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PollyMobiles Rebuild

Bad news that Paul. Might have dropped a rod eh. I'm sure you'll sort it all out over the coming days and it'll be better than before.

Sent from my WAS-LX1A using Tapatalk
 
That's bad news Paul, looks expensive! :eek: Hope you have a spare engine for a rebuild..................:oops:
Nope no spare block here :(
Best case scenario is I just need to grab a spare bung plug that's fallen out and the bearings etc are fine.

Worst case is major damage and may have to consider reverting back to a standard block.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Micra Sports Club mobile app
 
Nope no spare block here :(
Best case scenario is I just need to grab a spare bung plug that's fallen out and the bearings etc are fine.

Worst case is major damage and may have to consider reverting back to a standard block.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Micra Sports Club mobile app
From your description of the train of events Paul I can't see your 'best case scenario' being plausible :(.
About 50 years ago (god was it really that long ago? :eek:), I had a highly tuned 850 Mini (8000rpm) which had an oil cooler pipe come off while driving. Fortunately I'd had the foresight to fit, not only an oil pressure gauge, but a seriously large bright oil pressure light in my direct eyeline, operated by a 20psi switch. It lit up almost instantly, I glanced in the rear view mirror, saw the oil slick behind me and pulled up straight away with no nasty noises! Refitted the oil cooler pipe refilled the sump (it was empty!) and away I went again, I was lucky...............
 
Let's hope it's not serious eh. I'm intrigued to know what let go. As we know it's always an easy fix with Micras; it's just the cost of everything involved that's the pain really.

Sent from my WAS-LX1A using Tapatalk
 
Hi been soo busy & tired with work & stripping down this engine but here's my findings...

looking under the soaked bay for where all the oil is coming from, the first clue is this bracing bar bolt hanging loose?

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this is all the engine oil that remains :oops:

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gearbox drain with the usual amount of debris

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began stripping the bay to investigate further

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and oh no, seeing part of the sump exposed is not what ya wanna see :confused:

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turbo removed for a better view

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ohh **** :poop::poop: cylinder #3 has clearly thrown a rod :eek:

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removed the engine

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clutch is fine, only an oily bell housing

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the oil gallery bung plug is still there but looking further back, holy crap there's an even bigger problem with a chunk punched out including the oil gallery!

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oil filter internals seem fine with only tiny bits of metal from the disaster

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clutch is in good condition with plenty of life. just one of the plate springs is slightly loose rattling about

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back of engine is oil stained but dunno where it's all coming from tbh. that big oil gallery plug ain't leaking

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Assessing Destroyed Forged Piston Engine

all the pulley side of the engine has been soaked with leaking oil & dirt over the years with no obvious clue where from

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unbolting the sump near cyl3 was abit tricky cos it's deformed like a raging bull had exploded inside

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opened the sump and holy jesus mother of gawd feck :eek::eek: as pieces were fallen out.
everything around cyl3 is destroyed violently

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any more damage and the whole block could've split in half o_O

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damn, pistons are damaged

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trying to figure what started all this carnage? my oil scraper tray slowly breaking apart? standard rods giving up? detonation? big end nuts shaking loose?
all the big end nuts were threadlocked tight and all the remaining cylinders are still tight, so cylinder 3 sure didn't shake itself loose

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that orange copper sealant I used on the engine cover gasket is pretty good at sticking it all down snug :)

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5 years of regular oil change keeping the insides nice & clean :cool:

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removed head and HG is still perfect

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pistons 1-4 with a crusty lay of burnt oil but dayum! look at the ruined piston 3, definately smashed the head

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the head & valves are not in a good state with all that seriously thick layer of burnt crusty oil, increasing C/R and easily creating hot spots leading to detonations

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head is trashed with the piston smashing into the highlighted lip & valves

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Hi been soo busy & tired with work & stripping down this engine but here's my findings...

looking under the soaked bay for where all the oil is coming from, the first clue is this bracing bar bolt hanging loose?

