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Meotjaengi's Repatriated Tiburon

67K views 322 replies 55 participants last post by  Wombat Racing 
#1 · (Edited)
Hello! I'm originally from Los Angeles, but I have lived in Korea for over 2 years. Today marks the day that I am no longer a slave to the Korean public transportation system! (even though it is quite efficient) I am the new owner of a 2005 Tuscani Elisa (2.7L v6).

In LA, I still own a 2002 WRX (that would be considered 'stage 2' in Subaru speak). My WRX will always be my first 'love'. However, I trust everyone here not to tell her about my new Korean 'girlfriend'.^^

I am not Korean, but I can speak and read Korean (more than 95% of other foreigners, humbly speaking, but the technical words/explanations are still tough for me).

I really look forward to learning more about my car from everyone here!

Edit (5/27/12): Even though the Korean title for my car states that it is a 2005 model, I recently found a VIN on my car. Since Korean cars do not have VINs, this had me scratching my head. After doing some research, I found out that my car is actually a 2003 model that was originally sold in Canada, and last registered in Toronto in 2004. So obviously, this car has been "repatriated" to Korea (most likely in early 2005) and has undergone an F/L conversion. If only my Tib could talk!
 
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#77 ·
Re: Annyeonghassaeyo

Korea does not see much snow in the winter, but it is normal to hover around freezing (zero C) for approximately 14-16 weeks. This winter is relatively milder, seeing daytime highs occasionally get to 5 Celsius in the greater Seoul area. Last year was unusually cold and had more snow that stuck by comparison.

I'm from Los Angeles (low humidity and weather that blows through) so I don't think I'll ever get used to Korean weather; wet, humid summers and dry, cold winters. The 3 or 4 days of spring before the "yellow dust" from the Chinese deserts starts falling from the skies, and the 1 or 2 weeks of true fall weather are what I look forward to every year.

I just spent 3 weeks in LA, where it was 72-82 degress F the whole time, so coming back to this Korean winter weather feels like stepping into a deep freezer with no clothes on.

(Yes, I can hear the laughter from those who live in Canada, Northern US, and Eastern US.)
 
#78 ·
Re: Annyeonghassaeyo

lol my hometown is in ohio, its been an average -5 degrees this winter but luckily i moved from there to florida. So i was sort of used to the humidity in korea.

i know i asked about the modding scene in korea but i never asked what other people thought of you as you modded your car. most of the people i worked with didnt even know what modding was and i worked at hyundai capital ( the finance division ). when they realized what i was talking about by showing them my car, my new nickname became "tuner" lol
 
#79 ·
Re: Annyeonghassaeyo

Most people don't notice my car because I have focused on the what can't be seen. As you may have experienced, most people in Korea will start with aftermarket wheels and coilovers to get a stanced look (more often than not sacrificing handling performance). Then they move on to stickers, LED lights, and other things you can get from the automotive section of the supermarket.

I would say at least 80% of cars that one might notice as modded are really just stock drivetrains with suspension and body mods. About 10% will be all out, "throw all the money you can into your ride" projects (half of them don't even understand what they have had done to their cars). The other 10% will be somewhere in between (I probably fall into that group).

Many modders end up starting in their late 20's, so there is not much of a scene among younger, single people. No one drives in high school and many Koreans don't get their driving license until sometime after college. By then, Korean culture is pressuring them to be married before the age of 30. The expectation is that the man should provide the funds to purchase and furnish a living space for the newlywed couple. Once two people are married you can be sure a baby is coming in 10 months (and often less than 9 months). This, in addition to a fantastic public transit system, puts cars and modding further down the list of priorities compared to the USA.

That being said, I can understand your situation. Modding is not really understood/embraced by the general public, and I have been called "rich" just because I say I like to mod cars (to which I reply, "I am not rich because I spend my money on tuning").

Most people see my car on the street and don't really take a second look because there are very little superficial mods (and it's just a 10 year old Hyundai). However, when my car's hood is open or is suspended up on the lift it starts to get some attention from those that actually understand what they are looking at.

