HyundaiKitCoupe

I love it. I really do. Nice job with all those small but pesky shenanigans! No way to wire that third brake light up?

wheel_of_steel

Cheers dude! Sorry, I was a little ambiguous here. The row of LEDs in the spoiler is my third brake light, but somebody left the OEM interior light in place as well. I just removed the non-functioning light from the interior.

jcturbeau

+5 for 3rd brake light delete ;D



is that really what that light in the bumper is for, rear fog light? always wondered.



tip on the heater hoses that are 'stuck', get a pair of adjustable plumbers pliers, adjust to side of hose, with a little pressure (but not a ton) wrench/wiggle around the hose. that should break it free much easier.

wheel_of_steel

I just got some dirty great vice grips and reefed on it. The problem was mainly due to a lack of space... the intake manifold support bracket was in the way of everything! And yes, that is a rear fog light. Most european countries have em on the left, or even have two! Nobody ever uses them here, but about one in every three hundred X3s or J2s you see will have them on. Usually these are old people that don't even realise what it is/if it is on.



Anyways, just a quick update. I took the fuel economy this morning, over the last 150 miles I got 33 mpg, which is a great improvement! Today I fixed the tyre pressures (they were all around 27 psi ±5 psi) and replaced the fuel and air filters. I'm so excited to see what the fuel economy will be now!



In regards to fuel economy, I (not very scientifically) tried to see how using A/C would affect my fuel economy. Obviously, it is hard/impossible to control all the variables here, as the car was being serviced between fill ups and my driving conditions weren't exactly the same each time. Anyways, mythbusters determined that using the A/C is more efficient at high speeds (50+ mph) and open windows are more efficient at low speeds.



So, with my first tank of fuel, I used the A/C indiscriminately, and got 30.5 mpg.

The second, I only operated the A/C at speeds over 80 km/h and got 29.5 mpg.

The third tank, I didn't use it at all (windows down on the freeway, yeah buddy!), and got 33 mpg.



So... I think that the A/C compressor is probably quite inefficient, and the 'drag crossover' point would perhaps be at a higher speed. I bet the computer injects extra fuel each time you toggle the A/C switch as well, in a sort of 'idle up' condition. However, it is hard to say for sure because of the sheer amount of changing variables here. Oh well, I'm anal about fuel economy (although my driving doesn't show it) so I'll keep an eye on it once the car is in more of a 'steady state' and I'm driving in more of a regular pattern. Stay tuned for mediocre results.



Just for some musing thoughts, I quite like this colour scheme.







I'm thinking of going with that theme, except with 15" sonata/elantra steelies. Headlight tint film is cheap, as are 3000k HID kits. That combined with some good shocks + low springs would be a nice starting point and still quite livable. I'm open to suggestions though, I'm just thinking out loud at this point. Greenbacks like to play hard to get.

ScoupeLS

the wheels on that veedub are flugly. the yellow lamin-x tint is so-so (i wouldn't put it on my car though) other than that i like it.

Red Raspberry

What wattage is the bulb? Can't you find a lower watt rated one?

wheel_of_steel

RR, the rear fog uses a 21w bulb. To my knowledge, using a lower rated bulb would just burn it out. Plus resistors are cheaper and easier to work with than non-returnable bulbs.

ScoupeLS, I agree with you about the wheels. That was just the best image that google could produce in terms of the color scheme I'm chasing.





Today I completed the foamectomy on the passenger's seat, then ran out of cable ties before I could do the drivers seat. :angry:

I tried to do 'the slave cylinder mod'. For those that haven't heard of it, it is a free DIY mod for late 90s Hyundais with manual transmissions. You just remove this flow restrictor from the slave cylinder for more clutch feel/less slipping.







Anyway, it turns out that my slave cylinder didn't need modding anyway! (it only took dismantling the f*cker to realise this) There isn't a flow restrictor in the first place! The slaves from my 96, 98 and 01 alpha transmissions all had flow restrictors, but not this 95 unit.







On the left is the 95 banjo bolt, and on the right is the 98 item. So, if your banjo looks like the one on the right, you're all set for the DIY! If it looks like the one on the left... go home.











-The wheel bearing is getting quite noisy, needs moar elantra knuckles and brakes

-There is a(nother) coolant leak from the water pump gasket, but only when the left hand side of the car is jacked up? It doesn't leak any other time, so it can wait for now.

-I think an oil pressure retaining valve in the head has gone. There is one HLA that is very noisy from cold startup, but it quietens down once the car is warm. I don't think it is a big deal.



Also, I forgot to make a generic 1k post whore thingo. Wooo!!!!1!one!!1

Red Raspberry

As long as the bulb is rated for the voltage then the wattage only matters in the circuits current carrying capacities. I don't know what you supply voltage is for the fog lamp though.

wheel_of_steel

WHY DIDN'T I DO THAT TO BEGIN WITH!?











FFFFFFFFFFFF

wheel_of_steel

Just a quick update. Not much has changed on the car, but I've given hypermiling a good crack...







I'm super proud of that.



Anyhoo, I'm now on the prowl for my big brake conversion. The plan is to go for J3 knuckles/hubs, J3 rotors and santa fe/XG calipers. While I'm under there, I'm also going to install some lowering springs and sports shock absorbers.



Can anyone recommend a decent shock absorber for the X3? I don't mind a stiffer ride, but price and ajustability are very important to me for this application.