Nissan Sentra SLX '89 Restoration

**ghosthunter** · October 4th, 2007 03:52 PM

Originally Posted by o0o_tomkat_o0o

my mechanic told me that he already fixed the aircon (cleaned and added dreon). but it's still not effective during daytimes especially during afternoons..i'm thinking maybe it's the weather nowadys as compared before..

..and may car's not yet tinted...

You can try have the aircon guy at Auto-Centro, Cubao take a look at your A/C system. My car's a/c was barely cold on hot days. Brought it over to his shop and he fixed the a/c. It's cold, very cold even on the hottest of days.

**Masterplan96** · October 4th, 2007 10:53 PM

Well o0o_tomkat_o0o you've got one of two problems - either your mechanic didnt fix the aircon properly and you should see a professional or your aircon is working fine but your engine is overheating. Check your engine temperature gauge when you switch on your aircon - if it goes way above the middle mark then your engine is overheating. Even on the hottest of days the needle of your engine temperature gauge should hover around the 50 or 60% mark with the aircon on - it should go down slightly when you're driving quickly along the highway. So if it goes way above that mark when you switch on your aircon then you should have your coolant in your radiator checked and your cooling fans checked. Cars that are quite old and dont have their radiator coolant flushed and replaced with new water and coolant every year usually have very clogged radiators after several years - like mine did before I started driving it

So I took a trip to Ace Hardware and back then they were selling Prestone heavy duty radiator cleaner. It's a two part cleaner - one half contains a powder that melts the rust and calcium and anything else that is clogging the radiator tubing - the other half contains the stuff that removes the cleaner after it has finished cleaning the inside of the radiator. It's an easy to use system as long as you know how to flush and clean a radiator.

Let the engine cool for about an hour
Drain the radiator by unplugging the plug at the bottom of the radiator and the air bleed plug on the engine
Flush out any remaining coolant with a hose
Re-plug the radiator and the air bleed plug on the engine
Fill up the radiator and pour in the first half of the Prestone heavy duty radiator cleaner - the cleaning powder stuff - it's an acid so be careful with it especially near paint and animals.
Run the engine for 15 minutes to circulate the cleaning agent properly
Drain the radiator and flush again with the hose
Fill up the radiator again and pour in the second half of the heavy duty cleaner - the stuff that completely removes any remaining cleaning powder - keep this stuff away from paint and animals too
Run again for 15minutes
Drain and flush the system one last time
Fill up the Radiator with "soft" water - this is water that has been distilled to remove any calcium in the water. You can get this from gas stations and is the water that you use for car batteries. You can also use mineral water that has no calcium content but the water for car batteris is much cheaper.
Add the correct amount of coolant - read the instructions on the back of the container of the coolant you bought

Prestone Heavy Duty cleaner really really really works! And is really really cool to watch when it starts cleaning the radiator - when you start pouring it into the radiator it immediately starts melting the rust and calcium inside the radiator. The radiator on my ex-B12 Sentra was never replaced - that's a 15 year old car with the original factory radiator still attached with no leaks. Prestone is the stuff to get if you want to restore your radiator to full health. Of course you can get a professional to do it for you just make sure that they dont offer to take your radiator apart and stick metal rods in it to "remove" the calcium and rust - cause that will never work! That's what they do on jeepneys and you dont want to do that on a car. My friend who used to own a US 240SX stupidly did that and he ended up ordering a new radiator from the States. Waste of money.

You should also have your radiator fans checked to make sure they work. The main fan - the big one - should switch on when your engine starts to heat up - keep your fingers and clothing and animals away from the fans cause these switch on without warning. Your auxilliary fan switches on whenever your aircon compressor switches on. So just start your engine and see if your auxilliary fan switches on when you turn on your aircon. If it doesnt - then you need a new one obvsiously because your engine wont be able to keep cool with the extra load of the compressor. But when your compressor switches off because the inside of your car is cold enough the auxilliary fan will also switch off - so dont worry if the auxilliary fan switches off once in a while. Same with the main fan - if your engine is cool enough it'll switch off once in a while too. My ex-B12 would run silently parked day or night as the radiator would keep it cool and so the main fan would switch off. But once moving or the aircon came to life the main fan would start. That's how you can tell if your radiator is healthy - the radiator alone can keep the engine cool as long as its not moving and the aircon is off.

