[Adventourer]

A super slick gear shift - now that's something no car has delivered till date. You could actually shift with one finger. No exaggeration. A powerful air-conditioner that could obliterate the scorching Chennai heat.

Comfy large seats and a good suspension that always kept tiredness away - even on long highway drives. And the surprised looks on other drivers faces while you effortlessly keep up with them!

It was rust that finally ate away that nice old car. May its soul rest in parts!

[funkykar]

Originally Posted by Adventourer

A super slick gear shift - now that's something no car has delivered till date. You could actually shift with one finger. No exaggeration. A powerful air-conditioner that could obliterate the scorching Chennai heat.

Comfy large seats and a good suspension that always kept tiredness away - even on long highway drives. And the surprised looks on other drivers faces while you effortlessly keep up with them!

It was rust that finally ate away that nice old car. May its soul rest in parts!

I agree with all 3 points of yours. I personally have loved the first 2 points. On the highways, many a times it can over take other cars at a very nice speed. Just like how sometimes Volvos silently overtake us and we dint even know.

[Nissan1180]

It is heartening to see that some people still respect the 118NE for what it was: A cheap and comfortable no-frills mid-size sedan with a great gearbox and engine.
I understand that the car was prone to corrosion. However, if taken care of during the monsoons, this problem was manageable. We own a 1995 NE, that still has its original paint. It is only after 15 years, that serious signs of corrosion are showing up. Till recently, all we had to do was get the body 'serviced ' before every monsoon. This exercise involved removing all seats and the trims, scrapping off the rust affected area with a file, and applying wax polish to the same. The only part which did require some work was the engine bay, and a few minor repairs were done in 2008 . Besides this, the car has been in absolutely stock condition so far.

[ilangop]

Hi all,
After finding it difficult to find a good pair of wiper blades for my 118 NE, finally I decided to go about modifying the existing wiper arm to accomodate the hook type blades. I happened to notice this type of adaptor (what exactly I wanted to get fabricated) on my colleague's M-800. That same evening, when he wanted to replace his wiper blades I took over those adaptor clamps that came with the new blades. As well I went for upsizing the wiper blades to a 15" one from the recommended 13".
Materials required for a DIY.
1. Hook type wiper adaptor
2. 3.5 mm HSS drill bit
3. M4 - 0.7mm tap (Got a cheap one for Rs 30/- a set) (Had I got that done from a fabricator, he would have charge me even more for the 4 holes. But now, the tap-set is also mine. :-) )
4. Time, took about 2 - 3 hours
One the positive side, the wiped area is more now & the hook type wiper blades are more readily available with any car part shop.
On the fall side, 15" blade take more power to wipe. The arm moves little slower while there is too less water (like in a drizzle) on the windshield. 14" seems to be optimal between wipe area and power consumed.

One can always revert back to the older setup by just getting rid of the adaptos hook and the screws.
-Ilango

[funkykar]

^^ Ilango: You are always up to some DIY when it comes to the 118 NE. I only wished you had time off from your busy office schedules. If you did, you would have done much more wonders when it comes to your creative DIYs. Cant wait to see you when you come to Bangalore.

[Nissan1180]

Respected members,
I have a 1995 NE 118 that has done 105000 kms, and is now suffering from a serious problem.
Yesterday I started the car after about 10 days. As soon as the engine started, I noticed that the sound was very unusual. The car was misfiring and it could not accelerate even in the first gear. I waited for a few minutes and then got it moving with considerable difficulty. The engine did not respond to the throttle inputs at all. The response improved gradually as the engine heated up.
This problem had appeared earlier (about 2 years ago), when the car had done 94000 kms. We got it rectified by using a pair of 'adapters' that separated the spark-plug from the cylinder by a larger distance. The problem was that the piston rings were giving away, and oil was reaching the plugs. Later, we also added Bradhal additive to the engine, and it has worked well for these 11000 kms.
Initially I felt that the problem I faced yesterday was due to a similar reason. However, the car works well after the engine temperature crosses the halfway mark. This was not the case earlier. I will be grateful if you can guide me with the proper course of action in this matter.

[kannan666]

A similar incident happened to my PP also, I have a sure feeling that oil is fouling the spark plugs. While you can get the plugs cleaned and burn off the excess oil on them, you must find out the reason why this is happening. In my case, fixing plug adapters solved the problem, but the engine is burning engine oil but at a very slow rate, so I have let it be for the time being.

[funkykar]

I too had the same issues with my 92 118 NE. Cylinders 3 and 4 were limb. No response. Mechanic suspected valves being jammed. I got the valve work done. It worked fine for a while

Oil was hitting the 4th cyliner and had exact same symptoms, once car runs for 3 kms, it would zoom fine. Until 3kms, I literally couldnt use 3rd or 4th gear. An adaptor for 4th cylinder plug took care of the issue. After 100kms, the problem resurfaced, this time the 3rd one. Put an adaptor and it is working fine.

