Thursday, December 27, 2012

Honda Turbocharged Engine HR-412E

















An article from AutoGuide.com for sharing.


Enthusiasts have been calling for turbocharged Hondasfor over a decade and finally the Japanese automaker has decided to listen. But there is a catch.
Officially revealed at the Paris Motor Show today(this article is dated on 28th September 2012), the company’s new HR-412E powerplant is a turbocharged 1.6-liter 4-cylinder motor that also features direct injection. It’s not a production engine, however, and is instead designed specifically for the new Civic World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) race car.
It is, however, a strong indication of the direction Honda intends to take with the upcoming Civic Type R, which only this week Honda CEO Takanobu Ito confirmed will go into production specifically for the European market (another catch).
In a release Honda says the future Civic Type R will make use of the “technologies developed through Honda’s participation in the World Touring Car Championships (WTCC).” Reading between the lines, it’s very likely that means a turbocharged direct-injection powerplant.
In addition, Honda says the new Type R will, “aim to set new standards in performance and handling,” with a goal of being the fastest front-drive car on the Nurburgring.
In summary, a turbocharged Honda engine might make it into the new Civic Type R, which isn’t planned for the US (though there’s still the possibility), and Honda’s enthusiast fan base will have to be patient too, with the car not expected until 2015.

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Nissan RB25DET left over gasket
















I use to keep a few gasket sets of this Nissan Skyline 2.5 RB25DET engine model, as usual customer come for inquiry normally may not just want to buy the whole set, they might just want loose item from the gasket set.

One of my stock top set gasket for Nissan RB25DETT, is left over with the items show in the photo in this post, by after selling the cylinder head gasket, rocker cover gasket, intake manifold gasket and valve seals actually to difference 4 customer. Still have one piece of exhaust manifold gasket that I didn't show it here.

What is left over? Clearly we can see 2 pieces of exhaust pipe gasket for turbo housing outlet, 2 pieces of the half moon seal, the 12 pieces o-ring I can't get to know where it is using but may be have some related to the engine valve system. 2 pieces of camshaft oil seal and you can see that one piece of beautiful shining metal ring, that's the exhaust pipe gasket which I think it is not so easy to spoil by looking at its material quality.

So do you think how much I can get if I'm able to sell all this left over items from the set?

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year























Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all, in the mean time, wish to share a news article with you.

'Dear Santa' letters to post office hits a century

Published: Wednesday December 19, 2012 MYT 12:00:00 PM


CHICAGO: One 13-year-old boy who sent a "Dear Santa" letter to the U.S. Post Office this year asked only for covers for his bed, "so I can stay warm this winter."
Another letter from a 12-year-old wanted nothing for himself, just something for his single mother, because she worked so hard.
Heartrending letters like these are sent each year to the Post Office "Letters to Santa" program, now in its 100th year.
Postal employees go through the hundreds of thousands of letters addressed to "Santa Claus, North Pole, Alaska" to separate out those that express serious need.
Some of the letters are answered by charitable groups, businesses, schools, postal employees and individual anonymous givers, who can come to participating branches, pick letters and go shopping.
The Chicago branch has already seen 18,000 letters come in -- with more arriving every day, said communications director and "Chief Elf" Robin Anderson on Tuesday. She expects about 2,500 will be answered. The New York "Operation Santa" program is the country's largest, receiving more than a half a million letters each season. 























