Steve-O Posted March 11, 2014 Report Share Posted March 11, 2014 Don't think it really needs teaching, it's fairly obvious imho But it's a last resort kind of thing, I can't see why you would ever need to use the handbrake at high speed unless as Steve mentioned you're heading for a cliff! Otherwise if you bring the car down through the gears and then use the handbrake once most of the speed is off it'll be much safer. Yeah this was my kind of thinking to be honest. I would have to be in a pretty dire situation before i would consider the handbrake to be viable i.e you reckon you might not make it anyway. If i somehow was in a situation where there was a wall of traffic and i was going fairly quickly i would be looking for an out and heavy use of the gears rather than a agressive application of the handbrake and staying in a straight line. Even if that means i had to totaling my own car by turning into the Armco and using that and my bodywork as my brake, or going off to the left and off road/up the bank. I would sooner do that and be out of the way than be left sideways or facing the wrong way with more cars/secondary threats coming at me. Everyones different and i can kind of see that a click or two of handbrake would help slow somewhat in certain low speed scenarios - but IMO not whilst you are on the motorway or at the national limit etc. Theres always the risk of over doing it as well and then you are back to the risk of swapping ends and being in a bad place anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickT Posted March 11, 2014 Report Share Posted March 11, 2014 Some need the engine cold while checking, some with the engine hot, some after a drove, some idling and the gear moved through all the gears top fill any hydraulic circuits etc.... Some have different marks of fill if the oil is hot or cold, Check the oil level in the auto transmission of it's a standard torque converter unit paying attention to any checking procedure. ... at least this is free I've checked that a few times now, it's always halfway but the gearbox shouldn't use oil like an engine so that's ok. I missed the delivery yesterday for my oil but I'll be changing it this week so will see what happens once I've done that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted March 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2014 Some need the engine cold while checking, some with the engine hot, some after a drove, some idling and the gear moved through all the gears top fill any hydraulic circuits etc.... Some have different marks of fill if the oil is hot or cold, It's 1 minute after the engine has been turned off for both the Honda's - I read the manual! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted March 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 The 17s are back on the car with some nice new Vreds on the front I forgot how heavy these wheels make the steering feel as well, the 16s are much lighter! First impressions of the Vreds are good, they need to scrub in before I give them a good work out and the tramlining is back but it's not too bad depending on the road surface. I also got my brake fluid changed while I was there, the pedal is a little firmer now but they just don't feel that sharp. There is 1/4 - 1/3 of material left so at the end of the summer I'll replace them and see if that improves things some more. While the car was on the ramp I had a look around and there is a hole on the second backbox where it joins the pipe! I'll get some gun gum on the way home today and patch it up, last thing I need is having to replace the backbox. It comes in 2 parts, the main one has already been patched where it splits and they're £185 each to replace so might as well go custom. Did the gearbox oil when I got home, I thought I only need to jack it up and whip the bolt out but no I had to remove the frigging undertray first, which took me 30 minutes and I broke a couple of plastic plugs that hold it in! Drained the oil and boy did it need changing, it's suppose to be red/pink but it was like a very dark ruby/black colour, there was also alot of swarf on the magnet Refilled it with 2.8L, which is what came out, it's probably between this and 2.7L though as it's difficult to judge from the side of the bottle. The dipstick isn't much use cos when you pull it out the oil smears up it! How long does gearbox oil keep for, will it last until the next change? So what's the verdict - WOW what a change! It's like a new car now and changes alot more smoothly. When I first drive the car in the morning or after work it would hesitate when changing from 1st to 2nd and the car would sort of hold back and then kick into gear, that didn't happen today. The idle rpm in drive is now higher, around 700 but this might settle down as it's suppose to be 600-650. On the drive to work earlier the revs were not dropping/rising like they have been. When lifting off the throttle they were only dropping to 1k rpm and then rising again to 1.4k rpm. That might just be a coincidence so I'll keep an eye on it and see if it goes back to how it was. I think I've found that APP sensor for £30 (if the guy replies) will know for sure whether it's that or not. Top is old oil, bottom is new (obviously) While I was changing the oil my new front drop links arrived so I fitted those as well, they are alot beefier than the ones I removed!! The knocking has now gone and the car is much nicer to drive While I was doing it I noticed one of the lower arm bushes