The Dog Project: Daihatsu Charmant Resurrection

Budget Oil Catcher

2012-01-25T23:33:00.000-08:00

Ghetto el-cheapo oil catch tank using old AC drier.

Manual Boost Controller

2012-01-11T21:52:00.000-08:00

I have no idea what is the spring rate on my turbo actuator but since this is so cheap, less than 12 bucks to my door steps, bought it anyway. If the actuator spring's 0.8 Bar, then this is useless. If it's less, then it's good.

Oh, here's a little tip just to brighten up this boring post.

Close Enough

2012-01-09T04:08:00.000-08:00

Result

The real deal

The Dog, Doped

2012-01-07T10:39:00.000-08:00

Kicked myself out of bed early this morning and got small progress done on the car. Small yet quite a milestone as today is the first day ever The Dog's intake manifold sees higher pressure than atmospheric level. Yes, today the turbocharger finally functioned properly.

First thing done was modifying the Megasquirt's VE and Spark table for forced induction. Here's my current VE table. Never take my table seriously as it's not dyno-tuned yet, not even on the non-turbo region.

Next thing done was replacing the stock MAP sensor with 4A-GZE one. Aside from a minor confusing problem, i had to increase all values on the Megasquirt VE Table by 30% which should be unnecessary if both MAP sensors are mapped correctly to Megasquirt, the work was done quickly and i managed to get The Dog running on decent AFR with the 4A-GZE MAP sensor. Megasquirt's now all ready for forced induction!

Next thing i got done was putting the Greddy Blow Off Valve on its place and hooking the vacuum line to the intake manifold. With the last hole on the charge pipe now covered by the BOV, there was no more boost leak source and all those air from the turbo has no where else to go but to the cylinders et Voila! Positive intake air pressure!

Yeah i know, i need tidy up the under hood wiring. Eventually i'll do it but not now.

Flicked the ignition key, hit the throttle a few times on neutral, checked for any leak and smoke and off to the street we go. Put in first gear, clutch off, engine rev steadily rising, and just above 3000 RPM she launches! Albeit difficult, I keep my ears open for any knocking and my eyes on the AFR reading which is somewhere on low 11s. Everything seems fine.. Took right foot off the throttle and there it is.. the most beautiful sound for turbo junkies, BOV scream! Shift second gear, repeat BOV scream. Damn it sounds sweet. I didn't dare to go to high RPMs just yet cause obviously it's not yet tuned properly and there is still one important step missing: replacing the injectors. I don't know if the stocks are sufficient for forced induction but i'm not willing to find out the hard way.

BFRD

2011-12-30T08:18:00.000-08:00

Brunei Fire and Rescue Department or Best Firefighters Ride Daihatsu (Charmant)

Two Wheeler's Turn

2011-12-20T22:01:00.000-08:00

It's that time of the year again where i am busy working and The Dog neglected. Shame actually since there isn't much left to do on the turbo conversion. Oh well, such is life. Anyway, some of you may have known that i have a motorbike. Lately the fuel tank is starting to leak again. Last time,some silicone glue fixed it but the rust has spread wider, i guess. So, i've been thinking, instead of just fixing the fuel tank again and again, why not go all the way and mod this bike? It's been with me since i graduated college 5-6 years ago, it's about time for it to get some remodeling.

With all the cool bike styling modifications found on the web, can't say it's easy to pick one that i really like. However, lately i found out it's all about cafe-racers or street-trackers for me. Here's some examples that i really like. I can't remember where i got these from so sorry for not citing the source.

and my favorite..

Can't wait to start this project. Gotta finish The Dog first though or i'll be left with no transportation means.

Bride and Groom

2011-12-03T08:58:00.000-08:00

After a long time of hunting, found another red Bride seat. This time is the Ergo model. Albeit a replica, this will look sweet paired to the Bride Pro S already on the driver side. Can't wait to put this in. Finally i have a pair of red Brides.

This is the Bride Pro S already installed.

In other news, The Dog has finished her intercooler installation. Now i just gotta find some spare time to swap the injectors, put the BOV on, find a safe map to drive to Jakarta and dyno tune.

Intercooler & Fender Bar Part 3

2011-11-25T01:16:00.000-08:00

Things move a bit slow since work is overwhelming lately. I managed to squeeze a bit time to finalize the intercooler piping and here it is.

Turbo to Intercooler Charge Pipe

Clamped and ready..

Bumper space. Also this shows that the vertical bar where the grill mounts which goes from the latch to lower front chassis can no longer be use.

I was lucky to be able to use the stock bumper brackets without any mod.

Intercooler & Fender Bar Part 2

2011-11-16T00:09:00.000-08:00

Turbo --> 2 to 2.5 inch coupler (not included in the Ebay intercooler kit) --> L-knee pipe, shortened about 50mm on the turbo side --> straight coupler --> about 160mm section of straight pipe --> 2.5 inch 90 deg silicone elbow --> intercooler inlet

Intercooler outlet --> 2.5 inch 90 deg silicone elbow --> L-knee pipe with BOV flange prewelded --> 2.5 inch 90 deg silicone elbow (not yet delivered, kit only has two elbow hoses) --> TB inlet.

Intercooler and Fender Bar Installation

2011-11-14T01:43:00.000-08:00

Just learned that the Ebay intercooler is too big. Just for the record, the intercooler is 31" in length (inlet to outlet, not core size), 11.5" wide and 3" inlet diameter. It's not impossible to be installed but it would take more effort to put in than smaller ones. I learned from d1davey's blog that the best size should be around 510mm in length but i believe this is core size, not inlet to outlet length. I bought one of 520 x 240mm core size with the actual total length being around 680mm and i believe it's a perfect fit. Tonight we'll start the actual installation. I'll update this post with how it goes.

Meanwhile, the Ultra Racing AE86 fender bars are in! They fit nicely with only minor modification required (enlarging the bolt holes a bit and some light hammering on the frame). For the front mount, the nuts had to be welded from the inside of the frame. Just be careful when installing the door hinge part, you don't want to have to realign the doors. This really confirms how similar AE86 frame to Charmant.

The workshop i got this done has some interesting line of cars there. Ford Capri coupe, VW Dakota bus and this stunning Holden Belmont Ute. Talk about slammed!

Adapting 4A-G(Z)E MAP Sensor to Megasquirt I

2011-10-29T21:53:00.000-07:00

Some of us Megasquirters choose to go the difficult way of using non-standard sensors. Megasquirt comes stock with MPX4250 sensor which is a 2.5 Bar MAP sensor capable of reading boost to around 1.5 Bar. While convenient, you simply plug in the vacuum line to the on-board sensor and tune away, some of us may choose to save a few bucks and use whatever sensor we already have. In my case, when my engine was setup for NA, i already have a stock 4A-GE MAP sensor and now that i'm going for turbo, i chose to go with 4A-GZE MAP sensor simply because it's cheaper, matches the 4A-GE plug and built to be mounted in the engine bay.

The problem with using non-standard sensor is having to tell Megasquirt about it. Megasquirt (and i believe all ECU) works by reading the sensor voltage output, convert it to MS readable value using ADC (usually 0-5 volt is converted to a span of 0-255 in binary value) and, in the case of MAP sensor, convert the corresponding ADC value to a certain kPa value based on the lookup table we provided when we burn the firmware to MS CPU. Now you see where the problem lies: MPX4250 may and most likely has different ADC to kPa lookup table with other MAP sensors. In easier terms, the voltage output on MPX4250 when reading, say, 100 kPa, maybe different with other MAP sensors. This also applies when you use Toyota's 4A-GE and 4A-GZE MAP sensor.

The steps in adapting non-standard MAP sensor to your MS are:

1. Find the kPa to voltage characteristics of your MAP sensor. This is usually the hardest part but if you're lucky, the internet is your salvation. Since you're reading this, yes, you got lucky. I will share this later below. You need at least two kPa to volt mapping values, assuming your MAP sensor is linear (most of them are).

2. Using a spreadsheet application, make three colums: ADC, Volt, kPA and fill the rows. Put 0 to 255 under ADC. Under Volt column, put 0 volt next to 0 ADC, 5 volts next to 255 ADC and fill up the rows in between. Each cell is (5/255) volts above the preceding value. Round it to two digits. So directly below 0 volt, this would be 0.02 volt. Below this would be 0.04 volt etc.

3. With the values you obtain in number 1, fill kPa column with the corresponding voltage output. As i said, you need at least two values. Then fill up the rest of the rows by extrapolating. Round to zero digits. Change any value below zero to 100.

4. With MS-1 CPU, you change the lookup table values by altering kpafactor and barofactor inc files. These files will be converted to assembly language when you compile the firmware source and burned to MS when you download the firmware. I'm using MS1-extra code 029y4 and it has two sets of kpafactor-barofactor inc files that you can alter: kpafactor4115.inc-barofactor4115.inc and kpafactor4250.inc-barofactor4250.inc. You can find these files under /src folder on your firmware code files. These files contain the lookup value if you are to use MPX4115 and MPX4250 MAP sensor. Since you are not, choose one set that you will alter. I altered the 4115 set for the 4A-GE MAP sensor and 4250 for the 4A-GZE MAP. There's no way i can use stock MS MAP sensors without reflashing the firmware now.

5. Alter the values in kpafactor inc with the one you have under column kPa on step 3. You need to add "T" next to the values. Some of us don't alter the barofactor inc and get away just fine. I don't really understand the purpose of this file but i think it's only useful if you have barometric correction activated on your MS which requires you to have a second MAP sensor to continuously read the atmospheric pressure. Correct me if i'm wrong. However, if you choose to alter the barofactor as well, the values are simply mapped from the kpafactor using this formula:

100*(1-0.0047*(kpafactor value-100))

6. Compile these files to obtain the altered S19 file. Download to MS and you're done.

7. If you're using Megatune, don't forget to copy the same inc files to /mtCfg folder inside your corresponding project folder. Megatune use the same files to ensure the MAP gauge are showing the same kPa values as read by your MS CPU.

8. Ensure when you turn on your MS, Megatune MAP gauge shows approximately around 100 kPa if you live close to sea level. Any value within 4-5 kPa is fine.

If this sounds too complicated, below is the link to download my inc files to save you from the hassle.

Download link.

http://hotfile.com/dl/133739728/5e042c8/4A-GE_4A-GZE_MAP_MS_.inc.zip.html

Remember, i altered the 4115 set for 4A-GE MAP sensor and 4250 set for 4A-GZE MAP sensor. My 4A-GZE MAP sensor is part number 89421-12110 and i believe Supra's 1JZ/2JZ uses the same sensor. If you're upgrading from a working MAP sensor, i suggest you keep the inc files for the working MAP and alter the other. As always, use the files at your own risk. The values for the lookup table are obtained from the following links (as in, don't blame me if my values are off):

- 4A-GE MAP sensor values are from this link.

- 4A-GZE MAP sensor values are from this link.

Damn, another text-only post. Oh well..

Worried About Your Size?

2011-10-26T12:14:00.000-07:00

Worry no more! If you're like me, lost the original dipstick to your 16 valve 4A-GE and love your engine enough to worry if it's sufficiently lubricated, now you can save from having to pay up to 20 bucks just to get one from Ebay!

I currently use 4A-C's dipstick on my smallport and have suspected that it's shorter than the original. I filled 4 liters of oil to my freshly rebuilt engine and the next morning, i checked that it only wets the tip, far lower than the LOW mark.

I asked around on Toymods (seriously helpful Toyota guys there!) and got this measurement for my original smallport disptick:

- Rubber seal (where it touches the tube) to disptick tip = 326mm

- Rubber seal to Low mark = 316mm

- Rubber seal to Full mark = 292mm

For comparison, i measured my 4A-C's:

- Rubber seal to tip = 303mm

- Rubber seal to Low mark = 294mm

- Rubber seal to Full mark = 278mm

Just as i thought, it is shorter! Since i had a hard time finding anyone that sells the original dipstick, i asked the seller to just give me something longer and i'll cut to length. He gave me one for Daihatsu Taft (Rugger or Rocky for you?). It has a black T-handle unlike 4A-C's that has yellow looped handle. Cut it according to the measurement and done! Cost me only 3 bucks.

Obligatory picture to avoid making this a text-only post.

Nearly There

2011-10-24T08:27:00.000-07:00

Got the engine running again finally. Since pictures worth more than thousands of words (or i'm too lazy to write), here are some progress shots with minimum amount of words in between.

ARP flywheel bolts

Turbo oil drain flange on sump

ARP head studs and 4A-GZE 8.9 CR slugs

ARP head stud protrusion. This is why some need to shave one of the studs as it fouls the distributor shaft. Obviously not this one as i took photo of the wrong side.

Considered leaving the timing belt cover off but put it back on to be safe.

Last shot before turbo conversion the next day. Notice the oil drain line is only ziptied near the strut tower.

The next day, after running the engine for a day and ensuring the rebuild was successful, turbo conversion was started. Oil sandwich adapter went in first. Only one out of four outlets was used.

HKS copy cast iron manifold with gasket cut out from a soda can. Cheap and refreshing, indeed.

The very minimum space at the back of the turbo with downpipe flange off. Gotta move some wiring to protect them from the heat.

Oil lines plugged in and this is the final shot of the day.

The next day which was yesterday, exhaust was fully redone. The initial plan was only to fabricate the downpipe and connect it to the existing exhaust but after quick reconsider, decided to ditch the whole system and put 2-inch pipes front to rear. Only 2-inch? Well, the turbo downpipe flange output is that diameter, i'm merely following. No use in going bigger, yes? The flexible joint was welded to the downpipe and only one tiny muffler was used. The rest of it was 2-inch piping and elbow joints to allow going over-axle. Oxygen sensor bung was installed on the same location as the original piping. Didn't take many photos that day, sorry.

Finally, just today, i installed an SPST switch on the bootloader jumper header on my Megasquirt. I did this to ease flashing firmwares later without having to open the MS case anymore. I'm currently focusing on finding the correct values to go into the kpafactor and barofactor inc files as i'm going to use the 4A-GZE map sensor which is not directly supported by the original MS1-Extra firmware i'm using.

Charmant In The Build

2011-10-24T08:23:00.000-07:00

Check and Recheck

2011-10-18T04:41:00.000-07:00

The parts for the overhaul just arrived yesterday after dad helped me bought them in Jakarta. I can't even find a gasket kit here! These are the part numbers for future reference.

Piston ring set is for .50 overbore. Also it's confirmed that high-comp rings will fit 8.9 4A-GZE pistons. The ring gap from the top to bottom is 1.2, 1.5 and 2.8mm. Meanwhile bigports should be 1.5-1.5-2.8 and 20 valves should be 1.2-1.5-3.0. Don't quote me on this. I bought a thermostat just to see if my engine likes it as i wasn't using one and it took forever to warm-up.

Aisin makes OEM pumps so even if the box doesn't say "Toyota", it's all good.

On a side note, do your research before you order anything online. Check and recheck your order before you make the payment. Don't expect the seller to know what he's selling. Weeks ago, I asked specifically to the seller for a "4A-GE 16v oil filter sandwich adapter". I refrained from checking myself the thread size on the oil filter although i know there are different sizes for different manufacturer. I got sent an M18x1.5 retaining nut and surprise.. surprise.. it didn't fit.

A simple Google search tells me that i should be getting a 3/4 UNF 16 thread size instead. Should've done it earlier. Since sending the adapter plate back would delay the overhaul progress, thanks to 3/4 UNF being a larger diameter than M18, the nut was rethreaded on a lathe to the correct size so now it fits.

Second Overhaul Update

2011-10-17T06:45:00.000-07:00

Resleeving's done with nice cross-hatch finish, bore size matched to the 4A-GZE slugs.

By guessing the actual turbo position, the turbo was clocked and the provisions for locating the wastegate actuator were made. A new bolt hole was threaded and a simple bridging plate was cut so that both holes on the actuator flange can be used. Hope the actuator won't hit the cam cover.

Since i bought the wrong oil line kit, only some parts can be used (take note: T3/T4 oil line kit is useless for TD04). The supposedly turbo drain flange is now positioned on the oil pan instead and a new drain pipe for the turbo was fabricated. The nuts for the flange bolts were welded inside. This position should be above the oil level, no?

Whether it will leak oil or not, we shall see later.

Mazda 13B vs Toyota Smallport 4A-GE Injector

2011-10-17T02:45:00.000-07:00

Left is stock Smallport's. Right is 13B's which is usually found in 2nd Gen RX7. Length-wise, they look like a direct swap.

A bit difficult to see but judging from the spray tip shown below, smallport has split stream while 13B has single spray pattern. Let's see if this affects idle speed once i swapped the 13B's in.

Different plugs. Definitely will have to change the connectors so it's not a direct swap afterall.

13B has longer spray tip. I have no idea if this will interfere with air flow inside the manifold but it won't be too worried about that.

The 13B injector shown is part number 195500-1350. This website here says red square plug with the same part number like mine should be low impedance.. but mine is definitely high, confirmed with ohm-meter. Yet another proof that you can't fully trust the interwebs, including this post.

Gery's Charmant is For Sale

2011-10-15T05:18:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since my last feature of fellow Charmant. Saw this ad on modifikasi.com forum by Gery, a fellow facebook fan page member of Daihatsu Charmant Community Indonesia and thought i'd help the sale by featuring. Hope Gery's okay with that.

I believe this was built as a drifter as Gery indicated on his ad that he's giving an extra axle along with it, which has been fully locked by welding.

Specs are as the following:

- 4A-GE with Weber DCN carb

- Ported and polished head

- Custom exhaust

- TRD spark wire

- Bucket seats

- Roll cage. Give me a shout if you're splitting this Ger!

- some Turbocharged Daihatsu steering wheel

- TRD wheels

- Custom front "lips" and ducktail

- Fender-mounted mirror from a Corona

Asking price is IDR 38 millions. Contact him on +6285720049165.

A Fortunate Mishap

2011-10-14T06:23:00.001-07:00

Progress or regress? Difficult to say about what happened to The Dog a few days ago. It all started with the throttle body problem written on the last post. I managed to find a set of good second-hand TB, complete with working IACV earlier this week. Slapped the sucker on, calibrated the TPS, tuned for lowest kPa reading and hit the road.

I was meaning to datalog and tune the upper RPM part of the VE table on Megasquirt and thus i was giving her a good flogging. She ran great, pulled hard until 6500 RPM and after about 45 minutes or so, i headed back home. All of a sudden, she died on the middle of the road. Starting wasn't doing anything. Good thing it was midnight so she didn't cause any traffic. I waited until she cooled off and tried the starter again. She woke up reluctantly and limping. I couldn't get my foot of the gas or she would die again. It was a very loud ride back home.

Successfully made it home, i opened her bonnet and oil was splattered all over the engine. Started her again and there was massive blow-by from the dipstick tube. Yikes.. In the morning i tried changing her spark plugs but the limping was still there. Desperately checked the injectors and they were great. This can only mean one thing: major compression lost, which equals major cash to be spent.

The next day, the engine was opened ( i sure didn't waste any time, did i?) and this was found:

The other three slugs weren't so much different. Broken ring-land is a good sign of massive predetonation, which surprises me a lot. Sure my spark map isn't what you'd call moderate but i won't say it's piston-melting as well.

I wasn't hearing any pinging and my AFR readings were good, about 12.5-13.0 on the high RPMs. I can't say she's a quiet car anyway, with all the rattles and noise she makes, i might've missed those predetonations.

The newfound blow-by wasn't her first. She was already suffering minor blow-by since her first high RPM run a few weeks ago with a much milder spark map, advance was only 22 degrees max. So i'm indecisive on whether the spark map killed the engine. It might also be crappy rebuild by the first workshop or bad fuel quality.

Anyway, this mishap has forced me to fast forward the project schedule.. by a lot! I was planning on putting the 4A-GZE forgies next year but i guess now would be the best time to do it. My only regret would be that the bores were scratched so that new cylinder liners are needed. I was already .50 overbore when the first rebuild was done and with the same diameter that my 4A-GZE pistons have, cylinder relining is inevitable.

