Bargain Basement Motoring

[MattBLancs]

I'd never resist the urge to take the washing machine to bits, normally quite simple disassembly job and the individual bits lighter to handle and generally less awkward than a big awkward heavy box!

Option to make a snazzy stainless steel fire pit for the garden out of the centre bit. Also potential to weigh in the drum drive motor, pump motor, solenoid valves etc for scrap money. The casing yields some suitable steel for future miscellaneous jobs (quite thin e.g. for welding and often a zinc coating to be mindful of)

Thread on driveshaft damaged - ah been there, done that! Careful dressing with junior hacksaw can clean out the grooves with a bit of practice

Matt

[CitroJim]

Sounds like the pinion is half-engaged Neil...

Sticky solenoid plunger perhaps? Mechanical rather than electrical?

Or else the pinion sticking on the shaft?

I'd be doing a strip and clean job on it...

You'd be amazed at how bad a ring-gear can look before it starts to cause grief so hopefully yours will be good for a bit for further service...

[NewcastleFalcon]

Sounds like the pinion is half-engaged Neil...

You'd be amazed at how bad a ring-gear can look before it starts to cause grief so hopefully yours will be good for a bit for further service...

Thanks for the reassuring words Jim!

While it is unfixed it will niggle and my normal approach is to get on and fix it asap, but it's really not that time-pressing to get it sorted, and yesterday's rain inevitably delayed that option, so I will try my best to ignore the niggle and wait for a half decent day weatherwise, and I am not fooled by today's watery sun!

It's going to be a fair weather when I feel like it "play around" if I have any sense. The car is just kept for convenience and van like duties which are easily put off.

Regards Neil

[CitroJim]

I am not fooled by today's watery sun!

A watery sun at least means it's not raining and therefore no excuse to not get stuck in!

It's been a lovely day down here today Neil, hence my long bike ride...

[myglaren]

I think Neil had the right idea today Jim.
Watery sun followed by a lot of watery stuff from the sky.
Neil is 40 miles north of me.

[CitroJim]

I think Neil had the right idea today Jim.
Watery sun followed by a lot of watery stuff from the sky.
Neil is 40 miles north of me.

It still amazes me how the weather can be so different in different parts of our small island... Down here I nearly managed to dry a line of washing...

Rain here tomorrow...

[NewcastleFalcon]

Took the starter motor out of BB Micra this afternoon. Disconnected the battery, and undid two nuts for the electrical connections at the starter motor. Undid two bolts and removed the starter motor, darkness stopped play, photographed the starter motor.

The reality was an irritating nightmare of inaccessibility and contortionism. The end of the starter motor assembly should have a bit of a nose cone on it.

Regards Neil

[MattBLancs]

Oh dear, that is a wierd failure!

Is the missing bit in the bellhousing?

Or more baffling, did someone break that bit off, shrug and then reinstall it without!?!

[mickthemaverick]

Am I right in thinking that this is what it should look like Neil?

BFTW

[NewcastleFalcon]

Oh dear, that is a wierd failure!

Is the missing bit in the bellhousing?

Or more baffling, did someone break that bit off, shrug and then reinstall it without!?!

The starter motor was fitted by me a couple of years ago. The ignition switch is a bit of an achilles heel of the Micra I blamed that for what turned out to be a pretty catastrophic burn-out of the previous starter motor when it failed.
Many bypass the ignition key switch with a push button starter modification.

This seems to have just come on suddenly. Noticed an odd noise coming over Carter Bar on a trip back from Scotland which I presume must have been the initial failure and when we pulled up back home there was a rattle coming from the car on tick over. Stopped and started it a few times while investigating in the dark but it was the next day I traced the rattle to the starter motor.

It was too dark tonight by the time I had got the motor off to see whether the missing bit was in the bell housing. The rattle sounded very much like metal bits getting pinged around.

Am I right in thinking that this is what it should look like Neil?

Pretty much there are a few different ones for the Nissan Micra K12. Mine being the base 1.0 version has mounting bolts one heading towards the engine, the other heading towards the passenger side of the car. In other versions the mounting bolt holes may be in different places.

Not sure what happened, looks like metal fatigue! followed by a bit of grinding of loose bits of metal, or the true implications of what has happened for a straightforward replacement.

REgards Neil

[CitroJim]

The loss of its nosecone is amazing Neil... Never seen anything like that before as it's quite a stout bit of casting...

I'd tend to concur with the metal fatigue theory... Possibly hastened by a defect in the metal composition causing it to be poor quality or a perhaps a casting defect...

It looks almost like it's suffering from a touch of 'Mazac Rot' a condition suffered greatly back in the day when lots of non-structural car bits like lamp housings, trim, badges and mirror stalks were cast in it. It has the structural integrity of a bit of French cheese and rots, even if kept dry. I encounter it in vintage radios frequently and you have to be very careful with it as it can turn to dust and will snap just by looking at it...

Maybe that part of the starter is made of a variety of mazac? If so, it's practically impossible to repair satisfactorily...

[NewcastleFalcon]

Do a quick internet search and you will find many examples of "Starter Motor Broken Nose Cone"

This post from the theminiforum.co.uk has a few pictures

https://www.theminiforum.co.uk/forums/t ... ter-motor/

Regards Neil

[mickthemaverick]

Having seen that post I now have a much better understanding of the job of the nosecone, basically it supports the 'free end' of the motor shaft with a bearing housing. So I expect you to find various interesting bits in the bell housing, into which I'd shove an endoscope for a good look round!!

[Dormouse]

Took the starter motor out of BB Micra this afternoon. Disconnected the battery, and undid two nuts for the electrical connections at the starter motor. Undid two bolts and removed the starter motor, darkness stopped play, photographed the starter motor.




The reality was an irritating nightmare of inaccessibility and contortionism. The end of the starter motor assembly should have a bit of a nose cone on it.



Regards Neil

Looking at the differences in colourisation of the crack line I would hazard a guess that the starter was dropped or struck a while back and that started the initial cracking. Time, vibration and shock loadings from use have created the fresher, cleaner cracking and eventual failure. Is there any access plate/aperture to the front of the clutch to fish out bits?

[NewcastleFalcon]

Is there any access plate/aperture to the front of the clutch to fish out bits?

Not that I have seen so far. I will venture out with a mirror and a magnetic pen and see what's what as it was dark by the time the motor came off last night. I am expecting that a large chunk of the nose cone will be stuck in situ and be a nightmare to remove. Access is awful right at the back of the engine, for seeing and fiddling any debris out. May turn into a bit of a longer term "only when the weather is nice" resurrection if that involves dismantling the bell housing/clutch.

Regards Neil