Ah yeah, I see it now.You can see the front ARB (left side is black) in this photo
My opticians have called me in for a check up, perhaps I need to arrange it sooner rather than later!
Ta!
Kirkynut
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Please only use these forums for blogs, they are not a discussion forum
PollyMobiles Rebuild
- Thread starter pollyp
- Start date
My opticians have called me in for a check up, perhaps I need to arrange it sooner rather than later!
Ta!
Kirkynut
OP
OP
pollyp
Club Member
this old downpipe exhaust hanger bar have always been an annoying issue for me.
it hangs too low,
too soft & floppy moving around considering the backbox is now on solid bobbins and the engine mounts are much firmer,
and the biggest problem is trying to wiggle it past the sway bar & lower brace during removal, I'd have to unbolt the swaybar & brace every time which is a PITA ?
after much thought I decided to fabricate a rigid subframe for the exhaust to sit on top supported by a rubber bobbin.
cut & drilled the flat bar.
bent to shape
welded solid
fitted
comparison of the old low hanging rod vs new higher subframe with bobbin
plenty of ground clearance, the lower brace is definately the lowest part of the car
went for a test drive and there's no vibration or knocking so the new frame & rubber bobbins doing their job well
it hangs too low,
too soft & floppy moving around considering the backbox is now on solid bobbins and the engine mounts are much firmer,
and the biggest problem is trying to wiggle it past the sway bar & lower brace during removal, I'd have to unbolt the swaybar & brace every time which is a PITA ?
after much thought I decided to fabricate a rigid subframe for the exhaust to sit on top supported by a rubber bobbin.
cut & drilled the flat bar.
bent to shape
welded solid
fitted
comparison of the old low hanging rod vs new higher subframe with bobbin
plenty of ground clearance, the lower brace is definately the lowest part of the car
went for a test drive and there's no vibration or knocking so the new frame & rubber bobbins doing their job well
OP
OP
pollyp
Club Member
I've been curious to temprarily eliminate my powersteering to see if it'll improve the sloppy 5deg deadzone at the center of the steering
and if it'll improve mpg & HP from reduced parasitic losses?
Manual steering racks on ebay are a silly £100+ or £30 but would have to collect in person 200miles away during this pandemic ?
decided to grab this cheap PAS on ebay for £30 posted next day and convert it into manual.
the rack is #49001 1F715
same as my current PAS rack. has the green plastic limiters
stripped the un-used bits off.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
//measured the 49001-1F715 rack travels 129mm over 3.125 turns lock-lock.
//that's actually less than my current 69001-1F715 which does 140mm over 3.375 turns ?
//so I guess the initial 49001 or 69001 # relates to the length of the rack tube relative to the casing?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Correction:
actually I remeasured the 49001-1F715 rack without the inner tie-rods attached and the full range is 140mm over 3.375 turns.
exactly the same ratio (41.48mm per rev) as every single PAS rack I've ever used including:
49001-4F100
49001-1F715
69001-1F715
next step is to strip the internal apart, weld the rotary valve/torsion bar pinion shaft solid to eliminate the sloppy feel and then remove the piston off the steering rack so there's no hydraulic resistance as it moves.
and if it'll improve mpg & HP from reduced parasitic losses?
Manual steering racks on ebay are a silly £100+ or £30 but would have to collect in person 200miles away during this pandemic ?
decided to grab this cheap PAS on ebay for £30 posted next day and convert it into manual.
the rack is #49001 1F715
same as my current PAS rack. has the green plastic limiters
stripped the un-used bits off.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
//measured the 49001-1F715 rack travels 129mm over 3.125 turns lock-lock.
//that's actually less than my current 69001-1F715 which does 140mm over 3.375 turns ?
//so I guess the initial 49001 or 69001 # relates to the length of the rack tube relative to the casing?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Correction:
actually I remeasured the 49001-1F715 rack without the inner tie-rods attached and the full range is 140mm over 3.375 turns.
exactly the same ratio (41.48mm per rev) as every single PAS rack I've ever used including:
49001-4F100
49001-1F715
69001-1F715
next step is to strip the internal apart, weld the rotary valve/torsion bar pinion shaft solid to eliminate the sloppy feel and then remove the piston off the steering rack so there's no hydraulic resistance as it moves.
