The MA is a

straight-4 A straight-four engine (also referred to as an inline-four engine) is a four-cylinder piston engine where cylinders are arranged in a line along a common crankshaft. The majority of automotive four-cylinder engines use a straight-four layout ( ...

SOHC An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine in which the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combus ...

0.9 L, 1.0 L, or 1.2 L engine first introduced in 1982 by

Nissan is a Japanese multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the ''Nissan'' and ''Infiniti'' brands, and formerly the ''Datsun'' brand, with in-house ...

, intended primarily for the K10 series Micra/March model. It shares design similarities with the older E engine, with an 8-valve hemispherical cylinder head but differs in that it uses an aluminium cylinder block. Unusually, the specified ignition timing for the MA10 running on the specified 90 RON

gasoline Gasoline ( North American English) or petrol ( Commonwealth English) is a petrochemical product characterized as a transparent, yellowish, and flammable liquid normally used as a fuel for spark-ignited internal combustion engines. When for ...

was 2 degrees after top dead centre, reflecting a very high flame speed in the compact

combustion chamber A combustion chamber is part of an internal combustion engine in which the air–fuel ratio, fuel/air mix is burned. For steam engines, the term has also been used for an extension of the Firebox (steam engine), firebox which is used to allow a mo ...

MA09ERT

The MA09ERT is a twin-charged design (possessing both a

turbocharger In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (also known as a turbo or a turbosupercharger) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake air, forcing more air into th ...

and a

supercharger In an internal combustion engine, a supercharger compresses the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to produce more power for a given displacement (engine), displacement. It is a form of forced induction that is mechanically ...

), an unusual design, particularly for Japanese vehicles. It powered the March Superturbo, March R, and the March Superturbo R. The "Nissan PLASMA" (Powerful & Economic, Light, Accurate, Silent, Mighty, Advanced) improved performance and response by adding a supercharger to the (already turbocharged) MA10ET engine, which is a four-cylinder water-cooled OHC engine with a V-type valve arrangement and hemispherical

s, with sequential fuel injection. The supercharger improved the response and the output in the low-rpm region (where turbochargers are typically less effective), and a new larger HT10 turbocharger aimed to improve output in the high-rpm regions. An

intercooler An intercooler is a heat exchanger used to cool a gas after compression. Often found in turbocharged engines, intercoolers are also used in air compressors, air conditioners, refrigeration and gas turbines. Internal combustion engines Mo ...

and an updated intake manifold were added, the latter having a much larger

throttle body A throttle is a mechanism by which fluid flow is managed by construction or obstruction. An engine's power can be increased or decreased by the restriction of inlet gases (by the use of a throttle), but usually decreased. The term ''throttle'' ha ...

and improved

fuel rail A fuel is any material that can be made to react with other substances so that it releases energy as thermal energy or to be used for work. The concept was originally applied solely to those materials capable of releasing chemical energy but ...

. The result was an increase in output to from , and a much broader range of

torque In physics and mechanics, torque is the rotational analogue of linear force. It is also referred to as the moment of force (also abbreviated to moment). The symbol for torque is typically \boldsymbol\tau, the lowercase Greek letter ''tau''. Wh ...

. Other changes included a reduction of engine capacity from 988 cc to 930 cc; this strengthened the engine by increasing the bore wall thicknesses by 1 mm, and allowed cars using it to enter sub-1300 cc competition classes not otherwise possible due to conversion factors applied to

forced induction In an internal combustion engine, forced induction is where turbocharging or supercharging is used to increase the density of the intake air. Engines without forced induction are classified as naturally aspirated. Operating principle Ove ...

engines. The first prototypes of these engines were installed in the March Superturbo R/March R (EK10FR type) in 1988; shortly thereafter the engine was installed in the March Superturbo. The MA09ERT was the first twincharged engine available in Japan; series charging combines the increased low-speed torque of supercharging with the increased high-speed torque and power of turbocharging. The presence of the supercharger also minimizes the effects of

turbo lag In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (also known as a turbo or a turbosupercharger) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake air, forcing more air into th ...

. ;Specifications *Water-cooled 4-cylinder inline, air-to-air intercooler *Valve system: SOHC, 2 valves per cylinder *Displacement: *Bore: *Stroke: *Maximum power: at 6500 rpm *Maximum torque: at 5200 rpm *Compression ratio: 7.7:1 *Weight: *Size (length × width × height): 705×575×680 mm *Specific fuel consumption (net): 255 g/(PS･h) at 1200 rpm

MA10S

The MA10S is an engine with an electronically controlled carburetor. It was used in the Be-1 and 1982–1992 Micra (K10) and Pao. It has a hemi-head and, unusually, the spark is fired after top dead centre because of the very high flame speed in a compact engine with this head design. Compression in the version was relatively low so that it was able to run on 90 RON petrol where available. ;Specification *

Water-cooled Cooling tower and water discharge of a nuclear power plant Water cooling is a method of heat removal from components and industrial equipment. Evaporative cooling using water is often more efficient than air cooling. Water is inexpensive and no ...

inline-4 cylinder *Displacement: *Bore and stroke: *

Compression ratio The compression ratio is the ratio between the maximum and minimum volume during the compression stage of the power cycle in a piston or Wankel engine. A fundamental specification for such engines, it can be measured in two different ways. Th ...

: 9.5:1 *Maximum power (net): at 6000 rpm *Maximum

(net): 75 N·m (55 lb·ft) at 3600 rpm *1-bbl

carburettor A carburetor (also spelled carburettor or carburetter) is a device used by a gasoline internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the Vent ...

K10 March G series Middle 2 model MA10S engine photograph image

MA10E

The MA10E was used in the Nissan Saurus Jr. *Displacement: *Maximum power: at 5600 rpm

MA10ET

The Nissan MA10ET powered the Figaro and K10 March Turbo. *Displacement: *Bore and stroke: *Maximum power: at 6000 rpm *Maximum torque: at 4400 rpm *Compression ratio: 8.0:1 * Fuel supply device: Nissan Motor ECCS * Power resource(V-AH): 12-30
March Turbo Type 1 (A-1) Engine Photograph

MA12S

The MA12S is the designation for the larger engine, featuring an enlarged bore as well as stroke. It was used in the

Nissan Micra The Nissan Micra, also known as the , is a supermini car (B-segment) that has been produced by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Nissan from 1982. The March name has always been used in the Japanese markets but also in many export markets a ...

K10. *Displacement: *Bore: *Stroke: *Maximum Power: / 5600 rpm *Maximum Torque: / 3600 rpm *Compression Ratio: 9.0:1

References