Yahooo!!!! I can't believe it! I measured my custom axle at about 16in from boot to boot. I went to the junkyard and measured the axle from the MK4 (my mistake, it was not an mk3, it was one of those "guppy mouth" bumpers with convex headlamps) and it turned out being far too long (wasted an hour and a half battling with stripped bolts and didn't end up recovering the axle). Lucky me though, I walked up to a 1.0l mk2 (same style as my xfi - convex headlamps) automatic, measured between the boots, and wouldn't you know it was ~16in. It has a doo-dad on it right next to the hub-side boot that rubs on my suspension fork (whatever it's called) when I turn the wheel a certain amount to the right. It makes an awful sound and will need to be removed or ground down a bit. It looks like this, except the doodad on mine is on the hub side, not the trans side:
Anyone know what that doo-dad is even for?...Anyway, I don't have to make custom axles ever again! I took it on a
better maiden voyage up a steady, gradual 3 mile climb up to my parents house then back down. Beginning up the hill it would hesitate every so often, and it took a bit of a battle to even make it to the bottom of the hill, as I stalled it a couple of times getting through a bunch of traffic lights and experimenting with turning the headlights on. Getting near the top of the hill it hesitated less and less. I engine braked as much as I could on the way down, and it felt noticeably better driving around in the city, stopping and going. I stuck a meat thermometer into the rad fins but the reading didn't go over 120 I think, which was surprisingly low to me - thought it would be hotter after a big climb. The cluster temp gauge stays below center. I'm still not sure how accurate it is since the gauge is Honda and the sensor is geo... Like Gasoline Fumes was mentioning earlier in the thread it's all probably Nippon Denso, but I still don't know if there may be a difference in resistance between the Honda and Geo temp sensors that would cause an erroneous display. I'm starting to trust it more though after that big climb. Starting off in 1st gear is a lot smoother now, but could still get better. It sounds quiet idling from the outside, but it sounds like a freakin' army jeep from the inside with a lot of the dashboard supports not put back in yet. Should I take the oil out now and filter it / replace it outright yet, or should I wait until more break-in occurs?
I left the tube off of my air filter... Anyone foresee that being a problem, or should I just leave it there for a WAI? I've heard metros don't like HOT air, but I haven't heard anything about warm. I'm wary of going WOT under any kind of load yet... how long should I wait for that? This is exciting, I feel so proud driving that noisy thing around (the exhaust is not totally sealed either - that will need minor repairs as well.)
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Originally Posted by Christ
For the places Will travels for work, it'll be an excellent highway machine, and with great aero (surely to be further improved), there's no reason he couldn't get up to 65 highway, IMO.
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I actually got a pretty sweet 9-5 job now that I walk or bike to every day only about 6 blocks. This car will be a gas powered umbrella, stuff-mover, and "wtf is he driving?" eye catcher for now until I get the electric umbrella-and-stuff-mover working
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Originally Posted by MetroMPG
If it feels like it's only running on 3 cylinders... then it's perfect!
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Yes it DEFINITELY feels like 3 cylinders. Much weaker accel. on the high end than I'm used to, but that's what I was wanting to sacrifice anyway. I'll just spend a little more time in 4th gear, and relish my time in 5th gear cruising along at 55mph at like 1000 rpm
