Brisk Plugs

Realizing that my Greddy spark plugs were never changed since 3 years ago, I decided to get a set of new Brisk plugs for the next service. As recommended and claimed by some friends, these Brisk plugs can give few extra horses on the dyno compared to other plugs. Since I am going to get the car dyno-tuned after the header installation, why not try this?

The 3 years old plug. LOL.

Cost:

1. Brisk plugs: RM350

Real Steel

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 :)

Costs:

1. TB steel pipe - RM250

2. Coolant, labour etc - RM110

Wheel Bearings and Such

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

The Crack!

As I mentioned in my previous post, Black Mamba's windscreen was cracked during the Pasir Gudang track session last year. It was just a small hairline crack but since it wasn't treated right away, the crack grew damn long one day after my brother left the car under the sun for hours haha.

Since the windscreen is insured, I made full use of it with a claim. Took the workshop 3 days to get the glass. Unfortunately it isn't Japan made..coz if I were to get OEM Honda windscreen, I would be forced to fork out another RM2,500 and have to wait another month for it to arrive. So, China made glass worth RM1,500 is good enough. After all it is also double-layered.

Check out the size of the crack.

The replacement glass

Made by Fuyao Glass Industry. Apparently they are the OEM supplier for Cadillac, Audi, Peugeot etc.

Oh by the way they didn't install the side panel properly so it flew off @ 120kmh. What a letdown. Had to go back and get them replaced with a new one worth RM350 a piece (!)

Update on Crap-ness

Managed to squeeze my time to go to the workshop today. Drained the MTFIII oil and replaced with 2 liters of Redline Lightweight Shockproof. A short drive back to the office and the 3rd gear crunch has gone completely. I can sleep soundly tonite and rev happily tomorrow.

Note to self not to use the nipis gear oil in the future.

The other thing I reckon today is that the Skunk2 control arm made the car's rear end firmer during cornering. Not much of body roll felt as compared to before and I do feel I can execute faster corner slicing without having to worry the tail to wobble. Thank you Skunk2 for an awesome product.

Crap-ness

Disheartening Tuesday. The Honda MTFIII Ultra doesn't blend well with my gearbox. Currently experiencing the irrating 'crunch' on my 3rd gear after the gearbox gets hot. I need to use thicker oil, not as thin as the MTFIII. Hope I can source the Lightweight Shockproof gear oil in Kuantan. Here are some other things on Black Mamba that need my attention and action:

1. Cracked windscreen - Happened during the Pasir Gudang track day. It was a small crack and but a delayed treatment caused it to be longer and more serious over time. Lucky the windscreen is insured but damn, have to wait for 1-2 months to get the glass!

2. CEL error code P1167 (A) - A/F ratio sensor 1 Heater System Malfunction; The beginning of a faulty O2 sensor. Typical issue for a K20. Not complaining at all since my engine has already clocked 100,000km, fuel consumption is still good, and it can be eliminated by 1. purchasing new 02 sensor or 2. Use Hondata to permanently disable the error code (more favourable haha). But most importantly, the VTEC still rocks hard at 5,800rpm! :)

Usual stuff, Unusual stuff.

Patience pays. That’s what I told my friends who’s been bugging me with remarks like “Woi bila nak update blog woi” and “I think I saw spider webs on your blog brooo”. So today with this post I hope it’ll clear all the doubts you have. Black Mamba is still..ALIVE..and she has received some well deserve (and rare) pampering from me. Be prepared with your food and drinks as this will be a very long post.....haha.

Considering the fact that Mamba needs to do some major stuffs, I decided to drive down from East Coast to Sunway to get the items and get it fixed by my mechanic John of Hiper Racing. Reached Sunway tad early but lucky I have a CL7 Euro-R friend of mine around. Had breakfast and good chat with him before heading off to few shops to invest my savings on the needed parts. Haha.

Shareil’s well done CL7. Matte TC105N with Wilwood 4-pot callipers make this rare sedan outstanding from others.

