29/12/2014

Peugeot keychain


Some things are hidden out of view until you find them and then you know such things do exist. Wifey found this keychain, out of all places, in Padang Serai, Kedah. She bought it for me and it only costed her less than RM5. Quality built is not bad but I later threw away the clip key holder in favour of the ring holder because I found the latter less cumbersome.

23/12/2014

Modification - Grounding cable


Engine cover removed
Top engine exposed if you've never seen it before
 
Today, a one-point grounding job was done linking engine to negative battery terminal. The same power cable was used as in the charging job although this time, only a metre worth was required. As I started the engine and drove off, the immediate response was the spontaneous reaction as I gently prod the accelerator. I concluded that all the while, the spark plugs were starved of electricity. With the electricity supply being provided optimally, I got better response than before. This is a definitely a must-do job along with the charging job if you want a noticeable response than stock car. I think it was worth the experiment and a job well done. This completes the electrical modification for my ride. Labour charge: RM30

Grounding cable screwed to engine
Mechanic prepares to screw grounding cable to battery terminal
Grounding cable attached to negative battery terminal

22/12/2014

Modification - Remapping




The problem with me is that I have experienced the effect of a car before and after remapping as it was done on my work horse, the KIA Spectra. It is difficult to explain the effect of the remap job, the car has to be driven to be appreciated then compared against a stock car and the comparative valuation is subjective. Hence, I am drawn and compelled to do it on the Peugeot 407 like a love stricken bird, for better, for worse it just had to be done. A rich man and a poor man values money differently and for me, a specialized job like this is really not cheap, it is in fact expensive. Then again, I know it is more expensive on other makes so I am not going to make a big fuss, just have to dig in deeper. Some people love orchids. Me? I love cars that can extract more performance from the stock car so that it is on par or better with much more expensive cars. Each has his or her preference and mine is in favour of torque rather than power, in short I am not interested in top speed but pick-up or the ability to sprint. 2 variations: high and low output logically were offered and tested. However, the total effect could almost be felt only after an adaptation learning curve was reached by the car's ECU. I was told it takes one whole day but from what I felt, it takes the consumption of a full tank of petrol just as in the case of my KIA Spectra. After a few days of trial, how well does it respond? I can't say for now because the torque seems to be improving as days go by but I can conclude I'm already happy short of a hollow pocket in my trouser. Well, everything has its price and each to his/her choice. This modification completes the performance customization for my ride.

UPDATE

After months of use and by driving members of the family, looking back, I agree my upgrade offered is not that prefect in that it is jerky if you suddenly press the accelerator as can be down under normal circumstances. I do not know whether this jerkiness has been resolved in future updates. There has been opinion on the Malaysian automobile forum that the upgrade is expensive for the percentage increase in performance which I tend to agree, I would probably not have done this had I not the spare money to flout.

29/11/2014

Modification - Charging cable





The experience I carried out on my KIA Spectra served me well over the past 10 years, today, it is replicated here on my Peugeot 407. Unlike the idea of "grounding" the car with several power cables which is in other words means connecting the negative battery terminal to various parts of the engine and body to improve the flow of electricity along the negative route, the idea of "charging" the car with a 2 meter power cable of the same type is to improve the charging of the battery along the positive route by a direct link from the positive terminal of the alternator to the positive battery terminal. After the mechanic completed the connection, I switched on the engine but unlike my KIA Spectra which started with a deeper and more power growl, it was the same hum with the Peugeot engine which gives me the impression that the stock Peugeot 407 charge cable is quite good and also probably, my car is still new. Driving off, I immediately felt a slight noticeable response in the car's performance and I believe the electrical workload is now better distributed to concentrate on the spark plugs. Like my KIA Spectra where battery life of previous 3 batteries were more than 2.5 years each which I attribute to the installation of the charging cable, I expect the same will also occur to the life of my 407's battery. Total investment: RM30 for cable and accessories, labour charge RM30.

17/11/2014

Maintenance - 30,000km general service




With this body bracket securely fasten underneath the car and over the plastic engine cover, I was worried how to access the bottom portion of the engine bay for an engine oil or gearbox oil change. Leaving that bracket alone, the mechanic and me came to the conclusion that it was still possible by merely unscrewing the front portion and leave the plastic engine cover ajar. All this did not require any force. Phew! The 30,000km general service merely covered a change of engine oil, new oil filter and a blower job for the air filter element. 

07/11/2014

Modification - Mid and Rear Mufflers

Custom Mid Muffler
Custom Rear Muffler
Not much space at the rear to accommodate larger rear muffler

My many years of car modification taught me: modify one component of the car with higher performance parts and it ends up showing weakness of another components because the stock car is factory manufactured compromised to balance performance, handling, comfort and economy. If you want the best of both worlds, you end up paying for a more expensive customized car. I suggest if you have the money, the better choice is its bigger cc engine brother because it was factory researched and factory tuned.

