VoodooShark's V2 Buttz Build

Discussion in 'Mazdaspeed 3 Build Diaries' started by VoodooJef, Jan 18, 2017.

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  1. _Mazdarati

    _Mazdarati I just want my car back Greenie Member

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    _Mazdarati, via a mobile device, Jun 6, 2020
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  2. SharksInSpace

    SharksInSpace Planets and shit. Silver Member

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    Rice update. Slapped on a BaysonR front lip. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ RokBlokz flaps and WellVisors also on hand to throw on.:ricecooked::riceball:
    1595710103904.jpg

    Tune is done. Need to do some minor adjustment like raising the redline, but otherwise she drives great and it's time to shift focus from mechanicals to aesthetics.

    The main and biggest job on the horizon is to try to restore this paint after 10 years of daily driving, and the beating from the sun it took while living in Texas for so long; not sure how much it will actually come back, though. The paint on the spoiler, upper AND lower pieces, is absolutely toasted; might try my hand at repainting it myself since it literally cannot get worse than it currently is. The front bumper needs some particular love from getting scuffed and scraped from the HeLlA LoWz, and the hood also has a gross amount of sun fade to try and remedy. Good thing I hate detailing and therefore have little experience doing it!
     
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  3. SharksInSpace

    SharksInSpace Planets and shit. Silver Member

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    Grabbed an AEM boost gauge from @amnesiac for a good price, so I then popped off to the facebooks to find a Block8head gauge pod. I couldn't find a single, but I did find a dual, so the Innovate oil gauge was moved and I now have directional air from my vent again. It's the little things, fam.

    20200808_180928_HDR.jpg
     
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  4. jsmith

    jsmith Silver Member

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    You can turn off that OEM pressure gauge with KOEO pushing the mileage reset button. Do it meow.
     
  5. Easter Bunny

    Easter Bunny Professional Engineer Motorhead Platinum Member

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    You can do it engine on too just five pushes on the trip reset
     
    Easter Bunny, via a mobile device, Aug 8, 2020
  6. SharksInSpace

    SharksInSpace Planets and shit. Silver Member

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    I'll try to remember that next time I'm heading out
     
  7. SharksInSpace

    SharksInSpace Planets and shit. Silver Member

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    My dash doesn't seem to allow me to turn off the stock boost gauge. Doesn't bug me at all, just another disadvantage to having an early-2010, I guess.

    I swapped in new rear speakers today. I've been enjoying everything else about the stereo except for it just lacking a bit of clarity and oomph on the mid-punch, so I picked up a set of Infinity Kappa 6x8's (86CFX) and popped them in. Infinity and JBL are both under the Harman Kardon umbrella, and the Kappas are the Infinity-branded version of the JBL GTOs that I used in the front doors (same physical basket construction and woofer, just a slightly different tweeter) so I figured they'd pair up well. They were available for less than the 6x8 GTOs, so that was the deciding factor for me between the two. Install required a 3/4" speaker spacer, as the factory Bose shit has a built-in spacer the same way the factory fronts do, but I had assumed as much beforehand and had a pair at the ready. Factory Bose in the rear is once again 6.5", same as front, but the opening in the door is actually 6x8 once you get the oem basket out and these fit right in without any issue at all. I haven't touched the head-unit EQ yet, but I did crank the rear-channel bass knob on my (cheapo Wal-Mart) amplifier as a starting point, and...wow. The first impression is that these sound incredible, lightyears ahead of the all-price-and-no-substance Bose. These are rated to 40hz on the low end, and I figured they wouldn't quite do it, but lo and behold, there wasn't actually that much of an audible difference when I turned my subwoofer to 0. I'm impressed, and if anyone is looking for some more punch on the mid and low end but hesitant to go full sub setup and lose hatch space, a good replacement amp and these speakers may just do the trick for you.

    Other than that, no big changes or updates on the car. I tweaked the accelerator pedal mapping the other day just to beef up how much throttle response I get at initial pedal input; it's made it a lot easier to get the car smoothly rolling with this ACT 6-puck than before. I previously felt like I was having to give way too much pedal input to get that initial rpm, and would otherwise bog the hell out of it leaving stop signs and red lights, but that's now totally gone (thanks again to our Jack of All Trades, @JohnnyTightlips, for the assist; I pretty much just ended up using his mapping values). A small change but nonetheless a big difference for daily driveability.
     