View attachment 59725View attachment 59726View attachment 59727View attachment 59728

this is all the engine oil that remains :oops:

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gearbox drain with the usual amount of debris

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began stripping the bay to investigate further

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and oh no, seeing part of the sump exposed is not what ya wanna see :confused:

View attachment 59732View attachment 59733

turbo removed for a better view

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ohh #### :poop::poop: cylinder #3 has clearly thrown a rod :eek:

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removed the engine

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clutch is fine, only an oily bell housing

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the oil gallery bung plug is still there but looking further back, holy crap there's an even bigger problem with a chunk punched out including the oil gallery!

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oil filter internals seem fine with only tiny bits of metal from the disaster

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clutch is in good condition with plenty of life. just one of the plate springs is slightly loose rattling about

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back of engine is oil stained but dunno where it's all coming from tbh. that big oil gallery plug ain't leaking

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The oil in the bell housing is likely from the crank oil seal which probably distorted when the rod was about to let go ........
 
half of cyl3 is gone

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the ruined piston #3 but rest of the other pistons are fine & straight

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Piston 1

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Piston 2

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Destroyed Piston 3

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Piston 4

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Piston 1, 2 & 4 big ends. the loaded side of the shells certainly showing signs of straining under the torque

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the main shells near cyl3 & 4 also showing damage

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checking all the ring end gaps and this engine is basically all worn out prematurely. this disaster was inevitable

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here's the history of these ring end gaps and they're clearly worn out. excess blowby may explain the high-end power loss from the recent dyno test?

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valve clearances are also worn abit too sloppy which might be why she was abit tappety over the injector noises?

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Assessing Worn LSD Differential

good chance to clean up the bulkhead, service the PAS rack and reroute the PAS cooler to the radiater cooler

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LSD has now totally lost all preload so its time to inspect it

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this is a worrying with this allen bolt head simply left being snapped off? most of the LSD bolts were also shaken too loose :oops: this isn't good, threadlock ain't holding. I better lockwire all critical bolts from now on :confused:

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FFS yup the damn double stacked preload rings are yet again smashed to bits over time

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preload ring #2 following behind with the 1 crack

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measure & compare the state of all the clutch rings

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Outer Plate 1 (2014 - 2017 - 2018)
(1.74 - 1.74 - 1.73mm)

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Inner Plate 1 (2014 - 2017 - 2018)
(1.56 - 1.55 - 1.54mm)

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Outer Plate 2 (2014 - 2017 - 2018)
(1.57 - 1.54 - 1.54mm)

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Inner Plate 2 (2014 - 2017 - 2018)
(1.58 - 1.57 - 1.55mm)

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Outer Plate 3 (2014 - 2017 - 2018)
(1.57 - 1.55 - 1.55mm)

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Inner Plate 3 (2014 - 2017 - 2018)
(1.50 - 1.50 - 1.50mm)

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graph of the steady wear rate :cool:

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the driver plate looking the same as before

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the ramps getting chipped more & more

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so with the clutch rings barely worn and just the preload rings thats broken apart, I've purchased a Gripper Rebuild Kit for £200 to replace the double beville rings and any rings worn too thin to restore the original preload torque :)
 
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Installing Quick Release Steering Wheel

Jamie from youtube 'LetsTorqueCars' needed some help fitting his new quick release steering wheel onto his 'purple onion' K11. filming as we go along :)

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this spigot ring on the quick release didn't allow the steering wheels horn button to insert fully into the bore hole

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not quite a universal kit, so I had to machine that ring thinner so it can slide all the way in

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removed the non-airbag steering and wired up the horn

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the completed quick release steering looks cool :cool::cool:

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Back in the dim distant past (50 years ago!) when I built my half race 850cc Mini engine, I had the con rods shot peened and polished and the rods, crank pistons and flywheel all dynamically balanced. The rods had pinch bolt small ends and the gudgeon pins rotated in the pistons with no small end bearings :eek: but the engine revved comfortably to 8000 rpm, though I decided that 7500 was safer so red lined it there. Not sure where you would go to have the internals treated the same way these days, but with long term reliability in mind perhaps this would be a way to go?
 
