AutoBiscuit
Buy & Sell Member
This may be the least interesting Micra blog, made worse that I only joined here 'after' the meaty bit...
So for that, you get a wall of text. Maybe some pictures.
Intro:
The SO, whilst a manual licence holder, loves her autos.
Her fav was a Scenic, but wanting to downsize, we picked up a cheap and lightly used, 3dr Micra K11 with only 20k on the clock.
Fast forward 2 years, 1 kid and potentialy a 2nd, she is tired of manual steering and struggling an increasingly heavier child in and out of the back.
Plus a crunchy selector is a little daunting.
Pricing up the full PAS setup and potential insurance grief, we discussed another car.
Another Fiesta? No, too boring.
Another Scenic? No, tax too high.
etc.
Scanning eBay, I found another K11, 5dr with PAS, C/L, sunroof. No A/C, but you cant have it all. Only issue is it wouldn't start occasionally and was rough on startup - sold as spares as head gasket gone...
So he thought. First start, it just seemed to flood a little, but revved cleanly and no smoke at all after 5 seconds.
£99 later, and chancing it home, it ran beautifully.
I later assumed it was an iffy sensor and posts here state is is a known fault!
Bargain.
Only that this old gal had done over a 100k more than our first Micra, and needs a little TLC.
So the obvious solution: Swap the good bits on!
Plus, my cat knocked over a used oil container, staining the patio, so I cant make it anymore worse before reflagging it :-(
Goal:
- Engine (still only done 30k).
- Suspension (though I'm going new now)
- Powder clutch (the 20k part doesn't seem to let-up in idle, but +100k part does)
- Trim (boot trim warped, snapped handles, etc).
- Wheels (all identical steelies, but the first Micra had Factory powdercoated silver ones with centre hubcaps that I like, and just much easier to DIY refurb).
Progress:
First I stripped the front end away and removed the lower section, which always rust.
I toyed with swapping that too, but was also rusty. Plus for £25 new, it wasn't worth the effort.
Exhaust bolts had corroded to tooth picks, but still unbelievably stubbon.
So the grinder dealt with that.
At this point I stupidly thought I wont use a crane, just a foldable sack barrow.
Got the lump out, but was stupidly unstable.
Whilst life/weather/other jobs took priority, I checked in under the car and straightened the sills and had a good poke at any rot.
All areas that were also bubbling on Micra #1, so the job was always there, just another car.
I found the driver door has dropped 10mm. It closes, but bumps up the catch.
Maybe a shunt? The dent and cheaply painted wing suggest it.
So ill be keeping an eye for those 2 parts later. Maybe shimming the hinges will work for now?
A few weeks back, I comment to the Wife about my cars MOT.
She realises that hers is probably due.
Paperwork suggested that it just expired. Oops.
That transpired to pulling it offroad, SORNing it and hiring a hoist for the weekend.
Starting with the scrap engine, I found most bolts to split the box from the engine, but snapped the starter :-/
Recovered the powder clutch (which looked almost new, despite rest of box innards filthy) and dropped the rest into Micra #1 boot.
As good engine was to be more cared for on removal, but not interested in chopping the front about, I made a fiddly job for myself
by leaving both driveshafts in place to not leak oil.
Instead, one got caught and siezed the inner knuckle.
So out came a bucket to catch Auto oil, which still managed to leak on the patio :-(
1 less driveshaft and it came out.
Swapped the shaft with the spare, split the box away and swapped the powder clutch. The 30k clutch looked even cleaner, but also had plastic covers on wires and a different set of cooling fins.
Both Nissan parts and matching part number though.
Brushes worn lightly, so no issue there.
Engine reassembled, PAS bracket fitted, inserted into Micra #2 with no drama.
Swapping the fusebox covers, I spotted a cheap fuse on headlight circuit had melted plastic into the fitment, so moved that pin over to a spare hole.
Will check again when battery in.
Swapped over all wheels and kept a good spare (rest get new boots - all other tires near bald or cracked!), and swapped front shocks/springs as units, which allowed me to fit the driveshafts too.
Todo stage 1:
New aux belts, then finish engine bay, exhaust, wiring.
Weld in new crossmember.
Top up box oil.
Weld up hole in rear pass footwell.
Underseal all the things.
Todo stage 2:
Remote locking fob.
Radio refit.
Every. Bulb. In. The. Entire. Dash.
