Nissan Primera gets a wash, contains waffle

Join me for a gentle, relaxing video in which not a lot happens. I just wash my Primera (one bucket) and chat with you while I do it. I also discuss why the SR20 engine pulls so badly below 3500rpm, so if you've any thoughts on that, let me know. I've sprayed carb cleaner around so fairly sure there's no air leak.
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Don't forget to like the video if you like it, and share with your friends if you really like it! Thank you all.

[@mileswilkins2849]

Like the format - bit like when you turn up at a mate's and chat while they carry on cleaning their car.

[@rayjennings3637]

I wouldn't expect the Primera to be on the fleet for very long because it's a half-way decent car!

[@VDPEFi]

Considerably more reliable than the Birmingham motor works 75 hehe

[@jbenekeorr]

I can't explain why I get so much joy from watching someone chat while cleaning their car, but I do.

[@Karl_Burton]

Same

[@Soupyxo]

a large number of primera's fell victim to the early 2000's trade in scheme, where they mostly either got scrapped by dealers, or stacked on disused runways to rot... the sad reality is, a lot of good cars got scrapped around that time

[@greengrass9572]

Most were put on container ships and exported to Africa.

[@Soupyxo]

@@greengrass9572 an equally sad ending to a lot of really unique and fun cars

[@torresalex]

@@Soupyxo No! Being exported to Africa is a good thing. People in Africa never really have access to nice cars and have to depend on the surplus of other countries. At least the Primera is a reliable, durable car.

[@Soupyxo]

@@torresalex id love to agree, but the road conditions in africa beg to differ , they can be rough on even the most all terrain vehicles

[@mrdoofa9357]

The scrappage scheme was a crime, a desperate crime. So many perfectly serviceable and interesting cars were needlessly scrapped to try and encourage people to buy a new diesel and look what’s happening to them now.

[@01jvb]

Hi Ian. You're often saying " this car isn't going to be on the fleet very long". But the Primera is an excellent family car and daily driver for you, and it's old enough to start becoming interesting for us too.

[@david1976aful]

We don’t need a warning about waffle, it’s one of the reasons we’re here. We only need a warning when there isn’t waffle. 😂👍

[@TheBiggerburger]

Here for the waffle, would like a warning if video contains kids!

[@highpath4776]

I prefer Pancakes

[@martinfreekie7659]

But, I come here for serious mechanical advice!.😄

[@owensteele1274]

Indeed. The more waffly HubNut videos are the best!

[@saxon-mt5by]

Thank you for washing the Primera, Ian, that's saved me from washing my car.

[@neilgent1595]

Going to shamelessly pinch this excuse for not washing my car too. Thanks

[@rjwilkinson1965]

Same here

[@leeallen7491]

Reminds me i need to clean my R8 it's minging

[@oldclassiccarUK]

It's reminded me that I need to do my missus' car, mmmmphh 😁

[@malcolmmorton989]

"primera-ly" ... I saw what you did there

[@ajpbradley]

MAF and hesitancy - have you tried unplugging the ECU or taking off a battery terminal for 20 mins or so? Now the MAF is clean then it might need to re-learn the engine parameters.

[@owensteele1274]

I'm getting Paul Dolden Detailing vibes watching and listening to this video. Indeed it's amazing how far my mind wanders when cleaning my car.

[@jeffhughes1318]

I am, to say the least, a "two bucket type". I don't get upset though, I just wince a lot!

[@charliejohnson4037]

Once you go two bucket, you don't go back.

[@BarryAllenMagic]

Roads in Japan are indeed as smooth as silk; with the speed limit on most of the expressways (motorway) road network set to 100kmh (62 mph); but just a sedate 60kmh (37 mph) on most other roads. They are also extremely good, polite drivers. There are also major restrictions on ANY street parking. The Japanese also keep their cars in immaculate condition. Having driven a hired Campervan there, it was an experience to say the least!

[@plym1969]

Who knew that man washing a Primera ( #nothissierras) could be so entertaining. Says a lot about the presenter!

[@tridaks]

Looks pretty good; I must say I'm quite impressed with the wash/wax process here- not the usual HubNut "ooh that didn't pan out how it was supposed to" experience! :-)

[@billbutchart5632]

Jeez can’t believe I’m watching hubnut washing a car. I need counseling 😂✌️✌️

[@I-T-S-M-E]

touché

[@dombooth86]

Awesome vlog love the format reminds me of the other weekend when I popped round to a mates house & perched on the fence with a beer while he washed & waffled.... We deffo need to see a hubnut worthy camper van join the fleet best of both worlds for ms hubnut

[@Ratty_Rex]

A very good video. Hubnut cleaning and very interesting thoughts of cars, future of fleet and fans that get frustrated. 🤣🤣 As someone that used to spend 8 hours EVERY Sunday cleaning their car.... now I spend 18 mins every other month...... its upto you how you clean your car I say.

