Terrible mpg's = new interest in old ideas.

[Tygen1]

Originally Posted by mhmitszach

Team up with these ideas.

I can't seem to find pcm chart...I do have the right resistor though.

Hm. Manual steering rack seems interesting. I'm trying to get this down to minimal parts in the engine bay now. I just don't know if it'd pay for itself. 50 bucks for about 50 pounds and 3-5 hp...don't know how much that would help with mpg.

Haha. I've been speeding up in my car just because it sounds that much louder without the upper resonator and I feel like it actually accelerates just a bit faster. But don't worry. I glide down so no lose or gain in trip mpg haha.

I was really considering powders udp. But at 75 bucks and the fact that I'd need an over drive pulley for the alternator doesn't really make it worth it.

I'll try to show my grill block. Needs redone. moorecomp did a really nice job on his though.

CCRM and Larger PCM Pinout chart - TeamZX2.com Enjoy!

As far as the manual rack goes... if you after the last ounce of wasted energy then it's a cheap 3-5 hp savings.
Powders UDP can be gotten cheaper used, some say it got them another 2 mpg, but I only got about 0.5 mpg improvement. The motor idles noticably smoother and is a bit zippier. I put on a Focus Zetec Alt. pulley and it is pretty good, not perfect.

I did the grill block and got rid of the mud flaps tonight. Tried the Home Depot lip to no avail. Being below freezing, it just didn't want to bend around. I might have to find a heated garage to get this done anytime soon. I'm very curious to see how this effects the mileage because I have about 200 miles of highway per week. How did the grill block effect your mileage?

[Christ]

RE: The HD lip.

If you want to make it easier, just run a string along your bumper, with painter's tape, and measure out the length that you need. Cut off the section you want, and leave it indoors until it's flexible... you can prep your bumper while the HD lip material is warming, and when you've got your retainers on the bumper cover, bring out the "lip" and mount it up.

You'll get a good 20 mins of pliability each time you warm it up on really cold days. Should be plenty to mock it up, then warm it up again, and drill/poke/cut your holes and mount it.

[mhmitszach]

Originally Posted by Tygen1

CCRM and Larger PCM Pinout chart - TeamZX2.com Enjoy!

As far as the manual rack goes... if you after the last ounce of wasted energy then it's a cheap 3-5 hp savings.
Powders UDP can be gotten cheaper used, some say it got them another 2 mpg, but I only got about 0.5 mpg improvement. The motor idles noticably smoother and is a bit zippier. I put on a Focus Zetec Alt. pulley and it is pretty good, not perfect.

I did the grill block and got rid of the mud flaps tonight. Tried the Home Depot lip to no avail. Being below freezing, it just didn't want to bend around. I might have to find a heated garage to get this done anytime soon. I'm very curious to see how this effects the mileage because I have about 200 miles of highway per week. How did the grill block effect your mileage?

Do you have picture of correct wire?

Well, I can't seem to tell how hard that is to do.

I didn't track mpg improvement of grill block. I just did it before i started tracking.


Bad news. Battery is shot. So this tank is going to be terribly low from excessive idling trying to jump it.

I think over xmas break I might go all out and pull the ac and do a manual steering swap.

I'm just not so sure how hard it is to do and then how much harder it will be to drive with it.

[Christ]

As far as manual vs. power steering:

I've pulled power steering two ways: use a manual steering rack in place of the PS unit, and just pull the PS pump and loop the lines back through the rack.

The former is the far preferred method, since the PS racks usually have a longer ratio (more turns lock to lock) which allows you to turn the wheels considerably easier while operating slowly or sitting still (not that you should turn the wheels while sitting still.).

The latter, however, works just as well, but it will be quite noticeable when you're done. You will find it VERY difficult (compared to having PS) to turn the wheels while moving slowly or sitting still (not that you should turn the wheels while sitting still).

During drive time, you will get used to it so fast that you most likely won't notice a difference, other than increased steering response. (It takes more pressure to turn the wheels now, so you'll get a better "feel" from the wheel.) Also, the wheel will be slightly more respondant to bumps in the road and tire feedback. Again, not significant changes, but enough to notice.


A/C removal is simple: drain the system (legally) and remove the pump and condensor/evap can/lines. Replace the belt or put a pulley in place of the A/C pump. (if your model ever came w/o A/C, you can just replace the belt, easy as pie. If it always had A/C, someone will make an A/C delete pulley that bolts on in place of the A/C pump. My wife's GP was the latter.)

Often times, it's very easy to fabricate an idler pulley for the belt to ride on and mount it to the A/C pumps location, if no one has made one already for your application.

[mhmitszach]

Originally Posted by Christ

As far as manual vs. power steering:

I've pulled power steering two ways: use a manual steering rack in place of the PS unit, and just pull the PS pump and loop the lines back through the rack.

The former is the far preferred method, since the PS racks usually have a longer ratio (more turns lock to lock) which allows you to turn the wheels considerably easier while operating slowly or sitting still (not that you should turn the wheels while sitting still.).

The latter, however, works just as well, but it will be quite noticeable when you're done. You will find it VERY difficult (compared to having PS) to turn the wheels while moving slowly or sitting still (not that you should turn the wheels while sitting still).

During drive time, you will get used to it so fast that you most likely won't notice a difference, other than increased steering response. (It takes more pressure to turn the wheels now, so you'll get a better "feel" from the wheel.) Also, the wheel will be slightly more respondant to bumps in the road and tire feedback. Again, not significant changes, but enough to notice.


A/C removal is simple: drain the system (legally) and remove the pump and condensor/evap can/lines. Replace the belt or put a pulley in place of the A/C pump. (if your model ever came w/o A/C, you can just replace the belt, easy as pie. If it always had A/C, someone will make an A/C delete pulley that bolts on in place of the A/C pump. My wife's GP was the latter.)