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OP
OP
pollyp
Club Member
sick of pumping up the front left tyre every week cos the tyre valve was leaking for a while,
so I popped down to the local Kwikfit to get it fixed.
good time for another photo underneath ?
very nice of them to say it's free
I just had to give em a 5 star review on google
so I popped down to the local Kwikfit to get it fixed.
good time for another photo underneath ?
very nice of them to say it's free
I just had to give em a 5 star review on google
OP
OP
pollyp
Club Member
Converting the power steering rack into a manual rack,
first I welded up the ends of the obsolete hydraulic fittings to keep dirt out
used this 5mm flat bar & spanner to unscrew the end cap of the hydraulic rack
to remove the cap that's covering the pinion shaft nut, I trimmed this tool
but the 4 dimples in the soft aluminium is simply rounding off ?
so I decided to just cut two big slots across the whole cap to increase surface area and use the flat end of the tool, which worked
to remove the cap which presses the rack against the pinion gear, I made this tool
removed the pinion from the other end
drilled the rotary valve off
welded the two shafts together to eliminate the mushy 5deg feel near dead-center inherent on all power steering racks
removed the piston seal so the rack can move freely without any hydraulic/pneumatic resistance
rack converted to manual ready to try out someday ?
first I welded up the ends of the obsolete hydraulic fittings to keep dirt out
used this 5mm flat bar & spanner to unscrew the end cap of the hydraulic rack
to remove the cap that's covering the pinion shaft nut, I trimmed this tool
but the 4 dimples in the soft aluminium is simply rounding off ?
so I decided to just cut two big slots across the whole cap to increase surface area and use the flat end of the tool, which worked
to remove the cap which presses the rack against the pinion gear, I made this tool
removed the pinion from the other end
drilled the rotary valve off
welded the two shafts together to eliminate the mushy 5deg feel near dead-center inherent on all power steering racks
removed the piston seal so the rack can move freely without any hydraulic/pneumatic resistance
rack converted to manual ready to try out someday ?
OP
OP
pollyp
Club Member
Creality Ender 3 v2 Printer
I've been looking for a 3D printer upgrade for awhile now since my old 2015 machine is noisy, has a small platform, limited to low temp PLA since the heated bed was broken for yrs and a lot has changed in the evolving industry.
The ender 3 v2 caught my attention last yr cos it's a very popular machine, large heated bed, very quiet motor drivers and at a very affordable price.
last year it was at £240-270 which was kinda pricey but recently in march it went down to £200 which I was more comfy with and quickly brought it ?
4days after coming from china it finally arrived
bits all nicely arranged & labelled
first issue I noticed was the platform didn't move smoothly, it seemed to bind every 5cm like 1 of the wheels were flat spotted ?
that's not ideal for a crisp accurate motion
removed the rolling platform and noticed the plastic roller wheels are slightly deformed/marked probably from being stored under constant tension for long periods
removed all the wheels and it's a good thing I have a mini-lathe to remachine those 45deg edges perfectly round & smooth.
now it slides sooooo much smoother ?
the big heated bed rated at 220w 24volts
assembling the vertical beams, keeping aligned with a square edge
wasn't happy with this rectangle block for mounting the z-axis motor cos it had a noticeable 5deg taper (easier to release off injection mould) which made the lead screw sit 5deg off ?
so I sanded the sides squarely to make it sit parallel with the vertical beams so it won't bind
close look at the small hot end, the heatsink doesn't look very effective with such thick fins and small surface area,
many ppl complained about the noisy fan needed to cool it
fans are an odd 24v which might be tricky to replace
the Creality v4.2.2 board features silent stepper drivers, 32bit chip with bigger memory able to utilise more of the Marlin firmware features, comes with a big colour interface and can be added with an auto levelling sensor
all assembled ?
turned it on:
the hot-end cooling fan is soo noisy & always on and whenever the PSU gets warm and turn on it's own fan it's even louder! ?
there's 4 fans which all needs either tuning down or replacing.
but the stepper motors are sooo super quiet in comparison.
and the print accuracy quality is simply superb
I've been looking for a 3D printer upgrade for awhile now since my old 2015 machine is noisy, has a small platform, limited to low temp PLA since the heated bed was broken for yrs and a lot has changed in the evolving industry.
The ender 3 v2 caught my attention last yr cos it's a very popular machine, large heated bed, very quiet motor drivers and at a very affordable price.
last year it was at £240-270 which was kinda pricey but recently in march it went down to £200 which I was more comfy with and quickly brought it ?
4days after coming from china it finally arrived
bits all nicely arranged & labelled
first issue I noticed was the platform didn't move smoothly, it seemed to bind every 5cm like 1 of the wheels were flat spotted ?
that's not ideal for a crisp accurate motion
removed the rolling platform and noticed the plastic roller wheels are slightly deformed/marked probably from being stored under constant tension for long periods
removed all the wheels and it's a good thing I have a mini-lathe to remachine those 45deg edges perfectly round & smooth.
now it slides sooooo much smoother ?
the big heated bed rated at 220w 24volts
assembling the vertical beams, keeping aligned with a square edge
wasn't happy with this rectangle block for mounting the z-axis motor cos it had a noticeable 5deg taper (easier to release off injection mould) which made the lead screw sit 5deg off ?
so I sanded the sides squarely to make it sit parallel with the vertical beams so it won't bind
close look at the small hot end, the heatsink doesn't look very effective with such thick fins and small surface area,
many ppl complained about the noisy fan needed to cool it
fans are an odd 24v which might be tricky to replace
the Creality v4.2.2 board features silent stepper drivers, 32bit chip with bigger memory able to utilise more of the Marlin firmware features, comes with a big colour interface and can be added with an auto levelling sensor
all assembled ?
turned it on:
the hot-end cooling fan is soo noisy & always on and whenever the PSU gets warm and turn on it's own fan it's even louder! ?
there's 4 fans which all needs either tuning down or replacing.
but the stepper motors are sooo super quiet in comparison.
and the print accuracy quality is simply superb
OP
OP
pollyp
Club Member
1st big thing I printed was another solid bushing for the spare steering rack I recently converted from PAS to Manual.
