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PollyMobiles Rebuild
- Thread starter pollyp
- Start date
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pollyp
Club Member
lol that'd be ace. engines still has alota life in it.
you'd prob be a much better companion than my bloomin neighbours annoying dog which aways barked at anything all day whenever i stepped into the garage during the restoration. sprayin water through their garage door crack hole with the garden hose whenever i washed the car sends it into beserk mode thats amusing to watch.
ace blog paul (Y) very concise
i would have posted last week, but its taken my little netbook a week to load all those pics up tho lol
taa frank. hehe sorry bout the billions of pics, could just about make a short
film from them all:grinning:
pjg1979
THIS IS MY BOOMSTICK!
First things first, should have labelled this Blog as Picture Heavy, killed my computer, lol. I've only managed to get about 1/10th down the thread, before the computer gave up, so I'm going to have a proper read tonight.
But as far as I got very impressive indeed, definately going to be emailed to my home email for future referal, lol. Good Work.
But as far as I got very impressive indeed, definately going to be emailed to my home email for future referal, lol. Good Work.
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pollyp
Club Member
aye, shoulda thought bout that before i started the thread. I've edited the top line of the first post so hopefully the popup warns ppl when they hover the cursor over the blog link.
I wonder why my first blog page goes for hundreds of lines down, full of pics then goes to the next page when other ppl's blog pages just runs afew short lines of txt & pics?
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pollyp
Club Member
yeah it was quite a mission
OP
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pollyp
Club Member
Hey all
i got the cable and software from blazt on 16th dec
boy it was a little frustrating trying to activate both datascan and datalog viewer to work.
first i had to input me detail into datascan and it generates a code that i email to the server before it replies back the activation code. forgot my spam filter was on so i tried again with it off, no reply. i emailed datascan and eventually i got the code.
then i tried installing datalog viewer, it required some NET framework software to download, never happened. so i downloaded the complete installation file online instead then after full installation, the program gave an error, wtf.
emailed datalog, guy sent me an alternative setup file, installed fine. input me details, emailed the code to the server but then got reply saying i wasn't registered on the server, wtf.
emailed the guy back, no reply cos it's nighttime over there. next morning tried again, finally worked.
OK after all that, the things now running.
this datascan is a nifty little tool. i could seen whats goin on and even take over control of some devices for diagnostic n tuning (eg. tell ecu to shut the IAV, take out the IAV and adjust its position till it's correct). here a pic of the data screen
in datalog viewer i can see and compare the telemetry. this one's from warming the car from cold with no throttle
over the bumps i noticed a slight squeeky rattle from round the engine bay, turned out to be the lower strut bar rubbing against the central beam. shuved a piece of cardboard to fix it.
i got the cable and software from blazt on 16th dec
boy it was a little frustrating trying to activate both datascan and datalog viewer to work.
first i had to input me detail into datascan and it generates a code that i email to the server before it replies back the activation code. forgot my spam filter was on so i tried again with it off, no reply. i emailed datascan and eventually i got the code.
then i tried installing datalog viewer, it required some NET framework software to download, never happened. so i downloaded the complete installation file online instead then after full installation, the program gave an error, wtf.
emailed datalog, guy sent me an alternative setup file, installed fine. input me details, emailed the code to the server but then got reply saying i wasn't registered on the server, wtf.
emailed the guy back, no reply cos it's nighttime over there. next morning tried again, finally worked.
OK after all that, the things now running.
this datascan is a nifty little tool. i could seen whats goin on and even take over control of some devices for diagnostic n tuning (eg. tell ecu to shut the IAV, take out the IAV and adjust its position till it's correct). here a pic of the data screen
in datalog viewer i can see and compare the telemetry. this one's from warming the car from cold with no throttle
over the bumps i noticed a slight squeeky rattle from round the engine bay, turned out to be the lower strut bar rubbing against the central beam. shuved a piece of cardboard to fix it.
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OP
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pollyp
Club Member
Hi
I have a big problem with my abs today.
as i was about to park my car into the garage i thought i'd do a little wheelspin on the melting ice, had no problem doing this several times recently.
handbrake on, front left was spinning, then dropped the revs till the wheel was spinning at idle, But then the ABS light just lit up constantly. uh ohh
drove up the back alley to test it, abs doesn't work. oh no somethings broke.
parked it up to test the systems. no faults on ecu diagnotics. checked all sensors had consistant resistance. no matter what i do, that abs light is always on during ignition, even when the abs fuses AND the abs control module has been disconnected.
i thought the abs light can only turn on if the abs unit is powered, connected to the loom and either self-tests or detects a fault?
does anyone have any idea what could be causing this?
I have a big problem with my abs today.
as i was about to park my car into the garage i thought i'd do a little wheelspin on the melting ice, had no problem doing this several times recently.
handbrake on, front left was spinning, then dropped the revs till the wheel was spinning at idle, But then the ABS light just lit up constantly. uh ohh
drove up the back alley to test it, abs doesn't work. oh no somethings broke.
parked it up to test the systems. no faults on ecu diagnotics. checked all sensors had consistant resistance. no matter what i do, that abs light is always on during ignition, even when the abs fuses AND the abs control module has been disconnected.
i thought the abs light can only turn on if the abs unit is powered, connected to the loom and either self-tests or detects a fault?
does anyone have any idea what could be causing this?