I've given up trying to start conversations with people about cars and modding here in Korea. However, when I do meet someone who truly shares my (our) passion, I usually discover that they are someone who makes their living in the automobile industry (OEM, mechanic, and/or tuner).
 
#80 ·
Re: Annyeonghassaeyo

thats the tough life man. when i was there, nobody understood. and when you find someone that does, they end up being a professional in the sense that they do it for a paycheck. i hope when i go back i find myself in an underground scene. maybe find some more tuners lol.

plus the streets of korea are so packed thats transportation is tough. i took the subway everywhere.
 
#81 · (Edited)
Re: Annyeonghassaeyo

Let's get back on track here...

I was able to pick up some used cams (thank you HotRodV6) and have them reground by Crower. New specs are .351" lift, 210 duration, and 110 separation. Advertised duration is calculated at 268 degrees. For those who are interested, the cam card # is F12413.






The weather finally became relatively mild during mid-April here in Korea, so I figured it was a good time to finally have these installed and get retuned. Here are a few pics of the install:

OEM cams before removal


OEM cams removed


Crower cams installed (engine)


Crower cams installed (closeup)



Since I was going to get retuned, we decided that changing the plugs would not be a bad idea. I'm not used to seeing Denso Iridium plugs in the US, but they seem to be similar to the NGK Iridium plugs that most people prefer on this forum.



Old (left), New (right)



After the install was completed, the car was started and it ran well. There was certainly a new sound coming from the exhaust; a deeper tone that had stronger pulses. The idle was steady with a tendency to wander into a lope for about 10 seconds and then wander back into a steady pulse for a minute before wandering back into a lope for another 10 seconds or so.

I drove it home (about 30km on the expressway) without pushing it at all (kept it under 3500rpms). It seemed that the response was a little better from the engine when I pressed the throttle, and there may have been a slight power increase. But I was more interested in how the car would feel after getting it retuned...
 
#82 · (Edited)
Re: Annyeonghassaeyo

The next day, the shop owner and I drove over to the shop where the dyno was. The name of the company is Oullim Motors, and they are the folks who are responsible for all of the engine electronics on the Spirra supercar that came out of Korea a few years ago. They are very well known (from what has been explained to me) and do a lot of custom builds and tunes. I was able to take some pictures of the place to show you:



Some pics of a Spirra







Anyway, my car was put up on the dyno and retuned. The tuner had my information from my previous tune (for the IHE), so it took him just 3 passes to dial in the tune for the new cams.

On the dyno


The 3 passes (overlaid on each other)


The final tune compared with the IHE tune from before



The torque numbers on these graphs are measured in kg/m. Here are the numbers (to the wheels) for the final comparison in "proper" terms... :3_wink:

Previous IHE tune (blue): 180.47 whp, 178.22 lb/ft wtq

Final ICHE tune (red): 205.20 whp, 187.99 lb/ft wtq

I believe it is important to note that my car is still running a dual mass flywheel and stock clutch (with the slave cylinder mod).


My impression of the new tune and cams is that they make the engine feel much more responsive than before. In other words, the car feels like it is breathing more efficiently. The OEM cam profile causes the car to accelerate at a leisurely pace as it increases above 3500rpm. When I would press the accelerator before, it would seem that the car would pause to think about what it was asked to do. The Crower cam profile causes the car to accelerate faster than before over 3500rpm. Now when I press the accelerator, the car seems to want to keep going all the way to 5500rpm without second-guessing my intent.

For daily driving, however, the most significant change for me is between 3500 and 4000rpm. The seemingly small increase (in wtq and whp) in that rpm range in the graph translates into a noticeable change in the car's characteristic, as measured by the butt dyno. This is especially true when driving around 120km/h on the expressway and the desire to accelerate in 5th gear (highest for my car) arises.


These cams make my engine shake a bit more. When it rained a couple days after, my throttle body was just slightly hitting the hood (not consistently). I already have two polyurethane roll stop mounts (fore and aft, under the engine), and I wanted to replace the actual engine mounts (located on right and left sides of the engine). I had new engine mounts installed about 10 days ago, and while my shifter was moving through the gates in a smoother fashion, unfortunately a small "rattling whir" sound was coming from the transmission (only when the clutch pedal was not being pressed).