So then I went to two places, N1 Racing and Samurai Racing (Formerly known as SS Racing) to buy these things:

1. Greddy F4 Pro engine oil

As you have read on my previous posts (under maintenance tab), I used Blitz engine oil for the car. But since N1 Racing has no longer brought in the oil, it was replaced by Greddy F4 Pro oil. The viscosity is similar to Blitz and I have used it for a few oil changes without any issues. Thanks to the robust iVTEC engine that doesn’t need to be lubricated by expensive oil.

2. OEM Honda MTF-III gear oil

The decision to change the gear oil came when some friends told me that the Redline Lightweight Shockproof gear oil I’ve been using ever since can create sludge residue in between the gears. The prolonged usage can cause the gears to be ‘sticky’ and it can damage the synchros over time. Not wanting to take any chances for disaster to happen to my gearbox, I opted to get the OEM recommended gear oil – the Honda MTF-III. One can is 4-liters. Good for two changes. Thank you Desmond for helping me to get this from Exceptional Auto. Let's see what will happen to my gears with this oil.

3. Endless SSS 500deg brake pads

Having driven the car for almost two years without changing the brake pads, I decided to get the same brake pads that came with the car – Endless SSS (Super Street Sport) with the maximum temperature of 500degrees. Pretty happy with this brand as the wear rate is very slow. 23 months with 60,000km on the mileage coupled with few track days doesn’t stop the pads to perform at its best. And there are some leftovers too. Rear pads are still good though, so I guess it will only be changed next time.

This pads can be fitted on Fairlady Z33's Brembo as well.

Macam pad cap ayam je???

Perfectly placed in between the worn out Brembo callipers. Hehe.

Old pads. Still usable..well, for few hundred kms perhaps?

4. Skunk2 rear lower control arm

This is one of the item I’ve been drooling since I got the car and after months of contemplating, I finally made up my mind to get this. Apart from being the ‘bling factor’, the purchase is justified as when the OEM rear control arms were taken out, I found out that the bushes are already torn. Gold was chosen from other colours (including the stealthy black limited edition version) as it appear more visible from other drivers view (drool factor)..hahaha. Took John less than 20 minutes to install this and as soon as it was done I took the car out for powersliding. Nah just kidding. Well upon installation I could feel that the rear doesn’t ‘bump’ as it used to be. Probably due to the harden bush on the Skunk2 arms.

What do you get inside.

The hardware. I farking love the embossed ‘S2’ logo on the bolts.

Say goodbye to the stock control arm. Your service is no longer required haha.

Sifu John at work..Rambut makin kurang dei..

Stock vs S2. Worlds apart. Period.

S2 is thicker but it’s lighter. Senyum sampai telinga.

One side in, one more to go.

All set! Looks damn ganas with the S2 tie bar and Cusco ARB. Rear end mods completo!

Hensem tahap cipan!

Costs:

1. Greddy F4 Pro = RM135/can (4 liters) – N1 Racing, Sunway
2. Honda MTF-III = RM 180/can (4 liters) – Exceptional Auto, Glenmarie
3. Endless SSS pads = RM500/set – Samurai Racing, Sunway
4. Skunk2 rear control arm = RM7XX after discount from RM850 – N1 Racing, Sunway (Must nego till you cry then only you’ll get the discount)

Once everything is done, I took the liberty to snap some spy pics around Sunway....this might be at Hazry’s interest. Hahahaha

John ‘korekking’ a Skunk2 intake manifold for a 300whp K24 project on a.......Civic ES! :D

Remember Aloysius who helped me with the CV joint issue? This is his daily driven 2003 C-West DC5 on dyno. Using full slick tires at the rear. Bastard. Hizam was eyeing at the GT-wing as if it's a naked chick with big boobs. hahahah!

I do not understand why Aloysius, who’s a Mugen freak used C-West bodykits on his car instead of Mugen. Nevertheless, this Mugen MF10 wheels are hard to come by these days and looks effin killer with the Wilwood 6-pot brake kit. Just to make things more interesting, his interior is fully equipped by Mugen! You the man Aloy!