Settings at a faster default speed compared to my older machine, I'm soo impressed at how fast, responsive & consistantly accurate this printer moves ?
the finish is amazing
Settings at a faster default speed compared to my older machine, I'm soo impressed at how fast, responsive & consistantly accurate this printer moves ?
the finish is amazing
OP
OP
pollyp
Club Member
The PSU fan is annoyingly loud & kicks in very regularly so it's time to remove & fix this
it's a 350w regular PSU putting out 24v.
interesting that the printer just uses 1 of the 3 available terminals
this small thin fan cools the hot mosfets attached to the alloy casing and the smaller components like the transformers etc
it's a 12v fan which can easily be replaced with other quieter PC fans.
notice the fan is 60mm while the air opening is just 50mm ?
hmm spot something wrong here?
the Meanwell PSU casing has exhaust vents at the opposite end to the fan inlet whereas the black steel enclosure Creality made to contain the PSU is missing these vent holes! ?
just look at how restrictive these mismatched vent holes are choking the poor fan
a better look at how bad the holes are.
the fan is 60mm
the PSU hole is 50mm
the Creality hole is just 45mm AND missing an exit hole so there's nowhere for heat to escape! ?
no wonder it gets hot and frequently triggers the temperature controlled fan to spin faster ?
I marked & cut out the ful 60mm holes and exhaust holes
I even added a spare fan controller to help tune the fan speed to a less annoying frequency
that works sooo much better & bareable now.
only the screaming hot-end fan left to sort out next
it's a 350w regular PSU putting out 24v.
interesting that the printer just uses 1 of the 3 available terminals
this small thin fan cools the hot mosfets attached to the alloy casing and the smaller components like the transformers etc
it's a 12v fan which can easily be replaced with other quieter PC fans.
notice the fan is 60mm while the air opening is just 50mm ?
hmm spot something wrong here?
the Meanwell PSU casing has exhaust vents at the opposite end to the fan inlet whereas the black steel enclosure Creality made to contain the PSU is missing these vent holes! ?
just look at how restrictive these mismatched vent holes are choking the poor fan
a better look at how bad the holes are.
the fan is 60mm
the PSU hole is 50mm
the Creality hole is just 45mm AND missing an exit hole so there's nowhere for heat to escape! ?
no wonder it gets hot and frequently triggers the temperature controlled fan to spin faster ?
I marked & cut out the ful 60mm holes and exhaust holes
I even added a spare fan controller to help tune the fan speed to a less annoying frequency
that works sooo much better & bareable now.
only the screaming hot-end fan left to sort out next
OP
OP
pollyp
Club Member
the odd hidden rattling wires within the dash is extremely annoying every day so during this bank holiday weekend it's time to strip the dash out, reorganise & secure this rats nest of wiring ?
it tested my patience but I managed to neaten it all
all back together
went for a test drive tonight and wowsa it's superbly quiet & luxurious to drive her with no distracting rattles or squeaks?
it's actually quite deceptive cos I became accustomed to the noise, rattles & vibrations as a way of sensing the cars speed over the years.
so even though I'm taking a fast countryside corner at my usual 60 speed and the speedo shows 60 and my body tenses like normal, it didn't seem that fast anymore due to the missing rattles, shakes etc
similar to how an old, loud, shaking, light, agile, small car screaming at 60 tends to feel a lot faster/engaging/exciting than a modern, quiet, silky smooth, big & heavier car at the same speed & corner
it tested my patience but I managed to neaten it all
all back together
went for a test drive tonight and wowsa it's superbly quiet & luxurious to drive her with no distracting rattles or squeaks
?it's actually quite deceptive cos I became accustomed to the noise, rattles & vibrations as a way of sensing the cars speed over the years.
so even though I'm taking a fast countryside corner at my usual 60 speed and the speedo shows 60 and my body tenses like normal, it didn't seem that fast anymore due to the missing rattles, shakes etc
similar to how an old, loud, shaking, light, agile, small car screaming at 60 tends to feel a lot faster/engaging/exciting than a modern, quiet, silky smooth, big & heavier car at the same speed & corner
With that 'bobbin' A/V mount connected directly to the exhaust pipe, it is going to cook the rubber VERY quickly Paul!! :0( I give it a few days at most!
