Broken Clutch Pump

My gear shift quality was degrading as the car gets older. At first I thought the synchro condition is getting worse but to my finding, it was the leaked clutch pump that make my gear crunches all the time especially when cold. There was no oil left in the resevoir. Shit, I've saw some oil stain at the lower part of the pump and some on the firewall but it never crossed to me that the pump has fucked.. i mean, spoilt. Silly me. And belief it or not, I've never change my clutch oil since swapping to this engine. Pity the pump never get the same pampered attention like the engine gets.

But after taking off the pump, it clearly looked like the pump has already past its' peak for quite some time. The rubber bush has went hard and swelled. Even if I took care the clutch oil, this pump eventually will fail one day, but a bit later I guess. Since it is almost impossible to get a brand new Made In Japan part with reasonable price tag for this car nowadays, an OEM clutch pump from 4G92 Wira will do the trick. Beside, the pump looks exactly the same.

The mech had a hard time to fit the new pump. Later it was discovered that the new pump was for Proton Waja. It seems like the spare part guys when asleep while searching for the pump. Soon after the designated pump arrived, the installation was quite fast. Now, the gear shift is much better. The gear grinding is still there and I'm thinking of using a lighter weight of gear oil. Redline 70W-80 again? Maybe...

When Anime and Oil Collides

As you may know, Japanese always came out with crazy ideas be it a television program, fashion or even, in this case, a girlish motor oil. Featuring 3 underage hot looking chicks wearing short skirts on the label, this Lucky Star Eco Engine Oil came with peach smelling fragrance(!). It came in two grades, either 0W-30 or 5W-40 (which most probably are synthetics) and were tagged at ¥2,520/L. Both are API SM rated. Ok, while the oil spec may look decent, the label on the package failed tremendously. I mean, people may get confused between this oil and kid's shampoo. Some more, it's going to look weird when you see some dude that you know which owned such a bad ass car queuing at the counter to pay for this oil which pretty much look like Sailor-moon kinda-like personal lubricant. This oil might be a direct competitor for the famous Ultraman Oil. As you may know, 3 chicks is always gonna win when competing with a man in tight whitish spandex with blinking light on his chest.

A Little Too Busy

Spark Plug Cable @ Ignition Spark Wire

Ignition wire or spark plug cable is a cable composed of one or more electric conductors and covered by insulation. In short, those wires are nothing other than conductors. Although most new ignition wires will perform the function of conducting coil output to the spark plug, what is important is EMI (Electro Magnetic Interference) suppression. All electronic devices can be effected by EMI emitted from ignition wires. As production vehicles age, engine management sensors and wiring deteriorate and become more susceptible to EMI radiating from improperly suppressed ignition wires. To be truly effective, ignition wires need to be EMI suppressed for a reasonable time, while having the ability to maintain good conductance without overloading other ignition system components.

I been using NGK Power Cable for quite some time since it came when I bought the engine. I keep on wondering how old exactly that cables were since I've been using it for 4+ years and I have no idea how long it has served the last owner back in Japan. The trademark blue coloured cables were already turned to black. So when I opted to change those cables, I saw an advert in local car forums selling this new Quadcore 10mm cables for 4G92 MIVEC at a fraction of the price of the new NGK Power Cable. Pardon the name of the new cable. It really reminds me of Intel's Quadcore family processors. It was given that particular name since it has 4 inner core wires. Yea, but still...

When I pull out the NGKs, one of the rubbery boot plug was badly hardened and inside it, a small part of the metal tip was chirped off. A quick inspection later reveals that all the remaining wires were still acceptable in condition. This is one of the reason why big names put big tags on their product. The brand brings quality assurance. The new Quacore cables didn't snugged into the plug hole as perfect fit as the NGKs.The boot plug also look less durable. But these new cables did perform the task well. The car starts on every first crank. Power and fuel consumption did remain the same though.

Teflon-based Shift Knob

I bought this knob on the same day with the coil buffer. I was tempted to get my hands on Ralliart knobs but since it's pretty hard to differentiate the fake one with the genuine, so I went for this much cheaper shift knob. It is made from teflon which is considered to be the most slippery substance that exists. Once cured, teflon-based plastic is very durable and since it wasn't made from steel, I won't burn my palm when trying to shift into gear in our globally warmed hot afternoon.

I don't know why, but I totally very was into the awesome white colour knob but somehow or rather end up with the black one. Compared with the OEM shift knob, the new knob is slightly smaller and way lighter. Removing the OEM knob was just a matter of turning it counter-clock-wise. The new knob fits perfectly. It comes with several sized inner thread to fit almost any shift lever.

The smaller and lighter gear knob has a little bit improved the shifting at some level. Unfortunately the notchy on 2nd gear hasn't been toned down. This is not strictly a 'performance' upgrade for the car though but after using the old knob for merely 7 years, I think it's about time for some changes.

Coil Spring Buffer : The Poor Man's Choice

Since my car is too low and I don't feel like replacing the still-in-mint-condition shock or the spring to make it higher, I've decided to give this spring buffer a try. There are a few sizes to choose from as it covers quite a number of cars from different manufacturer. It was claimed that this spring buffer helps restore spring tension and extend lifespan to sagging coil spring. Is this quite true though as the thick rubber will fill the gab between the spring clearance, that particular area will hardly absorb any load or tension. This eventually will make the spring stiffer and the "restore spring tension" claim is somewhere eligible when applied to an old and sagged spring. Since this buffer is in its prime selling time, you'll be suprise the price that has been tagged on it. It can be anywhere from RM55 to RM120 per pair. Lucky me I've found this one at $60, including installation of course.

Installing the buffer isn't a hard job. Jack the front part of the car and wallahh.. this will enough space between the coil to slit the buffer in. The buffer is made from hard silicon rubber so improper installation may produce an annoyingsqueaking sound; you have been warned.

The outcome?? Ok, here we go. First of all, the tire and fender clearance increase roughly almost an inch. Not much but better than nada. Secondly, the car feels harsher as the coil is now stiffen. Handling feels a bit better as the front part wobble a bit lesser than before, but I still manage to hit the tire with the fender when driving over on certain flyovers on MRR2 (thanks to Uncle Sammy's brilliant road projects).