Well that went properly!

Sorry to see it, what are your next steps? It's horrid when engines go like this, been there this time last year....

Plate diff's always wear out, so rebuilding will always be part of the maintenance plan, the threadlock you use on the diff will need to be special 'oil proof' stuff, normal stuff is not designed for immersion in oil...
 
Hard lines mate.

**** happens and life goes on though hey, you've pulled your finger out, got on with it like a boss and assessed the damage, good attitude.

On a side note, what a good mate you are- just had your engine throw a rod, clearly spent some time stripping down etc and still sorted your mates steering wheel out- more people needed like you man.

Good luck with it.
 
Back in the dim distant past (50 years ago!) when I built my half race 850cc Mini engine, I had the con rods shot peened and polished and the rods, crank pistons and flywheel all dynamically balanced. The rods had pinch bolt small ends and the gudgeon pins rotated in the pistons with no small end bearings :eek: but the engine revved comfortably to 8000 rpm, though I decided that 7500 was safer so red lined it there. Not sure where you would go to have the internals treated the same way these days, but with long term reliability in mind perhaps this would be a way to go?

something to look into at a later date :cool:
 
Well that went properly!

Sorry to see it, what are your next steps? It's horrid when engines go like this, been there this time last year....

Plate diff's always wear out, so rebuilding will always be part of the maintenance plan, the threadlock you use on the diff will need to be special 'oil proof' stuff, normal stuff is not designed for immersion in oil...

yeah an unexpected send off with a bang! :LOL:
gonna buy a normal 1.3 auto engine, gap the rings so they don't bind under boost, and run the non-forged nistune map.

the LSD plates hasn't worn much tbh, it's just the damn preload rings that always shatter to bits. yea threadlock ain't reliable, I'm thinking of lockwiring all the essential fasteners :cool:
 
Hard lines mate.

#### happens and life goes on though hey, you've pulled your finger out, got on with it like a boss and assessed the damage, good attitude.

On a side note, what a good mate you are- just had your engine throw a rod, clearly spent some time stripping down etc and still sorted your mates steering wheel out- more people needed like you man.

Good luck with it.

aww thanks for the kind comments m8 :)
 
this snapped allen bolt was really stuck on the LSD casing, so I drilled it out and need to heli-coil it next

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good time to remove & assess the PAS rack. would be a PITA to get out if the engine was still in place

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rack removed

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identified as the 49001-4F100 made by TRW used on only a few models of K11.
there are many other versions of PAS racks from other K11, I just need to find one that has a faster ratio and direct fit

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stripping the arms off

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this screw cap was really stiff to remove. this section pushes the rack against the pinion

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one end of the hydraulic tube has this plastic retainer cap. simply spin the cap and feed this locking wire out of the hole

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the o-ring is ruined, might have caused some of the leakage?

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to separate the pinion from the rack, this aluminium cap was a huge PITA to remove. proper stuck and didn't know if it actually screwed off

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had to take extreme measures and drilled/chiseled the whole thing off to access this nut :rolleyes:

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ahh it turns out the big screw cap was simply threadlocked / bonded on with really strong stuff. had to chisel it all out in bits

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extracted the ruined ball bearing which I'll replace

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here's the interesting PAS pinion shaft and the hollow hydraulic steering rack. also note the interesting internal breather port holes at both ends of the rack allowing air in the sealed dust gaiters to swap over without the need for them external breather pipes, clever.

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Sounds like a good plan, time to find a 1.3 auto which has failed its MOT...

Though they are rare, could you use a 1.0 auto and transfer the crank and rods etc.. from a normal 1.3? TBH I would just use a good condition 1.3 engine regardless of it being auto, the engine condition being more important than the auto part...
 
Sounds like a good plan, time to find a 1.3 auto which has failed its MOT...

