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PollyMobiles Rebuild

little update.
that annoying plastic squeak/shuffle noise has returned, even after I tightened all the panel screws and even screwed the parcelshelf onto the plastic base itself.

mpg seem to have improved after swapping from the old clogged air filter to a newer one but oil consumption is still bad. driving 240m to a long meeting and back its gone from 3/4 dipstick to bottom low :/
oil was black so changed oil & filter.

the random warm exhaust misfire cough was still there. tried gapping the plugs to 1.0mm to no effect.
replaced the old plugs with new ones

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still coughs :rolleyes:



cyl 1-3 are 1/4 damp while cyl4 is still all damp, notice the sooty 4th plug, I think that's where it's misfiring.
when the warm engine has stopped for afew secs so things are slightly cooler and start the engine, the first few secs are firing smoothly.
but after 10sec it begins to randomly misfire.

it always did this with both the forged and stock engine block. when I swap over to a stock NA setup with stock injectors etc for MOT it never randomly misfires.
so overall I'm suspecting it could be a dirty/leaky sr20 injector during high vacuum idle?
I'm thinking of adding a tank of injector cleaner, what ya'll think. which brand is recommended or will ones from halfords do?
 
hmm other forums seem to say the in-tank additives have limited results compared to cleaning them externally.
perhaps rather than burning a full tank of fuel & £20 additive I should instead just remove the injectors and send off to be restored?
any good companies? another extreme is to buy new 370cc but I can't justify £250+ for a new set.
or am I looking at the wrong area for the random misfire?
 
i would swap 2 over paul, just to confirm it :) ebay ultasonic cleaner maybe ?

swap 2 injectors from the same rail? if any of them were leaking or blocked, it would surely just continue to randomly misfire but with a different cyl?
also if injectors were removed, wouldn't I need to replace the seals with more cost? reusing the same heat-cycled disturbed seals would prob make it more likely to leak and affect the diagnostic?

ultrasonic cleaners range from £15-50 but won't guarantee to work.

I got my 250's from the SuperS cleaned, serviced and flow tested with 'injectortune' Paul. Very quick turnaround too.

superb, they're only £50 to clean & rebuild & deliver (cost of a full tank & cheapo cleaner additive) and is a guaranteed way of ensuring the injectors r as clean as possible.
thanks for the info and that's my next task ;)
 
I've got a ultrasonic cleaner and started to build up a rig but for the initial out lay I could not compete with the people on eBay :(

Anyway back to the point the ultrasonic cleaner is the best option
 
swap 2 injectors from the same rail? if any of them were leaking or blocked, it would surely just continue to randomly misfire but with a different cyl?
also if injectors were removed, wouldn't I need to replace the seals with more cost? reusing the same heat-cycled disturbed seals would prob make it more likely to leak and affect the diagnostic?

ultrasonic cleaners range from £15-50 but won't guarantee to work.



superb, they're only £50 to clean & rebuild & deliver (cost of a full tank & cheapo cleaner additive) and is a guaranteed way of ensuring the injectors r as clean as possible.
thanks for the info and that's my next task ;)
plug colour test paul, and their data sheet states the 3 m/s idle test as "unnecessary" ?
 
I've got a ultrasonic cleaner and started to build up a rig but for the initial out lay I could not compete with the people on eBay :(

Anyway back to the point the ultrasonic cleaner is the best option

yes ultrasonic is one of the good method but the additional raw investment I actually need in time, cost, resources to DIY and achieve a certain quality result with little promise ain't worth it to me compared to a cheaper easier certain option of passing the task over to an already highly setup cleaning establishment for a lower cost.

plug colour test paul, and their data sheet states the 3 m/s idle test as "unnecessary" ?

whats colour test? they're all purple 370cc 200sx injectors.
I just think simply sending the injectors off to a company who'll do a better faster cheaper cleaning job than me here will yield a better probability of diagnosing this misfire. I just don't have any time n money n energy n space to muck around anymore.
 
whats colour test? they're all purple 370cc 200sx injectors.
your "sooty 4th plug" paul