So like I said at the start - get your aircon checked by an expert in case your mechanic overlooked something or get your cooling system checked as it might be the reason why your aircon gets warm during the day.

Nissan aircon systems are faultless when working properly and also when the cooling system of the engine is doing its job properly. Even on a hot day without tint the air coming out of the vents should still feel cool.

**o0o_tomkat_o0o** · October 5th, 2007 06:19 PM

*ghosthunter - i'll check that place this weekend on my day-off. maybe my mechanic overlooked something when he checked the a/c..

*Masterplan96 - i can see some rust coming out of the radiator when i'm filling it with water. my mechanic already cleaned it with soap and water when it got clogged 2 weeks ago (and resulted to engine overheating even when parked). but i'll buy that Preston cleaner and when i go to my mechanic this weekend, i'll tell him to use it when he cleans the radiator..
but i learned how to clean a radiator through the steps you gave me..hehe.. thanks for sharing that..

a different topic,
there is always water on the floor on the passenger side. when i placed newspapers on every side, i noticed that the water was pouring from the side where the a/c is. it's almost near at the center of the car. i'm thinking that like house a/c's, car a/c's also have water exhaust/outlet..and that may be the source of the water that's coming inside the car and almost literally flooding the floor (passenger side only)..
would you guys know the reason?. i'm not yet sure if it's the a/c or something else...(i'm always bringing newspaper everyday to work just for this..

anyway, i'm bringing the car to my mechanic this saturday to have it cleaned because the emission testing center told me that its CO is 11.95% and the only allowed percentage would be 4.5%. so in other words, i wasn't able to get a new registration for the car and will be coming back this Monday

.

i'm glad you guys are answering all my questions here. and thank you for sharing your ideas/comments. your comments help me learn things about the maintenance and stuffs of my car..

p.s. my heat gauge's not working so i don't have way to know the cars' temp..is it important to have a working temp gauge?(the only gauge that i think is working is the gas gauge).. i'm using the car only when i go to the office (marikina to ortigas)..

**o0o_tomkat_o0o** · October 6th, 2007 04:51 PM

[SIZE=3]Brought my car to my mechanic this morning to have an oil change, oil filter and sparkplug replacemen and exhaust pipe cleaning. then i baught a carb cleaning spray. so hindi na kailangang tanggaling ang carburator. and nakita ko nmn na it works..

..papasa na raw sa emission test yun pag dinala ko sabi ng mekaniko...[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]Grabe! car motor oils are expensive. it cost me P800 for 4 liters of oil. plus a new oil filter.sabi ng mekaniko e pa-sprayan ko na lang daw sa gas station ng pressurized air yung air filter para malinisan...3 hours later, tapos na..tanggal ang almost 80% ng CO...[/SIZE]

[SIZE=3]when i was waiting for him while he's cleaning, i noticed that the source of flooding inside the car (passenger side) is the water outlet of the a/c. it's stuck inside the car so all the water was dripping inside..

..i'm felt stupid not to notice that before..hehe...[/SIZE]

[SIZE=3]ok, now, my mechaninc told me to buy a sending unit (i dont know what its like so i dont know if i typed it correctly) he said that it's for the temp gauge so i would know the temp of the engine especially when the a/c is on...he said i can buy that in surplus shops..and also a hand break cable because its only the right side that's working that's why i can still move the car even when the hand break is up...[/SIZE]

[SIZE=3]last update is i'm planning to buy a new batt next from my mechanic to have a separate source for my stereo so i can still play the stereo even when the cars off..aksaya kasi sa gas pag naka-on ang engine kahit naka-park lang..my mechanic knows a seller of Outlast batts and can buy it for P1500-1600, brand new / maintenance-free..[/SIZE]

