Mystery Object(s)!

[MikeKey]

These were apparently attached to the gearbox drain plug when the garage drained the ATF from my gearbox this morning.

They look to me like parts of a broken circlip, though it's a damned big one if it is. I thought the way they were bent could indicate they'd been through the gears and gotten a bit mangled, but on closer inspection they look like they're supposed to be bent like that, so I'm wondering if these are part of a big spring washer or something along those lines.

So , does anyone have any ideas what these could be? The transmission doesn't sounds any different than before, and it seems to work OK, so I suppose it can't be *that* bad?

[Wodjno]

Are they Magnetic ?

[bradc]

One of the guys on ozvr4 had some dramas with a clip that looked identical to that breaking and then having to rebuild his gearbox. I would post the story over there and not drive the car in the meantime.

[MikeKey]

Are they Magnetic ?

Yes, they're magnetic. Is that not just down to them having been in contact with the magnetic sump plug though?

[MikeKey]

Found this thanks to Brad's suggestion:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/mit...hazard-problem

And here are some images of wave springs:
http://images.google.com/images?hl=e...gbv=2&aq=f&oq=

Looks like mine might be broken then. Anyone know where in the transmission this lives and what it's supposed to do?

Edit: My question has already been answered over on OZVR4: http://ozvr4.com/forums/showpost.php...5&postcount=19
Edit: Some more pictures showing a broken wave spring just like mine: http://ozvr4.com/forums/showpost.php...&postcount=129

[MikeKey]

Just wondering what to do about this now, I'm a bit gutted. It's not causing any noticeable problems, but if I leave it I could end up with a totally undriveable car, and my options would then be seriously limited. Maybe I should just go back to riding a bike - much easier to maintain!

First off, I don't think anybody does transmission rebuilds here, and I'll be damned if I'm going to the stealership - I could probably buy a new car for what it would cost me. An entire automatic transmission isn't exactly the sort of thing you can put in the post either, though it's not out of the question. I'd love to have a go at it myself, but have neither the time, equipment or facilities.

So, I'm thinking a trip to the UK might be on the cards, which opens up a couple of possibilities:
1. Get hold of a reconditioned box and either get it fitted in the UK, or bring it back to Jersey.
2. Ask someone nicely if they'd be up for doing another manual conversion

I'll be in the UK in July anyway, but that might be leaving it a bit long.

Thoughts?

[bradc]

I really like option 2

The other option is getting a new trans fitted and getting the current one put back together with the missing clip so you have another spare one around.

[miller]

Ah thats not good at all, hope you find a solution


Good Luck

Mike

[MikeKey]

OK, I'm off to Eurospec in July for an inspection and to have a MAPECU2 fitted and mapped

Considering the extra power I'll be running once the MAPECU2 is in and the unknown state of my current auto box, there's no question that it's got to come out. I'm not even comfortable taking the car away anywhere far as it is, so the plan was to source a recon box and just get it swapped.

The thing is, while I do like the tip box, there seem to be a good few downsides compared to a manual box, e.g., reliability and longevity concerns when running more power, support/serviceability, fuel efficiency, cost of decent ATF, etc. The cost and effort involved in a replacement auto box just doesn't seem worthwhile.

So, I've come to the conclusion I'd like to come back from my trip with an extra pedal!

Questions:
1. Presumably Mo should be the first person to ask about manual conversion parts, and this is the complete list of what I'd need: http://www.clubvr4.com/forum/showpos...21&postcount=3
2. Would anyone be up for a manual conversion sometime during the week/weekend before or after the 11th/12th of July? Nick, Richy, anyone? If that's not a good time, when would be better?
3. How long is it likely to take? From what I've seen it's doable in a day?
4. Are there any recommendations as far as manual box upgrades or fixes that should be done at the same time? Evo flywheel? Stronger output shaft? Input shaft bearings? New clutch?

Any other help, suggestions or advice greatfully appreciated!

Mike

[bradc]

It is doable in a day yes, but I would plan for an entire weekend.

The evo clutch disc and cover/pressure plate will fit straight on and these are slight upgrades over stock. Finding a stock evo clutch disc and cover should be very easy and very cheap.

Changing the input shaft bearing is a good idea, yes.

[Kenneth]

1) I have not found anything missing from that list so far and the car appears to be fine Not sure if I mentioned that you need to short out a couple of wires on the ECU which prevent ignition if the car is not in Park (and of course that is impossible with a manual!)

3) If you have all the parts ready to go in, then a day is feasible. Have at least 2 days just in case though.

4) Whatever you can afford really. Since you have the gearbox out, do any mods you feel you want. The one thing I would recommend is to get a decent clutch. Personally I love my cusco twin plate, but a lot of people like just having the uprated clutch cover and perhaps different disc material. If you drive lots in traffic, then probably the uprated cover is best.

Bearings and release bearing is a good thing to do as they do go in the gearboxes. Changing them ensures that (assuming good maint, oil etc) you shouldn't have to take the gearbox out for a long time.

Other thoughts are that it would be a perfect time to change to a evo gear set, if you are that way inclined

[Nick Mann]

One day is asking a lot. Rich and I took about 10-11 hours to do Atiks, but I had already spent 4-5 hours previously. So potentially 26 man hours. And it wasn't the first time I had done one!

I would suggest an uprated clutch, especialy with a MAP2 on the cards. Exactly which one is up to you though! Driveability and power handling don't always go hand in hand on clutches and I don't have the experience to suggest any particular one.

I'm sure Rich and/or I would be up for another one if you want us to be - and as yours doesn't have TCL there won't be the issues to go with that either! Good luck with it, whichever way you decide to go.

[MikeKey]

Bah. I've just been out for a drive and having second thoughts already, plus the logistics of all this are starting to worry me

I've always wanted to keep the car generally as stock as possible with just "under the hood" mods, and switching to a manual is a pretty big departure! Still, it's still very much an option considering my plans for more power.

Here's a thought: If I got hold of one of those auto box overhaul kits from the US, (http://www.clubvr4.com/forum/showpos...9&postcount=1), would anyone be up for (and confident enough) doing an overhaul of a used box, either one that's already sitting around, or even better my existing one considering it does still work?

I know auto gearboxes seem to be a bit of a specialised area, but I'm pretty sure I've seen a service manual somewhere on here so surely it can be done with the right tools and some common sense?

[Atik]

Mike, I'd say go manual if you are thinking of making any changes. I was very reluctant to change from my tiptronic, but now that I have, I love having the manual again. I know I havent got the MAP-ECU2 but now that I have the EMB and boost controller, having manual gears makes playing with the car much more enjoyable. You wont regret it.

[MikeKey]

Thanks for your responses everybody, I think I just need some encouragement one way or the other! If nothing else, can I assume my logic for wanting to go manual is sound?

Nick/Richy, would you be able to carry out a conversion during the week or is this a weekend only job? I'm just trying to figure out if I'd be better off making two trips, or if I could do Eurospec the following week or something.

I'll speak to Mo anyway to find out about parts and pricing.

Where's a good place to source an input shaft bearing, should I just go for a standard replacement from Mitsi or does anyone do an uprated one?

As for the clutch, I appreciate what you're saying about the extra power Nick, but I get a lot of stop/start driving here so I'd like to avoid anything that's too heavy. That being the case, am I better off with just an uprated cover and disc?

Thanks all!

[the_boy]

Sorry to hear this Mike.

You've spent a small fortune on this car already, what rotten luck