PollyMobiles Rebuild

2025-08-29 Print HT Lead Clips

These HT lead supports I printed 10yrs ago are starting to warp & crack from all the heat & clamping force, & they're also a PITA to unscrew whenever I need to remove the leads & plugs



So a new strategy is to print more of these plastic joins



& route the cables like this, little neater & easier to remove





Just enough room under the bonnet to arrange the leads vertically

Printed some blue clips the next day to contrast the red engine bay







Might as well include the rainbow too lol

2025-08-31 Replace Fuel Hose

I was watching this video about E10 and poor quality modern cheap fuel hoses degrading/cracking, reminding me to recheck my fuel hoses



The filter>rail hose and return hose (both replaced with R9 halfords hose from 2022) were fine, firm & still pliable.
The oem fuel tank evap pipe (usually connects to carbon canister but has been left open for yrs) has gone very stiff but not cracked.
Worryingly the fuel link>filter hose is rather squishy soft & flexible similar to a silicone hose so it might be good idea to replace it.







See the inner rubber layer has cracked



It must've been an original 32yr old factory hose cos it has the same markings as this in-tank hose



Gonna replace it with these 2022 R9 halfords hose







Curiously I found some old used R6 hose from 2010 in my box of hoses and they've gone rock hard





Not as flexible and cracks badly



So recommend u check ur hoses annually

2025-08-31 Test Sony Headunit RMS Voltages

Since the last time I tested the Sony headunits speaker output in June 2020, I've improved the connections & voltage supply throughout the circuit including:

Nov 2022 - Replaced engine bay loom



Nov 2022 - Replaced IGN loom with better crimp



June 2023 - Replaced battery extension terminal



Feb 2025 - Recrimped immobiliser wiring



So I remeasured the input/output voltages while playing various tone frequencies via bluetooth with the car running.

Voltage supply kept changing between 13.7-14.10v depending on the battery state-of-charge & whenever the radiator fan is triggered, which makes measurements slightly inconsistant (especially for calculating voltage efficiency)



With the equaliser set at default flat, all the frequencies create the same graph curve.
The improved power supply makes the lower volume settings louder but loses a little power above vol 45, which I normally never use anyway



With the equaliser values maxed out, the output of various frequencies are more scattered but the improved power supply now creates a much smoother & louder curve with a more progressive volume control



Comparing the input/output voltage efficiency of the headunit with the equaliser at default flat, the fixed power supply improves low volume efficiency but loses a little efficiency at high vol (this calculation might be due to the inconsistant input voltage whenever the radiator fan engages)



With the equaliser set at max, the fixed power supply really smoothed out & improved the efficiency curve above & below vol 30

The "switched 12v feed" for the headunit, which has to run through the IGN switch & immobiliser & extra crimps, seems to get only 13.67v compared to the "constant live 12v feed" which gets the full 14.03v and the battery itself receives 14.17v

To explore if raising the "switched 12v" upto full voltage will improve overall output, I simply shorted the constant 12v with the switched 12v using this yellow loop so that they both receive 14.03v



With a flat EQ, it's raised the output above Vol 35 by just 0.1v



With the EQ maxed out, it also raised the output above Vol 30 by 0.1v



Not a major difference overall cos I rarely turn the volume above 20 and mainly use Vol 16 when cruising

2025-09-01 Check Brake Wear

Discs are wearing smooth & evenly



All the pads wearing evenly, front inner pad has a slight lip



Front brake wear is normal, the inner pads usually wearing faster than the outer



Rear brake wear is also at a normal rate, inner pads wear faster than the outer

2025-09-02 Test Headunit Max Volume vs Frequency

To test how the equaliser setting & input voltage affects the max vol level just before 'clipping', I connect an oscilliscope to the output, setup the equaliser, play a sine-wave, turn up the volume until the signal begins to clip and log the max value for a range of frequencies.



The results are quite consistant.

With the EQ all set to -6, it has no problem reaching max vol 50 with no clipping of the signal.
With the EQ at the default 0, it reaches upto vol 39 on all frequencies before the signal clips.
With the EQ maxed out at +6, it reaches upto vol 30 before the signal clips.

With the EQ values tuned by-ear to 'pink-noise' (yellow line), the curve matches my EQ settings:
32hz +4
63hz +6
125hz +5
250hz +5
500hz +3
1000hz +3
2000hz +2
4000hz -1
8000hz +2
16000hz +2



To check if the extra electrical load of the cooling fan & heater fan affects the clipping point, I play a 1k sine wave tone on the headunit, equaliser set at 0, turn vol upto 39 where it just begins to clip and turn on the fans...



So with the extra drain off the cooling/heater fans, the voltage supply drops from 14v to 13.20v, the headunit amp doesn't have enough juice to sustain the signal and it begins to clip at vol 38 rather than vol 39

Not that I ever play the stereo at such volumes but it displays just how important it is to ensure the unit receives a strong & stable input voltage

2025-09-02 Replace Bosch FR7 DCX Spark Plugs

With the old Denso K16TT worn out, it's time to replace them.
Previously I would've used the good NGK BKR5E11 but curiously according to Haynes the required plugs are Bosch FR 7 D+X with a 1.1mm gap.
Hmm I dunno what the original factory plugs are?