[SIZE=3]thanks for your comments. i told all of those to my mechanic if in case he doesn't know..hehe..[/SIZE]

**Masterplan96** · October 7th, 2007 01:30 AM

Hehe well that's good that your car will now pass its emissions test. Usually the B12 sentra will not pass the emissions test due to a dirty filter, dirty carb or carb that is not properly tuned. Dont ever allow your mechanic to take the carb apart - it wont work properly the way it used to. If the carb is really broken then it's best to buy a new or surplus one. You either tune it, clean it with carb cleaner or replace it with a new/surplus one. If ever you want to get it repaired allow only a Nissan Mechanic/Technician to do it - but even he will probably tell you that it would be cheaper to have it replaced.

Dirty filters need the occasional tap against a wall or burst of compressed air from a gas station to keep them passing air properly to the carb. As for tuning the carb, you can do this by turning a screw at the back of carb of the GA series of Sentra engines that adjusts the amount of fuel that is entering the carb. Too much fuel will give your engine a rich mixture of fuel and air and you end up with a poor emission test because you're not mixing enough air with your fuel and so you produce lots of CO2. Also its a waste of fuel and robs your car of power. Too little fuel will produce a lean mixture and will also rob your car of power but atleast you're gonna produce less CO2. The optimum mixture is the correct ratio of fuel and air - known as the stochiometric ratio. I think it's something like 14:1 (parts air to parts fuel) - this is top-of-my-head stuff so I'm not 100% sure. But this ratio also depends on the tuning of the engine itself. The screw thing (forgot its name) at the back of the carb is factory set so you really dont need to mess around with it. But if you advance your distributor cap timing by 10 degress or so, you can squeeze out some more power by also adjusting the air-fuel ratio. I used to do this on my ex-B12 when I wanted to take on some Civics

, but I only did it by "feel". The correct way is to use an exhaust gas analyzer like what is used to test your CO2 emissions and a dynamometer if available and if you have the cash. As I said - you dont need to do this as the screw is factory set - only if you're interested in tuning your engine for more speed.

There is a way to check if your carb is mixing the correct amount of fuel with air and you dont need a gas analyzer - just a sparkplug wrench. First you need to search the net for a chart that shows pics of sparkplugs in engines that have different fuel mixes and engine problems. There is always one pic that shows the correct color on the tip of the sparkplug when the engine is properly tuned and is receiving the correct air and fuel mix. Basically the color of the sparkplug tip will tell you a lot about the condition and tuning of the engine - F1 mechanics regularly check sparkplugs from their F1 cars. It's pretty much the only way to see what is actually happening inside each cylinder of the engine as the air and fuel mix and burn. In the simplest way - dark colored tips are a sign of too much fuel being burnt or not enough air getting into the engine (a dirty air filter is usually the problem). A very light colored tip indicates a possible lean mixture. Other colors and conditions of the sparkplug tip indicates other problems - its best to get that chart. The correct air and fuel mixture and a healthy engine produce a light brown colored and good looking sparkplug tip. This color should be seen on all sparkplugs. Ask your mechanic to clean your sparkplugs or you can clean them yourself using a bronze/brass brush - dont use a steel brush as it will chip the tip and ruin the sparkplug, I know from experience

These brushes are cheap and can be bought from hardware stores. Always remember to let the engine cool before removing the sparkplug. Let your mechanic teach you how to remove the sparkplug and put it back properly without over tightening it.

As for your dripping problem - this is due to the hose coming from the condensor in the dash board - the coldest part of the aircon system. If the hose is not connected to the hole in the firewall of the passenger cabin then the water dripping from the condensor (it's called a condensor because water condenses on it) hose has got no where else to go except on your floor. But if the hose is connected properly, then check for the leak coming from the plastic casing that surrounds the condensor. A blocked hose can also cause the problem - allowing water to build up in the condensor casing and overflows everytime you speed up or brake, again I know this from experience

.