Letters this year are reflecting a greater need for necessities, and have included more letters from adults looking for work who need help buying for their children, according to both Chicago postal workers and givers.
"You're reading letters from six-year-old, eight-year-old kids who aren't asking for video games, they're asking for winter coats and food on the table, which is not something you'd think of kids writing to Santa for," said Kelley Fernandez, 26, who along with her colleague Debbie Schmidt, 53, who work for Toji Trading Group and have answered letters from Santa for three years.
Last year, Schmidt and Fernandez got other colleagues involved, and this year the whole Chicago office plus the Singapore office participated. The employees bought gifts for 26 families this year, including 106 children -- at 40 boxes the largest "Santa" shipment this year from the Chicago branch.
Anyone who wants to adopt a letter at a participating branch must fill out a form and show a picture ID. Then the giver comes back with a gift by December 22 to match the letter, and pays for postage.
To protect the privacy of the recipients, the full names and addresses are known only to the U.S. Post Office, which delivers the gifts.
One man who is an annual giver to the Santa program in Chicago used to be a recipient himself, said Anderson.
Schmidt and Fernandez say they bring a box of tissues to read the letters, because they can be so emotional. Fernandez recalled that last year, a little girl wrote, "Dear Santa, we're staying with our auntie because our mother can no longer take care of us, and we want you to know where we are this year."
Schmidt said she also sees requests from grandmothers, single moms and single dads.
Schmidt said she and her co-workers are sending handwritten letters back to the families along with the presents, signed by Santa. "We let everything be from Santa," she said. "The kids are so young, and still believing in Santa." - Reuters

Sunday, December 16, 2012

How I get to know Ta-Q-Bin


How do I get to know Ta-Q-Bin in the first place? My wife watch Japan animation movie 魔女の宅急便 few years back ago, one day, she saw a courier delivery van with Ta-Q-Bin logo on the road, she excitedly point me on the van and talk about it, only than I know that Ta-Q-Bin is stand for 宅急便.

A little about Ta-Q-Bin on their website,

TA-Q-BIN which means "personal express delivery" in Japanese, is Japan's leading logistics specialist, covering an array of transport services under the Yamato Group. Originally formed as Yamato Transport in 1919, TA-Q-BIN has become an important social infrastructure by creating more convenient lifestyles through innovative logistics systems.


Formerly known as 'Takkyubin' in Japan, the company made a decision to re-establish itself as 'TA-Q-BIN' to fulfil a more global presence.

As a symbol of commitment to providing the best services, the TA-Q-BIN logo portrays a black female cat carrying its kitten. This significant image represents the culture and professionalism in which TA-Q-BIN treats all of its deliveries. This logo is carried on all TA-Q-BIN trucks and TA-Q-BIN agents, which are found at most convenience and retail stores in Japan, Taiwan, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore and now, Malaysia.

















There are some speciality on Ta-Q-Bin service compare to other courier service, as they accept things like foods, vege or fruit  to be sent by their service in some extend or term and condition, so it is quite fun for me to see Ta-Q-Bin help desk in the AEON supermarket (Formerly Jusco in Malaysia) during festive season, like Chinese New Year, to provide service of sending mandarin orange for your love one for you.

You may find the below info useful if you wish to give a try on their service,

Visit www.taqbin.com.my/ or my.ta-q-bin.com/
Toll Free : 1800-8(TAQBIN)827246 - Call Centre
Email request : contact@taqbin.com.my
Online request : my.ta-q-bin.com/request_online.html

TA-Q-BIN Courier Services
Yamato Transport (M) Sdn Bhd
Lot 849, Jalan Subang 7, Taman Perindustrian Subang,
47510 Subang Jaya, Selangor.
TEL : +603-8022-6500
FAX : +603-8023-0960
EMAIL : contact@taqbin.com.my

Prepaid TA-Q-BIN
Charge to receiver (CTR) TA-Q-BIN
TA-Q-BIN Collect (C.O.D - Cash/Credit Card/Debit Card Payment on delivery)
COOL TA-Q-BIN ( Chill & Frozen)
INTERNATIONAL TA-Q-BIN ( Japan, Shanghai, Taiwan,Singapore,HongKong)(3 days delivery) 

Friday, December 14, 2012

How not to get fleeced at workshops


















An article that extract from The Star newspaper for sharing.


