A free K11 Micra 1.0
Discussion
The things are breeding like cockroaches on here aren't they?
Before we start, my cars have names. I like it.
Brian the E39 540 is for sale and this was too daft to turn down...
Mr Toad was unwanted and being given away to anyone who could provide a home. 19 years of age with 156,000 miles on him he was nothing if not utterly filthy, He didn't smell too bad but he was very sticky, both inside and out!
I took pity on him and offered him shelter, well, an outside space to sit and get even more dirty.
I eventually braved opening his doors and boot properly to see what joys previous keepers had left behind. His bonnet popped open too, revealing an old but generally well kept engine. I managed to poke a hole through the coolant header tank easily. Very easily. New one ordered for £16. Ten minute job to replace.
The seats and cabin space are really rather gooey and grubby. Nothing soggy or mouldy although I'm not sure where the water in the door pull is coming from. An ideal swimming pool for an earwig on a break from making chutney I suppose.
The boot hailed presents! Screenwash, a jack, some random bits of metal, two bungees, remains of the old third brakelight (replacement bought for £13), clothes pegs, a knackered window scraper, wheel nuts, fag lighter socket cover and what I would guess, being of the Young Ones generation, is a little telescope with a mouse in it.
What to do with it? Well, It drives exceptionally nicely, straight and with no funny business. The electric windows, sunroof and central locking all work. The driver door needs adjusting as it shuts with a nasty clonk at the moment, a bend and a twiddle will see it sorted.
Other than the minor technical issues spotted he's going to be cleaned. Massively. Thoroughly. From the moss sealing the sunroof to the life under the seats. Eventually he'll be a toy to zip around B-roads drinking less fuel and being less likely to cost me my licence than the BMW. Until I give in and get an SR20DE (maybe T) dropped in.
Have some "before" pics to get a feel of my project for the next few weeks / months (weather and energy allowing).
Before we start, my cars have names. I like it.
Brian the E39 540 is for sale and this was too daft to turn down...
Mr Toad was unwanted and being given away to anyone who could provide a home. 19 years of age with 156,000 miles on him he was nothing if not utterly filthy, He didn't smell too bad but he was very sticky, both inside and out!
I took pity on him and offered him shelter, well, an outside space to sit and get even more dirty.
I eventually braved opening his doors and boot properly to see what joys previous keepers had left behind. His bonnet popped open too, revealing an old but generally well kept engine. I managed to poke a hole through the coolant header tank easily. Very easily. New one ordered for £16. Ten minute job to replace.
The seats and cabin space are really rather gooey and grubby. Nothing soggy or mouldy although I'm not sure where the water in the door pull is coming from. An ideal swimming pool for an earwig on a break from making chutney I suppose.
The boot hailed presents! Screenwash, a jack, some random bits of metal, two bungees, remains of the old third brakelight (replacement bought for £13), clothes pegs, a knackered window scraper, wheel nuts, fag lighter socket cover and what I would guess, being of the Young Ones generation, is a little telescope with a mouse in it.
What to do with it? Well, It drives exceptionally nicely, straight and with no funny business. The electric windows, sunroof and central locking all work. The driver door needs adjusting as it shuts with a nasty clonk at the moment, a bend and a twiddle will see it sorted.
Other than the minor technical issues spotted he's going to be cleaned. Massively. Thoroughly. From the moss sealing the sunroof to the life under the seats. Eventually he'll be a toy to zip around B-roads drinking less fuel and being less likely to cost me my licence than the BMW. Until I give in and get an SR20DE (maybe T) dropped in.
Have some "before" pics to get a feel of my project for the next few weeks / months (weather and energy allowing).
Edited by Six Fiend on Sunday 26th February 18:09
Edited by Six Fiend on Sunday 26th February 18:53
squareflops said:
looks good dude, I have 2, absolutely fantastic little things. Look forward to seeing more updates.
Alloy wheels, wow they're quite rare on these things!
I've been watching the other threads Alloy wheels, wow they're quite rare on these things!
