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Pete's TDi North/Grinspeed tuned NHB CTR & BMW 335i Coupe

Bl00dy cars, seems to be a common post recently with Ben's EP3 and Chris's Evo having their own little niggles.

Since the car was last mapped its developed this weird intermittent fault where the EML will come on if you let the car run on idle from start up but oddly only about 50% of the time.
It will then only clear by switching off the car and starting it back up at which point it wont come back on weird!! it never comes on during a journey so fingers crossed nothing serious.

Then yesterday the car has started to idle around 1250rpm as opposed to the 1000rpm that it's normally bang on the mark of.

Off up to TDi on Saturday to get them to have a look at the EML issue and correct the idle, first thought is potentially an o2 sensor starting to die and hoping its not anything too serious :(
 
EP3 Pete said:
Bl00dy cars, seems to be a common post recently with Ben's EP3 and Chris's Evo having their own little niggles.

Since the car was last mapped its developed this weird intermittent fault where the EML will come on if you let the car run on idle from start up but oddly only about 50% of the time.
It will then only clear by switching off the car and starting it back up at which point it wont come back on weird!! it never comes on during a journey so fingers crossed nothing serious.

Then yesterday the car has started to idle around 1250rpm as opposed to the 1000rpm that it's normally bang on the mark of.

Off up to TDi on Saturday to get them to have a look at the EML issue and correct the idle, first thought is potentially an o2 sensor starting to die and hoping its not anything too serious :(
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Nothing but trouble cars mate :( when you modify them and they go wrong it's kind of self inflicted misery but it's always worthwhile in the long run

I'm sure TDI north will put it right for you on the weekend, hopefully it's just something simple like the lambda sensor.

Keep us updated Pete
 
I have been having idling issues since my car was tdi camed but Pete check your TB the skunk2s are known to stuck I had too then it went away
 
All fixed and no more poorly car :D

I was due to go to TDi on Saturday afternoon anyway but after a conversation with Paul he said today would be better due to having so much booked in for Saturday so I managed to get a half days holiday and went up this afternoon.

Neil made sure any bolts and hoses around the intake manifold and throttle body were done up tight and concluded that the high tick over was down to the throttle body, Neil managed to adjust the underside of the throttle body (pain in the ar*e to get at) and then Paul connected up his laptop and corrected the idle electronically via the ECU, the car is now idling perfectly again resting bang on 1000rpm.

As for the EML issue Neil ran a diagnostic which threw up 3 saved codes linked to lambda and intake sensors, he actually thinks that these were probably thrown up when I had my exhaust and throttle body swapped over back in February which makes sense as that when the problem started.
Neil cleared the codes, took the car for a drive and then checked that the codes hadn't returned.

So far so good as the EML hasnt come back on since. :)

Top service from the lads as always!!
 
That's good news Pete, always nice when things are put right. Any plans for new additions to the car in next few months?

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
 
6N2 GTI 00 said:
That's good news Pete, always nice when things are put right. Any plans for new additions to the car in next few months?

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
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Cheers buddy, yeah felt a lot happier when I left TDi and peace of mind at the same time.
When Neil came back off the test drive he commented on how well it goes and I dont think he held back, I could hear him going along the carriage way heading towards the M6 haha.

I haven't really got anything planned as yet mate but as you know that can change quickly haha, there's a few minor things I would like to do such as having a few car park dents pulled out, thinking of getting a new red 'H' for the grille and may have to copy you with the FN2 style rear Type R badge which looks much better.

How about you mate? you've had a busy/expensive start to the new year but its way too early for me to think there wont be one or two more additions throughout the year.
 
Glad it's all sorted Pete :) bet it sounds awesome with that new TDI exhaust system, have you got any videos of it?
Only really heard their systems on a FN2 so it would be interesting to see what they sound like on a EP3, especially one like yours with all the good supporting mods.