OP
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pollyp
Club Member
glad u like it shero
right, so when the abs light went on:
i checked the ecu for fault messages, no faults logged cos the abs is seperate to the ecu.
checked all fuses and were fine
disconnected the battery for afew hrs to see if that clears the memory, abs light still on
disconnected the abs controller unit and the abs actuator/relays to see if that turns off the abs light, strangely it stays on?
unplugged each abs sensor to test their resistance, all consistant
several googles about diagnosiing the abs fault i found a handy page from the k11wiki website that showed how to put the abs unit into diagnostic mode similar to the ecu but the linked diagram didn't work
http://k11wiki.com/index.php?title=ABS
further googling i found the diagram for abs diagnostics on primera's etc
http://codes.rennacs.com/plugins/NissanABS/NISSAN-ABS-15-Primera.php
so it says drive around for a minute (left that out since the cars in bits) ignition off, then earth pin #4 which is the lower middle on the k11 since it's upside down. i used me paperclip to earth the pin to the bracket thats bolted to the body
i press the paperclip to the bracket to earth it, turn on ignition then the abs light flashes into diagnostic mode
it displayed code:
12 - start sequence
22 - FR sensor
63 - solenoid valve relay/system relay
31 - RR sensor
the sensor faults are prob cos i didn't drive it around beforehand so ignored it cos i know the sensors work, which leaves me with the abs relays
took the relay unit out
carefully pried the relays out
tested their connections, all fine
some sites say there maybe an overvolt fuse in some abs relay units so i opened mine to check
nothing there, just cables. so i cleaned and reassembled the unit and try diagnostic again, this time i'll erase the errors off the abs controller to see if that resets it cos if the faults are still there they'll come back during diagnostic.
so into diagnostic mode:
earth pin 4
ignition on
same codes 12, 22, 63, 31
then to erase the fault codes:
leave ignition on
unearth pin 4, the abs light'll come back on
then earth pin 4 three times at 2sec intervals within 12sec
earth..2sec..unearth..2sec..earth..2sec..unearth..2sec..earth..2sec..unearth
then i heard the abs relays click and behold the abs light went out:grinning:
turn off ignition then back on to double check it worked. it goes through initial checks then turns off as normal. success.
right, so when the abs light went on:
i checked the ecu for fault messages, no faults logged cos the abs is seperate to the ecu.
checked all fuses and were fine
disconnected the battery for afew hrs to see if that clears the memory, abs light still on
disconnected the abs controller unit and the abs actuator/relays to see if that turns off the abs light, strangely it stays on?
unplugged each abs sensor to test their resistance, all consistant
several googles about diagnosiing the abs fault i found a handy page from the k11wiki website that showed how to put the abs unit into diagnostic mode similar to the ecu but the linked diagram didn't work
http://k11wiki.com/index.php?title=ABS
further googling i found the diagram for abs diagnostics on primera's etc
http://codes.rennacs.com/plugins/NissanABS/NISSAN-ABS-15-Primera.php
so it says drive around for a minute (left that out since the cars in bits) ignition off, then earth pin #4 which is the lower middle on the k11 since it's upside down. i used me paperclip to earth the pin to the bracket thats bolted to the body
i press the paperclip to the bracket to earth it, turn on ignition then the abs light flashes into diagnostic mode
it displayed code:
12 - start sequence
22 - FR sensor
63 - solenoid valve relay/system relay
31 - RR sensor
the sensor faults are prob cos i didn't drive it around beforehand so ignored it cos i know the sensors work, which leaves me with the abs relays
took the relay unit out
carefully pried the relays out
tested their connections, all fine
some sites say there maybe an overvolt fuse in some abs relay units so i opened mine to check
nothing there, just cables. so i cleaned and reassembled the unit and try diagnostic again, this time i'll erase the errors off the abs controller to see if that resets it cos if the faults are still there they'll come back during diagnostic.
so into diagnostic mode:
earth pin 4
ignition on
same codes 12, 22, 63, 31
then to erase the fault codes:
leave ignition on
unearth pin 4, the abs light'll come back on
then earth pin 4 three times at 2sec intervals within 12sec
earth..2sec..unearth..2sec..earth..2sec..unearth..2sec..earth..2sec..unearth
then i heard the abs relays click and behold the abs light went out:grinning:
turn off ignition then back on to double check it worked. it goes through initial checks then turns off as normal. success.
