The 3rd Wife: Cosmic Grey EP3 Civic Type R - Project OEM
Discussion
Forgot to update this last weekend. Changed the gearbox oil, almost there with the full service now. Will change pollen filters at the end of the month then i'll be done.
Pics:
New oil and washers:
Emptying out the old oil. And no, that is not a crack in my gearbox casing it's just a molding mark!
Not too bad really. It was changed fairly recently when the clutch was changed, but wanted to be sure everything was spot on and Gearbox oil isn't particularly expensive:
Old washers on the plugs removed, new ones in the bag. What Tegiwa didn't tell me is that the fill plug is a 20mm washer and the drain plug is a 14mm washer, so a useful tip to anyone changing out their oil!!
Fill plug on the right, drain plug on the left:
New washer in place. Popped the drain plug back in before filling with new oil:
DIY device for pouring in the new gearbox oil:
In action:
This took AGES as the oil flowed so slowly down the tube and into the transmission:
Going in:
Mileage at transmission oil change:
Paperwork updated for the folder:
That's all for now. Think my new Yoko's will arrive end of the month so they should be fitted soonish. Also pollen filters to be done as mentioned above. Also may get a new gearstick assembly as there is play in mine (the big white plastic ball that the shaft runs through), not a lot but it's something that I notice when driving and as changing gear is so pleasurable in this car I want it to be spot on. Will update as and when this lot gets sorted!
Lewis
Pics:
New oil and washers:
Emptying out the old oil. And no, that is not a crack in my gearbox casing it's just a molding mark!
Not too bad really. It was changed fairly recently when the clutch was changed, but wanted to be sure everything was spot on and Gearbox oil isn't particularly expensive:
Old washers on the plugs removed, new ones in the bag. What Tegiwa didn't tell me is that the fill plug is a 20mm washer and the drain plug is a 14mm washer, so a useful tip to anyone changing out their oil!!
Fill plug on the right, drain plug on the left:
New washer in place. Popped the drain plug back in before filling with new oil:
DIY device for pouring in the new gearbox oil:
In action:
This took AGES as the oil flowed so slowly down the tube and into the transmission:
Going in:
Mileage at transmission oil change:
Paperwork updated for the folder:
That's all for now. Think my new Yoko's will arrive end of the month so they should be fitted soonish. Also pollen filters to be done as mentioned above. Also may get a new gearstick assembly as there is play in mine (the big white plastic ball that the shaft runs through), not a lot but it's something that I notice when driving and as changing gear is so pleasurable in this car I want it to be spot on. Will update as and when this lot gets sorted!
Lewis
Few more updates today. I sorted a few small jobs that i'd been meaning to do for a while. I had a small tear in the rear seat which was bugging me, so I sewed it up. Doesn't look too bad now and it was cheaper than spending £50 on another bench!
Also got a Mugen Airbox for a great price, and it's like new. So got that fitted. Feels a tiny bit different to the OEM box. Not sure if it's slightly less torquey (made up word), but it sounds great on VTEC and pulls well so I wll hold onto it for now. Just need a sticker for the top as the original one wasn't included in the kit. I also applied all the heat resistant foil tape to the underside and back. Did quite a neat job of it so pleased with that. I will take some photo's of it fitted in the bay and upload in a few days time.
And finally, got 4 new tyres, the new Yokohama AD08R's. Got them fitted last night and pretty pleased with them so far.
Pics as follows:
Seat tear:
Tools for the job!
All done:
Mugen Airbox kit:
Foil tape applied:
Only two pics of fitting it so far as it was getting dark. Fitted the scoop onto the lower intake hose and cable tied it on just to keep it super secure (it is already a very tight fit):
Trimmed nicely without any sharp edges left:
New Yokohama Tyres:
Detail:
All fitted and car cleaned again!
Few comments on the tyres. Got them fitted last night and it was absolutely LASHING it down. I drove home very carefully! The roads had a lot of standing as well as flowing water on them. However, the tyres felt good and dispersed water quite effectively through the channels. I didn't go hooning through any water but at a sensible speed they were fine, and gripped well too.
Today I took the car for a jet wash to remove the excessive grime before I hand washed it at home. I gave it a right good spank to test the new tyres. Impressions are, bang for buck wise, they are pretty decent. They are a LOT more expensive than the Parada's I had previously, almost twice the price per corner. Turn in feels maybe a mite sharper with the AD08's, but I can't honestly say the difference is night and day. Perhaps they need to be worn in more first. They are however MUCH better in the wet, and really do stick well and just keep on gripping when cornering very hard, especially in the dry, and don't break away as easily as the Parada's. I took a roundabout very quickly today and it sweeps around quite a long corner and the tyres just stuck all the way through the turn and did not want to break away. Inspire a lot of confidence! They do need to be warm before this sort of driving though! Also no squeal which is good!
