Motor

brenda2

Hey guys I wonder can anybody help me. I have a 03 Micra 19,000 miles just out of warranty and have been told that I have a problem with the timing belt and camshaft. The orange light has been on for about a week.

Does anybody know what has caused this problem and how much will it cost to rectify. Also how long do I have before it becomes dangerous and blows up!!!!!:(

Anan1

What did the garage say? How long is the car out of warranty?

brenda2

Its out of warranty since January. Im not really into car talk but they said it all needs to be replaced

wicklah

Well, generally, depending on car type/model, the timing belt needs to be changed at about 50k - 60k mls.

To replace it means taking apart the some of the engine, not a simple job and a very rough estimate of cost would be €600 (probably more).

What are the symptoms, if there is anything wrong with the Timing Belt, your dealer <b>should not</b> have let you back out on the road, cos if it snaps your engine is half busted and your talking thousands to fix.

Personally, I'd go to someone else for a second opinion, if you know or any of your friends/relatives know a decent mechanic, I'd give them a few quid to have a look for you.

I'm not a mechanic so don't take the above as gospel.

Best of luck with it

Wicklah

brenda2

Thanks for that

kluivert

Sounds like your Engine Management Light is on dont drive this car unless its too the Garage.

Look at the light and compare it to the one in the manual and read what the manual has to say about it.

Trust me orange lights means bad news.

Secondly, correct me if am wrong but I thought Micra's had timing CHAINS. I know the old ones did.

A timing belt doesnt cost €600 more like half that, if you get a quote for that then your being robbed.

I got the timing belt and water pump changed on my Astra for 295e..

brenda2

Sorry your probably right about timing chain. Not into this lingo!!

cargrouch

What the...?
19K miles on a timing chain? (It is a chain rather than a belt isn't it?) I was of the opinion that timing chains would do approx 150K? Timing chains are a more expensive job than timing belts.

With a belt I would say don't move the car at all, but a suppose with a chain you may get away with pottering around for a short while. I would wait for the advice of more experienced board members though.

greglo23

i've seen nissans with over 200,000 miles on the original timing chain with no problems. the garage that gave you that diagnosis are not worth going back to. ask around among your friends for a reliable mechanic and get it looked at as soon as possible.

Anan1

brenda2 wrote:

Its out of warranty since January. Im not really into car talk but they said it all needs to be replaced

How much did they quote you?

alanlouthzzr

A '03 Micra definately doesn't have a timing belt. If a chain has jumped even by 1 link it can do damage, but the chances of a chain jumping are very small at that mileage unless something gets between the chain and the gears. Chains with high mileage 'stretch', but this is caused by wear to the seals rather than the metal itself.

BrianD3

Ii've seen nissans with over 200,000 miles on the original timing chain with no problems. the garage that gave you that diagnosis are not worth going back to.

Well just because Nissan timing chains usually do big mileage doesn't mean that they can't give problems at much lower mileage or that the garage is incompetent. If the OP could provide a more detailed description of what's supposed to be wrong with the chain things would be clearer.

It would also be nice if Nissan guaranteed the chain for a certain mileage even though the car is outside the normal warranty period. From previous posts in this forum it appears that Ford are good for this i.e. guaranteeing timing belts in their cars up to the recommended replacement mileage even though the car may be long out of warranty.

greglo23

the duplex timing chains which have been fitted to nissans since at least 1986 do not give trouble that i have ever seen and i have seen a few. when a chain gives trouble the first sign is normally a rattle which gets worse over time. the exception would be opel corsa 1 litre 12 valve models which jump a few teeth causing damage but thats down to bad design. an engine management light coming on can be as simple as a faulty sensor and usually is. if as Brenda2 says the garage and i use the term garage loosely here have told her the timing belt and cam are in trouble on an engine that does'nt have a belt then they are incompetent. as i said already ask among your friends and co-workers for a trustworthy mechanic and get a second opinion before you do anything else.

BrianD3

We don't even know if the garage told her it had a belt or chain as she doesn't seem sure herself. I would have thought the Micra would have a chain but if it's a model with a Renault engine then it's probably a belt. The engine management light might just be a loose wire and the garage might be useless and the chain might be fine but until more information is supplied then it's all speculation both about the problem and the garage. Plus if she goes to her local trustworthy mechanic he may not even have the right diagnositic equipment to get to the bottom of the engine management light.

colm_mcm

isn't it just diesel Renault engines that Nissan use in the Micra in Ireland?

brenda2

Thanks all for your help. I think i will get another mechanic to look at it and will let you all know how I get on..

cargrouch

In the meantime this thread could spin off in any direction!

Just to help it on it's way I'll add another 2cent - I thought the 2 litre diesel was the only nissan with a belt rather than a chain? Eek, didn't know they used some renault engines, can someone identify what models?

Was considering picking up a 98/99/00 almera as a reliable A-to-B machine.