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Great blog! I think I've just learnt more than any Haynes manual will ever teach me lol :wow:
OP
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pollyp
Club Member
hey
last night i looked into why my rear left brake always never fully releases ever since my first micra.
i took the rear calipers out, pads off and reinstall calipers to check if the sliding guide pin is working. it moves but not smoothly as the two guide pins tends to jam if the caliper were skewed slightly, the outer pad was also wearing thinner due to the seizure.
i unbolted one pin, turn 180deg & reinstall and the caliper pins seizes, hmm they must be bent.
the mate face of the guide pin/calipers were wirebrushed incase rust was making them sit at an angle, no change.
i checked the amount of deflection with verniers and found one is off my 0.1mm and other is .2mm
corrected them with a hammer, still jams in one configuration. gonna get some new pins
i noticed after pressing the brake that they weren't fully releasing even if i move the caliper slightly to overcome the binding guide pins.
i left the caliper unbolted to check if the piston is fully retracting enough and they weren't, so something is preventing the piston from retracting. the other caliper works fine.
i suspected sticking pistons but these calipers are new & refurbished from 2006 compared to the other original rear caliper that works fine, and the piston feels smooth when i turn them to retract (recently taking the piston out showed no pitting at all) so its certainly not a sticky piston.
recently suspected the left handbrake outer cable which was slightly damaged at the caliper mount area following the bent axle crash, since water/dirt could seep in & rust it. but i disconnected the cable, pressed brakes and it still binded.
ordered a new left cable to be sure.
reading further online i found a collapsed damaged brake hose could form a restriction or act as a one-way block keeping the piston under pressure after applying the brakes and this damage could be caused by clamping the hose hard enough to kink it such as when preventing fluid loss.
this seems quite likely cos when the cowboy garage was fixing my crash damage they might've used em screw g-clamp to the hoses when the axle was off. after getting my car back, i replaced the right brake hose and handbrake cable which explains why the right caliper works fine.
the left brake hose and cable is unchanged since i left the repair garage.
so i'm gonna replace the left brake hose to see if that works. if not then i'll have to either replace the caliper seals or the whole caliper.
when i spin the left wheel without the calipers, it seems to have more bearing resistance than the right wheel which spins freely.
i took out the hub to see if the bearing grease has thickened but instead i sourced the problem to a damaged rear bearing seal which must've caught when i last installed the hub and so over the miles have been pushed against the inner race allowing grease to get out and create friction.
i trimmed off the offending lip as a temporary fix.
i looked around for just a replacement seal which turns out to be very difficult on the cheap.
nearest i found was a rear wheel bearing kit on ebay for £50!
considering that in replacing the seal i could just catch that lip again upon fitting i may as well buy a complete hub.
now for a micra hub with abs and discs it's real hard to find.
nissan quoted stupendiously £250, an online store quoted £108
i found the cheapest in ebay for £90
i'm trying 247spares if any scrappys have some, i highly highly doubt but gotta try.
fixing this binding brake/wheel is not gona easy on the wallet this month
nor is the fact that these £180/set Yokohama tyres have reached 3mm after 5k in 6months which is plain awful durability.
the avons previously lasted 23k for just over 2yrs and currently costs only £20 more, so i'll be switching back to that next
last night i looked into why my rear left brake always never fully releases ever since my first micra.
i took the rear calipers out, pads off and reinstall calipers to check if the sliding guide pin is working. it moves but not smoothly as the two guide pins tends to jam if the caliper were skewed slightly, the outer pad was also wearing thinner due to the seizure.
i unbolted one pin, turn 180deg & reinstall and the caliper pins seizes, hmm they must be bent.
the mate face of the guide pin/calipers were wirebrushed incase rust was making them sit at an angle, no change.
i checked the amount of deflection with verniers and found one is off my 0.1mm and other is .2mm
corrected them with a hammer, still jams in one configuration. gonna get some new pins
i noticed after pressing the brake that they weren't fully releasing even if i move the caliper slightly to overcome the binding guide pins.
i left the caliper unbolted to check if the piston is fully retracting enough and they weren't, so something is preventing the piston from retracting. the other caliper works fine.
i suspected sticking pistons but these calipers are new & refurbished from 2006 compared to the other original rear caliper that works fine, and the piston feels smooth when i turn them to retract (recently taking the piston out showed no pitting at all) so its certainly not a sticky piston.
recently suspected the left handbrake outer cable which was slightly damaged at the caliper mount area following the bent axle crash, since water/dirt could seep in & rust it. but i disconnected the cable, pressed brakes and it still binded.
ordered a new left cable to be sure.
reading further online i found a collapsed damaged brake hose could form a restriction or act as a one-way block keeping the piston under pressure after applying the brakes and this damage could be caused by clamping the hose hard enough to kink it such as when preventing fluid loss.
this seems quite likely cos when the cowboy garage was fixing my crash damage they might've used em screw g-clamp to the hoses when the axle was off. after getting my car back, i replaced the right brake hose and handbrake cable which explains why the right caliper works fine.
the left brake hose and cable is unchanged since i left the repair garage.
so i'm gonna replace the left brake hose to see if that works. if not then i'll have to either replace the caliper seals or the whole caliper.
when i spin the left wheel without the calipers, it seems to have more bearing resistance than the right wheel which spins freely.
i took out the hub to see if the bearing grease has thickened but instead i sourced the problem to a damaged rear bearing seal which must've caught when i last installed the hub and so over the miles have been pushed against the inner race allowing grease to get out and create friction.
i trimmed off the offending lip as a temporary fix.
i looked around for just a replacement seal which turns out to be very difficult on the cheap.
nearest i found was a rear wheel bearing kit on ebay for £50!
considering that in replacing the seal i could just catch that lip again upon fitting i may as well buy a complete hub.
now for a micra hub with abs and discs it's real hard to find.
nissan quoted stupendiously £250, an online store quoted £108
i found the cheapest in ebay for £90
i'm trying 247spares if any scrappys have some, i highly highly doubt but gotta try.
fixing this binding brake/wheel is not gona easy on the wallet this month
nor is the fact that these £180/set Yokohama tyres have reached 3mm after 5k in 6months which is plain awful durability.
the avons previously lasted 23k for just over 2yrs and currently costs only £20 more, so i'll be switching back to that next
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Glad to hear about your yokohama tyres...