Right now i'm waiting for the machine shop to finish the relining and hopefully by next week, she'll be back on the road again with lower compression and a turbo sitting on the exhaust this time.

During my time to gather parts for the second rebuild, i compared the head gasket between my smallport with AE92 4A-FE one. This would help to confirm that putting a 4A-GE head to 4A-FE block won't be a straight easy work. Some of the coolant and oil lines were blocked, judging from the gasket comparison. 4A-FE's gasket is the bottom one.

By the way, here's a good discussion on what happened to my engine on toymods forum.

Leaky Butterfly Valve

2011-10-05T05:00:00.001-07:00

Just when i thought that everything is ready for turbocharging, the high idle speed problem suddenly reemerged. Not really that big of a problem but annoying nonetheless. I'm idling at 950 rpm and that's with the idle screw maxed. The search for vacuum leak ended here:

Peek-a-boo!

Clearly the butterfly valve isn't sealing properly. Covering the throttle body inlet confirmed this as the engine died instantly, meaning there was no other vacuum leak source.

What is causing this? Metal-to-metal abrasion? Whatever it is, i'm keeping an eye for a throttle body now. Decided that just replacing the butterfly valve isn't worth the effort as i want to have a functioning IACV as well. Remember that i blocked off my IACV previously?

Temporarily for now, i adjusted the throttle stopper bolt and it helped to reduce the leak a bit.

By the way, here's a shot of the TB adapter just in case.

Squeaky Clean

2011-10-04T03:05:00.001-07:00

The result?

SLC DIY Wideband Lambda Installation

2011-10-03T23:50:00.000-07:00

On the last day of my work leave period, my SLC DIY Wideband Lambda was installed and running successfully. Glad there was no drama on the installation process. I guess i haven't lost my soldering skill after all.

First thing i did was to get a steel nut that fits the Bosch O2 sensor as there was no bung supplied with the kit. From there, it was only 30 minutes at the exhaust shop to get the bung welded on the downpipe, just below the front passenger floor deck. One thing to make sure is that the sensor has to sit at an angle from vertical, preferably around 45 degrees. This is said will help reduce sensor damage from thermal shock due to condensation on cold starts.

Not exactly 45 degrees from vertical, but good enough i guess.

Fiddled around with some wires, plugged in the connectors, zipties for neatness, applied power, executed hardward calibration and VOILA!

Just make sure to use the latest SLC software to allow communication with the controller. I didn't and had to redownload the latest one. From there, everything went smooth. Here's a capture of my SLC Config software.

It's not yet wired to my Megasquirt but it should be very easy with just one wire to connect.

4A-GE Ford EDIS Conversion

2011-10-02T03:37:00.000-07:00

My dizzy was leaking oil and knowing how tedious replacing the seals on these, i decided to convert the ignition to distributorless system using Ford EDIS-4 control module. Ford EDIS is basically a wasted spark ignition system using 36-1 trigger wheel and VR pickup sensor, available for 4, 6 and 8 cylinders. You can get the full kit from Ebay for less than 60 bucks, containing the control module, VR sensor, trigger wheel and coilpack and spark wires. Don't worry about the supplied trigger wheel diameter as with some machining, it should fit perfectly to 4A-GE crank pulley.

Why Ford EDIS when my Megasquirt is fully capable of handling wasted spark system on its own? First, since my MS is based on v2.2 board, it doesn't have a built-in coil driver (VB921). This means i have to make the circuit and integrate it to my MS or get another igniter module which supports wasted spark system (i was told an igniter module from Mitsu's 4G63 can do this). With Ford EDIS, i don't have to do any of these since everything is done by the EDIS control module. Second, EDIS has this wonderful feature called limp-home mode which is a fail-safe system that ensures your ignition is still working although your ECU fails to feed signal to the EDIS module. This means EDIS can function separately on its own. The drawback is that on limp-mode, the ignition is locked at 10deg BTDC. The engine won't run efficiently that way but at least you get to drive home to fix the problem. I won't discuss how EDIS works as the Megasquirt website covers that in detail.

Below is the step-by-step on how i did my conversion.

Trigger Wheel Installation and VR Sensor Bracket Fabrication

Below is the basic idea taken somewhere from the web.

Trigger wheel is placed at the pulley's front and the VR sensor bracket is bolted to the AC and PS bracket bolt holes on the engine block. Yes, no PS and AC for me.

This part is the most error-prone work as you need to ensure that you place the trigger wheel's missing tooth on the correct position on the crank pulley before you weld them together. Also be careful that the trigger wheel's centered to the pulley to avoid premature main bearing failure from excessive vibration.

With EDIS-4, the missing tooth has to be placed 90 deg (or 9 teeth) ahead of the tooth facing the VR sensor when the engine is set at TDC. If you follow the sample picture above which places the VR sensor on the right-most exhaust side of the 4A-GE engine, the missing tooth will be facing downward at TDC as this engine rotates clock-wise. Here's an illustration.

To achieve this, here's what i did.

1. Set the engine at TDC

2. Mark the right-most part of the pulley with a marker. This mark will be aligned with the 9th tooth of the trigger wheel.

3. Mark the 9th tooth from missing tooth (little "x" with a marker should do). Ensure that the missing tooth faces downward.

4. Take the pulley off the crank shaft. You have to find a way to stop the engine from rotating to be able to turn the bolt holding the pulley OR you can do it with the totally unsafe way of sliding a pipe on the socket wrench handle so that it's long enough to reach the floor as to allowing the floor to stop it from turning, pull off the ignition coil spark wire and yank that bolt off by turning the starter.

5. With a lathe, increase the inner diameter of the trigger wheel so that it's the same as the crank pulley's. This will help you center the trigger wheel to the pulley. (see note below)

6. Align the 9th tooth of the trigger wheel to the pulley mark you made earlier while making sure the wheel is centered.

7. Tack weld, check for center and final weld.

8. Check the "x" mark on the 9th tooth on step 3. This will be also your reference when fabricating the bracket to position the VR sensor.

9. Reinstall pulley and ignition coil spark wire.

10. Get the engine running and check whether the trigger wheel is off-centered.

11. Turn engine off and set at TDC.

12. Fabricate the VR sensor bracket, ensuring VR sensor faces the tooth with the "x" mark you made earlier on step 3. This bracket must be very sturdy and rigid. Make strengthening ribs if you must. Sensor should be spaced within 0.75-1.00mm from the tooth edge so any vibration from the bracket when the engine running might get the sensor to foul the trigger wheel and destroy it. The difficult thing about making the bracket is there are two axis that you need to calculate. First axis is parallel to the engine block length and determines the VR sensor is centered to the trigger wheel and the second axis determines the VR sensor is spaced within tolerances from the tooth edge. A cardboard model does wonders to save you precious metal sheets. Don't forget the notch for the oil pump.

Control Module and Coil Pack Placement

Pictures do enough talk here.

Coilpack sits on the original engine mounting which now is not used as the engine is mounted longitudinally. Original coil pack bracket is modified to suit.

Trial Wiring

As previously mentioned, Ford EDIS has limp-home mode which allows the system to work independently from whatever ECU is driving it. This allows you to make a trial wiring to make sure the system works and you place the VR sensor correctly. Just make sure the engine was running before you start the conversion. Basically trial wiring is just connect the VR sensor, coilpack and control module together, supply power to the module and start the engine. The timing must be fixed at 10deg BTDC this way. If it's not, you must readjust the VR sensor position. This is important as any offset will also yield the same offset value to your MS Spark Map. For example, on limp-home mode you find that the timing is fixed at 15 deg BTDC. This means all the values on your MS Spark Map will also actually run 5 degrees more advance. Here's the wiring diagram taken from MS website.

Pay attention to the VR sensor polarity. If you follow the basic idea picture above, "+" side of the VR sensor will be the lower pin (closer to the oil pan). Connect this to pin 6 of the module. It won't run if you wire it incorrectly. Also pin 10 of the module is wired to the cylinder 1-4 side of the coil pack.

I don't know how crucial it is to run shielded wire for the VR sensor but i did anyway. Do it once, do it properly. I know for certain the PIP and SAW line going to the ECU needn't shielded wire as mine is running well this way but your mileage may vary. Engine bay is really a battleground for EMI. Make sure the shield is only grounded on control module side (pin 7). Don't ground the shield on the VR sensor side or you'll defeat the purpose of having a shield.

Once you finish wiring, start the engine and check the base timing. 10 deg BTDC? Good. Head on to the next step.

Megasquirt Internal Circuit Mod

This is when you start messing with the engine's original configuration and to me it's the point of no return. Once you get to this step, falling back is a PITA so make sure you know what you're doing.

For me, there are two parts of the Megasquirt internal circuit that need to be modified: ignition input and ignition output. This is because my engine was previously running with a ground-off 4-tooth distributor pickup wheel, an LM1815 VR conditioner and the original 4A-GE VAST igniter. Remember that my MS is based on v2.2 schematic and running MS1-Extra firmware. Here's the mod you need to do based on MSExtra website guide.

Ignition Input (PIP Signal)

I use 680 ohm for D8 and it's working fine.

The main difference for me is EDIS PIP signal works with "falling edge" while my LM1815 VR conditioner works with "rising edge" signal. So, previously the flow is LM1815 output --> 680 ohm resistor --> anode 4N25 (pin1) --> cathode 4N25 (pin2) --> ground. For EDIS, the flow must be +12v --> 680 ohm resistor --> anode 4N25 (pin1) --> cathode 4N25 (pin2) --> EDIS PIP line (pin 1 EDIS control module).

Ignition Output (SAW Signal)

My MS originally drives the 4A-GE VAST igniter and based on MS website, there should be a 5v pullup resistor to do so. Same applies if the MS is to produce SAW signal for EDIS control module so i thought i didn't have do any mod. However, to my surprise, there was no pullup resistor so i had to do the mod shown here.

I use 820 ohm for the pullup resistor as 750 ohm is an awkward value that i couldn't find anywhere. Works fine. Basically i solder one end of the resistor to the serial connector pin and jumper-wired the other to a 5v source, minimizing soldering to the PCB.

Once done with these hardware mods, you need to change the software configuration using Megatune so that MS works in EDIS-mode. Head on to MS website for this. This is the link for MS1-Extra.

Final Wiring

Final wiring is just connecting the PIP (pin1 control module) and SAW (pin 3 control module) to Megasquirt. As said previously, i didn't use shielded wire for this and it's running fine, able to reach high RPMs without stuttering. Laziness prevails here. It's a good idea to install a socket and plug to the SAW line so you can disconnect the line anytime and simulate limp-home mode to check the base timing. 10 deg BTDC, remember?

Done? Recheck the wiring and cross your fingers. Start the engine and if it runs, enjoy not having to replace your dizzy oil seals regularly since it's awkwardly placed near the exhaust manifold which is more than happy to fry the seals anytime. You can now pull out your dizzy and cover the hole with some plate. Plus, the EDIS coil produces fatter spark than the stock one, or so i was told.

What about your now dead tachometer? Again, if you read the link for MS1-Extra i gave above, it will tell you how to tackle this. If you're lucky, you'll just have to connect pin 2 (IDM) of the EDIS control module to your tach wire and it will work.. but most probably it won't so you'll have to do the diode method. I have to be honest, right now my tach is working with the diode method but erratically. I didn't use the 15v zener though. Doubt it will make any difference. I have yet to find a way to make it more stable.

Here's more ideas on how to make your VR sensor bracket for your 4A-GE, taken from all over the web.

Also, if you're CERTAIN that you won't be using PS or AC, you can ensure the trigger wheel is centered to the pulley by machining off the ridges for PS and AC belt and fit the trigger wheel here. You can also make an interference fit this way, i.e the trigger wheel inner diameter is actually machined a hair smaller than the pulley outer diameter. Boil the trigger wheel in molten lava and put the pulley on north pole to fit them together. Or hot water and freezer should do just fine. Once they both reach room temperature, you'll have a strong fitment. Here's the idea.

*** edit Oct 5th 2011 ***

Just thought i should add more pics of my setup. Below is the VR sensor bracket. You can see the notch to clear oil pump housing and the added extra metal plate rib on the center to increase rigidity. My bracket was made of an old desktop computer tray, if i'm not mistaken. I just found it lying around the house and thought it'd be great as a bracket.

Below is the big picture. You can see all the parts in one shot.

Nippondenso Alternator IC Regulator Cheatsheet

2011-09-30T12:18:00.000-07:00

During my starter motor rebuild, i found this reference sheet hanging on the workshop wall. This has the mounting hole distance, regulated voltage value, pinouts and the built-in functions of most, if not all, ND IC regulator. This will save my life one day.

Back With A Bang

2011-09-30T10:29:00.001-07:00

I'm back! My long-awaited work leave was finally approved and since last week, i got lots of things done to The Dog. Some of them were minors and shall be noted here for my record. The major ones will have their own dedicated post. So, without further ado, the following are the minor things i got done:

1. Rerouted Clutch Line near the Slave Cylinder

I wasn't lucky enough to have a JDM T50 bellhousing that has the clutch slave on the intake side so previously the clutch line went under the extractors before terminating at the slave cylinder. Should the exhaust decides to crack and fall, it'd take the clutch line with it. Now it's routed on the other side of the extractors, the same side as the slave cylinder. This was before:

No after shot but it should be obvious.

2. Studied my Megasquirt

Mine was built by someone else and he said it's 75% different from the original schematic. I called BS and decided to check it myself. Unsurprisingly it wasn't that much different. Indeed his MS schematic was not exact the copy of v2.2 from B&G's but only because he added some options such as secondary trigger input capability. Why bother doing this? I need to know if the options like boost controller and wideband lambda input shown on MS EFI websites are still applicable to mine to further plan the next step.

3. Picked up my Ultra Racing AE86 Fender Bars

Finally got the time to pick up this item i ordered months ago at the seller's workshop.

The plan is to take the car to a sprayshop and get these installed with the Ebay FMIC intercooler in one go since getting the fenders off to install these means the grill and front bumper is removed as well.

4. Alternator Rebuild

Opened my alternator and swapped the regulator with the spare from my 4A-C (which was already converted to internally regulated when i bought the car. Original Charmant is a stone age external cut-out system). I did this because previously the battery would lose it's charge overnight and i suspect it was a blown alternator. Later i found out it was only due to incorrect ignition key positioning. *sigh*

5. Bride Pros Installation

Custom brackets which still allow the stock seat to be put back.

6. Built a Junction Box for MS

The wiring on mine was previously a spaghetti carnage. I decided a junction box is best to solve this and make the engine bay neater. Here's the box in progress.

See the wire terminal strips? These are where the sensors, ignition and power wires will be connected. The relays will be housed inside the box to reduce engine bay clusterf*ck.

Here's the box in action. It's on the firewall next to the wiper motor. A DB25 serial cable connects the box to the MS.

Notice anything missing from the engine? Yes, i ditched the leak prone distributor and finally got the Ford EDIS kit running. There will be a dedicated post on how to do this later.

Below is the junction box terminal designation for my own record purpose should later i lost the labels on the box. You can ignore this.

7. Starter Motor Rebuild

Used the original starter motor that came with the 4A-C. It struggled to turn the engine on cold starts and, even worse, won't crank on hot starts. Previously i thought it was heat soak since the starter is unfortunately placed on the same side as the exhaust manifolds and so i made a custom heat cover from a thin steel plate. This didn't help. I also installed a relay before the starter solenoid line and this too yielded no success. I then thought it was normal for the 4A-C starter to struggle to crank a smallport 4A-GE considering the higher compression the starter motor has to fight. I was apparently wrong. After finding out that it was the starter solenoid dying and some soldering points on the starter were fried, the necessary actions were taken and now i'm confident the engine will crank on start ups anytime i do it. So, take a note here, a 4A-C starter motor has no problem mated to a high compression smallport 4A-GE. If you find similar problem, now at least you know what could be the culprit. By the way, the starter solenoid on the 4A-C starter is same as Hijet 1000's.

Screws Small Encyclopedia

2011-07-24T21:19:00.000-07:00

Found this while procrastinating on reddit as usual. Figure this might come in handy one day. Saved these to my phone and if one day i need a specific type of screw, this will save me from explaining.

Screws

Head Style

Drive Types

Washer Type

Nut Type

Courtesy of this right here.

Ditching dat Dreaded Dizzy

2011-07-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

EDIS 4 kit purchased off Ebay.

Reason? In non-sensical order:

- Coin Toss app on my phone flips Tails. Heads says i'm keeping my dizzy.

- Total price including shipping is USD104 whom Google converts to IDR888,888.88. Aren't we superstitious?

- Megasquirt and EDIS are match made in heaven

- Wasted spark is better than single coil, even if it's just a tad

- Limp-mode allowing the engine to run even if Megasquirt ignition part fails

- Allows me to ditch that leak-prone ugly distributor sticking out the side of my engine, especially with the turbo heat that soon will be eating those oil seals

Biggest foreseeable challenge would be mounting the VR sensor and 36-1 wheel. VR sensor needs to be mounted on vibration-resistant bracketry and stays very close to the wheel edge. Hopefully the provided wheel has the correct diameter to mount on 4A-GE crank pulley. If not, i've seen a guy mounted a bike chain sprocket to his crank pulley and ran the engine well . This would be Plan B.

By the way, the braided clutch line just got delivered a few days ago.

A bit worried on the 4A-GZE MAP sensor and ARP studs and bolts not yet reaching my door steps. It's been a full month. Hopefully it's just customs taking their time to work.

Ignorance is Bliss

2011-06-27T03:06:00.001-07:00

What i don't know, can't hurt me. Or my wallet. Had i not known that trying to weld aluminum to steel is a PITA, i'd be happy with the crappy aluminum oil drain bung that came with the universal turbo oil line kit. I wouldn't bother getting the mild-steel one from a seller thousands of miles away just to make sure it matches my oil pan material.

Now i have to wait another 2-3 weeks just for this to arrive. Why not fabricate in a machine shop? I think no shop can beat the price: US$11.5, shipping included. I'll be taking a two-week leave to focus on The Dog soon so it better be delivered in time.

*** edit 7-Jun-2011 ***

Looks like i won't be getting this. The seller decided suddenly that he won't ship to Indonesia and didn't even bother to explain the reason. Thanks for the great service. Paid the item promptly after i confirm the purchase and all i got was this news days later.

Stuff Are Pouring In

2011-06-23T21:57:00.001-07:00

Took some of them just a week to be delivered while the others took more than three weeks.

Bought so many parts overseas and i still couldn't figure out how our customs calculate their duty and import tax. Government transparency, my ass.

Meanwhile, just bought these yesterday. RX7 Injector rebuild kit and a stainless steel braided clutch line since the one i'm currently running is aspiring to snap off from my slave cylinder.

So many stuff piling up back home, so little time to put them on The Dog. Don't start a project if you're hundreds of miles away from your car, believe me.

Paul Breheny's Sparkling Champagne

2011-06-22T08:54:00.000-07:00

I've been enjoying this build regularly on Facebook and ae86irl forum and decided that now is the best time to share it on the blog. Meet Paul Breheny and his recently finished champagne gold Charmant. Paul contacted me about a year ago asking me to help him find some Charmant parts and we've been friends ever since.

Paul started the build around mid-July last year and targeted to finish by March 2011. As like most of us, he missed the target and it was just finished recently this month, or at least got it running on the roads again as a car build project is never truly finish, right Paul? Although he missed the deadline, as can be seen below, the result was all worth the extra time spent.

More details on his build can be found here so i'll just post some highlight pics below.

Here's the lads enjoying some champagne goodness.

Care to share any interesting story about the build, Paul?

DIY Megasquirt Junction Box Pt.1: The Idea

2011-06-22T01:42:00.000-07:00

Found this little gem a few months ago and have been planning on having one for my Megasquirt setup ever since. This is a Relay Board kit. The idea behind it is to simplify wiring and ease troubleshooting on any Megasquirt kit. Here's a block diagram of the basic MS system and my current setup.

Above MS block diagram shows that you're wiring the stuff under the hood directly to MS. There's nothing wrong about this but take a look at our little Relay Board, or Junction Box as i'd like to call it, in action below.

