Hello Greetings from the US!

1. offizieller Beitrag

    Hello! I hope with translation software we can connect and be passionate together. I have just started my love for cars, maybe 4 months ago. My grandpa is an oldies car enthusiast, and gave me a 1987 nissan sentra sport coupe se 5 speed manual — with 100kish miles —. It has not been driven from its lot in the poor sun since 2018, and I am determined to make it my first project car. It is beautiful on the inside.

    B12 rocks!


    I got the engine running with some starter fluid into the carburetor, and it started up for a moment. I have a lot of things I think i need to do to the car but I have never worked on a car before. I am here for wisdom, and here to learn.

    • Offizieller Beitrag

    Welcome, language wise will work, as most germans speak a little english, some more some less.
    If you have trouble to understand something, just ask. Sometimes some of us write in a german slang, google will have trouble to translate.
    We just re done the forum, and we thougt about a international foreign part anyway, where english will be mandatory.
    Just did not happen yet.
    Wish you all the best for your car project. Sentra is called Sunny in europe and there are little differences in details, electronic, lights, steering wheel, engines, etc, as i know. But all those variants are explained in the nissan garage manuals.

    Please post pictures from the whole car, and the engine, if you like.

    • Offizieller Beitrag

    Welcome kiwi!


    Your project sounds awesome, and thank you very much for joining and supporting the international community in our little board! We will introduce an English-only section on the forum to make it a bit easier for our non-German speaking members to ask questions.


    The Sentra is a great car to get started with learning how to work on cars. In fact, also for myself, a B12 was my first car, and I learned basically everything from it. When I first got it, the engine bay was a strange place full of cables, hoses and everything, and by now I restore B12 coupes from time to time and do every job myself, head gaskets, transmission overhauls, welding, body work, etc.

    So it's indeed a very cool project, and best of luck for getting it running!


    What engine does it have? You can find an overview here: Das Nissan Sunny Coupé

    Most US Sentras came with the E16i engine, which is a central fuel injected engine. The good thing is it already has an ECU which you can read out, which should help troubleshoot why it won't start. If it starts up with some starter fluid, that is already very good. That means that the ignition system and timing belt and stuff is working.

    Hey! appreciate the warm welcome.


    I am not where the car is anymore, i'm about 2000 miles away from it so the pictures I have are what I took, not now knowing what I should have taken.

    The engine seems to me to be the e16i, as it has the carburetor on top and looks nothing like the Ga16i engine bays I have seen in this forum. As I am far from the car I can not work on it physically, but I can better my understanding of the car and how it works. Do you all have any recommendations on how to access a starter manual for my 1987 sentra coupe se?


    Some problems that I can remember that I need help brainstorming solutions to... The gasket inner lining was fairly weak, sun-damaged, and in some places falling out. How can I remedy this?


    The dash is cracked from sun exposure. I have put in a windshield sun blocker to hopefully lessen further damages. The poor car is out in a lot about to be brutalized by 100-110*F temperatures until I see it again :(.

    The paint coat is speckled thoroughly by small bits of plant material that seemingly have evaporated/decayed, and left behind rust stains. TRAGIC. Is a paint coat the only solution? it is an expensive solution for sure, from what I have heard $3.000 is an estimate i should take.

    Some of the rear lights were cracked, the middle one i remember vividly had the smallest, spider thin crack but it was enough to loosen the different sections to make it an uneven surface.


    Any advice on what to research in my meantime? I want this car running by the end of the summer. I want to bring it home.


    ONE MORE THING. Sorry I know it is a lot but a lot is on my mind,

    I think my first modification besides getting the car running, is to install different speakers into the system, as this sound system is bound to be dust ridden and poorer quality than the intense sound systems of modern, nice interior cars. Any place I can look for specific speakers, or should i look to install a seperate system and void the other one, just ignoring it


    Here are the photos I have, they are minimal and I will try to have a friend take some closer ones.

    • Offizieller Beitrag

    Engine note: the e16i(njection) is a single point injector. There are also carburators of the e16 out there, called e16s. Not sure this version was sold in US though.
    Common issues with the e16i after standing still a long time, is either gaspump or injection got stuck.
    First would be to listen to the rear, when tunring the key to ON. There should be a noise for a few seconds (the fuel pump) and then a tiny "click" sound from a relais beneath the steering weel, which will stop the fuel pump. Check fuel level, perhaps even change fuel if it´s very old.
    if there isn´t anything like this, check the fuel pump.
    But if that sounds just fine, open up the air intake and just watch if there happens any fuel injection, while someone else starts it up.
    The injector can be cleaned in a sonic cleaner and should then work again, btw. (before doing so, ask for detailed how to, if you´re not 100% sure about.)