is separating. I know one side was done 10k miles ago as I have the invoice and I assume this is the other side as it looks ok. A new genuine bush is £20 so I will order one for when it does go and get it fitted at WIM, which should work out the same price as buying a new pattern arm. Jobs for today are repair the exhaust and clean the rear brakes up, re-grease them etc. Over the weekend I'm hoping to remove the drivers seat cos it's sliding on the rails when braking so want to check everything is tight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve-O Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 Nice work mate - making good progress in making it sweet ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesV70R Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 Did you just drain what was in the pan in the autobox? Might be worth, in a few weeks, doing another "drop and fill" to replace some more, as you'll have had a lot of oil in the torque converter that won't have been changed. Do you have a gearbox oil cooler? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parthiban Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 Nice work, that gearbox oil definitely needed a change! That Wheeler Dealers Porsche episode has taught us all the importance of regular oil changes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted March 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 Just had my first exhaust quote, £800+vat for a cat back system!! Maybe standard would be better after all, it would last 10 years and I doubt I will still have the car then. Nice work mate - making good progress in making it sweet ! Cheers mate, getting there! Did you just drain what was in the pan in the autobox? Might be worth, in a few weeks, doing another "drop and fill" to replace some more, as you'll have had a lot of oil in the torque converter that won't have been changed. Do you have a gearbox oil cooler? Yep a drain and fill, I think the whole box takes 6L. I did think about doing it again actually, I'd need to buy another litre and this oil ain't cheap but I guess it's cheaper than replacing the box/torque converter. The new oil I've put in is probably black already so when we've come back from our week away in April I might do it again. Not sure on the cooler, I can't see one on the parts diagram but there is a filter, which might be worth replacing? I don't think it's a serviceable item though, certainly not mentioned in the handbook. Nice work, that gearbox oil definitely needed a change! That Wheeler Dealers Porsche episode has taught us all the importance of regular oil changes! That episode probably opened alot of eyes! I think manuals are probably more resilient to longer changes than autos (?) so I will definitely keep on top of it. Got to do the Civic as well, we've had it 2 and half years but not had any issues with the gear changes so hopefully that will come out abit cleaner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesV70R Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 Manuals are usually solid! Occasional top-up and that's all most people will ever need. My box in the R AWD doesn't have a service schedule, its a "sealed for life" style box ... just a shame that the life is shortened by not changing the fluid!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted March 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 Seriously, you can't change the fluid, that's just crazy as no oil will last forever! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 Is there a drain plug on the box? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve-O Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 Seriously, you can't change the fluid, that's just crazy as no oil will last forever! The oil in my S3 is supposedly sealed for life. I dont believe it can still be working optimally. Going change mine out soon as the gears are bit crunchy when cold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesV70R Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 You can change it, and people do, but its not down in the schedule anywhere that it should ever be touched, so in their eyes its sealed for life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liner33 Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 Sounds just like the GTT, that gearbox takes about 10 litres , if you undo the drain plug you only get about 3 litres out you need to remove the entire oil pan to fully drain it , what most people do it drain from the drain plug 3 or 4 times with a few weeks in between . I actually used my oil suction pump and managed to get 4 litres out and just refilled with 4 fresh litres and then repeated a few weeks later , until the oil looks nice really Bought my oil from ECP , 25 litres was £95 The zed doesnt have a dipstick is a dealer job to hook it to the diagnostic as it needs to be at a set level at set temperatures Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted March 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2014 Well someone on the forum suggested it could be a sign of the gearbox oil overheating and the filter might be the culprit. It's not a serviceable item but I'm going to order a new one and another 4 litres of oil. I'll do another drop and fill in 500 miles, then another and the filter change 500 after that. Then I'll just do it every 2 years so hopefully that will be ok. It didn't make any difference to the RPM issue, it's still the same as it was. I patched