The alloys, mats and flaps were all extras on delivery - wheels £35 each. They're in need of refurb and again that might be a DIY job depending on my fitness. My joints are going in my hips, knees, shoulders and hands and my spine is iffy too (drugs to keep me alive are finishing me off in other ways!!!). I can only do so much fiddly stuff or grippy stuff before it gets madly painful. Then the morphine and other stuff cocktail sends me to sleep for a day or two.
The Micra is therapy. I have a Golf auto for every day sensibleness so can do this on the better days and it's mostly cleaning, for which I have plenty of stuff.
aw51 121565 said:
Mechanically, these K11s are cockroaches. Bodywise, they rot behind the front bumper (on the cross panel at the bottom below the radiator) and at the rear ends of the sills and behind that area - but weld these areas if they need it, and you've got another decade...
Fine cars to drive, a friend had an L-reg from new.
Mechanically these K11s are cockroaches. They rot etc...
Go for it, you could do a lot worse
. Prefer the K-reg "Bubble" shape though, luddite that I am .
Front crossmember and rear sills have been done Fine cars to drive, a friend had an L-reg from new.
Mechanically these K11s are cockroaches. They rot etc...
Go for it, you could do a lot worse
. Prefer the K-reg "Bubble" shape though, luddite that I am .BuzzBravado said:
Cant wait to see how clean it is after a good bit elbow grease. Looks like a tidy wee car is under all that muck.
I've done a bit of amateur detailing in the past so seeing this as a fun challenge. Like many older cars it's just the dirt that's a real issue. The parts have cost £30. I'm a believer that far fewer people need buy new cars than actually do. Really properly clean it and it'll feel good again.
Love it!
Today was progress day...
Sunshine! Off I toddled to see Mr Toad and start fiddling!
Job one, change the coolant reservoir due to hole! Obviously a bolt snapped off but it's for the air intake and not important now - I'll drill and replace it another time. Cost £16.99
Second job was the clonking door. A bit of hammery bashy techniques with the impact driver meant it was adjusted and now clicks shut.
Third came replacement of the third brake light which had a broken mounting,. Old one had been held in place with duck tape. White spirit used to remove sticky residue then glass cleaned a little. Again a five minute job. Cost £13.
Then it was time for bucket and nail brush, paint brush and cloths. A lot of washing, scrubbing and fiddling took place. The mats were scrubbed with a yard broom,
The boot has been thoroughly cleaned out too and everything put back as it should be.
I took the gear stick gaiter off to wash it and see what lived under there. A mouse judging by the shredded tissue! Thickly I managed to crack the handbrake cover so a new one is on order for yes £13.
Everything was vacuumed and after two goings over it's not bad at all. I can now enter Mr Toad without feeling icky. There is glitter in it! A lint roller should see to that.
Discoveries today include no display on the radio although it works nicely with the factory upgraded speaker option.
Rear screen washer which has been repaired before is not very happy. I suspect kinked or grubby tubing. A bottle of malt vinegar in the washer bottle does wonders for cleaning things through so that's a job for another day.
A speedo bulb is out too. I have some at home so hope one fits.
Next up is the bodywork. The last two pics show the challenge ahead. That black dirt won't scratch off with a finger nail. I feel some kick ass cleaning tactics are on the way.
I've also bought a complete service kit: oil, air, fuel and pollen filters, plugs and oil for a dinky £44.77. That's half the cost of just the oil for the BMW
I'll clean the carpets and seats properly in the summer when they'll dry out nicely, but they're good enough for now.
So far this car has cost £87.76 and 4 containers of elbow grease.
Today was progress day...
Sunshine! Off I toddled to see Mr Toad and start fiddling!
Job one, change the coolant reservoir due to hole! Obviously a bolt snapped off but it's for the air intake and not important now - I'll drill and replace it another time. Cost £16.99
Second job was the clonking door. A bit of hammery bashy techniques with the impact driver meant it was adjusted and now clicks shut.
Third came replacement of the third brake light which had a broken mounting,. Old one had been held in place with duck tape. White spirit used to remove sticky residue then glass cleaned a little. Again a five minute job. Cost £13.
