1985/86 Nissan Micra Idle When Hot

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
View Threaded
Mon 25 Apr 2005 15:42
1985/86 Nissan Micra Idle When Hot - dantheman_74
My friend took her Nissan Micra to a local mechanic to carry out the MOT. It failed on emissions so he "did some stuff" to make it pass. Now not only does it do 7 miles to a fiver petrol, but as soon as the temp gauge starts to rise off 'C' it won't run!!! This is a 988cc engine. I noticed black water from the exhaust so I checked the oil.....2 inches above the max on the dip stick!!! I drained out 5 litres of engine oil, this engine only takes 2.8 litres with a new filter! Her grandad put in some new points but he isn't sure if they're adjusted properly.........HELP...I've never delt with points before! Also noticed I couldn't adjust the idle speed screw in the carb, this had been bent inside the carb, near it's point. Today I fitted a replacement carb from a 1990 micra, same thing really. Any one got any ideas on why this car won't run when hot please....?
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 25 Apr 2005 16:17
1985/86 Nissan Micra Idle When Hot - mfarrow
Does it have an auto-choke? Could be stuck. I'd take it back to the garage and get them to fix whatever they did wrong. Put back the old carb, you really shouldn't touch it until the mechanic's had a chance to fix what he broke!

Surely the emissions test for an '85 micra shouldn't be rigorous enough for it to fail that badly.

In the meantime, don't run the car too much. It is obviously running too rich and swallowing too much cash! Besides which it won't be doing much good to the engine.

Oh, and don't go back to that mechanics in the future! 5 litres over? I'm surprise it ran at all.
--------------
Mike Farrow
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 25 Apr 2005 18:14
1985/86 Nissan Micra Idle When Hot - Aprilia
A right horror story. Get is back to the garage ASAP and get them to fix it.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 25 Apr 2005 18:35
1985/86 Nissan Micra Idle When Hot - Roberson
When you drained the oil from the sump, did it smell very strongly of petrol. Looking at HJs' CBCB, these Micras can split the fuel pump diaphragm which leaks neat fuel into the sump. This may explain the extortionate thirst for fuel and the seeming overfilled sump.

However, I can't quite understand how a mechanic could have managed all of this, so this might not be the answer.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Looking for a garage you can trust? Honest John's Good Garage Guide has thousands of reader recommended garages, plus how-to guides and tips on servicing.

The Good Garage Guide

Our honest used car pricing is a little bit different to all the others. You can get to our values through make or model - you don’t have to follow a prescribed route. Plus, it’s live, which means we can react to changes in the market quicker than any printed price guide.

Honest Used Car Prices