I'd be going back to the UK so importing is possible, but not really a feasible option for me. It'd be about $2000 to take back to the UK (possibly more given where I am), then import duties when it gets to the UK. It'd need the UK inspection which is a lot stricter on structural things and...

Transcontinental move in the next couple of months back to the motherland means the car has to go, and with the car market being like it is where I am, I'd lose a biblical amount of money if I tried to sell it whole.Got to price things up over the weekend and work a few things out before a...

What branch of the services were/are you in?

Wouldn't normally throw in car washes pics into my build thread, but it's all for a good cause. The Black Onyx Pacesetters Motorcycle Club - Okinawa Chapter, in conjunction with The Kandi Girls, put on a charity bike and car wash today, with all proceeds going to one of the orphanages in...

Well it never rains but it pours with this car. Got a replacement fan on order but am ok driving around with one so far. However, I've not been doing much driving at all as about 10 days ago when driving I was hearing a squeaking noise at a certain rpm (around 1750) near the timing belt area...

Not really. About 18 months old, and even Chinese-made Ebay fans I've used in the past have lasted longer than that.Reckon that water could definitely have been a factor though, looking back.

Thanks man. Thread needs to be retitled: soldave's 1001 ways his early Evo tries to kill itself!

Riddle me this, Riddle me that, What in the name of all things sacred, Would cause my fan to go splat?Noticed my temps about 3-4 degrees higher than normal a couple of days ago. Not a huge amount, especially with temperatures soaring now summer has hit, but enough to make me have a look...

Not so much a big update as an observation. I found out the car doesn't like being driven through about 1km of 6-8" high water coming down the road like a river! I know, it's hardly a revelation, but was certainly an interesting experience. Driving home from work and the rain was torrential...

If it's where the key goes, why would the fuel pump start when the key goes to the start position? Not doubting it; just trying to understand it more.

Thanks. I'll definitely try to check all the grounds I can with a multimeter in the next few days. When you say the ignition switch might need to be replaced, are you talking about the switch in the barrel where you put the key, or the ignitor in the engine bay? Or something completely different!

Had an intermittent problem this week with the Evo III. Only happened a couple of times but am just a little concerned incase it gets worse.So I'll turn the key to start the engine and the fuel pump will start (I can hear behind me) but no spark/ignition/nothing. If I stop and turn the key...

Well my LEDs came in today so I pulled the cluster out and fitted them. Have to say I'm pretty pleased. There are a couple of darker spots, but you pretty much always are gonna get them unless you customize a whole ring of LEDs around the cluster.Also did the licence plate too. Am...

And the rims are almost finished with the Rays Time Attack decals on them. I know alignment of the stickers may not be 100% perfect but neither is the rest of the car! It certainly transforms the look, and I think in a good way.And yes, the rims need a clean but I have to wait for a week for...

Realised the reason my car has had so many problems over the past 12 months isn't because of me trying to be cheap or not having JDM mad tyte skillz, but actually not having the right charm in my car. Sorted that out today with a visit to one of the big shrines in Okinawa, and prayed for a good...

Thanks man. I'm in the lucky position though that being from England, I've always shifted with my left hand! Not sure how I'd do with my right though!As for getting an early Evo in the States, there are a handful of them, but it's not easy to do. I do know of one guy who did pretty much a...

What do you guys think of these? Might be cool with the black & red theme inside the car. Or is original blue the way to go with white TE37s?

Any lower and the front bumper would be scraping on small kerbsides going in and out of parking. I love the HKS Kansai bumper to death but the front lip means I can't drop the car nearly as much as I would do otherwise.

Well you never know... one of these days I might get back into what I like doing most with cars: playing with ECMLink and tuning them.And I've just been reading the data from a guy in the States who's got a fairly similar setup as me, and having good success. He's running a HX-40 Pro on a...

Bringing this back from the dead, as it's still not been sorted out. And it's actually happening on some right hand turns now too. Always when I am slow (pulling out of a junction or parking spot etc) but putting a little pressure on the accelerator, and always 2-4 clunks and then it stops...

After new wheel bearings at the front, new wheels and tires I decided to get an alignment. Just got home from picking the car up so have the figures here. Now take a look and see if you can spot which of the before figures seems a little strange. You might have to look hard...or maybe...

The car stumbles from one crisis to another, so matches me pretty well. I have a small coolant leak at the moment, but have a hose in the mail that should (fingers crossed) fix that. Then it's just a case of waiting for the next thing to go wrong!

My Christmas present for the car was a set of new shoes, in the form of some TE37 rims and Star Spec rubber. Just waiting for the new original decals to come through and they'll be put on too.

That's what I'm thinking. I replaced the bearing on the driver's side.I found that part of the noise was because I had a bolt going a little too far through the bracket so it was scraping on turns, but that still means there has to be movement somewhere or it would do it all the time. The only...

Quick question for you guys out there. Finally got moving in the car again, bit when I turn left (mainly) or right I get a rotational rubbing sound from the front left brakes somewhere. It carries on a little after I straighten up but then goes away. But if I put just a little pressure on the...

