It has 83K on the clock. It is sluggish to accelerate and notchy at low speeds. Are there any standard problems with a car of this age and mileage that someone could point me at? Sensors that fail for example? Thanks
Spark plugs give problems if non NGK ones have been used, most others can really mess up these engines general performance after a few thousand miles of use.
Could be HT leads but it's not common. Only use Nissan leads, they're better than any others, I took my 10 year old ones off recently to have a look as my son's Hyundai Coupe HT leads had failed, on his the rubber plug grip was rock hard and split, on my older higher mileage Nissan ones they were still supple and as good as new.
None of the 98 Primera sensors are prone to failure really, I would say it's more likely if the plugs/leads are OK that a sensor could just be dirty, e.g. the MAF or O2 sensor. The engine innards could just be clogged up if the car's been driven slowly on short journeys for years. For the MAF, it's either take a chance with careful use of carb cleaner (don't touch the wire, look it up on Google) or get another from a scrappy as they rarely fail on the pre 1999 Primeras, for the O2 sensor and injectors plus valves/throttle body/sticking rings I would try some decent high detergent petrol for a while like Shell V-Power etc. My Primera gets slower and slower over a few months if I use Tesco petrol, even their 99 stuff by the way. I stick with Total 95 or 97 or Shell 95 or V-Power as much as possible, Esso seems OK as well.
Oh, and these engines like to be red-lined once a day to keep in good nick! If the oil is overfilled even a little they go really sluggish. Check your brakes aren't binding, the wheels should be barely tepid after a run with little brake use.
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