It has been almost few months since my last update. Was pretty much tight up with work plus I was being blogspot-illiterate with the new layout hence the abandonment of updates haha. I've done quite number of things to the car in the past two months so I'll do my best to post entries one by one.
So this entry is about the issue I had with one of the steel pipe that feeds the water to the head. Honestly I have no idea the exact name of this part, but what happened was the pipe internals was badly corroded until it cracked and water was flowing out when there is pressure from the radiator (during engine running). Thankfully I had the CEL warning indicator set from the Hondata when the water temp goes beyond 100deg.
Further checking confirmed that this pipe is in bad shape so the mechanic tried to put on the same pipe from CRV's K20 but it couldn't fit. No choice but it has to bought brand new.
5 years of dirt
The hole
The new pipe acquired by John of HiperRacing
Took the chance to flush the radiator and replace new coolant as well :)
One of the things I've been waiting to get for Black Mamba is an aftermarket header. After observing for sometime I reckon that most of the Japanese aftermarket headers have relatively smaller collector (2.3inch) compared to American brands like SSR, Skunk2 & HyTech (2.5inch). These brands are expensive due to the exceptional build quality and Malaysia's killer import tax regime. Some of them like HyTech/SSR are even made to order, hence the sky-high price.
Thankfully though, we have a few creative creatures around this world who actually took the opportunity to make money by replicating things average joe like me couldn't afford. Hehe. A good example is the header. I'm referring to the KiddRACING header from the States (Most K-series owner would know it come from Taiwan anyway haha). It was replicated from HyTech header, produce impressive power and cheaper by almost half from the price. Here in Malaysia I have seen more than 10 DC5s and FD2Rs using this header and also TDM (another Taiwan made header under same manufacturer of KiddRACING). As far as I know none of them DID NOT MAKE any power after installing it. So, who wouldn't want a cheap header that produces power right?
As I was pondering on getting the header from Singapore, fellow DC5 owner Andrew offered to customised a header based on KiddRACING/TDM but with improved built quality and welding finish. Most importantly the design is revised to clear the bigger front anti-roll bar (Most DC5 owners with aftermarket anti-roll bar (>23mm) might experience the header touching the bar due to it's size). Deposit was given and few months later the header is ready. Honestly, I couldn't comment further as Andrew will be doing test fitting on his car soon before distributing the headers. But would you just look at how meticulously-awesome the thing is? I seriously couldn't wait to receive the call from Andrew soon. For now on, drool on the pics and keep following this blog. Haha.
Mamba's 6 speed gearbox has been serving me well for the past 3 years. With the right maintenance of oil change every 5000km it has never caused me a problem. However earlier this year I am experiencing hard engagement with the gears at high RPMs and occasionally second gear 'crunching' occurs when the rev goes beyond VTEC point (refer link here for the common second gear issue with Acura RSXs). Knowing the fact that the gearbox has never been 'flushed' or dismantled before, I laid out the plan to acquire the relevant parts for this major work.
After couple of months saving, I decided to get the much more affordable 4-puck Exedy racing clutch set to replace the worn-out OEM clutch. Together with this and as advised (more like racun) by a goodfriend of mine, I purchased a set of shorter final drive from Civic Type-R FD2.Since my 2.4 project has not yet being put in place, I said why not try the 5.062 final drive to replace the existing 4.764?. So unreluctantly I get a new set from another friend who decided not to install it on his DC5. Nevertheless, I did not purchase the synchro set for 1-2 gears as it costly and I would like to see myself the condition of the gears before splashing the cash out.
I headed on to Tung Chun Racing JB (where else) during the festive holiday for this work to be carried out. Enjoy the pics and videos.
This is what you should get for the final drive package a) Final gear ring set b) Countershaft. Ensure the ring set has 81 teeth!
Gearbox dismantled in less than 45 mins!
Look at those blueish sludge. Gears taken out.
Taking out the ol' 4.764 final drive.
The bearing in the middle is the Countershaft bearing. There's no need for this to be purchased since we share the same 6 speed gearbox with FD2R.
Ready to be cleaned.
OEM clutch. Probably few hundred KM more before it dies.
Improve your grip with this clutch.
Part No for your reference mate.
Obviously original. But please beware of fake Exedy clutches.
The pressure plate.
Hey how did I miss those two clips on the radiator cover??
Super clean!
Facelift DC5R gearbox code. Prefacelift (2004 and earlier) has different code.
Gears and syncros were inspected and it turns out everything are in good condition. Thank god!
Putting back the gearbox on.
Fresh MTF-III oil. Will no longer use Redline Lightweight Shockproof oil from now on.
While waiting for everything to be fixed, I found some interesting stuffs in the workshop worth sharing with this blog readers.
Tung Chun's race prepped DC5R. I was being told the rollcage was fabricated by an English dude who made cages for BTCC cars. Interesting.
Would you like the big ass potruding intake on your K20 sir?
Drag-ready, estimated 350whp with an-extra 200cc on K24 block. Not your average K-series man. Haha
Finally, after 2 hours of waiting Mamba is ready to roll out. Alignment was done at the nearby tyre shop.
