What did you do to/for your 1er today?

[Zombie_Head]

Originally Posted by chris_flies

The brakes will take all of an hour if you go into it with all the right knowledge and tools, brakes are easy... Work from back to front and right to left, and bleed as you go (if you have to use a floor jack)

Knock out the clutch bleeding and the tranny fluid change at the same time, since they both use the same underbelly pan, they're also pretty easy (trans fluid smells horrid, though).

Coolant doesn't take long, either. Just gotta remove the engine belly pan (17 bizillion screws, all 8mm FWIW) pull out the radiator shield, and do the thing with the stuff. Bleeding is easy with the electric pump, just put it on a battery tender...

I miss working on my car, it's just so perfect now (except the brakes, and the diff, and that clunk, aaand...)

On a side note, I think I'm going to spring for the Wavetrac diff. It seems like it's the best of all the worlds; has the daily-able-ness of a helical, and has a fine (if sub-optimal) solution for the one-wheeling concerns. Woo-hoo! Sideways time!

3.73 donor diff will be here Saturday for some cosmetic reconditioning (clean and paint the casing and back cover)

Good call on replacing the brakes all round and bleeding at the same time, that would surely save a lot of time, got to remove as much old fluid from the reserve first.

I was planning on doing the clutch and transmission at the same time, while the transmission drains i can do the clutch (will slightly overfill the reserve to make sure no air gets sucked in).

Last would be the coolant since the car will be still warm/hot, but thank you never thought of bleeding and doing brakes at the same time.

[rowsdower]

Originally Posted by Zombie_Head

Good call on replacing the brakes all round and bleeding at the same time, that would surely save a lot of time, got to remove as much old fluid from the reserve first.

I was planning on doing the clutch and transmission at the same time, while the transmission drains i can do the clutch (will slightly overfill the reserve to make sure no air gets sucked in).

Last would be the coolant since the car will be still warm/hot, but thank you never thought of bleeding and doing brakes at the same time.

I think you should prioritize what needs to be done to safely drive on track and get those tasks completed correctly without rushing, and without mixing jobs. The coolant flush is not critical. I don't see how bleeding as you change pads would save time. There isn't any additional setup, unless you're jacking up each wheel individually which would mean you don't have jack stands, which would call into question rolling under the car to bleed the clutch or do the coolant anyway. Jack up the car completely using quality jackstands, do one task at a time, focus on getting that task right before moving onto the next. Otherwise it will be very easy to miss something safety-related when in a time crunch.

Also, as you change pads, you're pushing the pistons back into the calipers, and pushing old fluid back into the lines and into the reservoir. Alternating between changing pads and bleeding is going to cause old and new fluid to mix in the reservoir, and you will need to re-bleed when you're done anyway. It will also require careful monitoring of the fluid level to make sure the reservoir doesn't overflow. To do the job correctly would mean changing all pads, then bleeding everything at the end.

[1and1]

RE: Brakes- If you're on a lift with all four tires off, do brakes first, then bleed starting furthest away and working longest to shortest distance from master cylinder. Read up on, and be prepared to use the INPA method to bleed if you don't get desired results from standard bleeding process.

What method will you be using? Pressure bleeding? Vac? or, heaven forbid, pumping the pedal?

[chris_flies]

Originally Posted by Zombie_Head

Good call on replacing the brakes all round and bleeding at the same time, that would surely save a lot of time, got to remove as much old fluid from the reserve first.

I was planning on doing the clutch and transmission at the same time, while the transmission drains i can do the clutch (will slightly overfill the reserve to make sure no air gets sucked in).

Last would be the coolant since the car will be still warm/hot, but thank you never thought of bleeding and doing brakes at the same time.

As rowsdower was saying, I'd bleed the caliper before changing the pads, so you don't put old fluid back into the res, and probably bleed it excessively to be sure you get that fresh SRF through the lines.

[Mandinca]

So I have a rough idling at cold start...not cold temp wise, but overnight cold start.
After a few seconds it smooths out but it does seem to be getting worse.

I recall reading that this could be leaking injectors dropping fuel into the cylinders when the engine is off. Is there a cure for this or is that cure to buy new injectors. I'm wondering if replacing the seals at the tips of the injectors would help.

I also had to replace one injector recently with a refurb...no, I don't have $1500 to drop on 6 shiny new index 12's. That said, I did not code the refurb as I figured the numbers were either BS or useless anyway.

Or......is this a symptom of something other than injectors leaking.

Anyone ?