Aesthetically (I know this isn't important for most people!) I think I prefer the design of the Parada's, but I will get used to these new ones.
Considering the price hike over the Parada's, while I am impressed, I am not certain the additional cost was entirely worth (it in my individual case). They are an excellent tyre, but for day to day driving and hard driving in the dry, I think for the price I would go with Parada's again, and just live with their poo wet weather performance and slightly softer sidewall. That's not to say i'm not pleased with the AD08R's, they are very good and offer superb grip, I just think I was expecting them to feel slightly sharper on turn in like the Toyo R888's I have used in the past. I do need to sort the geometry and tracking on the car still, so this is probably more to do with it than the tyre itself. Otherwise they're excellent and i'm pleased with them! Mixed review but I hope you catch my drift!
Final thing I notice about the tyres, they actually improve the ride quality! The car feels a LOT less crashy over pot holes (roads are crap around here) and they are actually quiter too, and you get less road noise in the cabin. This I was impressed with. I would recommend them to anyone serious about performance, and anyone who is thinking of taking their car on track, but for normal day to day stuff perhaps you may want to consider something slightly cheaper.
I have spent a bit more than I should this month, so will be a while until I carry out another big update I think!
Also got a Mugen Airbox for a great price, and it's like new. So got that fitted. Feels a tiny bit different to the OEM box. Not sure if it's slightly less torquey (made up word), but it sounds great on VTEC and pulls well so I wll hold onto it for now. Just need a sticker for the top as the original one wasn't included in the kit. I also applied all the heat resistant foil tape to the underside and back. Did quite a neat job of it so pleased with that. I will take some photo's of it fitted in the bay and upload in a few days time.
And finally, got 4 new tyres, the new Yokohama AD08R's. Got them fitted last night and pretty pleased with them so far.
Pics as follows:
Seat tear:
Tools for the job!
All done:
Mugen Airbox kit:
Foil tape applied:
Only two pics of fitting it so far as it was getting dark. Fitted the scoop onto the lower intake hose and cable tied it on just to keep it super secure (it is already a very tight fit):
Trimmed nicely without any sharp edges left:
New Yokohama Tyres:
Detail:
All fitted and car cleaned again!
Few comments on the tyres. Got them fitted last night and it was absolutely LASHING it down. I drove home very carefully! The roads had a lot of standing as well as flowing water on them. However, the tyres felt good and dispersed water quite effectively through the channels. I didn't go hooning through any water but at a sensible speed they were fine, and gripped well too.
Today I took the car for a jet wash to remove the excessive grime before I hand washed it at home. I gave it a right good spank to test the new tyres. Impressions are, bang for buck wise, they are pretty decent. They are a LOT more expensive than the Parada's I had previously, almost twice the price per corner. Turn in feels maybe a mite sharper with the AD08's, but I can't honestly say the difference is night and day. Perhaps they need to be worn in more first. They are however MUCH better in the wet, and really do stick well and just keep on gripping when cornering very hard, especially in the dry, and don't break away as easily as the Parada's. I took a roundabout very quickly today and it sweeps around quite a long corner and the tyres just stuck all the way through the turn and did not want to break away. Inspire a lot of confidence! They do need to be warm before this sort of driving though! Also no squeal which is good!
Aesthetically (I know this isn't important for most people!) I think I prefer the design of the Parada's, but I will get used to these new ones.
Considering the price hike over the Parada's, while I am impressed, I am not certain the additional cost was entirely worth (it in my individual case). They are an excellent tyre, but for day to day driving and hard driving in the dry, I think for the price I would go with Parada's again, and just live with their poo wet weather performance and slightly softer sidewall. That's not to say i'm not pleased with the AD08R's, they are very good and offer superb grip, I just think I was expecting them to feel slightly sharper on turn in like the Toyo R888's I have used in the past. I do need to sort the geometry and tracking on the car still, so this is probably more to do with it than the tyre itself. Otherwise they're excellent and i'm pleased with them! Mixed review but I hope you catch my drift!
Final thing I notice about the tyres, they actually improve the ride quality! The car feels a LOT less crashy over pot holes (roads are crap around here) and they are actually quiter too, and you get less road noise in the cabin. This I was impressed with. I would recommend them to anyone serious about performance, and anyone who is thinking of taking their car on track, but for normal day to day stuff perhaps you may want to consider something slightly cheaper.