OP
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pollyp
Club Member
so far so good from normal driving. the real test will be next time I take her on trackdays & push her, that'll definately heat stress the mount.
even if it cooks on track, it's really easy to replace
OP
OP
pollyp
Club Member
popped round to visit me local m8 Craig for a good long catchup and assess the rust hole on his R33 Skyline that needed fixing before it can pass MOT
looking under, I found the hole but surprised to see that both rear sills have been patched over before but BONDED on! ?
and the patch ain't a good protected steel either cos the passenger side plate is rotten ?
I could've welded a small plate over that hole just to pass MOT (little difficult to access with welder cos the side skirts are stuck/blended to the bodywork) so he can move this car to work on the other 4 cars (and then it can be fixed proper at a later date) but looking rearwards I saw a bigger issue
this thick double skinned inner sill serving as the jacking point and suspension subframe bracket mount is seriously rusty/flaking and very likely why it failed MOT ?
that is a much more serious big job I can't do on a driveway ?
so we had a deep chat bout the various options/scenario around his circumstances ranging from either:
- stripping it for parts and focus more on his other favourite R33 or
- storing both SORNd skylines in shipping containers so he can fix the other two more important daily cars or
- send the rusty skyline to a repair shop he knows to both slowly repair, store for awhile and free up space in his garage to work on the other cars (likely choice)
looking under, I found the hole but surprised to see that both rear sills have been patched over before but BONDED on!
? and the patch ain't a good protected steel either cos the passenger side plate is rotten ?
I could've welded a small plate over that hole just to pass MOT (little difficult to access with welder cos the side skirts are stuck/blended to the bodywork) so he can move this car to work on the other 4 cars (and then it can be fixed proper at a later date) but looking rearwards I saw a bigger issue
this thick double skinned inner sill serving as the jacking point and suspension subframe bracket mount is seriously rusty/flaking and very likely why it failed MOT ?
that is a much more serious big job I can't do on a driveway ?
so we had a deep chat bout the various options/scenario around his circumstances ranging from either:
- stripping it for parts and focus more on his other favourite R33 or
- storing both SORNd skylines in shipping containers so he can fix the other two more important daily cars or
- send the rusty skyline to a repair shop he knows to both slowly repair, store for awhile and free up space in his garage to work on the other cars (likely choice)
OP
OP
pollyp
Club Member
Before fitting the non-PAS rack I'd have to remove the hydraulic systems, pump & belt but looking online it's hard to find a non-PAS idler pulley. making one from scratch would be a PITA.
Instead of spending more money on finding & buying the idler pulley & new shorter belt, I already have a spare PAS pump so I decided to strip out the pump mechanism and simply running the bare pulley spindle as an idle pulley and keep using the PAS belt & tensioner ?
filled with oil and both ports capped off
Instead of spending more money on finding & buying the idler pulley & new shorter belt, I already have a spare PAS pump so I decided to strip out the pump mechanism and simply running the bare pulley spindle as an idle pulley and keep using the PAS belt & tensioner ?
filled with oil and both ports capped off
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Just looked at parts of this blog in more detail for the first time as whilst I have been a lingerer on here for years, whilst not a member I've only seen bits and bobs.
I used your index to look at the bits that interest me most, so thank you for taking the time to create that!
You've done so much to this over a long period of time, most people would have got bored of the car a decade ago!
I bet you've taught yourself loads of knowledge and skills!
How many people don't get it and ask you why you spent so much time and money on what they perceive to be an old worthless car?
I read with interest about your BC Racing coilovers and how they can be set to be comfortable on the road. I had Bilstein Streetlines on a Nova GTE years ago and they were harsh!
Kirkynut
I used your index to look at the bits that interest me most, so thank you for taking the time to create that!
You've done so much to this over a long period of time, most people would have got bored of the car a decade ago!
I bet you've taught yourself loads of knowledge and skills!
How many people don't get it and ask you why you spent so much time and money on what they perceive to be an old worthless car?
I read with interest about your BC Racing coilovers and how they can be set to be comfortable on the road. I had Bilstein Streetlines on a Nova GTE years ago and they were harsh!
Kirkynut
OP
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pollyp
Club Member
Thanks Kirkynut! ? ?
Yeah the index & spec page really comes in handy for finding specific info in this huge blog. It needs updating badly ?
A lot has indeed happened which results in a refined Kassandra & refined Pollyp and proud of sharing the journey ?
lots of ppl certainly don't understand my passion, circumstances, methodology, background, goals or philosophy but I just carry on perserveering, doing my own thing and share my findings for those who might find it useful.
I used to run the Streetline kit which was ok generally but the dampening was too stiff during fast bump & fast rebound.
