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9
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Welcome to Tech Torque
Greetings from the hood. Tech Torque is the fresh new section to get and share advice, how-to articles and tutorials with your fellow addics!
submitted by Admin,
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1 months ago
| 1 comment
| 92 views
16
votes
Garage Diaries: Fitting HID lights
My headlight beams are totally whack! So it was time to get off my ass and get my HID kit fitted to the MR2.
I didn’t have the tools for the job on my last attempt. So, this time I woke up Carl, from Motorworx, bright and early on Sunday morning and blagged him to give me a hand and lend me his tools.
Fitting an HID kit is just a matter of swapping in a new bulb and ballast, so in a regular car it's no big deal and can be completed in 10-15 minutes. However, with the 80’s chic pop-up lights on my MR2 things are a little different.
It took me 25-35 minutes for the job. You’ll need a cross-head screwdriver, a 10mm spanner/socket, Stanley knife, cable ties and 3M double-sided tape.
Step one
Pop up the headlights and undo the four screws that hold the plastic cowling around the light and remove it.
Step two
You will then notice four bolts that hold on the top light cover – we removed these to help us see how much space we had for the HID light ballast unit.
Step three
Four screws hold the light unit in place. Remove the bottom two first and try and use a magnetic screwdriver as it’s a real pain if you drop them. You can then pull the lamp unit forward and unclip the attached wiring.
Step four
Remove the old H4 bulb. Replace with the swanky new HID bulb. Thread the new wiring through the headlight and make sure it doesn't catch on the mechanics of the pop-up lights.
Step five
Place the ballast unit in a secure position – we found an ideal ledge to fasten it to. If you are adding HID’s to an MR2 then this is where you will need to trim the plastic cowling you removed in step one so it doesn’t foul on the added unit.
Replace the top cover unit and cowling – you're now HID kitted and ready.
submitted by AddictEDITOR,
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4 months ago
| 7 comments
| 543 views
9
votes
One empty bottle and go...
Motoraddicts could notice that I have mentioned my Daddies ride many times... I decide to talk about it after I went in some adventure with that ride.
First lets say its old junk... ready to be sold as can on wheels... Its an "83. Audi 80 1.6 Diesel... and the car just wont DIE... My old man is driving it off road as its GL 500... and car is still going... It seams like my old man is in love with this car, he wont sell it, and the only thing he is buying for it is fuel from time to time... no extra modes no decorations, just drive it as it is....
BUT...
A few days ago, old man was about to take me long way from out of town to my friends camp house and families raft... (the same place)...
At half way there, car just start to lose fuel in the engine, and it starts with "engine fuel-less serial jumping".
"eventually" we stop to check under the hood... and old man tought its out of fuel... so we let the car go back as far it can with turned off engine... It seams it wasn't the fuel after all... Old man was checking under the hood a couple of minutes and then start to look for an empty bottle... I was just asking, why, why, why... No answer just do the damn thing...
And check what he did with the bottle...
It turns out the fuel hose somewhere closer to fuel tank was blocked, so the fuel wasn't entering the engine... What he did was cut out both fuel filters from fuel way, fill the bottle with diesel fuel, fixe it to water-cooler hoses and put main and (I think I can call it) comeback fuel hose in to the bottle... So bottle was doing multitasking, as fuel tank, main and little fuel filter... Not perfect job but bottle did it, and make us come back home with more dark skin (it was burning day).
submitted by RimenX,
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5 months ago
| 14 comments
| 350 views
6
votes
Garage diaries – Plug change
After being so hyped about my new air filter arriving from the US I was ultra-keen to get it fitted to my car. So I called up my local garage Motorworx to see if I could borrow some workshop space. Things were looking good.
I thought it would be a half hour job tops and I'd be back at the Motoraddicts lair in a jiffy. I also picked up a set of Iridium NGK plugs on the way to the garage and was planning on writing a how-to blog on fitting all of the above.
Opening the engine cover though my plan was quickly scuppered. I could see that I didn't have an airflow meter and the kit I have is designed for the early models that do. Damn it. After standing, looking and scratching my head for five minutes, Carl the mechanic and I agreed we could get the filter to fit, but only if we fabricated an adaptor plate at a later date. It was not going to happen today.
However I did have the plugs to fit and thought it was a good idea to get them in place. My car had been loosing a lot of power and at about 4,000rpm so much so that the car pull stopped and started. In other words I was getting rinsed for acceleration out on the road.
Changing plugs is a simple job, and one that can easily be done on the driveway at home, saving a buck or two.
To gain access to the plugs I had to clear the top pipe-work that leads to the throttle housing. A couple of 10mm jubilee clips and the job was done.
Gently pull out one lead, use a magnetised plug spanner to un-do the plug and remove.
My plugs were trashed and needed to be changed.
Add the new plug and tighten until the washer is squashed. Replace the lead and then repeat the process until you’ve replaced all the old ones.
I thought that was me done and dusted for the day, but I got roped into helping change a clutch in a Mitsubishi Evo Extreme, only one of seven models in the country, I didn’t need asking twice!
submitted by AddictEDITOR,
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9 months ago
| 9 comments
| 222 views
6
votes
Garage Diaries: 200SX coolant temp sensor
Motorworx shared with us a top tip for Nissan owners that may save you a bob or two.
This is a simple ten minute job on the Nissan 200SX and if you took it to a main dealer it could cost you a lot more than a few minutes with a spanner on your drive. A failed or faulty coolant temperature sensor can result in your car over-fuelling, belching black smoke and making the engine cough.
The coolant temperature sensor is prone to fail on the Nissan engines if it has never been replaced since the car rolled of the production line. The original part was not up to the job and Nissan have a new, modified sensor that is less likely to fail. To order the new part, the number for your dealer is 22630-51E02 and should cost you about £25.
When facing the engine the sensor is located at the front of the block to the top left – see image.
Once you’ve located it, unclip the joining wire.
The sensor has a thread holding it in place. Use a 19mm ‘stubby’ spanner, the reason we use a stubby spanner is that you will not have enough room to ‘throw’ a standard size one without hitting the fan and to free up the part.
Once the old sensor is clear, fit the new one and make sure you use the new washer also provided. It can be a little fiddly replacing it; small hands can help at this point. Re-tighten with the 19mm stubby and make sure the wires are re-clipped securely.
A ten minute job and no hefty hour garage charge to rinse out your pockets.
submitted by AddictEDITOR,
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11 months ago
| 2 comments
| 557 views