Ordered these Bosch 0242235667 which are marked as FR7DCX



Pretty bog standard plug design









Hmm it comes too tight with a 1.0mm gap



Opened it out to the required 1.1mm gap



Marked where the spark gap side is (I often prefer the old trick of indexing all the plugs towards the intake side for a tiny improvement)



But they're not all made equal
Some almost face the intake while others point to the side, not ideal but meh, see how it performs in the coming months

Ah I should've checked with the nissan4u OEM charts first which shows the factory spark plugs are indeed NGK BKR4E-11 / BKR5E-11 / BKR6E-11
So Haynes says a different plug.
According to cross ref, these Bosch FR7DCX are the same heat rating as a cooler BKR6E

pollyp said:

2025-08-29 Inspect Worn Denso K16TT Spark Plugs

These Denso K16TT I fitted in 2021 are getting old now.
You can see in the following pics how the sharp square tip has worn away after approx 10-20k

View attachment 90407

View attachment 90408

View attachment 90409

View attachment 90410

View attachment 90411

View attachment 90412

Here's a timelapse of the tip wearing away

View attachment 90413

Time to replace them

Click to expand...

Marketing b/s implied platinum & iridium type long life plugs (Denso K16TT spark plugs) were for inaccessible engine bay applications & good for 100K, or the useful economic life of the vehicle where your pictures/mileages indicate otherwise?

Can I ask what fuel grade/brand are you consistently recently using, if any?

Micra Paul said:

Marketing b/s implied platinum & iridium type long life plugs (Denso K16TT spark plugs) were for inaccessible engine bay applications & good for 100K, or the useful economic life of the vehicle where your pictures/mileages indicate otherwise?

Can I ask what fuel grade/brand are you consistently recently using, if any?

Click to expand...

These Denso K16TT are just regular cheap nickel coated electrodes with a thinner double-pertruding tip design (smaller area might've given a more focused spark but it wears away faster imo)

My time line est it might've lasted upto 30k until that thin tip has worn down to the broad base and the grounding tip would be out of spec

Filling with regular morrisons e10, less debris in tank.
I stopped filling at tesco now since March cos previously my tank/strainer kept getting lots of debris/rust etc

2025-09-03 New Fake Makita 9Ah Battery

Ordered a new 9ah 162W/h battery off ebay and hmm it's abit smaller than my old 9ah one? either the tech's been improved & miniturised or this is a fake 9ah?





The old 9ah battery has a circuit board facing up with multiple wires monitoring groups of cells whereas the new battery has the circuit facing downwards with just the +ve/-ve wires at the end of the packs and LED charge level display



The old battery uses x15 cells labelled VANON18650LZ22R 202204 3.6v





The new battery simply monitors the battery temp by this sensor dipped loosely into some white thermal goop above one of the cells



It uses x10 cells labellled +RH YG18650 OY10C 24SEPT13 3.6v

2025-09-03 Inspect Spark Plug History

I chopped open the Denso plugs to inspect the insulator which seems to be in the correct heat range, hot enough to self clean without burning up the electrode





Opened up the rest of my spark plug collections and this is interesting

From left to right:

# Denso K16TT, appear to have the same insulator length as an NGK BKR5E plug, fitted from 2021-2025 running N/A, just as I began to use E10 fuel, and also had to leaned out the high end of the fuel map to keep the AFR correct, resulting in a very clean insulator.

# NGK BKR5E, fitted 2019-2021 on a N/A CG13, still using E5 fuel, appear to have a grey, sooty & colder running insulator, maybe cos the fuel map was slightly too rich at the time?

# NGK BKR6E, fitted 2018-2019 when she was running a T2 turbo, Shell E5 V-power, has a slightly less exposed insulator so it's cooled by the cylinder head more, appears to run just hot enough with the hotter boosted cylinders to keep itself clean

# NGK BKR7E, came fitted by the previous owner of my spare used turbo engine (from the complete turbo kit I brought off ebay in 2010) which had this terribly rich nistune map and it looks pretty obvious that this plug was wayy too cold & fouled with soot

2025-09-04 Check Peugeot 307 Plugs

I haven't checked the old peugeots plugs in awhile

Haynes says it should be Bosch FR7ME with a 0.9mm gap, which isn't sold anymore.
The alternative one's currently fitted are NGK LFR6B



Insulator & ground in good heat range but the electrode has worn to a 1.2mm gap
I closed the gap to 0.9mm for now but it'll need replacing soon

pollyp said:

These Denso K16TT are just regular cheap nickel coated electrodes with a thinner double-pertruding tip design (smaller area might've given a more focused spark but it wears away faster imo)

My time line est it might've lasted upto 30k until that thin tip has worn down to the broad base and the grounding tip would be out of spec

Filling with regular morrisons e10, less debris in tank.
I stopped filling at tesco now since March cos previously my tank/strainer kept getting lots of debris/rust etc

Click to expand...

Appreciate you’re above & beyond analysis interpretation of plugs set ups as I never thought to cut them open only looking at the tips with magnifying glasses under bright light, now still learning new tricks after 40 years of my DIY men in sheds maintenance of my old bangers cheap as chips motoring?

Keep up the good work.

Micra Paul said:

Appreciate you’re above & beyond analysis interpretation of plugs set ups as I never thought to cut them open only looking at the tips with magnifying glasses under bright light, now still learning new tricks after 40 years of my DIY men in sheds maintenance of my old bangers cheap as chips motoring?

Keep up the good work.

Click to expand...

Thanks for your support Micra Paul

Always something new to learn when you're curious enough

yup cheepaschips ftw

pollyp said:

Thanks for your support Micra Paul

Always something new to learn when you're curious enough

yup cheepaschips ftw

View attachment 90486

Click to expand...

Cheap as chips motoring suits me as I drive on into my motoring Sunset with many more K11 years to keep it going.

I keep it seriously simple, put fuel in the back & the Mrs & myself in the front, out & about when the Sun is out.

Happy days.