Though they are rare, could you use a 1.0 auto and transfer the crank and rods etc.. from a normal 1.3? TBH I would just use a good condition 1.3 engine regardless of it being auto, the engine condition being more important than the auto part...

not much point in buying both a 1.0L + 1.3L to transplant 1.3 crank/rod into the 1L block when there's already a whole 1.3L in the 1st place?
I'm just gonna buy & fit a 1.3 engine in the end :p

agree about engine mechanical condition being more important than water jacket configuration
 
drilled out this retaining pin to separate the rotary valve assembly

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this outer valve casing have grooves & ports which direct the high pressure oil to the LH or RH of the piston depending on how much it's rotating/twisting relative to the grooved inner steering shaft

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the splined steering column is connected to the racks pinion gear through an internal torsion bar. when turning the steering harder against a higher resistance (steering while stationary), it twists the bar which then opens the valve to the left or right side of the piston to provide assistance.

the flat interlocking ends where the splined side meets the pinion side limits the torsion bar / valve to twist only about 1-2deg before both sides turn solidly together. this coupling ensures the steering doesn't feel too elastic / disconnected but inherantly this design will always have that few degs of sloppy feel near the center.

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wirebrushed the Alu casing

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all greased & reassembled :cool:

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on the other hand it might be the best time to buy a different rack # from a later K11 which may have a faster ratio than this 49001-4F100?
 
ok I've been doing alot of research trying to find info/specs on all the hydraulic racks available for the micra.
I found that on the pre-facelifts upto 1998 including mine they all used TRW hydraulic racks #49001-4F100, which I complained felt very slow ratio, low geared, sluggish response.

on all the 2000-2003 facelifts I've driven, they use TRW #49001-1F715, which felt much more go-kart responsive, faster high-geared ratio, weighty/chunky feeling steering.

just ordered a 49001-1F715 rack on ebay for £30, hope it's the right one :cool:
 
Another reason to fit the Whiteline castor/traction kit Paul. You can increase the castor which provides significantly better turn-in and steering response over stock.
 
Another reason to fit the Whiteline castor/traction kit Paul. You can increase the castor which provides significantly better turn-in and steering response over stock.

plus it leans the wheel more into the corner when turning, which may help improve contact patch as the tyres flex and stop it rapidly shredding the tyres outer shoulder on track :cool:
 
LSD Rebuild Kit

box of goodies arrive from Corby Motorsport for my Gripper rebuild kit :D:D
it contained 10 outer plates in 4 thicknesses, 8 inner plates of 2 thicknesses and a pair of belville spring plates

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including the existing used plates from the LSD diff, these are all the various thicknesses I have for rebuilding it :cool:
enough here to rebuild it afew times over

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also brought an M6 helicoil kit to repair the drilled bolt hole on the LSD case

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Pre-face hydraulic rack vs Facelift hydraulic rack

so looking at nissan4u.com I found that most of the pre-face K11 upto 1998 used the power steering rack #69001-4F100 which I complained felt abit sluggish, low gear ratio when using my wheels.

whereas a few 2000-2002 facelift micra's I've driven uses #69001-1F715 which imo felt like a quicker rack with standard wheel.

hoping to find a quicker ratio rack, I ordered a facelift hydraulic rack on ebay for just £30.
Yay it arrived! opening the big package is like an early xmas present to myself :D:LOL:

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so here's the new rack compared to the old one.
I was initially excited that it had a shorter 2.75 lock-lock turn but later found out why

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removing the steering gaiters reveals that it's been limited by a pair of these green 5mm spacers

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taking it all apart to test the racks full range, unfortunately it turns out that they both have exactly the same gearing ratio of 3.375 turns with 140mm of stroke :confused:

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same tie-rods

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Alu steering gear unit exactly the same mechanism with very subtle casting manufacture differences

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so the two racks are only different via the hydraulic cylinders.
the cylinder on a pre-facelift rack is riveted onto the gear case and the plastic end cap is retained via a wire-inbetween-grooves.
whereas the facelift cylinder is simply crimped onto the gear casing and the steel end cap is threaded into the cylinder, just makes it cheaper & quicker to manufacture :rolleyes:

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even though the two steering gear units have different ID numbers, they're the same gears.