4 hours after paying £180 for a set of Yokos myself! D'oh!
4 hours after paying £180 for a set of Yokos myself! D'oh!
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pollyp
Club Member
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pollyp
Club Member
due to the surprising level of tyre wear I got a Gunson Trakrite alignment gauge the other day to check why
turns out since i got the yoko's and wheels aligned by national tyres back in july, the steering was toeing in 2.5deg+ it was off the scale!
no wonder my fronts were wearing alot faster than the rears.
straightened them back and see what happens to the remaining 3mm tread
why didn't i buy this tool before, would've saved me tons of fuel & tyres.
rotated the tyres around again since the fronts were worn down than the rear
turns out since i got the yoko's and wheels aligned by national tyres back in july, the steering was toeing in 2.5deg+ it was off the scale!
no wonder my fronts were wearing alot faster than the rears.
straightened them back and see what happens to the remaining 3mm tread
why didn't i buy this tool before, would've saved me tons of fuel & tyres.
rotated the tyres around again since the fronts were worn down than the rear
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pollyp
Club Member
hey
i replaced the rear left brake hose and now the caliper piston is releasing much better so it seems the old one was damaged and kept pressure on the piston.
last thing to sort is the stiff rear left hub. i got a quote from a birmingham scrappy for £25 so i'm gona drive down tomorrow to check it plus get new caliper guides and handbrake cable from brakes international in rochdale
i replaced the rear left brake hose and now the caliper piston is releasing much better so it seems the old one was damaged and kept pressure on the piston.
last thing to sort is the stiff rear left hub. i got a quote from a birmingham scrappy for £25 so i'm gona drive down tomorrow to check it plus get new caliper guides and handbrake cable from brakes international in rochdale
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pollyp
Club Member
i rang the birmingham scrappys this morning before setting off to check the hub is still available, the guy said he didn't have any..Wtf what was this quote they emailed & phoned me bout then? ffs
so i rang afew other scraps i knew, they'd call me back later but i'm wastin time cos i had to set off soon towards rochdale as brakes international closes at 1pm.
on the motorway, a local jap scrappy called me that he had a rear abs hub that needed the abs ring fitted, £30. good
got to birmingham, got the caliper guide pin kit
but when i asked for the LH disc handbrake, once again they had a drum handbrake in a disc handbrake labelled bag. someones messed up the stock numbers there. he could order one from blueprint but prob cost £30 rather than £23 and suggested i also ring nissan dealer incase they're cheaper (i doubted)
right lets head back home quick and i could pickup the hub before the jap scrappy closes at 3.
what he showed me was just a normal non-abs hub but said they come in 2 sizes, 2mm difference as one has a smaller machined diameter for the ring and suggested if my abs ring was too small i just lathe it down.
seems alot of hassle but meh, there's a mech/engineering department at uni where i could maybe get it lathed and £35 hub+free machining is alot cheaper than £90 for a new abs hub.
replacement non-abs hub
abs hub vs replacement
the grease inside is all clumped but i guess it's suppose to melt at higher temps and it spins smoothly
gradually removed the abs ring with a socket extension & hammer
will need to machine the same surface on the non-abs hub
abs ring
to aid fitting the hub to the lathe chuck i hammered off the studs
measured the abs hub surface
and how deep to machine to
here's the new and old guide pins. the old pins were actually 0.1mm too big and so jams easy or hydrolocks against the grease inside, and the dull surface didn't help with friction.
after fitting new guide pins, both rear brakes behave similar now, the discs just have a very slight warp.
i reinstalled the original abs hub without it's ring so that i could drive to work and machine the replacement non-abs hub for the abs ring. the abs light now comes on cos the rear left sensors not picking up, which i'll have to ignore for afew days and remember that my abs is not working at the mo
so i rang afew other scraps i knew, they'd call me back later but i'm wastin time cos i had to set off soon towards rochdale as brakes international closes at 1pm.
on the motorway, a local jap scrappy called me that he had a rear abs hub that needed the abs ring fitted, £30. good
got to birmingham, got the caliper guide pin kit
but when i asked for the LH disc handbrake, once again they had a drum handbrake in a disc handbrake labelled bag. someones messed up the stock numbers there. he could order one from blueprint but prob cost £30 rather than £23 and suggested i also ring nissan dealer incase they're cheaper (i doubted)
right lets head back home quick and i could pickup the hub before the jap scrappy closes at 3.