2025-09-06 Print Stronger HT Lead Clips

The previous thin lead clips were getting loose with the heat



Designed a thicker & stiffer clip



See how it holds up soon

2025-09-06 Replace Ground Straps to Fix Electrical Issues

For the past few years I've often thought the electrical systems were getting little weaker resulting in:
- battery not being fully charged and draining slowly over days
- battery dropping to 13.5v whenever cooling fan or heater fan are turned on
- fuel pump not getting enough power
- audio system beginning to clip when pushed moderately hard while turning on fans

I attach a long wire to the alternator output measuring the voltage drop of each circuit relative to the alternator output,
& then attach to the alternator casing to measure the actual voltage at each point of the circuit.

Alternator Output: 14.23v
Battery Extension Terminal: 14.18v (0.068v drop)
Battery Fuse: 14.20v in (0.50v drop), 14.19v out (0.57v drop)
Battery +ve Terminal: 14.17v (0.066v drop)
Battery -ve Terminal: 0.010v drop
A-Pillar Connector: 14.06v in (0.173v drop), 14.02v out (0.240v drop)
Fuel Pump Relay: 13.44v in (0.825v drop), 13.42v out (0.840v drop)
Fuel Pump: 13.27v in (0.975v drop)
Subwoofer +ve: 14.15v in (0.083v drop)
Subwoofer -ve: 0.012v drop

Comparing these voltages to the previous values in Feb:
2025-02-11 Test Fuel Pump Voltage Drop
After fixing the dodgy immobiliser connection, the fuel pump & battery values have slightly improved but overall the electrical system is still struggling, especially whenever the cooling fans drain all the power.

Next I test the grounding straps by engaging all the fans & lights to heavily load up the circuit, & measure the voltage between the alternator casing and each end of the ground straps:

Cyl Head to Chassis: 0.06v
Gearbox to Chassis: 0.07v
Starter to Chassis: 0.08v but 0.18v at the crimped head?

All the ground straps were very bad & need replacing



Here's the 3 old engine ground straps.

Top: some generic awg10 speaker/subwoofer power cable used to ground the cyl head to the chassis. (now I realise it ain't suitable for grounding an engine )

Middle: OEM gearbox to chassis ground lead (terribly old, rusty, oxidised)

Bottom: halfords ground strap with a bigger M10 lug crimped over the existing end to ground the starter to the chassis (the crimp over another crimp created more resistance from corrosion)



Replaced them all with new halfords M8 braided ground straps



Bolted the black ground strap from the head to a wirebrushed chassis point



Bolted the shorter M8 straps to the gearbox casing bolt rather than the M10 starter motor bolt (so I didn't need to crimp on a bigger lug like before)



Bolted the 3rd strap directly onto the gearbox bolt (eliminating that bad rusty oem spade connector)



The end result of replacing these straps is a major improvement!

Alternator Output: from 14.23 to 14.42v
Battery Extension Terminal: from 14.18 to 14.42v
Battery +ve Terminal: from 14.17 to 14.39v
A-Pillar Connector: from 14.06/14.02 in/out to 14.27/14.23 in/out
Fuel Pump Relay: from 13.44/13.42 in/out to 13.63/13.61 in/out
Fuel Pump: from 13.27 to 13.36v
Subwoofer +ve: from 14.15 to 14.33v

Cyl Head to Chassis Strap: 0.004v drop
Start/Gearbox to Chassis Strap: 0.003v drop

Covered the exposed braided strap with heatshrink to reduce corrosion



& neatened the cables









When I turn on all the cooling fans, heater fans, lights etc the battery used to drop to 13.50v but now it stays at 14.13v
And while cruising, the battery voltage has now gone from 14.07v to 14.30v and is charging up fully

In conclusion the engine grounding straps are just as important as the power cables for a efficient electrical system but is often forgotten about.
So I recommend you check or replace it, especially if it's a 32yr old Micra

2025-09-08 Dolly & Hammer Kit

Brought a cheap 7pc dolly & hammer kit off ebay





to learn how to fix these spare dented front wings I got from 2020

https://micra.org.uk/threads/pollymobiles-rebuild.35251/post-782101

2025-09-09 Datalog Analysis

Recorded a datalog of the current setup after fixing all these electrical issues to compare how it runs compared to previous setups



Good thing about recording all these detailed logs of Kassandra for the past 2 decades is being able to spot any small differences in the data as the car spec evolves

~~ Car Specifications ~~

Here's a list of specs & changes made in the 4 datalogs I'll be analysing:

# 2009-12-31 (Cold Winter) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Intake: OEM TB, Airbox, CAI
Exhaust: Janspeed 421 header & light 1.8" cat-back system, 2nd cat
Fuel pump: Original fuel pump
Fuel: E5 Shell
Diff: Open diff
Clutch: JUN with standard clutch (light weight)
Brakes: OEM Discs
Wheels: OEM 13" alloys

# 2023-06-03 (Warm Summer) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Intake: Teflon spacer, TB elbow, Pod CAI
Exhaust: Enlarged OEM mani, 2nd de-cat, 1.8" light Janspeed Silencer
Fuel pump: Old Walbro fuel pump
Fuel: E10 Tesco
Diff: Open diff
Clutch: JUN with worn 200mm helix disc & PP (Heavier)
Brakes: GTIR Discs
Wheels: 15" Alloys

- Sunroof deleted
- Added subwoofer weight

# 2024-11-17 (Cold Autumn) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Intake: Teflon spacer, TB elbow, Pod CAI
Exhaust: New short 4-1 equal length manifold, Fake CAT, 2nd de-cat, 2.25" heavy Powerflow Silencer
Fuel pump: Old Walbro fuel pump, facelift in-tank
Fuel: E10 Tesco
Diff: LSD diff
Clutch: Blueprint clutch disc, Old 200mm helix PP
Brakes: GTIR Discs
Wheels: 15" Alloys