As the name implies, a Junction Box serves as the junction point for all the wires from a MS system. Best advantage would be easy troubleshooting and neat wiring. There's only one cable harness from MS to the box and all the fuses and relays are centralized in one spot. Also if you're on the phase of installation, a Junction Box would also reduce the chance of miswiring.

My version of Junction Box will be a bit different from the kit on the link above. This is because the guy making my MS kit decided to use DB25 connector and a 4-pin round connector, instead of using DB37 like your usual MS kit.

The 4-pin connector handles large current applications like injectors and main power supply and the rest like sensor input is handled by DB25. Good idea actually.

I am currently gathering the parts i need to assemble this Junction Box and some of the stuff have just arrived this week.

I'll be housing the relays inside an aluminum case, unlike MS Relay Board which is exposed. The DB25 connector will be the interface to MS via a straight DB25 cable. As for wiring to the sensors and injectors, a screw-on terminal strip will be used. I bought extra DB25 connectors since i might also need it if i decided to connect the SLC WB Controller to the Junction Box also.

Last Pieces of The Puzzle

2011-06-13T18:17:00.000-07:00

It surprises me that buying stuff from Ebay and importing them from other countries can sometimes be cheaper than local market. Maybe the guys here are just too greedy or i haven't found a good local seller, but from months even years of me browsing local forums, talking to fellow car enthusiasts and shop owners, Ebay often gives me the best price. Yes i've heard those bad reviews about some of the stuff. That's why i only buy non-essential parts there. Even those parts often come cheaper from Ebay.

With the same reason behind them, these last two Ebay purchases serve as the last pieces to complete my turbo kit.

Brand new universal intercooler and 2.5" piping kit with BOV flange and the matching Greddy Type-S used BOV. These both would cost a lot on import tax but should still be cheaper than buying locally. Let's hope they safely reach my doorsteps.

SLC DIY Wideband Lambda Assembly

2011-06-11T04:19:00.000-07:00

Got some spare time today and decided to assemble the SLC DIY Wideband Lambda Controller that was delivered two or three weeks ago. Excited to do it, to be honest, since soldering stuff and electronic kits are my hobbies since junior high. Now, i've got the chance to apply these hobbies for my other one: working on The Dog.

Since i'm assembling this away from Jakarta (and my car), i'll only focus on the electronic part first and skip the wiring and welding of the O2 sensor bung later. These are some photos of the build in process.

The kit supplied is pretty neat and easy for DIYers to work on. Every component is wrapped and labelled individually so you'll save a lot of time from having to identify them one by one.

With so many components and parts involved, i was worried that there might be some parts missing. However, as the build progressed, my worries too gradually dissipated. Truly everything you need is included in the kit. Here's the resistors and diodes soldered in place.

The kit didn't include any manuals or documentations. However, those can be downloaded on their website. You can find them here. The guide itself was very clear and helpful. It minimizes possible mistakes and gives you warnings before you do something you might regret. You can actually "feel" the guide was written from actually working on the kit. For example, it'll warn you to cut off leads of the 7-segments since it might cause short to the main board. You can't see this if you don't build the kit yourself.

I also bought the optional boost sensor with the kit but i decided to not install it yet. With no boost sensor soldered to the board, i also didn't install the switch which toggles the display between AFR, boost and EGT. For now, i'll only use the display for AFR reading. Installing the boost sensor can be done later.

I started building the kit at 11.00AM and finished by 18.00PM. Yeah, i took my time. Besides, i had to pause as The Incredibles was showing on Star Movies.. lol. Here's the kit all done, front and rear view.

As i said, everything you need to build what you see above, is included in the kit. Even the screws to hold the main board to the case (which i earlier thought they forgot). Final check as informed by the guide seems to show no problem. Let's hope it actually runs when i get to install it on The Dog later.

By the way, the kit i'm building is the SLC DIY 1 which is now no longer offered on the website. A bit shame actually as the successor, SLC DIY 2, is more expensive. Even the boost sensor is no longer available but this is more of a good news as now they supply the remote version, meaning you don't have to solder the sensor to the board (and drill a hole on the display case for the air pressure line). Instead, you can bolt the sensor to the firewall, close to the engine. Just like most MAP sensors.

If you're good with soldering, this the best bang-for-buck solution for Wideband Lambda Controllers. I highly recommend this. It's simple and everything just integrates nicely for that professionally built look. Your friends won't realize this is DIY!

Nathael Jimenez's Drift Charmant

2011-06-08T22:40:00.000-07:00

Most of you have seen this one. A dude named Wilkin sent me an email a few days ago informing that he has a Charmant project in his homeland Dominican Republic. One click on the link he gave me and i'm taken to a very familiar looking facebook page. Yes, this is that green Charmant on Facebook you've been "Like"-ing hundreds of times.

Based on what i gather from the Facebook page, Nathael Jimenez regularly drive this on Dominican Republic drift competitions, gymkhanas, auto-x and won some of them too. Seems like this monster's packing lots of fun.

As far as specs go, Wilkin didn't tell me much so i can only tell you as much as i can gather from his page. Under the bonnet of this Charmant is the super strong 4A-GZE. It seems that it was a good decision as the pics mostly showed Nathael working in his Charmant, not on it. A sign that this engine is able to take anything he throws at.

He's running the stock ECU paired with Apex'i SAFC for that much needed extra ooomph for drifting. The torque produced on the crank is then transferred to a short-shift T50 box by a three-puck TRD clutch set before finally reaching an AE86 GTS LSD rearend supported by a pair of short stroke TRD blues.

Here is Nathael's office cubicle.

By the looks of it, this is his daily driver too since he still has a working audio system. Nothing beats a simple yet efficient dashboard that doesn't get in the way when you're busy keeping that drift angle.

I'm a bit lost in translation though. If i'm not mistaken, Wilkin is a mechanic for the workshop working on Nathael's Charmant while Nathael is a member of CDCD which stands for Club Dominicano Corredores de Drift. The shop is called Frodo Garage and Wilkin also told me that this Charmant is now running a Red Top SR20DET. Did i get this right, Wilkin?

Aching to see Nathael and his Charmant in action? Other than this video of him i featured last December, here's another one i found on Youtube.

This car is still running strong and you can bet that we will see more of this beauty!

ARP Flywheel Bolts and Head Stud

2011-06-06T08:05:00.000-07:00

Failing to find reasonably priced flywheel bolts locally, again Ebay comes to the rescue. Just bought brand new ARP flywheel bolts there. Gosh, i have so many parts coming in from overseas right now. I hope none of them got lost in the way.

Also, remember the 4A-GZE MAP sensor i won earlier? Well it turned out that the seller also had a set of used ARP head studs. Paid for it as well and hopefully they will be on their way to Indonesia by this week. ARP head studs aren't really necessary for the boost i'm targeting but since i don't know how many times mine have been torqued, decided to replace them anyway. It was a fair price.

Since i'm going to open up the bellhousing to replace the flywheel bolts, should i replace the clutch set with stronger one also? The one running currently is only used about 1000 kms.

Spent A LOT this month. I think my money hates me. They just keep running away from me.

These Crack Me Up

2011-06-05T11:29:00.000-07:00

More than they should, actually. Most of my friends don't even get it. Heck, i don't even know why i'm laughing at these.

Too much time spent on reddit, i guess.

4A-GZE MAP Sensor, Check

2011-06-03T03:19:00.000-07:00

Just won this through Ebay.

4A-GZE MAP Sensor. This is 2-bar so it'll only allow me to boost up to 14 psi, which is the most i'm going to go anyway, hopefully. Better start browsing how to get Megasquirt to read this.

Minor Obstacle x 8

2011-06-02T04:04:00.001-07:00

Solved a mystery that has been bugging me for a while. Since the swap work, i've always suspected that my flywheel bolts are too short. If they are, that's bad news for the coming turbo conversion. The extra torque might shear the threads of them and left me with bigger problem. Today, i went to check if my suspicion is correct.

Picture above was taken during the swap process. You can see there aren't many threads left from the bolts. I don't think stock bolts are only that long so i went browsing for a picture of a stock bolt and photoshopped it next to my current bolt pic which i conveniently took before it got installed. Here's the result.

Left is the shopped pic and on the center is mine. Definitely mine is too short! Probably my 4A-GE originally came from an auto trans. Flexplate bolts are shorter than flywheel's so that could be why my bolts are too short. The one to the right was a failed attempt at trying to replace the short bolt. The bolt head was too big and just bump to each other on the flywheel.

For the record, 4A-GE flywheel has 8 bolts and the bolt size is M10 x 1.25 thread pitch. Shank plus thread length should be around 26mm. Here's some measurement pic taken from Toymods.

A set of 8 new flywheels bolt would set me back around $40, excluding shipping and the labor cost to replace them. There goes my plan of cheap turbo conversion. I might as well go for a set of ARP head studs then.

HKS Copy AE86 Cast Turbo Exhaust Manifold

2011-06-01T09:15:00.001-07:00

Finally ditched the idea of using 1NZ-FE manifold and went with something that will just work. I found out from the measurements that while the second and third 4A-GE exhaust ports matched with the 1NZ-FE's, the first and fourth ports are spaced so wide that about 10-15% of the area will be blocked. It could be solved by grinding the manifold ports about 5mm to the sides but decided it's not worth the trouble. Here's what i meant.

With 4A-GE cylinder head exhaust port being smaller than 1NZ-FE's manifold ports, 35 vs 40mm, there's a bit more tolerance for port-to-port spacing. However, it only goes to an extent and caused the 1st and 4th port to be slightly eclipsed by the manifold shown by the shaded areas.

Decided that it's not worth risking the flow of the exhaust gas with the 1NZ-FE, i went with one that is actually for 4A-GEs. Ebay went to the rescue once again and just today i bought the infamous HKS copy cast turbo manifold for AE86 there, pictured above. They come with T25 flange which should fit my turbo perfectly. Somebody already did a good review on it and so i will just shamelessly copy it here.

Pros: Fits pretty decent, cast manifold, brutally reliable.. Top mount so everyone can see your cool turbo in ya face!! If you got the guts for it, you can put on a t25/t3 adapter and bolt up a t3/t4 and it can stick out the hood and you can make a functional hood scoop. :)

Cons: Top mount causes turbine housing to be too close to the brake booster where eventually the heat will shred the diaphram and cook the fluid in your brake booster YAY. Also causes the downpipe to have a sharp angle and its difficult to route a big downpipe with this setup. These were made originally to be on a right hand drive JDM car. Forces the oil return line to be pretty much right on the exhaust manifold.

Improvements: Angle the turbo slightly with the compressor pointed away from the block to get the downpipe and the turbine housing a bit of room away from the brake assembly. Angle the pipes downward to allow larger turbos to be mounted up without cooking the paint off the hood.

Verdict: Its a buy, it does what its supposed to do, just needs some cleanup as far as spacing and such. Actually its reported that the HKS and knockoff cast exhaust manifolds make some of the best hp around if you can just get the thing fabbed in correctly. I know a considerable amount of people who just gave up on the darn thing because it was hard to make a downpipe fit.

Glad with the fact that The Dog is RHD so the cons mentioning brake booster doesn't apply to me. The sharp angle downpipe still applies though. I already imagined that those Megasquirt relays on my firewall will have to be relocated.

This pic that i got from here shows you the downpipe angle view. Yup.. those relays will have to move somewhere else.

Just how exactly do you execute the suggested improvements mentioned above? Here's one way to do it, also taken from the same page.

With that purchased, a Blow-off Valve, turbo MAP sensor, intercooler and plumbing are next on the shopping list. I wonder if those Ebay universal intercooler piping kit has enough pipes for my Charmant?

Playing With Statistics

2011-06-01T04:42:00.000-07:00

I've been keeping track of every single purchase or expense i made for this build since Day 1. Thought it was a good exercise to keep the cost within budget. I also kept every seller details i've made contact with just in case i need to make the same purchase later. How detailed is my project tracker? Well, i can tell you the newspaper date from which i found the previous owner's classified ads for this car. It's March 3rd 2009. How's that for detailed?

Today i played with this project expense tracker and made some interesting statistics. Here's a list of it. I converted to US$ using current exchange rate so you don't have to.

1. This project is 814 days old, started on March 9th 2008.

2. Most expensive item bought is the smallport 4A-GE engine, costing $1,404

3. Least expensive is a hose clamp for Bosch fuel injection pump nipple for $.58

4. Average value for each spending is $174.09 (!)

4. Longest duration without any expenses made is 231 days, between May 10th 2010 when i bought a pair of RS*R rear lowering springs and made the final payment for my engine swap work on Dec 27th. This was when work load was at its peak. Dark times indeed..

5. Most popular post on this blog with 3,034 page views so far surprisingly has got nothing to do with Daihatsu Charmant or 4A-GE. It's My Previous Ride: Toyota Kijang Pickup 1991. This simply tells you how popular Toyota Kijangs are in Indonesia.

6. 95.34% people reading this post didn't realize that there are two #4 on this list. Including you.

How about some fun charts? Let's start with this.

Above is the project cost growth over time separated by expense categories. So far i've spent a total of $15,028.13 on this project and yet still no sign of it ending. In case you're wondering, "Others" are expenses that simply don't belong in the other categories. Things such as tax, mechanic tips, transportation cost and the price for the car itself goes here.

You can see above that my biggest expense so far goes to Engine and Driveline. Just how big is the portion? Here you go.

Surprised to see that i spent more on Others than on Suspension and Handling!

Here's the last one.

That's the distribution of the number of spendings made so far to the date of month they were made. Funny to see that it's spread quite evenly. FYI, my salary is being transfered at the end of each month. This chart just tells me that being on a monthly payroll has no effect on my spending time of the month. Poor and pennyless? Don't care, the show must go on!

Moar Turbo Junks

2011-05-30T07:30:00.000-07:00

These are added to the pile of turbo related junks back home..

Mitsubishi's TD04H. Chose to go with this for these reasons:

- T25 flange, guaranteeing more options when i later choose to upgrade.

- No water cooling, saves from having to tee-off my cooling line.

- Bush bearing, cheap and easy rebuild.

- Internally wastegated, simpler manifold design.

- Quick spooling.

- Dirt cheap.

Matching downpipe. This was originally for 1NZ-FE so it'll have to be rotated somehow later to face the right direction.

2.5" to 2" reducer. I have decided to go with 2.5" for my charge pipe so this is required to match the compressor output to the plumbing.

Now this is the problem i'm dealing now. Here's a used 1NZ-FE turbo exhaust manifold with T25 flange.

It would make a great match for the turbo. However, i'm not sure how easy (or if it is even possible) to match this to my 4A-GE. The seller was very helpful and measured out some numbers for me to compare it with my 4A-GE exhaust manifold (it's an online classified). Here's what i gathered so far.

Now, i won't be too worried about the stud hole spacing as i can easily redrill them.. What's crucial is that the ports MUST line up. 1NZ-FE port diameter being bigger than the 4A-GE is an advantage, giving more room to play, however, notice the difference on the distance between P1 and P4. Not sure if 15mm of difference is big enough to offset the ports from the block. Gotta draw them to scale to actually see the differences i guess. So far, i haven't bought the manifold yet.

Why bother and not make a custom one? Because it's being offered for only 50 bucks! That's cheap for a cast iron turbo manifold. Cast irons don't crack as easily as their stainless pipe counterpart and you need that on boosted applications as exhaust gas temps will increase significantly. Help me decide if it's worth buying, anyone?

Dream vs Reality: Compromising Your Build

2011-05-16T22:50:00.000-07:00

During the course of this build, i often stop and think for a moment about the what-ifs and how they would change the way this project goes. I'm talking about how i would do it if budget and time didn't get in the way. I'm talking about the parts and tuning actions i would take if conditions were different. This post is about my dream and the reality i have to deal with.

Let's start with the engine. Sure 4A-GE is nice and has a lot of potentials. I even consider myself lucky to be able to get smallport in considering how rare they are here. However, given unlimited budget, here's what i would choose..

250hp from just under 2 liters in sweet responsive naturally aspirated form. That's more than 100hp/liters! Talk about efficiency! It's easy to see why F20C is many AE86 people's dream engine. It placed itself four consecutive times in Ward's annual 10 Best Engines (yes, i took that off Wikipedia), the size and weight are just perfect to maintain balance, VTEC kick comes with the package, a 6-speed gearbox and with conversion kits widely available, swapping it in would be easy. Here's how i would mate this engine to my Charmant.

JSP Fab's F20C to AE86 mounting kit would make this dream engine sit in my Charmant with minimum effort. Not sure how the fact that my Charmant is a RHD would affect the flow of the conversion work but with unlimited budget, anything is possible.

In reality, i have to make do with a Megasquirted smallport 4A-GE with its T50 gearbox. I'm slowly gathering turbo parts for the engine and might one day go with a W55 box if the T50 decided to take a rest. Once the parts are complete, the pistons will be swapped to 4A-GZEs and internal rebalancing is on the to-do list. A T25 turbo mated with custom manifold will flow what's left from the mix of RX7 injectors' high velocity vomit and FMIC'd air. A full front to rear 2.5 inch under-diff exhaust pipe will close the deal.

What about suspensions? I can happily say that i'm living most of my dream in this department. Yes, short stroke converted struts are actually my ultimate goal and i have done exactly that.. and no, i'm not drooling over that 2000 bucks Greddy Type-S AE86 suspension package. Cut that Greddy price in half and i would still go with what i opted. Why? Three letters: DIY. Stupid decision? Maybe so but learning something in the process is the main reason i'm doing this project. Anything i can do myself (or with a little help from a machine shop) and yields results close, if not similar, to the more expensive pre-made bling-blings, will be the ultimate direction this project is going. Besides, DIY parts can look pretty also, right?

Just another proof of how much i love DIY is the fact that i'm replacing my new Prothane bushings with DIY rear 4-links and lateral rod with spherical rod-ends.

I haven't stopped there either.. It's just a matter of time until the front end gets the same treatment. I'm going to convert my front control arms and strut rods with the same rod-ends feature. That means more Prothane bushings are rendered useless.

Two realities i have to face suspension-wise: First is that i can't afford the Tokico HTS102 dampers.

This to me are the ultimate dampers for AE86 short-stroke conversions. 45-way adjustment accomodating just about any sensible spring rate you can think of. At 800-900 bucks shipped to Indonesia, clearly they don't go along well with my bank account. Compromises have to be taken and i end up with a set of Kayaba Excel-Gs up front and Gas-a-Justs on the rears. So far i'm happy with this setup.

Second, i can only envy guys running SS Works Watts Link and Ueo Style Traction Kit Pro.

Watts link prevents your axle from swerving left and right under suspension play, i.e it ensures the axle follows a straight vertical line. Watch this video, fast forward to the end and you'll see what i mean. How i really wish i am good with welding.. that Watts link looks easy to make.

Ueo Style Traction Kit Pro does a similar job of maintaining suspension geometry, only now it's on a different viewing angle.

This is a complete kit which allows you to get an equal-length 4-links. This prevents what i would call a "differential-nod". My current rear 4-link setup has the upper links shorter than the lower. This means the pivot points on the axle move on different arches and forces the diff to create a "nod" movement along with the suspension play, changing its angle relative to the gearbox output. It's difficult to explain but if you've good imagination, i'm sure you get what i mean.

Shifting the focus to brakes, on the front, i wouldn't go any other direction than to my current setup. A pair of RX7 FD calipers with Civic rotors combined with Land Cruiser master cylinder. The cherry on top would be an uprated brake booster and steel-braided lines but i'm already happy with my ice cream now. Looks like same fate that happen to Greddy Type-S fell to T3 Wilwood Brake Kit as well: I'm choosing DIY over blings.

The rear brakes, however, are still far from my dream. Give me this and i'm all set..

Fortunately, hydraulic hand brakes can also be done DIY way. A clutch master cylinder and a trip to a machine shop is all it takes. Mate it with a rear brake bias adjuster and its a done deal.

Moving to the chassis reinforcement department, i can only dream of having a full Ultra Racing AE86 bracing setup. I'm talking about the whole shebang: front strut tower, front fender bar, front sway bar, rear strut tower bar, crossmember brace, rear sway bar, etc. As with many aftermarket performance parts, Ultra Racing braces aren't cheap and getting the whole setup would be money ridiculously spent. Not to mention not all of them are applicable to my Charmant.

