Performing Honda K24a3/AST5 6spd Conversion

[lookforjoe]

Got back from Montreal yesterday evening. It was a lovely vacation.

Canna that put ours to shame. This was in Magog, Eastern Townships

waterfall near QC

Topiary exhibition, QC

nice architecture & sky

converted church now a library

Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal

Today I swapped out the center carrier support on the pickup - the first one I buggered the carrier installing the bearing originally, and my attempted fix only lasted 1K miles. While I was under there, I did the usual look around for leaks, etc., and noticed what looked like water around the base seat for the radiator. Following the trail, I could see that in fact the radiator end cap had cracked around the base of the expansion tank return hose. Fortunately these are all the same (200/700/900 -92, auto) so still readily available from reputable manufacturers. I got one from FCP Euro, as they are reasonably close (CT) and give a lifetime warranty on ANYTHING you purchase through them. So, couple bucks more than other vendors in some cases, but worth it.

Besides that I worked on the cruise actuator cable a bit. Got the open cable length figured out & fitted a solder-type barrel end to match the K-Tuned TB wheel

tried soldering it in place, didn't work so well, but that was just the test fit anyway - I hadn't cut the cable sheath back yet. Removed the cable from the actuator & did the final (silver) solder job in the vice, much easier & vise helped act as heat soak to prevent damage to the strands beyond where I needed the solder to permeate.

Tomorrow I'll hopefully make the anchor bracket to locate the cable at the TB

the brass barrels are sold in 10 packs, which is just as well as I lost one & damaged another, so it took three to finish

bits removed from original cable

final result

 

[Ron Avery]

Nice work

 

[lookforjoe]

Thank you, Ron.

Got the bracket made today, added an ear to the existing, after I figured out the placement, angle & offset to make sure the cable was aligned with the wheel channel

took several tries to get the inner wheel in the correct relationship to the throttle cable

routed the cable up behind the cover hinge, with a bracket attached to the stock panel center bolt to keep the cable out of the way

 

[lookforjoe]

Reworked the engine cover mesh today. I had bought a sheet of stainless mesh back in May -


melty bits from new header. I replaced all the rivets with M5 rivnuts last time around, so easy enough to take apart now.

figuring out which way to go with it

cut it using the inner metal cover as a template, then curled the rear edge in several steps, the stainless is a bitch to shape, and sharp!

cut some more bits away here and there to improve fit

painted it black with high temp paint, added 1/16" closed cell foam to prevent rattling & paint getting scratched. It is wedged in the rear lip, and the mesh fits around the securing screw holes, so it's a pretty tight fit.

had to cut out a section from the middle where the inner cover sits in the outer cover recess

inner cover back on, installed on car with help from the Mrs.

didn't realize that the M8 bolt head was pressing into the trunk lid forward lip (visible dent/scratch) - so I replaced it with a Torx version. The flush ones are all M6

lift support back on, fan reconnected

after that I cleaned up the AC circuit wiring using a 3 pole connector

and added a clamp to secure the vent hose that sits near the throttle cables

redid the 6.3mm YZ starter connection, got rid of the solder splices

recut the threads on the cruise pedal switch to 12x1.5 to match the Fiat bracket

can't get the factory connector for the switch, so I'll wire it with a new connector

decided it's easier to park this backed into the garage, trunk spoiler is less in the way

 

[Ron Avery]

Looks great

 

[Longitudinal]

Your pictures from Quebec look great. I am assuming that you don't speak French in asking this question, but how is the English speaker's experience there now? I would very much like to visit, and my wife is eager to go as well, but my parents had a few bad experiences there when they went. I was very young, so I have no memories of what happened, but they said that they were treated very poorly at a few restaurants.

I know how to be a traveler and not a "tourist." I know how to be respectful and humble in a foreign culture, but I can't do much in the short term about my inability to speak French. Between my wife and me, we speak seven languages--but French isn't one of them.

 

[DanielForest]

Your pictures from Quebec look great. I am assuming that you don't speak French in asking this question, but how is the English speaker's experience there now? I would very much like to visit, and my wife is eager to go as well, but my parents had a few bad experiences there when they went. I was very young, so I have no memories of what happened, but they said that they were treated very poorly at a few restaurants.

I know how to be a traveler and not a "tourist." I know how to be respectful and humble in a foreign culture, but I can't do much in the short term about my inability to speak French. Between my wife and me, we speak seven languages--but French isn't one of them.

There are a few members here from Québec. We could start a thread in French! It could be funny. Ça pourrait être amusant! I missed you Jo in Montreal. I was just a few miles away... But I guess you drove à Volvo there...

 

[Longitudinal]

There are a few members here from Québec. We could start a thread in French! It could be funny. Ça pourrait être amusant! I missed you Jo in Montreal. I was just a few miles away... But I guess you drove à Volvo there...

It's a very pretty place from what I have seen.

 

[Mark Olson]

...........but how is the English speaker's experience there now?