[Suprgnat]

Originally Posted by 1and1

or, heaven forbid, pumping the pedal?

I like pump-n-hold.

I use a pressure bleeder to flush the lines, and then pump-n-hold a couple of times for good measure. 800+ PSI > 15 PSI.

[1and1]

Hold out your right hand
now slap the back of it with your left hand and shout "Bad Mandinca!"

Replace an injector, code an injector. 1:1, always.
DI has stoopid high tolerances, and our ECU (DME.... what are we calling it today??) is able to dance around those tolerances with ease. The data points are on the injector and just by looking at the ones installed on your car you can see they vary widely within the tiny tight range they work. And yes, it's important....

Is it the actual cause of your symptom? Dunno, but neither will you till you eliminate it as a possibility.

Also, what series injectors are you running, and what is the recent replacement? I recall there is a line in the sand that can't be crossed between old and new- 10 or 11 I think? Within that scope sets of three are encouraged, but one can be done if needed. If crossing that line then all 6 should be done.

Probably.....
Mine came with a shiny new set of 12's, so haven't really paid that much attention...

[1and1]

Originally Posted by Suprgnat

I like pump-n-hold.

I use a pressure bleeder to flush the lines, and then pump-n-hold a couple of times for good measure. 800+ PSI > 15 PSI.

Handy that rebuilding a master cylinder is, generically speaking, pretty easy

Anybody that's trashed an o-ring that way tries to avoid it in the future whenever possible

[Mandinca]

Originally Posted by 1and1

Hold out your right hand
now slap the back of it with your left hand and shout "Bad Mandinca!"

Replace an injector, code an injector. 1:1, always.
DI has stoopid high tolerances, and our ECU (DME.... what are we calling it today??) is able to dance around those tolerances with ease. The data points are on the injector and just by looking at the ones installed on your car you can see they vary widely within the tiny tight range they work. And yes, it's important....

Is it the actual cause of your symptom? Dunno, but neither will you till you eliminate it as a possibility.

Also, what series injectors are you running, and what is the recent replacement? I recall there is a line in the sand that can't be crossed between old and new- 10 or 11 I think? Within that scope sets of three are encouraged, but one can be done if needed. If crossing that line then all 6 should be done.

Probably.....
Mine came with a shiny new set of 12's, so haven't really paid that much attention...

I have a mixture of 7's and 8's - yeah, I know, I need 12's. I also need the $1500 to buy them.
My theory was that since I bought a refurbished injector, either the number stamped on it was just put there for show - or - it was the original set of numbers but the flow rate was now different since being refurbished so either way the numbers on the injector body weren't worth coding....so I didn't bother.
So, I'm not sure that coding to the number on the refurbished injector will actually eliminate it if the numbers themselves aren't accurate.

In the interest of seeing if the lumpy start up clears up by coding it, I will code it tonight if I can figure out how to use INPA. I already installed it etc so just need to hook it up and run it. Hopefully.

[Mandinca]

Could also all be a moot point. I'm walnut blasting the weekend after next then MHD 2+

I'm expecting my injectors to say "Ein minuten bitte" as they shit the bed.

[1and1]

Originally Posted by Mandinca

My theory was that since I bought a refurbished injector....the original set of numbers but the flow rate was now different since being refurbished so either way the numbers on the injector body weren't worth coding....
In the interest of seeing if the lumpy start up clears up by coding it, I will code it tonight if I can figure out how to use INPA. I already installed it etc so just need to hook it up and run it. Hopefully.

Originally Posted by Mandinca

Could also all be a moot point. I'm walnut blasting the weekend after next then MHD 2+

I'm expecting my injectors to say "Ein minuten bitte" as they shit the bed.

hmmmmmmm.... hadn't thought 'bout that, the numbers being off for a refurb injector. Since I'm not sure what, exactly, "refurbished" means from case to case there's really no telling...

Be sure you write down the existing data prior to entering what your injector says, just in case you want to revert back...

And ride them puppies into the ground- Sure, a virgin set of 12's would be awesome, there are lot's of older ones out there still running.

[Mandinca]

Originally Posted by 1and1

hmmmmmmm.... hadn't thought 'bout that, the numbers being off for a refurb injector. Since I'm not sure what, exactly, "refurbished" means from case to case there's really no telling...

Be sure you write down the existing data prior to entering what your injector says, just in case you want to revert back...

And ride them puppies into the ground- Sure, a virgin set of 12's would be awesome, there are lot's of older ones out there still running.