[@HowardLeVert]

What is this "cleaning your car" of which you speak? Apart from a wipe of the lights in winter I haven't washed my BMW in 18 months, much to the disgust of my BMW/Audi/ Lexus driving neighbours...🤣

[@royster211085]

Warn us when there is no waffle, we come for the content, stay for the waffle! Keep it up, love the channel

[@jarthurs]

Be careful when protons start multiplying. It means something is about to go critical! ☢

[@cmartin_ok]

I thought that Protons were more-or-less extinct in the UK now, they stopped selling them over here years ago although they are still very popular in Malaysia

[@duringthemeanwhilst]

spotted a mint looking silver 96 (P) Metro around Swansea today. not seen one in ages :-)

[@spainter1985]

Could the lack of torque be just a case of being used to the turbo diesel engine in the 75? As far as I can tell from the specs, the Rover has roughly 100nm more, presumably delivered at a much lower RPM too.

[@seanturk1484]

I had a P10e Primera series 1 2.0eGt 1994 with the SR20DE 150 bhp engine. You are correct about no torque below 4k but it flew from 4000-7800.

[@miketherefurbisher8000]

Nice to see you doing something with Primrose the Primera !!

[@lesrogers7310]

Ian, if you are indeed 'old' as you say then i am ANCIENT!

[@gaddmeister]

You can't get rid of Gisele! She belongs to Ellie! 🤞 You can get rid of the rest before those two. Oh and keep Foxanne and TWK. The rest don't mean as much. Everytime you get in Gisele, you love her!? 😍

[@BrorAppelsin]

Way back when I had an Almera with the SR20DE engine I fiddled with the static ignition timing to make it respond better. Can't remember the values but the stock setting was very conservative and bumping it for about 5 degrees did help a bit.

[@highpath4776]

See Salvage Rebuild's channel, similar engines 6deg BTDC, perhaps works.

[@shaunharte3922]

i loved my late dads nissan cherry he owned many years ago was also very reliable he actually used it for mini cabing for 2 years of its life.

[@nickis_speedshop]

I do wonder... Does the Primera have a Camshaft position sensor? I had a Volvo that would behave strangely at low-ish RPM, but once that was replaced, all was fine

[@johnshellard6201]

Please don’t get rid of the GSA!! Such a cracking bit of kit, it is a little bit of Citroen history and so few left.

[@michaeljones1475]

Agreed, I had a 1220 Club in 1974, it was a 1972 reg, but only had 6,000 miles on the clock. Shamefully I sold it a year later and bought a Sunbeam Alpine sports, worse decision of my life, that car blew the engine when the con rod went straight through the block. A previous owner had reconditioned the engine and put a 3 bearing con shaft in instead of a 5 bearing one, as it was a 1725 cc engine. So Ian, please keep it as it's such a great car and will only appreciate.

[@kevinkeeney6693]

I love the GSA. As a Yank, I remember Car & Driver test driving one in the mid 1980s and thought back then that the styling was unlike anything on the road in the US. My friend's Dad has three flat 6 Chevrotet Corvairs, so I politely disagree that having two flat 4 Citroens is excessive.

[@robinwells8879]

I have a late 90s 4 berth Elldis that you are always welcome to borrow. We are well placed for the Norfolk coast too. This episode has reminded me that I love a good car detailing video......so I am off to see if I can find one!😉🤣

[@terryatkinson3182]

Very good of you to offer. Send him an email, it's more private that way.

[@robinwells8879]

I can’t find the email address at the minute but I have a feeling that Ian is a reluctant camper!

[@HubNut]

Sorry. Missed it first time. [e-mail]

[@robinwells8879]

@@HubNut no apology required. I will ping you details.

[@iatsd]

10,582 people have just watched someone wash a car and chat. I can't help feeling that I should be mildly concerned about this in some way. I'm just not sure in what way.

[@stephenholt2893]

My Primera had a stretched timing chain that made that feel like it was missing, also the rev counter would “flutter”

[@tonys1636]

At least you had the luxury of an hose pipe, often had just a single bucket when having to wash it in the local multi storey car park to be out of the sun. The auto carwash at the petrol station next door to it was nearly always broken. Did try using the fire hose reel once but turning it on set the fire alarm off and three fire appliances turned up! I went as red as they were.

