Attempted Borkicide
Discussion
My poor Micra seems to be slowly dying, every time i pop the bonnet, or look underneath it something has fallen off, or worn through, or just straight up borked itself. So this morning i was happily surprised that nothing had seemed immediately wrong, so happy in fact that i decided to put some custard in my glove-box and think about heading out for some 'photo location' challenges. And then i checked the engine oil....
It was changed completely 200 miles ago, and now it's black. I've never seen oil change colour quite so quickly before, and am wondering whats causing it.
Also the engine seems really rattly at low revs, this has been becoming worse of late.
It's a CR12DE engine, the 79hp variant, if that makes any difference at all.
Any help would be appreciated.
It was changed completely 200 miles ago, and now it's black. I've never seen oil change colour quite so quickly before, and am wondering whats causing it.
Also the engine seems really rattly at low revs, this has been becoming worse of late.
It's a CR12DE engine, the 79hp variant, if that makes any difference at all.
Any help would be appreciated.
The car used to do 15 miles a week at most when it belonged to my mother. When i got it i managed 8000 in the first 2 months, and now 9000 in 3 months. Could the increased use just be too much for the little thing? I give the car a good look over every week, and make sure that everything is in working order, but it seems to be deteriorating with no outward signs of damage or wear, other than the oil habit. Any idea what the problem could be?
was it serviced keenly before you did this last oil change? if its got sketchy history then the engine maybe a bit dirty inside and its turned the oil black quickly
not really nothing to worry too much about on a older car , if you think its worth it you can change the oil more often maybe with some supermarket oil for a few hundred miles to flush it out
not really nothing to worry too much about on a older car , if you think its worth it you can change the oil more often maybe with some supermarket oil for a few hundred miles to flush it out
Oil turns quick within a few hours of running, something to do with it absorbing the carbon, deposits, and tiny shavings of metal, and holds them in suspension, rather than let them cause havok wearing the bearings. When running in a rebuilt engine, I changed the oil after 12 hours of running, and then every 4 hours twice. It was pitch black every time. Completely normal.
had ham said:
An average of 130 miles or so per day, EVERY SINGLE DAY, in a Micra?
Are you nuts?
Yep, lots of long day trips. I'd been trying to visit as many climbing and bouldering spots as possible before heading back to uni. I also had an 11 day driving holiday.I'm sure you'd be rather surprised at how comfy the car is. (It also makes a hilarious sound when thrashed, and handles like a hippo doing ballet) It's surprisingly fun to attempt to drive quickly, but yes, i may well be insane Are you nuts?
Give it a full service, change the oil again and maybe an Italian tune up once it's fine.
The change from being rarely used to being used loads will take a bit of time to settle in. Some part's may need changed but as other's have said. Jap car's cling to life even when you think "right, that's it f
ked"
The change from being rarely used to being used loads will take a bit of time to settle in. Some part's may need changed but as other's have said. Jap car's cling to life even when you think "right, that's it f
ked"Update for more problems:-) last week I was heading home from work, and the steering suddenly became very vague and the whole front end decided that it wanted to wallow after any slight turn, bump, or gradient change, not sure why, didn't assault a pothole or a curb, and on a quick inspection the front suspension looks fine and there are no obvious defects on the dampers, or anything else.
There also seems to be a horrid rattle from the gearbox whenever I shift from a gear to neutral, regardless of load or clutch use. I'm not to concerned about that though, as it seems to be ok in gear.
I'm just a tad concernded about the loss of feedback and worrying behaviour from the front when I attempt to turn.
Thanks in advance for any help, some internet beer will be awarded to any kind soul :-D
There also seems to be a horrid rattle from the gearbox whenever I shift from a gear to neutral, regardless of load or clutch use. I'm not to concerned about that though, as it seems to be ok in gear.
I'm just a tad concernded about the loss of feedback and worrying behaviour from the front when I attempt to turn.
Thanks in advance for any help, some internet beer will be awarded to any kind soul :-D
The vague steering sounds like a classic case of bottom ball joint failure. Although no mechanic, I've experienced it in my old 205 and its pretty alarming as the car would wander without any notice!
Get a pry bar or something similar in the bit where the hub meets the lower suspension arm and check for excessive play.
Get a pry bar or something similar in the bit where the hub meets the lower suspension arm and check for excessive play.
Garett said:
The vague steering sounds like a classic case of bottom ball joint failure. Although no mechanic, I've experienced it in my old 205 and its pretty alarming as the car would wander without any notice!
Get a pry bar or something similar in the bit where the hub meets the lower suspension arm and check for excessive play.
cheers, I'll have a go tomorrow morning, would winding on full lock to help access warp the results or should i just go for jack/spare wheel and sandbags?Get a pry bar or something similar in the bit where the hub meets the lower suspension arm and check for excessive play.
Yeah both really. Ideally have the wheel you're testing off the ground at the time and have the car supported with something other than a jack, ideally axle stands. Just give the ball joints and tie rods a good old wiggle and check for play. There's plenty of YouTube videos of what to look for if you get stuck. It's fairly straight forward so long as you're even halfway mechanically proficient, as I said I diagnosed and repaired my old 205 back in my poorer student days so it can't be too difficult if I managed it!
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