Then it was time for bucket and nail brush, paint brush and cloths. A lot of washing, scrubbing and fiddling took place. The mats were scrubbed with a yard broom,
The boot has been thoroughly cleaned out too and everything put back as it should be.
I took the gear stick gaiter off to wash it and see what lived under there. A mouse judging by the shredded tissue! Thickly I managed to crack the handbrake cover so a new one is on order for yes £13.
Everything was vacuumed and after two goings over it's not bad at all. I can now enter Mr Toad without feeling icky. There is glitter in it! A lint roller should see to that.
Discoveries today include no display on the radio although it works nicely with the factory upgraded speaker option.
Rear screen washer which has been repaired before is not very happy. I suspect kinked or grubby tubing. A bottle of malt vinegar in the washer bottle does wonders for cleaning things through so that's a job for another day.
A speedo bulb is out too. I have some at home so hope one fits.
Next up is the bodywork. The last two pics show the challenge ahead. That black dirt won't scratch off with a finger nail. I feel some kick ass cleaning tactics are on the way.
I've also bought a complete service kit: oil, air, fuel and pollen filters, plugs and oil for a dinky £44.77. That's half the cost of just the oil for the BMW
I'll clean the carpets and seats properly in the summer when they'll dry out nicely, but they're good enough for now.
So far this car has cost £87.76 and 4 containers of elbow grease.
Edited by Six Fiend on Thursday 2nd March 18:13
It was sunny yesterday wasn't it?!
Time to give Mr Toad a bath. This was a very basic wash, no actual physical contact between me and Mr Toad, just a hefty showering with some Power Maxed not very diluted!
After letting it soak for a while I blasted a lot of muck off. See the difference inside the fuel filler! Looking a lot happier Mr Toad only leaked a little which was due to old door seals and high pressure water being blasted from about 2 inches away.
I didn't get all of the black spotty muck off the roof but it's a start and another couple of washes should see everything gone.
The observant will notice the slight hole in the underside where there was a welded patch. A patch just to get it through an MoT rather than a solid repair. I know this from the handfuls of loose rust which came out!
Before anything else is fixed / serviced there's a trip due to the man with the bright glowing thingy to see what can be done and for how much. The repair needs to be effective rather than pretty so no fancy respray.
Then, if all goes well, a service and an attack of the very peeled manky wheels.
Sadly the Karcher gave up the ghost after 17 years of faithful service cleaning many many cars. The repair parts will cost more than a new power washer.
Time to give Mr Toad a bath. This was a very basic wash, no actual physical contact between me and Mr Toad, just a hefty showering with some Power Maxed not very diluted!
After letting it soak for a while I blasted a lot of muck off. See the difference inside the fuel filler! Looking a lot happier Mr Toad only leaked a little which was due to old door seals and high pressure water being blasted from about 2 inches away.
I didn't get all of the black spotty muck off the roof but it's a start and another couple of washes should see everything gone.
The observant will notice the slight hole in the underside where there was a welded patch. A patch just to get it through an MoT rather than a solid repair. I know this from the handfuls of loose rust which came out!
Before anything else is fixed / serviced there's a trip due to the man with the bright glowing thingy to see what can be done and for how much. The repair needs to be effective rather than pretty so no fancy respray.
Then, if all goes well, a service and an attack of the very peeled manky wheels.
Sadly the Karcher gave up the ghost after 17 years of faithful service cleaning many many cars. The repair parts will cost more than a new power washer.
squareflops said:
Looks great dude! rust aside they're still fantastic cars. Hopefully the repair doesn't cost too much.
Those wheels are very reminiscent of Escort Cosworth alloys - so that's cool!
Thanks, the little bugger is getting under my skin! We have a friendly welder who does things functional and solid so fingers crossed.Those wheels are very reminiscent of Escort Cosworth alloys - so that's cool!
A friend said the same about the alloys, similar but s
tter 
(they are a flaked and festering mess close up!)HTP99 said:
Interesting thread as I'm looking for one of these for my youngest.
The MIL had an L plate for over 10 years and it never let her down, finally it succumbed to rust.
There are plenty out there it's just trying to find one for the right money and with no rust advisories on the MOT.