Get the plugs verified by mechanic and see if he can find if oil has been hitting the plugs and then take appropriate corrective measure.

[ilangop]

Hi all,
Attached the pics of the the retracting seat belt in my NE. The retracting seat belt was from a Mahindra CL550 MDI on which the canvas hood was replaced with a hard top. So thats a new one which I got for free from a friend.
Making a bracket to fix the belt retractor was the difficult part in this. The welded nuts in the body were not vertically placed. So the brackets had to be bent such that the retractor is perfectly straight or else be belt would'nt unwind. Now I feel more safer than with the older seat belt with a plastic buckle.
Cost - Rs 150/- for the bracket alone.
Limitations: The device had to be so carefully placed at a place where seats slides closest to the rear seat. So this might give a chance for the rear seaters to place their foot on the retractor.
The span (height between the top most bolt & the device) is lesser in the CL550MDI as compared to 118NE. Right now I can get accomodated with the available length of belt. A fatter person might feel the belt holding him too tight. Bolting the free end of the belt at a higher location could be a fix. Or a longer belt on the latch side could solve the problem.

Cheers,
-Ilango

PS:
1. Even the 4th cylinder in my NE is burning the oil leaking into the cylinder. Using a sparkplug adaptor is only a way to delay fouling of the sparkplug. It doesn't solve or eleminate the cause. Replacing the piston rings is the right solution. Experts please suggest a brand that makes good & reliable quality of piston rings for 118NEs.
2. Guys, please suggest me an idea to cover the device. A rexin cover with the velcro strip is watch revolving in my mind. Anything out of the box would be appreciated.

[Mpower]

Originally Posted by ilangop

1. Even the 4th cylinder in my NE is burning the oil leaking into the cylinder. Using a sparkplug adaptor is only a way to delay fouling of the sparkplug. It doesn't solve or eleminate the cause. Replacing the piston rings is the right solution. Experts please suggest a brand that makes good & reliable quality of piston rings for 118NEs.

What exactly is this adaptor. Does it move the spark plug higher up and away from the piston?

Reg piston, have you explored the Nissan parts supply chain.

[avishar]

We had a white 138D,not the 118NE.The interiors were the spartan to the bone,although it had a comfortable back seat.The engine worked like a charm and at the last reading it had crossed 1.5 lakh KM over a period of 10 years.The steering was extremely heavy though.

[speedsatya]

How could I miss this thread !!
The 118 NE has always been one of my most favorite cars .The RWD meant this was the best car for some sideways action on the ghats .
About the ride comfort ,what do i say about it .Awesome is the word for it.

And the engine sound when you use engine braking ...nothing like it

Hats off to you guys for loving your 118 NE's this way .

[PAVAN KADAM]

Originally Posted by Mpower

What exactly is this adaptor. Does it move the spark plug higher up and away from the piston?

Reg piston, have you explored the Nissan parts supply chain.

The adapter is used in almost all diesel and petrol cars to move up the glow-plugs / Spark plugs a little distance away from the piston/Combustion chamber.

This is done, when you see back-compression in Diesel cars and in Petrol cars when pistons are warped and oil spraying up on the spark plugs. As a result, the plugs dont get the oil deposits on them and reduces mis-firing. But this will work only for a short span of time, say a 10k km run, run it further the damage is aggravated.

[Nissan1180]

Thank you for your replies. I have seen the plugs, they have a substantial amount of oil on them. The sad thing is that all the 4 cylinders have adapters fitted on them. And cleaning the plugs is a very temporary solution.
I have a fear that this time, the engine has given up it's struggle , after 15 years. The rings may need replacement.
However, I lack the confidence necessary for allowing the engine to be opened up. One of my dad's colleague got his NE overhauled at a reputed garage. Within a few hundred kilometeres, oil was seen in the sump. The car stalled midway. After the incident, the garage did refit the engine, but the lack of reliability makes me shudder to undertake this project.
Has anybody faced something similar on their cars after re-boring, overhauling the engine?

[PAVAN KADAM]

Originally Posted by Nissan1180

Thank you for your replies. I have seen the plugs, they have a substantial amount of oil on them. The sad thing is that all the 4 cylinders have adapters fitted on them. And cleaning the plugs is a very temporary solution.
I have a fear that this time, the engine has given up it's struggle , after 15 years. The rings may need replacement.
However, I lack the confidence necessary for allowing the engine to be opened up. One of my dad's colleague got his NE overhauled at a reputed garage. Within a few hundred kilometeres, oil was seen in the sump. The car stalled midway. After the incident, the garage did refit the engine, but the lack of reliability makes me shudder to undertake this project.
Has anybody faced something similar on their cars after re-boring, overhauling the engine?

Re-boring any engines if done well can be as good as a FRESH NEW ENGINE

You will start facing issues if spurious spares are used during the engine rebuild. Most of the engine work that i do, i get it done at a reputed and a well known lathe, but the parts that need to go into the engine will be always sourced by ME.

Dont fret over an engine re-bore, its safe and works well. Best of luck