Often times, it's very easy to fabricate an idler pulley for the belt to ride on and mount it to the A/C pumps location, if no one has made one already for your application.

Do you think pulling the power steering would be worth it though?

Also, ac. Even if they didn't make the car without ac can't you just buy the belt at whatever length you need?

[Christ]

For the sake of convenience, no, I personally wouldn't do the work to pull the PS system.

You're only losing that 3-5 HP when you're steering, other than that, the parasitic drag of the belt and pulley is inappreciable without some serious testing equipment. And if you're going to be anal about that little amount of drag, you might as well loosen up your valves by .002" (.05mm) (Don't really do that.)

For the A/C system, you COULD just measure up the size of belt that you'd need without the A/C pulley, and get that one. The tensioner will take up any slack, to a given extent. The issue with this, is keeping documentation on which belt you'll need, if it's a non-OEM replacement.

For instance, on my Mazda B2200, I replaced the belt driven fan with an electric one, and added a second alternator, which required a special idler pulley and a much longer than OEM belt. I had to try 15 or so belts until one fit, and then document which belt it was.

[Tygen1]

For the shift resistor, you will use the Yellow w/ vilolet stripe wire in position 82 on the PCM. I believe the picture on TeamZX2 is a mirror image. You will need to be carefull because there are other wires that look similar, but none that are exactly the same. Just print out the PCM page and compare it to what you are looking at, you should be able to find the correct wire.
For the AC and PS delete, TeamZX2 to the rescuse again... Poor mans ps and ac ps deletes - TeamZX2.com Use the belt length recomended in this article, reroute your P/S lines to circulate and you got cheap and quick way to see if it will be effective, before you tear out $1000 worth of parts. Go to the Knowledge base section and read every thread, go the Newbie section and read the What works thread. Pretty much everything under the sun has been tried on a ZX2 and recorded in these areas. I haven't read anyone say the effort with using a P/S rack converted to manual was excessive. Just don't let your grandma drive it
If the battery is shot, have the Alternator checked also, they are natoriously weak and fail often. I'm on my third. A bad Alt. can take out a good battery, and a bad battery can take out a ZX2 Alt.
Ok, here's some pics of my grill block. It's a complete grill block and I used some think Lexan I had laying around. The mudflap removal is not pictured, it was starting to snow as I was taking them off, so no pic's.

As to the HD lip. I had my heat gun out there trying to heat it up to bend, but it was not working. I managed to get three screws in before giving up. I was installing it with the round/tube part down and using the barbed edge as a flange to screw thru to attach it....is this how most are done?

[Christ]

That grille block looks great, the only thing I could think to have done differently is to use some high-modulus clear latex caulking to hold it in, rather than the zip ties (makes it so you can't even tell it's there, and won't damage the paint, should you ever take it off)

Although, maybe the zipties aren't such a bad idea, since caulk tends to fail after awhile.

As far as the HD lip, I've seen two kinds of them: The garden edging you're using, which as been successfully done two ways.

And the door weather moulding (comes straight, but mounts as a right angle) which is made of rubbery-vinyl stuff. (Garage door trim, basically)

The garden/sidewalk edging that you're using, the best way I've seen to mount it is to actually drill holes in the round part, all on one side, so you can insert small screws (this will be your back side, or face the engine bay.)

._
( )
.|\
.|
.|
.|


Basically, drill holes in where the slash is, all on one side, lined up with any holes that are in your bumper cover already. This way, you can use the existing holes in your bumper, and put a nut/washer on it to more securely fasten it.

The other way to do it is exactly what you're doing, except heating up the whole strip that you're using enough to create a 1/2" wide 90* flange on the flat edge of the trim. You can figure it out from there.

The other stuff, that mounts itself as a right angle on it's own, is A LOT easier to use.

Basically, mount it up from the center outward, and when you have to start turning a corner, pie-cut the "flange" that you're working with. It stays flexible even in extreme cold, and works out better for lowered cars, as it won't break if you smack it on the ground. It's a flexible vinyl. (Think: hypo-allergenic exam gloves)

Hope this helped.

[Tygen1]

Thanks for the compliments. Your information was very helpfull. I will give your method a try and go take a look at this garage door trim. I suppose even some vinly facia for your house would work as well, if I could only get it in black.
I didn't use caulk because I haven't had any luck with it sticking to the lexan before. I like the mechanical hold of the zip ties. No worries about paint damage, that bumper is pretty beat up. I'm excitted to try this out. I won't know until Thursday when I fill up next if there was a measureable benefit.

[Christ]

Actually, one of my friends made side skirts (read: Ricer body kit) for his Honda Accord years ago, from vinyl siding corner trim. He mounted it with bulk clips to the pinch point of the body. They didn't protrude out the sides of the car, but almost perfectly lined up underneath, although b/c of the curvature of the rocker panel, there was a gap that needed to be filled (he later filled it in, not sure with what.)

The stuff he used is shaped like this:

____
l.....|
...._|


Look at the letter "l" as it's the particular interest for mounting. Using metal spring clips, you could slide them over the vinyl and the metal "pinch point" in the car's body to hold it securely under the car.

I'll try to illustrate a little better if I need to.

Anyway, the same idea could be used for the front, and it would give you a 3" vinyl lip, however, vinyl siding won't fare well in winter. It gets VERY brittle.


P.S. For silicon or Latex to stick to the plexi/polyacrylic, you need to scuff it up a bit first, then wipe it with vinegar. It still won't hold a lot, though, so you'd still need to fasten it with something.

I really like the fact that you actually trimmed it out to fit in the space provided though... that says that you care about your car's appearance, and will take the time to do the mods correctly, or they won't get done at all. At least IMO.