The visibility out of it is what I like! Everything inside is fairly robust and well screwed together.The MIL had an L plate for over 10 years and it never let her down, finally it succumbed to rust.
There are plenty out there it's just trying to find one for the right money and with no rust advisories on the MOT.
Mostly they're front crossmember and sills jobs. This one has had issues with both and both welded. If it was a tasty one I'd have a new crossmember as they're cheap if a touch fiddly to do. Anotherposter has done one and written it up.
AWG said:
Premium 95! Where would one buy this?
Loved my old Micra, served our family well. 197,000 miles before it's end.
Great thread.
You mean the Power Maxed?Loved my old Micra, served our family well. 197,000 miles before it's end.
Great thread.
All over the place. I bought a 5 litre concentrate in Halfords. £14.99 these days. It's fab stuff, lots of good reviews on Detailing World and from my friendly local detailer
.bigandclever said:
Six Fiend said:
AWG said:
Premium 95! Where would one buy this?
Loved my old Micra, served our family well. 197,000 miles before it's end.
Great thread.
You mean the Power Maxed?Loved my old Micra, served our family well. 197,000 miles before it's end.
Great thread.
All over the place. I bought a 5 litre concentrate in Halfords. £14.99 these days. It's fab stuff, lots of good reviews on Detailing World and from my friendly local detailer
. Doh!An interesting experience as a "Bus wker!" resulted in Mr Toad being collected and coming home. This means I can tinker a little at a time with access to all my tools and things in the man shed.
First job was the aerial mount. Hard cracked rubber and corrosion so rubber cut off, a quick clean up and a coat of black Hammerite before being resealed to the roof with some silicone sealant. Goes on white, dries clear. It was that or buy another one, lower the roof lining, not be able to get it to fit quite the same etc...
Sunroof had various flaking bits around the main body and the panel itself so again the loose bits removed and then repainted with Hammerite.
Driver's door mirror casing was broken having been repaired previously when Mr Toad was rudely assaulted. I got a bit Super Vet and screwed a flat plate to it. It doesn't fold now but at least it doesn't rattle. Better than shelling out £15.
Washer nozzles - I hate the buggers. Rear one removed and soaked in distilled vinegar resulted in a part success before the needle I was using to adjust it snapped off in it. It's also spewing water back into the car so a replacement is on order - £12.
One of the front nozzles has also quit but I've found a pair of universal fit nozzles for £5.98. Beats £20 each if they fit. Might need a bit of jiggery pokery but that's part of other fun!
I've had a quote for the sill repair. The preferred garage now has houses built on it so I'm having to shop around. Another place quoted £150 -180ish. At the top price the car would stand me in at around £280 and shouldn't need anything else spent until the MoT in July. I'll hunt around though.
I decided to check the bulbs in the speedo etc. as it all seemed a bit dark at night. An easy job which was free as I managed to cannibalise some spare bulbs from a loopy VW Passat I owned 11 years ago. The dash pod is held in by 2 screws. Pop that off and 3 more screws release the instruments with just one connector to unplug. The bulbs are easy to take out. All but one were blown. That was the easy bit. The pod removal revealed much more dirt and a little more coke and stickiness!
It seemed sensible to take the perspex front off to clean it properly. At this point the temp gauge needle got knocked and went awry. Best check the mechanism behind. Easy enough, just pop the back off. The missing screw should have been warning that someone ham fisted had been in there before.
As I popped the back off, the speedo gears popped out as the housing wasn't secured. Cue one spring and 3 gears on the table and an hour of fiddling to put it all back only to find it didn't work. Strip and repeat over the next 30 mins. Finally all back together the speedo needle now has a 5 second shudder when the ignition is turned on or off. However, it works and the dash seems to light up correctly!
I gave the windows a quick clean and hung up a proper air freshener (no, not a feu orange!) so I can pretend I still drive a big leathery lounge
The washer jets for the front arrived and work nicely. However they didn't fit securely. A dab of silicone sealant has seen to that.