[@so-roadkill]

Haha cheers for the not my sierras lol ty for the great reply

[@ianstewartorr8455]

Scarborough is beautiful that’s where we’re going this year the advert for that primera if you remember it’s a drivers car so drive it greetings from Scotland 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

[@kevanparker908]

I owned the last Nissan Primera 2 litre SLX automatic (as per website how many left), had it five or six years. Finally got rid when the immaculate body and interior machine which never went wrong failed its MOT on rampant rust underneath. Got £200 for it at a used car supermarket where used cars are freely available (Hint of the name?) My son traced our car which obviously had been auctioned to a garage 50 miles or so away they wanted £600 or so for it. He then traced it had been MOT tested and later had six months tax then it disappeared of the DVLA website so it may have been scrapped?

[@robertsedgwick1629]

oh look the primevil has the mounting plate for a maypole cycle carrier on its towbar

[@gosportjamie]

When I had my P11 Primera 1.6 Si, I found that using Bosch multi-electrode spark plugs made a huge difference to how the engine ran in general and particularly to how it pulled from low revs, which was very useful with the car being used largely in town. It also made a big difference in the fuel economy, as you would really need to be giving it a good kicking to get the fuel economy below 40mpg with the Bosch plugs...

[@jdnrotterdam2150]

My grands pa had a bordeaux red nissan primera sedan. Like this one. With a 2.0i engine. A/c 4 electric windows. He used it for his caravan. It was a strong and nice car.

[@TheStwat]

Have you not used any of your OBD2 reader connection things to read and clear any codes?

[@TheGourmetSnapper]

Apart from checking the obvious for mechanical issues, have you tried Cataclean? I've used it before to give the fuel system a clean and remove carbon build up, especially before MOT time if I've not driven much on motorways or at reasonably constant / higher revs for a while. It may help the engine being hesitant and holding back.

[@darrenhalsall2838]

Hi ean if the mass sera flow sensor is working and u u heve clead it u nead to get new wone

[@simonrawle7885]

it depends on the size of the caravan and train MAM to if mrs hubnut has to take a test or not

[@paulie-Gualtieri.]

Ian how does the Primera engine compare to the 2.0 8V Golf you reviewed, we had a Passat with the same engine and it was an excellent tow car.

[@HubNut]

That Golf has a lovely motor. Not really all that sporty, but excellent low down grunt.

[@robertsedgwick1629]

of course with a tow bar you could trailer something to the FOD 2 for the price of 1!

[@kevinwhelan8126]

Best thing I did on the N15 Pulsar is change the air filter - it was filthy and now runs a lot smoother, and presumably will use less fuel. The GA engines in these probably have the best of both worlds - doesn’t take long to reach speed and seems to have another lease of life above 3000rpm (I think the maximum torque occurs at around 4000rpm). Been looking forward to material on the Primera, keep it coming! Many thanks for sharing 😃😃😃😃😄

[@Turnbull50]

The Clifton Hotel in Scarborough uk is very dog friendly and when re opened will happily except two dogs.

[@highpath4776]

Do they take well behaved children too ?

[@johncallaghan4616]

And six cars for a family of four?

[@hedydd2]

I was looking forward to waffle, as I had just passed a Tregroes Waffles van delivering to Watson and Pratts. So I was most excited when I saw that this video contained waffle. You can imagine my disappointment then when it just contained a Primera wash and twaddle, rather than the real thing. Maybe next time?

[@paulgreen6418]

You mentioned your hub notes channel tried to find it no luck, can you put a link under your next video?

[@HubNut]

Will do. kzbin.info/door/D12T5lQiHc0hirItutM-ug

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

Primera comes up a treat, wonder if it's a Nissan thing as my Qashqai does not come alive until about 4000rpm either.

[@dlittlester]

I think you should keep the GSA, Ian. Every time you drive it, it seems to put a big smile on your face.

[@terabyte1695]

she's looking good after her wash, could be the Idle Speed Control Valve needs cleaning, maybe the Egr needs cleaning, run a bottle of fuel treatment in your tank it may help ,sadly i have been there so you can go through everything systematically or read the codes, sorry i cant be more helpful .Take care.

[@MrOvershoot]

Bugger you have reminded me that I really need to wash my daily driver as its hanging, working at a flour mill means its a very matt finish with added seagull & pigeon muck :(

[@youngoldboy3430]

Try super unleaded in it. I use it in my Hyundai I30, improved fuel consumption and definitely improves torque at low revs.