Yeah I think a red H badge would look great on the CF grille, the only thing missing from the front end in my opinion.
Love the bonnet too, the only thing I would do different with that is possibly spray the vents black instead of grey but it looks fantastic regardless :cool:
Go for it with the FN2 rear badge, really is a nice improvement I think. Just adds a bit of a modern touch and the later badges are a bit sharper

Definitely worth doing the side skirt decals too :)


As for mine mate I just want a few more exterior bits doing before/during the summer, I'm going to have to copy you with the carbon bonnet, JDM Wind deflectors and Tints :D
If I can get that done soon I will be really pleased with it, possibly a paint correction too if I can get a good detailer to do it for the right price, just don't trust myself doing it haha
 
6N2 GTI 00 said:
Glad it's all sorted Pete :) bet it sounds awesome with that new TDI exhaust system, have you got any videos of it?
Only really heard their systems on a FN2 so it would be interesting to see what they sound like on a EP3, especially one like yours with all the good supporting mods.

Yeah I think a red H badge would look great on the CF grille, the only thing missing from the front end in my opinion.
Love the bonnet too, the only thing I would do different with that is possibly spray the vents black instead of grey but it looks fantastic regardless :cool:
Go for it with the FN2 rear badge, really is a nice improvement I think. Just adds a bit of a modern touch and the later badges are a bit sharper

Definitely worth doing the side skirt decals too :)


As for mine mate I just want a few more exterior bits doing before/during the summer, I'm going to have to copy you with the carbon bonnet, JDM Wind deflectors and Tints :D
If I can get that done soon I will be really pleased with it, possibly a paint correction too if I can get a good detailer to do it for the right price, just don't trust myself doing it haha
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I'll see if I can get a short video made up this weekend buddy, to be honest now its coked up a bit it's actually quieter than the Piper system that was on before.
It's still got a sporty tone but doesnt drone as much on long journeys and you can hear the engine over the exhaust.

I wasnt too bothered about the missing badge initially with everything being black/carbon but am starting to think it would look better with the Red H sitting proudly up top again ;)
The bonnet does make a big difference mate but I would say it's not a perfect fit out the box, it needed a hell of fiddling to get it to fit properly and even now the panel gaps between the bonnet/wings are pretty big and the holes for the bonnet stay and washers jets needed quite a bit of filling.

You could definitely spray the vents to give it even more of a stealthy look which I probably would look at doing if the metal started going tarnished but so far so good :)

Those Type R decals definitely look better than the EP3 generation ones mate, sorry but I might have to copy you down that route haha.

Carbon bonnet, wind deflectors and rear tints would look good pal, there is a guy on my Facebook page who does paint correction, not sure how much he charges just suppose it depends on the level of work/products involved but he's had all sorts Ferrari's, Lamborghini's etc. and they always look amazing.
 
Nice one Pete :) be interesting to see how it sounds, mine is pretty refined too and is absolutely ideal for motorway journeys but sometimes I wish it was a little more raspy, not everyone is a fan of exhaust rasp but I can't get enough :cool:

I think the new badge would finish off the front end mate, looks great now but the red behind the carbon would look spot on.
Bit of a shame about the bonnet fitment, always seems to be mixed feedback on carbon panels. The Tegiwa bonnets are made in the same factory as Seibon so quality wise they are very good, I will have to take a good look at yours at JAE.
Definitely want one though :cool: have you had any issues with lacquer peel or clouding as of yet or does it still look new?

Yeah love the new side decals too, I think because the "TYPE" text is in black too it works really well against the NHB paint. I bought the OE Honda decals from a chap on eBay, some of the aftermarket ones don't look right and the quality of the decal probably isn't as good either so it's worth spending the extra few quid for the real deal. The paintwork on mine is in desperate need of a good correction, not sure how it's got so bad because everything looked great last autumn but the winter must have taken it's toll this year, probably my fault for not investing in a new wash mit :)
 
6N2 GTI 00 said:
Nice one Pete :) be interesting to see how it sounds, mine is pretty refined too and is absolutely ideal for motorway journeys but sometimes I wish it was a little more raspy, not everyone is a fan of exhaust rasp but I can't get enough :cool:

I think the new badge would finish off the front end mate, looks great now but the red behind the carbon would look spot on.
Bit of a shame about the bonnet fitment, always seems to be mixed feedback on carbon panels. The Tegiwa bonnets are made in the same factory as Seibon so quality wise they are very good, I will have to take a good look at yours at JAE.
Definitely want one though :cool: have you had any issues with lacquer peel or clouding as of yet or does it still look new?