- Richer high end fuel map

# 2025-09-08 (Late Summer) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Intake: Teflon spacer, TB elbow, Pod CAI
Exhaust: New 4-1 Equal length manifold, Genuine CAT & 2nd CAT, 2.25" heavy Powerflow Silencer
Fuel pump: New Walbro fuel pump, facelift in-tank
Fuel: E10 Morrisons
Diff: LSD diff
Clutch: Blueprint clutch disc, Old 200mm helix PP
Brakes: GTIR Discs
Wheels: 15" Alloys

- Fixed wiring & ground straps
- Cleaned injectors & filter
- New Bosch spark plugs
- Leaner high end fuel map

~~ Cold Start Analysis ~~

Analysing the cold start sequences frame by frame, first we look at turning on the IGN power with the engine stopped & stone cold.
The logs in 2009 & 2024 were during winter so the coolant sensor is reading correctly below 10c whereas 2023 & 2025 were recorded during a warmer summer so it reads near 20c ambient.
Battery voltages are all reading approx 12.0v



When cold cranking the engine, the starter motor drops the battery down to 9-10v except for in 2024 were it reads 8v, possibly due to bad ground straps.
Injector timing shoots up to 20-30ms with a 1-2% duty cycle due to the low rpm.
Notice the increased injector duty cycle during the colder climates.



Immediately after cranking, injector timing drops down to 4-6ms but maintain 4-6% duty cycle due to the engine spinning upto 1.3k rpm.
Battery drops from 12.0v to 11.2v cos the alternator isn't charging yet



ECU automatically blips the rpm upto 1.6-1.8k rpm by raising the timing to 25deg and inject more fuel.
Alternator is now spinning fast enough to charge the battery at 14v



Once the engine has fired up and settled into a stable rich fast-idle, timing stays approx 25deg but injecting less fuel at 6-8% duty, dropping it to 1.3k rpm.
Alternator now sending a full 14.2v to charge the battery after the intense cranking..
All 4 logs showing the MAF reading at approx 1.70v



~~ Compare WOT Pulling ~~

In all the videos I go WOT in 2nd gear upto red-line down the same sliproad to join the carriageway, which I can use as a rough dyno to compare the overall performance of each setup.

The old 2009 setup shown RED seems to be the fastest due to being lighter, improved breathing from the 421 header with matching janspeed exhaust, less inertia from the standard wheels/brakes/clutch.

2023/2024 setup in BLUE/YELLOW is the slower due to more weight & inertia from the bigger wheels, bigger brakes, bigger clutch, heavy subwoofer & toolbox and the 4-1 manifold wasn't optimised for the bigger & heavier powerflow exhaust (it was meant to run turbo).

2025 setup in GREEN is marginally faster at high rpm due to improved voltages, higher MAF reading, leaner fuel map



~~ Compare Sensor Readings ~~

The MAF sensor seems to rely on a strong power supply & earthing
So the old bad grounding straps in 2023/2024 (YELLOW/GREEN) gave the lowest MAF readings, which affects the overall map calculations.
Replacing all the bad earth straps & terminals gave the 2025 setup a stronger MAF signal (BLUE) closer to the 2009 setup (RED)



The current 2025 fuel map is slightly leaner (BLUE) than the 2024 map (GREEN) when I first fitted the new 4-1 manifold, therefore the injector timing is reduced.

The original 2009 janspeed 421 map had a richer mid-range (RED)



Looking at overall injector duty cycle, the 2023/2024 layout (YELLOW/GREEN) ran richer whereas the 2025 map (BLUE) is running leaner to maintain a stable 13-14AFR.
Original 2009 map (RED) ran rich in the mid-end but leaner at the high end.

2025-09-13 Datalog After Removing Weight

The gearstick had a slight buzz during high rpm so I trimmed the inner bearing bushing to reduce some side-to-side play which helped



Removed the heavy subwoofer & my toolbox for a more accurate comparison cos it's slowing the car down in the datalogs whereas in 2009 the car didn't carry such weight



Went for another drive before it rains



Now comparing the same 2nd gear WOT pull, the current lighter setup without the heavy sub & toolbox (GREEN) accelerates approx 0.48sec faster than before (YELLOW) especially after it reaches peak torque at 4500rpm but still not as fast as her old 2009 setup (RED)

The rust hole in the spare wheel well hasn't grown much since the last time I saw it



The hole above the fuel filler/breather is a little thinner/bigger



but I cba to repair RN cos it requires draining & removing the fuel filler pipes, so I'll tape over it for another yr





printed this simple flat line pattern to help with smoothing the bodywork dents



The battery was losing 0.1v each day or 0.05v when unplugged so either the battery is struggling in the colder nights or something is draining power

Checking parasitic draw with the multimeter while unplugging fuses & devices, it starts off with 17mA when resting.

unplugging the subwoofer didn't affect it.
removing the headunit saves 2mA.