Changing oil is somewhat expensive - but you should read the manual of every car. Because the manufacturers recommend changing the oil every 3-4 months! I actually used to change oil only once a year. As long as you have a good oil filter, some good oil in your engine - motul, valvoline, mobil and the others - then your engine will be fine. I have a classmate who didnt change the engine oil in his Mazda 626 for 8 years! And he was wondering why the engine had a hard time starting on cold days!

**Masterplan96** · October 7th, 2007 01:49 AM

Oh by the way - the sending unit delivers the signal from the engine to the temperature gauge of the dashboard - you definitely need that to get the temp gauge working.

If you want to know if you need a new hand brake cable - just check the height of the hand brake when you've parked the car. When you pull the hand brake up it makes a clicking sound right? Well new cars with new hand brake cables and new brake pads only need a few clicks to firmly apply the brakes and keep the car from moving. So if your hand brake makes a lot of clicks and points to the sky when you apply it, then you either need new rear brake pads or a new hand brake cable. But if you do have new rear brake pads and a new hand brake cable but you're still able to move the car with the hand brake applied, then it only means one thing - your engine is fine and so is your clutch disc

You've still got a strong engine and a healthy clutch disc. But you have to do this in 4th or 5th gear - because doing it in 1st and 2nd gear is just cheating and 3rd gear is still pretty easy for the engine to do. But doing it in 4th and 5Th gear tells the truth

Dont do this everyday though or you'll just wear down the clutch disc....once every few months should be ok.

**o0o_tomkat_o0o** · October 9th, 2007 04:12 PM

i had the car restest in the emiision testing in lto aguinaldo yesterday and surprisingly, it came out as 2.41% in CO (from 11.96% the last time i brought it)..but when i brought it to a LTO inpector, he said that the engine number on the CR is different from the one etched on the apllication paper. when i checked it, the new engine wasn't changed when the previous owner (my officemate brought it for registration last year)so he said i have to go to manila east branch to have it change..

..another problem.. i thought it'll be finished that day..
my officemate told me that when he brought it last year the inspector there told him that it's ok not to change the engine number printed on the cr because it's already been registered with the new number in their system and that he had a complete paper for the engine change..

my officemate told that he would accompany me to manila east to have it register this thursday...hoping things would turn out fine..

and last night, a friend visited my and checked out my car.. he ask me if i will change it to a power steering. i told him that i don't know the price to have it change to power steering and would first have it repaint and remove all the rust inside and out.. then he reffered one of his friend who's doing repaint at P28k (negotiable)..it sounds great but i won't be able to do that untill next year (unless there are repaint shops who's accepting card)...

that would be the next step i'm planning to take for my car...

regarding the hand breaks, a friend told me that "Nisway"(or whatever its spelling is) in Liaya near Sta. Lucia is selling Nissan parts. he told me that it costs P700+ while the sending unit costs P350. my mechanic said that i can get those stuffs from surplus shops at cheaper prices. i don't know if it's fine to sacrifice branded items for surplus stuffs...
but i'm going to check them both this sunday...

p.s.
went to Ace hardware and i saw a gas tank cap with lock..but i dont know if im going to get the 37 or the 36 mm size...and i don't know if it would fit the tank....the cover isn't working anymore so it opens evertime i turn the car and i think it wouldn't be safe for it to be easily opened especially in our place.. do you know if those universal caps would fit on a B12 gas tanks?...

**chololab** · October 16th, 2007 06:34 PM

Originally Posted by o0o_tomkat_o0o

my mechanic told me that he already fixed the aircon (cleaned and added dreon). but it's still not effective during daytimes especially during afternoons..i'm thinking maybe it's the weather nowadys as compared before..

..and may car's not yet tinted...

*tomkat, adding freon will not fix your a/c. have someone check your evaporator, drier, and cooling coil. there are a lot of a/c shops (reliable an cheap) in your area.