what he showed me was just a normal non-abs hub but said they come in 2 sizes, 2mm difference as one has a smaller machined diameter for the ring and suggested if my abs ring was too small i just lathe it down.
seems alot of hassle but meh, there's a mech/engineering department at uni where i could maybe get it lathed and £35 hub+free machining is alot cheaper than £90 for a new abs hub.
replacement non-abs hub
abs hub vs replacement
the grease inside is all clumped but i guess it's suppose to melt at higher temps and it spins smoothly
gradually removed the abs ring with a socket extension & hammer
will need to machine the same surface on the non-abs hub
abs ring
to aid fitting the hub to the lathe chuck i hammered off the studs
measured the abs hub surface
and how deep to machine to
here's the new and old guide pins. the old pins were actually 0.1mm too big and so jams easy or hydrolocks against the grease inside, and the dull surface didn't help with friction.
after fitting new guide pins, both rear brakes behave similar now, the discs just have a very slight warp.
i reinstalled the original abs hub without it's ring so that i could drive to work and machine the replacement non-abs hub for the abs ring. the abs light now comes on cos the rear left sensors not picking up, which i'll have to ignore for afew days and remember that my abs is not working at the mo
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pollyp
Club Member
After a alot of calculations i've created a collection of graphs comparing the wear rates between the Avons and the Yokohama from each wheel.
each graph plots the rate of wear (mm per mile) of the inner (pink), mid (yellow) & outer tread (blue) groove through the life of the tyre.
the left graphs are the yoko's and the right graphs are the avons.
each row of graph represents how the tyre wears under each wheel (front right, front left, rear right, rear left)
the large drop in wear rate from the Yokohama's front wheels last point was after i had straightened the steering toe from -2.5deg to 0deg
it seems in general the avons would wear half as fast as the softer yoko at the front (peaks in the avon graphs were from the occasional power starts & sliding round corners)
the rears as normal show minimal wear, the avons almost didn't wear at all (peaks were from sliding vigerously round corners)
each graph plots the rate of wear (mm per mile) of the inner (pink), mid (yellow) & outer tread (blue) groove through the life of the tyre.
the left graphs are the yoko's and the right graphs are the avons.
each row of graph represents how the tyre wears under each wheel (front right, front left, rear right, rear left)
the large drop in wear rate from the Yokohama's front wheels last point was after i had straightened the steering toe from -2.5deg to 0deg
it seems in general the avons would wear half as fast as the softer yoko at the front (peaks in the avon graphs were from the occasional power starts & sliding round corners)
the rears as normal show minimal wear, the avons almost didn't wear at all (peaks were from sliding vigerously round corners)
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pollyp
Club Member
the rear left caliper is sticking once again. the caliper guides are sliding fine. i took the calipers off, put a wood block between the piston and see if the caliper releases the block after pressing the brake or use the handbrake. seems on both occasions the piston doesn't retract at all on its own unless its pushed back by wiggling the wooden block out. so the piston must be seized slightly.
ordered a new caliper off ebay £59 and a new handbrake cable off AtoZ motor spares £30
ordered a new caliper off ebay £59 and a new handbrake cable off AtoZ motor spares £30
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pollyp
Club Member
maybe cos they're rebuilt inside out soley by budweg and they're rare? wonder if these rear calipers are used on other models?
cant believe this is the second caliper i brought off them
may buy 1 gaiter to see if its an actual cost error or just a web typo or if they're really generous in giving stuff for free
cant believe this is the second caliper i brought off them
may buy 1 gaiter to see if its an actual cost error or just a web typo or if they're really generous in giving stuff for free
Yeah, I got mine through Brake Parts International, budweg re-builds. At least they work and they are good value. Drums are more reliable in terms of functionality than the rear discs but they don't hold out very well under sustained abuse on a track like a disc does.
I originally re-built my rears but also had the same issue as you, sticky rear caliper and uneven brake loads.
Shame you can't get aerosol cans of Boeshield anymore, I coat everything in it, especially the calipers, as they are prone to ingress of dirt and corrosion, which causes the pads to stick in the caliper hangers. So even with new ones, corrosion prevention and regular maintenance is required to keep everything spot on back there.
I originally re-built my rears but also had the same issue as you, sticky rear caliper and uneven brake loads.
Shame you can't get aerosol cans of Boeshield anymore, I coat everything in it, especially the calipers, as they are prone to ingress of dirt and corrosion, which causes the pads to stick in the caliper hangers. So even with new ones, corrosion prevention and regular maintenance is required to keep everything spot on back there.