Clean it.
Todo stage 3:
Replace dud door.
So for that, you get a wall of text. Maybe some pictures.
Intro:
The SO, whilst a manual licence holder, loves her autos.
Her fav was a Scenic, but wanting to downsize, we picked up a cheap and lightly used, 3dr Micra K11 with only 20k on the clock.
Fast forward 2 years, 1 kid and potentialy a 2nd, she is tired of manual steering and struggling an increasingly heavier child in and out of the back.
Plus a crunchy selector is a little daunting.
Pricing up the full PAS setup and potential insurance grief, we discussed another car.
Another Fiesta? No, too boring.
Another Scenic? No, tax too high.
etc.
Scanning eBay, I found another K11, 5dr with PAS, C/L, sunroof. No A/C, but you cant have it all. Only issue is it wouldn't start occasionally and was rough on startup - sold as spares as head gasket gone...
So he thought. First start, it just seemed to flood a little, but revved cleanly and no smoke at all after 5 seconds.
£99 later, and chancing it home, it ran beautifully.
I later assumed it was an iffy sensor and posts here state is is a known fault!
Bargain.
Only that this old gal had done over a 100k more than our first Micra, and needs a little TLC.
So the obvious solution: Swap the good bits on!
Plus, my cat knocked over a used oil container, staining the patio, so I cant make it anymore worse before reflagging it :-(
Goal:
- Engine (still only done 30k).
- Suspension (though I'm going new now)
- Powder clutch (the 20k part doesn't seem to let-up in idle, but +100k part does)
- Trim (boot trim warped, snapped handles, etc).
- Wheels (all identical steelies, but the first Micra had Factory powdercoated silver ones with centre hubcaps that I like, and just much easier to DIY refurb).
Progress:
First I stripped the front end away and removed the lower section, which always rust.
I toyed with swapping that too, but was also rusty. Plus for £25 new, it wasn't worth the effort.
Exhaust bolts had corroded to tooth picks, but still unbelievably stubbon.
So the grinder dealt with that.
At this point I stupidly thought I wont use a crane, just a foldable sack barrow.
Got the lump out, but was stupidly unstable.
Whilst life/weather/other jobs took priority, I checked in under the car and straightened the sills and had a good poke at any rot.
All areas that were also bubbling on Micra #1, so the job was always there, just another car.
I found the driver door has dropped 10mm. It closes, but bumps up the catch.
Maybe a shunt? The dent and cheaply painted wing suggest it.
So ill be keeping an eye for those 2 parts later. Maybe shimming the hinges will work for now?
A few weeks back, I comment to the Wife about my cars MOT.
She realises that hers is probably due.
Paperwork suggested that it just expired. Oops.
That transpired to pulling it offroad, SORNing it and hiring a hoist for the weekend.
Starting with the scrap engine, I found most bolts to split the box from the engine, but snapped the starter :-/
Recovered the powder clutch (which looked almost new, despite rest of box innards filthy) and dropped the rest into Micra #1 boot.
As good engine was to be more cared for on removal, but not interested in chopping the front about, I made a fiddly job for myself
by leaving both driveshafts in place to not leak oil.
Instead, one got caught and siezed the inner knuckle.
So out came a bucket to catch Auto oil, which still managed to leak on the patio :-(
1 less driveshaft and it came out.
Swapped the shaft with the spare, split the box away and swapped the powder clutch. The 30k clutch looked even cleaner, but also had plastic covers on wires and a different set of cooling fins.
Both Nissan parts and matching part number though.
Brushes worn lightly, so no issue there.
Engine reassembled, PAS bracket fitted, inserted into Micra #2 with no drama.
Swapping the fusebox covers, I spotted a cheap fuse on headlight circuit had melted plastic into the fitment, so moved that pin over to a spare hole.
Will check again when battery in.
Swapped over all wheels and kept a good spare (rest get new boots - all other tires near bald or cracked!), and swapped front shocks/springs as units, which allowed me to fit the driveshafts too.
Todo stage 1:
New aux belts, then finish engine bay, exhaust, wiring.
Weld in new crossmember.
Top up box oil.
Weld up hole in rear pass footwell.
Underseal all the things.
Todo stage 2:
Remote locking fob.
Radio refit.
Every. Bulb. In. The. Entire. Dash.
Clean it.
Todo stage 3:
Replace dud door.