The reality is that I cannot afford such the performance car so ended customizing the car to squeeze out some juicy performance. Earlier on, I had a custom 4-2-1 extractor made, built from scratch because there wasn't one in the local car accessory industry. A second production could shave 20% of the selling price. But as passion crept day by day, I just had to have it .

After 2 days of trial, irritating resonance was clearly heard and felt from 1,500 rpm to 2,500 rpm, and both mid and rear mufflers were customized with tougher stainless steel to cancel out that resonance. Torque noticeably improved by a large margin but the car must be driven to be appreciated. Improve performance is not consistent throughout the power band but gets better, the faster the car is pushed. I am more than please with its mid-range performance which I value most.

26/10/2014

Maintainence - Silicone Spray


I have found the silicone spray to be the best maintenance accessory one should always have. There are more expensive one but this can cost me about RM15/can and is more than adequate to serve it's function. I spray the wiper blades after every rainfall wets the car and let the silicone soak in overnight meaning the wipers are in standing mode, not touching the windscreen. It has proved to be an effective grime remover off the wiper blades as well as the windscreen, in fact, makes the windscreen slippery smooth causing rain to slide across the windscreen. Other than that, every time the interior plastics look dry, I generously spray them in the night and let it soak in overnight. However, I use newspaper when I spray the fascia to prevent the spray getting onto the interior windscreen as it can cause a glare effect in the night for people who are astigmatic like me. I have a leather conditioner but when I'm too lazy, I use the silicone spray instead but make sure I wipe off any excess residue in the morning because it is slippery to sit on. To prevent electrical cables, rubber and plastics from getting brittle, a generous squirt would be good especially where cables bend. Lastly, if there are still some remainder in the can, I use it to spray the tyres. Highly recommended!

25/10/2014

Modification - 4-2-1 Extractor

Out-manifold
Catalytic converter and out-manifold
2 piece 4.2.1 extractor
As you can see, hardly any space
Oxygen senor placed a distance away from the engine to prevent idiot light blinking

Yes, eventually, the out-manifold got changed in favour of a 4-2-1 extractor, to my knowledge, the first of it's kind in Malaysia. The custom set consists of a 2 piece package primarily because the Peugeot 407 engine bay is very narrow and it is more practical for the set to be made in 2 pieces. A new stainless steel flexi-hose was fitted between extractor and mid muffler.

How does it performed? Firstly, there is more exhaust efficiency but which the material of the stock mid and rear muffler could not handle from 1,500rpm onwards and resonance harshly to the extent the mid muffler had to be replaced with tougher stainless steel version of the same dimension. Secondly,  resonance shifted to the rear muffler so that too had to be replaced with tougher stainless steel version of the same dimension. Only then did resonance end. The tougher stainless steel muffler gives a quiet but deeper exhaust note then really roars like a lion when I floor the accelerator pedal as the extractor delivers optimum exhaust efficiency. 

I would say the 4-2-1 extractor delivers more than adequate performance for my needs. It is now silky smooth throughout the power band making driving such a joy to feel even in slow cruise.

Do I ever intend to sell the car? Not if I can help it.






23/08/2014

Photography 05 - Travels

Akar Beach Resort, Port Dickson
The beach to yourself
Hello!
Patience has its reward
High Noon

Corus Paradise Resort, Port Dickson
Artificial lagoon
Awana Hotel, Genting Highlands (Never park here, bird dropping aplenty!)
Touch down at Lexis Resort Port Dickson but...
... repark next door at  glamorous Grand Lexis where we actually booked :-D

Institut Latihan Kerajaan Tempatan, Bukit Tinggi, Pahang
Touch down at Universiti Malaya's (UM) training centre
UM training centre is noth of Kuala Klawang, Jelebu
Eid Celebration with in-laws 2014, Penaga, Penang
Taipan neighbourhood centre, Subang Jaya
NRE, Putrajaya
Beach front, Morib
Morib Impian apartment, Morib
Roadside rojak, Subang Jaya
Amansari hotel, Johor Bahru


14/06/2014

Maintenance - Brake oil





Extraction by pump
See the nozzle for the front brake system
See the nozzle for the rear brake system
Rear brake system being "bled"

Over the 2 1/2 years wifey's daily destination was 8 lanes away. Over that period, the brake oil (DOT 4)  was only topped up, never changed. Thus, when I took over the car, I took it upon myself to change it at 20,000km. My mechanic said there are some who do not adhere to the service requirements of the Owner's Manual to change it according to the appropriate period. He said while the car could still take it, the brake oil would not be as fine as before and will eventually have a negative effect on the brake pump's life span. He advised to stick to the Owner's Manual. I quickly bought half a litre (After bleeding the system, there was still about a quarter of the bottle left of DOT4 fluid) and had the brake system serviced as soon as possible. The result is a more noticeable bite than before. Conclusion: highly recommended to stick to the service requirements of the Owner's Manual and even if you don't value your life, at least, value the life of the car's brake pump. The brake oil cost RM13 while labour charge was RM40.