Old Lady to Young Lady Part 5

Previously, when I left Redsun Motorsport after replacing my brake rotors, he warned me that I might see some markings on my rotor but it is normal. Just after 2 days, I could see a line in the middle of the rotor's surface. It is a rust color line, around 3 cm wide on all 4 rotors. Immediately, I fear it might damaged my new and expensive rotors. I think I should not delay replacing the brake pads anymore. Quickly, I called Redsun and have them order new pads for me. It took a few days for the pads to arrive and I arranged time to send my car over to Redsun. Initially, the main thing was to change brake pads but I also had a few other unfinished things that I need Redsun to tend to. Hopefully, this should be my last trip to Redsun for rebuilding my Nissan Fairlady Z. All these trips to Redsun is beneficial to my 350Z but it is killing my savings and it seem like before I could even enjoy the 350Z, I have to pay this much. 

A few months ago, I bought Brembo brake pads for replacement simply because, my brake calipers are Brembo. Despite Brembo being a famous and great brand itself, many owners would upgrade to other brands. One factor could be because it is difficult to get the original spec Brembo pads that you get from Nissan. The Brembo pads sold locally are unfortunately, made in China and are low in quality. No wonder, I got the pads for a very low price and here, I thought I made a good buy. The pads that I had was Endless, a very famous Japanese brand that produces Big Brake Kit for a lot of JDM models. It is widely used in many races and a preferred brand even in Malaysia but it is very expensive. So after considering all these, I opt to order Endless pads. Although it was only the front that needs replacement, it is better to change the rear too because the rear rotors are new too. The new front pads are rated 500 degrees while the rear pads are 400 degrees. These pads will need longer time to warm up but it could handle higher temperature which means lesser brake fading and better performance. It would make a great team with my DBA rotors. 

In Part 3, the pulley belts were replaced because of wear and tear, and old age. However, I started to hear a shrieking sound every time I cold start the car. Usually the sound would die off after I drive for a while and I thought it was nothing. Soon, it annoyed me because it was getting louder and after spending so much money on restoring the car, now the 350Z sounds like a broken down car. One day, I started the car and open up the front hood to check where the sound was coming from. I found out the sound was coming from the pulley belt area. Upon checking, there were 2 components that were causing the sound. Firstly, the A/C compressor pulley belt was replaced with the wrong belt. It was the wrong material and wrong length. Since this was the fault of Redsun, a correct belt was ordered and installed with no extra charges. Secondly, pulley bearings were due for replacement. It was small bearing with rubber cover, that I could easily take from my company's inventory. While replacing the bearings, the mechanic found the A/C pulley also needs replacement. So, with the belt, bearings and pulley changed, the shrieking sound immediately dissappears .

Bearings

A/C Compressor Pulley

This is another issue that was present from the first day I received my 350Z. There is oil leaking from the valve cover. The leak was not serious to the extend where a pool of oil could be seen under the car nor could you see fresh oil coming out between the seal. However, there is some dried oil stain that you could visibly see. This is caused by the engine valve cover seal not doing its job. The seal is made of rubber and over the course of time, it would either get dry and brittle or gets out of shape. Nothing serious here as the seal usually need replacement every few years. Redsun ordered new ones and install the seals. Each engine needs 2 seals.

In Part 2 when the whole transmission was changed, Redsun had previously changed the transmission oil. However due to the issue with 3rd gear, he changed the synchronizer hub but even with the new hub, I felt the problem still persist. Redsun's owner told me if it still happens, he will change the transmission oil for me. I resorted to double-clutching when shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear and luckily, it solves the problem. I had been thinking and it felt like maybe a thicker oil could help out when the hub moves in and out when engaging gears. After 2 weeks, it is time to change the oil to see if it helps. The oil that will be used is Redline's Lightweight Shockproof Gear Oil from USA. According to the owner, this oil is used for track cars and is more thicker that the average oil. If you use a finger to touch it, it will feel more like a sticky compound rather than the usual watery liquid. This is the good stuff.

My 350Z comes with the DVD and Navi package and so, it came with a display monitor. However, over the years, the monitor cracked and as I mentioned it a few times here before, I am looking to remove the monitor as there is already another touch screen player. Then, I finally found an original center console that has a storage pocket for sale online after looking for a long time. On the surface it looks the same but when you open up, there's no monitor there. I just had to buy and brought it over to Redsun for installation. It is quite easy to install it but since I had to bring the 350Z to Redsun anyway, might as well have the professional do it. It was very kind of them to do it for free. One of the weakness of the car's interior was the lack of storage space especially for my phone. Usually I put on the hand rest or by the handbrake but a lot of the time my phone just rest on my laps, which is inconvenient and it annoys me. Now I can put my phone and other things in the compartment and it is easy for me to retrieve those items from there. Definitely a good buy and it was cheap too.

When closed, it is the same with or without monitor.

Extra Compartment

On the day before I collected the car, the engine check light came up again. When I was told about this, I was worried. In my mind I was thinking, please don't let it be another thing that I have to replace! So, Redsun's owner took out his new On-Board Diagnostic (OBD) scanner to read the error code and found out it was caused by his workers. While removing some parts, his worker turn on the ignition and that is when the check light came up. I was relieved to hear that and I was impressed with his OBD scanner because it uses a wireless connection and controls it with an Ipad. Talk about state of the art. He must have spent a lot on that. He did mentioned that he wants to start doing maintenance for Lamborghinis and Bentleys. Maybe that is why he needs a new fancy OBD scanner.

