I hadn't noticed until now, but in a completely odd coincidence, it appears the two cars in the family, built 11 years apart by different manufacturers, and owned by different family members, have one striking thing in common.
The MOT is due on the same day!
So I'm already preparing justification for keeping the NX on the road, as it will inevitably cost more than the other, more modern car. I also forgot it was coming up, so committed the cardinal sins of not doing basic checks for possible faults, and not giving it a good clean etc to at least give a good impression.
Mainly I forgot because the eletrical problems I had turned out to not be the battery (So I now have a spare battery), but an electrical fault somewhere. Taking out the alternator to test it, and then replacing it, seems to have magically cured it for the moment, but I'm just waiting for it to reappear at the worst possible moment.
Showing posts with label electrical. Show all posts
Showing posts with label electrical. Show all posts
Thursday, 12 March 2009
Tuesday, 27 January 2009
Replacing a flat battery on the Nissan 100NX
It seems like only yesterday that I was getting the alternator repaired on the Nissan, but last week when I turned the ignition key, nothing happened.
I assumed the alternator might have packed up again, but due to the winter evenings and an early start for work I charged and replaced the battery the night before I intended to use the car.
And when I sat in the NX the next morning, only the clock was faintly working.
So I had to assume the battery had died. Great timing! Luckily the Halfords website actually lists the Nissan 100NX in the list of batteries it carries, so I've picked up and fitted a Halfords Calcium Battery HCB005. I did turn down their kind offer to fit it for £4.99, thinking that even I can wield a 10mm spanner - and it'd cost me more to get the car there!
For the record, the steps are pretty easy to replace a battery - it's a five minute job.
Using a 10mm spanner, loosen the negative terminal first, remove the retaining metal bar, and remove the positive terminal last.
Take the battery out, put new one in.
Attach the positive terminal first, and the negative terminal last.
Job done.
(Disposing of a car battery means a trip to your local tip - although a sign in Halfords did say they also dispose of them. Best to be careful, bearing in mind they contain acid.)
I assumed the alternator might have packed up again, but due to the winter evenings and an early start for work I charged and replaced the battery the night before I intended to use the car.
And when I sat in the NX the next morning, only the clock was faintly working.
So I had to assume the battery had died. Great timing! Luckily the Halfords website actually lists the Nissan 100NX in the list of batteries it carries, so I've picked up and fitted a Halfords Calcium Battery HCB005. I did turn down their kind offer to fit it for £4.99, thinking that even I can wield a 10mm spanner - and it'd cost me more to get the car there!
For the record, the steps are pretty easy to replace a battery - it's a five minute job.
Using a 10mm spanner, loosen the negative terminal first, remove the retaining metal bar, and remove the positive terminal last.
Take the battery out, put new one in.
Attach the positive terminal first, and the negative terminal last.
Job done.
(Disposing of a car battery means a trip to your local tip - although a sign in Halfords did say they also dispose of them. Best to be careful, bearing in mind they contain acid.)
Thursday, 13 November 2008
We're losing all our power...
I knew it was a bad idea to book a holiday and leave my beloved NX alone for a week.
But I thought it would be because I'd have cleaning and other work to do when I got back - not that it was spiteful enough to break down on me two days before I went away!
The symptoms suggest the alternator, as the dashboard lights started to dim on my penultimate commute home before the vacation. I was fooled for a moment when I had to park and grab some shopping, as I thought it might not start again, but everything seemed fine after it fired up first time.
And then I got to within 2 minutes of my house, and it started lurching, everything went dim, and with a whimper it cut out. Cue 15 minutes of pushing the car in the evening rain onto my driveway - at least I know the NX is surprisingly light.
Annoyingly the English winter means I have to wait till this weekend to get under the bonnet to trace the fault, but at least it gives me an excuse to get some work done. I just hope it isn't raining, and I don't need to jack the car up. Mainly because I've got a sloping driveway - and trying to jack up a lowered NX is a bit of a challenge at the best of times!