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pollyp
Club Member
i remember the drum handbrake worked/gripped better than these discs.
this is the rebuilt budweg i got from 2006 thats stuck. the other original caliper just had a replaced piston and it worked fine since. odd
aye the exposed calipers just get cake n baked in muck & often ignored.
wish these systems had a spring back mechanism on the pads to pull em from the disc or spring to center the calipers when releasing the brake
instead it relies on the disc to loosen the disc/pad bond, the pads to slide back freely on dirty clips to centralise the caliper
this is the rebuilt budweg i got from 2006 thats stuck. the other original caliper just had a replaced piston and it worked fine since. odd
aye the exposed calipers just get cake n baked in muck & often ignored.
wish these systems had a spring back mechanism on the pads to pull em from the disc or spring to center the calipers when releasing the brake
instead it relies on the disc to loosen the disc/pad bond, the pads to slide back freely on dirty clips to centralise the caliper
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pollyp
Club Member
ok i got the new calipers tday.
fitted and bled..and it still binds ffs
i screwed the caliper piston back in slightly and just operated the handbrake to see if its the piston seized or the hydraulics not releasing pressure. using the handbrake it binds slightly, then pressing the brakes it binds abit more.
i even tried removing the caliper guide pin rubber boot to check that its not pushing the caliper off centre, no difference.
tried pumping and pullin the hand brake several times to see if it affects the self adjuster, but now the rear right calipers stuck, ah heck
took off the rear right caliper and the piston seemed very stiff when i'm screwing it back in, must be a seizing piston. unscrewed it out and yep the piston had some residue in the surface where the seal would've been. so i replaced that piston with the old rear left calipers and its working again but not as good as before.
so now both rear calipers are binding worse than before
i'm completely stumped. not a clue on whats keeping pressure on the rear brakes and its beginning to annoy me
anyone have any ideas?
fitted and bled..and it still binds ffs
i screwed the caliper piston back in slightly and just operated the handbrake to see if its the piston seized or the hydraulics not releasing pressure. using the handbrake it binds slightly, then pressing the brakes it binds abit more.
i even tried removing the caliper guide pin rubber boot to check that its not pushing the caliper off centre, no difference.
tried pumping and pullin the hand brake several times to see if it affects the self adjuster, but now the rear right calipers stuck, ah heck
took off the rear right caliper and the piston seemed very stiff when i'm screwing it back in, must be a seizing piston. unscrewed it out and yep the piston had some residue in the surface where the seal would've been. so i replaced that piston with the old rear left calipers and its working again but not as good as before.
so now both rear calipers are binding worse than before
i'm completely stumped. not a clue on whats keeping pressure on the rear brakes and its beginning to annoy me
anyone have any ideas?
I am assuming your pads move freely in the caliper hangers? This was an issue with my K11 rears for a while until I gave them a serious overhaul. Nissan pads fit perfectly, so do Mintex M1144's available from Matt Humphris but if you use anything else, such as Halford pads etc they are always oversize and stick and then stop the caliper from returning due to the sliding design.
I'm sure you've already checked this, but with new refurbed calipers and a new cable I would expect you to have no problems and this is the only other 'sticking point' I can think of that has come up in my experience of running rear discs.
I'm sure you've already checked this, but with new refurbed calipers and a new cable I would expect you to have no problems and this is the only other 'sticking point' I can think of that has come up in my experience of running rear discs.
OP
OP
pollyp
Club Member
pads slide freely no probs. after taking the caliper off, hold the disc against the hub, squeeze the pads then spin the hub, the pads disengage from the disc with ease. i even slackened the spring clips to reduce friction further.
well i tried removing the piston self adjuster but just ended up leaked fluid past a bleed hole on the piston where the rubber boot goes when i braked cos the inner adjuster mechanism had a o-ring seal. so instead i took out this spring washer in the self adjuster in a hope to give enough slack for the piston to retract hydraulically if the self adjuster mech was too tight. same problem.
handbrake cables not seized cos thats slack when the levers down
so something is seizing the piston in position after i push the brake, whether its friction of the piston seal or a hydraulic restriction maybe from the bias valve. most of the rear left braking systems been replaced and have eliminated the brake hose, guide pins, piston self adjuster & handbrake cable.
while its stuck i tried to loosen the bleed nut to relieve any pressure against the piston and see if the cause is hydraulic, the brakes still stuck. sounds like the piston is seizing against the seal and the self adjuster isn't giving enough slack. but then this caliper is newer than the right caliper and yet that one works better, so it must be hydraulic problem?
i'm gonna get the disc skimmed cos they're slightly warped which doesn't help. then check the bias valve is clean.
well i tried removing the piston self adjuster but just ended up leaked fluid past a bleed hole on the piston where the rubber boot goes when i braked cos the inner adjuster mechanism had a o-ring seal. so instead i took out this spring washer in the self adjuster in a hope to give enough slack for the piston to retract hydraulically if the self adjuster mech was too tight. same problem.
handbrake cables not seized cos thats slack when the levers down
so something is seizing the piston in position after i push the brake, whether its friction of the piston seal or a hydraulic restriction maybe from the bias valve. most of the rear left braking systems been replaced and have eliminated the brake hose, guide pins, piston self adjuster & handbrake cable.
while its stuck i tried to loosen the bleed nut to relieve any pressure against the piston and see if the cause is hydraulic, the brakes still stuck. sounds like the piston is seizing against the seal and the self adjuster isn't giving enough slack. but then this caliper is newer than the right caliper and yet that one works better, so it must be hydraulic problem?
i'm gonna get the disc skimmed cos they're slightly warped which doesn't help. then check the bias valve is clean.