In 2019 we took a trip across Canada, from BC to Newfoundland, and Quebec was definitely a highlight for us. We had some trailer trouble while travelling around the Gaspe peninsula, and the folks who looked after us and did the repairs couldn't have been more helpful, and in my view undercharged us for their work. Language was a bit of a problem but we worked around it. All the Quebecer's we came across were wonderful folks!

 

[dllubin]

Last time I was in Quebec was to see Expo 67. I drove there with 3 of my friends just before the start of my senior year in high school. It was quite an adventure. All the people we met were very friendly.

 

[DanielForest]

Yes, language could be a barrier, especially for those who speak only French, or English. In Montreal and in some regions (Laurentians, Eastern Townichps, ec.) where some communities are anglophone or where tourists are an important part of the economy, a lot of people are able to speak in English. And in some "remote" parts of the country, English-speaking people are a curiosity and habitants will do an extra to serve them. Sadly, there are exceptions like everywhere. When you don't speak the country language you are visiting but you do your best to try to be understood, it's usually stimulate sympathy. But if you speak in your language without trying, just because everybody should talk like you, then you may get some eyebrows...

 

[kmead]

We are in northern Vermont, three miles from the Canadian border for the next two weeks.

The sunsets have been stunning in the brief time we have been here.

 

[lookforjoe]

Your pictures from Quebec look great. I am assuming that you don't speak French in asking this question, but how is the English speaker's experience there now? I would very much like to visit, and my wife is eager to go as well, but my parents had a few bad experiences there when they went. I was very young, so I have no memories of what happened, but they said that they were treated very poorly at a few restaurants.

I know how to be a traveler and not a "tourist." I know how to be respectful and humble in a foreign culture, but I can't do much in the short term about my inability to speak French. Between my wife and me, we speak seven languages--but French isn't one of them

I learned French in Elementary school (in England) - which is to say I cannot communicate in French now
We last went about 10 years ago (Montreal - Quebec City regions also) and both times have had wonderful experiences, and found the locals to be very accommodating and patient when communicating with us.

There are a few members here from Québec. We could start a thread in French! It could be funny. Ça pourrait être amusant! I missed you Jo in Montreal. I was just a few miles away... But I guess you drove à Volvo there...

Sorry Daniel, yes I drove my C30 for this trip, but even so, visiting forum members was not possible in the schedule we (my wife) had set for us. I would personally have enjoyed meeting you and other members, so perhaps another time. I expect us to come back before another 10 years goes by

 

[DanielForest]

Sorry Daniel, yes I drove my C30 for this trip, but even so, visiting forum members was not possible in the schedule we (my wife) had set for us. I would personally have enjoyed meeting you and other members, so perhaps another time. I expect us to come back before another 10 years goes by

That's my retirement plan. Traveling across the States to meet forum members. But not before a few more years.

 

[Longitudinal]

When you don't speak the country language you are visiting but you do your best to try to be understood, it's usually stimulate sympathy. But if you speak in your language without trying, just because everybody should talk like you, then you may get some eyebrows...

In my experience of travelling in countries where my language is not spoken, I always practice humility and I do my best to pick up as much of the language as I can. My experience has been that if you show humility, try hard to communicate, and demonstrate a willingness to learn ANYTHING in the native language, you will be OK. Usually, natives appreciate the effort and consider it a sign of respect.

I don't know if my parents did any or all of this wrong, or just had bad luck.

 

[lookforjoe]

Last day for playing around - back to school tomorrow. I wanted to wrap up the cruise control, so I worked on the nasty part - installing the under dash & pedal switches. It was a very hot & humid day today.

cutting holes for the cruise switch panel

tie-plate to go on underside of dash

in place (steering wheel had to come out for all this, no way to work with it in the way)

brake switch wiring

brake switch installed

clutch stop

removed - I installed the Volvo pedal switch on the floor in it's place - also M12x1.5 threads, so direct fit - no pic.

adjusted both switch plunger depth, checked operation of NC & NO circuits with my multi-meter. Drove the car to my PT session, and cruise engages, disengages with brake or clutch operation - but Resume & Cancel buttons don't work.
Turned out I had two wire reversed in the switch wiring - the diagram is confusing & the colors don't match, so I took the switch apart & looked at the circuit board. Corrected wiring: L-R; 1: gry-orn (set/decel) 2: grn-blk (resume/acel) 3: orn-blk (power)

Since I don't have a main "cruise on" switch, I wired the LED to come on when the Set (gry-r) or Resume (grn-blk) buttons are pressed - bridged the feeds to two spare locations & added diodes to prevent feedback on the output side. Works as expected, however the light is only on momentarily when switch is operated. I'd like to change it so the light stays on until the cruise operation ends. I'll have to either add a relay or maybe a capacitor to hold the current ?