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so generally there's no mechanical differences between the hydraulic racks other than improved manufacture. no idea about the superS and imported racks but they're almost impossible to source economically anyway.

not sure why my steering feels sluggish with these 15" alloys, grippy Toyos and firmer coilovers & swaybars, whereas a standard micra with standard 13/14" wheels, stock suspension and exactly similar hydraulic rack somehow feels more responsive, sensitive & higher ratio?
 
repaired & cleaned all the bolt holes for the LSD cover plate

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Gripper & Corby Motorsports website actually says the diff can be used with any oil and suggests if it shares the same oil as the gearset & synchro's then I should primarily use whatever grade the gearbox manufacturer recommends.

Nissan & Haynes recommends SAE 80 GL5, so at work I brought a few bottles of this regular 80w90 GL5 which also suites LSD's and only costs £3/Litre which is a far cry from the previous Morris 80w140 LSD oil I used for the past 8yrs at £14/Litre!!:oops:

jeesus if I had known and just used normal gear oil yrs ago, imagine the ££££ I'd save :rolleyes:
live & learn ;)

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calculating how much each combination of plate thickness will compress the preload spring to give a specific LSD preload

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assembling the clutches

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will be replaced with stainless bolts after testing.

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testing the preload by locking one end of the drive shaft to the wall while measuring the diff preload at the other end with a torque wrench.
slowly mix & match the clutch plates till I achieve the original preload value :cool:

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You seem to be spending a lot of time and money on not getting the engine fixed Paul:unsure:....... ( or are parts in transit?)
 
I used Lodexol once and from that moment on I never used it again as it simply never performed well when I had a Gripper LSD.

I always used 75w90 GL4, (which is what my Nissan manual recommended). I would then tune the response with Redline friction modifier, which worked a treat for me.
 
You seem to be spending a lot of time and money on not getting the engine fixed Paul:unsure:....... ( or are parts in transit?)

I'm waiting for a guy down suffolk who's trying to find a suitable pallet for delivering a 1.3 auto engine.
meanwhile I'm prepping all the other stuff in the bay with the engine out the way ;)
 
I used Lodexol once and from that moment on I never used it again as it simply never performed well when I had a Gripper LSD.

I always used 75w90 GL4, (which is what my Nissan manual recommended). I would then tune the response with Redline friction modifier, which worked a treat for me.

nice info, cheers Dave :)
 
Matt H recommended ATF Oil for our rally gearbox with the Suretrac LSD, and 4.92 semi-helical final drive. Cheap enough.

ZR with Quaife LSD uses expensive (£9 a litre) Castrol Racing Gear Oil
 
brought a spare front grill for £10 to get rid of the gap under the headlights

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#

but a shame that it got damaged & snapped during delivery :confused:

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a little glue & filler & t-cut will fix that :p
 
Lockwiring Gripper LSD screws

To ensure these cover screws on the LSD never come loose again and ruin the preload spring, I found a reel of 0.5mm lockwire in the garage to secure them in place.

Brought a pack of stainless allen head screws and drilled through all 12 of em for the wire

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Created a detailed table in Excel so I know how much each combination of clutch plates will compress the Belville spring for a specific preload.
I also discovered the arrangement of the 8 plates affects how much surface area the clutch plates are rubbing therefore the overall amount of diff locking.

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After setting the preload to 23% compressed and 50Nm, the cover plate was threadlocked and torqued down.

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Following guides on youtube, began the slow fiddly task lockwiring all the screws together.



The result turned out awesome :D:D

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Matt H recommended ATF Oil for our rally gearbox with the Suretrac LSD, and 4.92 semi-helical final drive. Cheap enough.

ZR with Quaife LSD uses expensive (£9 a litre) Castrol Racing Gear Oil

I used Redline MT90 on my last fill with the Suretrac. I only ever used ATF in a standard daily to try to up the MPG a little. I'm not sure, for me at least, ATF would fair well with me stuffing up to ~230lb/ft into the transmission.
 
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