But when I removed this blue 15a fuse for the alarm, it dropped 15.5mA to 5mA



Checking the diagrams it's the main fuse for my alarm box, so it's consuming 10mA every day, which appears to be the same as when I checked in 2023

https://micra.org.uk/threads/pollymobiles-rebuild.35251/post-881181



I probably need to find a more efficient remote central locking device

Another device which drains the car is the central locking / interior light dimmer module which consumes 5.1mA
Removing the interior light fuse drops another 1.2mA

So when I unplug the alarm fuses, the interior light fuse, headunit fuse and finally the power window fuse in the engine bay (which supplies the central locking module) the whole car drops from 17ma down to a tiny 0.6mA

2025-09-20 Print New Phone Holder

The old phone holder I printed in 2023 has slowly warped over the yrs



So I redesigned a stiffer & uniform mount

pollyp said:

Alternator Output: from 14.23 to 14.42v
Battery Extension Terminal: from 14.18 to 14.42v
Battery +ve Terminal: from 14.17 to 14.39v
A-Pillar Connector: from 14.06/14.02 in/out to 14.27/14.23 in/out
Fuel Pump Relay: from 13.44/13.42 in/out to 13.63/13.61 in/out
Fuel Pump: from 13.27 to 13.36v
Subwoofer +ve: from 14.15 to 14.33v

Cyl Head to Chassis Strap: 0.004v drop
Start/Gearbox to Chassis Strap: 0.003v drop

Covered the exposed braided strap with heatshrink to reduce corrosion

View attachment 90511

Click to expand...

Thank you for fact checking that japanese people were right about extra enhanced grounding kits! I always wondered if they were really useful. Looks like yes as what you created is basically what they were selling/installing during the 90s/early 2000s.
I think I have a few sets that I will fit this winter!

2025-09-23 Replace Peugeot 307 Ground Straps

Since I last cleaned the earthing points on the old Peugeot in Dec 2024 the battery has again dropped down from 12.4 to 12.1v when sitting for 1 week

https://micra.org.uk/threads/pollymobiles-rebuild.35251/post-885644

I removed & trickle charged the battery overnight till it reaches 12.75v and brought some new ground straps & terminals



Removed the old rusty negative straps



Bolted the new straps on





Now after cold cranking, the alternator outputs 14.25v while the battery receives 14.20v (needs higher voltage to charge up after the starter motor used some juice).

After a brief drive warming up the car & recharged the battery, it then sits at 14.10v
Turning on all heavy electrical loads drops it down to 13.0v

I'll see how the battery maintains voltage after sitting for another week

... Damn
Rechecking battery the next morning it still dropped down to 12.30v

Either the battery is failing (even though it holds 12.75v overnight when unplugged),
Or some part of the Peugeots circuit is seriously draining a lot of juice

and no lights are left on BTW

Paul do you use this kind of grease on your grounding straps :
or do you leave them bare metal?

Seb_ said:

Paul do you use this kind of grease on your grounding straps :

LM 330 Contact-Grease

Contact treatment preparation based on saturated synthetic esters. For lifetime lubrication of electronic contacts and components. Shows no signs of chemical decomposition or resinification even after long periods of use. With a wide operating temperature range as well as high stability to...

www.liqui-moly.com

or do you leave them bare metal?

Click to expand...

Just a smear of generic grease I have laying around

2025-09-26 Replace Peugeot 307 +ve Cable

While checking the parastic draw, I noticed this exposed & corroded +ve terminal/cable might also contribute to the poor voltage drain



1 half of the cable goes to a nearby fusebox which is easy enough to replace but the other half is more difficult cos it goes to the starter behind the engine and then the alternator at front



Brought more halfords cables & terminals



Cut the corroded terminal off and the copper wiring inside is thankfully still clean



Crimped the end which will be clamped onto the new terminal



Fitted the new 70cm +ve lead between the battery & fusebox but it's abit too long giving a 25mV drop



i trimmed it shorter which reduced the drop to 11mV



The worst resistance comes from the cable going from the alternator > starter > battery which has a 61mV drop (affecting how much the battery is charged)
If I simply short the alternator output directly to the battery with a new strap, the resistance drops to just 16mV and it cold cranks more stronger.

Unfortunately the alternator loom routes under the engine, round the back to the starter motor and then up to the battery, which I CBA to replace







The simplist answer is to join the 2 spare cables and run it directly from the alternator to the battery +ve routed over the top of the engine





So now the alternator to battery has a 23mV drop,
alternator outputs 14.22v
battery receives upto 14.20v

After shutting the engine, battery rests at 12.42v but overnight it still drops to 12.30v so I think this small battery is dying
I'll replace it with a bigger spare 075 battery to see how it goes

Personal Update 2025-09-26

So August was a very low point for me, struggling to find any work, struggling mentally/physically, unable to get any medication or therapy, running out of options, out of control

https://micra.org.uk/threads/pollymobiles-rebuild.35251/post-886108

26 August I had a video call about my ADHD medication titrition stage but my blood pressure was too high at 140/100 (prob from 2yr no exercise or diet and genetics ) so I needed to see doctor (with lots of tests) about reduce it safely before resuming

Meanwhile I'm still struggling to focus on the task of finding work, at this rate I'll be lucky to find anything before next yr
The only other thing I can do to change the situation is diet & exercise since I remembered in 2023 getting fit helped improve mental health

With help from my mom:
- I stopped eating soo much junk food (replace with nut & fruits)
- stopped drinking milky tea with biscuits (replace with hot water)
- drank glass of juiced celery/carrot each day yuckk
- ate more healthy with less portion
- dusted off my bicycles & cycled 8 miles or 1hr to the beach every day
- & monitored my blood pressure daily

Doctor even had me wear & sleep with this blood pressure recorder for an annoying 24hrs



After a month of daily diet & exercising, the data suggests my health is improving

My average Systolic (green line) and Diastolic pressures (purple line) has dropped by approx 10mmHg and resting pulse dropped 10bpm



I don't feel as tired, depressed, or emotionally hurt as before, nice to have a set routine to follow daily and it gets me out the house
Mentally my brain is still broken with anxiety, depression, inattentive adhd, low confidence but at least I don't feel as crap as before

pollyp said:

2025-09-26 Replace Peugeot 307 +ve Cable

While checking the parastic draw, I noticed this exposed & corroded +ve terminal/cable might also contribute to the poor voltage drain

View attachment 90561

1 half of the cable goes to a nearby fusebox which is easy enough to replace but the other half is more difficult cos it goes to the starter behind the engine and then the alternator at front

View attachment 90562

Brought more halfords cables & terminals

View attachment 90563

Cut the corroded terminal off and the copper wiring inside is thankfully still clean

View attachment 90564

Crimped the end which will be clamped onto the new terminal

View attachment 90565

Fitted the new 70cm +ve lead between the battery & fusebox but it's abit too long giving a 25mV drop

View attachment 90566

i trimmed it shorter which reduced the drop to 11mV

View attachment 90568

The worst resistance comes from the cable going from the alternator > starter > battery which has a 61mV drop (affecting how much the battery is charged)
If I simply short the alternator output directly to the battery with a new strap, the resistance drops to just 16mV and it cold cranks more stronger.