 

[lookforjoe]

Been going back & forth with the TB - one issue is that the throttle plate will hang (sometimes) on light throttle/off idle. Very annoying when it holds the throttle open when I'm coasting or decel. I tried every permutation of adjustment to eliminate it, the main problem being it was not repeatable with consistency from the engine bay. With the TB off the plenum, with or without cables attached, flicking the wheel open, it always closes fully. This morning I found that if I gently open the throttle & release the pedal, the throttle would stick (sometimes), so the more gentle movement initiated the hang.

I took the whole thing apart, and it looks like the backside of the hub has a rub spot that could indicate the cause of the hang. There was no washer between the hub & the bearing shoulder

I cut down the shoulder in the hub to increase the gap off the bearing surface, and added a teflon washer

I also reduced the OD of the bearing housing, as the cut down spring was potentially binding as it wound up around the shoulder when the throttle is opened

With the increased clearance for the wound spring, I was able to reclock the spring to increase tension some more, which would also combat the light pressure hang. Hopefully that is now resolved, I'll find out tomorrow.

The other concern is that since the throttle and cruise cables don't operate independently, when the throttle is depressed, the cruise actuator cable unspools to a degree. Every factory cable-operated cruise bobbin I'm aware of has wheels for throttle & cruise that operate independent of each other. I can't do much about the cable, so I added a disc that acts as a shield to keep the cable aligned in the event it should hang below the wheel rim & somehow misalign. It hasn't happened so far, but I feel safer with a shield - I used the coated one on the left

I set it as an eccentric, since the cable doesn't hang unless the throttle is fairly wide

 

[lookforjoe]

Jesus Christ. This just goes from bad to worse.
An underling condition I have never been able to get rid of, is that the revs 'hang' when shifting or coming to a stop.
As an aside, I found that with the drive wheels off the ground (when I first ran the motor after rebuild), the idle will NOT drop to 'normal' if the wheels are turning at all, so the VSS impacts idle setting. I can't find any software settings that allow that to be adjusted.
I tried a couple of different maps to see if any of them changed the base idle, since in all this I had also adjusted the cam angle maps since I now have much better breathing with the PLM header. I reverted to the Dyno tune map (limited cam angle) from last year, since that one didn't have issues with idle.
After running it to check the throttle return, the rpms started to hang again when pulling away slowly - around 2K rpm. If I blipped the throttle, it would typically drop, however in continued driving/testing this rapidly developed into engine will not idle below 1800 rpm. The frustrating part is that I have no error codes to indicate the system acknowledging a fault. I checked the throttle stop/TB/cables, etc., not the problem. So, it seems I have several overlapping issues beyond the sticking/hanging throttle stop. If I blocked off the IACV port in the TB, the idle is good.

I sprayed carb clean around the intake, since I knew the right side of the plenum had been an issue in the past. I had a idle change, so clearly it was leaking with the phenolic gasket. Problem found, I thought. Took that all apart, made a new thick gasket, put it all back together, and now when I start the engine, the idle is good, then within 15 sec, it goes to 1800-1900 & stays there.

The only way I can get a base idle is to block off the IACV. I have to assume that the IACV is not functioning as it should, and perhaps that has been the cause of my rpm 'hang'. The ports in the K-Tuned TB are very large, so maybe that made the IACV cycle/work overtime & lead to it's failure? I dunno, I'm clutching at straws here with no clear cause beside the fact it won't hold a low air flow. I'm going to restrict the IACV passages just so I can move the car around until the new IACV gets here. Can't leave it completely blocked, as it will stall when coming to a rapid stop.

I also found that there is still an issue with the plenum, even though the idle is 'ok' with IACV blocked, there is still an air leak at the right side of the plenum if I spray carb clean around the welded ear for the AC the idle will drop to around 750/800rpm. I'll smoke test it & see if it's still the flange, or if there is a crack in the plenum.

IACV port open

IACV port blocked

making new gaskets

installing

 

[lookforjoe]

Ok, so I ran all the diagnostic checks for the iacv circuit, so I've confirmed there are no wiring/ECU issues. What I did for now is insert two 1/8 npt recessed plugs with a metered hole drilled in them into the passages below the IACV - the KTuned TB has threaded ports in case you elect to run no IACV.. With that, the car will idle and drive pretty much okay - actually much nicer since no rev hang on shifts -, and no CEL (since it's not completely blocked), just have to be careful coming to stop as the idle can dip to 5-600 RPM. Tomorrow I have to pull the plenum & rectify the leak/ flange issue

 

[Yves]

I learned French in Elementary school (in England) - which is to say I cannot communicate in French now
We last went about 10 years ago (Montreal - Quebec City regions also) and both times have had wonderful experiences, and found the locals to be very accommodating and patient when communicating with us.



Sorry Daniel, yes I drove my C30 for this trip, but even so, visiting forum members was not possible in the schedule we (my wife) had set for us. I would personally have enjoyed meeting you and other members, so perhaps another time. I expect us to come back before another 10 years goes by

Bonjour, Hussein la prochaine fois que tu viens au Québec tu dois nous faire signe afin que nous puissions se rencontrer.
I'm writing in French ... it is a start for you