CRXFi Build Thread (Geo Metro XFi drivetrain in Honda CRX)

[RobertSmalls]

, Wonderboy, but better you decide now than in three years. :/, indeed. Keep us posted on your progress on the car.

[Wonderboy]

This recent thread activity coupled with my need to remove the CRXFi from the driveway it sits in now has inspired me to add the new radiator and block heater!

Aside from the obvious ecomodding that has yet to be done and a potential for researching independent fuel injection and/or lean burn via megasquirt, the only things left to do are get some front indicators that actually fit (right now there some that are too big to fit duct taped in place), fix the inability to reset the trip odometer, adjust the backup light so it works all the time when in reverse (only works in a small "Sweet spot"), and pop in the 3.52 swift transmission to see if it is indeed too tall. If she passes inspection tomorrow I'll be able to drive it around a bit more without fear of legal consequences and start getting some numbers.

[crx driver]

Nice tip about the 1st gen insight wheels.

[Wonderboy]

Alright! Yesterday the CRXFi became road legal! This is a huge landmark in the project! I am going to be driving it around town and hopefully on a few longer trips before it gets too cold.

I already have some initial observations since the block heater install: Last night was very chilly. There was a freeze advisory here last night and I had to drive it at around 11pm. It wasn't freezing yet, but it was definitely "c'monnnn heaterrr" weather. I decided to test how fast the heater provided any kind of comforting amount of heat. Granted a majority of the trip was a long hill, but it took about 5 miles before the thermometer needle moved up and it started pumping out any kind of heat. I cant wait to see what the block heater does.

I'm definitely going full grill block on this - the honda radiator (twice the volume of the stock XFi radiator), the custom hoses I had to make to accommodate that radiator (about twice the tubing that it normally has), the block heater, and all the custom hoses and 90 deg turns I had to cobble together to make the block heater fit in, add quite the extra volume of coolant that has to run through the engine. There is a LOT fo thermal mass for that teeny little engine to heat up, which makes getting up to operating temp more difficult, and certainly makes the wait for personal comfort on chilly days/nights much longer.

When going up the aforementioned hill with 1 passenger (heh), and a bunch of stuff in the hatch, it had a pretty hard time climbing a long yet shallow grade at speeds that don't piss off other drivers. I was up to I'd say about 90% throttle in an area that transitions from 45mph to 50. I was holding a steady 45 in 4th gear. I hadn't tried shifting to 3rd, but I feel like there wouldn't be much left in it to take me above 45. This leads me to believe that unless I lived in Texas or central New Jersey or southern Ontario where SOME PEOPLE can pull down mighty MPGs all day on flat surfaces, the special 3.52 swift transmission would not be viable for this application. I can't knock it till I try it, but I'm a bit low on impetus at the moment to swap transmissions in and out, so for now I think I'll keep the stock XFi trans. This opens up the possible opportunity for a 3.52 swift transmission for sale

pics/video still to come!

[Wonderboy]

I made a video! I didn't plan it out too much, just shot using my computer's camera. Keep looking if you want a professional video :P

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by Wonderboy

Alright! Yesterday the CRXFi became road legal!

Woohoo! Congrats, Will!

it took about 5 miles before the thermometer needle moved up and it started pumping out any kind of heat. [...] I'm definitely going full grill block on this

I find my convertible is very cold blooded compared to the Flea. Major difference being grille block on the Flea, none on the 'vert yet.

This leads me to believe that [...] the special 3.52 swift transmission would not be viable for this application.

Do you spend the majority of your time in hills like that? If so, then you may be right.

This opens up the possible opportunity for a 3.52 swift transmission for sale

Far be it from me to discourage you from using it in your car. (But ... DIBS!!!)

Also: VIDEO - very cool, even if it's off your laptop cam. Thanks for posting it. Now we know it's a real car.

[Wonderboy]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Far be it from me to discourage you from using it in your car. (But ... DIBS!!!)

Whatever happens, there will at least be an XFi transmission available, which is equally as difficult to find (if nor more difficult). But you now officially have dibs I'm going to be driving the CRXFi around as often as possible when I actually do drive and again hope to make a couple highway trips with it (Still haven't seen what the XFi trans does on the highway), but I'm most likely going to make like geese and migrate over to Ecorenovator for the winter for some home energy experiments! They sent me a free smart power strip and I don't even post frequently there, so I feel like I owe some of my insight there.

[phunky.buddha]

Great progress since I last came online here! Do you by any chance have any more cherry CRX chassis sitting around that you could send to Texas? I could use one to start my project on.

[Wonderboy]

Do you by any chance have any more cherry CRX chassis sitting around that you could send to Texas?

Yeah I'll overnight one, what's your address

I've had another hiccup in testing. I can still drive it around, but I don't want to do it too much - things have been very hectic and I haven't had time to investigate: The driver's side front wheel when hacked up can be wiggled with a little play. I don't know if it's loosy goosy from the outer axle splines being really long (see this post) and they've encountered enough force to squish them in a little and need more tightening from the axle nut, OR I've got a hub that's about to go. I don't have a puller, and I've had a hell of a time trying to replace a hub on my other car, so I'm going to have to get it into my honda guy, because I don't have time right now to screw around with hubs.

I got a new ECT sensor (although the service manual is a bit cloudy about which sensor its talking about) and it didn't fix the CEL. No big deal because there's no way this engine could ever overheat with all those hoses and the huge crx radiator, but I've been culturally trained to not like the CEL

[Gasoline Fumes]

Originally Posted by Wonderboy

I got a new ECT sensor (although the service manual is a bit cloudy about which sensor its talking about) and it didn't fix the CEL. No big deal because there's no way this engine could ever overheat with all those hoses and the huge crx radiator, but I've been culturally trained to not like the CEL

Which sensor did you replace? The coolant sensor for the ECU is the one in the throttle body. You definitely want this sensor working properly. If it's telling the ECU that the engine is cold, it will run rich.