My reality would be just to buy only the too-difficult-for-DIY bracings and custom made the otherwise. I have to succumb to UR's expertise on making front fender braces but i refuse to do the same for the front and rear strut tower bars, side bars and the rear sway bars. They will be custom-made at cheaper cost compared to UR's.

There's a lot more dream parts that i can think off but writing all of them in this post would just sprain my fingers. Share in the comments if you would, what are you dream parts and how did you compromise with the reality?

Two Steps Closer

2011-05-14T11:34:00.000-07:00

... to turbocharging the Charmant. Just bought these off Ebay a couple of minutes ago.

These feed & drain lines were said to fit T3, T4, T04 and T61 turbos. Considering my plan of using T25 or T28, i hope they'll fit. If not, i'm sure only minor mods are needed. (update 1-Jun-2011, see below)

Now, these are different case. They have to work or i'll be left with very expensive paper weights.

RX7 460cc/min injectors with PN195500-1350. It's not about their dimension as i'm pretty sure they will sit on the stock injectors' location neatly, it's about their impedance. My stock injectors are high-impedance, or saturated. I prefer my replacement ones also saturated. Not only because i'd save cost by not having to buy a resistor pack, i read that due to the lower drive current, they should last longer than the peak-n-hold type. Besides, my Megasquirt ECU is not ready for peak-n-holds as there's no flyback driver circuit in it.

The problem is PN195500-1350 doesn't mean they're saturated. Curiously, you can find both type under the same part number. Here you go:

The only way to be sure is by measuring the resistance myself and that's of course impossible to do before they reach Indonesia. Other than that, they don't come with the connectors so hopefully the stock ones fit. Hence, here i am crossing my fingers hoping that everything went well.

Why 460cc/min when 7MGE injectors are high impedance, flows 315 cc/min, much cheaper and no-brainers for my injector upgrade? Simply because i'm preparing for at least 10-14 psi of boost and i'm not sure 315cc will be sufficient. I did a number of research on the internet as usual before and somewhere along read that a 4AGZE injectors at 365 cc/min would be at 80% duty cycle at 8 psi! Thus, i'm playing safe here. I prefer to pay extra to be sure that they're up to the job.

*** Update 1-Jun-2011 ***

Unfortunately looks like i bought the wrong kit. Since i'm going with TD04H turbo, this link from stealthmodeperformance.com tells me that the drain and feed line won't fit. It's about the threads on the oil inlet and the drain flange bolt hole spacing. Copied from the link:

T3 kit uses a 1/8 thread size for the oil inlet. The drain flange from center to center mounting bolts measures 50.8 mm.

14B (tdo4h) uses a M8x1.25 thread size for the oil inlet. The drain flange from center to center mounting bolts measures 38mm. This kit does not come with the mounting bolts to bolt the drain flange onto the turbo. There are many different sizes used on different variations of the 14B. That is why I don't provide them, but can easily be found at any hardware store.

I can't really confirm this until i got the turbo delivered. Oh well, another trip to the machine shop is scheduled then.

Keeping The Spirit Up

2011-05-08T21:22:00.000-07:00

One of the things that kept me going on this project is knowing that there's always something to do about the car. No matter how close i am to reaching the final stage of the build, i'll always manage to find something else to tweak, tune, modify, tamper, break, etc from the car. Of course it still applies, to me at least, that the closer you are to the end, the more redundant the stuff you add to the car.

One good example would be this kit waiting for me at home.

That's my SLC DIY Wideband Lambda controller finally reaching my door step. Do i really need a Wideband 02? No. However, you can't deny that it adds a good touch for the car. Coupled with my Megasquirt, the kit will help ensure that i'm running the optimum fuel map. This kit comes with this Wideband BOSCH O2 sensor. Wonder if i can get my hands on this sensor in our local market.

There you go.. I can't wait to get back home to Jakarta, heat up my soldering iron and work on this kit!

Custom 4-Links Installation and Wheel Alignment

2011-04-19T04:55:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, The Dog had finally got full spherical rod-end suspension links on her rear-end. After the installation of the lateral rod a few weeks ago, the 4-links were in. Everything went smoothly as planned, a sign that i did my measurements correct.

I decided to keep the stock diff angle for now so the custom 4-links were set to have the same lengths as the stock ones. With the Dog now lower than stock height, a diff angle adjustment should be in order.

Here's a comparison of the stock and custom link. The red Prothane bushings were only a few kilometers old but i'm swapping them anyway.

Here's the lower link installed.

Verdict? Except for the extra noise in the cabin, can't say that i notice any difference on normal driving. My previous polyurethane bushings were still new so that's expected. I wasn't surprised with the extra noise as metal is worse than rubber in damping differential noise. Anyway, albeit small, improvements are improvements. Let's see how long those rod-ends last.

Next was the pending wheel alignment. I changed my steering links months ago so i've been driving without proper wheel alignment ever since.

Usually, we can only adjust the toe and caster on Charmants but with the T3 plates, cambers are also adjustable on mine. I did a search on wheel alignments settings used by most AE86 owners and based on that decided to have mine something like this:

Front Toe: 0 deg

Front Camber: -2 deg

Front Caster: 3.5 deg

I left the rears as they were although with the 4 links, i can at least adjust the toe.

I learned later that i can only get to 2 deg of caster on the front. I already ran out of the threads on my strut rods so it couldn't be shifted further for more caster. I don't know why but maybe my RCA prevents the extra Caster.

Confused with the terms? Here's good depiction taken from Hayne's manual.

So why did i choose the preferred settings? A zero toe would guarantee my tires last longer, a moderate negative camber would help on cornering while minimizing impact on inner tire wear and finally maximum caster helps on straight highway drive as it stabilizes the steering better. Compare a Harley Davidson with Suzuki Hayabusa. The extra rake angle on the Harley helps to minimize move on straight roads compared to the sporty Hayabusa right? Well that's just about what extra caster do on your steering.

Here's the comparison before and after the alignment.

Notice what it says on the upper right corner? Yup AE86 P/S. The wheel alignment computer had no database for Charmants so i told the aligner to set it as Power Steering equipped AE86. Should be the same right?

Other than those, finally found the culprit of my cranking problem. It was the battery all along. Changed to new battery and starting the engine has never been easier. With this solved, i am confident that i can take The Dog to my workplace so i'll get to see her everyday.

Other than that, i also get to install some Hella horns in and fixed the door lock. It's the small things that makes the car more enjoyable to drive. The more minor problems you fix compared to the major ones, the more it tells you that your car's doing great.

Last thing, how about a new look on my OG Axis Oldskool wheels? Yeah, the Equip cap certainly helped to improve the looks, i'd say!

Daydreaming The Next Project

2011-04-08T22:39:00.000-07:00

Daydream - verb (intransitive):

To spend time thinking about something pleasant, especially when you should be doing something more serious

Workload is getting crazier each day and yet i still manage to let my mind wander off thinking about the next project. If, and that's a very big IF, i get the opportunity and cash to start a second build project, i would go the totally different direction from where i went with my Daihatsu Charmant. I don't see any point of doing a second project if you're just repeating most of stuff you did on the first one. You'd lose the opportunity of learning new stuff and, in my opinion, just wasting your cash. Here's a list of what my next project should be:

1. Not a Toyota or its derivative (*cough* Daihatsu Charmants)

Doing The Dog build project has introduced me to new part-shops and junkyards which specialize on Toyota and Daihatsu and have helped me so far in supplying stuff i need. Not doing a Toyota would force me to hunt new part suppliers and junkyards. Finding a shop which sells rare parts unknown to many is satisfying, right?

2. Front Wheel Drive

It would be great to actually feel and know the difference between driving a RWD and FWD. It would be like installing a switch in my head allowing me to shift driving habits. Those theories of oversteer vs understeer would actually be experienced on the road. Doing a FWD might also allow me to learn new suspension system. I've the chance to learn MacPhersons and 4-link solid axle systems on The Dog. Who knows i'll see double-wishbones or trailing-arms on the next project.

3. Normally Aspirated

or Forced Induction, depending on how i go with The Dog. So far, i've been collecting turbo parts at a very slow pace. If i do end up turbocharging The Dog, the next project would be learning how to increase NA performance. We're talking about port-n-polishing, high duration camshaft, ITBs, lighter flywheel, etc. I might even go dinosaur by going for carbs as The Dog is running EFI.

However, no matter how radical i go with the next project, some points from The Dog must be kept. They are:

1. 90's or older cars

Simple, they usually come so cheap, you don't mind hacking the hell out of them. Plus, you're left with extra cash to build them!

2. Plenty of knowledge bases

A bit related to #1.. Usually it's easier to find knowledge bases or articles on older cars as the age itself allows many people to research and experiment on them. You won't realize that Mitsubishi Sigma control arms will fit an S13 suspension conversion on the AE86 if it is only two or three years old.

3. Easy engine conversion

Putting a 4A-GE to The Dog was fairly easy. The next project should be the same.

Pretty sure some of you already have in mind of what my next project should be after reading the points above. I won't lie to you, i have also started the research on what could be my next build. Let's see if we share the same idea.

Meet Honda Civic.

This is one is the 3-door hatchback 4th gen model, commonly referred to as EF Civics. Beautiful, isn't she? Let's see how well this model does on challenging the points above. First, they're obviously not Toyota, duh! That means new shops to find and rare parts to gather. Second, Civics are all FWD. In fact, i've never heard of RWD market sold Hondas. Is there any? Oh wait, S2000 and NSX! Silly me. Also she comes with double wishbone suspension, on the front at least as according to Wikipedia the rear one is more correctly described as "multi-link trailing arm", whatever that is. New system to learn, more fun coming! Third, as far as NA goes, i'd love to have an ITB'd Civic. The sweet induction sound would complement what's missing on The Dog. Next, you can find a lot of information regarding EF Civics on the net. Here's some: 1, 2, 3 ... 1001.. the list goes on and on. Last one, having D13 engine, it should be easy to swap in a D16+P08 head in. Of course there's old OBD conversion problem but i don't see how a Megasquirt can't get around it. Obviously, i haven't done enough research yet.

She fulfills all of the points above, well some at least, as one thing still bothers me: They go for US$4K-5K here depending on the condition and that's not what i consider as cheap for build project basis. May i remind you that The Dog cost me only US$1K? I guess all the retro fever lately has bumped the price of nearly every old Jap cars available. The price has also made me consider the earlier 3rd generation EA Civic but even these would cost US$3K-4K and even worse is that they come with E series engine. I don't know much yet but i think it's more difficult to swap a D series engine to an E engine bay. If i'm wrong on this last one, the EA Civic would be a better candidate.

Anyway, here's some more pics of this beautiful car i found on civic4g.com

More pics can be found here.

And here's a teaser if i go with EAs. Wait, or is it AT Civics?

Yummy!

Ultra Racing AE86 Fender Bars & Work Equip Caps

2011-04-06T13:12:00.001-07:00

Apart from the SLC DIY Wideband, these are on their way home: Ultra Racing Fender Bars & Work Equip wheel caps.

Why just the fender bars? I believe they're the most complicated and time consuming to fabricate on my own as they require me to remove the fenders before i can even start measuring to make the design. With very little time to work on The Dog, i prefer to buy pre-made fender bars. I will custom-made the other parts which would be the rear anti-roll bar, two-point front and three-point rear strut bars. Those should take just a day to fabricate and install, fender bars included. Heck, maybe i can even throw a front lower arm brace in. I think those should be enough to stiffen the front and rear parts. Contrary to what some believe, you can actually put too much bracings. Haven't decided what to use to strengthen the mid-section including the cabin. It could be a roll-cage or another set of bracings.

Anyway, i found a local distributor for Ultra Racing parts which gave me a good price on the fender bars. That's why i opted for the Malaysian-born chassis tuning parts. As can be seen below, they are actually for AE86, with part number UR-FD3-041.

but seeing that they fit KE70s..

i'm pretty sure also that they'll fit The Dog.

Not much to say about the Work Equip caps except that they're custom-made locally and will sit on top of my original Axis OG Oldskool wheel cap labels.

Hong Kong Daihatsu Charmant Ad

2011-04-05T09:30:00.000-07:00

Found this Daihatsu Charmant ad from a friend's Facebook post. Using Google Translate to read the Chinese characters, i think this ad is from Hongkong. Anyway, this would be the first time i see a video ad for Charmants.

Would be great if there's anyone who understood the language and could translate it for us!

Back Being a Busy Bee

2011-04-05T01:07:00.000-07:00

It's that time of the year again when i have to do what i'm paid for.. Managing telco projects. My last project was completed somewhere on December last year. That's why you've been seeing a lot of updates on The Dog lately. Well, fun time's over and I'm afraid i have to ignore The Dog once again for a while to focus on work.

Being a bit free since December, i'm happy to see the progress made for The Dog. My 4A-GE is finally running with Megasquirt, custom RX7 brake and short-stroke suspension conversion is done, Corona RT132 T-series axle is fitted, polyurethane bushes are in and some rod-end suspension bits are fabricated. Those and a few minor problems fix like vacuum and cooling have ensured that The Dog can finally be taken out for some fun, proven by going to her very first gathering with fellow DCC members.

A minor problem left to solve is battery problem. I've been draining my battery flat every two days and it's preventing cranking the engine properly. It could be a parasitic load somewhere on the wiring, which would be a pain to trace, or just a weak battery. Hoping it was the later, i just have to buy a new battery and would finally be confident to take The Dog to my work area which is about 8-10 hours of drive.

With that said, i'll try my best to keep in touch with The Dog every few weekends and hopefully can keep on updating the blog.

Cheers!

-Edgar-

DIY Wideband Lambda Controller

2011-03-26T21:40:00.000-07:00

Another step closer to turbocharging The Dog, or to any destination point actually since it's not really related to forced induction, i just bought a DIY Wideband Lambda Controller of the net. It's the Sigma Lambda Controller, SLC DIY from 14point7.

Features as copied from the web:

0.01 Lambda accuracy
4 digit display
Pressing the face plate button cycles between; AFR, EGT, Boost, display
Boost reader with optional onboard boost sensor
EGT reader with optional EGT probe
0-5v EGT linear output
USB connectivity
RPM Pickup
Seven 0-5v analog inputs
Real-time datalogging
Programmable Linear Output
Programmable Narrowband Output
Over voltage protected
Reverse voltage protected
Fused design

What interests me the most is that it can read Boost and EGT apart from AFRs. Usually AFR readings are only useful on dyno runs and tuning. Once your ECU mapping is set, you don't really need AFRs anymore. With the feature aforementioned, i can still use the box to read Boost. That's why i opted to buy the Boost sensor as well. It also has an output to communicate with my Megasquirt so tuning should be easier.

It's on its way to Indonesia and hopefully will arrive by next week so i can start soldering the parts on the weekend.

High Idle RPM Solved

2011-03-23T01:36:00.000-07:00

After installing a custom IACV blockoff plate a few weeks ago, i managed to lower my 4A-GE idle speed from 1500 to 1100 RPM. This is with the idle screw set to max, meaning there's no air coming from the idle air passage. It's still a bit too high as according to the manual, it should be around 850 RPM. Last weekend i went to check further on this problem.

Since the idle screw has been maxed, this can only mean that there's a vacuum leak somewhere on the intake manifold. Hoping that it wasn't the throttle plate needing to be replaced, i went to check the vacuum lines around the manifold. Here's how the lines look when i checked.

Keep in mind that my intake plenum was cut-n-shut to relocate the throttle body to the other side as it was for FWD originally. Notice anything wrong?

See where the PCV line from the cam cover goes? This is obviously wrong. Connecting it this way would always leak vacuum from the cam cover to the intake. Also notice the brake booster vacuum line goes to the inlet near the cold start injector. Originally, this was where the PCV line supposed to connect. I find this also suspicious. Not in a way that it would leak vacuum, but exactly the other way around, it might not even have vacuum. Originally, that inlet has an air passage that goes to the throttle body and channeled out to just before the throttle plate, like so..

With an aluminum plate now in place of where the TB was, this hole might be blocked. Well, you tend to start doubting your engine swap workshop's capability if you find out that they connected the PCV line that way. It was easy to check if they made a channel on the aluminum plate so that vacuum remains. Run the engine, unplug the brake booster line, check for vacuum using your finger. Vacuum's there. Good, they didn't screw up there, at least. I then just need to take the PCV line off the intake runner.

Taking the PCV line off means that i need to get some form of oil container. Commonly known as oil catch tank, this ensures that oil coming out from the PCV line won't mess the engine bay. Failing to find any container to use, i temporarily wrapped it with sponge. My friend Stanley used an aluminum water bottle, didn't you Stan? I think i'll be following your steps soon. With the PCV line off the intake runner, I decided to move the brake booster vacuum line there, hoping it would make bigger vacuum so that it helps on braking with those 4-pot RX7 calipers. Hence, it was the vacuum inlet on the intake plenum that needed to be plugged. I used a braided rubber hose and plugged it with whatever my hands could reach that time, which turned out to be a ziptie and 12mm bolt. Another ziptie to secure the brake vacuum line in place and here's the final result.

Loosen the idle screw a bit, crank the engine, check the idle RPM, adjust the idle screw and there you go, i'm idling at 850 RPM now! Idle speed adjusting screw is now working and I'm really glad vacuum wasn't leaking from my throttle plate. It would be more difficult to solve obviously!

Drama on The Dog's First DCC Gathering

2011-03-22T19:01:00.000-07:00

After two years since the project started on Mar 9th 2008, The Dog can finally come with me for her first gathering with fellow Daihatsu Charmant Community members! The gathering was held on a sunny Sunday, Mar 20th 2011 on Senayan Parking area. This was actually a small gathering to discuss the plans for DCC's 5th anniversary next month.

To be honest, The Dog seemed reluctant to join the gathering. She gave me all sorts of drama during the day. First, she refused to start after i stopped by an ATM. Starter motor seemed struggling hard to crank the engine. At first, i thought it was heat soak from the exhaust manifolds so i waited for it to cool off a bit. Crank it again, still struggling. Ffffffuu... Okay, this won't work. I won't bring The Dog to the gathering like this. I have to solve this first. Got a help from a few guys to push The Dog, shift to first gear with clutch on and once she had enough momentum, off with the clutch and there she goes. Definitely something with the power supply to the starter motor.

I quickly head off to the nearest auto-battery shop and told them the problem. They took their battery tester out, checked the voltage, told me to crank the starter, checked the voltage again and scratch their heads. "The battery's fine. Have you checked the starter?", they said. Well, it was the same starter i use on the old engine and it was fine before. So, i asked them if they have any ground cables. Luckily they do, well most battery shop has anyway, and i told them to put more ground cables to the engine block. Here's how the engine looks after.

Notice the bright green-yellow thick cables coming out from the battery? One goes attached to the front of the engine, near the cam gears cover and other one goes to the back. Once done, fingers crossed, turn the ignition key, crank and *vroom*. Wow it worked! I had been suspecting this for a while since i noticed the ground cables were too thin. I was focusing on other problems so didn't really find the time to fix it. Well, now that i have been forced to put the cables, i'm relieved that i did.

That's not the only problem she gave me. On the way to the gathering, i drove on a highway and she decided to act up again by giving me high temperature reading. This reallllyy started to piss me off as she never gave me this problem before. I tried to speed up hoping that the wind might cool off the radiator. It turned out making the matter worse. Fearing i might overheat the 4A-GE, i took the nearest exit and drove slowly to the gathering using alternate routes. Temperature refused to cool off but i decided to keep on going until i finally reached the gathering spot.

Let's stop the drama for a while and focus on the fun part, shall we? Obviously i was a bit late from the starting problem. A line up of beautiful Charmants had already parked on the gathering area. I quickly took my place and was greeted by the guys. Nourie told me to open the hood and took snapshots of my engine. "Finally you finished the car!", they said. Well, a project like this is never-ending but thanks guys! Here's some photos i took myself. Can you spot The Dog?