Unfortunately the alternator loom routes under the engine, round the back to the starter motor and then up to the battery, which I CBA to replace

View attachment 90570

View attachment 90571

View attachment 90572

The simplist answer is to join the 2 spare cables and run it directly from the alternator to the battery +ve routed over the top of the engine

View attachment 90573

View attachment 90574

So now the alternator to battery has a 23mV drop,
alternator outputs 14.22v
battery receives upto 14.20v

After shutting the engine, battery rests at 12.42v but overnight it still drops to 12.30v so I think this small battery is dying
I'll replace it with a bigger spare 075 battery to see how it goes

Click to expand...

May I suggest a deep restorative recharge of sulphated cells 10/12 hours on a slow charge bog standard old style bat charger lead acid cells to 2.34 volts per cell?

I was taught top of charge lead acid 2.34 volts per cell 2.34 X 6 = 14.04 Volts max.

I have restored several of my families discarded car bats & got another three to four years useful economic life use out of them.

Top of Charge Volts Lead Acid Cells? at DuckDuckGo

Good luck

Micra Paul said:

May I suggest a deep restorative recharge of sulphated cells 10/12 hours on a slow charge bog standard old style bat charger lead acid cells to 2.34 volts per cell?

I was taught top of charge lead acid 2.34 volts per cell 2.34 X 6 = 14.04 Volts max.

I have restored several of my families discarded car bats & got another three to four years useful economic life use out of them.

Top of Charge Volts Lead Acid Cells? at DuckDuckGo

Good luck

Click to expand...

Thanks, that's some great useful info about charging

I usually run this basic automatic trickle charger 12-24hr overnight until the battery reaches peak voltage of 14.15-14.30v



I charged a spare 075 battery (from the micra) until the charger reaches 14.15v
Connected it to the peugeot and it settles at 12.66v (1.49v drop from charging to rest)
Leaving it 24hr overnight it reads 12.55v (lost 0.11v overnight) and then next day 12.45 then 12.42v

Edit: it turns out I've been reading the battery shortly after relocking the car when the computer is still awake & drops the voltage slightly.

Once I wait 10min until it fully sleeps, the battery then returns back to a healthy 12.68v



With the old HB012 battery, I recharged it again until it peaked at 14.21v and settles at 12.75v (1.46v drop from charged to resting)
Left unplugged for 24hrs, it drops to 12.68v then 12.65v then 12.64v

So both batteries are holding charge ok once they've been fully trickle charged

A brief check if the new bosch plugs after 100miles and the insulator & ground tip are perfectly clean & at the correct heat range

Just realised I haven't serviced kassandra since Oct 2024
Not that I've driven her much at all this year but I changed her oil & filter



Cutting the filter open to inspect



The outer skin is clean & no metallic specks



Same on the inside

2025-09-30 Workshop LED Light Strips

My old workshop has terrible lighting for years so I looked into buying some £10 40w 120cm LED light batons



Powering them up and yup they're bright enough



Inside each strip are it's own power adapter wired to a pair of LED strips



The old single-point LED light uses just 12w but only beams at a narrow area



My ancient car inspection lamp which uses a regular type LED bulb uses a small 7.6w but it's very dim



While the new LED strip is very bright and covers a larger area, it uses 3x the power, & I'll be using two of em

It's best I connect them to a switched plug to save electricity (engage it only when I need the extra lighting) & connect the smaller 10w LED to the permanent workshop light switch



Ooooh it definately lights up all the junk in my workshop a lot better now

In other news I brought this £5 12mm anodised ratchet flexi spanner to replace the old one I lost few yrs ago.
My old draper 12mm has a head of 12.15mm while the ebay spanner has a slightly looser 12.20mm fit.
It'll still work ok but not ideal for using on stiff fasteners without rounding off



While checking the peugeots fusebox I noticed, hmmm that single wire crimped & tape wrapped onto an existing wire is odd and doesn't look factory to me?
It goes down underneath the fusebox and alot of work to strip apart, so I'll investigate deeper another day

Edit, it seems to go to this fuel pump relay box in front of the fuse box



I've now ran out of my trusty old Castrol GTX 10w40 ultraclean and all 10w40 4L in general are getting really ££ above £30 nowadays
Jack suggested I give these online 20l 10w40 cheapo oils a try.
It's just £48 for 20L (enough to service my 2 cars upto 3x) and exceeds the old API SG/SH/SJ regs that haynes recommended





Changed the peugeots oil & filter, fired it up and no problem with the new oil so far

2025-10-05 Clean Rear Brake Discs

The inner sides of brake discs on both micra & peugeot always tend to rust with a rough finish whenever the car just sits for months so I removed them to wirebrush



Closer look at the rough surface on the rear right disc



& the rear left disc



Bolted it on a spare hub to spin & wirebrush evenly



It turns out that parking the car for a long time without running allows the exposed disc surface to simply build a thick & hard layer of rust, which will affect brake performance & wear rate.