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if you swap injectors 3 and 4 then that will verify what is at fault, and if its a weak return spring thats causing overfueling at idle then a max flow test wont highlight it ?
 
your "sooty 4th plug" paul

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if you swap injectors 3 and 4 then that will verify what is at fault, and if its a weak return spring thats causing overfueling at idle then a max flow test wont highlight it ?

ahh now I gotcha ;)
cyl4 is the more oily piston (um wasn't that the one I fitted a brand new oil ring on cos I accidentally damaged the original one during installation?) which could be contributing to the sooty plug?
but yea I'll swap #3-4 injector and see if that'll change the sootiness. if the sootiness follows the #4 injector then its a clear indication to clean it. if not, then it could be the oil thats sooting it but I'll still send the injectors to be cleaned to be sure.
 
well that was relatively easy to swap. just removed TB, undo connectors, remove the injector caps, no need to remove n drain the rail since its already fully cold & no pressure.

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remove injectors like this, twist screwdriver to pop it out

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injector 4 looks clean & intact, mesh filter spotless

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injector 3 also spotless mesh, slight muck on the side of the pintel cap but nozzle is clear

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inside the rail is clear

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smear little oil on o-rings, slip injector 3 into cyl 4 and injector 4 into cyl3.

spark plugs are brand new white to start off with so lets go for a long drive and see whats what in afew min
 
cranked the engine,
she initially struggled to fire up,
then from a rich 9AFR struggled to get going, misfiring on 1-2 cylinders so I had to apply a bit of throttle.
after a few sec she begin to clear up, brief ploom of white smoke out the back, AFR and rpm gradually improving.
eventually running as normal.

realising of course she struggles cos when I removed both injectors exposing a void in the rail, the volume of fuel that was in there had falling through the hole down into the inlet manifold. so when I tried to start the engine, cyl3-4 had initially flooded hence the 1-2cyl misfire.

anyway she ran fine so lets go for a long drive to test 3 factors.
  • if the colour of the spark plugs are affected by the swap,
  • how economical she can be after new air/oil filter,
  • how much oil she's consuming.

so a long boring 150m later driving a constant non-stop 60mph off-boost:
  • she did 45mpg:)
  • the plugs don't have a tan yet but all look very similar. need more miles.
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the warm idle random misfire seems to have reduced alot. although sometimes begins to misfire if the AFR goes slightly lean after the heater blower or rad fan turns on.



  • dipstick went from full to 1/2 so that's 1L per 300m. still crap but at least its improved from 1L/200m during break-in
  • compression has stabilised at 11.4 11.8 12.0 12.0bars, all piston tops the same 10% damp at the edge
 
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I've been logging the oil level every morning in the garage and monitor oil consumption over miles traveled and she seems to be burning a consistent 1L/300miles

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perhaps the bores are permanently glazed n burning oil?

when stationary and warmed up, a slight burning oil smell begins to enter the cabin vent. looking around it seems the rocker cover is leaking abit and seeping down onto the exhaust manifold. another thing to seal up this weekend.

the whole front end bodywork badly needs respraying before japfest next month so brought some supplies and when I have time, begin the long painting process :/

tday the heater airflow diverter dial cable detached, so another thing to fix.

still haven't located the source of the annoying back end plastic rattle/squeak.

btw off topic, I was just reading up on an interesting F1 mercedes split-turbo arrangement.
Now I originally thought the "split" involved a one-way ratchet connecting shaft where the centrifugal compressor is allowed to remain spinning at high rpm to reduce lag (and perhaps assisted with the motor too), and the central shaft would allow the turbine end to couple with the compressor ONLY if it's spinning faster.
This was so during off-throttle when the chambers aren't firing and reducing manifold exhaust pressure, the fast spinning centrifugal turbine is allowed to quickly slow down to match the exhaust gas flow & reduce back pressure.
If the shaft was solid, the inertia of the compressor could be keeping the turbine spinning faster than the actual exhaust output and causing it to "pump" the opposite way and begins to oppose/reverse the flow briefly?

