Engine – Piston Replacements
Press Release by The Figaro Shop – 15th October 2021
Our new and exclusive Figaro pistons allow for ultimate engine reliability for many years to come and are now available in our online shop. We wanted to share some background details on them with you.
What’s unique about the Nissan Figaro Engine?
Nissan equipped the Figaro with a low compression, 987cc fuel-injected turbocharged engine utilising an inline 4-cylinder design. As the only turbocharged 1 litre engine Nissan made at this time it has some unique parts. The pistons were designed to lower the compression in the cylinders to suit the turbo application. This design feature along with the cylinder head are specific to the Figaro only.
Wear and Tear on the Figaro Over Time
Unfortunately, with age certain components on the Figaro have shown themselves to be the weak points on the car, notably the cooling system for the engine. With perished rubber hoses and failed radiators leading to cars losing coolant the resulting overheating can cause the pistons to expand and then contact the cylinder walls leading to catastrophic failure. They can also fail just from normal wear and tear. The cylinders have a tendency to oval at the top of the compression cycle causing burning oil, piston slap, loss of compression and loss of power.
Finding Quality Figaro Parts
With the Figaro now 30 years old many engine component manufacturers have unfortunately discontinued parts that were used to rebuild these engines. The effects of the pandemic have also caused production facilities to consolidate the items made leading to a global shortage of pistons suitable for the Figaro MA10 engine. Previously pistons suited for the 1.0 and 1.2 K10 Micras were used but machined down to correct the compression ratio change.
New Pistons Exclusive to The Figaro Shop
Now after an extensive 10-month development and testing process we, at The Figaro Shop, are pleased to finally reveal our new pistons. They have been co developed with a tier 1 OEM supplier based on the original oversize pistons Nissan sold many years ago. This means they do not require extra machining to make the compression correct as they did previously which reduces the amount of machining needed per engine. These pistons are 0.5mm oversize and come complete with OEM Japanese piston rings and gudgeon pins. They are exclusively available from us and we are the only store selling Figaro specific pistons globally.
Using modern manufacturing and machining techniques the pistons are cast from an Aluminium alloy, and then machined by hand. Throughout the process each piston is hand machined to the correct 0.5mm size and checked before passing a strict quality control. They even have our logo cast into the inside of the piston skirt as a mark of quality so you can rest assured you are fitting the highest quality parts available into your MA10ET engine.
Fitting high quality, low compression 0.5mm oversize pistons requires a machinist to bore the cylinders 0.5mm larger than stock. This not only ensures a perfect compression seal for the new piston but also eliminates the oval cylinder that causes the main issues in an older engine.
We believe these new pistons are a great way to extend the life of these iconic little cars and will help many owners to have years of smooth, reliable driving pleasure from their Figaros for many years to come.
Where can I get new Figaro pistons?
Our pistons are available to order now via our online parts shop in 3 ways:
-Set of 4 pistons and rings https://www.thenissanfigaroshop.co.uk/parts-department/product/nissan-figaro-ma10et-pistons-0-5mm-oversize-set-of-4-2
-Fully reconditioned engine https://www.thenissanfigaroshop.co.uk/parts-department/product/fully-reconditioned-engine-ma10et
-Engine rebuild kit https://www.thenissanfigaroshop.co.uk/parts-department/product/nissan-figaro-ma10et-engine-overhaul-rebuild-kit