    Without seeing it, i am pretty sure, it´s either the injector got stuck, or the fuel pump.
    Iin rare cases the injection electronic did not work (had that once in decades).

    the easiest (not best) way to get decent sound, is to put a console in the rear, in younger days i made a shelf with speakers and amps and cd changer.
    little efford, completely removable and interchangeable between my cars, if needed.
    Further audio our xanti0 is the man to ask here.

    nice rims, very rare in europe.

    i am just tearing down a e16i car, if you like, and i find the time, i can show how to get the injector out and in.

    • Offizieller Beitrag

    Very nice car! The two-tone paint job is super rare, and looks very Japanese. My favorite color for the Sentra coupe.

    You most likely have the E16iengine.

    To diagnose the starting problem, I assume indeed some issue with the fuel pump or the injector. Try reading out the ECU - here's a manual (use google translate): Fehlerspeicher auslesen



    The pictures are not very clear, but I think that paint can still be saved. First off, you would need to get rid of the gum. Wash the car as clean as possible with water to get rid of all the sand that could damage the paint.

    Second, use some chemical to dissolve the tee resin. If I remember correctly, I used alcohol and cellulose thinner for that. It is a long and painful process, and you must be super careful to not damage the paint.

    After getting rid of the resin, you will probably still have some color differences in the paint. Try a paint polisher to see if you can remove them.
    I think it will be worth it, that color looks super nice once polished. A few hours of work, but not much cost.

    In reply to Icefire, I will try that exact course of action once the car is in a garage, right now it is landlocked in between a lot of cars , and a trailer. I did not know about the two-tone history, thanks for the education and it makes me appreciate the car that much more.


    the problem with it being surrounded by cars, is that I can not get at the fuel system of the car. The fuel that has sat in this car is a mostly full tank roughly 4 years old. I think I need to uninstall the fuel tank, clean it, clean the fuel line with air pressure, but all of that needs some space around the car, or ideally a garage. My instinct is to not to start the car again with the 4 year old gas in it until I have cleaned it. Then doing the tests that lightshark mentioned with listening for the fuel pump. I have no clue how to clean any of that but that is what makes most sense to do, can not determine if it is a good engine without good fuel is how I am thinking.


    Lightshark, you said that there were carbureted versions called the e16s, I know that it has a carburetor because that's what my grandpa and I sprayed starter fluid into to get the engine to momentarily start. I am a bit confused on the difference between e16s and e16i now :/.


    Thanks Bat22! the wheels are a bit beat up right now, does anyone have tips to detail and restore them to mint condition? Speaking of wheels I want to better understand the suspension of the car, I know that is supposedly has a rear sway bar, but I was also looking to put coilovers into this car, and camber the wheels by 1/2 degrees for cornering purposes. I want to lower the frame onto the wheels by a bit also, can anyone help lead me into this?


    ----


    Being so far from the car is making it hard to understand how to best proceed, my first goals are as I have detailed: address the question of the fuel and repair that, then reassess. What do you think? let me know below :D

    The e16i isn't a modern type of injector, there is only one injection port where the carburator normaly would be.

    Central injector, is the term for that, or single point injection,spi.

    It looks like a carburator but it is no. In the middle of the intake is a odd Brown plastic Thing.

    Right under that sits the injector.

    If you have the car ID number, we can perhaps get the motor code from Nissan Software.

    Cars with catalytic converters, as US cars early where,should have the injector engine.

    Pretty Sure about that.

    Accesing the injector is not complicated at all. You can remove it,Clean it with ultrasonic cleaner and it should work again just fine.

    I will do a quick how to video perhaps.


    The fuel should still Work, wouldn't Change that First. Had cars standing much longer and never changed the fuel.


    Stuck injector is number one, and chances are good, it runs after just that.

    • Offizieller Beitrag

    Having a look at the inside of the fuel tank is probably a good idea. You don't have to drop the tank for that, no worries.

    Remove the rear seats, and underneath you will find a metal plate bolted in place with four 10mm bolts. Underneath, you will find the fuel pump, which is mounted using a few 6 or 8mm screws. Be careful with the hoses, they are a bit hard to remove.