Thanks to some other posts on this site, in addition to a good mechanic, it has been diagnosed as a thrust bearing (throwout bearing) in need of replacement. Therefore, a new flywheel and clutch kit will be installed shortly. I have decided on a Fidanza flywheel and Fidanza V1 Series clutch (thanks to the many members who have posted about their experiences with a multitude of clutch/flywheel combinations). While I am anxious to get rid of the sound that is currently being made by the thrust bearing, I am more excited to feel what kind of difference is felt between the OEM dual-mass flywheel and the Fidanza flywheel!

Thanks for reading!
 
#83 ·
Re: Annyeonghassaeyo

I just read the entirety of this thread- I have a silver tibby as well, and I can say that I'm quite jealous of what you've been able to do so far. Very nice, well thought out mods! Looking forward to seeing what you continue to do :)
 
#88 ·
Re: Annyeonghassaeyo

Question for you though! The increase in HP you got with your last dyno you just posted- Was that due to the new cams? What supporting mods did you need (if any) for the cams?

How much were they?
Increase in HP was soley due to the cams. Previous mods and the order in which they were added are explained in earlier posts. In summary, exhaust/UIM and LIM/throttle body were added together first and the ECU was tuned for them. Aluminum radiator was next. New Timing belt and HLAs were replaced as well. Fuel delivery system (injectors, fuel pump, etc.) and ignition system (coil packs, capacitor(s), etc.) are stock. Extra grounding wires have been installed.

As I had read in many other Crower cam threads on this forum, the cams do not require supporting mods, and I believe I could have run them without retuning the ECU (no codes were thrown while I was driving before the retune). Even though that would not be optimal in my opinion. The tuner did not change the idle rpm during the retune (still at stock setting). There was no significant change in idle behavior from before the retune (with cams installed) to after the retune.

Nice build, thanks for the documentation.

Curious what your gas mileage does once you're used to the new cams & the ECU fine learns them.

Edit, how much change from the stock ECU with I/H/E to the "tuned ECU" with I/H/E?
Thank you! I have learned so much from other members on this site who have preceded me. I feel a thorough documentation is the least I can do out of gratitude towards them, and to further the excitement with respect to this platform!

I have been monitoring gas mileage (calculated as KMs/Liter), but I do it less precisely here in Korea than I do in the US because in Korea it is not common to "fill 'er up" (purchases are customarily made in multiple of 10,000won -> $10). So far, I believe my gas mileage has decreased just under 10%. My latest ballpark calculation is between 9km/L and 9.5km/L (I think this works out to be around 22mpg or slightly higher). I filled up yesterday and the gas mileage was closer to my "before cams" numbers because I had not been "putting my foot into it" in order to prolong the life of the thrust bearing. In other words, I think most of the (small) decrease in gas mileage is due to being more aggressive with the accelerator.

Unfortunately, I can't answer your second question because during the initial tune for the IHE, the tuner did not have the dyno graph on display at the beginning of the session. All I can honestly attest to is 'stock ECU without IHE" to "tuned ECU with IHE".

Wow 205whp from I/H/E and cams that is very impressive you have done it right sir! That tuner must know his stuff
Thanks a lot! NA V6 Tiburons are way outdated in Korea, and I always feel like I am making this tuner do something that is not exciting for him (considering the other heavily modified Korean and Japanese cars in the shop). However, even he raised his eyebrow, wondering where the cams came from. The Crower reground cams for the Delta V6 are not a known item in Korea.

I wonder how much of an increase a significantly lightened flywheel would make on whp and wtq. Unfortunately, that calculation will most likely be left to the butt dyno to determine for the time being.
 
#86 · (Edited)
Re: Annyeonghassaeyo

Nice build, thanks for the documentation.

Curious what your gas mileage does once you're used to the new cams & the ECU fine learns them.

Edit, how much change from the stock ECU with I/H/E to the "tuned ECU" with I/H/E?
 
