About to buy a Pulsar

New to the Nissan Pulsar Forums? Introduce yourself here
Post Reply
Bennytheball
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Mar 11, 2019 12:46 pm

Post by Bennytheball »

Hi All,

Joined the forum to do some research as I am about to buy a Pulsar. The vehicle had just arrived at the dealer when I took it for a test drive. Loved the car, n-tec spec with 20,000 miles. I paid a deposit and since the then the salesman has called to advise that the car needs a new engine! While preparing it for sale as a Intelligent Choice vehicle they found it faulty. They contacted Nissan who may be willing to replace the engine; didn't say if whole engine or part of it. I'm still considering buying. What would you advise? I am aware of the problems with the 1.2 Dig-T...have any of you had an engine repaired? Has it been a successful repair?

kt53
Posts: 626
Joined: Sun Nov 13, 2016 4:29 pm

Post by kt53 »

"They contacted Nissan who may be willing to replace the engine". Hopefully stating the obvious, but if they don't replace the engine you must get the deposit back and walk away. Before making a decision you need to know exactly what they mean by 'replace the engine' as from what I've read there have been different levels of rebuild right through to total replacement.
Bennytheball
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Mar 11, 2019 12:46 pm

Post by Bennytheball »

They are getting back to me with a response from Nissan....will update when they do.
janjim3
Posts: 7
Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 9:39 pm

Post by janjim3 »

Not had any problems with mine (touch wood) 2015 1.2 Dig-t other than mpg ranging from 35 to 43 per gallon which I find disappointing. Had the car for 7 months now and to be quite honest I wish it had been a 1.6 Dig T as it is very thirsty over 70 mph. Getting back to your problem, only accept an engine replacement on the condition that the whole complete unit is replaced...…..do not compromise.
Bennytheball
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Mar 11, 2019 12:46 pm

Post by Bennytheball »

Advised today that the dealer should have a response from Nissan tomorrow. Will walk away if not a complete engine replacement.
syneman
Posts: 99
Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 9:45 pm

Post by syneman »

I have heard some earlier Pulsars have had some bogus Renault engines with problems. Luckily mine is not one of them. Otherwise they are quite good engines.
Deleted User 667

Post by Deleted User 667 »

Pulsars have had some bogus Renault engines with problems
The 1.2 DIG-T engines are re-badged Renault TCE based engines. Nothing bogus about it, it is exactly what they are.... Renault engines.

The problem is well known to be a piston/piston ring issue where the sizing was incorrect. The problem resulted in either a small or large amount of oil burn depending on the severity of the problem. At first, Nissan attempted a tuning fix, but where oil loss continued, offered either a 'replacement engine' (AKA short block), or piston ring replacement. However, most people don't check their oil often enough, didn't see the loss of oil and ran their engine dry which resulted in further damage.

I have first hand experience of this having had a Qashqai with the same issue. I managed to get a short block replacement (although piston ring replacement was quite a common fix as well). Whilst the engine seemed fine, don't forget that what they are doing is removing the engine and rebuilding it. In my case, it resulted in a further oil leak (externally due to a missed oil seal on the pressure sender), as well as the air con pipes being disturbed and caused a fault with that. I later checked on the MOT and spotted that the Qashqai failed an MOT shortly after I traded it in.

If this was me, I would be walking away and demanding my deposit back. Whilst yes, the car should be in a good working state, IMHO, it isn't worth the risk and the fix will only be as good as the mechanic's abilities, or the exact history of the failure. Even if you are offered a short block, if the engine was ever ran dry of oil, the head and turbo will be at risk from oil starvation. It might not be immediately obvious, and if the mechanic doesn't do a full inspection, it could leave you high and dry. It is highly unlikely Nissan will authorise a *complete* engine replacement.
Post Reply