But the actual layout is where the turbine was at the hot back end, the compressors at the cooler front end and connecting shaft goes through the engine, keeping things thermally separate, efficient & compact.

delved deeper into the thought of having a totally separate independent turbine and compressor unit and in wiki there is a system called "hybrid turbos" where the exhaust basically drives a turbine generator to make electrical energy, which can be stored in batteries to be deployed, while the motor compressor/supercharger uses that electrical energy to compress air. essentially the mechanical turbo shaft has been replaced by an electrical cable.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_turbocharger

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while the electrical generator/motor coupling may lose abit of efficiency along the way (ie when all the power from the generator is fed directly into the compressor end) compared to a 1:1 mechanical coupling, it offers many advantages including:
  • flexible layouts (turbine generators at the exhaust manifold while the motor compressor can be positioned anywhere close to the inlet manifold),
  • reduced pipework,
  • reduced lag,
  • electrical energy can be stored and deployed to boost response
  • instant and efficient boost control
    • when turbine spins too fast - generator converts more kinetic energy into electrical energy and stores it in batteries rather than opening a crude waste gate to "waste" all that valuable exhaust energy
    • the max speed of the compressor is controlled by how much electrical power the control unit sends to the motor
    • when the compressor ain't spinning fast enough for the driver request, the compressor motor can rapidly spool up using both the generated turbine power and stored battery power with minimal lag
    • the compressor motor could also just use the generated and stored power to basically keep the compressor spinning at optimum rpm (like anti-lag) so boost is instantly available when demanded rather than waiting for the generator & motor to catch up.
  • flexible turbine/compressor combo - while the old solid shaft would tether the turbine directly to the compressor to both spin at the same speed but have different operating windows fighting each other, in a hybrid turbo the two ends can be operated and controlled completely independently (ie the turbine/generator could be working at it's optimum rpm while the compressor/motor is working at its own optimum rpm range)
an interesting area to look into
 
here's how the sparks look after afew miles. cyl4 still getting a brown tinge so it must be from burning oil. all 4 pistons appear the same 10% damp edges

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I don't usually use the horn but other day I tried to but it didn't sound, hmm perhaps its a rusty connection? nope just found that after I last repaired the radiator leak in feb, I forgot to plug the horn back in lol.

so looking at the engine oil stain, I found that all the rocker cover screws have vibrated loose hence the gasket seal leaked oil. this could be contributing to the oil loss but I'm not sure it's the main cause of losing 1 litre per 300miles?

cover removed, interior still kept clean from using fully synth

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cleaned the mating surfaced

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all sealed back in and also thread locked the cover screws now just to be sure they stay put.
dizzy cap electrodes wirebrushed while I was there.

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sprayed the oil stains I can see with a jet of carb cleaner
 
Always wondered since I saw my cams, whats with the orange band? I thought it was rust first time I saw it :L

it's to identify that it's an exhaust cam.
non-coilpack exhaust cams can also be identified by a slot at the end for the dizzy.

coil pack cams don't have this slot end cos they use cam sensors at the timing chain socket end, so can be easy to mistake it for an inlet cam, therefore it's painted orange to clearly mark it as an exhaust cam.
 
went for a drive, no visible oil leak stain or smoke but can still smell abit of burning oil at junctions.

went with dad sitting in back to locate that noise but can only tell that it's in the rear left c-pillar :/

lets fix the detached heat cable. remove afew screws

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steering and dash removed

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and so I'll need to fit an E-clip to the outer cable that's fallen off.

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has anyone got a spare e-clip? or do I have to go buy one from somewhere?

hmm or perhaps I could try make one?
 
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right lets stop faffing about looking for a spare tiny clip and just make one free.

cut abit off a stanley blade

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trim the inside to match

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one duplicate clip

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done

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out of interest, here's the working diverter vanes
(windscreen, foot well, cabin vents)

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and the ducting in the dash

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dash all fitted and only took 2-3hrs, simples

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next task is bodywork
 
toms turbo garage on youtube posted a vid about how he's currently upgrading his turbo'd sleeper which may be useful info for those who r thinking of converting to turbo. I totally understand his emotions of receiving new or clean shiny bits like its xmas :D
and his detailing and explaination of each decision is awsome:cool:

 
started removing the wings for painting.
the lower rear screws holding the arch liner to the wing is seized so'll have to remove em both together.