Quite a few interesting Charmants i saw on the gathering, some packing mods i wouldn't have thought of putting on The Dog but turned out quite well actually. Here's a taste.. How about an Autobot Police car?

or this internet/audio/GPS/Hello Kitty-packed Charmant?

I'll feature one of my favorites soon in another post.

As previously said, we discussed the plans for our next 5th anniversary next month. Some meeting spots have been selected and surveys will be done soon. Also we have some plans to make another batch of T-shirts. During the gathering, we also voted for the best Charmant in some categories like best engine, exterior, interior, etc. We aren't allowed to vote our own car so it should be fair, i guess. Winners will receive some goodies and parts for their Charmants and will be announced on the Anniversary gathering. After the discussion, we then continue to have lunch together before bidding farewell to each other.

Okay, back to the drama. During the gathering and also on the way home, the temperature remained high. I haven't installed my custom lateral rod so i decided to make a quick stop in an autoshop so that i can also check what's causing the high temperature. A quick analysis, i found out that the fan is not turning although the temperature is obviously above the thermoswitch threshold. I ruled out faulty thermoswitch as it's still new and working last week. Unplugged the cable going to the switch and the fan turned on instantly. Okay, fan is good also. Radiator is also brand new so that couldn't be the problem. Three things left to check: waterpump, faulty radiator cap and thermostat. I decided to replace the radiator cap in the shop and carry on to install the lateral rod. Here's the rod installed.

The rod went in easily so my measurements were correct after all. I didn't get to install the 4-links as the shop's about to close.

Anyway, new radiator cap. Let's see if this works. It's was only one or two kilometers drive to my house but it was definitely nerve-wrecking. Temperature's still hot! Arrived at home, turned the engine off, opened the bonnet and waited for the engine to cool off a bit. Opened the radiator cap and turned the engine on again, with ease this time thanks to the new ground cables. Peeked through the radiator cap hole and saw no water flow. Hmm.. this could be either the pump or the thermostat. Pump is less likely as it was okay last week. Decided to open up my remote thermostat housing, 10mm wrench should do it, and took the thermostat off. Went inside the house, mom helped me boil some water over the stove, throw the thermostat in and waited. Hmm.. boiling bubbles started to appear and thermostat remained closed. Waited another minute and still the same. Gotcha! Faulty thermostat! This explains also why my fan didn't turn on. If you checked my writeup previously, you'll see that water flows like this:

radiator --> thermoswitch --> thermostat --> engine

If the thermostat refused to open, thermoswitch will always be exposed to cool water and will never turn the fan on. It's only when the thermostat opens will the switch get hot water and activate the fan!

I was afraid that i have bent my cylinder head from overheating but seeing that there was no water bubbles coming from cylinder compression after i run the engine with no thermostat, it seems my 4A-GE is doing okay. This just goes to show how reliable 4A-GEs are. It ran for a day under high temperature and yet still smiling. I don't want to speak too soon so let's see later if it's still running well.

RX7 Brake Upgrade and Short Stroke Conversion Completed

2011-03-21T02:37:00.000-07:00

Took a chance last weekend to fit all the stuff i've been fabricating for the last two weeks. Took only about three hours to fit them in as that's all the time i have. I did the conversion on Saturday and with my bus arriving in Jakarta late, the work's done in the afternoon. Sunday is out of the question as i had to bring The Dog to her very first gathering with Daihatsu Charmant Community members!

Everything went smoothly as planned. The only minor setback came from the short stroke strut hubs that was decided to be replaced with the old ones from the car. Since the short stroke hubs had already been machined fit the Civic rotor, the old hubs underwent the same treatment.

Some pics of the work in progress.. Comparison of the rear dampers..

Fitment of the rear RS*R springs and KYB Gas-A-Just dampers.

Preparing the "HKS purple" front struts for installation.

Installed.. You can reuse your old brake lines for the RX7 calipers. I will find time to upgrade the lines to steel braided ones later.

This one shows you how the spacers will later help clear the wheels from fouling the calipers.

Who's hiding in there.. Oh it's just you, my silly awesome FD caliper!

The 80 series Land Cruiser brake master cylinder upgrade comes next. Bench-bleed the BMC, bend some brake lines, check for air in the brake lines and you're done. This pic should give you an idea of how to bend the lines.

As you can see, you need to bend them quite a bit. Also, although the fluid reservoir is bigger than stock, you don't have to worry about space as the LC BMC is shorter. This will help you give the needed space to clear the strut tower. Here's the finished work. Looks sweet paired with my T3 camber plates.

Money shot. Comparison of the stance, before..

and after..

Sorry for the muddy tires but that's around 30-40mm lower. Not really shakotan-low but just perfect for me.

Comments after conversion? First thing i'd like to point out is the ride stiffness. I'm running 6kg front springs and 4.5kg rears and it's already stiff. I can't imagine how it feels for guys running higher combination like 8/6 or even 9/6. You guys must have kidneys made of steel! Anyway, let's see later how my combination serves my purpose.

As for the brake, they felt great. I'm not experiencing any off-balance between front and rear, squishy pedal nor unpredictability from it. It does feel a bit like the brake booster needs to be upgraded to cope with the larger cylinder diameter but it'll hold just fine for now.

With that done, The Dog has officially been pimped by..

LoL, i think i'm the first guy running Techno Toy Tuning parts here in Indonesia. Am i Gabe?

Custom 4-Links

2011-03-18T02:48:00.000-07:00

Measurements will be shared later once i'm sure they fit. Being made from steel, i believe they're heavier than your aftermarket products but should do the job fine.

Spray-painting The Front Struts

2011-03-16T09:48:00.000-07:00

Front struts + Metallic Violet Blue + Sandpaper + Bunch of help from co-workers = Instant sweet-looking suspension setup..

Pics don't do judge on how awesome my struts look now! Thanks guys!

I decided not to paint the calipers. Too risky. Might go with one of these poser covers instead.

or not..

Cut Springs and Spring Rate

2011-03-15T20:51:00.000-07:00

This has been bugging me for quite a while:

"What happens to the spring rate when you cut it shorter?"

Since i'm a metric guy, spring rate is measured in kg/mm. A 5 kg/mm spring will be one mm shorter if a 5 kg weight is put on top of it while it's still on planet Earth. Stuff tends to behave differently if you measure it extra-terrestrially. Put 10 kg over it and it'll be two mm shorter from its free-weight length. Also we're talking about linear-rate springs here. Progressive-rate springs complicate matters.

My puny logic first thought that spring rate should remain the same as you don't change the spring material when you cut it. Turns out i was wrong. The spring rate increases when you cut it shorter. Googled about this problem last night and found this link. It's an online calculator which tells you the spring rate with some input variables like the number of coils, spring diameter, wire diameter, etc. The formula is below:

K=(G*d)/(8*C³*N)
Where,
K = Spring Rate
d = Wire Diameter
N = Number Of Active Coils
G = Modulus of Rigidity
C =Spring Index, a ratio of Spring Diameter (D) divided by the Wire Diameter (d)

We can see from the formula above that Spring Rate is inversely proportional to the Number of Active Coils (K ~ 1/N). Since cutting a spring basically reduces N, Spring Rate would increase with the same proportion! Example, my Ground Control coilover spring is 6 kg/mm and has 200mm free length. If i cut it 25% shorter to 150mm, i'd also increase the spring rate by 25% to 8 kg/mm.

An analogy i use is to compare two steel rods of the same diameter. One is half the length of the other. The shorter one would be more rigid, right? It bends less than the longer one when given a same load transversely. Wound those rod to the make a spring of the same diameter, you'll end up with one spring half the length of the other.

If we play with the variables, we'll end up with below summary:

1. Higher Modulus of Rigidity yields higher Spring Rate

This is a matter of aluminum spring vs steel spring of the same dimension give different spring rate

2. Increasing Wire Diameter yields higher Spring Rate

You should be able to imagine this intuitively. In case you can't, from the formula above, K is directly proportional to (d/C³) where C³is (D/d)³and we end up with K ~ d⁴. This reads to Spring Rate increases to the power of 4 for every increment of Wire Diameter.

3. Increasing Spring Diameter yields lower Spring Rate

By logic, to increase spring diameter, you need to get longer wire. Longer wire is less rigid. Less rigid means lower Spring Rate. Enough? If you prefer the difficult way, K is inversely proportional to C³, again, where C³is (D/d)³and gives us K ~ 1/D³. This reads to Spring Rate reduces by root of 3 for every increment of Spring Diameter.

and finally, back to our main discussion..

4. Reducing Number of Coils yields higher Spring Rate

See above.

This should be equally important to AE86 and Charmant owners:

- Stock OEM Spring Front: 380mm free-weight length and 1.8 kg/mm

- Stock OEM Spring Rear: 360mm free-weight length and 2.2 kg/mm

I didn't measure them myself.. I got this from an internet forum so take it with a grain of salt.

The Dog Currently

2011-03-13T21:22:00.000-07:00

Been a while since i posted shots of The Dog. Here's how she looks currently.

I need to get better camera.. *sigh*

DIY: IACV Blockoff Plate and Electrical Radiator Fan Wiring

2011-03-12T23:18:00.000-08:00

Did this DIY when i was back in Jakarta a few weeks ago but only got around to write about it now since i just got my Samsung Galaxy S back. The photos below are in the phone. Also the air for my lungs apparently comes from it. Nearly suffocated without my Galaxy S.

The Dog had been running electrical radiator fan since the engine conversion finished but the fan was connected directly to the battery through an engine cutoff switch. Crude solution but it was only for temporary. It was only a few weeks ago that i finally installed proper relay and wiring system for the fan.

I wrote a guide on the wiring last year, you can read about it there. Since my thermoswitch is normally-close type, i am following diagram C from the guide.

As you can see on the diagram, a 5-pin relay is needed. The shops nearby only sell the funny looking kind with some special connector needed. Luckily the pin positioning matched my relay socket.

Using a wire cutter, 5 minutes later problem solved. No cursing involved.

Couldn't also find the special round-shaped thermoswitch connector, i had to cut off the plastics around the metal pin and solder a generic wire spade to the pin.

Forgot to take pics of the installation process, but here's a video of the system in action. You can see my Suzuki Wagon R fan turning off automagically after the temperature is lowered enough. The relays are on the passenger side strut tower.

Also notice how my idle speed is a bit too high. It was around 1500 RPM even on warm engine. The idle speed reduced significantly when i shut the IACV vent hole using my finger, a sign of faulty IACV indeed. Since i am too cheap to buy another one, i decided to just ditch the IACV and replace it with a custom block off plate. Read about IACV here.

IACV is located under the throttle body or TB. It's fixed with 5 bolts. You need to pull off the water lines and some vacuum hoses and remove the throttle body before you can comfortably unscrew the 5 bolts. Here's the IACV paired with TB.

Air route follows red arrows, goes into TB inlet hole, then green arrows into the IACV body and air passage, finally goes into the engine following blue arrows. Normal IACV blocks green dashed arrow route when the engine warms up but mine obviously didn't so i had to come up with this.

Right is the custom IACV block off plate and left is the gasket i made from carton paper. Notice how the bolt hole positions match the ones on the TB. Add some silicone sealer, shorter bolts (old bolts can't be used as my block off plate is too thin) and i end up with this.

Sure as hell didn't cost me US$19.99 to make.

No more air coming into the IACV vent and I'm now idling at 1100 RPM when warm. 1100 RPM is still a tad too high as the manual said it should be around 850 RPM but it's much better. My idle screw has been set to max so no air coming from there. I'm currently suspecting the PCV air passage inside the intake manifold is leaking air from the cut-n-shut work. It could also be a split vacuum line. Will have to check it this weekend.

Here's the block off plate in action.

By the way, ditching your IACV for this block off plate will disable your PS and AC idle up. Don't forget you'll also need to loop the cooling line or block both lines off.

Custom Adjustable Lateral Rod

2011-03-10T02:03:00.000-08:00

The short stroke and RX7 brake caliper conversion's done..

Only need a touch of spray paint to make the struts look better. A note about the conversion, notice how close the caliper is with the hub's wheel mounting face.

You need to get the two as close as possible so that the Land Cruiser brake pads, if you use them, gets as much contact as possible on the rotor. You'll need to machine the hub a bit to maximize the brake pad contact. Come to think of it, Mini Cooper S rotor would be better than Civic's for this conversion as it has 7mm extra radius. That's just perfect and allows all the brake pad surface to clamp the rotor.

The work now shifts to making the adjustable lateral rod, or panhard rod for some of you. Took only a few hours to end up with this:

Based on my measurements, with Corona RT132 axle, the lateral rod needs to be 840mm bolt hole-to-bolt hole. Apparently the T-series axles between AE86 and RT132 are not identical! At least on the lateral rod mounts as AE86 and Charmant standard lateral rod is 800mm long. This explains why my stock rod is too short when i did the axle conversion. Note that this is on standard height. Lowered height would need shorter rod as the part of the rod attached to the axle actually moves in arc with the rear suspension travel and will shift the wheels a bit to the left. Here's an explanation:

You can see that with suspension stroke, the wheels are shifted to the side. The same goes if the rear is lowered. To return the whole axle, and subsequently the wheels and diff pinion gear, to its original position, you need to shorten the rod. You won't need to shorten much, a typical value is 5-6mm with 2 inch of lowering. I figured i need the adjustability as my wheels are already poking through the fenders. Wouldn't want to find out that i rub the left tire on the fender when i lower The Dog later.

So, knowing that, i designed my lateral rod to have 820mm minimum length. This is with all the lock nuts threaded all the way up. Don't go too short or you'll lose the threads on the rod-ends when you go stock height.

Notice that i drew the thread directions different between the left and right rod-ends. Obviously you need this if you want to be able to adjust the lateral rod length on the fly.

Other than that, everything is the same with AE86's part like the rod-end size used (POS16 LHD thread for chassis mount and POS20 RHD thread for axle mount), spacers for the rod-ends, etc. Here are some important stuff you need to know about spherical rod-ends. I shamelessly copy these from AEU86.org

I won't give you the measurements for my rod-end spacers as it maybe different from yours. Be safe and measure the actual numbers on your lateral rod.

One thing done differently on my lateral rod is that i use non-hollow steel rod. Most aftermarket rods, including T3, Battle Version and Ultra Racing, use aluminum tube. As such, mine is very heavy. This may not be a good idea but i couldn't find any aluminum tube. The rod-ends won't last as long with the extra gravitational load but hopefully it's ok. I need to read more on sprung-unsprung weight theory to have any idea how bad my rod is. You'll also notice that there's a grease nipple on my rod-ends. Yes, i am not using the self-lubricating type unlike others. I figure it would be useful when they start to squeak.

Next stop, custom rear 4-link..

RX7 Front Brake Conversion Day 3

2011-03-07T03:29:00.000-08:00

After the first failed attempt, another set of RX7 FD caliper brackets were made. This time 25mm steel plate was chosen as the base. Here is the nearly finished product.

Not as beautiful as AJPS's but goes with much lesser cost also. I guess i should be grateful that Dave took a quite while to reply my email last time.

The bracket does look more convincing this time. Caliper side is approximately 15mm thick while the strut side is 11mm. This would mean the offset between the caliper and strut is 25-11 = 14mm, just 1mm different from my previous measurement. All there's left to do is smooth out the rough edges and we're done.

Here's the bracket installed. Excuse the crappy shot. It was going to rain, hence the low light condition and I was using my old camera phone as my Samsung Galaxy S was left back home in Jakarta.

Also the "holder tab" or whatever the proper name is, was also done. As mentioned before, a cut through the adjustable sleeve was unavoidable. This way, adjusting height should be easier. The down side is that i would lose 5mm less of height adjustability. Pretty sure i won't go that low anyway!

Hopefully i can start making the adjustable links tomorrow. Stay tuned!

RX7 Front Brake Conversion Day 2

2011-03-04T01:20:00.000-08:00

Continuing the conversion progress last time, the work focused more on FD caliper bracket fabricating on Day 2. For obvious reason, having the conversion done on work-days prevented me on seeing the whole process. However, under no supervision from me, they have managed to finish the brackets in just one day! ... Well, they would have if i wasn't so concerned about my own safety. Why is that? Explanation below. Here's the bracket they made.

Can you spot what's bothering me? Here's a better view from the side.

The bracket on the strut mounting side is too thin, only 4mm. What they did was use 17mm steel block plate and just shave the plate on ONE side to allow bolting the bracket both on the caliper and strut. Subsequently, on the caliper side, the bracket maintains the original steel plate thickness of 17mm. While this is the simplest way, safety is being risked. The bracket may break around the strut mounts. Well, this is what you get when you're not around to supervise the work i guess. I can imagine that perhaps AJPS encountered this problem also when they first designed their brackets.

What they should do is shave BOTH sides of the steel plate so that the strut side and caliper side have the same thickness. How much would be the minimum thickness to be safe? Not being a metallurgical engineer, I'm guessing it should be around 10mm. I'm going with 15mm to be extra safe. How thick should the raw steel plate be? Let's see, with 17mm steel plate, the strut side is only 4mm thick. So if i want to go at least 15mm, i would need at least an extra 15-4 = 11mm. That would require plate thickness of 17+11 = 28mm. What if you go with the minimum thickness of 10mm? Easy, then you'd need 17+(10-4) = 23mm. Any less and you'd offset the caliper and subsequently the rotor won't be centered between the caliper pots. Example, with 20mm plate, you'd shift the caliper mounts 3mm closer to the rotor, offsetting the rotor position relative to the pots by the same amount. Confused? Here are some diagrams (to confuse you even more lol).

If you look on the second diagram, you'll see that there's another distance introduced which is Y. This also determines the strength of the bracket. It's useless if you go 15mm on both sides but Y is still thinner. The bracket strength is then determined by these three factors: caliper-side, strut-side and Y thickness.

So.. the brackets the shop made are thrown into garbage bin and better safer ones will be fabricated. Nevertheless, here's a view from the front with the calipers mounted. Regardless of the thickness, the bracket will maintain this same caliper position. This is the front-right corner strut.

Phew! With those off my mind, i can't wait to finish this work. Why? Because this comes next..

Pic courtesy of T3. Yes, i have managed to grab a few rod-end bearings and will fabricate my own adjustable rear trailing arms and lateral rod. They look so easy to make.. Let's hope they actually are!

Short Stroke and RX7 Brake Conversion Day 1

2011-03-03T02:02:00.000-08:00

With the T3 parts delivered and RX7 calipers in my hands, i got around to start the short stroke and RX7 brake conversion. This covers Day 1 of the conversion. I am still in the middle of the process and reckon it will take 2-3 days to finish.

Short stroke conversion is up first. I will not cover why you need to do short stroke as club4ag has an extensive writeup on that. To give you an idea of how to convert to short stroke, watch this video.

I will be doing it in a slightly different way for safety reason. More on this below. Let's start.

First, cut off the old spring perch as this will get in the way of Ground Control coilover sleeve.

Then smooth out what's left of the old spring perch on a lathe machine.

The next step starts to show where i differ from the video. You'll notice from the video that the strut housing is shortened by taking out the tube near the old spring perch position and weld the two remaining parts together (the bottom strut housing and the top housing where the thread for strut insert lock nut is located). While this way is the simplest, there's slight risk of breaking the weld joint later on. The strut tube is not really that thick to start with and welding just makes it more prone to breaking. I am sure not many people experience the break but why risk it? Anyway, i cut 40mm from the top tube, throwing away the threaded part for the lock nut.

Say good bye to threaded top tube.

Here's the key step and the reason why many chose the easier way. As the threaded part is taken out, you need to make the new threads for the lock nut on the shorter strut housing. Worth mentioning also that the lock nut from the original strut housing has finer threads than the lock nut supplied by my KYB Excel-G strut insert. The new threads will follow the KYB Excel-G lock nut as it warrants perfect fit to the strut inserts.

Look, new lock nut threads!

With 40mm cut on the top strut housing, this is how the KYB Excel-G sits inside. Notice the space. A spacer is needed to push the strut insert up so that it levels with the housing, allowing proper fit to the lock nut and eliminate rattling.