No eclipses really out here, no. And as for the early Evos, they're just like the old Mirage but on steroids.There's not a whole bunch being done to them to be honest. The drag racing scene is filled with GTRs and the odd stripped S15, and with JDM forged parts being so expensive anyway, a...

Just today when I thought my brakes, coolant leak, oil leak and everything else going wrong with my car coming to an end, I came to bleed the last brake caliper and saw this:God knows what it is but it's deep and big. So that's a pair of Star Specs I'm gonna have to get (wanna get fresh...

Needing a bit of advice here about where to start looking for a little niggle I've found recently.First off, I park my Evo III on a slight incline (very slight). Right that's about as much background information as you need I think! After the car's been parked (say, overnight) I'll start...

OK, I'm pretty much at a wits end with this car and its myriad of problems. The latest is one that has now happened on both sides of the car, but happened pretty gradually. I've found the lower control arm to be touching the brake disc. It's not hugely pushing into it, but is making an...

Been offered a set of TE37 rims for a great price. Would look damn nice painted black on mine but wondering if I can justify paying for rims when I have a couple of mechanical issues to sort out. But they look soooo good...

Not vibrate as such, but sometimes I can kind of feel it. Definitely not doing it when it neutral or coasting.

This is definitely only happening when my foot is on the gas (even a little) and not on decel, or engine coasting, in gear or in neutral.

Thanks for that. Will give it a look tonight, providing it doesn't all seize up on me today while I'm doing my errands!

The boots on the CV joints on both front axles look good, but I know that doesn't count for much.How else would you suggest I inspect them?

OK, so I've now got a fully filled mission which isn't leaking, filled with Redline 75W90. Also have got a transfer case filled with Heavyweight Shockproof.In the past few weeks (possibly since the Heavyweight Shockproof fill, but not 100% sure). I've noticed an intermittent noise from the...

I fitted the Devils Own Stage 2 progressive kit to my old Evo III and it was the best bang-per-buck upgrade I did. Wrote a review of the install here:http://www.biginjapan.co/biginjapan/devils-own-stage-2-alcohol-injection-kit-review/The only downside is that it does add another point of...

I'm running 1.65 bar of boost at the moment. Ran into some knock and then had multiple issues but am gonna drop timing a degree or 2 and I think I may be able to get it to 1.8bar. After that I'm reaching the limits of pump gas, the vertical flow intercooler (not the flow that's the issue, more...

I'll try a JB weld replacement for now. Got limited tools right now and don't want to risk separating that sandwich plate that houses 5th gear. The nut on that shaft needs a hell of a lot of torque to secure and I don't have a torque wrench or that much space to get leverage on it.Should...

Take a look what I found!Yeah, I know it's not a good picture, but if you look closely and squint a little, you can see a small crack in the rear case of the mission cover. That's where the mission oil has been leaking out from. No wonder it was leaking more when I parked it uphill! God...

Well, the leak is still there and probably a little worse than before. Really doesn't look like it's coming from that seal now though. But I'm basically out of ideas. Next Friday I'm gonna drive it to my trusted tuning shop and get them to source it and fix it. Am not wanting to drive the...

Well I have 2 working windows again, which is quite exciting. Replaced the driver's side regulator after the cable frayed again and got caught. Was a surprisingly easy and inexpensive fix. Wondering if the rears are just the regulators too or if the motors are bad. If it's the motors, they...

Thanks. Fitting that turbo in isn't easy in an early Evo engine bay - there's a lo less room to play with compared to the DSMs.

I think in Japan the use of English characters is used for impact when it's words that people will probably know. They also do this for some Japanese words as they have 2 ways of writing the alphabet.And yeah, the car does seem to be cursed somewhat! Although I make a lot of the bad luck by...

Not really the cover of Import Tuner, but I got my pale self in the pages of the regional Goo magazine (equivalent to Auto Trader). Always good to get recognized by the locals. Unfortunately no performance updates until my replacement v-band comes in, but when it does I might be shooting for...

Thanks man. It's a Garrett .84 twin-scroll housing that I had specially mated to it :)

Well this weekend was kind of productive. I managed to change the seal on the input of the transfer case (which was in good condition and not leaking). Would have done the one on the output side of the mission but there was no way that seal was going in past the flywheel, and the seal in there...

Dyno numbers will be impossible as there's no dyno here, but the turbo seems to be doing well. I can provide ECMLink and Blitz Power Meter figures as well as 1/4 mile times.All in good time though. Hopefully tomorrow getting new seals put into the link between the mission and transfer case...

Cursed build. Don't be ;)

Already trying it, hence the 2 tranny-transfer case seals are on order ;)

Well, I had a minor... ahem... mishap at the first drags of the year. Was a little nervous so did an initial practice run at about 3/4 throttle with no real launching. Pulled back into my parking spot and noticed the car was trying to stall and didn't at all want to idle. Even when I...