This is one of the most enjoyable and fascinating threads I've read in a long time! Hope more is to come, and you've sorted the sticky rear brake pistons. Would love to be this skilled and able to creatively retrofit things to make 'em fit! I couldn't even change the oil filter on my K11 last time (seemed to be up higher and more cramped than on my old Fiesta mk3) :laugh:
Keep up the inspiring work!
Keep up the inspiring work!
You can get some wheel alignment checking gear on eBay which you apparently drive over... not 100% sure how it works, but they're not too expensive. Actually less than the price of a professional wheel alignment service here, and probably less chance of a botched job
OP
OP
pollyp
Club Member
ok i'm kinda better from the flu & cold now though still coughing my brains out
here's the new caliper i got off ebay for £50
installed em and there were still binding.
i got the discs skimmed for £18 since i could heard them scrape against the pads every turn
the pads were sanded flat
reinstalled, and same binding problem
i looked into the hydraulics and figure if the rear bias valve was sticking, nope works fine
further analysis i found that since i cut off the shaft on the brake bias compensator unit (to cure the annoying bump squeeking noise) the spring would push against the compensators valve pin constantly therefore creating a hydraulic restriction on the fluid trying to flow back when your off the brake.
when pushing the brake pedal, hydraulic pressure easily overcomes this restriction. but when you release the brakes, the restriction either slows down the release of pressure against the piston or even maintains abit of pressure which causes the piston to keep pressing.
lowering the car didn't help as it pushes the spring even harder against the valve pin.
the little nut at the end of the shaft that i cut off would naturally pull the spring away from the valve pins when the cars unloaded n level.
to compensate, i simply recreated the effect of that end nut using zip ties so that when the car's level, the zip tie would pull the arm away from the valve pin releasing pressure from the calipers.
this had slightly solved the hydraulic issue side cos after retracting the caliper pistons, if i press & release the brake pedal the rear brakes would retract fine but when i used the handbrake the calipers would bind back on. out of frustration i yanked the handbrake several times to see if it could be the self adjusters like on drum brakes. but in doing so the right caliper is now stuck on, doh.
took it apart and found the handbrake lever on the caliper wasn't fully returning back, hence it sticks on.
so with help from the old LH calipers as a test piece i figured how to take the caliper handbrake mechanism apart and found that the right calipers mechanism was all crudded up
top: from newer LH caliper
bottom: original RH caliper
grease inside had solidified
wirebrushed the handbrake lever shaft clean
then wirebrushed the bore with a dremel
regreased n reassembled the caliper
RH caliper now working like new.
so i'm now back to were i was, RH caliper working fine and LH caliper slightly sticking.
i ordered a new LH handbrake cable to see if that helps since the current one is damaged from the previous crash
recently my fuel gauge has barely reached full whenever it brimmed so i'll open the tank to see if the breather pipe is faulty
brought this jiggling type syphon tube from halfrauds to empty the tank. tis complete crap cos the jiggling doesn't work, the fuel is technically barely higher than the bucket on the floor and the syphon pipe is soo bent. so i cut off the stupid mechanism and use the old manual sucking mechod, boy oh boy do the petrol fumes smell like 3x really concentrated jack daniels whiskey. gave up eventually since i'm only inspecting inside the tank.
since i'm there i unclipped the fuel gauge to clean the slider tracks
fuel pump was abit tricky to get out cos there's not alot of room to manouver
fuel gauge still not reaching full except when on a hill so the brether pipe is still congested
after 3 weeks waiting i finally got my handbrake cable. the companys website states its usually within 5 days but i discovered their suppliers were out of stock n would've emailed me, which they haven't. was close to cancelling and getting the cable sumwhere else but it finally arrived on friday
the skimmed discs looks slightly pitted at the mo, probably takes awhile to bed in before the machining marks are smoothed out hence the rusty pits
close up of the outer surface
inner surface looks fine
took the old LH cable off and it slightly sticks when pulled compared to the freely moving new cable
installing the new cable i noticed the position of the handbrake cable influences the release of the LH caliper and ended up tieing the cable against the swaybar droplink.
so now with new working cable and positioned correctly, both calipers are working the same and not as binding anymore
the pan rod was quite rusty from the winter roads
so grinded em down
repainted. plus i lengthened it slightly to move the swaybar arm away from the janspeed exhaust and it no longer rattles when i turn left hard
oh to answer superls & desty
i got the alignment gauge from machine mart for i think £60?
real real easy to use, just put in front of wheel on flat level tarmac, reset gauge to zero, and drive stright ahead slowly, read gauge.
it simply measures the amount of shearing against the left & right wheel
i adjust the wheels till it reads zero then drive around to check if steerings centred. it was pointing slightly left so i slightly screwed the left & right steering rod threads equal amounts then recheck the toe is zero with the gauge and hey presto, car drives straight n true with zero or 0.5 deg toe in
the gauge mechanism is simply a top plate on rollers and the moving dial measures the amount of shearing
here's the new caliper i got off ebay for £50
installed em and there were still binding.