But I thought it would be because I'd have cleaning and other work to do when I got back - not that it was spiteful enough to break down on me two days before I went away!
The symptoms suggest the alternator, as the dashboard lights started to dim on my penultimate commute home before the vacation. I was fooled for a moment when I had to park and grab some shopping, as I thought it might not start again, but everything seemed fine after it fired up first time.
And then I got to within 2 minutes of my house, and it started lurching, everything went dim, and with a whimper it cut out. Cue 15 minutes of pushing the car in the evening rain onto my driveway - at least I know the NX is surprisingly light.
Annoyingly the English winter means I have to wait till this weekend to get under the bonnet to trace the fault, but at least it gives me an excuse to get some work done. I just hope it isn't raining, and I don't need to jack the car up. Mainly because I've got a sloping driveway - and trying to jack up a lowered NX is a bit of a challenge at the best of times!
Sunday, 7 September 2008
Put the spark back with a Distribution Cap for £6
I'm slowly starting to make some changes to the car, and narrow down the causes of it stuttering at about 3-4,000rpm.
Although one of the likely causes is the carb, it makes sense to check and overhaul some of the other possibly reasons. And with new HT leads, and the spark plugs checked, next on the list was the distributor.
It looks as if the original Nissan distributor was still in place 15 years later, and it was definitely starting to show it's age! And being a weekend, the nearby Nissan dealership parts department was obviously shut by the time we'd got to the stage of needing a replacement.
So it was off to the local 'motor factors', and stockists of an almost infinite supply of anything and everything. I was expecting quite a large bill, but after comparing catalogues and specifications on a range of distributor caps, and putting them next to the original (Top Tip: Remember to take original parts with you if possible - makes it a lot easier to find a similar alternative!), we settled on what we thought was the right part.
It cost a whopping £6!
And since fitting it, the problem hasn't vanished completely, but it's a lot, lot better. The car starts more easily, picks up from low revs in a much better manner, and has only stuttered in really cold and damp weather.
And that's for a total cost of £6. In fact, the car really doesn't owe me that much in spares so far. I should really have kept a closer record, but it roughly stands at a jubilee clip (And an RAC call out), a distributor cap,four exhaust mounts and fitting (£24), a Haynes manual, and lots of cleaning products!
So £30 for spares and labour, about £14 for the manual, and some shampoo. Not too shabby!
If you've got a 1.6 carb Nissan 100 NX, the most 'cost effective' distributor cap, and the one that I have, comes from Commercial Ignition, Catalogue Number XD243.
Although one of the likely causes is the carb, it makes sense to check and overhaul some of the other possibly reasons. And with new HT leads, and the spark plugs checked, next on the list was the distributor.
It looks as if the original Nissan distributor was still in place 15 years later, and it was definitely starting to show it's age! And being a weekend, the nearby Nissan dealership parts department was obviously shut by the time we'd got to the stage of needing a replacement.
So it was off to the local 'motor factors', and stockists of an almost infinite supply of anything and everything. I was expecting quite a large bill, but after comparing catalogues and specifications on a range of distributor caps, and putting them next to the original (Top Tip: Remember to take original parts with you if possible - makes it a lot easier to find a similar alternative!), we settled on what we thought was the right part.
It cost a whopping £6!
And since fitting it, the problem hasn't vanished completely, but it's a lot, lot better. The car starts more easily, picks up from low revs in a much better manner, and has only stuttered in really cold and damp weather.
And that's for a total cost of £6. In fact, the car really doesn't owe me that much in spares so far. I should really have kept a closer record, but it roughly stands at a jubilee clip (And an RAC call out), a distributor cap,four exhaust mounts and fitting (£24), a Haynes manual, and lots of cleaning products!
So £30 for spares and labour, about £14 for the manual, and some shampoo. Not too shabby!
If you've got a 1.6 carb Nissan 100 NX, the most 'cost effective' distributor cap, and the one that I have, comes from Commercial Ignition, Catalogue Number XD243.
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