Filter Upgrade K&N

13 July 2010:
My old OEM filter.

Finally I am getting a Filter upgrade. So let the picture do the talking.

The filter came pre-oiled but it seem to be not enough, so I added some oil from the cleaning kit (see below)

The cleaning and re-oiling kit :

The kit installed:

Note: One problem seen is that the Filter charger does allow more air to flow thru it. Now the CAI that I DIY is some how felt restrictive and need some modification to allow more air mass to go into the filter charger.

Battery Kong!

1 July 2010:

My ACDELCO batter finally went dead after nearly 3 years of service. Take note on the Negavite terminal connection. A piece of lead is added as the el-cheapo way to enlarge the terminal. (The original car terminal is Large diameter which the Japan spec half cut wiring is using a Small diameter connector.) Wo when i get my battery replaced my mechanic went to half cut shop and get me a proper negative terminall connector (Small diameter) from a toyota AE111. It fits perfectly and has additional wire for grounding (Toyota cars always have better grounding setup).


My new replacement battery is from South Korea (Rocket Brand). At about half of ACDelco battery price, i think this is worth a try as it is also a true MF (Dry battery). The reason i start liking the MF batter is because you will never get a battery water stain on the hood.

My Hit absorber KONG!

On 26 June 2010:

After about nearly 2 years of service my HIT HI-LOW absorber kit has leaked on the rear driver side. (One is leaking and the other is still ok) (The repair cost for One Pair is RM 400 without warranty is not worth the risk).

It it time for change. After reviewing the options and budget the below unit is picked (thanks to Jimmy aka Podz experince with it ) GAB SS Series for Honda EG.

The final height adjustment

per below picture and soft har for all 4 is set at 18 (comfort drive). If

need more stability, i think at least a setting of 8

and above is mandatory. The downside of the harder setting is the car will have

to absorb more impact to the body if the road is uneven.

USed Neova (AD07) To let go reasonable e

I have 4 units of AD07 (195/55/R15) to let go. 2 units have 1~2mm before hit wear warning sign. Another 2 units have 2~3mm before hit wear warning sign. See picture below for straight and side view of each unit. Just SMS (012 5509424) or E-mail (wongchinchiew@gmail.com) for your best offer, it will be sold to the highest bidder.

Picture of tyre:

Unit A:



















Unit B:



















Unit C:



















Unit D:

Project SR4 Update.

It has been a while since there is an update on my ride. Since i have got the car 2 years ago, it has a very annoying "Tick" "Tick" "Tick " sound when the engine reved over certain RPM. Since then I have been doing some online research and found out that the most Possible Culprit is the LMA. The Old design of Honda LMA have a tendency to have a problem with insufficient spring tension to push the VTEC Roker arm resulting in some interference of knocking in the engine.

Finally I took up the courage to go ahead and have it changed as i am very positive that the sound is caused by the LMA. So I bought 8 units of LMA (New Design is acutally a Large Spring).















LMA in pakage and kept submerged in Engine Oil before use.















Last weekend is the limit of my car mileage to change the Timing Belt, Engine Oil and Transmission Oil. So I took the opportunity to have the LMA repalced to solve the problem.















One Unit of OLD LMA removed and the next picture show that the new LMA already assembled into the Engine.














OLD LMA on news paper.















Since the CAM cover have been removed, I decided to Paint it to ensure it is in good condition. The old paint is stripped.

Before:














After: Stripped and Re-Painted.

Buddha Jump Over the Wall

It has been 3 months since the last update. I was rather occupied with workload and family matter that i seldom go online to update this Blog.

May thing have happen during this period of time but i can only share some of it (worth sharing).
One of it is "Buddha Jump Over The Wall". This is a traditional Chinese Meal which is served to the Emperor of China. It rumored to be so good that Buddha (Monks) will jump over the wall to get it. My team mates manage to gather 13 people to enjoy this dish (Minimum is to have 10 ppl because the size of this dish is BIG and filling. This is a full set meal until desert but i wll only share some of the key dishes here.

The Main dish is a Pot of sea treasures cooked with Ginseng. It has 3 layer of different variety of sea food such as Shark Fin and Sea cucumber. It was also served with Abalone dish. This meal is good and given a chance, I will definitely go for 2nd round (But we need to gather 10 people again).

Hood (Bonnet) Latch

Recently my friends Podz and Metropro told me they are getting the D1 Spec Hood pin latch. I was wondering after all these years why suddenly they do it? Tehn finally they let the cat out. Their friend have a mishap recently due to the hood (bonnet) pops open when driving on the highway, it was mentioned that the problem is quite serious. Hood, windscreen, roof all damaged and need to replace, but that is all money issues. He is lucky that the car did not involved in serious accident as the whole view is blocked by the hood when it flipped.
I have never experienced this but we can imagine how scary it is to be going on highway speed and suddenly you can not see anything in front of you. This is the reason for them to install the pins/latch.
I was wondering how this can happened so suddenly. So i did a little research, the conclusion is quite simple it would most probably due to the OEM latch and secondary latch failed. Most of the time is the owner of vehicle was negligent in taking care to lubricate and check the latch until it is too late. Dry latch and spring will prevent the hood and latch from locking properly as it will be stuck (not engaged fully) and disaster waiting to happen.
I don't like the hood/bonnet pins as i prefer my car to look as much original as possible can. So instead of getting the hood pins, i will be looking for alternative to improve the locking system maybe with DIY modification that is not that visible. :P




Article from: http://www.ehow.com/how-does_5154728_hood-latch-work.html

Maintenance to the Hood Latch Components

1. After many uses and normal wear and tear, the hood latch mechanism has common areas of deterioration. The pull handle, often made of plastic can simply break. The cable can seize up inside the lining (usually on the end attached to the secondary latch where it's exposed to the elements). The secondary and safety latches can dry up being exposed to the elements and not release properly or may not return to the closing position require to close the hood properly. Although a hood release latch may allow you to open a car hood, if it is not functioning properly, it may prevent you from closing it. White lithium grease and regular maintenance are the two best friends a hood latch system has. A small amount of grease on each end of the cable (the interior side of the cable is protected against the elements of weather and deterioration so usually require little maintenance) to lubricate it and prevent it from seizing up inside the lining usually keeps the cable working well. If you wait until the cable is sticking or is seized altogether, you most likely will be too late for the maintenance of the cable and replacement may be required. White grease on the secondary and safety latches is also strongly recommended to keep the latches swinging on the riveted hinges.
   
   Both the secondary and safety latches also integrate a tension spring. Keeping the springs lubricated helps them restore their tension. Keeping these components lubricated during every oil change will help provide longevity and reliability to the hood latch system.