i got the discs skimmed for £18 since i could heard them scrape against the pads every turn
the pads were sanded flat
reinstalled, and same binding problem
i looked into the hydraulics and figure if the rear bias valve was sticking, nope works fine
further analysis i found that since i cut off the shaft on the brake bias compensator unit (to cure the annoying bump squeeking noise) the spring would push against the compensators valve pin constantly therefore creating a hydraulic restriction on the fluid trying to flow back when your off the brake.
when pushing the brake pedal, hydraulic pressure easily overcomes this restriction. but when you release the brakes, the restriction either slows down the release of pressure against the piston or even maintains abit of pressure which causes the piston to keep pressing.
lowering the car didn't help as it pushes the spring even harder against the valve pin.
the little nut at the end of the shaft that i cut off would naturally pull the spring away from the valve pins when the cars unloaded n level.
to compensate, i simply recreated the effect of that end nut using zip ties so that when the car's level, the zip tie would pull the arm away from the valve pin releasing pressure from the calipers.
this had slightly solved the hydraulic issue side cos after retracting the caliper pistons, if i press & release the brake pedal the rear brakes would retract fine but when i used the handbrake the calipers would bind back on. out of frustration i yanked the handbrake several times to see if it could be the self adjusters like on drum brakes. but in doing so the right caliper is now stuck on, doh.
took it apart and found the handbrake lever on the caliper wasn't fully returning back, hence it sticks on.
so with help from the old LH calipers as a test piece i figured how to take the caliper handbrake mechanism apart and found that the right calipers mechanism was all crudded up
top: from newer LH caliper
bottom: original RH caliper
grease inside had solidified
wirebrushed the handbrake lever shaft clean
then wirebrushed the bore with a dremel
regreased n reassembled the caliper
RH caliper now working like new.
so i'm now back to were i was, RH caliper working fine and LH caliper slightly sticking.
i ordered a new LH handbrake cable to see if that helps since the current one is damaged from the previous crash
recently my fuel gauge has barely reached full whenever it brimmed so i'll open the tank to see if the breather pipe is faulty
brought this jiggling type syphon tube from halfrauds to empty the tank. tis complete crap cos the jiggling doesn't work, the fuel is technically barely higher than the bucket on the floor and the syphon pipe is soo bent. so i cut off the stupid mechanism and use the old manual sucking mechod, boy oh boy do the petrol fumes smell like 3x really concentrated jack daniels whiskey. gave up eventually since i'm only inspecting inside the tank.
since i'm there i unclipped the fuel gauge to clean the slider tracks
fuel pump was abit tricky to get out cos there's not alot of room to manouver
fuel gauge still not reaching full except when on a hill so the brether pipe is still congested
after 3 weeks waiting i finally got my handbrake cable. the companys website states its usually within 5 days but i discovered their suppliers were out of stock n would've emailed me, which they haven't. was close to cancelling and getting the cable sumwhere else but it finally arrived on friday
the skimmed discs looks slightly pitted at the mo, probably takes awhile to bed in before the machining marks are smoothed out hence the rusty pits
close up of the outer surface
inner surface looks fine
took the old LH cable off and it slightly sticks when pulled compared to the freely moving new cable
installing the new cable i noticed the position of the handbrake cable influences the release of the LH caliper and ended up tieing the cable against the swaybar droplink.
so now with new working cable and positioned correctly, both calipers are working the same and not as binding anymore
the pan rod was quite rusty from the winter roads
so grinded em down
repainted. plus i lengthened it slightly to move the swaybar arm away from the janspeed exhaust and it no longer rattles when i turn left hard
oh to answer superls & desty
i got the alignment gauge from machine mart for i think £60?
real real easy to use, just put in front of wheel on flat level tarmac, reset gauge to zero, and drive stright ahead slowly, read gauge.
it simply measures the amount of shearing against the left & right wheel
i adjust the wheels till it reads zero then drive around to check if steerings centred. it was pointing slightly left so i slightly screwed the left & right steering rod threads equal amounts then recheck the toe is zero with the gauge and hey presto, car drives straight n true with zero or 0.5 deg toe in
the gauge mechanism is simply a top plate on rollers and the moving dial measures the amount of shearing
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That's very decent! Mine is far lower than this, although I only do short drives (and the CVT autobox likes to stay at 2000 RPM pretty much always, wish I could set it to econo-granny-mode and trade acceleration for less fuel spent
).
OP
OP
pollyp
Club Member
next future plans to upgrade to 15" alloys to improve this vague turn in/midturn wobblyness from the current tyres and also allows the potential of getting some decent sticky tyres maybe toyo's
very picky with the style and cost at the mo. most i've seen from halfords & ebay seem either too gastly or cheap or basic
but i'm liking these or similar. just keep looking around
then i could finally upgrade to pulsar brakes
OP
OP
pollyp
Club Member
That's very decent! Mine is far lower than this, although I only do short drives (and the CVT autobox likes to stay at 2000 RPM pretty much always, wish I could set it to econo-granny-mode and trade acceleration for less fuel spent
45mpg was from an extra slow 60mph staying below 3k
during short cold weather commutes at worst it does 34mpg from driving hard & high rev, average 38mpg normal commuting (which is also same mpg as when i go +70mph on motorway)