#90 · (Edited)
Re: Annyeonghassaeyo

Good to know! I added the crower cams to my list of future mods- Probably actually next on my list!

Question though, how much do they cost? $$$?
Sorry, missed that on your first post...

The regrind was approximately $400, then add the cost of acquiring a set of OEM cams if you're not going to use your own. Shipping them properly will add to the cost as well.
 
#97 · (Edited)
Some updates:

Replaced the motor mounts (not the roll stoppers) with new OEM mounts due to a rattle that I thought I was hearing.




Upon replacement of the motor mounts, I started the car up and I hear the "delightful" scraping sound of a thrust (throwout) bearing that has decided to give up on life. I proceeded to "park" the car (drove maybe 4 times, 80kms total) for close to 5 weeks while waiting for a Fidanza flywheel and Fidanza clutch...

I checked all available posts and feedback on this site (and others), researched the websites of clutch/flywheel manufacturers, and redid these actions three more times. I still want to make a separate thread pointing out some discrepancies that I found that really haven't been directly identified, but I save that for a bit later.

To make a long story short, my car was built on March 25th, 2003. I measured the gap from the OEM flywheel to the block (15mm, about half an inch - HY3 territory one would believe) and confidently ordered the HY3 Fidanza Flywheel. Pulled everything apart, installed the flywheel, and found that the HY5 was needed. On top of that, the Fidanza clutch that I ordered did not fit the V6 flywheel (misinformation on the Fidanza applications Excel spreadsheet).










Ended up reusing the OEM flywheel and installing an OEM clutch (with a new thrust bearing) to tide me over until the new HY5 flywheel and Clutchmasters 300 Clutch Kit arrive (hopefully within the next two weeks).






You can see a hotspot on the OEM flywheel, but it doesn't seem to be a problem for the time being.

However, just the new thrust bearing alone makes the transaxle feel more solid than since I bought the car!

More to come...
 
#98 ·
Man I can't believe you get to have your car tuned with Oullim motors! The Spirra is very exciting but I may be biased since it runs the Delta :) Your car is by far one of my favorites of all time! Now I really want all of those chassis reinforcements and engine tuning like you lol

I enjoy reading this thread and I really appreciate your documentation.

And sorry to see the trouble with the release bearing, I too had this problem once, and it separated on me while driving :( long in the past now. FYI I have the Fidanza LW FW and it will cause a noticeable chatter/rattling in neutral and even in low RPMs. It's not a nice sound, and does get louder if when the car is fully warmed up. Having said that, I still think the lightweight flywheel is worth it. You can rev the engine very quickly!
 
#100 · (Edited)
Thanks for the compliment! :thumbup:



The brake pads show the brand name "Adobon", but they are made by a huge Korean company named "Hong Sung Brake". While I can't find this sub-brand on their (English) site. The brake pads are ceramic material, and I would deduce (from what my tuner explained) that the "Adobon" line is their ceramic version of part# HP0016.




The label on the box says "Opirus (front), Grandeur XG2.7 Taxi (16") / Rhodius, Equus {3.0/3.5} (16") / Equus 4.5 (old type), Terracan (new type) / Trajet XG (16")"

Opirus is a midsize low end luxury car that is no longer produced. Grandeur is the Azera in the USA and is commonly used as a taxi in Korea (along with Sonatas and Optimas among others). Equus is a model that has just recently been introduced to the USA but has been around since before the Genesis sedan in Korea (think of it as a Lincoln Town Car, almost all the business executives in Korea have this car). Terracan is the SUV that replaced the Galloper II (Body on Frame) in the early 2000s. Trajet is the minivan (where many of the Delta engines were used in LPG/detuned versions).
 
#101 · (Edited)
...So, after the first round of my flywheel/clutch adventure, I started hearing this "rubbing/grinding sound" coming from the transaxle area. From my past experiences, it sounded very much like a loose motor mount bolt (not terribly loose mind you, but maybe one that has not been torqued down enough). The sound was only happening when I would start from a complete stop and usually when the wheels were turned in either direction. Upon verifying that all the mount bolts and surrounding bolts were securely fastened, my tuner found that the cylindrical counterweight (or whatever the mass of metal on the motor mount is referred to) on the portion of the mount that houses the rubber, was rubbing on the bracket part of the mount that attaches to the body/frame. Look closely and you can see where the black paint has been "ground off".