By EUGENE MAHALINGAM
eugenicz@thestar.com.my


HOW often has this happened? You take your car to the workshop (for either a tiny maintenance job or to fit back that loose, hanging fender after an accident) only to come out with the problem fixed, but also a bill as long as the Nile!
Look around
Many times, if you don’t have a regular mechanic, you’re bound to end up looking for or going to one when you desperately need something fixed.
“When that happens, you end up searching for a mechanic based on impulse. You’re not thinking long-term. You’re willing to fork out any amount of cash just to get the problem fixed as quickly as possible,” says seasoned mechanic Baskar Subramaniam.
“You’re not thinking about whether the job that mechanic is offering you is really even necessary, or if there are other workshops that can offer a lower price for the same repair work.”
Baskar says one should always look around first and try to “find the best deal” before deciding on a suitable mechanic.
Get recommendations
If you don’t already take your car for maintenance to a regular service centre, or a trusty workshop for your old jalopy, then it’s time to source for a workshop!
“The easiest way to look for a good workshop or honest mechanic is through word of mouth,” says Eddie Wong, who owns two cars and he has been taking to “his mechanic” for the past 15 years.
“Ask your friends or working colleagues where they take their cars to, and how much different maintenance or repair jobs cost,” he adds.
Janet Khoo, who openly admits that she used to get fleeced, says she found a decent mechanic after doing some research online.
“I frequent blogs quite often and decided to ask around about finding a mechanic near where I stayed. I got a lot of good references and through trial and error, found one that doesn’t perform daylight robbery,” she says.

Keeping the mechanic honest
When sending your car to the workshop or service centre, it’s always best to get a quote beforehand on how much the job will cost.
“There are actually people out there who never ask for a quote, taking it for granted that it will cost a certain amount,” says Baskar.
Wong says it’s only fair to the customer to know how much a job will cost.
“It’s only fair to ask and get a quote. It’s one way of keeping the mechanic honest and ensuring you don’t get cheated,” he says.
Johari Raslan, who says he’s been going to the same mechanic “for the longest time ever,” believes it’s a big help if the customer has some basic know-how of “how a car works.”
“If you know how basic things work, like maybe the braking system or internal combustion system, for instance, then you would be able to tell if the mechanic wants you to install a part that isn’t actually required.
“If you know your car well enough to be able to even diagnose the problem (see do-it-yourself below), you should already know what needs to be fixed and how much it would cost even before taking the vehicle to the workshop,” he says.
Safety first
Don’t be doing cartwheels just yet if you’ve managed to find a mechanic that offers cheap labour.
“Find out the reason why the bill isn’t as high as the other mechanics you compared with. Are the parts genuine? Is he using second-hand parts? Is he cutting corners? Of course, it’s good to get something done at a low price, but never compromise on safety,” advises Baskar.
“It’s good if you can check with other customers on the kind of work the mechanic does. Of course, these customers might be fine with him cutting corners and using used parts, but that doesn’t mean you should too,” he adds.
Johari says one should check if the mechanic is qualified to do the job.
“Visit the premises. What does it look like? It might not be clean, but is the safety of the mechanic, his workers and even the customers an issue? It also helps if he has a certificate hanging on his wall.”
Do-it-yourself
This isn’t a very popular option, as not everyone likes to get their hands dirty. However, it does have its benefits, says Wong.
“Knowing how to do tiny maintenance jobs on your car can help you reduce the number of trips to the workshop. However, by taking the initiative to learn a bit more about your car, and knowing how things work, then won’t feel so clueless when you take your car to your mechanic eventually.
“If you know enough, then you would know if the repairs or parts that your mechanic says you require are actually necessary,” he says.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

China Forklift Engine Cylinder Head Gasket















Initially China manufacture their forklift with Japan made engine, but it is matter of time that China will come up with their own design engine, and it will be a matter of time also on how far the customer will except their engine.

Actually we can find those China made engine in their forklift range already, although it seem the design may have some similar, which I'm not dare to say they are copying from the Japan one.

In Malaysia market, it seem there are forklift importer than bring in this China made forklift with China made engine, and the common engine they use is A490, A495 and A498.
















Although A490, A495 and A498 model all are in difference CC category, it seem their engine gasket is actually inter-changeable, and let see how interesting they design their gasket.