A quick one of the fleet...
ker!" resulted in Mr Toad being collected and coming home. This means I can tinker a little at a time with access to all my tools and things in the man shed.First job was the aerial mount. Hard cracked rubber and corrosion so rubber cut off, a quick clean up and a coat of black Hammerite before being resealed to the roof with some silicone sealant. Goes on white, dries clear. It was that or buy another one, lower the roof lining, not be able to get it to fit quite the same etc...
Sunroof had various flaking bits around the main body and the panel itself so again the loose bits removed and then repainted with Hammerite.
Driver's door mirror casing was broken having been repaired previously when Mr Toad was rudely assaulted. I got a bit Super Vet and screwed a flat plate to it. It doesn't fold now but at least it doesn't rattle. Better than shelling out £15.
Washer nozzles - I hate the buggers. Rear one removed and soaked in distilled vinegar resulted in a part success before the needle I was using to adjust it snapped off in it. It's also spewing water back into the car so a replacement is on order - £12.
One of the front nozzles has also quit but I've found a pair of universal fit nozzles for £5.98. Beats £20 each if they fit. Might need a bit of jiggery pokery but that's part of other fun!
I've had a quote for the sill repair. The preferred garage now has houses built on it so I'm having to shop around. Another place quoted £150 -180ish. At the top price the car would stand me in at around £280 and shouldn't need anything else spent until the MoT in July. I'll hunt around though.
I decided to check the bulbs in the speedo etc. as it all seemed a bit dark at night. An easy job which was free as I managed to cannibalise some spare bulbs from a loopy VW Passat I owned 11 years ago. The dash pod is held in by 2 screws. Pop that off and 3 more screws release the instruments with just one connector to unplug. The bulbs are easy to take out. All but one were blown. That was the easy bit. The pod removal revealed much more dirt and a little more coke and stickiness!
It seemed sensible to take the perspex front off to clean it properly. At this point the temp gauge needle got knocked and went awry. Best check the mechanism behind. Easy enough, just pop the back off. The missing screw should have been warning that someone ham fisted had been in there before.
As I popped the back off, the speedo gears popped out as the housing wasn't secured. Cue one spring and 3 gears on the table and an hour of fiddling to put it all back only to find it didn't work. Strip and repeat over the next 30 mins. Finally all back together the speedo needle now has a 5 second shudder when the ignition is turned on or off. However, it works and the dash seems to light up correctly!
I gave the windows a quick clean and hung up a proper air freshener (no, not a feu orange!) so I can pretend I still drive a big leathery lounge
The washer jets for the front arrived and work nicely. However they didn't fit securely. A dab of silicone sealant has seen to that.
A quick one of the fleet...
Spinakerr said:
Great work. Common sense and sensible fixes are always the answer to K11 issues. Can't wait to see the glorious Decepticon green restored.
I'm definitely going to follow your example in cleaning the speedo perspex, although I really want a version with a rev counter at the same time. Hmmm.
Cheap and sturdy my fixes I'm definitely going to follow your example in cleaning the speedo perspex, although I really want a version with a rev counter at the same time. Hmmm.
Speedo perspex pops off without removing the clocks. Just take the shroud off and it then unclips.
Washer jet on the rear arrived today so that's now sorted.
Time for some quick service items:
Air filter:
Plugs:
Fuel filter, some brown tinted fuel came out of the lower section:
With those done the engine runs far more smoothly although I do appear to have lost the massage seat function at idle (it was a tad lumpy / vibey)
Next up came the pollen filter. These are well hidden on the K11 and to do the correct way is pain in the arse. Being as it's 19yrs old I took the direct route used by many owners. Pop glovebox out (two clips twist and pull) to reveal a plastic wall in the way:
Cut down far left dotted line and bend plastic back revealing housing:
Unscrew cover and pull out the filthiest filter I have ever seen, and I've cleaned out a few 5-series E34s in my time:
Throw a bracket and two self tappers at it:
Ask previous owner if she'd like her sock back (it was behind the glovebox):
There we are, clean enough to use, everything working and all serviced apart from the oil & filter change which will have to wait as my rotator cuff is somewhat demolished and crawling under cars is a no-no. The oil on the dipstick is still a good colour as is that in the filler cap.
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