The solution was to notch the bracket in a manner so as to let the cylindrical portion "float" freely. My tuner notched about a centimeter of the bracket where the cylindrical portion previously came into contact with. Removing this amount of material has not made a significant reduction in the strength of the bracket portion of the motor mount. After doing this, the rubbing/grinding sound has disappeared and I feel significantly less NVH in the cabin as well! Look closely and you can see how the bracket was cut to accommodate the position of the cylindrical portion of the mount.




My tuner and I agreed that this should be referred to as "engine mount tuning". :grin2:
 
#102 · (Edited)
Since the "engine mount tuning", I have been really happy with the performance and reliability of my Tib. It feels great to drive and does everything beyond my satisfaction.

Three days ago, however, I was rear ended. Here's the story:

My school (employer) sits at a very busy "T" intersection. I approach my school from the street that represents the vertical part of the "T". I (and usually others) wait to make a left turn at the "T" intersection. After I make my left turn into the far right lane (of a 3 lane road), I must start slowing down to make a right hand turn into the entrance of my school. Distance from the "T" intersection to the entrance is approximately 80yards. Mind you, everyone else who is making this turn is making a "mad dash" (another 150 yards beyond my school's entrance) to get to the right hand turn lane that dumps onto a major boulevard leading to an expressway. This is important because most people make that left turn and "gun it" for that short stretch of road that passes in front of my school's entrance.

Well, that's exactly what this lady behind me did. I started to slow down and execute my right turn into my school. I do this slowly because the entrance has huge concrete/marble walls on either side to anchor the retractable gate that keeps me from seeing any students that one must assume to be in the vicinity. Upon starting my turn in, I noticed that the car behind me did not seem to be braking or starting to maneuver around me. I realized I had no more than 1 second to get out of her way. I took my foot off the brake and immediately hit the accelerator to hopefully get my rear end into the entrance and out of her way. I almost succeeded.

She (Chevy Malibu) tagged me just to the right of my license plate. My car was at about a 120 degree angle to hers I believe, and I was accelerating starting from 10km/hr. I estimate that she was already doing 50-60km/hr. She never touched her brakes. I thought I was going to be pushed into the huge concrete wall, because that is the last thing I remember seeing. However, thanks to my instincts (and divine intervention) her force was absorbed by the spin that my car performed as a result of my steering and acceleration inputs. I ended up doing a 180 degree spin/turn between the two concrete walls that "bookend" the entrance to my school. I was "donkey punched" by my headrest really hard, but nothing else. My car was actually drivable and sustained relatively little damage (visual and mechanical). Another factor that was highly in my favor was that the ground was wet from the rain that occurred overnight. It allowed my car to have less resistance when my spin was induced.





^^^That's the wall I thought I was going to become intimate with.




But damn, did she tag me hard. Her car's right fender panel showed buckling that went to the door gap. Her airbag triggered and she came out totally dazed and her left wrist and hand were in bad shape. When they tried to start her car again, it wouldn't turn over and it sounded as if it was an old diesel tractor engine that was one revolution from spilling its guts.



If you look at her bumper closely, you can see the circle that my exhaust tip created!






I believe if she had hit me squarely, I would still be laying in the hospital and my Tib would be at least half a foot shorter in length (and a total loss). As of now, I may have to replace my exhaust and rear bumper components. I still don't know for sure though. The good news is that the motor sounds great, the shifting linkage has not been compromised, the alignment is still fairly good enough for driving, and the trunk aligns and closes securely (a good indicator of damage to the rear body/subframe IMHO). I consider myself to be extremely fortunate to only be walking away with a mild concussion. I would like to believe that some of the chassis bracing that I had installed helped keep the car together, but to what degree I honestly don't know. Either way, I believe this project will continue.


