Category: Life Style

Reflections: Run what you got

Back then (2012), living on an instant ramen noodle diet, I had to run what I got as is.

Ever heard of the tire brand Negotiator? No? Neither have I!

VX wheels are 13×5, I was running 185/70/13 tires on them. Talk about balloon tires. The tires were rated at 110 mph max, I took it past 120mph many times while on a run…

Waiting for the call…
Gas up our cars and minds.
The run
The cool down.
205+WHP + 185/70/13 tires = A setup only P. Runner could master.

It wasn’t an ideal tire set up, but again I had to run what I got. Those days of driving at that speed are over however, I don’t go over 85mph nowadays. It’s all about maintaining now. Living to tell your story.

VX wheels will always have a fond place in my heart.

“I had to pray before going into corners” said Shunei Kawasaki who drove the SS Works CRX on Best Motoring’s Roaring VTEC: Battle at 10,000 RPM. I felt the same way on my tire set up back then. LOL

P.S., I drove by this bar today, and there were people outside enjoying their drinks

It made me think of this

Peace. Stay safe y’all.

The Heat is On

There’s a heat wave kicking everyone’s ass in Cali. With that being said I need to fix this AC problem… NOW. And that means working in this heat… Bring it on.

So from doing some research on my AC issue, I found out it can be throttle body/Fast Idle Valve related; meaning when the compressor kicks on, the fast idle valve isn’t compensating for it by bumping the idle speed up. I also said throttle body because I came across this: https://youtu.be/id26HIyI84U @00:12 is what my van does; the ac clutch kicks around. The dude in the video took the throttle body off and did a deep clean by spraying all the carbon off, while I cleaned it on the manifold. I will do a deeper clean when I get a new throttle body gasket, so for now it’ll have to do.

Here are the before pics

Notice the carbon build up on the valve itself. Now for the after pics

Sure shit it did the trick, kinda. It does kick around a little but it eventually stops, unlike before it’ll kick around and never stop. The AC is working for now, once I get the new throttle body gasket I’ll perform the deeper clean and also replace the fast idle valve while I’m at it to be safe. If anyone decides to clean it without taking it off the manifold, I suggest spraying inside the throttle body and manifold with compressed air when you’re done, that’ll help make all the carb/throttle cleaner evaporate, helping with the start up afterwards.

Stay cool everybody, if you decide to work in this heat like I did today, stay shaded and hydrated! ✌️

FLEX

The Sergeant Race Division fenders are now installed, and the Kanjyozaku is complete. There’s a few things why I nicked named this project that; Char’s custom Zaku II is basically a souped up base model mobile suit, just like my Civic.

Two, it has different shades of red (pink lol). And of course kanjyo for the homage.

The install was straight forward, nothing crazy

This week was full of accomplishments, I hope it’s the same for y’all. Flex!

Something different Part 4

Last week I sent the van out to get some well needed maintenance done. I’m talking about every seal replaced, motor mounts, and timing belts. Of course I sent it to a shop I trust because I don’t have the time nor space to do that kind of work. If y’all in San Diego and need a reputable shop to get work done right, let me know, I’ll point you in the right direction.

The next thing on the maintenance list is something I do have the time and space to do; radiator replacement.

All better. I feel accomplished. However since I installed a new AC compressor last year, the AC still bucks… Definitely a long term path to fix that. In the mean time I will enjoy the van as is, especially since it’s running spic and span.