I have spent a bit more than I should this month, so will be a while until I carry out another big update I think!
melvster said:
Fantastic level of detail, must be on of the best kept EP3's in the country.
Thanks, I do try!
I have scrubbed the new Yoko's in a bit now, and given them more of a thorough test. I confirm they are very very good!! Just keep on sticking on long sweeping turns and make the car very controllable/predictable. They get my recommendation. Much better than the Parada's ignore what I said above ^
Thanks guys. I like to document the work I do for enjoyment, but it does help with resale I must admit, and also shows you have cared for it properly rather than let it go to rack an ruin!
dragonheart said:
Lovely car and your attention to detail must be admired. But does the Mugen airbox not go against the whole project OEM thing?
I hear what you are saying, but Mugen fit these as standard to the Mugen editions of these cars, and it's a Honda approved item so it kinda fits the bill. My initial plan was to keep it 100% OEM, but the more I use the car the more I enjoy it so wanted to make very mild performance modifications that make sense and don't detract from the OEM look of the car. I plan to get an uprated rear Anti Roll Bar (and possibly front) to further enhance performance, but otherwise it will remain standard. The Mugen Airbox gives a nice note on vtec and hopefully improved airflow (difficult to measure unless on a rolling road).richtea78 said:
What is the purpose of the foil on the air box?
Heat reflection mainly. It comes with the airbox and should be applied to the bottom/sides if you can make it stretch that far. Reduced intake temps = better performance.DanielJames said:
Love threads like this I know the pain of waiting for MTF3 to flow through a tiny pipe!
Lol it's a painful process alright!! I know the pain of waiting for MTF3 to flow through a tiny pipe! A few more updates this weekend. Bought a few more bolts to replace some rusted ones in the bay (bonnet catch retaining bolts), as well as a new bracket and bolts to hold the airbox lower intake pipe in place.
I also managed to finally get a few pics of the Mugen Airbox! When I bought it there was no sticker, so I got one of the guys on the forum to make one for me (thanks) and put that on also. Looks complete now.
Pics as follows:
New parts:
Old rusty bonnet catch bolts:
Replacements:
Had to dig out the mini 1/4'' ratchet to undo the lower one, it was tricky to access. I love good tools!
New ones fitted:
Old haggard intake hose retaining bracket (looks worse in the next photo on):
Old vrs new:
And fitted:
And finally some pics of the new Airbox in place:
And some more the following day in daylight:
Really happy with the car now. Still a few more bits to do but slowly getting close to how I want it to look. I enjoy it every time I drive it. I look forward to driving it! The tyres have made a huge difference and are definitely a good investment.
Next jobs will be as follows:
1. New brake discs all round
2. New front passenger headlight, as mine is misted up!
3. Progress/JDM uprated rear anti roll bar
4. Front camber bolts
5. Adjustable rear arms
6. Full Geometry set up - 4 wheel alignment (Fast Road Set Up)
7. Wheel refurb
8. Remove a few of the dings I have
9. New rear 'H' badge
10. Get valve clearances checked
Would also like some newer seats but not really an urgent requirement. I also fancy a private plate but that's another unnecessary extravagance! I am sure I will think of a few other things i'd like to sort, but that's the medium/long term list above.
Mark-t said:
Looking great
Who are you going to use for your FRSU?
Edit: valve clearances are to be checked/adjusted on a stone cold engine. If the garage doesn't know this, don't use them!
Thanks Who are you going to use for your FRSU?
Edit: valve clearances are to be checked/adjusted on a stone cold engine. If the garage doesn't know this, don't use them!
I am thinking of a place locally in Chesham called 'Blackboots/Wheels in motion''.
http://www.wheels-inmotion.co.uk/
They fitted my tyres and seem like a pretty good bunch. Use a torque wrench on the wheels which I have not seen in many of the places these days! Nice to see it done properly!
Re: Valve clearances, not sure yet. I was thinking of getting Stevie @ Grinspeed to sort my gearbox bearing when I get it done. It's a little noisy and will need changing eventually, and he is the man from what i've heard so may just get him to do the clearances too. Either that or Autotorque near Bicester. I know the guy who runs it and they have been working on Japanese cars for many years so should be pretty competent with it. I hate trusting my car to anyone if i'm honest and it always fills me with dread the thought of leaving it with anyone....silly I know, but you just cannot get the staff these days. The newly painted cam cover has to come off to check the valves and i envisage someone just not taking enough care with it and bashing it about during the removal process. I also put some gasket sealant on the four corners of the cam cover rubber gasket - a regular thing to do as you commonly get oil leaks there. However, I did a super tidy job of it so want to make sure when it's refitted this is carried out to a high standard again.