[@ukrider4288]

If super unleaded improved anything in his car and it was built it’s to much carbon build up in the engine I had that when it helped I used sea foam 4x in a month so once a week for a month now I can honestly say it’s got power on both fuel types xx

[@bondbug73]

Thirteen minutes worth of #NotMySierras still stuck outside of a barn was a unexpected treat.

[@Grez6232]

The Primera was pretty popular in 1600cc banger racing between about 2005 and 2015 but it wasn't really stout enough for 2-litres against Mondeos and Vectras.

[@timelwell7002]

Ian - have you done a compression test on the Primera? If compression is down, could that be the cause of your lack of power/torque?

[@TheAlien1974]

My parents 820 si rover was flat at bottom end revs a common problem with 16v engines I think

[@micheltebraake7915]

What are you looking at? How a man washes a car in the sun with the 1 bucket system! The Primera shines quite well in the sun Ian.

[@kodessa]

I remember the days of hubnut using a terracotta flower pot as a bucket. Those were the good days.

[@owensteele1645]

Yes. He hosed down the Invacar's minging interior then said "she'll be concours after all this."

[@ginggur17]

Could it be plugs? Air filter? Apologies if you have done these lol. Hope to see you at Grimsthorpe? I’m not sure if to bring Shogie bear.

[@mrkiwijimmymrkiwijimmy2530]

I passed car motorcycle and class1 hgv first time. Never failed a driving test. In the days when you could go straight in for class 1 test and not bother with class 3 + 2.

[@romac9516]

That is a tasty looking Primera

[@michaeltutty1540]

One suggestion when you are washing a car. Do it in sections, and rinse often. Keeps the soap from drying. I wash the whole greenhouse, then rinse. Then bonnet and rinse. Then boot and rinse. On the sides, one panel at a time, rinsing between. Wheel trims last. With wire wheel trims, I have been known to use the dishwasher. There may be a reason I am single in there somewhere.

[@nztv8589]

Best car I ever owned ( I prefer it even to my Jaguar XF) ! Yes, the 2.0 engine is slow off the mark, but great for overtaking and long journeys (as you say). The turning circle is terrible. But it's comfy, handles quite well and seems to do most things really well.

[@PurityVendetta]

I have a question Ian, would our 99 Land Rover Discovery be unexceptional enough to attend the Festival of the Unexceptional? If not I could always bring my BSA Bantam which is very unexceptional???

[@VDPEFi]

You know how they always say it will rain as soon as you wash the car, well I washed my mother's Kia today and the heavens decided to open half way through it instead, fun times. Still, no streaks haha. I used the tried and tested one bucket method and a very old mitt albeit with some nice meguairs shampoo. The primera looks great though, very hard with black cars, bit of treatment on the tyres and bumper trims and she's a classic!

[@grahamclark4518]

i've got 3 on my fleet i couldnt kill any of of them off unless its terminal

[@dolomitebert427]

If your after a caravan and haven’t got much space or want something light I would recommend getting a Rapido recordmatic folding caravan only weighs around 700kg. We’ve got one and he’s a fantastic little caravan When folded the caravan is the size of a medium size trailer.

[@Banglish123]

It looks like a car from another time now. A better time, all things considered.

[@mr-wx3lv]

Yes. It's true, having been to Ghana, I can vouch how tough cars have to be made to survive their adverse conditions. Which is why Japanese cars usually are the choice for taxi drivers etc. Not only that, but the locals know how to keep them going to the point of no return...

[@trabusas.3782]

Hi Ian, all I can find on several Forums they say; Mass Air meter, Egr Valve, Lambda Sensor, Throttle potentiometer, Timing chain stretches those things seem to the weak points on this car. kind regards Akko

[@FantasyCheeseBasin-FCB]

ill be sold more on the primera if it has a tea shelf

[@paulward1001]

Take it to a dyno and see what she is doing. A friend had GT, and he did as above and they fettled the fuel pressure and added some timing and it went very well.

[@eggy1962]

If your going to replace the maf sensor, i suggest you find an original new replacement as copy ones are rubbish in that they do not last, as i found out on a vauxhall agila,pattern part lasted 11 months. I think your suspension complaints linked to the primeras high mileage

[@peterpan1957]

You might have got used to the torque from the Rover 75 Diesel? Im guessing the primera gets lively towards top end- a linear build up perhaps.. diesel is great for towing but ive learnt its not a great for short driving with some diesels (dpf ones anyway!).. :-\

[@andrewthompsonuk1]

My friends primera of the same model certainly did not not have a lack of low down Torque. It was better than the modern turbo cars off idle

[@GPSOMG-]

but if you got rid of the GSA would you regret it? later in life

[@petersimpson5859]

Eventually "not my Sierras". That was like having a tingling nose for 13 minutes awaiting a good sneeze.