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  8. mangosmoothie

    mangosmoothie Silver Member

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    Too many words. Not enough pics
     
    mangosmoothie, via a mobile device, Sep 12, 2020
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  9. SharksInSpace

    SharksInSpace Planets and shit. Silver Member

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    Ummm...here :tearsofjoy:

    Spacers. From SoundMekanix, local here in WI who makes custom stereo gear like spacers, fuse/distro blocks, and boxes and enclosures. CNCd from PVC, I guess; idk. He shipped super fast and they fit and they work.
    download_20200912_213011.jpg

    I'm not one to kiss and tell and spread nudes so here's the Infinitys, pre-coitus.
    download_20200912_213021.jpg

    I took literally zero pictures of the install process bc it's super straightforward. Unbolt and unplug oem, plug in harness adapter and new speaker, bolt back in. BAM.
     
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  10. Easter Bunny

    Easter Bunny Professional Engineer Motorhead Platinum Member

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    Can confirm that you can turn off the boost gauge on early pus. Mine was on the first boat and it works.
     
    Easter Bunny, via a mobile device, Sep 13, 2020
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  11. SharksInSpace

    SharksInSpace Planets and shit. Silver Member

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    Hmm I must have just not done the correct button combo, then. Ah well, I don't really mind whether it's on or off.
     
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  12. Easter Bunny

    Easter Bunny Professional Engineer Motorhead Platinum Member

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    Just push the trip button five times
     
    Easter Bunny, via a mobile device, Sep 13, 2020
  13. SharksInSpace

    SharksInSpace Planets and shit. Silver Member

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    Got around to cleaning up that gross rsb today. Actually remembered to take some pictures of what I was doing; @JohnnyTightlips eat your heart out.

    Before. Classic JBR powdercoating. The end links were also rust seized to the bar and had to be cut off; luckily the top sides were completely fine, being shielded from the elements by the control arms, and posed no problem in being able to remove the bar assembly from the car.
    20200919_151924_HDR.jpg 20200919_151947.jpg

    Spent a bit of quality time with the cutting wheel and once the end links were off, headed to the wire wheel for clean-up.
    20200919_161602.jpg 20200919_161556.jpg 20200919_161546.jpg 20200919_165419.jpg 20200919_165427.jpg

    Clean-up complete, hit it with some spray paint and a bit of clearcoat for extra protection to hopefully prevent any new rust in the future.
    20200919_173346.jpg 20200919_173338.jpg 20200919_173400.jpg 20200919_173443_HDR.jpg

    Cleaned a bunch of old grease and grime off of the brackets and bushings (in surprisingly good condition), re-greased the fuck out of them, slapped on new collars and end links and job's done. This also seems to have had the added benefit of eliminating a rear end clunk that I had always assumed was due to the passenger side end link not actually being fully tight to the bar and allowing for a bit of movement; my hypothesis appears to be confirmed because it was quiet and nice on the drive home. Great success!
     
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  14. JohnnyTightlips

    JohnnyTightlips Motorhead Silver Member

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    Wow, look at you go with pictures and documentation.
     
  15. SharksInSpace

    SharksInSpace Planets and shit. Silver Member

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    Finally got my lazy ass in gear and finished uninstalling the ol' methanol kit. All that remained was the tb spacer and nozzles, but I kept lacking the motivation to pull the ST mani out to get access to them. Well, I had a rare moment this afternoon and decided it was finally time. Then I remembered why I kept putting it off....getting that manifold out is a super piddly job, lol. But now it's done, I have the entire kit ready to sell, box up and ship, and I'm feeling good about checking that off of the to-do list.

    PICTURE SOLELY FOR BENEFIT OF @JohnnyTightlips
    20201017_162113.jpg

    While I was in there, I also installed the @Adapted_Performance SuperTIG that I won in one of this summer's raffles (thanks, Steve & @Raider !). I had one of these on my old genjuan and forgot how much higher quality they are over oem.

    Keeping with the theme of finally doing a job I'd been putting off for ages, I also tried bleeding the clutch to see if it will improve/fix my sticky pedal issue. If I haven't previously mentioned it, I've had this issue since getting the car and what happens is that when temperatures start dropping (fall/winter WI life), the pedal occasionally sticks to the floor and I have to toe it back up and pump it a few times in quick succession to fully regain pressure. It more predominantly happens below about 50°, the colder it is the more frequently it occurs, and especially when I'm holding the pedal in for a longer amount of time (inching out of a parking spot or slowly maneuvering out of my excessively-inclined driveway). Theory had been air in the line that simply needed to be bled out (no, I don't know why it took me so long to get around to it). While in there tonight to finally try bleeding it, I also noticed that the line to the slave (aftermarket, stainless braided) has some excess length to it to the point where the lowest point was drooped below the level of the slave cylinder and then back up to connect. I'm now also theorizing that this was playing a part in trapping air. With the line zip tied into an elevated position so that it's now all downhill to the slave, we bled until the pedal regained more pressure and snap response to it than it's ever had during my time of ownership. This will be a "time will tell" fix to see if I experience the same symptoms at any point in the future, but it felt good on the drive home and I am hopeful.