Here is the superficial damage (first estimate):




However, I took my car away from this "collision center" and drove it to my tuning shop. The collision center was only interested in replacing panels and repainting as soon as possible. They didn't even want to consider my suggestion of checking the rattling sound I was hearing (exhaust pipe hitting the rear sway bar). This was my litmus test of their commitment to thoroughly inspecting my car. I prefer to have my whole car inspected and fixed regardless of how long it takes...
 
#104 · (Edited)
A week after the accident, the body damage has been repaired:






The rear bumper skin was replaced, but they threw my "V6" badge in the trash. Oh well...

In these pictures, the exhaust had not been fixed yet. A couple of weeks after these pictures, an inch of pipe was added above the rear sway and the entrance to the muffler was welded again to achieve more clearance above the rear sway and get the tip pointing straight again. Sorry, no pics of this.

At the same time, we were finally able to install these:



...a Fidanza Flywheel and a Clutchmasters stage 3 (FX300) clutch. The install went smoothly and the HY5 flywheel fit perfectly (my car was built on March 25th, 2003). It's a good thing too, because my OEM flywheel was looking even more tired than before:








I must say that the lighter flywheel makes an incredible difference with respect to the character of the engine (and car). Everything feels lighter, and the throttle response is remarkably quicker. Getting from 90km/hr to 120km/hr quickly can be done entirely in 5th gear now (although it's much more fun to do in 4th gear). However, I have noticed that this flywheel coupled with the Crower cams causes my car to not really like maintaining a specific rpm below 2000rpm (re: crawling in second gear in a traffic jam), and actually tends to buck at a sustained 1500rpm due to the lope that the cams induce. Additionally, the clutch pedal feel is actually lighter than stock. I was expecting it to be a little bit heavier. Such an easy feeling pedal makes me a bit uncomfortable. I prefer more resistance like a Subaru clutch has. Anyway, I just need to adjust for these minor changes. That being said, I feel like I have a different car and I really like driving it now more than ever before!

I'm about 33% through the break-in period. This past weekend, I had a complete brain fart and took my foot off the clutch pedal with 1st gear engaged (assuming that it wasn't). I shock loaded the transmission and clutch very well. I was so angry at myself for making such a bonehead mistake, and at the same time quite impressed with the "110% increase in holding capacity". It seems that the throw out bearing took the brunt of it, and it is making that rattling noise at idle again (although a bit differently than in May).

I have a bunch of Moog endlink and tie rod pieces waiting to be installed. Right now I will finish the break in of the clutch/flywheel and then install the endlinks, tie rod components, replace the throw out bearing, and (since it will be easily accessible) the steering rack as well. Hopefully after that, I can give my wallet a bit of a rest. :3_bier:
 
#105 ·
I must say that the lighter flywheel makes an incredible difference with respect to the character of the engine (and car). Everything feels lighter, and the throttle response is remarkably quicker. Getting from 90km/hr to 120km/hr quickly can be done entirely in 5th gear now (although it's much more fun to do in 4th gear). However, I have noticed that this flywheel coupled with the Crower cams causes my car to not really like maintaining a specific rpm below 2000rpm (re: crawling in second gear in a traffic jam), and actually tends to buck at a sustained 1500rpm due to the lope that the cams induce. Additionally, the clutch pedal feel is actually lighter than stock. I was expecting it to be a little bit heavier. Such an easy feeling pedal makes me a bit uncomfortable. I prefer more resistance like a Subaru clutch has. Anyway, I just need to adjust for these minor changes. That being said, I feel like I have a different car and I really like driving it now more than ever before!

I'm about 33% through the break-in period. This past weekend, I had a complete brain fart and took my foot off the clutch pedal with 1st gear engaged (assuming that it wasn't). I shock loaded the transmission and clutch very well. I was so angry at myself for making such a bonehead mistake, and at the same time quite impressed with the "110% increase in holding capacity". It seems that the throw out bearing took the brunt of it, and it is making that rattling noise at idle again (although a bit differently than in May).