[@AgathaAndAnything]

I commented on the oltcit video that unfortunately you need to “rotate” cars in and out a bit and just keep your “core” fleet, it’s difficult I know, I only have 2 but can fit 3 so I intend to keep the allegro and landy, and the 3rd needs to not get too attached to me.... I already wish I’d kept my maestro 😂 so I figure this years summer car needs to be something less collectable but not boring modern.

[@skodakatie7341]

Despite #not my two buckets, there is definitely a marked improvement, the Primera certainly looks much brighter!, I hope you don’t say au revoir to the GSA, just yet , it is such an endearing, cute and quirky car!.

[@wanderinggentile]

My stepdaughter had an '02 Corolla with a filthy MAF sensor. After blowing about a kilo of coffee-coloured mank off, the engine felt like it gained 30 horsepower, and fuel economy went from 26 to 36 MPG (Imperial.)

[@alanlansdell7533]

Excellent wafflage.

[@CaravanningwiththeCoxs]

Ian we need a video on those Fords in the background👍

[@HubNut]

They're not mine sadly, and I've never met the owner.

[@oldclassiccarUK]

Ha coincidentally I may have put up a vid that may feature moderate vehicle washing this morning, must be something in the air 👍👍 #greatminds

[@youngoldboy3430]

I wanted 2.0ltr Primera, test drove a 1.8 and didn't notice any lack of power so bought one at a bargain price and had it for ten years.

[@tinplategeek1058]

I had a 1.8 Primera for 8 years from nearly new and again didn't notice any power issues either.

[@martinneumann7783]

...it's a little bit like a meditation: nothing special happens, just Mr. HubNut's sharing some thoughts with the audience. So, I (the audience) was lost in mind while listening. That's not too bad... 😌

[@rjwilkinson1965]

Exiting car washing techniques Cheers ian

[@HubNut]

Sheer excitement here on HubNut!

[@mikehydropneumatic2583]

It is bit like the Carisma, not mindblowing but very practical. I'd like caravan as well, French-Luxemburg border is 200km from here. Beautiful area with plenty of campsites. Northern France is prettier than most think it is. Normandy and Lorraine my favs up north as well as Luxemburg.

[@stepheng8779]

Ooo didn't know they'd changed the rules about towing a caravan. Mrs G mentions about wanting one now and again, never happening. I'll just pretend I passed my test later than I actually did, keep her quiet, happy days 😄👍

[@combatgerbil3262]

Caravan?.. what you'd like is a Rapido folding caravan.. very Hubnut.. either the Record or Export, those are most family sized.

[@owensteele1274]

It's always very important to take paint depth readings before starting any wash. Not doing so is considered very HubNut.

[@thedeadstig123]

How about instead of a caravan get a lightweight trailer tent?

[@karlarmstrong]

Any news on the water pump?

[@HubNut]

It was changed a few weeks back. Not by me.

[@chrisrogers2848]

As a caravanner myself, I would strongly discourage using a car with low torque as a towcar. Not only will junctions, roundabouts etc be scary, you’ll knacker the clutch - I speak from bitter experience of towing our first caravan with a 1.6 Scenic.

[@aaronmorris8963]

Throttle position sensor worth changing

[@EdgyNumber1]

Ian, from what I gather ..from Honda/Rover anyway.. is that Japanese cars tended to favour double wishbone suspension setups which give awesome handling in smaller cars like these but don't give sufficient suspension travel. I think I read it mentioned (AROnline?) why Rover engineers preferred the MacPherson set up up front - it wasn't just on cost grounds. An explicit example of where Rover and Honda engineers disagreed was on the Honda Concerto and Rover R8 200. Not sure about the Primera though. Was the double wishbone or MacPherson?

[@LarryBees]

nissan looking good not bad for 23 years old

[@howardyeah]

Has you ever tried a Japanese car that has met your preference for ride comfort Ian?

[@HubNut]

No. My Lexus got close, but had knackered rear dampers so was still not perfect.

[@TheBiggerburger]

Is the bonnet badge getting fitted at the same time?

[@HubNut]

Ha! That's in the parts stash. Not sure I can bring myself to fit it.

[@TheBiggerburger]

@@HubNut seriously? It'll go viral. Get on it. Fit all the Wish stuff, it's a Primera, a punishment car for sales reps who didn't hit target, have some fun!!