    A few years old fuel usually doesn't matter, as long as the fuel tank is not empty. I drove cars home that had over 10 years old fuel in the tank.


    Regarding lowering, some people fitted coilovers from the N14 Sunny. I prefer to use lowering springs with new shocks, that doesn't look too aggressive and handles nicely. Of course, that depends on the style you like.

    hey guys! I’m back with the car. It is e16i, and i can confirm the odd brown plastic thing. I’m sad bc the paint is not in good condition upon further inspection. I just got back to the car yesterday, and took more photos. The glove box is inoperable. The gasket lining around the car is in need of repair, and so is some of the tint in the rear. I have checked the local library and they have a haynes manual that contains the 1987 nissan sentra information, so I am checking it out later today. I’ll be able to read very detailed descriptions of everything, but I do not understand any of it, too inexperienced. I need to learn.



    I also discovered that one of my wheels and tires is a spare :(. I either order another gti rim or have to go to new wheels and tires, undecided on this until i sort the engine.


    pictured below is what i’ve described

    Hello! I am back with a small update.


    Car progress wise I have removed the fuel pump and upon looking at it needs cleaning, maybe fixing and hopefully not replacing.

    The fuel tank on inspection is quite dirty so I will have to jack up the car and drop the tank and clean it. I noticed a small orange tube in the fuel tank, assuming it was attached to the fuel pump to bring fuel to the motor.

    I cleaned the outside of the car using some automotive car cleaner, and diluted it in a bit of water and rubbed with a rag on the paint and with #0000 steel wool on the glass

    .

    as you can see i managed to dent the hood while cleaning it >:(. I am very dissapointed in myself but whatever it adds character right? righttt?? haha well I'll take a better picture tomorrow of the clean two tone but this is the one photo I have of the paint post-cleaning.


    here is the fuel pump removed.


    regarding the swap dreams I have, I have been making a social butterfly of myself and have been attempting to grow relationships with a bodyworker/painter, and a couple mechanics in town. So far they've all been supportive and wish me the best, and I love that. I'm trying to work out if one of them can help me swap, so far its all very early planning stages but he's smart and determined hopefully he is dedicated 2 me and my project in a couple weeks i'll have another update.

    • Offizieller Beitrag

    Don't worry about the dent, there are some body shop experts that can fix that without respray. I think it looks much better than before. Don't be hard on yourself. We all learned some things the hard way with our first cars. Don't give up please :)


    I am surprised to hear that you are using steel wool on the glass. It's the first time I've heard about using that. Won't that leave a lot of scratches?


    The fuel pump looks pretty okay from the outside. After sitting for so long, it could have been worse. I don't fully remember how the fuel pump looks like in detail, but I assume the orange pipe you found somewhere belongs there.

    Does the pump starts working when you apply 12V to it?


    If you want to go engine swap, there are usually two(+1) routes:

    - go for more power, then the usual CA18/SR20 engines come to mind. These are fun engines, but also slow by today's standards.

    - go for more retro charm, and get one of the super rare E15ET turbo engines. Fuel injection, turbo, and a super rare cool little engine.

    - stick with the OEM E16i engine, it is quite robust, still fun to drive due to high torque at low RPM, and cheap to maintain/repair.


    I personally have both (an E16i B12 and a CA18DE B12), and I love them both. I wouldn't be able to decide which one I like more. I am still hoping to find an E15ET one day. Some B12s in Japan came from factory with that engine, and had some cool "Turbo" decals all over the car. Very 80ies. :D

    I wont worry about the dent at all, ittl be fixed in time. It's quite the reminder that I should be careful about my craft and not rush it at all because I'll live with a mistake a lot longer than the saved time.

    Thanks! The paint looks good and once I learn how to buff it out I will and the whole car should shine. I started to work at a bodyshop and paintshop as a guy's assistant who my grandpa knows for a good time. He is trusted by all the old people with their cars, today for example a guy with what looked like a 56 chevy two door convertible was explaining the problems in the paint and body. While this was happening a guy who was a old style glass expert showed up and removed the windshield the 50's ford pickup the guy and I were working on. I was amazed! He did it so confidently and so quickly on such an old vehicle, a show vehicle. This guy seemed like the perfect guy to help with the heat damaged gasket lining around the car. I'll make sure to contact him down the line, I made sure to chat him up about my interest in cars and his job.


    The guy who I'm working for suggested the quadruple zero --#0000-- steel wool on the glass, and it did not leave a scratch. I'll take some photos tomorrow and share!