Yeah love the new side decals too, I think because the "TYPE" text is in black too it works really well against the NHB paint. I bought the OE Honda decals from a chap on eBay, some of the aftermarket ones don't look right and the quality of the decal probably isn't as good either so it's worth spending the extra few quid for the real deal. The paintwork on mine is in desperate need of a good correction, not sure how it's got so bad because everything looked great last autumn but the winter must have taken it's toll this year, probably my fault for not investing in a new wash mit :)
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Hey buddy, sorry about the late reply haven't been on as much the last few days.

I used to be able to live with a loud set-up but even the Piper on a motorway journey got to you after a while, the 3" TDi North system makes the longer journeys a bit more bearable and the fact I know how much power its released makes it even better haha.

Definitely have a good nose around at JAE mate if I don't see you before, its probably not as bad as I am making it sound but the panel gaps are a lot bigger than with the OEM bonnet on.
Thinking of adding some bonnet pins/buttons (maybe like the ones Darren has just fitted) for a bit of peace of mind and to stop any carbon bits flying off.
Lacquer is still looking okay mate, just been polishing it along with the rest of the car and it comes up well, imagine it will age quite quickly compared to the standard bonnet though.

Don't know about that pal your car always looks superb, if you are in need of a correction god knows what mine needs haha, on the plus side summers on the way ;)
 
So the reaccuring throttle issue reared its ugly head again last Saturday, I was taking the good lady to the pub for her mates birthday and decided to take the scenic route for a fix of VTEC, as I was slowing down for the exit the throttle stuck and the car decided to idle at 3000rpm FFS!! looked like a right t*t pulling up outside the pub with the car idling so high.

I sent a message to Paul at TDi the next morning and even on a Sunday he came back to me straight away, he even offered to meet me at the unit if I took it up the same day but not wanting to really drive it and the need to then sort some transport we booked it in for yesterday.

Decided just to leave the car on the drive for the week as opposed to the other rather tempting option at the time of taking a sledge hammer to it.

I managed to get a local based recovery company to transport the civic up to Warrington on Good Friday, for a very good price and their service was spot on, I will definitely be recommending them.

Arrived at TDi for 9am to be greeted by Paul who drove the civic straight into the workshop, now I've heard Ben and Neil both joke about keeping Paul away from any tools but with it being the third time I'd had to take the car back with the same throttle issue Paul was having no messing about and removed the throttle body to inspect what was going on.
After about 20mins he popped into the waiting area with the throttle body to show me the issue, basically the screw that rests on the butterfly stop was turning itself loose when the taps were being opened up hence the reason it kept happening when coming out of vtec.

Paul said it was a good job I hadnt tried to use it as if the screw kept backing out it would have started idling higher and higher, a bit of thread lock later and after adjusting the TPS to remove the changes that had been made on the previous visit and the car is now idling perfectly and I finally have confidence to push the car properly for the first time since the throttle body was fitted.

Huge thanks to Paul for the superb service as always, all that was left was a nice drive home in the sun with a perfectly smooth K20 motor
 
Glad it is sorted Pete. It appears that yours isn't the first one that they have come across. Shame as it is poor build quality form Skunk2. Good though that it is an easy fix. Fingers crossed that you get some good reliability after this. :)
 
hi Pete did you ever manage to do any track days or runs yet? i have just spent last half hour reading through your full write up at work, good stuff.
Im picking chops motor up next month, deposit paid, just need to arrive back in the uk and arrange collection.
Looking at maybe 12-16th june as i arrive back home 11th, then getting booked straight in for a trcak day at croft on maybe the 28th, just need to check what DB readings on the car are, as its a 98DB day then. where usually they are 105db. Hoping it will be ok through.
 
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