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lower bolts slightly rusted to the threads, they'll be zip tied to the chassis from now on

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couldn't remove the seized screw so I cut the liner apart

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left wing terribly bubbly rusted

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this lower left area collects a load of muck and rusting so will need retreating n painting again

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bah, the left tie rod ruptured. may as well replace em both

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I kinda knew this chassis was originally in a frontal crash before but forgot how badly botched the chassis repair was. only half the drilled out weld holes were MIG'd and just look at the massive gap from the front panel to the chassis. that sections not important but it ain't helping the structure much.

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the bolt on the RH headlight has seized so have to melt it off

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RH front sill ain't too bad

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the RH front panel once again missing the chassis by a long way

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ah there's another oil leak around the sump :rolleyes: prob why its losing oil and the exhaust flex-joints also slightly oil hence the burning oil smell

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front end removed. crossmember needs another coating

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for reference, here's a pic of the area around the alternator

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quite abit more work required than I thought :/
 
removed bonnet and panels. bonnet hinges worn slack so will either need squeezing tight or I replace it with nut, bolt & washer for more accuracy.

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afew areas need wirebrushing n paint. looking through that round hole, the drainage sides of the bulkhead seems to collect abit of mud

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LH the same. vacuumed as much debris out

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wirebrushed n quickly primed

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and painted

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dunno if its the heat or work wearing me out or the fumes or just age but I'm not having much stamina or cba with the mountain of body work to get ready for japfest. seems a year of hard work with almost no pay, no holidays and savings running out, ruins motivation.

yes the sun's shining but cba and just wanna curl up
 
like PAYG instead of a contract phone?

wouldn't that cost more annually overall?
or do you only drive/tax it afew months a year?
They're scrapping the tax disc altogether aren't they

In the short term it'll be better for me. Say spending £25 over trying to find £123 or £240 in one go.
Yea I dont use H701 enough to warrant 6/12 months of tax
 
I'm the same with the car mate, work for ages and by the end am just fed up. I've taken to planning work in stages, doing the stage, enjoy it for a bit and recover. Do another stage, repeat. Takes the brunt of it out I find :)
 
wirebrushed the crossmember, which just smears the undercoat about, quick primer, and quick blast of black enamel paint will do

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cba to check if all the rust has gone cos it's only gonna return anyway and just doing it for aesthetics.
 
I'm the same with the car mate, work for ages and by the end am just fed up. I've taken to planning work in stages, doing the stage, enjoy it for a bit and recover. Do another stage, repeat. Takes the brunt of it out I find :)

just how I feel indeed.
moan over the amount of work, do abit of section, tired or fed up, go away for tea/food/internet/game, repeat
 
When I say stages I mean do like 3-4 days a month of work. After all, whats the point in a fast car that never gets driven?
 
tediously grinded n wirebrushed the caked rust off the top beam

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repainted the beam and horns

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grinded the area around the bolts to provide good earthing for the horn

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front end looking abit more presentable

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straightened the sill lip after years of being bent my local garage jacks

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tiny corner of the flange has rusted off, wasn't important

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began to wirebrush the rust off. bout much as I can take now. off to pub

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grinded as much down to bare metal, still some spots of rust but meh

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tried zinc primer, painted & laquered

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lets disassemble the bonnet hinge, grind rivet off

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and punch it out

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can't use a fully threaded bolt as a pivot cos the teeth will quickly wear out and the hinge will just be slack.
found a pair of studs off the old RH engine mount, the solid mid-section is 10mm and is perfect for the pivot hole. didn't have any 1.25 thread nuts so had to retap it to a 1.5 thread nut

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done

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cut these petruding flange off so it doesn't catch, dunno what they're for?

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primed n painted

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wirebrushed n painted the bonnet catch

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new 25-50mm micrometer for measuring the main/bigend journals on the spare engines to check if they're within spec

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new wiper linkages. looks like my old ones have dried up, rusted n worn loose therefore popped off during trackday back in Jan. these should fix it

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