Yeah, the injector that I just replaced went from random misfire to dead in about 5 miles LOL.
The same place I bought this one from sells a full set of refurbished 12's for $499 but who knows if they are even 12's...never mind if the coding numbers are any use or not. I'll just go stage 2+ and see what's what. If I have to buy 12's then I'll have to drop the cash on new injectors....

[Suprgnat]

Originally Posted by 1and1

Handy that rebuilding a master cylinder is, generically speaking, pretty easy

Anybody that's trashed an o-ring that way tries to avoid it in the future whenever possible

If your master cylinder can't handle pump-n-hold it needs to be replaced anyhow. It's not any harder on the system than stepping hard on the brakes.

[Zombie_Head]

Originally Posted by chris_flies

As rowsdower was saying, I'd bleed the caliper before changing the pads, so you don't put old fluid back into the res, and probably bleed it excessively to be sure you get that fresh SRF through the lines.

Originally Posted by 1and1

RE: Brakes- If you're on a lift with all four tires off, do brakes first, then bleed starting furthest away and working longest to shortest distance from master cylinder. Read up on, and be prepared to use the INPA method to bleed if you don't get desired results from standard bleeding process.

What method will you be using? Pressure bleeding? Vac? or, heaven forbid, pumping the pedal?

I bled the system before, 1 man method:

I wil do discs and pads all round first. Bleed the system and clutch and see the time left, no need to rush indeed.

[Suprgnat]

Originally Posted by xQx

Downsides

• You do eventually tire of the clicks,clunks and shudders turning tight corners, even if you know they're totally harmless and normal.
• Where a helical diff is described as an invisible hand pushing you around a corner from the back; a plate diff is like an invisible hand pushing the back of the car in the direction the car is pointed. With a 1-way or 1.5way diff, if you accelerate halfway around a corner then back off, this suddenly changes the balance of the car - in a 'snap-oversteer' kind of way.
• From what I've read on all the Nissan forums, a 2-way diff is just awful on the road, unless you like drifting around every single corner.
• Plate diffs require an oil change every 3k miles and a rebuild every 30-60k miles. helical diffs are much lower maintenance.

I have a 3-clutch, 35-60 1.5-way from Diffsoline. It has been silent for ~16k miles so far.

The 1.5-way is much better than the 1-way regarding snap-oversteer.

Per Dan at Diffsonline: "we recommend changing the fluid every 24K miles in a street driven car, or every 12K miles in a car that sees autocross and track day use." Doesn't seem so bad, but I only rack up <8k miles per year in the 1er. Heck, I change it annually.

[asiflicious]

Originally Posted by xQx

With pleasure

Here's my latest long-winded post on the subject, from a recent thread Limited Slip Differential Options For BMW E87

The dot point version is:

Downsides

• You do eventually tire of the clicks,clunks and shudders turning tight corners, even if you know they're totally harmless and normal.
• Where a helical diff is described as an invisible hand pushing you around a corner from the back; a plate diff is like an invisible hand pushing the back of the car in the direction the car is pointed. With a 1-way or 1.5way diff, if you accelerate halfway around a corner then back off, this suddenly changes the balance of the car - in a 'snap-oversteer' kind of way.
• From what I've read on all the Nissan forums, a 2-way diff is just awful on the road, unless you like drifting around every single corner.
• Plate diffs require an oil change every 3k miles and a rebuild every 30-60k miles. helical diffs are much lower maintenance.

Upsides

• Where a helical diff can be pushing you from either of the back wheels at its own discretion, a plate diff ALWAYS pushes from the back equally on both wheels. (it is 100% predictable)
• Powering just before the apex of the corner will reliably result in very controllable oversteer. This is something you never tire of.
• Straight line traction is drastically improved. But if you do loose grip, you can still quite safely light up the back wheels with the knowledge that the car will go forward in a straight line (not randomly snake around), because both back wheels are spinning at the same rate.

In short, it's harder to drive a plate diff well, but if you do know how to drive a plate diff well, you'll have much more fun than you would with a helical. But if you want something that fixes the grip issues without introducing it's own list of drawbacks - a helical is the best choice.

EDIT: I forgot the most important point. Whichever way you go, putting a real LSD into the back of one of our cars is one of the most valuable and worthwhile modifications you can make. I know it's expensive, but the difference it makes to grip and handling is night and day.