Most just use stacked washers for the spacer but not me. Here's the spacer in the making. Ignore the threads seen. The machinist made the spacer out of some truck wheel shaft, hence the threads. I forgot to measure the thickness but you should be able to figure it out yourself. Always start with slightly thicker than you calculated and reduce thickness as necessary until the strut insert sits perfectly. Reducing height on metal is always less headache-inducing than adding.

Spacer done.

... and here's the final product.

Shorter strut housing that is as strong as the stock one! No worries on breaking any welds. More people should do this! Forgot to take pictures of the coilover sleeve perch ring in the making but you can see it on the pic above. It allows the sleeve to rest firmly on the strut housing. T3 supplied the rings with the purchase but i didn't know what they were earlier and made new ones. I am thinking of putting some holder tabs on the perch ring so that the sleeve won't turn when i adjust the coilover spring perch. This would involve some slight cutting into the coilover sleeve. Maybe on Day 2.

On to the RX7 brake conversion: Day 1 sees the fitting of the Civic rotor to the AE86/Charmant hub. It's a very simple process and should take two hours or less. Civic rotors hub mounting diameter is a bit too small to sit on the Charmant hub. There's two ways to solve this: enlarge the Civic rotor diameter or reduce the Charmant hub's. I chose the later as it allows me to replace the rotor easily later if i need to without modifying again. To my surprise, you need to only take out very small amount from the hub to fit the rotor, maybe less than 0.5mm. If i am not mistaken, i read somewhere that it should involve more work to fit the rotor such as inverting the chamfer on the rotor but this was not needed apparently. Maybe it's not for Civic rotor.

Anyway, here's the hub on the lathe machine. Outer diameter where the rotor sits is being reduced a little.

After the rotor can sit perfectly on the hub mounting face, you need to redrill the rotors so that the hub mounting bolts can be installed. First, using a smaller drill bit, drill through the rotor using the hub bolt holes as reference. Careful not to damage the threads.

Next, enlarge the new holes on the rotor to match the bolts used.

Here you can see how the new holes on the rotor matches to that of the hub's.

Finally, here's the end result..

Note that some people choose to upgrade the mounting bolts to bigger ones. This is a safety measure as the original bolts were used to hold smaller rotor diameter. With upgraded rotors and calipers, bigger force will be exerted to the bolts and they may break. Doing this would involve tapping new threads on the hub to fit the bigger bolts. I chose not to do this for now. If the bolts do break, i will surely do this upgrade.

With those work done, Day 2 will mostly see the fabrication of the caliper bracket adapters and, if i choose to do it, modify the sleeve ring perch with some holder tabs to fix the sleeve's position.

T3 Parts and RX7 Calipers Delivered

2011-02-25T00:55:00.000-08:00

Santa Claus disguised himself as a postman today and gave me early Christmas present..

Inside are these eye candies.

Also cousin back home from Australia emailed me these pic. He already has them at his home in Jakarta.

Looks like i'll be rolling lower and brake harder sooner than i thought!

Daihatsu Saruman Tarbo

2011-02-24T00:40:00.000-08:00

Got this delivered home last night.

A set of 4AGZE ceramic coated forged pistons w/ 20mm pins. These are for the 8.9 CR version and 0.50mm oversize to match my current bore diameter. Yes, I finally made the first move on turbo conversion.

I haven't bought the piston rings though. The seller quoted me triple the price of smallport rings and from what i gathered so far from my research, they're the same size. Size, not material, mind you. I don't know if there's any differences in material or even ring tension. Part numbers are different though. 13013-16200 for N/As and 13013-16210 for their F/I brethren. Close enough for me to think they're the same stuff, only incremented the numbers just to differentiate the application. If they're indeed the same, i'll be using my old rings as they're only less than 500km used now. Can anyone help me on this?

With this purchase, Pandora's box's been opened and all hell broke lose (from my bank account). Going turbo could easily cost me a quarter of the budget i've spent so far so i'll have to go at it slowly. Nearest purchase would be a set of DIY Wideband Lambda Controller to aid tuning the Megasquirt once everything is on and a set 0f 7M-GE injectors. Those injectors are high impedance and would seat themselves easily between the manifold and fuel rail.

I'll be checking a used A.R 48 T25 'tarbochage' soon and if confident that it should run smokeless, then it's one less stuff to get for the conversion.

My Saruman approves.

Another Reason to Love Charmants: S13 Suspension Conversion

2011-02-17T21:04:00.000-08:00

Just browsing through and found this interesting bit taken from Nissan Cefiro wiki page:

A31 Cefiros are scattered around here in Indonesia. I once saw one in a junkyard. How's this related to our Charmant? Well, some AE86 owners convert their front suspension to S13 for benefits i'll explain later. Having exact same suspension setup as AE86, this conversion also applies to Charmants.

Here's some discussions on S13 suspension conversion on AE86: here, here and here. Oh also here and here. Those links should be enough to tell you how popular this conversion is for AE86 owners.

It's too late for me as i have chosen to go with short stroke conversion but had i known this earlier, i'd seriously look into going for such conversion.

Here's some benefits on this conversion:

- Wider array of brake upgrade options (how about some R34 Brembos?)

- Stronger hub

- More steering lock for you drifters

- Wider track due to longer control arms

- Allows you to run high positive offset wheels aka FWD wheels --> just like my Oldskools.

Obligatory pic to make this post less boring taken from one of the links above.

RX7 Brake Upgrade and Short Stroke Conversion Goodies!

2011-02-16T00:44:00.000-08:00

Exchanged a huge chunk of last month's salary with these goodies last weekend.

Let's see what we have here..

First, i got the 80 series Land Cruise Brake Master Cylinder i need for my RX7 brake upgrade. I got the Aisin one, not the expensive Toyota OEM. I paid half of the Toyota OEM part and, as far as i know, Aisin makes them for Toyota. So, same stuff for half the price.
In case you're wondering, part number for the Master Cylinder is 47201-60530. Make sure to match the brake booster bolt hole numbers to your vehicle. There are two types: four bolts or two bolts. Mine is two bolts. This stuff is major upgrade for AE86s or Charmants, having one inch (25.4mm) cylinder diameter compared to the puny 13/16 inch (20.64mm) of AE86's.

Having no brake pads on my Ebay RX7 brake calipers, i also bought the pads coming from also 80 series LC. I learned that these pads should fit my RX7 calipers easily. I sure hope i am right..
With the caliper positioned as pictured, the brake pads measured 119 x 51mm. I got the Bendix General CT type which is suitable for general purpose driving. 80 series LC here have VX Turbo decal on the body, hence they're commonly referred to as Turbo LC as marked on the Bendix pack. *** update March 2nd 2011, see below ***

Next comes the u-joints for the propeller shaft..

Then the front steering links, explained previously.
and finally, the most important stuff, the front and rear dampers for my short stroke conversion. I'll discuss in detail for these stuff. Here's the front strut inserts: Kayaba Excel-G part number 365068 originally for Toyota Corona T170 series.
Shown above is the Excel-G compared to the original strut insert. You can see how much difference in length between the two.

Below is for the rear ones.
Unlike the fronts, these are cheaper Kayaba Gas-A-Just part number 553041, i believe they're originally for A60 Celicas. You can also see the length comparison to the stock orange dampers. These Gas-A-Just shocks are very stiff. I had very difficult time compressing to the minimum length when i measure it.

These are the measurements i managed to get for these dampers. I hope this is useful for owners of Charmants, AE86s or any other similar vehicles.
Front stock strut inserts (Part # found on the strut body is 48511-22190):
- Extended Length (E.L) = 645mm
- Fully Compressed Length (F.C.L) = 450mm
- Body Length (B.L) = 400mm
- Total Travel = E.L - F.C.L = 195mm

Front short stroke Kayaba Excel-G Part #365068 strut inserts:
- E.L = 540mm
- F.C.L = 390mm
- B.L = 340mm
- Total Travel = 150mm

Stock rear dampers. Found these markings: Kayaba Super-1000 SN8212 DL13
- Extended Length = 605mm
- Fully Compressed Length = 390mm
- Total Travel = 215mm

Short stroke dampers. Kayaba Gas-A-Just Part # 553041.
- E.L = 530mm
- F.C.L = 367mm (approximately, difficult to keep it compressed and measure)
- Total Travel = 163mm

Lesser important stuff obtained last weekend are these..
Front strut bar were borrowed from my brother, Erick. It was for Lancer EVO4 originally and as you can see, a bit too long for my Charmant. Well, another customizing job to put on the list i guess.

*** update March 2nd 2011 ***

The pads turned out didn't fit. There are two versions of these pads. The turbo and non-turbo pads. For RX7 calipers, you need to get the non-turbo pads which are smaller as seen on below pic. You have been warned.

T-series Axle Fitment and Steering Links Renewal

2011-02-15T21:59:00.000-08:00

Took the chance last weekend to get the Corona RT132 rear axle fitted. This is a T-series axle similar to Zenki AE86's axle. With this axle, i can then install my 2-way Cusco LSD.
As expected, the fitment work itself basically is an easy bolt-on job. Only problem came from my own mistake of forgetting to get the lateral (panhard) bar that came with the axle. I was under the impression that the lateral bars are interchangeable between my S-series originally from The Dog and T-series from the Corona. I was wrong apparently. I had to hunt for the matching lateral bar at the junkyard and luckily i finally got one. Here's the comparison.
Lower one is from my Charmant with red Prothane bushings. There's approximately an inch difference in length.

If you're doing the same conversion, don't forget to also get the e-brake cables that are attached to the rear brake pads. They are a pair for left and right, each of different lengths and also completely different from that of Charmant's.

Along with the rear axles, the 24mm rear wheel spacers were also put in place. I was relieved to see that 24mm is enough to push the wheel lips just outside the fender. Yes it would be better with 30mm but 24mm is enough for me.
A slight miss-communication prevented me to take important measurements on the axles when both were removed. I can't confirm whether the wheel track width is the same between both axles. Also i can't confirm whether the 4-link bracket positions are the same. It's not too late, i can have it measured with the T-series installed, only it will be a bit more challenging. All i learned yesterday was everything bolted up easily.

How about the propeller shaft? Well, the original propeller shaft from The Dog can be bolted on easily although the third member from a T-series is obviously longer. I read that i have to shorten the propshaft by 20mm to get the perfect fitment. I'll get right to it as soon as i can especially i have also planned to lower the stance. That would push the prop-shaft further into the T50 gearbox and increase the risk of bottoming the yoke to the gearbox shaft.

Other than being able to fit an AE86 LSD, another advantage of getting a T-series axle is the significant increase in drum brake diameter as shown here. The smaller drum is Charmant's original.

That's for the rear-end. As for the front-end, i managed to replace all steering links with new ones. Some, if not all, of my links were still in good condition but i decided to replace them anyway. Here's the new stuff.
A pair of rack-ends and outer tie-rods. Not seen here are the rack rubber boots and lower control arm ball-joints. Everything except the boots are identical to KE70's. The beauty of Toyota-Daihatsu interchangeability. Installing new steering links would require wheel alignment but i decided to wait until i can get the short stroke struts in.
Along with those steering link parts, i also bought some important parts for my short stroke and RX7 brake conversion. I will share the parts i bought in another post.

By the way, I WANT THESE.. lol
They're called heim joints (or rose joints or spherical rod ends, depending where you're from). They're the essential part of fabricating my own rose-jointed adjustable 4 links and panhard rod. T3 sells them for a whopping US$360 just for the 4 links. Panhard cost about US$135. If i can get my hands on these, i'll save a lot. Yes, the Prothane bushings would then be useless but i can always sell them to KE70 users.

Traction Brackets DIY and Wheel Spacers

2011-02-09T04:02:00.000-08:00

Having FWD offset, my Axis OG Oldskools wheels need some spacers for them to fit snugly on The Dog. I've already got the front spacers at 20mm thickness. Now i only need a pair of rear ones. My guess is that i need about 30-35mm spacers to get the outer rim lips sit just outside my fender.

I got an offer for two pairs of 25mm spacers yesterday. Hoping that my 30-35mm guess is wrong, i took the risk and bought the 25mm just today. Here they are..

I have 3 pairs of spacers now: a pair of 20mm and two pairs of 24mm. Who knows one day i'm crazy enough and put 44mm of stacked spacers?

Anyhow.. the seller just happens to be an owner of a machine shop. I was looking for a machine shop to make me RX7 caliper adapters and asked them whether they're up to the job. I showed them pics of how the adapters would be and, just like that, i can now make the adapters locally! Lucky me. Hmm.. business opportunity? How many of you still need these adapters really? One thing left to worry about then is the delivery of those Ebay calipers from Aussie.

Once installed, my rear RS*R springs should lower the car significantly and i learned that i will need traction brackets to avoid axle wrap. I won't talk about the reasons behind traction brackets just yet. I'll only talk about having the machine shop make me those traction brackets. Not really a DIY process, i know. It's more a DIT or Do It Together. LOL. The machinist did all the dirty work and i showed him the design and kept him on track mostly because he had no idea what exactly was he working on.

What's a traction bracket? Here's some samples, courtesy of grey_nomad of Toymods forum.

As shown above, traction brackets are attached to the rear lower control arm mounting brackets on the axle. The control arms then will mount to these traction brackets, returning the lower control arm angle to the original position on a lowered 4-link suspension vehicle similar to Charmants and AE86s.

Each traction brackets comprised of two side plates and one bridge plate. Side plates are the ones attached to the original mounting brackets while bridge plate are welded to the side plates and keeps them on a fixed width. Also i just made up those names myself.

Have you clicked that grey_nomad link above? If not, you were just about to lose a valuable information. Go ahead, click it and read the posts. The wonderful grey_nomad was kind enough to go through the hassle of drawing us the measurements of his traction brackets. Still haven't clicked the link? I'll save you from your laziness and present the measurements below.

Not really rocket science eh? Hole A and B will be bolted to the original brackets and no, you don't have to drill any holes on the original. Hole C and D are your two options for the new mounting positions. Notice how C and D are of slightly different heights? This is designed to retain your pinion angle.

This is how it goes using a 4mm steel plate..

This is the result.

I haven't welded the bridge plate just yet. I don't have the axle to get the actual width so i can't weld it yet. On workdays, i'm 200km away from The Dog, remember? grey_nomad did gave us the measurement on his drawings above which is 57.6mm but i'm playing safe.

I will also need a pair 3mm washers on the inner side where the control arms will be mounted. This is to maintain the original bracket width. Remember, you're bolting the side plates outside of the original brackets so the washers should be placed inside.

As part of my appreciation to the machine shop for letting me tour their work area and watch the whole process, i'd be happy to inform you their contact details. Though i doubt it would be useful for those of you in Jakarta, at least this gives you more alternative to great machine shops. This machine shop is called Radja Basa and located at Jalan Raya Hajimena No 168, Natar, Lampung Selatan. You can contact the owner Awie on +62-721-703-576. Here's their sign.

Commencing RX7 Brake Upgrade

2011-02-07T02:34:00.000-08:00

Just got lucky. Won Ebay Australia auction for a pair of used RX7 FD brake calipers. These babies are essential for the well-known brake upgrade option for AE86 owners. Having 4-pots each, brake fades should be a thing in the past.

Although it's a good idea to rebuilt used calipers before use, i'm going to be cheap and just believe the description on Ebay: Recently had fluid in them and were being used, they will be OK for use without rebuild.

They come without pads so i'm on the hunt for new ones. Figuring that brake pads are somewhat fast-moving spare parts, i don't want to have to preorder everytime i need new ones. I went looking for an alternative available locally and budget-friendly. Obviously you don't see RX7s rolling in Indonesian streets a lot so you can't expect many shops would stock their brake pads. However, thanks to this wonderful Malaysian blog, i learned that 80 series Land Cruiser brake pads should fit with minor mods. Here's the comparison.

Curvy one is LC's. You can see the sides are a tad bigger but that should be an easy fix with a grinder if necessary.

Obviously i'm going to have to find some way to mount these RX7 calipers to my struts. I've been trying to contact AJPS for the last few days but no response so far. AJPS manufactures these equally essential parts..

These slick looking stuff allow me to mount that RX7 caliper on my stock strut, which is identical to AE86 strut. Kinda worried since AJPS haven't responded so far. Why the hurry? Well, i am counting on my cousin to bring me back these stuff from Aussie and he's flying back next week. AJPS is in Adelaide and he's in Sydney. It'll take some time to deliver these parts and that's what i don't have much of. I hope they're not out of stock.. Or, seeing on the bright side if they do, i might have similar bracket machined here for much less. However, this is not something the average machine shop here can make.. with same level of safety and quality anyway.

Anyway, as stated on their website, these adapters are to be matched with 262 x 20mm Honda Civic EG6/EK4 front rotors. Luck is again on my side.. Right in the middle of writing this post, i just made a deal for a set of used EK4 rotors and met with the seller in person. Measuring the dimensions using a ruler, all is perfect. How can i tell that the measurements are correct?

Meet DBA Rotors, taken from their website, Australia's leader in innovative blah blah blah and the production of performance disc brake rotors. The best part of their website is the online catalog where you can check the sizing of many OEM disc brakes. Using this service, i learned that these are the main measurements:

- Rotor Overall Diameter (A)

- Total Height (B)

- Disc Thickness (C)

- Minimum Disc Thickness (D, not shown)

- Center Bore Diameter (E)

- Number of bolts (F)

- PCD (G)

Just from logic, E to G are negligible as we can get them machined to our suit. A to C are the main numbers you need to watch. These are the values for EG6/EK4 rotors for A, B and C.

A = 262 mm

B = 45 mm

C = 21 mm

Thickness is only 1 mm off from AJPS's spec but diameter is perfect. Those values are also what i found on the discs that i bought just 15 minutes ago! They need to be machined to fit the Charmant hub but that's easy work.

Now, the remaining parts are the caliper brackets and brake pads. Brake pads are easy. Only thing left to worry about is the caliper delivery to Indonesia and caliper brackets. If AJPS do ran out of stock, hopefully i can get fabricate one here. Hoping everything will turn out as planned.

One thing i don't understand fully is whether the master cylinder is sufficient for those massive calipers. I've read some say the brake feel will become mushy but some also say it's fine. I can't really tell until i install them but i already got a plan ahead. If i end up having to replace the master cylinders, guess what will be an easy upgrade? Well, again 80 series Land Cruiser to the rescue! They have bigger inner diameter (one inch) which would be perfect for a pair of 4-pot front calipers and it should be a bolt-on work. How accurate is this info? Here's one proof. Head on to one of Bob R's monkeymagic86 blog post and you'll find this pic below.

Those are the stuff that went to Bob's beautiful AE86 (good stuff btw). He's using the same RX7 brake upgrade method. Check the lower-mid part of the pic. See a master cylinder? Bob mentioned that he's using a Land Cruiser master cylinder. Which version? Go to google image for Land Cruiser 80 Series Brake Master Cylinder and match the results with Bob's.

*** edit Feb 10th 2011 ***

Speedhunters just put a write up on Ryan Beal's 3S-GTE powered KE70. Ryan's car is equipped with Land Cruiser calipers and RX7 pads. This just proves even more that the brake pads are interchangeable. Here's the pic.

Rolling on New Wheels

2011-02-03T04:03:00.000-08:00

Axis OG Oldskool 15x8 114.3x4 ET+28 on The Dog. Tires are both 185/55/R15 front and rear. They're Achilles ATR Sport for those who care. Contemplated on 175/50 previously but soon changed my mind seeing how narrow and weird they would look on Charmant's wide body. Hence, semi-stretched look yet maintaining balance with body dimension.

A word of advice: avoid using the same wheel measurement for your Charmant. 15x8 inch and +28mm of offset will give you headache. On the front end, the inner wheel lip will touch the strut housing. You'll need 20mm of spacer to get enough clearance between them, which is what i did. With that thickness, you'll want hub-centric spacers. Avoid universal spacers which only give you vibration and added risk.

On the rear, there's no problem with fitting the wheels but you'll soon realize that they will be too deep inside the wheel wells. Null effect on performance but also zero points on looks. You'll need about 30mm of spacers to poke the wheels out a bit for that extra thumbs-ups.