    My grandpa gave my fuel pump to a guy he knew and he was able to get the fuel pump working and operational with "good power" - my grandpa! how much i love him :0 very appreciative of his efforts and connections. He also said thast the fuel pump's "sock" that connects the tube to engine bay to the fuel pump will need to be replaced, which is what I think you are mentioning with that dropped hose. He said that he also found the part, I'll know more tomorrow.


    So next up will be jacking the car up and placing it on ramps to drop the straps holding the tank, and the tank itself. My grandpa suggested bringing the tank to have someone steam clean the tank. Personally I think that I could learn to clean the entire fuel system myself. From my understanding there are 5 simplified parts.


    -- hose for fuel intake > tank -- tank -- -- fuel pump -- hose for fuel pump > engine bay -- engine bay > fuel injector.


    I think i can clean the hoses with compressed air, water, and then 99% isopropyl alcohol, which will just burn with the fuel if there is residual. The tank I think I can do a similar routine. The fuel injector/ injector system is what I do not know how to clean.



    I have discovered the Ca18 or Sr20 to be the power option seeked most frequently. I have considered this, but I am currently forging my own path. I have a contact who was suggesting a honda b18 swap, he and I are going to talk a bit more tomorrow. E15et A very interesting piece of history, I think i'd like to see it but I do not think it is for me or the project for me. I want to try going for a honda route, or use a car from an impound lot as the donor. On the 16th there is a 1997 Nissan Maxima GXE on auction I was thinking about, hmm what If I swapped this in? V6, pretty small engine bay by the looks of it, 190 hp 205 torque. Any wisdom? Thats where I'm at so far.

    • Offizieller Beitrag

    The fuel filter should be changed too.

    Whats wrong with the tank, that you plan such a effort ? It´s pretty work to get it out, rear stabilizers must be removed too, to do so.
    But the tanl has a drain screw underneath, so you just could stick your arm in in it and clean it old fashioned, and rinse with some fuel, and back out trough the drainage hole. That´s how i would do, if necessary. never did more than chnaging pump, filterand cleaned the injector.

    Is this the fuel filter? b12-club.de/attachment/11203/


    or is it whats detached in the tank, attached below? You can also see how filthy it is attached below, hence why I think I need to drop it to clean it all. I looked in a haynes manual from the library and saw those rear stabilizers w/o getting under the car, and I do not want to have to remove that, but if i do no problem. I just do not know torque specifications or how retightening it safely works. After I sort through these two things, sometime in two to three days. I do not see a drainage hole these photos I took today.



    Zitat von Icefire

    I think it looks much better than before.


    I forgot to take a photo of the paint cleaning work I did, I'll do that tomorrow.

    I don´t see either on that pics, look from underneath, there is a screw on the underside.

    I won´t worry to much about that dirt, it´s filtered anyway, what would be sucked into the pump. Nothing will harm the engine for sure.
    The tank itself looks nice to me, some dirt on the floor is pretty normal, especially after such a long time.

    Fuel Filter is in the engine compartment, a silver cylinder, back, little left. nearby to the brake cylinder.
    (There is only one left and right, foreward and aft on a car, so left is where you would call a tyre to be left side.)

    If the car is running, and you still want to give it a clean, it won´t run away, like we say in germany.

    I will look today for the drainage screw. What is the implement inside the tank? part of the fuel pump that I broke off when extracting the fuel pump? Yeah I might just try to give it a start once i figure out what the broken sock on it held, i think it is what dropped in the tank. Once I have that reattached I will turn the engine over and see if it just goes. Then I'll check the fuel injector, I think I found diagrams of them. Check attached photos.


    I think that is the fuel filter then?

    First Pic is about ignition. Important, but not the first thing to fix, after long standing time.

    Second pic is the Filter,the silver cylinder. (nothing i would take care off, at this point. I have cars running for decades just fine, never changed that.)


    The injector dis-,and reassemble out of my Manual.


    The Injector, working principle


    Fuel tank and parts



    Sorry that it is a german Nissan manual, but today we have pretty good text recognition, and if that does not work, you can type it into a translator software.
    Important Headlines translated for orientation.
    "Kraftsstoffeinspritzventil" or "Elektronisches Einspritzventil" = Injector

    "O-Ringe" = rubber seal ring

    The electronic contacts on the injector cover are VERY easy to bend, be careful, do not rush ! line up properly when re-assembling.
    You should use new seal rings, no clue where to get new ones, i always took the old ones again.

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