The BC in comparison is soo versatile & well controlled dampening when set correctly.
comfy ride on bumpy roads when at full soft for daily use
firm ride & controlled body movement when at full hard on track
OP
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pollyp
Club Member
with the fan controller silencing the PSU, it's time to neaten the wiring up
looks like the bare minimum amount of thermal paste was used on the hot MOSFETs
slots were cut in the casing for the fan wiring to pass through and mount the fan controller on the side.
fresh thermal paste & pads added between the MOSFET & case should help them cool better
not impressed with this rats nest of wires over the control board which will affect it's cooling
the hot-end fan (left) has less blades, larger area and louder than the board cooler fan (right) which has more smaller & steeper blades, smaller area but slightly quieter.
so I swapped them over
wiring is now much neater and should help keep the board cooler
the next mod is to add a 24v fan controller to the screaming hot-end/board fans
looks like the bare minimum amount of thermal paste was used on the hot MOSFETs
slots were cut in the casing for the fan wiring to pass through and mount the fan controller on the side.
fresh thermal paste & pads added between the MOSFET & case should help them cool better
not impressed with this rats nest of wires over the control board which will affect it's cooling
the hot-end fan (left) has less blades, larger area and louder than the board cooler fan (right) which has more smaller & steeper blades, smaller area but slightly quieter.
so I swapped them over
wiring is now much neater and should help keep the board cooler
the next mod is to add a 24v fan controller to the screaming hot-end/board fans
OP
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pollyp
Club Member
yup those fans at full blast are soo annoying compared to everything else in the room that's silent ?
OP
OP
pollyp
Club Member
the alloy cap on the steering rack needed sealing up. Initially tried to machine a bung to weld onto the existing screw cap but the TIG weld went horribly wrong and once again I got angry at how effing slow & crap I am at it ??
I just need a simple cap to cover it, even duck tape it.
but then realised I got a friggin 3D printer! ?
modelled & printed a new cap in 15min and it worked ffs?
to lock the tensioner I tried hammering the soft alloy casing against the thread with a chisel but didn't hold it exactly where I wanted, so I ended up drilling and inserting a lock pin through the top
ready to strip out the PAS & fit the manual rack tomorrow ?
I just need a simple cap to cover it, even duck tape it.
but then realised I got a friggin 3D printer! ?
modelled & printed a new cap in 15min and it worked ffs?
to lock the tensioner I tried hammering the soft alloy casing against the thread with a chisel but didn't hold it exactly where I wanted, so I ended up drilling and inserting a lock pin through the top
ready to strip out the PAS & fit the manual rack tomorrow ?
OP
OP
pollyp
Club Member
on my bday I ripped out the power steering systems
comparing my 1998 preface pump (left) to the spare facelift pumps (right) they unfortunately have different mounting geometry ?
so I'll have to just remove the pump mechanism off this existing pump.
notice the preface pump shaft uses roller bearings whereas the smaller facelift pumps use plain bearings
filled with ATF and capped off
removing the rack with both tie-rods attached was a PITA!
I had to remove 1 tie-rod in order to squeeze it out from above.
both racks are the same part# and same rack geometry.
installing the new rack without the tie-rods makes it a bit easier
leaves a bit more roomin the left side of the bay now
started her up for a test run.
1st thing I noticed was a loud clunking while stationary and exerting large force left to right, can see the pinion shaft/steering column joint clunking up/down 2mm.
thinking back, it seems to be caused by removing this rotary valve (but I didn't reattach it) where the bottom edge of the casing (circled red) was actually involved in preventing the shaft from moving downwards (blue arrow) when steering left due to the spiral pinion gear acting like a screw thread.
so by leaving the rotary valve casing off, when the car is stationary and I steer hard right, the ball bearing at the end of the shaft works as normal in resisting the shaft from 'pulling' upwards.
but as soon as I turn hard left, the pinion gear wants to 'push' the whole shaft downwards and without the support of the missing rotary valve the ball bearing at the end of the shaft actually 'pops/clunks' out of it's socket and it's the steering universal-joint bolted to the splined end of the shaft which is preventing it from fully popping out ? oopsy
anyway, went out to see how it feels.
at low 30-40mph speeds it felt like normal steering effort & same wiggling response (due to soft tall sidewalls).
high speed cornering above 50mph is where the benefits are very noticeable (especially for trackdays).
steering response around the dead-center is now immediate.
steering weight increases with speed so it felt quite chunky, direct, involving (good) but it made her handling seem twitchy/nervous (bad).
whilst I'm exerting lots of muscles holding the steering angle I could feel the rear-end become quite light/sensitive to my every input, which certainly makes me more nervous in trusting her handling ?
it's as though the torsion-bar in the PAS rack is dampening/cusioning my inputs along with obviously reducing the effort required, both resulting in smoother cornering ?
the biggest downside is the insanely heavy effort required during 0-5mph steering (parking in my tiny garage, T-junctions, 3p-turns), not helped by the clunking pinion shaft. I've decided this is actually unbareable to me for daily use ??
was an interesting brief test but guess I'll be reverting it all back to PAS tomorrow ?
comparing my 1998 preface pump (left) to the spare facelift pumps (right) they unfortunately have different mounting geometry ?
so I'll have to just remove the pump mechanism off this existing pump.
notice the preface pump shaft uses roller bearings whereas the smaller facelift pumps use plain bearings
filled with ATF and capped off
removing the rack with both tie-rods attached was a PITA!