Those of you familiar with wheel measurements should already know that such positive offset is usually for FWD cars. Based on this experience, with 15x8, i'd say the maximum offset is ET+0. The lesser, the better. You can calculate yourself if you have other wheel size. For example, with 15x9, you don't want to go more than ET-12.

Enough with me blabbering. Let's get down to business.. Pics!!!

Now, with that done, are we getting closer to this guy?

Drool-worthy authentic Work Equip 03s.. Who knows when i can get my hands on them.

What The Dog desperately needs now is some lowering and that 30mm rear spacers. Lowering will have to wait for the T3 suspension parts to arrive and spacers, well, let's see if i can get lucky again just like on the front ones. Got the front spacers for sale just when i was confused on the inner lip-strut problem but i don't think i'll get so lucky this time and have to go the long way of having a machine shop make them for me.

AE86 Prothane Bushings Fitment

2011-01-30T20:45:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was allocated to get those Prothane bushings installed. After seeing the whole process, bushing fitments are clearly not for those without the proper tools. It should take you a whole day to put the bushings both on the front and rear side, swearing and yelling from working on 20+ years old sticky parts included.

Just a quick reminder, i am using Prothane Bushing Total kit for AE86 on my Charmant. Having the exact same suspension parts as her tofu delivering cousin (damn i love this car!), nearly all of the bushings from the kit can be used. The only difference between AE86 and Charmant is the rear sway bar (or the lack of it on the Daihatsu trim so you'll be left with the bushings for these unused).

Most of the fitment work is straightforward. You pull the part out, drill/cut/burn/press and curse the old bushings away, put the new ones in and reinstall. An exception was found on one end of the panhard or lateral rod from the RR Track Arm Kit (#18-1205). One of the ends have a non-split bushing. You may need to get help from a machine shop to fit it unharmed.
Took the mechanic working on my fitment a handful of tries before finally succeeded. The mechanic was using simple tools and a last-minute pressing machine so don't blame him for the tries. It will be tempting to split the bushing to make it easier but don't. There's only one non-split bushing so it won't hurt to pay extra and get some pro help on it.

Here's the emergency pressing machine the workshop used.
A ladder-shaped frame and a car jack is all. Mind that they didn't use any drill or torch to get the bushing out. A handsaw, hammer and that press machine were the main tools used. Here's the ghetto rig pushing an old bushing out of a front control arm.
Here's the mechanic finishing the front end. The arrows point to the location for the frond end bushings. If it's too hard to see, better diagrams are below.
I got help a lot on this one from my friend Yohann. He detailed which part goes where on this post. See the comments section. So, credits to him also for these diagram i made. Hopefully you will meet less problem as me with these diagrams.

On above diagram, the Sway Bar Bushing on the kit (19-1120) comes with the brackets also. However, i chose to keep the old brackets. The bolt holes for the new brackets were slotted while the old ones were round. I find that the round shape would keep the brackets in place better.

For the rear end, there's no sway bar on Charmant so you'll be left with the end links (#18-401) and bushings (#18-1130) unused. You can sell these to get some money back or retrofit an AE86 sway bar and use them.

Driving the car with new bushings gave a whole different impression. You can "feel" the road better, for lack of a better word, and the car is less wobbly. I'd definitely suggest you do the same upgrade. It'll be worth every penny. Proof? Here's some. New vs old front sway bar end link, can you say beefy?
Or here's a more basic reason..
Healthy strut rod bushings vs 20 years old burger. You simply can't expect good drivability from old and worn out suspension bushings.

A Write-up on 4A-GE 16v Cooling System

2011-01-26T23:51:00.000-08:00

Don't bother reading this post. This is just me writing down stuff i know so that i don't have to memorize them for future reference. Of course, you're welcome to read if you wish to know more on 4A-GE cooling system.

Found below diagram on Bill Sherwood's web. Bill's diagram is simpler and monochromatic so I decided to sharpen up my Photoshop skills and put fun colors and letters so that kindergartens are happy, grownups learn more and the world is a better place. I know it's overkill to use PS for this but shut up and read.

Click here for bigger resolution of diagram above.

The coolant flow is such:

When thermostat is closed, water is pushed by the water pump into the engine block through "IN" port. It then circulates following the orange arrows inside the engine block, goes up to the cylinder head and exits through OUT1 and OUT2 port. From OUT1, water passes the thermostat and back to the pump following blue arrows to repeat the cycle while from OUT2 it goes basically the same only the water is also diverted to the heater and throttle body before arriving back to the pump.

If the thermostat is open after exposed to enough heat from the water coming out of OUT1 and OUT2, the flow is same only now water also goes in and out of the radiator (green arrows) so that heat can be reduced.

That diagram above obviously shows a 16v RWD 4A-GE (bigport?) seeing it has fan attached to the pump and the thermostat is integrated to the water pump housing. FWD 4A-GEs like smallports has its thermostat separated from the pump and housed inside what's commonly known as 'remote thermostat housing' looking similar to these, pic taken from this awesome guide.

So, what are we learning from the diagram? Here's some:

First, cylinder 4, being furthest from the water pump, gets preheated water since coolant passes the other cylinders first before reaching it. This is why it's more common that engine gasket close to cylinder 4 fails first than the other cylinders.

Second, since there are two output ports for coolant from the cylinder head, you can block the water flow from OUT2 and still have the water flowing. However, this is not recommended because water around cylinder 4 needs to travel back to cylinder 1 before finally coming out the head. This way, heat will build up quicker around the back causing higher risk of overheating.

Third, you can bypass the heater rendering it useless or you can keep the heater function and if the engine is going to overheat, turning the heater on will also help cool the engine. It's only fair that you suffer what your engine is suffering.

Fourth, the thermostat needs to stay exposed to heated water or it'll always block water coming in from the radiator. To achieve this, water coming out of either OUT1 or OUT2 needs to always "tickle" the thermostat. This shouldn't be a problem if you have the RWD waterpump as it warrants this requirement by having the thermostat integrated to the water pump. If using a remote thermostat housing, however, you need to ensure that at least either OUT 1 or OUT 2 goes through the remote housing first before coming back to the pump. This is a mistake done by my workshop before. Allow me to elaborate their mistake so you won't do the same.

Above picture is taken somewhere from the web that i forgot. Anyway, as you can see, my workshop bypasses the remote housing by connecting OUT2 straight to upper radiator outlet on OUT1. They were confused as to why the radiator stays cold although the engine has been running for some time. Luckily it wasn't running long enough. What happens when you connect it the same way as my workshop did, the thermostat is not exposed to heated water and won't open. This means the pump is not pulling any water, water is not pushed into the engine block, blah blah blah and finally no water going to the radiator!

Another thing i'd like to kick out of my head is the fact that water also flows pass the throttle body (purple arrows). This is where those purple arrows go:

Coolant water flows pass the throttle body is to control the IACV, Idle Air Control Valve. What this valve does is control the flow of air coming in from the IACV air bleed hole (that big hole just in front of the throttle plate). If IACV is open, a small amount of air is leaked from the air bleed hole to behind the throttle plate. This bumps the RPM a bit, useful during cold starts to avoid the engine stalling. If the IACV is closed, the opposite happens. No air is leaked and RPM drops.

The IACV achieves this function by some amount of wax which is exposed to the coolant temperature. This wax expands or shrinks depends on the temperature and in turn controls the IACV. The flow is like this:

Cold engine --> Cold coolant --> IACV opens --> Air leaks --> RPM increased

Warm engine --> Hot coolant --> IACV closes --> Air blocked --> RPM reduced

I don't know how it works precisely but this is what i imagine in mind:

Hope that gives you an idea of how IACV works.

One of the problems common to 4A-GE is high or hunting RPM on idle even after the engine warms long enough. This could be a sign of faulty IACV most probably from the wax aging considering how old 4A-GEs are. You can check for this by blocking the IACV bleed hole in front of the throttle plate using your finger. When the engine warms enough, you should feel no vacuum. If you get some vacuum and the RPM drops suddenly, there you go, you've got a busted IACV.

If you don't feel any need for IACV (meaning you're sure your engine won't stall during cold starts) or you can't find any replacement for your broken IACV, you can install an IACV blocking plate. I won't name any brand, you can just google for "4AGE IACV blocking plate".

Last thing i'd like to bore you with: notice that the thermoswitch to control the radiator fan is on the radiator input of the remote thermostat housing. This means it is only exposed to water leaving the radiator. This water is cooler than the actual engine temperature having passed through the radiator before. What this means is that the thermoswitch must have lower temperature threshold to activate the radiator fan.

Let's say you want the fan to turn on when engine temperature reaches 90 deg C. Assume that the radiator will drop water temperature by 20 deg C. So for the fan to start at the right time, the fan thermoswitch must have its threshold set at 90-20 = 70 deg C. Interesting yet risky design. There's a delay between water coming in and out of the radiator and if the thermoswitch reacts too slowly, the fan would turn on too late and you could overheat the engine. I wonder what's the reason behind this? Do share in the comments if you know and i'll trade the knowledge with more boring posts.

*** edit 25-Feb-11 ***

It seems that my imagination has served me quite well. Forgot that i have a TVIS 4AGE service manual pdf and in it is a diagram of that IACV i talked about. Close enough to my imagination, lol.

Non-exhaustive Exhaust System Build

2011-01-25T02:47:00.000-08:00

Having only extractor flowing exhaust gas out of her revving 4A-GE, The Dog badly needed a full exhaust system. Last Sunday, i drove her to the exhaust workshop after having made an appointment the day before. My goal was to keep the extractor so the builder need only to make the extractor-back system. Told them i don't mind having a bit of noise as long as the exhaust flow are kept optimum. Hence, these are the stuff they will be putting in.
Two mini-mufflers, one flexible joint and a stainless steel tail pipe. I don't know much about exhaust systems so i may get the names wrong there. The mufflers don't look pretty also but i can't complain since i am only charged 100 bucks for the full build. Besides, they're willing to give a full year warranty for their work. Notice the slanted tip on the tail pipe? I decided to cut it down to a right-angle later.

Here's the builder earning his pay.

Seeing this guy at work is like watching an artwork in progress. He uses no measuring tapes, no angle ruler, all done only by memory and a piece of chalk to mark some spots. One thing i learned from the build work was how to bend pipes without flattening them out. Here's one sample of pipe bending using a roller.

Overall, the whole build process only took about two hours. Surprised that it was so quick considering that most of the work is done only by one guy. Anyway, here are the result pics. Notice that the tip on the tail pipe is no longer slanted. Just the way i like it!

I tried to make before-after build videos just so you can hear the difference but i don't think the sound quality is good enough. Maybe it's the mic on my phone. Nevertheless, here are the comparison video.

Before..

After..

Loving how she sounds now! She's somewhat subtle on idle yet roars on throttle.
After this, i need to get her back to the Megasquirt workshop to get her final tune.Will have to find some time to fly back to Jakarta again soon! By the way, i also just made the purchase for the technotoytuning suspension bits i planned earlier. I guess i am going short stroke conversion after all! All i am left to find for the suspension are the front and rear dampers. I am currently eyeing on a set of used TRD Blue rear shocks for sale locally. Maybe i'll go check the stuff later in Jakarta.

Housebreaking The Dog

2011-01-24T22:23:00.001-08:00

Two weeks ago i wrote on getting the first 4A-GE engine run on The Dog using Megasquirt setup. However she wasn't quite ready to run on her own. It took the workshop a few more days to finalize the setup and get her ready. Finally, early last week i got an sms from the shop owner saying that she's ready. The workshop is eager to get her out since there's not much space there and some car is already overdue there.

Last weekend i went back to Jakarta to pick up the car. I went there on Saturday evening as they're work at nights. You know this workshop means business when they decided that Saturday nights aren't for beers and getting laid. Or they're just socially awkward.

I took a few test runs before feeling confident that she can be driven home safely. She only got the extractor and nothing else as far as exhaust goes. So you can bet that she was very loud. Good thing these guys work at night as i won't feel so comfortable driving such loud car on public roads on daylight.

At about 00.30 AM i start driving her back home slowly. Dad was behind me in another car. I avoided highways and main roads as best as i can out of fear of having some patrol car stopping me. I even slowed down when i see red traffic lights hoping they would turn green when i get near the intersection. Why bother? Here's why.. Notice the noise she was making..

Surely the cops won't be happy having such noise maker bothering them on their lunch. Safely made it back home anyway, went to bed and couldn't sleep from the excitement of finally having The Dog parked at home for the FIRST TIME EVER. Yeah, she never got to my house because the first day she was mine, she went to the body workshop straight away.

After just a nap (can't really say that half an hour of shutting one's eyes as sleeping, can you?), i got out of bed and find this in front of the house. Lo and behold, a new pet dog.. The Dog that is!

Looking mean with those steel rims. Here's some more shots. You can see in one of the pics that the engine bay wiring is still a mess. Will have to sort that out soon.

.. and here's my favorite shot. Both of my dogs in one picture!
That morning, The Dog didn't get enough sleep as i did. She had to go to the exhaust workshop right away to reduce that noise. Will write about it in another post.

Patrick's Silvertop Charmant from Barbados

2011-01-19T20:30:00.000-08:00

A few days ago i received an email from a guy asking about spare Charmant body parts. He's looking for sets of exterior lamps like headlamps, tail lights, bumper lamps, etc. What pleases me the most about his email is that he also attached some pics of his current work-in-progress Charmant.

Meet Patrick Roett and his familiar looking Charmant. It's going to run a Silvertop 20v 4A-GE converted to run on ITBs and MAP sensor. Quoting directly from his email:

Here are some pics of the car. We finished painting and putting it back together about a week ago. Working on getting the engine fitted correctly before sending it off to the electrician. I know you will instantly recognize where I got my inspiration from.

Patrick's building this beast in Barbados. Along with my T&T based dear friend Dereck and his Smallport 4A-GE Charmant and also Edward Corbin's Rally Charmant, i'd say the Carribean is heaven for Charmant enthusiasts! I know where i am going for my holidays!

Still curious where Patrick got his inspiration? Well, here you go.

I am sure if you've been in the Charmant internet world long enough, you've seen that pic above. There's more pics of that Japanese Charmant on my hard drive but sadly no background story or specs to accompany them.

Anyway, keep your spirit high Patrick. I know projects like this can be stressful at times and even tempt you to just scrap the car but hang in there.. It's been almost two years since i started this project and i am doing my best to keep the momentum going. I know i'll reap the reward sooner or later.

SHE'S ALIVE!

2011-01-14T20:16:00.000-08:00

Never expected this day would come so soon but.. SHE'S ALIVE! Finally The Dog gets her first 4A-GE treatment!

Visited the workshop last night and honestly didn't expect to get to see the engine started and running but i first thing i saw last night was this..

Custom made fuel-system rig. You've got the mini tank, fuel filter and pump there along with the supply and return line. I'd like to make me one of those! It would surely make troubleshooting fuel system easier.

Some more shots i made last night. Click to enlarge. First is the Megasquirt.

Second pic is another good news, the extractor fits! 35 bucks and it fits. Sure have saved some money there. Now, i only got the extractor there. No downpipes, muffler, tail pipes etc so she's a bit loud but i decided to get the exhaust in another workshop so she'll have to hang on to that for now.

I finally got to peek under the car clearly for the first time as she was on the car lift. Here you can see how very close my extractor is to the clutch slave cylinder. The clutch line needs some tidying up. Last thing i want is to boil the clutch hydraulics while i am cruising. If you're confused with the picture, i took it from under the passenger's floor facing front. You can identify the PS rack too under the extractor there.

And finally here's the money shot. Be warned though, as i mentioned in my earlier post, this workshop only works at night so you have to excuse the lack of proper lighting on the video. By the way, this would be the first video of The Dog on the blog!

Still got some tidying up to do before she can finally hit the road and move to the exhaust workshop. By the way, the workshop decided to pull a new bigger diameter fuel supply line. They thought it was too small and would risk starving the engine. As for the return line, they would use the original supply line. So i would left with one line unused, the original return line. I am glad that they made the decision. Who knows i would upgrade the engine one day. This way, i would always be certain that the fuel lines are up to the job. Here's the pipe they'll be using for the new line.

So what's next? Obviously the exhaust system. I also need to start hunting for the short-stroke conversion suspension parts and find me someone that can put the T-series axle in.

Jumpstarting The Project

2010-12-29T02:23:00.000-08:00

Finally, after months of hibernating, this project gets its long awaited jumpstart. My reason of neglecting this project is classic cliché: busy with work. Hey, if you can pay someone else to do the job while saving a little extra cash for you, why not?

Anyway, as it was last year, i get to go back home for Christmas last week. With work easing up a bit, i decided that it's time get the project rolling again. The project halted when i was working on the ECU and engine wiring. Now realizing that it's impossible for me to wire them myself and finish in time before i get bored, i decided to let the expert do the work. Only this time, i add a little twist..

Meet Megasquirt. Megasquirt is basically a DIY fully-programmable standalone ECU system developed by Bruce Bowling and Al Grippo. I won't bore you with the details but the i can tell you that Megasquirt obeys the "DIY equals cheap" golden rule. You'll pay only a fraction of any other branded aftermarket standalone ECUs not unlike AEM, Haltech, EMS, etc. But in my case, it won't be DIY by me. I am paying someone else to do it. I don't want to repeat the same mistake of neglecting the project due to business.

(image courtesy of Bowling and Grippo)

There were two options for me when i wanted to kick start the project again. First one is to get someone to wire the stock ECU and the second is of course Megasquirt. First option is much cheaper but then i thought why not shell-out extra money and future-proof The Dog. By future-proof i mean that if someday i want to upgrade the engine performance, Megasquirt is there to fine tune to my needs, be it N/A or Forced Induction upgrade.

The workshop where The Dog hibernated previously had no experience building Megasquirt so it was necessary for me to move it to some place else. If you're an Indonesian car lover and familiar with Megasquirt, surely you know where my destination was. I won't disclose the new workshop name yet until i can say that i am satisfied with their work.

Anyway, here's some pics of The Dog moving to the new workshop. Final payments were made to the old workshop and using their towing service, The Dog was moved.

The workshop seems unappealing to me at first but then i smack myself on the head and realized that this workshop belongs to a guy who has installed dozens of self-built Megasquirt himself. Not only that, the workshop is known by turbocharger freaks and the likes as usually this is where they go when they have forced-induction problem.

So there you go. The Dog project is rolling again now and hopefully progress will be much faster now that its in the hands of someone with better knowledge of injection systems.

Another thing i did for The Dog during my Christmas holiday is extractor hunt. As you know, i am still short of 4AGE RWD exhaust system for The Dog and with Megasquirt coming in soon, i will too need to get an exhaust system so that the engine can be started.

There were three options for me. First, the new workshop can built me a full exhaust system themselves. However, they're charging me premium for it since they're using full stainless steel pipes. These pipes will last forever hence the premium price behind them. Second option would be just to get me a set of extractors first. That way i can get the engine running, albeit with loud noise, and move the car to a cheaper exhaust system workshop. Third option would be to hire a towing service (again), move it to the exhaust workshop, tow it again and put it back to the Megasquire workshop. Doesn't sound to efficient for me.

I saw an ad for used RWD-mounted 4AGE extractors a few months ago but didn't get the chance to see the stuff myself. Luckily, the item was still available when i asked the seller a few days ago and it's cheap! However, it's built for KE70 so i can't be 100% sure if it'll fit my Charmant. My biggest worry would be from firewall and starter motor clearance. But since it's very cheap, i decided to buy it anyway. Here it is.

It turned out that the KE70's 4AGE had a similar transmission as mine which is the T50 coming from a Charmant. What this means is that the starter motor is placed on the same position. One less thing to worry about. Now as for the firewall clearance, i have yet to find out as i didn't get the chance to deliver the extractors to the new workshop. Dad will have to help me get it there. Crossing my finger here.

Anyway, i have decided that if the extractors don't fit, i'll pay the premium and let the workshop built me a custom stainless steel exhaust system.

So there you go.. The project's now running again with a slight change of direction but it's nearing the end nevertheless. Wish me luck!

