Street Prepared build
- Thread starter xelderx
- Start date
I was so excited last night since I got the head and intake manifold all back on the car and it was running great. So I put it back in the garage and head home. I went back over tonight to start the oil relocation kit install. I jack the car up and there isa nice saucer size puddle of oil directly under the crank pulley and oil is all over the left side of the subframe. AT first I was thinking that the head gasket got messed up when I put the head back on, but after I took all the belts and covers off it appears to be leaking from my intake cam seal. The intake cam pulley had a good bit of oil on the inside of it and there really isn't anywhere else it could come from to get in there. It looked like the exhaust cam seal might of been leaking slightly too. I'm going to the dealer tomorrow to get the stock replacement seals instead of the AutoZone specials. I cleaned everything off and I'm going to leave all the covers off when I get it back together and keep an eye on it until I'm satisfied that I solved the problem.
thewrench said:
I think it was just an installation issue. The cam seals seem to be the most obvious problem. They are also the easiest to fix and the cheapest so I'm going to start there and keep my fingers crossed.
Everything else went so smoothly with the swap I should have known I wasn't going to get away with it that easy.
Well the head is back in the car and everything is running good. I have a nice exhaust leak, but I'm not stressing about it right now. I just need a new manifold gasket. The car is much faster above 4,000 RPM. You can really tell a difference on the butt dyno. Now I have to get a nice 4-2-1 header and midpipe to compliment the intake and she ought to scream. I noticed tonight that I had an intermitent lack of power at certain RPM's. One pull it would do it and then the next pull it wouldn't. The weather was freezing and the ECU is probably still fine tuning so I'm not going to stress over that either. My front Azenis are now completely bald and their lack of tread combined with the cold weather makes them pretty much useless.
I was leaving work for lunch today and I found out what was causing the intermitent loss of power. I cranked up the car before I closed the door and I heard a horrible rattle that you can't hear inside the car (due to all the other rattles). I look up under the car to see where all the noise is coming from to see that my exhaust is leaking badly from where the mid-pipe connects to my new side-exit pipe. When the exhaust shop bolted it together I guess it didn't get tight enough. So I'm missing one of the bolts and the other one is loose. The gasket is gone for sure and we just had a nice little snowstormn that I'm sure will close all the autoparts stores before I get out of work. The loss of power was actually the pipe beginning to come apart and my torque falling off the face of the Earth.
01bluemp3 said:
Snow is no problem. Those tires you got for me are excellent bad weather tires...or at least they are phenomenal compared to my Azenis. Once I get the exhaust sealed up again the car won't be so friendly in the slick stuff since it makes 1st and 2nd gear a neverending search for traction.
mp5smuggler
Member
hey when you go to the full header from ym wagner one dont bother with the mil electrical fix go for the anti fowler fix. mike r and i just did it today and my cel is gond and its easy as hell and you wont have to worry about it failing on you and having to redo it.
Sorry I haven't posted in a few days. I've been fighting with an oil leak and a mysterious CEL that I couldn't find the cause of. Finally had the code pulled (P0106). The CEL came from me messing up the routing on one of my vacuum lines. The one that goes from the bottom of the manifold near the alternator to the sensor that sits behind the cruise control. I had that messed up and it threw the CEL which I thought was a misfire due to fouled plugs...wrong. So then I thought it was the EGR valve in the TB sticking...wrong. Finally noticed that the sensor was missing it's vacuum line. The oil leak came from my oil filter relocation install. Suprisingly enough it never leaked from any of the line fittings. Only on the oil filter mount where the 2 plugs are for an oil pressure sender. I can't get one of them to fully seal even with a good bit of teflon tape and some seal all. I'll be pulling it back out on Friday to RTV the s*** out of it. It only leaks under high pressure...it won't leak while it's idling so I didn't notice it until after I got a good distance away from the house. Here is pictures of the final install that.
I also just got word that my package came in from Mr. Potter and I'm excited to say that the Protege should be sporting adjustable struts by this weekend.
I also just got word that my package came in from Mr. Potter and I'm excited to say that the Protege should be sporting adjustable struts by this weekend.
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Oops I also forgot to add how the new intake and head feel since the ECU is mostly sorted out now. There is a major difference in the way the car pulls above 4,000 RPM. I even have my stock rims with 205/55's on them which makes the gearing worse and the setup is much heavier. This thing is going to be an animal with lighter smaller diameter wheels and tires. There is only a minor hesitation in the accerleration of the car right now between 4,500 and 6,000 RPM, but it only occurs at partial throttle. If you just go WOT from the start it nevers appears. I'm really looking into a Haltech E6X now since this car has so much more potential if I can just adjust the fuel and timing.
Jeez I must be stupid...make that 205/55's not 225/50's...duh.
Jeez I must be stupid...make that 205/55's not 225/50's...duh.
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So when you say "ported and polished" you are staying within the rules right? One inch either side of the gasket, effectively just gasket matching? I kept seeing this, and I ran in DSP then FSP for several years and wasn't allowed anything more. I had to go reread the new rule book to see if things had changed for 2005.
What kind of struts did you get?
BTW thanks for the oil filter relocation pics, that was one of my next mods.
Britt
What kind of struts did you get?
BTW thanks for the oil filter relocation pics, that was one of my next mods.
Britt