I had to remove 1 tie-rod in order to squeeze it out from above.
both racks are the same part# and same rack geometry.
installing the new rack without the tie-rods makes it a bit easier
leaves a bit more roomin the left side of the bay now
started her up for a test run.
1st thing I noticed was a loud clunking while stationary and exerting large force left to right, can see the pinion shaft/steering column joint clunking up/down 2mm.
thinking back, it seems to be caused by removing this rotary valve (but I didn't reattach it) where the bottom edge of the casing (circled red) was actually involved in preventing the shaft from moving downwards (blue arrow) when steering left due to the spiral pinion gear acting like a screw thread.
so by leaving the rotary valve casing off, when the car is stationary and I steer hard right, the ball bearing at the end of the shaft works as normal in resisting the shaft from 'pulling' upwards.
but as soon as I turn hard left, the pinion gear wants to 'push' the whole shaft downwards and without the support of the missing rotary valve the ball bearing at the end of the shaft actually 'pops/clunks' out of it's socket and it's the steering universal-joint bolted to the splined end of the shaft which is preventing it from fully popping out ? oopsy
anyway, went out to see how it feels.
at low 30-40mph speeds it felt like normal steering effort & same wiggling response (due to soft tall sidewalls).
high speed cornering above 50mph is where the benefits are very noticeable (especially for trackdays).
steering response around the dead-center is now immediate.
steering weight increases with speed so it felt quite chunky, direct, involving (good) but it made her handling seem twitchy/nervous (bad).
whilst I'm exerting lots of muscles holding the steering angle I could feel the rear-end become quite light/sensitive to my every input, which certainly makes me more nervous in trusting her handling ?
it's as though the torsion-bar in the PAS rack is dampening/cusioning my inputs along with obviously reducing the effort required, both resulting in smoother cornering ?
the biggest downside is the insanely heavy effort required during 0-5mph steering (parking in my tiny garage, T-junctions, 3p-turns), not helped by the clunking pinion shaft. I've decided this is actually unbareable to me for daily use ??
was an interesting brief test but guess I'll be reverting it all back to PAS tomorrow ?
Is it worth trying a larger steering wheel? Less caster? I'm not sure what your caster is set at, or even just pumping up the front tyres some more?
OP
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pollyp
Club Member
naa I like he feel & size of the current oem wheel.
caster is standard.
tyres are already near 40psi max pressure.
OP
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pollyp
Club Member
6hrs later and the power steering is back on.
inserting the 4 large fine-thread bolts for the rack mounts blindly was a big PITA cos it didn't wanna engage.
the top right bolt was especially hard to get going, but once I felt it bite and began tightening, it got tighter only 1/2 way and probably cross threaded ffs!
nothing I can do to fix it so I just added oil and continued wrenching it really hard till it finally clamped the bracket to the bulkhead.
gonna be a pain to remove & repair that bolt next time so it'll probably be when the engine gets taking out someday.
cba to realign the wheels till tomorrow ?
inserting the 4 large fine-thread bolts for the rack mounts blindly was a big PITA cos it didn't wanna engage.
the top right bolt was especially hard to get going, but once I felt it bite and began tightening, it got tighter only 1/2 way and probably cross threaded ffs!
nothing I can do to fix it so I just added oil and continued wrenching it really hard till it finally clamped the bracket to the bulkhead.
gonna be a pain to remove & repair that bolt next time so it'll probably be when the engine gets taking out someday.
cba to realign the wheels till tomorrow ?
OP
OP
pollyp
Club Member
wanted to fit a rubber cusion between the center beam & chassis (like originally) to reduce some vibrations. so I removed the center beam.
the modded downpipe mount made removal soo much easier now
the new downpipe rubber mount still intact
cos I welded an m10 washer onto the old holes, I can't re-use the original bolts
so I machined them down to 10mm to fit the new hole
sandwich some rubber pieces inbetween them
I also had to cut out the bracket that joined the lower brace to the center beam cos the beam has now shifted downwards
overall the reduction is very minimal but helpful.
there's still that annoying rattle behind the glovebox that needs tracking down tomorrow
the modded downpipe mount made removal soo much easier now
the new downpipe rubber mount still intact
cos I welded an m10 washer onto the old holes, I can't re-use the original bolts
so I machined them down to 10mm to fit the new hole
sandwich some rubber pieces inbetween them
I also had to cut out the bracket that joined the lower brace to the center beam cos the beam has now shifted downwards
overall the reduction is very minimal but helpful.
there's still that annoying rattle behind the glovebox that needs tracking down tomorrow
Those exhaust mounts look the same as ones that get used on minis, I've found that there are some bigger diameter, but thickness remains the same, mounts made for morris 1100s or ado16 if you find you need a sturdier mount.
I thick it was a Mackay rubber part.