the hole on the exhaust over the weekend and found 2 more smaller ones, which I need to do, I ran out of time. I have been getting quotes for a stainless system and they range from £600 to £800 so I might be better off just getting a standard one. I can't see me having the car in 10 years time. I also stripped and cleaned the rear brakes. The rear of the tourer is very open and exposed, the brakes were covered in dust, dirt and rust. The side that has been getting warm I had to lever the caliper off and it took abit of effort! Whoever fitted them around 10k miles ago clearly didn't clean anything or sand the paint off the pads, they were wedge in really tight. Everything is a nice fit now and the sliders were ok, I re-greased one side but I couldn't remove the boots on the other side so will get some new ones. I think I will do this once a year to prevent them from seizing up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liner33 Posted March 17, 2014 Report Share Posted March 17, 2014 leaking exhaust could confuse the lambda as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted March 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2014 I'd imagine this hole has been there for some time though, it's the first time I've closely looked around the exhaust. I still need to plug the laptop in to test the lambda sensor. I think I need to buy a bluetooth OBDII port and use a phone app, it'll be easier. Another thing I found out over the weekend is it's a PITA jacking the rear of the car up. At full height the jack didn't even get the wheels off the ground using the centre point. With a block of 3x2 on they barely got off the ground and with 2 blocks they just got off but that seemed really dodgy and I wasn't happy doing it that way. I need to get a thick plank of timber to put the jack on I think and lift it that way. The only exposed parts of the sill are where the axle stands go so it's not like I can lift the car from the side and place the axle stand next to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liner33 Posted March 17, 2014 Report Share Posted March 17, 2014 You cant really "test" a lambda sensor properly with a code reader, they will only tell you if the ecu is monitoring the sensor not if the sensor is reading correctly or what the lambda reading actually is . Monitoring the a/f levels with a wideband when driving would check its operating correctly but no point doing that if the exhaust is blowing. If you have an air leak in the exhaust it will throw the a/f ratio out as the lambda will be reading some of this fresh air and throwing more fuel in to compensate , this would make the engine bog down when you come off the throttle. could explain why the problem is getting worse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted March 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2014 Food for thought but wouldn't this happen throughout the entire rev range and not just under 2k rpm? I'll patch the two smaller ones up, they're pin holes though and look for anymore but it's a big system so I doubt I'll find them all anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liner33 Posted March 17, 2014 Report Share Posted March 17, 2014 The ecu only uses lambda up to about 3000-3500rpm after that it runs open loop You might only notice the uneven running at lower rpm and engine loads Might not be the issue but whilst there are holes in the exhaust it's pointless looking elsewhere Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted March 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2014 The trouble is I can't afford to get a stainless steel system for a few months at least. The Honda one is £185 for each section (there are 2) and I might be able to get a discount on that as well. A custom exhaust would be nice but if tax/fuel etc goes up too much in years to come (especially if I don't get a payrise) then the car would probably have to go. I'd like to keep it for as long as possible though cos I'm really enjoying it and it makes a great family car. Edit - after getting some more quotes the ones I've got for around £600 are the cheaper ones with normal bends and mig welding. If I want mandrel bends and tig welding it's going to be £800-£1k. I think I'll be getting a standard one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted March 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2014 Got a quote, £260 delivered for a genuine exhaust, I can't justify getting a stainless steel one at that price! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve-O Posted March 18, 2014 Report Share Posted March 18, 2014 that seems like a good price Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted March 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2014 The going price is £185 a piece so I was expecting another £100 on that price with the forum discount - I was pleasantly surprised! A custom one would be £600 absolute minimum, average price is £800. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted March 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2014 Any thoughts on this gearbox filter and when I should change it? I'm thinking doing it now will be better, then another drop and fill later on cos if the filter is blocked changing the oil before this won't help anything. The gear change still isn't as smooth as I think it could be, especially when it's cold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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