**Masterplan96** · October 17th, 2007 12:01 PM

*Tomkat - Seriously have your aircon checked by an AIRCON TECHNICIAN - you might have a leak, need a new drier or condenser or even new compressor. But it might just be a simple leak that's causing the freon to leak from the system. Because if the mechanic had to add more freon - then hey you probably have a leak. I never had to add freon to my aircon system - only when I had an actual leak.

And as for the post that said that you need to change the oil from Serpentine to a laminated one and pay 4500 pesos? Well I dont think so. Because for all the years that my family had the B12, 1991 to 2005, we never ever used a different oil - it was always Serpentine. And the aircon was always strong. So dont change that oil because I personally never had any problems with it - and it is what Nissan uses for the the B12 aircon system - so why change it if it works perfectly fine???

And please - Have your aircon checked by a TRUE CERTIFIED AIRCON TECHNICIAN! Para tapos na un problema mo sa aircon!

You're only wasting time and money whenever you have your aircon "repaired" by someone who is not a real aircon technician

Kapag may problema ako sa aircon ko - deretso ako sa aircon shop - fixed ang problem the same day. Dont have to go back for more fixing. My next visit is usually a couple of years later kapag may leak ulit or kailangan cleaning. Simple.

Oh and by the way for the hand brake cable and sending unit - surplus parts are still original Nissan parts - its just that they are taken off surplus or junk cars. But they are still genuine Nissan parts. But the best is to get a new one if you can - especially the hand brake cable - but the sending unit is ok kahit surplus lang.

**o0o_tomkat_o0o** · October 17th, 2007 01:44 PM

Originally Posted by Masterplan96

*Tomkat - Seriously have your aircon checked by an AIRCON TECHNICIAN - you might have a leak, need a new drier or condenser or even new compressor. But it might just be a simple leak that's causing the freon to leak from the system. Because if the mechanic had to add more freon - then hey you probably have a leak. I never had to add freon to my aircon system - only when I had an actual leak.

And as for the post that said that you need to change the oil from Serpentine to a laminated one and pay 4500 pesos? Well I dont think so. Because for all the years that my family had the B12, 1991 to 2005, we never ever used a different oil - it was always Serpentine. And the aircon was always strong. So dont change that oil because I personally never had any problems with it - and it is what Nissan uses for the the B12 aircon system - so why change it if it works perfectly fine???

And please - Have your aircon checked by a TRUE CERTIFIED AIRCON TECHNICIAN! Para tapos na un problema mo sa aircon!

You're only wasting time and money whenever you have your aircon "repaired" by someone who is not a real aircon technician

Kapag may problema ako sa aircon ko - deretso ako sa aircon shop - fixed ang problem the same day. Dont have to go back for more fixing. My next visit is usually a couple of years later kapag may leak ulit or kailangan cleaning. Simple.

Oh and by the way for the hand brake cable and sending unit - surplus parts are still original Nissan parts - its just that they are taken off surplus or junk cars. But they are still genuine Nissan parts. But the best is to get a new one if you can - especially the hand brake cable - but the sending unit is ok kahit surplus lang.

i'm going to canvas a good and descent a/c shop here in marikina.
i'm also checking that "nisway" my friend's talking about. he said it's in Ligaya in Marcos highway near Kamay-Kainan. he said they're selling genuine nissan parts. hope i can find hand break cable and a sending unit for B12 there...

oh, i'm finally done with the registration. its the old engine number (E13)thats printed in the OR but they said its ok because mmdas and police wont check the engine number because its an old model of car. that what they usually check are the new ones. (it had an engine change but the new wasn't printed on the OR/CR when it registered lat year..so we have to look for the original owner of the car to have them sign (again). and we couldn't find the owner because it was like six years, i think, when the car wa sold to the second owner)..

...

Update:

My girlfriend stuffed the car with four stufftoys (and more to come)..

..
its becoming more of a Toy Kingdom than a car..and my friends are adding more too...