    I'm also currently working on a potential cheap deal for a cpe exhaust manifold that needs a small bit of repair, but we'll see if that pans out.


    P.S can someone update the thread title for me, since I've effectively taken this over from Jef? I'm thinking something along the lines of VoodooShark's V2 Buttz Build. Thx.
     
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  16. SharksInSpace

    SharksInSpace Planets and shit. Silver Member

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    Rerouting the clutch line and bleeding did not, in fact, fix my sticky pedal. It caught me out twice last night while driving around. I had a thought dawn on me that perhaps the cylinder arm was overextending and maybe that was the culprit? So I spent the rest of the drive, as well as a short trip I took this morning, making conscious effort to not fully depress the pedal -- sure enough, no more stick on either drive. It really does only have propensity to do it when the pedal gets fully depressed, and moreso when the pedal is fully in and held for more than just a couple of seconds (and, again, only in sufficiently cool temperatures...which is odd).

    So after consulting my babyboo @JohnnyTightlips this morning, we compared some photos of the pedal assembly in thoughts that maybe a makeshift spacer to extend the pedal stop and shorten the throw would do the trick. The ACT engagement point is high enough that I shouldn't see any adverse impact there. I got to looking around and sure as shit --
    Capture+_2020-10-22-10-18-52.png 20201022_101742.jpg

    That little stopper circled on the left is not even present on my assembly. Lightbulb moment? As proof of concept, I have currently zip tied a nut to function as a replacement spacer. I can feel that the pedal throw is a little bit shortened, while still allowing enough to fully activate the clutch position sensor, and I am now more hopeful than ever that this will solve my last remaining driveability issue. If this does seem to be effective after a sufficient amount of driving around sans sticking pedal, I will find a proper sized bolt and nut to fit through that hole and put together something more durable and permanent. Cross yer fingers and toes and diqs for me, boyz.
    20201022_103727.jpg
     
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  17. Mauro_Penguin

    Mauro_Penguin Punk in Drublic. #BlackLivesMatter Motorhead Platinum Member

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    There is no OEM bolt that goes through there. Your OEM rubber stopper probably just cracked from age.

    I've used furniture felt pads in the past to make up for a missing stopper.

    Your zip tied nut will work, it'll just look ghetto-riffic. Next you will be slapping "illest" stickers on your car.
     
    Mauro_Penguin, via a mobile device, Oct 22, 2020
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  18. SharksInSpace

    SharksInSpace Planets and shit. Silver Member

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    My thought, as well. Or Jef had the assembly welded to repair and reinforce a crack, I wonder if the stopper was knocked off somehow during that process. Either way, if it works then nfg about appearances.
     
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  19. Mauro_Penguin

    Mauro_Penguin Punk in Drublic. #BlackLivesMatter Motorhead Platinum Member

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    I'm sure the welder had to take it off so it wouldn't melt from the heat. They probably forgot to put it back on.

    If you are anal about replacing it, you should be able to find it in the "Help" parts section at any Auto parts store.

    I'm too lazy on my work break to go back and look, but I do remember him posting some shit about clutch issues even after the SS line. I'm sure that was it.
     
    Mauro_Penguin, via a mobile device, Oct 22, 2020
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  20. SharksInSpace

    SharksInSpace Planets and shit. Silver Member

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    I'm totally not opposed to ghetto fixing it, but I'll probably look and see if there's any possibility of swooping just the stopper as a replacement. I assume it's only sold as part of the full pedal assembly, though.

    You're def remembering correctly that he had some issues with it; I don't 100% remember without looking back, either, but I think he was at one point blowing through slave cylinders at an alarming rate...seems probable he would also have had the pedal stick but since it seems to be impacted by ambient temp it may not have been as prevalent for him in TX as it has been for me in WI. That was also prior to the Clutch Masters unit burning itself up at the end of his ownership. He had a brand new ACT 6 installed just days before the shipping company picked the car up to bring it to me. The only problem I've had (aside from relearning how to drive clutch with how much touchier the ACT is vs OEM, lol) is the pedal stick, so hopefully it really is just as dumb as the stopper having gone missing.
     
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