I have a bunch of Moog endlink and tie rod pieces waiting to be installed. Right now I will finish the break in of the clutch/flywheel and then install the endlinks, tie rod components, replace the throw out bearing, and (since it will be easily accessible) the steering rack as well. Hopefully after that, I can give my wallet a bit of a rest. :3_bier:

Nice! Now I am curious what the difference is between the FX200 and 300, because my FX200 looks identical to what you have pictured. Same kevlar material layout, and six springs. Maybe you got a 200 instead? or I have a 300? lol. But anyway, I also have the Fidanza and I love the quick RPMs as well, IMO its worth the trade-off of a rattling idle. I have been meaning to sound-proof the transmission to help this actually-- I'll get around to it some day. Your car kinda sounds like mine with this setup... I don't have cams, but below 2K RPM is not favorable. As for clutch engagement feel, YES ME TOO! After I installed my clutchmasters I was shocked at how easy it was, and thought, it's fine but I'd really rather have something with a bit more resistance lol, I know exactly how you feel.
 
#106 · (Edited)
hehe, well I'm sure that mine is an FX300. I checked out the Clutchmasters website again and even though the picture is different, I've learned that product pictures on the internet are usually not representative of the real thing. The back of my FX300 looks like the side that they show on the FX200 page. Even the product description is really just marketing language, so I don't really know what the difference is either (since I've never seen both sides of an FX200). :shrug:

8/27 Edit: I was completely wrong. After replacing the throw out bearing again last week, I was able to get a good look at the clutch plate. The FX300 looks the same on both sides, and I definitely have the FX300. Maybe you do too GK27V6?
 
#109 · (Edited)
As explained before, I wanted to replace the throw out bearing due to a stupid mistake I had made (stepping off the clutch with the car in gear at a dead stop idle).

Last week we separated the transmission and engine (for what is hopefully the last time in a long while). Since the front subframe was going to be dropped, I decided to replace the whole steering rack in addition to new tie rods, tie rod ends, kingpins, and endlinks (4).

Here is what the new flywheel and clutch looked like after about 700km of (my) driving:



flywheel side:


opposite side (marks on the center ring are grease from the transmission input shaft):



After all was said and done, we couldn't really accurately diagnose a faulty throwout bearing. Our best guess is that the throwout bearing could have been vibrating/rattling back and forth on the shaft instead of having a compromised bearing (re: looseness withing the bearing itself). Upon driving for another week after install, I can say that the noise(s) I heard were less noticeable but still existent. However, I can now identify with certainty what "flywheel chatter" specifically sounds like (not to be confused with "throwout bearing rattle"). Certainty doesn't come cheap, but I'm okay with it.

I was a bit surprised to see a brand new steering rack at the shop. I don't know why I assumed it would be remanufactured (stuck in a USA frame of mind maybe?).




Here is a comparison of the Moog tie rod to the stock tie rod still on the rack:




For some reason the company that sent me the tie rod ends sent me one that has a grease fitting and one that does not. On the box they have the same part number, they are both from Moog, but there was one small number on the box that was changed (one box looked a bit older than the other as well). Interesting to say the least, but for the time being they will be used as there is really not a difference in the performance of the parts in this case:






A better picture of the kingpin. The receiving hole's tolerance was extremely tight and it was pressed in under the watchful eye of the head mechanic of the shop:




The completed assembly:




No leaks on the backside of the engine!!! :thumbup:






After the front end of the car was put back together, we could finally install the endlinks!




The difference in thickness between the OEM and Moog rear endlinks was quite substantial:






With the new steering rack, tie rods, tie rod ends, and king pins installed, I am happy to report that there is no longer a quarter inch dead spot (re: play) in my steering wheel. What was the specific cause? I will never know for sure, but it's gone and that's all I wanted. Even more exciting is that the steering feels a bit "heavier". I feel that the force of my input is being met with more resistant force from the wheel, and that a good thing in my opinion. The feedback reminded me of my '85 Honda Prelude that had Honda's "power assist" steering; the type of system where the faster you would go, the less "help" would be provided by the power steering pump. Of course the Hyundai system doesn't do that, but the feel of my current steering setup reminds me of how the Prelude felt at highway speeds (re: a bit heavier and tighter than one would expect a typical power steering system to be).