A light wire wheel wasn't enough, I had to dig harder with an aggressive twist knot wheel to reveal the smooth bare metal underneath



Both discs smoothed & cleaned



Did the front side too





Checking the disc run-out.
Rear left disc was at 0.03mm within the 0.07mm limit
But the rear drivers disc was off by a massive 0.20mm
Even if I relocated the disc 90deg on the hub, it's still wobbles at the same point of the hub, which means the hub face itself is wonky



CBA to remove the whole hub & machine it straight on the lathe, instead I simply added some 0.05mm Alu tape at one spot to straighten the disc relative to the hub and now it's at 0.05mm runout



Went out to re-bed those pads

2025-10-06 Remove Peugeot Bumper & Headlight to Clean Earth Points

Removing all the seized fasteners & snapped plastic clips on the old peugeot just to remove the bumper was such a PITA



Lower beam supporting the radiator & undertray is a little crusty but still holding







Removed the headlight just to access these earthing points



Cleaned & reassembled with regular metric fasteners

2025-10-07 Exhaust Sound Analysis

My last sound analysis in Dec 2024 featured the new 4-1 manifold with fake primary cat, a straight 2nd de-cat, a cracked buzzing chassis spot weld and had an annoying drone while cruising.

This year she has a working primary cat (taken from a spare Peugeot), OEM 2nd cat, fixed the buzzing cracked chassis and is alot quieter now, so I recorded the sound & datalog to compare.



During cold start fast idling, the deeper low 50hz notes is noticebly quieter (maybe muffled by the additional honeycomb mesh of the 2nd cat?)



Once warmed up & idling at lower rpm, the low & mid-range freq are again reduced



Cruising in town at 30mph, it's less 'boomy' at the low freq end



At 60mph there's less boomy droning noise with quieter mid-range too



Higher at 70mph the low end drone is gone and the peaky 211hz resonance freq is slightly lower



During WOT at 3k with high gas flow, the 48hz drone is quieter



At 4k WOT the mid-range freq is quieter



At high 6k rpm the resonating 200hz is slightly less



Near redline with max gas flow they're both similar

2025-10-07 Check Valve Gap & Compression

Checked the gaps while engine is still warm





6mth oil changes with Castrol GTX ultraclean keeping the insides in ok condition



Gaps are still perfectly spot-on at 0.356mm for the inlet and 0.381mm for the exhaust



The cylinder compression also hasn't changed much, staying at a healthy & equal 124-128psi

2025-10-10 Clean Headlight Connectors

The earthing points at the sides were abit rusty





Gave it a quick wirebrush & paint





These 27yr old headlight connectors are getting filthy, the extra resistance won't be good for the darker season coming



Both of these indicator/sidelight connectors are really caked in dirt



Dunno if it was greased from factory but only these connectors are filled with this thick sticky white mayo grease

While it works in keeping the terminals clean & shielded from the elements, it also traps a thick layer of dirt too which makes it messy & difficult to dismantle





Releasing each terminal requires a tiny thin flat screwdriver or pin to push these plastic internal tabs outward while pulling the terminal out the back, which is very fiddly





All cleaned





To release the headlight connector terminals, push these legs up to unclip and the terminal pulls out



Terminals a little oxidised, just needs a good wirebrushing



Wirebrushed most of it clean



Headlight plugs all clean now





Oopsy, one of the headlight levelling motor wire broke off somewhere



According to the wiring diagrams, it's just one of the wires for when the headlight dial is tilted at the lowest #3, which is rarely used, actually I never ever touch the headlight dial set at #0 anyway
So no need to fix that wire tbh

Another wiring to fix is the old red LED brake light strip which I soldered and has gone hard & resistive
So I replace em with proper crimps









Had to duct tape the sides of the bucket seats which were starting to crack from yrs of getting in/out the car

2025-10-15 Regrease Brake Caliper Guide Pins

According to this video, I may have been applying too much grease making the guide pins bind unevenly?



So I best go re-check em 1yr since they were rebuilt.
Removed the rear right carrier



Not too much grease but the red rubber grease has got old, thick & very sticky, which doesn't help release the caliper



Thoroughly cleaned the old gunk out of the pins & bore & applied only a light smear of rubber grease
Slides in & out without sticking now



When I try to push the pin all the way in, the rubber dust boot seems to be slightly too long which springs the pin back out, applying more drag & wear on the outer brake pads

When removing the dust boot and sliding the bare pins into the bore, it stays in place meaning there's no trapped air inside the bore, so the problem is the rubber boot.

I trimmed off the lip of the boot and it now doesn't 'spring' back as much, allowing the caliper to fully relax



Also discovered one of the guide pins ain't sitting straight cos by installing the caliper without the pads and sliding it in/out, there's a bit of friction.
But if I turn one of the pins 180deg & retighten, it would slide much smoother

Did the same process on the rear left brakes, although these one look new & doesn't have the rubber collar insert therefore it slides in/out with no friction/binding compared to the other side



Overall both rear calipers are now releasing fully, both discs are within 0.03mm run-out but touches the pads slightly once-per-turn, as if the disc thickness is a tiny uneven

It might annoy me and ideally I'd prefer to fabricate a disc resurfacing jig to machine them perfectly flat but not worth the effort yet and is a minor issue

2025-10-16 Personal Update: Amazon Warehouse Operative

Good news

After 8mths of no progress, the job centre referred me to this local training centre through a program called 'Restart North East', who actively helps ppl with advice on job searches, writing CV/letters and more.