Thank you! However I'm definitely going to go with a helical diff so a lot of the downsides mentioned won't apply to me. With that, how big of a problem is the wheel lift situation? At the same price, is the Wavetrac a better option than the m factory helical? I was leaning more towards the m factory because they seem to be more active on the platform and their name has "M" in it

[chris_flies]

Originally Posted by asiflicious

Thank you! However I'm definitely going to go with a helical diff so a lot of the downsides mentioned won't apply to me. With that, how big of a problem is the wheel lift situation? At the same price, is the Wavetrac a better option than the m factory helical? I was leaning more towards the m factory because they seem to be more active on the platform and their name has "M" in it

It's not a huge problem, unless you have a super stiff rear sway bar, or are jumping curbs everyday

They're both (reportedly) great diffs, however, the MFactory can (again, reportedly) transfer more torque between wheels than the Wavetrac, but doesn't have the Wave-lock device to reduce the one-wheeling problem.

[chris_flies]

Just ordered Firestone Firehawk Indy 500's in 245/45ZR17, it's gonna be monster-truck like!

Can't wait to have wet traction again...torrential downpour was hairy (nearly hit a curb while hydroplaning down a hill)

[asiflicious]

Originally Posted by chris_flies

It's not a huge problem, unless you have a super stiff rear sway bar, or are jumping curbs everyday

They're both (reportedly) great diffs, however, the MFactory can (again, reportedly) transfer more torque between wheels than the Wavetrac, but doesn't have the Wave-lock device to reduce the one-wheeling problem.

I'm doing subframe bushings, LSD, springs and dampers, m3 front control arms, and FSB all at the same time. I know people say you should do each incrementally but I don't have the patience. It's going to feel like a completely different car

[minirips2]

Doing one thing at a time is probably preferred, but then, in your case, you'd be taking your car apart many times. I say shotgun that bad boy, then just do one adjustment at a time.

[xQx]

Originally Posted by asiflicious

Thank you! However I'm definitely going to go with a helical diff so a lot of the downsides mentioned won't apply to me. With that, how big of a problem is the wheel lift situation? At the same price, is the Wavetrac a better option than the m factory helical? I was leaning more towards the m factory because they seem to be more active on the platform and their name has "M" in it

I believe the mfactory diff is more popular since it is cheaper. Certainly here it's a few hundred dollars more to get the wavetrac.

They're also quite active (or at least were) on the e90 forums, so I'm guessing that helps.

Honestly, (on reflection) I'm not convinced that the whole one-wheel issue isn't just wavetrac marketing. If you google it, you'll find a lot of discussion about the issue, but not one single first or second-hand account of anyone blowing up their mfactory or quaife on the track. In a static situation (ie. you've got one wheel in the air and you'd like to drive away) it's as simple as applying the handbrake. In fact, if you don't disable your e-diff, it's going to protect you from the one-wheel issue all on its own.

The key reason you don't see too many helicals on dedicated track cars are (1) that all the issues that plague plate diffs on the road are never experienced on the track. And (2) that plate diffs are more predictable in their behaviour.

There's an issue (about helicals) I've heard about that doesn't get much discussion - which is "how is the power split across the back when you've got very little traction". This is where you need to be clear about your goals. A helical will put most of the torque to the wheel with the most grip. That's awesome for road use - you've got no traction, it finds traction and gives it to you the best way it can. But it's not awesome if you want to hang the back out and bring it back on your own.

If the left wheel has more grip, then the right wheel suddenly has more grip, your power is instantly moved from the left back to right back. So if you're drifting, a helical can be squirrelly and unpredictable.

Originally Posted by Suprgnat

I have a 3-clutch, 35-60 1.5-way from Diffsoline. It has been silent for ~16k miles so far.

The 1.5-way is much better than the 1-way regarding snap-oversteer.

Per Dan at Diffsonline: "we recommend changing the fluid every 24K miles in a street driven car, or every 12K miles in a car that sees autocross and track day use." Doesn't seem so bad, but I only rack up <8k miles per year in the 1er. Heck, I change it annually.

Thanks! I was given nothing in terms of what I should do to maintain it when I put mine in, and was looking for some good authoritative advice on maintenance. I've been mostly going on what the skyline forums say
I was planning on just doing it annually with the service, since, like you, I don't do a lot of miles each year. I've had mine in for 6 months and it's still done less than 5k miles.

[1and1]

Originally Posted by Suprgnat

If your master cylinder can't handle pump-n-hold it needs to be replaced anyhow. It's not any harder on the system than stepping hard on the brakes.

Just sayin... It happens.
And when bleeding the piston does travel further than when stepping hard on the brakes- causing the 0-ring to travel beyond the swept area.



You're rebuilding a 63 Healey, why are we even discussing this! You've gotta know all this old school stuff