For the upper photo, it is the damage gasket from the A498 forklift and at the lower photo is the A490 forklift head gasket, if you overlap 2 gasket on it, you will found their hole position are all match, with the gasket bore diameter is 101mm for both, but it is really don't understand why the pattern of their side edge need to design differently.

Monday, December 10, 2012

Petronas engines to power Proton cars?


















Interestingly to found this news from Thestar Online, the full article as below,


Published: Tuesday December 11, 2012 MYT 12:40:00 PM

KUALA LUMPUR: Proton Holdings Bhd has acquired all engine technologies and knowledge developed by Petronas since 1997 through its technology commercialisation arm, Petronas Technology Ventures Sdn Bhd, for RM63mil.
Proton Chairman Datuk Seri Khamil Jamil said the national car maker will have immediate ownership of a more powerful yet fuel efficient family of naturally aspirated and turbocharged 2.0L engines, as well as a 2.2L turbocharged version to complement its existing Campro engine line-up.
"Proton and Petronas initiated the engine technology exploration in 1996.So, it is time now to take over from Petronas, since the company decided in 2010, to exit completely from all engine development activities.
"Proton Holdings, through Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional Sdn Bhd, is taking over seven engine technologies with 117 technology patents from Petronas," he told reporters after the Assets and Technologies Acquisition Agreement signing, here today.
The exchange of documents was witnessed by the advisor to Petronas and Proton, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. - Bernama

















Actually the news on Petronas design engine can be trace way back to the year 2005, which you may found some info in Paultan blog as in this link http://paultan.org/2005/07/08/the-petronas-e01/

For this Petronas E01e engine specification is shown below,

enjin Petronas E01 :
Valve mechanism: Continuous Control VVT (Variable Valve Timing)
Camshaft: Double OverHead Camshaft (DOHC)
Displacement: 2 litres
Induction: Natural Aspirated
Cylinders: 4, In-line
Valves per cylinder: 4
Block: Aluminum
Weight: 108.9kg
Max Horsepower: 204.3 PS @ 7300rpm
Max Torque: 203Nm @ 5300rpm
Power Output per litre: 100 PS/litre
Volumetric Efficiency: 107.8%
Emission Standards: EURO 2

Honda R18A and R20A engine gasket


















First know the Honda R18A engine when the Honda Civic 1.8 is introduce into Malaysia market, which the engine is quite new at the time, before this Civic 1.8, the engine that come in before R18A is K20A and K24A which is on Honda Stream, CRV and Accord model.

Just after I thought that the CRV will be using the K20A engine for a while because this is consider new engine, suddenly a new model which come with newer engine R20A caught me by surprise.

Although R18A and R20A is a difference code for difference cc of engine, the engine gasket actually are same which the cylinder head gasket also using the same bore diameter, difference in cc is just because of the difference height of the piston.

For one who really interested to know more deeply on R18A and R20A engine, you may click on the below link which is the info given is very detail.

R18A engine info link http://asia.vtec.net/Engines/R18A/index.html

R20A engine info link  http://asia.vtec.net/Engines/R20A/index.html

Friday, December 7, 2012

Ford Escape 2.3 or Mazda 6 2.3 Engine?













It is normal to link Ford engine with Mazda engine, they might share similar engine on their difference model, and the engine code that stated by that similar engine is difference also.

For Ford Escape 2.3 engine which normally Ford will name it as Duratec engine, with code such as CJBA, CJBB, CJBC, A0DA, A0DB and N4JB.

And in Mazda case, you may find similar engine model on Mazda 3, Mazda 6, Atenza, Premacy and Roadstar which may carry with engine code such as LF-DE, L3-VE or L3.

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Chevrolet Spark Engine Gasket















Not really familiar with this Chevrolet Spark model, what engine is it using? Initially may found it looks like in Suzuki family, but more precisely may be it is under Daewoo engine family, or may be it actually it is originated from Chevrolet and use by other.

Daewoo range of model that use similar engine with Chevrolet Spark have Tico, Labo and Matiz, which in Daewoo side they put the engine code as F8CN, quite a cute car but not so popular at here.