Neo Synthetics gear oil from United States. Highly recommended by Aloy. Might give it a try next time.

This is perfect for Prasath’s 250whp DC5! haha

Last but not least.......Saw this black cat while having my lunch @ the food court. Maybe I should really think of what it said to me..

I'm going for a run now. Till the next mod. :)

La Vibracion!

After owning the 20 years old Civic EF with lots of rattles, squeks and other unknown noises from the whole car, I've become very sensitive to any sort of sounds and vibration coming from the car that I drive. So recently I noticed that my car is vibrating pretty bad whenever I gunned down the pedal to 8500rpm. Not just that, on 4th gear and on 60kmh and climbing, the car will also shake! It felt quite scary especially when I'm overtaking on the highway as if the frontside of the car is falling apart.

So I took my time on the weekend to check my car in Sunway at Hiper Racing. I suspected that either one of the four engine mount has broken but my assumption was wrong. The mountings are in good condition without any sign of damage. John of Hiper Racing checked thoroughly and confirmed that my right side driveshaft is the cause of the vibration (visual inspection showed no sign of torn CV boot cover etc!). Since buying a brand new set of driveshaft is gonna cost me a bomb (about RM1,200 for a piece), he suggested me to get a used one - which is quite impossible when the time is almost at 6.30pm on a Saturday! I made few trunk calls for solution but to no avail. Luckily another good DC5 friend of mine, Aloysius dropped by to John's place and he recommended me to meet the 'Driveshaft King' in Kota Kemuning the next day. Appointment was set with the guy named Ah Seng and on Sunday morning I took a slow drive to Kota Kemuning...hoping to solve the irritating vibration.

Once I have settled down at Ah Seng's workshop, he took no time to test the car. After a brief 10 mins of driving my car he came out and started to dismantle the right driveshaft. From the outside the driveshaft looked perfect with no sign of bent whatsoever (Thank god!). So he went straight to get the entire driveshaft dismantled and found out that there's few scratches on the inner CV wall. I'm not sure how that happened but most likely it was caused by the regular 'rempiting' of the car (hard launching/gear shifting etc. Well it's a Type-R so it must be driven hard right?). As what Ah Seng said, newer cars are prone to this injury (material issue perhaps?) and the internal surface of the CV joint should be as smooth as baby's butt. Once any scratches or cracks occur on the inside, it will contribute to the instability of the rod thus the vibration will appear.

So what Ah Seng did is he took about another 10 mins to look for the replacement of the inner CV joint from THOUSANDS of used driveshafts lying on the floor of his workshop. He found one that is similar on the sizes and weight with the Type-R, cleaned up and reinstall new bearings, seal, and grease and put everything back to my car. After 45 mins of anticipating for positive outcome, he asked me to drive the car. I took on the straight road in front of his shop and tested the car on every gear........and the vibration is entirely gone! I even kept the needle on the 8000rpm mark for few seconds and the car is as steady as before. No more signs of vibration coming from the dashboard, gear stick etc. Woohoo!

I'm so glad that Black Mamba is being perfect again but the costs incurred for this repair made me even happier - RM170 all in! Perhaps it's time for me to ease a bit and lessen the abuse on Black Mamba..Haha. Thanks to the 'King' for making full use of his expertise and saving me from spending another RM500-600 on a used driveshaft. And to Aloysius, dinner's on me man!

This is how a pair of DC5 driveshafts look like.

This is the inner CV joint. Photo taken from the web. Couldn't find any pic on the internal side of it.

The King's Den: Just look at the driveshafts! There are more on few other spots in the shop. The most I've seen in my entire life. Haha.

Costs: RM170 for a used inner CV joint c/w installation

Where: Kota Kemuning, Selangor (Drop me an email for Ah Seng's phone no and direction to his place)

Other Alternatives: www.driveshaftshop.com -> Customized driveshafts tailor-made to your spec.