Best Charmant Drift Video.. So Far

2010-11-10T07:43:00.000-08:00

Just found this on Youtube today. Best Charmant drift video i've known so far.

Wow, i haven't written for too long that i barely remember how to embed videos.

Now, If You'll Excuse Me..

2010-05-19T07:07:00.000-07:00

I have a work-related project coming up and it will keep me preoccupied for quite a while. In the meantime, i'll have less time to focus on The Dog.. sigh.. Oh well, work's an inseparable part of growing up for most of us, including me. I guess have to do what i am paid to do. After all, this is what pays for The Dog all along.

During the project, i will most probably write less often though i'll try to stay in touch. It's the early phase of the project that is going to keep me from The Dog and that phase has already started. For how long? I can't really say but the target is to close the project before this year's Eid holidays which is around September.

What's the latest status of The Dog? Well, last time the dashboard was taken down to ease me working of the harness. I've asked the workshop to reinstall the dash and to finish all the cooling and fuel lines. When those are finished, with headers borrowed from the workshop, we'll plug in the ECU and see if my harness works!

Once i get The Dog running, i'll send The Dog to an exhaust workshop for a complete re-do of the exhaust system. After that, it's time to put all the stuff i bought so far like the LSD, Corona axle, Prothane bushings, Bride seat etc. It'll be fun seeing all those stuff coming in at almost the same time!

Major stuff left for me to buy are the remaining suspension parts and brake upgrades. I've decided on the suspension part that i'll go with short stroke conversion. As for the brake upgrade, i am seriously considering going with 4 pot RX7 FC caliper conversion like many AE86 owners did on their car. This is the brake conversion i mean. I am still researching on brake upgrades so this is not final. Let's see what the internet brings to me later..

So.. if you'll excuse me, i have a project to do. But let me assure you that this will not the last time you'll see me.. Stay tuned!

Cusco LSD and Bride Pros Seat

2010-04-30T21:41:00.000-07:00

My Cusco LSD has finally been delivered.. Glad to see that i got what i ordered: part number 130 L2. Now let's hope that it fits my Corona T130 axle.

Installing the LSD will have to wait until my engine starts. Will need to do more research on LSD oils, but most probably i'll go for Motul 90PA LSD Oil. I heard they perform well and help reduce LSD noise.

Meanwhile, just acquired my driver's seat today! Seeing that red Bride seats match my black Charmant on my photoshop wallpaper, i decided to get those. Recently, a used Bride Pros seat was for sale. I waited until the seller finally uploaded the pics and when i saw that it was red, i hurried made an appointment to see the item. Dad helped me check the item in Jakarta and with one quick glance, the seat was mine. One minor defect on the back but overall, the seat was in excellent condition.
Looks like someone beat me on the race to drifting.. Cute hat mom..
More pictures of the seat below.

Keeping my eye out for the passenger's seat. My target would be similar colored Bride seat, only this time will be recline-able. Red Bride Ergo II replica looks good and budget-friendly. Let's see if i can find green Takata safety harness to match.

DCC Has Got You Covered (in a Tabloid)

2010-04-30T20:55:00.000-07:00

We're on the news! One of our automotive tabloid, OTOMOTIF, dedicated a small column for Daihatsu Charmant Community's 4th Anniversary. Here's the column scan..
The translation, more or less:

On Sunday (25/4), Daihatsu Charmant Community celebrated its 4th anniversary.
Themed as "Uniting with Nature and Animals", the celebration took place in an
open space, at Ragunan Zoo to be exact. The participants were from Jakarta, Bogor
and Bandung. Conforming DCC's slogan, "Saving The Breed", an award ceremony
and certificate giveaways were held to honor the members who were dedicated
to keeping Charmants alive. If you're interested to join, head to
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/daihatsu_charmant_community.

Update 25 April 2010 - Fuel and Cooling

2010-04-25T23:22:00.000-07:00

Here are some MMS sent by my workshop earlier last week. The thermostat housing has finally found its resting place, on top of the engine brackets. The water pump pipe has to be extended to reach the thermostat housing's outlet.
The fuel pump and filter also have found their home in the rear trunk. I noticed yesterday when i visited the Dog that the fuel pump and filter are in the wrong order. The way they are placed below, the fuel pump comes before the filter while i want it the other way around.
Last update from the MMS is my instrument panel. They made it using aluminum but it still has to be cut to fit the dashboard space.
Meanwhile, i acquired a used air filter intake pipe. It was meant for Honda D16 engine but seeing the way the pipe goes, i am sure it can be fixed to fit my 4A-GE. The best thing is that it has provisions for the engine ventilation hose and air intake temp sensor. The straight long section will have to be cut.

Last engine swap update is the wire mess that i still need to clean up. Nothing that cable spiral tubes can't fix.

Meanwhile, meet the first member of my suspension upgrade components. Used but uncut RS*R AE86 rear springs rated at 4.5 kg/m. Payments for them have been made and now they're on their way from Japan.

Hi! I am DCC-017!

2010-04-25T21:30:00.000-07:00

Our Daihatsu Charmant Community celebrated its 4th anniversary last weekend. We made a gathering at Ragunan Zoo on April 25th 2010. It was also about time for me to check the progress on The Dog and so i decided to go back to Jakarta Friday evening. I arrived in Jakarta Saturday morning.

I visited the workshop on Saturday and continued working on the harness a bit. The harness is done but i still need to make some adjustment to the length so it fits. Will share some update photos after this. As usual, not to happy with the progress the workshop had made but since i have established that the workshop sucks, no need for me to further stress it out.

Anyway, Saturday went away quick and it was already Sunday morning. I did some chores first and took off to attend DCC's 4th Anniversary celebration just after lunch time. No surprise, reaching the spot at 2 PM, i was the last member to arrive since the gathering started in the morning.

Here are some shots of the gathering i took with my iPhone.

More photos can be found on DCC's Facebook page. Search for Daihatsu Charmant Community.

It was a fun day. We had lunch, discussed about our Charmants, took many photos etc. There was some kind of award giveaways for members with special achievements during 2009 like Charmant of the Year, Most Contributory Member, Most Visits to The Junkyard etc. Look what i won!
Roughly explained, i won the category for Most Technical member. I guess i talked about technical stuff too often. lol. Can't help it. It's in my engineer's blood.

We also drew lots to decide the member's ID number. Number 1 and 2 already went to Chairman Wanto and Vice-chairman Wahyu so starting from 3 and up, the ID number was randomly given. I got number 17.. So that makes me DCC-017!

Two Charmants caught my attention: Budi's with carburetted 4A-GE 16v and Sigit's running 4A-GE 20v. Here's Sigit's engine bay.
Sigit regularly attends drag races with his Charmant. At first it made into the 15 seconds 402 m class but a problem with leaking compression threw it off to the 16s class. Hope you can fix that leak soon Git! Forgot to take pictures of his interior but it was typical dragster: single bucket seat, roll cage, fire extinguisher and some funky switches. Since he got the 20v from a halfcut, he also installed the AE111 dashboard, trimmed to fit Charmant's width.

Below here is Budi's. It's also a dragster slash daily driver just like Sigit's.
Here's an interesting view.
Notice something missing? Charmant's T50 gearbox has its clutch slave cylinder on this side and it posed a minor problem when converting to a 4A-GE as the extractor pipes have to run very close to said cylinder. Budhi's Charmant, however, had its T50 swapped with another T50 but the replacement came out of an AE86 GTS. Hence, the bellhousing has the clutch cylinder on the other side. Good decision there.

All in all, it was a fun day with 17 Charmants showing up. Sadly my Charmant still can't join the pack.. God knows when will the day for me to drive The Dog arrives.

Tentative Plan for Suspension Upgrade

2010-04-23T01:47:00.000-07:00

Finally made an initial plan for my suspension upgrade. This plan is still tentative but i don't foresee how i would deviate much from it, unless stuff are unobtainable. Very open to suggestion. If you find anything seem out of place below, shout on the comments.

As my plan for The Dog is mainly a daily ride with the ability to support some aggressive driving, i don't see any need for coilovers. I am not saying coilovers aren't great for daily but they would be overkill for The Dog. By coilovers i mean stuff like Greddy Type-S, D2 Racing, Ksport Kontrol-Pro etc. Detailed explanation on why i chose this setup will be done on coming posts. Not really an expert on suspension geometry and stuff but i believe i've enough research to support my decision on below setup.

FRONT
Basically i'll go for short stroke conversion with RCA. Relatively medium rate springs for stiffer ride while retaining kidneys intact.
1. Weld-on Ground Control AE86 Coilover kit rated at 6 kg/mm
2. Stock strut case shortened 40 mm
3. AE92 Koni Sport adjustable strut inserts, custom bottom spacers will be necessary
4. 35-40 mm RCA to fix the altered geomety from lowered ride height
5. Camber Plates & Swivel Hats
6. Custom strut brace, unless i can get cheap used ones

REAR
Strictly no coilovers here for me! Uncomfortable with putting load on the damper mounts despite of some people say they're strong enough. Thus, divorced system with springs rated at slightly above the theoretical 66% Rear to Front ratio to ensure no understeer.
1. 4.5 kg/mm rear linear AE86 lowering springs
2. Undecided rear dampers. Perhaps i'll go for Cressida dampers
3. Custom-made traction brackets
4. Custom-made adjustable trailing links and panhard rods, only if deemed necessary

I still have Prothane bushing kit eager to be installed. AE86 enthusiasts should be familiar with above setup. If you don't know already, Charmants and AE86s share similar suspension system. What do you guys think? If i do all the above points and include shipping costs, i would pay as much as, if not more than, said Taiwanese coilovers. Why bother DIY? Again, to learn something in the process and be sure that my system is cheaper in the long run. Cheaper? Yeah.. Try getting Greddy Type-S and finding out that they're not rebuild-able, let alone replacing the dampers when stuffed.

My biggest concern is that i still don't have a rear sway bar. My Corona axle and Charmant don't come with the brackets for one. I hope our local shops have a solution for me.

Take Off Your Pants

2010-04-21T23:47:00.000-07:00

Yeah.. do that before you continue reading. You'll cream in them if you don't. All of you Charmant lovers with plenty of internet access like me know how difficult it is to find good videos of the Charmant. The best I know so far was a 20 second shot of Ryoji Takada drifting. Well that's about to change..

Meet Edward Corbin. He's a rally driver in the land of Barbados and uses Charmant as his machine and this is a 10 minutes video of him on gravels and tarmacs. 10 minutes?! Charmant?! Video?! Of?! lol.. Told you it's cream-inducing potential..

The video has been uploaded since Dec 2009 so it's obvious that i've been using the wrong search keyword. How did i found this video? All thanks to Gabe Tyler of technotoytuning or T3. I sent an email to him just today asking AE86 suspension bits and explained that i own a Charmant. It was a short wait before a reply came and he gave me a link to this video. It turns out that Edward Corbin is using T3 bits in his Charmant. Well, no need to argue T3 bits' strength and qualities now.. If they manage to survive Edward's level of punishment, i am sure they'll withstand my driving skills.

In other news, i am close to deciding how to upgrade my suspension. Will write about this soon.

Calling Out All Charmants!

2010-04-18T11:12:00.001-07:00

Fancy to see your beloved Charmant featured here? Now you can! Well i have been featuring other Charmants since i started this blog but let's make it official, shall we? I love Charmants and i know you do too. Let us spread the love! Let others see how charming Charmants are.. Send me photos of your Charmant along with some stories and specs to edgaraja@yahoo.com and you could see your beloved ride featured here for others to enjoy! From rusty to race-y, all Charmants are welcomed..

Overhauled Corona Axle and Some Bits

2010-04-12T21:20:00.000-07:00

Not much of an update but here you go. Here's the finished Corona Axle, overhauled and repainted. Mom and Dad helped me with the repaint. They used some FlintCoat after scrapping the old paint with wire brush and sandpaper. Job well done! Thanks guys..

Just got my Ebay order of igniter plug delivered. My old igniter plug had lost the plastic housing, only the metal lug inserts are left, not a good friend of vibration and movement so i decided to get a new plug.
Last bit to update. My new thermostat housing didn't come with a good thermoswitch for the radiator fan so i bought a new one. Referring to my AE92 parts catalog, the Toyota part number for the thermoswitch is 89428-20060. Being an OEM replacement part, the list price for said thermoswitch is not cheap. However, the seller offered a substitute. He had a part substitution reference book and offered me this instead.
That's the same part as the OEM replacement only without the heftier Toyota price tag. I am still looking for the matching plug for it. Any idea where i can get it? Ebay isn't helping so far.

DIY Converting to Internally Regulated Alternator

2010-04-12T02:49:00.000-07:00

My 4A-GE comes with an internally-regulated alternator, IR alternator from now on. Having very few chances to see my Charmant, i thought it still has the stock alternator which is externally-regulated (ER) by a electromechanical cut-out regulator (the black box near your battery). Hence, i was prepared to convert my charging system to suit the engine's alternator.

Here's a picture of the cut-out regulator and engine bay fuse box. You'll fiddle with these two stuff on doing this conversion.
Fortunately for me, i found out that the previous owned had replaced the alternator with an IR type so i was spared from having to figure out the charging system wiring. All there was left for me to do is extend the wires going to the alternator as it is now on the driver's side.

I won't discuss in detail about the ER alternator as i also have very few references about it. I don't even own a Charmant wiring diagram. (yes.. i would be in deep trouble if i actually had to convert from ER to IR). I will just jump to the IR system and tell you which wire to tap from the old system.

Here's an IR alternator charging system. Below is a Toyota charging system so i'll assume all IR alternators meant for Toyota models are using the same system.
As can be seen from above pic, there are four pins that you need to figure out from your alternator: B, IG, S and L, respectively stand for Battery, Ignition, Sense and Lamp. Consecutively, you need to figure out which cable from your Charmant's stock system to be connected to these pins.

First, here's my alternator pinout. If you have the same alternator, lucky you. If not, google is your friend.
Many people mistakenly assume that the large B lug on the alternator as the ground for the alternator and end up with a very expensive bonfire in their garage or at least, a glowing "ground" cable. Don't make the same mistake. B is in fact the alternator's charge output and should be connected to the battery. The ground is on the alternator body only so you won't need a dedicated ground cable for it. Just make sure you have a good ground loop on the engine block.

With the alternator side done, all that is left to do is figure out which wires on your Charmant to tap and connect to the alternator.

First, B should be connected to the battery. Your old alternator should have the B wire already. It's the thick wire approximately the diameter of your pinky.

IG can be tapped from from the ignition coil. It's the wire which connects to the (+) of the ignition coil. There maybe neater way to tap the ignition signal but this was how i found it on my car.

The rest, L and S are taken from the fuse box. Here are the wires that you need to tap.
There you have it. Four wires to tap on your Charmant stock system and four pins to connect on your alternator. Connect these pairs together and you should be done. I admit there must be neater way to have this done. I am quite sure that S, IG and L can also be found on the cut-out regulator's connector. If they do, it's better to tap the wires there as they would be kept close together and easier to troubleshoot.

Excuse me for not actually showing you the conversion work. I am merely showing you how it was done on my Charmant which was working properly the last time it is running. I will take no liability if you anything goes wrong. Blame the guy who did the conversion on my car.

Cusco LSD Ordered

2010-04-08T21:04:00.000-07:00

Finally made up my mind and went to pay the down-payment for a brand spankin' new Cusco LSD. With the Corona axle i just got, the only thing left is to get LSD. I hesitated a bit considering that LSDs aren't cheap but for the sake of having something to tell my children about (lol), i finally made the move.

The order was made yesterday and expected to arrive within 3-4 weeks. As my Corona axle is the same axle as Zenki AE86 (it better be, paying more for it than i paid for The Dog), i ordered the LSD for said model. Cusco have two types of LSD, RS-type and MZ-type. Basically what differentiates between the two is how the initial torque to activate the LSD is created. RS-type uses springs while MZ-type uses cone plates to create the initial torque. Here's a comparison pic between the two taken from Cusco's website.
RS is said better suited for street while MS is for track. The RS is always engaged slightly due to the springs and provides a smooth transition from partially locked to fully locked and is much more predictible and controllable due to this fact. The MZ is torque engagement only and is noisier/less predictible. As it doesn't engage until you're on or off the throttle to engage the plates.

All of those words above are just theories for me until i get the actual item on my Charmant. Which one did i get? I took the RS-type simply because it's said to be less noisy, smoother and the clutches last longer.

Next, 1-way, 1.5-way or 2-way LSD? 1-way LSD locks only during acceleration, 1.5 fully locks on accel and slight locks on decel while 2-way fully locks both on accel and decel. There are four part numbers for RS-type Zenki AE86 LSD and they are:
- LSD 130 F
- LSD 130 F2
- LSD 130 L15
- LSD 130 L2
Just so you know, the part numbers for Kouki AE86 start with 131 instead of 130. Cusco LSD can be changed between two of the three "ways" options during overhaul and the four part numbers above tells you which combination of "ways" are possible. F is 1-way or 2-way and initially built as 1-way. F2 is like F only initially built as 2-way. L15 is 1.5 and 2-way and comes initially as 1.5 way and the last one, the one that i bought, is like 1.5-way and 2-way and initially built as 2-way. Nobody wants 1-way and 1.5 combination, i guess. I could be wrong about this as i derived this info myself from here. Somebody correct me if i am wrong. My reason for choosing 130 L2? None. I have no experience at all with LSD but i think i won't need 1-way. So it's either 1.5 way or 2-way for me and guessing that 2-way will be more predictable that 1.5-way made me choose L2 over L15.

Let's hope everything turns out well!

Update 3 April 2010, Too Slow Guys..

2010-04-05T21:39:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when you can't monitor your workshop frequently.. The progress will be irritatingly slow and they'll tell you tons of reasons that doesn't make any sense. Don't get me wrong, i am sure my engine swap workshop know their stuff but with all the work orders flowing in, infrequently monitored cars will be set aside and they'll focus on progressing others. Looks like i won't open up the name of my workshop then.. I wouldn't want others to experience the same thing. They won't need the extra publicity anyways. Most people have already heard of them. Anyway, here's the update.

Look at the custom gas cable bracket. That's all the progress they've achieved since my last visit to Jakarta on Feb 28th. Talking about stupid slow. There aren't many left to do but pending work will always be pending if they never get to it.
What did i do when i was in Jakarta? I finished the alternator wiring. Found something interesting when i did the wiring. It turned out that my Charmant has got an alternator upgrade when i bought it. Stock Charmant alternators are externally regulated while the one on mine has been upgraded to internal regulator. This is good news because my 4A-GE comes with similar alternator. What's left for me to do is extend the plug wires because now 4A-GE alternator is placed on driver's side while 4A-C has it on passenger's side. I'll write about how to convert to internal regulator alternator on Charmants after this.

Finished the alternator wiring, I went to a second-hand parts seller and got this.
Can't tell you how excited i was when i got it. That's a remote thermostat housing for 4A-GE and stuff like that are scarce here. I would need to order a new one if i want it as i am sure no shop would want to stock such slow moving part. I didn't think that i would ever get my hands on used one before and was ready to get my engine running without thermostat. You need thermostat to get the engine to the correct running temperature quickly. Without one, it would take longer time to, if ever, reach said temperature and engines in cold condition consume more fuel. Certainly this would help my mileage a lot.

I learned that the thermostat housing i got was not for AE92 4A-GE. Comparing it with the pic below (forgot where i found the pic), i learned that it was for AE82 4A-GE. If i am not mistaken, AE82 runs bigport 4A-GE while my engine is smallport. I can still use it since they're basically the same. Only the direction of some of the outlets are different.

I also bought some EFI fuel and radiator hoses and managed to salvage the fuel filter of a Mercedes Benz C180 W202. This fuel filter would match my Bosch fuel pump perfectly.

What's left to run the engine? As i said, not many. Fuel pump and fuel hose installation (which should take 2-3 hours max including fabricating the brackets), remote thermostat fitting (one day?), exhaust (one day?), tuning etc (one day?) and that's it i think. If my workshop actually work on my car, it would only take them less than a week to finish the car. We'll see how long it actually takes them.