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pollyp
Club Member
yeah I believe these are normally for mini's
I'll see how they stand up to trackdays before upgrading em further
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pollyp
Club Member
haven't done a video for few months now,
So with the new interior, removed glovebox cos I was still trying to find this annoying rattle & refined exhaust I went for a quick blast through the countryside to capture fresh footage with the sharper gopro & mic
and captured some useful datalogs
still couldn't find the rattle that resonated loudly at 2500rpm near the A-pillar ?
this morning I narrowed it down to this front wing rubbing the A-pillar and the main cause is the Sony headunit cover rattling loosely, so I wedged some paper behind it and most of the noise is gone. still a tiny rattle left but it's less annoying now
went for a cruise through the sunny yorkshire moors too
can clearly see the 3-4 different shades of grey on kassandra here lol
So with the new interior, removed glovebox cos I was still trying to find this annoying rattle & refined exhaust I went for a quick blast through the countryside to capture fresh footage with the sharper gopro & mic
and captured some useful datalogs
still couldn't find the rattle that resonated loudly at 2500rpm near the A-pillar ?
this morning I narrowed it down to this front wing rubbing the A-pillar and the main cause is the Sony headunit cover rattling loosely, so I wedged some paper behind it and most of the noise is gone. still a tiny rattle left but it's less annoying now
went for a cruise through the sunny yorkshire moors too
can clearly see the 3-4 different shades of grey on kassandra here lol
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pollyp
Club Member
tday I visited Luke to help fit an upgraded gearbox onto his VR6 engine plus make the gear selector unit from a different car (similar platform) fit his Corrado
for my dads bday I thought I'd get this digital portable oscilliscope off ebay to help with his sound-system hobby.
but playing with it now makes me think it's even most useful to me for diagnosing the cars electronics ?
perhaps I'll borrow it (permanantly ?)
for my dads bday I thought I'd get this digital portable oscilliscope off ebay to help with his sound-system hobby.
but playing with it now makes me think it's even most useful to me for diagnosing the cars electronics ?
perhaps I'll borrow it (permanantly ?)
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pollyp
Club Member
my 25yr old preface PAS pump (left) is starting to make a constant whining noise and might be wearing out, so it's time to adapt the spare facelift pumps (right) to fit my preface setup
the facelift pump used to mount to the inlet manifold via another bracket whereas the preface mounts nexr to the waterpump.
so I chopped the upper bracket and welded it at the correct position.
now I can use this bracket on facelift pumps and swap em over tomorrow
the facelift pump used to mount to the inlet manifold via another bracket whereas the preface mounts nexr to the waterpump.
so I chopped the upper bracket and welded it at the correct position.
now I can use this bracket on facelift pumps and swap em over tomorrow
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pollyp
Club Member
there are slight differences in the hydraulic fitment between the old preface (left) and the new facelift pumps (right)
fitted
this HP stiff flexy hose was the biggest issue cos the facelift port is angled soo steep, I had to force the hose into position whilst screwing the bolt but it also meant part of it was rubbing against the brake booster and master cylinder (thankfully there's a metal crimp sleeve along that hose)
tested it out and immediately noticed the power assistance even works at low idle rpm now (it used to be harder to steer whilst stationary during 750rpm unless I blipped the throttle) and it no longer whines when engaged ?
so I guess the 25yr old pump was definately worn out ?
fitted
this HP stiff flexy hose was the biggest issue cos the facelift port is angled soo steep, I had to force the hose into position whilst screwing the bolt but it also meant part of it was rubbing against the brake booster and master cylinder (thankfully there's a metal crimp sleeve along that hose)
tested it out and immediately noticed the power assistance even works at low idle rpm now (it used to be harder to steer whilst stationary during 750rpm unless I blipped the throttle) and it no longer whines when engaged ?
so I guess the 25yr old pump was definately worn out ?
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pollyp
Club Member
sisters Ford focus needed a long overdue oil change & pollen filter before the MOT soon
noticed a huge oil stain behind the engine ? can't see clearly where it's leaking down from?
after talking to her bout it she mentioned she may have spilt some oil whilst topping it up recently?
ahh that'll explain it cos there's oil stain across the engine cover which could've trickled down the sides, behind the engine, manifold, driveshaft, pan and the plastic tray ?
also had this pollen filter to change and what a PITA, I had to remove the whole fuse box tray (which appears like a literal after thought by ford) in order to unbolt an access panel deep in the back of the center console and shuffle the filter in/out.
old filter was quite weighty/sturdy but blackened with filth ?
noticed a huge oil stain behind the engine ? can't see clearly where it's leaking down from?
after talking to her bout it she mentioned she may have spilt some oil whilst topping it up recently?
ahh that'll explain it cos there's oil stain across the engine cover which could've trickled down the sides, behind the engine, manifold, driveshaft, pan and the plastic tray ?
also had this pollen filter to change and what a PITA, I had to remove the whole fuse box tray (which appears like a literal after thought by ford
) in order to unbolt an access panel deep in the back of the center console and shuffle the filter in/out.old filter was quite weighty/sturdy but blackened with filth ?