They also work with Amazon in recruiting their workforces and have been promoting 'warehouse operative' vacancies

I attended a presentation talking about the position and decided to apply for it (since I had zero luck with finding any design jobs, I couldn't bare to work low-pay retail work, and this Amazon job is better than nothing )

I chose the Amazon warehouse centre in Durham 30min away, preferably selected 10hr night shifts (figured I'm more of a night person work at night, sleep in the morning, and still have enough daylight in the winter afternoon to do stuff)
plus it pays more at £16/hr compared to £14/hr day shifts

And since it's just seasonal till Jan (not guaranteed to be permanent) I could do with the extra income at the expense of ruining my body clock lol

I recently did the Amazon online evaluation tests, uploaded all my ID checks, had a simple "pre-hire" video call today (basically verify with a call centre my ID, selected shifts, basic checks)

Afterwards an email said my selected long night shifts was actually taken so I'll have to wait for more available shifts later on

The list of shifts soon refreshed but they only had 30hr short night shifts (£497 a week) or a longer 40hr day time shifts (£583 a week)

Not ideal but I chose the early starting day-shifts which overall earn the most

I begin from Oct 25 till Jan 3rd

2025-10-21 Repair Wonky Trolley Jack

This old Halfords trolley jack has an arm that points slightly to the right, which catches on the frame every time it drops down



Looking closer, the holes & thin welded washers for supporting the pivot rods are worn out stretched



Time to cut them off & replace them with spare 8mm thick washers



Trimmed the side of the holes narrower on the arm & hydraulic piston to compensate for the thicker washers





Machined the pivot rods to fit the new washers



Assembled the arm, rods & washers into position...it turns out that while the rods & washers sat perfectly square, the swingarm itself was actually manufactured wrong, the pivoting tube was welded 1deg wonky to the right

No matter how much I try realign the mounting holes to the left, the arm will always point 1deg to the right



Welded the new thick supporting washers on



I managed to shift the arm a tiny bit to the left so it doesn't catch the frame as often

2025-10-22 Machine Rear Hubs Straight

The rear drivers brake disc has been wonky for awhile and recently narrowed the caused down to wonky hub face



I hammered the unused ABS ring off and using this clean surface to mount on the lathe



Even after wirebrushing all the rust off the disc, the back side still pits with only 1/2 pad contact?



The cause of the wonky disc might be due to this subtle raised edge created when the spline of the longer studs were 1st forced onto the new rear hubs but the holes werent chamfered enough, deforming the metal around it



The opposite side of the discs show the same imprint



To machine the hub, I first assumed the hub center was concentric and used it to center on the lathe chuck



Slowly machine the hub face flat





Measured the assembly on the car and it's even worse at 0.15mm run-out, wtf?



The next day I remeasured how wonky the hub spins on the axle, the edge of the hub face was off by 0.0325mm but oddly the hub center (which I thought was concentric) was actually off-center by 0.05mm! so this means the bearing isn't perfectly machined concentric to the hub axis?



I mounted the hub onto the lathe using the measured run-out figures and machined the face flat again



& now the hub face is within 0.01mm run-out



Chamfered both sides of the stud holes to prevent any deformation affecting the disc fitment.

Reinstalled the studs using these spare spacers & wheel nuts with the impact wrench







The disc itself was also a fraction wonky & needed a layer of Alu tape to straighten the fitment and now it's approx 0.04mm run-out, not perfect but it'll do for now I suppose (until I fabricate an on-car brake disc resurfacing tool)

Time to regrease the guide pins too



Removed this rubber insert to allow the caliper to slide better



The old red rubber grease tends to cook under the heat till it becomes too sticky & seize the caliper, so I brought some silicone grease which can withstand higher temps without becoming too sticky.

I was expecting it to be runny like generic lithium grease but it's actually quite thick similar to rubber grease.
Each guide pin only required a thin smear of silicone grease (1/2 pea size) so this 100g tube will last for yrs



Regreased the old peugeots guide pin too

2025-10-22 Analysing Rear Brake Disc Rust History

Looking back at the brake disc history, this is the very rusty back side of the rear discs after 1.5yrs 7k miles, mostly from sitting in the garage for months



Wirebrushing all that thicc rust off the disc



After cleaning, note the deep pitting on edges left over from the heavy corrosion and only a thin smooth mid section where the pad was touching



Only 200 miles & 1 month since it's been cleaned & bedded in, the deep pitting on the disc still remains rough & rusty while only the narrow mid section has any transfer layer from contacting the pads



In conclusion, once the disc surface has severely corroded & pitted (mainly from standing for months) it's not likely to improve by itself.

Braking performance remain inefficient due to less pad contact area over the rough pitted area.
Pads wear out faster from the rough textured pit holes.

The only fix is either resurface the discs or replace them

pollyp said:

2025-08-29 Print HT Lead Clips

These HT lead supports I printed 10yrs ago are starting to warp & crack from all the heat & clamping force, & they're also a PITA to unscrew whenever I need to remove the leads & plugs

View attachment 90418

Click to expand...

Hi Paul, Do you happen to still have the 3D file for the original brackets you designed ? I like the design and id love to print them out of ABS or PLA and see how they hold up.

Donnelly said:

Hi Paul, Do you happen to still have the 3D file for the original brackets you designed ? I like the design and id love to print them out of ABS or PLA and see how they hold up.

Click to expand...

The old one that bolts on the rocker cover? Yeah

2025-10-29 Regrease Sway Bars

The red rubber grease is certainly not suitable for bushings cos it just gets squeezed out, dried & very sticky till it makes the sway bar bind





Cleaned & regreased both sway bars with silicone grease this time and it swings much smoother. Lets see how long it lasts





The down pipe rubber bobbin support has sheared after afew hard launches with the softer stock engine mounts giving too much movement



Easy & quick to replace