they still needed to be held in place maybe a bead of silicone around the inside would do a great job.
I had to remove them after a heavy down pour or two.
And have noticed since I changed the strut tops they are dry and do not have standing water.
I'm not sure what's changed other than I can see that the drains at both sides are working better after removing the mud guards and clearing away the build up behind those.
Also it may have been the case that the scuttle panel was not installed properly and this may have been causing the rain to get past.
If anything I'm considering those plastic covers that fit directly to the bolt these seem to be a good solution.
I can then hot glue these onto the covers to make a fitting that will hold while driving and at same time cover both the top mount and the nut on the top of strut.
Those caps look very stock and do not look at all out of place IMO.

Something to keep in mind with those type they do have a tiny vent at the top and this would then be blocked if I were to add the cap cover over the bolt.
It may be a better solution to have the vent open. As this is to prevent any standing water accumulating while they are in place.
For my car I'm going to keep them off until after a few more journeys.

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After they were reinstalled the same way as before yes they still needed to be held in place maybe a bead of silicone around the inside would do a great job.
I had to remove them after a heavy down pour or two.
And have noticed since I changed the strut tops they are dry and do not have standing water.
I'm not sure what's changed other than I can see that the drains at both sides are working better after removing the mud guards and clearing away the build up behind those.
Also it may have been the case that the scuttle panel was not installed properly and this may have been causing the rain to get past.
If anything I'm considering those plastic covers that fit directly to the bolt these seem to be a good solution.
I can then hot glue these onto the covers to make a fitting that will hold while driving and at same time cover both the top mount and the nut on the top of strut.
Those caps look very stock and do not look at all out of place IMO.

Something to keep in mind with those type they do have a tiny vent at the top and this would then be blocked if I were to add the cap cover over the bolt.
It may be a better solution to have the vent open. As this is to prevent any standing water accumulating while they are in place.
For my car I'm going to keep them off until after a few more journeys.

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I really need a solution to this issue because like you I have spent lots of money on new suspension so a few extra £'s for suitable caps is a no brainer, I will stick with these I have already purchased and go with a bead of silicone to secure them I think (y)
 
Well done, I am ordering mine now before winter sets in, I have a cheaper set here:/www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Front-Shock-Dustproof-Strut-Mount-Cover-Cap-Set-44mm/233676758571.(y)
 
In short yes they are there to protect the suspension from popping through the chassis when the suspension is stressed to its limit, they are part of the rear damper assembly, however you can get new dust covers and rubber stops aftermarket, I use this company a lot and are reasonable priced.:)
/www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MEYLE-36-14-740-0002-DUST-COVER-KIT-SHOCK-ABSORBER-Rear/392197452814
 
Thanks, I will get some of those for the install after the New year.
They are less than I was originally getting up in searches but will double check compatibility.
 
Alright this looks kinda crusty but what's the best place to be lifting the micra rear end.
I know the points on the sills are good and shown clearly but what if I want to put my axle stands in that spot.
I've tried to work this out and someone pointed out this area that is named axle mounting.
My question is regards to I want to be safe while lifting the vehicle and I know this area is sketchy the car may slip off that tiny area if I lift from it.
Any how I can see the points to lift but what would you suggest or what do part do you lift from.

This is to change springs and shocks so they need to be free to move.
By the looks of it the sills are getting near to rotting out and I need to do something to protect them before it starts looking nasty.
IMG_20210402_003641.jpg
IMG_20210405_114817.jpg
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John_D

Club Member
Radio Code Guru
Alright this looks kinda crusty but what's the best place to be lifting the micra rear end.
I know the points on the sills are good and shown clearly but what if I want to put my axle stands in that spot.
I've tried to work this out and someone pointed out this area that is named axle mounting.
My question is regards to I want to be safe while lifting the vehicle and I know this area is sketchy the car may slip off that tiny area if I lift from it.
Any how I can see the points to lift but what would you suggest or what do part do you lift from.

This is to change springs and shocks so they need to be free to move.
By the looks of it the sills are getting near to rotting out and I need to do something to protect them before it starts looking nasty. View attachment 74389View attachment 74390View attachment 74391
The bush in the last picture looks FUBAR'd !!
 
Yeah I'm sure it's seen better day's
Will give other side a look tomorrow I was not even looking at that Bushin. Tho I kinda knew it didnt look in good shape.
Last time it was lifted I think it was okay no play though I do have a better idea of what to look for this time I should be able to decide if it wants replacements.
Something says that's going to be an annoyingly awkward task to replace if that's the case

Should that thing look like the inner side of the bushing or of what can be seen the white part.?
Cause it kinda looks like half is missing maybe.
 
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