I haven't really been able to determine to what extent my cornering performance has been increased to. It seems I can hold a slightly higher speed in most cases, but my benchmark corners are not as close to me now since I moved last week. I'll have a chance to take my benchmark corners again within the next couple months...

The clutch finally felt "broken in" at about 900km for me. There are still times when I am engaging the clutch at too low of an engine speed (between 1100 and 1500 rpm), as if I still had the stock flywheel and clutch combo. It seems the Fidanza flywheel and the Clutchmasters FX300 combo prefers to be engaged anywhere between 1400-1800 rpm. It may not seem like a big difference in writing, but the feel is entirely different to me. I will continue practicing until it becomes completely intuitive!!!

So what's next? Well, I felt guilty seeing the guy at the alignment shop trying to manhandle (and flame torch) my rusty OEM rear adjustable lateral links, so...that might be the next thing that gets replaced. :wink2:
 
#110 · (Edited)
I've driven more than 2500km on the new clutch and flywheel combo now. Even though I mentioned before that the clutch felt "broken in" at 900km, I would say now that there was still some "breaking in" happening up until about 1500-1600km. I still haven't become perfectly consistent with the clutch, as I still occasionally let out the clutch without getting the rpm up enough (re: above 1400rpm like I had mentioned before). I've also had to endure some tough stop and go traffic for extended periods of time and the clutch has taken it well, even though crawling below below 15km/h is not comfortable with my combination of clutch, flywheel, and cams. I'm still of the opinion that heavier feed back form the clutch pedal (re: pressure plate) would help (me) be able to articulate the pedal with more precision...


Friday was a holiday in Korea, which means I had a chance to visit my tuning shop. I have been contemplating two upgrades for awhile, and finally decided to just do it. There is a company in Korea named Luxon, and they make all kinds of strut tower bars and chassis bracing. You have probably seen their products being imported by a number of different companies that carry KDM merchandise. I purchased their fender braces and 3 point rear strut tower bar and had them installed yesterday.

Taking off the fenders and associated items is the easy part:






The mounting points for the fender braces must be welded on. Fitting the braces also required notching out a portion of the frame and hammering in some of the stamping in the metal that protrudes into the path of the braces (see picture, sounds worse than it looks). You may also notice that my mechanic welded some of the tiny gaps in the sandwiched portion of the metal at the top of the "frame rail".








What it looks like when completed:






Putting the fenders back on was not too much trouble. We did have to take some material off of the passenger side styrofoam piece (back of the fender near the door hinge) to get the fender to sit flush with the curve of the door again.


After lunch we tackled the rear strut tower bar:




It takes a bit of time to get the mounting "platforms" on the strut perches aligned so that all three points can be bolted down properly.








If you look closely, you can see the rear seat belt tensioner mechanisms on the back seat with the seat belt fully retracted into them. We learned that whenever taking the rear seat belt tensioner mechanism out from its mounting point, one should extend the belt and attach something to the belt that keeps it from rolling up into the tensioner mechanism. We wasted a good 30 minutes fiddling with those things, trying to get them to release. We finally unbolted the bottom seat belt anchor so that we could put the whole assembly on flat ground to carefully get it to release the belt (x2). In the end it was a combination of level ground, a steady hand, and another person poking a tiny screwdriver into the side of the tensioner mechanism to release the catch.


The car feels completely solid now. It's amazing to realize how much flex was previously happening in the body and subframe(s) before these parts were installed (even with the underbrace, center brace/room bar, and rear subframe brace). Not only is lateral flex substantially reduced, but the car also responds quicker to throttle inputs when going in a straight line. NVH is slightly increased as well as imperfect road conditions. More importantly, the body feels like it it transferring force to the suspension more efficiently and effectively in all situations. One interesting thing I've noticed in just one day is that I am no longer needing to pause with the throttle to maintain the car's (already neutral) balance through a corner.

I've had OEM struts with SMA lowering springs for 3 years now. I think the springs can handle it but the OEM struts are no longer going to cut it...>:D
 
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