Edited by Track_Cit on Wednesday 12th February 13:43
Really good thread, love how much effort you're putting into the little details, really makes the difference.
I've been following the same thread on type-r-owners.co.uk and I also remember the previous owners thread as well, looks a really well looked after example.
Would love to know how much noise difference the Mugen box makes, seems like a much better induction route than the usual long arm filters etc.
I've been following the same thread on type-r-owners.co.uk and I also remember the previous owners thread as well, looks a really well looked after example.
Would love to know how much noise difference the Mugen box makes, seems like a much better induction route than the usual long arm filters etc.
Track_Cit said:
Thanks
I am thinking of a place locally in Chesham called 'Blackboots/Wheels in motion''.
http://www.wheels-inmotion.co.uk/
They fitted my tyres and seem like a pretty good bunch. Use a torque wrench on the wheels which I have not seen in many of the places these days! Nice to see it done properly!
Re: Valve clearances, not sure yet. I was thinking of getting Stevie @ Grinspeed to sort my gearbox bearing when I get it done. It's a little noisy and will need changing eventually, and he is the man from what i've heard so may just get him to do the clearances too. Either that or Autotorque near Bicester. I know the guy who runs it and they have been working on Japanese cars for many years so should be pretty competent with it. I hate trusting my car to anyone if i'm honest and it always fills me with dread the thought of leaving it with anyone....silly I know, but you just cannot get the staff these days. The newly painted cam cover has to come off to check the valves and i envisage someone just not taking enough care with it and bashing it about during the removal process. I also put some gasket sealant on the four corners of the cam cover rubber gasket - a regular thing to do as you commonly get oil leaks there. However, I did a super tidy job of it so want to make sure when it's refitted this is carried out to a high standard again.
Not silly at all mate, I'm the same.I am thinking of a place locally in Chesham called 'Blackboots/Wheels in motion''.
http://www.wheels-inmotion.co.uk/
They fitted my tyres and seem like a pretty good bunch. Use a torque wrench on the wheels which I have not seen in many of the places these days! Nice to see it done properly!
Re: Valve clearances, not sure yet. I was thinking of getting Stevie @ Grinspeed to sort my gearbox bearing when I get it done. It's a little noisy and will need changing eventually, and he is the man from what i've heard so may just get him to do the clearances too. Either that or Autotorque near Bicester. I know the guy who runs it and they have been working on Japanese cars for many years so should be pretty competent with it. I hate trusting my car to anyone if i'm honest and it always fills me with dread the thought of leaving it with anyone....silly I know, but you just cannot get the staff these days. The newly painted cam cover has to come off to check the valves and i envisage someone just not taking enough care with it and bashing it about during the removal process. I also put some gasket sealant on the four corners of the cam cover rubber gasket - a regular thing to do as you commonly get oil leaks there. However, I did a super tidy job of it so want to make sure when it's refitted this is carried out to a high standard again.
Edited by Track_Cit on Wednesday 12th February 13:43
I'd use Grinspeed for the lot if possible, I've only heard good things! Not used them myself though as I'm south, so use TGM.
Track_Cit said:
I am thinking of a place locally in Chesham called 'Blackboots/Wheels in motion''.
http://www.wheels-inmotion.co.uk/
They fitted my tyres and seem like a pretty good bunch. Use a torque wrench on the wheels which I have not seen in many of the places these days! Nice to see it done properly!
I can vouch for wheels in motion, they did a track/FRSU on my T-5R a couple of years ago. They know what they are doing with the equipment that they have, give out some valuable advice and charge a reasonable price. I will be taking my CTR to them this year when the weather gets a bit better..http://www.wheels-inmotion.co.uk/
They fitted my tyres and seem like a pretty good bunch. Use a torque wrench on the wheels which I have not seen in many of the places these days! Nice to see it done properly!
kerryt5r said:
Track_Cit said:
I am thinking of a place locally in Chesham called 'Blackboots/Wheels in motion''.
http://www.wheels-inmotion.co.uk/
They fitted my tyres and seem like a pretty good bunch. Use a torque wrench on the wheels which I have not seen in many of the places these days! Nice to see it done properly!
I can vouch for wheels in motion, they did a track/FRSU on my T-5R a couple of years ago. They know what they are doing with the equipment that they have, give out some valuable advice and charge a reasonable price. I will be taking my CTR to them this year when the weather gets a bit better..http://www.wheels-inmotion.co.uk/
They fitted my tyres and seem like a pretty good bunch. Use a torque wrench on the wheels which I have not seen in many of the places these days! Nice to see it done properly!
They are the most local place to me you see.liner33 said:
Ditto best place in the country IMO
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