Engine Check Light again.

Owner with Mighty Red Ipad OBD Scanner

Old Lady to Young Lady Part 4

Some of you might remember on the day I picked up my Nissan Fairlady Z, I saw that the brake pads were almost gone. At the same time I also worried about my brake rotors because I see lines on the surface. Sometimes when a brake pad gets too thin and the owner did not realized, the metal surface of the pad might scratch the brake rotor and cause damage. Previously, the owner of Redsun informed me that the brakes felt soft like jelly and I should change the brake rotor soon. Sometimes when I brake at high speed I could feel some juddering, which is usually caused by uneven brake rotor. It looks like I have to spend more money as brake rotors are not cheap. I thought of searching for used conditioned Brembo rotors because I believe in the quality since Nissan opted for it but I also know it is difficult to source for only the rotors. Most of the time, the shops sell the brakes as a set, caliper and rotor together. Then, Redsun's owner suggested I go for aftermarket rotors. I have to replace the rotors anyway, so why not upgrade it at the same time. I did always fancied those big rotors that are cross-drilled with slits. I was so hyped up to start searching but I have to be honest. I am not very well informed when it come to brake rotors. Redsun's owner suggested me to look at eBay for Stoptech (USA) rotors but I prefer Japanese brands like Dixcel, Project μ (Mu) and Endless but most of them were expensive and hard to get.

Brembo Stock Front Rotor

Brembo Stock Rear Rotor 

Used Brembo Calipers with Brake Rotor set

After 2 weeks, I still could not get my hands on some rotors. It began to frustrates me. Then I was at Redsun one day and the owner said he will make a call to look for rotors for me because I should not wait any longer. He called his supplier and the only brand that was in stock was DBA. DBA is a company from Australia and their brake rotors are famous. The downside of DBA rotors is the cost and in comparison, it is double the price of Stoptech and Dixcel but it is available now. I had to make a quick decision. I was already convinced that I will have to spend money for performance rotor and I do need the rotors quick. New rotors would last me a few years and it will be worth it for safety and my need for speed. Right on the spot, I told the owner to help order the DBA rotors. It would take one day to have the rotors delivered and another 3 hours for installation. Soon, I received a call telling me the rotors had arrrived. I took my 350Z over to Redsun as soon as I was available and had them installed. I could not wait any longer to have these awesome rotors on my wheels.

The rotors that will be installed is the DBA 4000 T3 series. Here are some comparison between the stock Brembo rotors and new DBA 4000 T3 rotors. Beginning with the similarity, both the Brembo and DBA has the same physical size. The front rotors are 324 mm in diameter and 30 mm thick while the rear rotors are 322 mm in diameter and 22 mm thick. This makes it perfect to replace the stock rotors and it is very easy without modification a.k.a. "Plug n Play". Although both brand of rotors have the same physical size, the DBA front rotors are slightly heavier with an extra of 300 grams each but are the same for the back. The main difference though, is the many slits that the DBA rotors have but Brembo does not. For those who have no idea what these slits do, when you apply your brakes, heat waves and debris from brake pads will collect in between the pad and rotors. Over time, this may cause your rotors to overheat, warp or even crack. These slits and/or drilled holes on brake rotor helps channel these heat waves and debris out quicker. This significantly reduces prevents overheating and brake fade, making for better bite. Each of these slits is 1.5 mm deep and 3 mm wide. Usually when the slits becomes shallow, it is time to replace the rotors.

Old vs New Front

Old vs New Rear Rotor

DBA has a few benefits over other brands that also produce slotted rotors. The slits on DBA 4000 T3 series are called Tri-Symmetrical slits. These specially designed slits allows a quieter, responsive and smoother brake feel. It also increases the consistency and effectiveness of every brake stop. It also has a Kangaroo Paw ventilation system. The inside of the ventilated rotors are teardrop shape pillars that assist with heat dissipation which differs with the conventional straight vane design. You can have a better visual reference by looking at the beautiful diagram below. This will minimize brake fade and prolongs service life for the pads and rotors. All of these sounds very cool and feels like what I needed for a performance car that will last me a long time. At first. I was just excited at the thought of having fancy looking rotors that will show off my 350Z. Now with DBA, not only will it look much more sportier, it also provides me greater stopping power and increases my safety when driving fast.

Kangaroo Paw vs Conventional Straight Vane

You can see how much sportier it becomes with the many slits above. It took a total of 4 hours for the installation of all 4 rotors. This time I did not have to leave the car at the workshop and could drive off after it was done. However, the mechanic told me my front brake pads is finishing soon and I should order. The pads that I am using are Endless brand and it will hurt my wallet a lot. I was also told by the owner that usually when car owners replace brake rotors, they do replace the brake pads too. He warned that I might see some markings on my rotor but it is normal. Thanks for scaring me. My first impression of the new rotors was, it is much better than the previous soft, jelly like feeling it had. However, compared the first time I tried my Toyota Celica GT4 4 pot brakes, it still lack some bite. I am going to enjoy the rotors and test it out more before I make my conclusion. This was an expensive modification but it should be worth the money.