Help Me Fix My Rb25

[SkyHi_33]

soz, took a bit of a break from the car over the holidays haha

ok well the fan clutch and fan have been replaced with VL items, so far so good! boost seems to be back too. Took the turbo cover off and found nothing out of place... Havent taken it for a drive yet to be completely sure but sounds right. Not the main issue atm.

So that's the pipe you were referring to, haha im an idiot. but yeh that's fine too, was the first thing i checked and no visible cracks/leaks etc... I have a feeling the previous owner might have topped up the brake fluid with the wrong one before I bought it as its been sitting out the front for a while. Bought some dot 3 fluid and will flush the system tommorow. Still think the secondary seal in the master needs replacing but will give bleeding the brakes a go first.

Can mixing different grades of brake fluid make the pedal mushy and require you to pump it up for decent pressure?

one more thing, the a/c compressor is under the power steering pump no? It does not appear to be turning when the engine is running, it seems that the a/c belt is just rubbing over it, even when the a/c in the car is on. Pretty sure that's NOT how its meant to be so i need to replace this too? (a/c doesnt work, so DUUHH but doesn't hurt to ask )

Edited January 7, 2009 by tx3_90

[CRoNic...]

From memory, dot 3 isn't the best brake fluid... isn't dot 4 meant for high performance cars, and dot 5 is for motorbikes and/or drag cars?

[BensDR30]

Using the wrong (or mixing incompatible) fluid(s) can damage seals in the MC and calipers. I would suggest that you use the correct fluid rating for your car (DOT4, I would expect) - perhaps even get whatever the dealerships use (Castrol? Lucas? who knows), and flush your system until no trace of the original fluid colour is visible. Then again, at this point, it might be a good idea to get your local brake shop to do this work - it can be messy & they would have access to power-bleeders & cleaning solutions.

[CRoNic...]

Yep - I use Dot 4... and that's what my mechanic throws in, too. Most automotive places will recommend Dot 4 for Skylines.

[SkyHi_33]

ok so as long as I flush the system completely, dot4 is fine? dot3 is what it says on the master reservoir cap...

[4door_Sleeper]

Mixing brake fluids isnt as bad as it sounds UNLESS THEY ARE SILICONE AND MINERAL BASED. Its uncommon to see a silicone based brake fluid in a street car.

A flush is a good idea as brake fluid is hydroscopic (absorbs water) and this hinders its performance as it heats and the water boils in the oil.

[SkyHi_33]

and update:

brake fluid bled and replaced with "super performance" dot4, its blueish stuff from valvoline. took the car for a short spin and it seems that the brakes are fixed, i hope for good.

this is what was left of the old stuff that was bled out, nasty:

in regards to the pulleys I asked about before, here is a pic:

the two pulleys puctured are not spinning at all when the engine is running, this doesnt seem the least bit right... i know the aircon is stuffed but is the middle pulley meant to be spinning?

the oil leak present is from the power steering pump leak that the car had a while ago, i never got around to cleaning it off after it was fixed.

[Ryanrb25]

That tension pulley has a cover (where that nut is) over it which does not spin when the motor is running, behind that cover it will be spinning. The front of the Air cond pulley wont spin if the air con is off...If there is something wrong with your aircon the solinoid for that pulley wont click and turn it on even if you turn the aircon on.

[Ryanrb25]

unless the little tensioner pulley bearings are siezed.

[SkyHi_33]

hmm from looking at it today, both of them didn't appear to be turning.

ill get my mech to take a look at it tomorrow when i get him to press the new castor rod bearings in.

haha all the fun that comes with a cheap skyline.

[mid life crisis]

mate if those pullys wernt spinning your belt would be screaming like you with bubba up ya arse

[SkyHi_33]

Double checked it today in the sun, the tension pulley still looked like it wasn't moving but when I put my finger on it (yeh dumb idea) it was spinning so thats all good.

The aircon on the other hand isn't. There is a slight noise coming from that area too + aircon never worked since I got the car so that's most likely the reason why...

Also holy shit the brakes feel sooooooooo damn good now. I thought originally brakes were pretty average but looking at what came out of the system... no wander haha.

Only one problem left, the boost is back however not as high as it used to be... either way i run it (solenoid or bleed valve) it doesn't wanna go over half of the factory boost gauge when on boost. It used to shoot up to 3/4. I haven't had the time to hook up my boost gauge to it but am certain its lacking some psi.

Ive ripped the turbo cover off and had a look but nothing is out of order, checked all vac lines that I could see and haven't found any air leaks although they can be in tricky places so not ruling that out just yet. Any other ideas?

Edited January 12, 2009 by tx3_90

[SkyHi_33]

ok nvm, its running proper psi... just found a converter from torr to psi (why the f**k would nissan measure atmospheric pressure in torr is beyond me) and going by what it is atm, its at 7psi which is factory setting right?

so any ideas why it doesn't wanna boost higher with the bleed valve/boost controller?

and ive also realized its been at 11-12 this whole time only got a 3.5" cat back + pod... fk me, time for cooler and 3" front pipe

Edited January 12, 2009 by tx3_90

[DRFT33]

The first step to take is probably check if there is any air-con refrigerant in the system. If there isn't, well the compressor clutch will not kick in. Regas with dye and check for leaks and go from there.

boost problem -> actuator? maybe.

[Carbon 34]

The first step to take is probably check if there is any air-con refrigerant in the system. If there isn't, well the compressor clutch will not kick in. Regas with dye and check for leaks and go from there.

boost problem -> actuator? maybe.

Also agree with above, and also check the boost solenoid, you might have to go on a witch hunt with a bottle of water in a sprayer to find vacuum leaks. spray it around in a pattern to your madness with the engine running at idle, if you find a leak the speed will flutter for a second, not harm to engine to suck in a tiny amount of water. just try to keep it out of electronics and connections and dont stick your fingers or neck ties in moving parts mate...lol

Good to hear the fan is fixed up , cheap!!!

and the brakes , man was that fluid dirty..lol

the pulleys on the a/c wont lock up unless the a/c is on, the a/c has enough pressure to kick the clutch in(they use a hi pressure switch and low pressure one too)clutch is located on the front of the compressor. common for them to leak on the top of pipe connections O ring seals or on the shaft if left sitting too long without use. got my R31 compressor fixed up in Lonsdale by a place on Osulleys beach rd. pretty cheap and working still after 7 years now.. but cant recall the name, close to Rob prime on the other side of the street

have it dye tested before paying for the regas, . the condenser is also a problem on skylines, can you see in the top of the little glass on the condenser for bubbles or gas moving by ?

if your car has climate control set for the lowest temp, mine is 18 and see if the clutch locks up on the A/C ,you will feel it click loud and drop the revs for a second if it works. even if it wont blow cold. if it locks up , have it checked out and regas'd

Edited January 14, 2009 by sapphiregraphics