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pollyp
Club Member
recently got a new CCS sticker, so removed the old one
and stuck the new one on. looks better without the bold huge letterings, dunno how long the delicate thin lines are gonna last though
there was a little car meet at the local beach
Azzam in the red Sunny needed an adapter making to fit a pod filter onto the SR20 MAF sensor
luckily I have my SR20DET GTIR MAF sensor to measure
modelled the adapter
printed the part for over 4.5hrs ?
included the groove for the O-ring
fit perfectly
great surface finish on the new printer
and stuck the new one on. looks better without the bold huge letterings, dunno how long the delicate thin lines are gonna last though
there was a little car meet at the local beach
Azzam in the red Sunny needed an adapter making to fit a pod filter onto the SR20 MAF sensor
luckily I have my SR20DET GTIR MAF sensor to measure
modelled the adapter
printed the part for over 4.5hrs ?
included the groove for the O-ring
fit perfectly
great surface finish on the new printer
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pollyp
Club Member
the red printed rack bushing has just cracked & failed, making the steering very sloppy
turns out the red filament I used was too old, brittle, much too hollow, layers were in wrong orientation making it easy to crack, and finally it didn't fit the cavity of the steering rack perfectly making it bend too much once clamped therefore begin cracking.
I reprinted it with fresh new filament (less brittle) at higher temperature (better fusion), 100% solid infill (more rigidity) and at a different orientation where the grains will follow around the wedge shape so the slight mis-match shape won't crack apart the layers as easily.
steering is once again feeling sharp
the power steering pump high-pressure fittings is again leaking probably cos it's not tight.
I couldn't fit a socket previously due to the nearby coolant line and had to struggle with a big wrench.
so to fully tighten that bolt, I shortened the socket much as possible on the lathe and welded a thick rod to the side of it,
and I was finally able to tighten it up. hope it stops the leak
turns out the red filament I used was too old, brittle, much too hollow, layers were in wrong orientation making it easy to crack, and finally it didn't fit the cavity of the steering rack perfectly making it bend too much once clamped therefore begin cracking.
I reprinted it with fresh new filament (less brittle) at higher temperature (better fusion), 100% solid infill (more rigidity) and at a different orientation where the grains will follow around the wedge shape so the slight mis-match shape won't crack apart the layers as easily.
steering is once again feeling sharp
the power steering pump high-pressure fittings is again leaking probably cos it's not tight.
I couldn't fit a socket previously due to the nearby coolant line and had to struggle with a big wrench.
so to fully tighten that bolt, I shortened the socket much as possible on the lathe and welded a thick rod to the side of it,
and I was finally able to tighten it up. hope it stops the leak
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pollyp
Club Member
my nearby m8 Craig "SuperCooper" needed a last minute driver & help with filming a lads Lexus GS300 before he heads back to Hungary, so I popped by
it was a nice sunny calm afternoon perfect for filming. Craig did some drone shots, gimbal cam shots, close ups and some interviews
a few of his Lexus m8s also stopped by. it was a good day and time certainly flew by from 2-9pm ??
it was a nice sunny calm afternoon perfect for filming. Craig did some drone shots, gimbal cam shots, close ups and some interviews
a few of his Lexus m8s also stopped by. it was a good day and time certainly flew by from 2-9pm ??
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pollyp
Club Member
2021-05-06
finished work only to see this damn marking on my bumper. initially thought it was bird poop but soon realised it's a friggin deep tyre mark ? either some fecker had went full lock while being too close and rubbed their tyre hard against it or some motorcycle twat bumped into her
tried buffing it off with rubbing compound but it looks deep and will need a respray ??
checking the cctv at work has a few issues:
-only the manager has access to the cctv,
-he won't check it for me cos he's busy or not there, so I'd have to check myself during free time,
-but I don't have much free time to look through hours of footage cos I'm either out delivering, lunch or toilet ?
-I dunno the exact date it happened cos only noticed the mark when car was parked the other way round,
-shop only opens 9-5pm
-recordings only last for a week
so all these factors were against me, didn't find out and I gave up in the end ?
on the night I shortened up my stereo adapter loom for less clutter
finished work only to see this damn marking on my bumper. initially thought it was bird poop but soon realised it's a friggin deep tyre mark ? either some fecker had went full lock while being too close and rubbed their tyre hard against it or some motorcycle twat bumped into her
tried buffing it off with rubbing compound but it looks deep and will need a respray ??
checking the cctv at work has a few issues:
-only the manager has access to the cctv,
-he won't check it for me cos he's busy or not there, so I'd have to check myself during free time,
-but I don't have much free time to look through hours of footage cos I'm either out delivering, lunch or toilet ?
-I dunno the exact date it happened cos only noticed the mark when car was parked the other way round,
-shop only opens 9-5pm
-recordings only last for a week
so all these factors were against me, didn't find out and I gave up in the end ?
on the night I shortened up my stereo adapter loom for less clutter