Post Installation Comments:
1. The car's accelaration was improved tremendously after installing this final drive. The revs keep on climbing and it doesnt drop as much as before when you shifting gears. I could feel more 'pulling' power when the car is launched compared to before. Some sort like newfound excitement for me seeing the needle goes towards the redline effortlessly I could say! Totally faster than before. And of course, the new clutch does help to provide smoother gear change. Please check Mamba's videos below to compare the revs and speed. First video is before the final drive being installed.
2. I've heard some people saying 'shorter final drive will kill your top speed'. I'd say it's not true. Why? I could still go beyond 200km/h easily, and faster than before (I mean seriously, how fast could we go on the normal road right?). However, we must remember the rule of the thumb - shorter final drive, higher RPMs. The rev is noticably higher by +-500rpm than before. Previously on 6th gear @ 100km/h it was 3000rpm. Now on the same gear and speed the rev has increased to 3500rpm. Due to this, I have noticed that the engine note is slightly louder when I'm travelling long distance. Not very comfortable I could say. I also think that the torque advantage decreases as I keep on changing to higher gears. Anyways, check out the speed vs rpm table below for the 5.062 final drive. If I'm not mistaken, Spoon Sports produce (or more likely rebrand) the same final drive.
3. The other factor that I have yet to properly analyze is the fuel consumption. As far as I'm concerned it is still economical after almost 2 weeks driving. 28 litres of Shell RON97 fuel could take me close to 300km so it's good. I will try to calculate the consumption for urban driving when I'm free.
4. Back again to the second gear crunching issue. Surprisingly the problem still exist despite having the synchros in good condition. But it only happened when the car has been driven more than an hour or so. Other gears are super crisp. Not very sure if I should replace the synchros, or try to replace harder gearbox mount to reduce the vibration. See how it goes.
5. Last but not least the pedal feel with the racing clutch on is very light. I could say it's almost like using stock OEM clutch. The car doesn't jerk furiously or the engine dies when the pedal is released suddenly like other super single clutch. Very easy to drive around with this clutch so it's recommended for those who drive their car daily. :)
Costs:
1. Exedy 4 puck racing clutch - RM1,350 - Tung Chun Racing, JB 2. Honda MTF-III gear oil - RM100 - Tung Chun Racing, JB 3. FD2R 5.0 final drive - RM1,XXX (Friend's price muahahah) 4. Labor - RM450
Hope this post will help you decide on installing FD2R or other aftermarket final drive.
So, how do you turn your fugly looking gear knob like this.............
Into this..??
Easy, just buy a new one..Hehee. On a serious note, there's no way I could remove all the scratches on the knob. It has been like that since I got the car. I guess the previous owner in Japan was wearing a ring on his left hand. That might result to the scratches but well, who cares. I've got a replacement OEM DC5R knob for a good price! (Which means other aftermarket knobs I've scouted to be put on hold) :)
Oh yeah I have also installed the custom shift extender last few months. It's 4" long and inspired by Circuit Hero's 5" extender. The reason our friend Andrew made it an inch shorter is because the 5" will hit the head unit when you upshift to 3rd or 5th gear. LOL. Shifting never felt better with this extender cause you can reach the knob faster from your steering wheel!
How it looked like from the passenger view.
This is going to be the last update as tomorrow will be Raya. There's few more stuff that couldn't be installed/picked-up on time (Header, fender bar etc) so it's gonna be the next coming weeks then. I'll be dropping Mamba's gearbox the next few days for some overhaulin' so hopefully everything will go smoothly. You guys drive safe on the road ok? Eid Mubarak for all my muslim blog visitors!
It's time of the year again for the much waiting long festive leave. Before I could go back to JB in peace, I discovered that something is not right with the front wheel arrangement. There was this humming sound coming from in front and it gets louder and annoying after a while. Not wanting my long journey to be disrupted, I went to my trusted mechanic John to get it checked..
After a brief 5 mins checking, it turns out my front right wheel bearing has gone. The left side is also heading the same way as the other, just matter of time. I bet the bearings were never changed before. Furthermore 6mm spacers I use might hasten the lifespan of the bearings. Either way I decided it's best if both sides are changed..
Knuckle being taken out and sent to machine shop for pressing to remove and install the bearings.
Looks really old here.
Mamba helpless on the jack.
I also took the liberty to change the oils for Mamba. This time I had to settle with Cusco oil (5W-40) as the Greddy F4 Pro is no longer in production. It's kinda funny how this motor oil is being produced and distributed and discontinued by the big brands; firs it was Blitz, then it was replaced by Greddy. Now both are no longer available. The other thing that puzzled me was there's another version of Cusco engine oil that has 'low friction formula'. The cans look the same but price is different by RM100. Hmm....
The 2 years + old Trust Airinx filter is due for replacement and it was being replaced with the authentic HKS 3 layer super filter.
Latest engine shot of Black Mamba. It is still showroom-condition clean.....hehehehe..
Costs:
1. Cusco engine oil = RM150/can (4 liters) – N1 Racing, Sunway 2. Redline LWSP gear oil = RM55/bottle (2 bottles) – N1 Racing, Sunway 3. HKS Super Filter = RM100 - N1 Racing, Sunway 4. OEM Honda front wheel bearings = RM200/side (both left & right changed) 5. Labor by Hiper Racing = +-RM200
