n reg nissan micra 1.0eng 16 valve shape.the car started pulling back, lasting around 1 second, occasionally as if resisting acceleration.this occurred for about a week.i put more oil in the engine prior 2 travelling and engine not start first time as usually did.on the journey started cutting out when slowed down which never did previously.car cut out and would not restart. engine not firing although seemed to turn.also the timing chain needs replacing and told this is the reason not fire up.am thinking of paying for timing belt but have read that timing chain will not cause stalling so wondering if just plugs as well or something more expensive.reluctant 2 scrap vehicle as prior 2 this totally reliable for more than 5 years.but think something else as well or instead of timing chain as i had a micra previously and the belt broke with no prior warning.

helen, June 2008

Googling gives the following possibilities
1) Distributor cap spades not connecting well, and HT cables old and shorting out somewhere
2) Flooding due to the coolant temp sender (or sensor) But many checked this and it wasn't the problem
3) The MAF Mass Air Flow device giving false reading that sends too much petrol when cold

My opinion is that something is telling the fuel pump to send too much petrol. Its not always one thing though.

Flooring the accelerator and cranking agonisingly the engine for a while just about starts mine. But I miught need to take out the plugs to air them and replace.

steve anston, August 2013

hi i have a nissan micra 2005 with 106.000miles on the clock it is misfiring on the second cylinder i changed the spark plug but it is still misfiring, tested the spark plug which is firing but when you put it back in the car is still mising any help will go along way thanks

tony, June 2013

I have a 1996 k11 micra [bought it 4 years ago] and preparing for the worst, i ALSO bought a replacement engine with its ancillaries, gearbox ,ECU etc from a breakers .

When my micra developed similar problems to above ,ie engine cutting out

[after following the shortest route directions on my sat nav through rough terrain eventually coming to a halt in flooded inescapable tractor rutts and getting shoved/nudged out by a passing good samaritan with a landrover at the expense of my tailgate ]

I started to swap parts one by one [carburetta or whatever it is called ,temp sensors ,distributor , thermostats ,ecu,etc] even though it seemed self evidently like a fuel starvation problem with the engine starting well then accelerating before cutting out after 5-30 seconds

I tested the pressure of the fuel pump at a point just after the fuel filter[output] in the engine compartment, it indicated normal fuel pressure and the fuel pump in the fuel tank under the rear seats could be heard running/buzzing two or three seconds after the engine cut out , never the less I decided to remove and examine the fuel pump and pressure test it only to find it perfect ,on reinstalling the pump, after what seemed to have been a pointless exercise i then noticed [it pays to be slow and observant] within the flexible rubber fuel tank entry return pipe at about 1 inch from the end a white sticky substance which turned out to feel and look like chewing gum I removed it using a long screw whilst pinching the rubber in order not to push it further in

Now my micra which had been getting increasingly sluggish before the final bumping through rutts pushed the gum allong the fuel return line to block the tank entry spiggot causing it to become unroadworthy is whizzing along again

Was the the gum deliberately used by a repair garage to create future work or was it bad work shop practice using gum to temporarily block a fuel line while conducting work on an engine ?

The car had been repaired by myself for four years only to be out of my sight once when left in for mot welding three years ago.....hmmmmm

will bort, July 2012

hi its awesome again I forgot to say youse will need to get that replaced them youse will be fine the black switch.

awesome, May 2012

HI Guys that's an electric fault with the car nothing else there is a black switch located near the top back end of the engine. when looking from the left hand side. my Micra had the same problem. previous owner told me this prior to buying the car.

awesome, May 2012

i have a 2004 micra i got fuel pressure but i just checked how good the spark was and it sparks on inital turn over but only for about 5 seconds, then if put the plugs back in and leave it for half hour then start it will run for 5 - 10 seconds then cut out
any help would be appreciated

dave, February 2012

my nissian won,t start it won,t spark i tried all the things i can think of coil etc

anya, February 2012

Got a similar problem with my micra m reg. When i approach lights or stop seems like its loosing power and just stalls. To stop the car from stall i rev the engine and it stays fine. I've realised this usually happen at night when i put the lights on. Any help...

sim loharn, July 2009

try the throtle body theres a thing called a dry solder that gose wrong i have indetail instructions and pictures on how to fix it if you wont them e-mail me its michaelpanty@aol.com

michael, March 2009

Hi My issue seems to have been solved. The garage replaced the ignition switch. It starts fine now

MikeF, January 2009

hi hellen im a motor mechanic.it sounds like your fuel pump.if u have a mechanic there ask them to test the fuel line presure then to move to the next step
to try and work out the problem.
let me no how u get on
tc bye

kazim, December 2008

Could the issue be with the fuel pump. I have the same issue and the local nissan garage has done all the checks and have still not found anything. A breakdown mechanic who came to help me the first time said Nissans were renowned for this issue. The short term solution was to remove the 15A Fuel Pump fuse.

MikeF, December 2008

most probably the' points' replacer (transitor ) pack has gone! mines dun the same, guess the answer is get a distributor from a breaker!

graham, November 2008

My nissan is doing exactly the same as this too. Started a few weeks ago, and would suddenly drop in power when accelerating (as if stalling) - always at low speed. but kept going OK. Then started cutting out when at lights. Now won't start at all. Did you work out what was wrong, and more importantly how to fix?

Chris, July 2008

My S reg Nissan Micra is doing exactly the same thing and I am at my wits end, all the things Ivan suggests my mechanic has done and it has not fixed the problem. It catches when I'm driving it, almost as though I'm slipping the clutch, does this for a while and then loses all power and cuts out from about 60mph down to a stall. It is obviously a design fault on the car, it is disgraceful Nissan can get away with this. My e-mail is tiamaria_princess@hotmail.com if you want to keep in touch, maybe between us we can figure out how to sort this out.
Kate

Kate, July 2008

Hi Helen,
I read about your problems with your Micra. I owned a Micra K11 shape.
May I offer a few ideas/thoughts since I have worked on my car and know a little about the car.
Firstly; The cam chain is unlikely to be the cause of the problem. In my Haynes manual it does even mention a replacment interval.
I can offer some suggestions(this is educated guessing without seeing more details ).
Foreign matter in the fuel. Look at when the fuel filter was changed ?
look at the state of the spark plugs- Are they oiled up? Or shorted? Other things to check/ Spark plug leads cracked ? Look for blue sparks shorting to earth. Best done in low light conditions- dusk. the car has electronic ignition so it very reliable part of the system. it is worth checking the state of the Distributor cap/ Any multi connectors in this area should be checked for tightness and security.
one final check : look at the security/tightness of the battery connections? also look at the spade connections to the battery connections.
So you can see there are lots of things to check ! If I was a betting man I would suggest the root cause is an ignition related problem.
I hope these ideas help ?
Yours sincerely Ivan

My e.mail is ipbrooker@btinternet.com if you need any further help.

Ivan brooker, June 2008