[geezer101]

Well, I made an interesting discovery this morning while peeling the wax paper off my semi-solid engine mount. First - urethane sealant won't stick to wax paper. Good outcome, the flush side where I supported the mount with my impromptu form ply puck came out glossy and mostly flat except for a few small ripples in the wax paper. Nice. Second observation is I may have wasted my time. When looking at my chewed out forward steel bracket in the wagon vs the steel bracket from the coupe trans, I noticed the coupe bracket is about 10mm wider which also means the coupe mount will also be wider. This puts a temporary halt to what I'm up to. Do I now chase a coupe forward mount - and will it fit to the under brace? Do I now need the coupe under brace as well? Will it need the semi-solid treatment as well or will it be overkill? How much more of my wagon will be upgraded with coupe parts... I'm already running mostly coupe rear end and brakes

 

[geezer101]

...Hyundai, you have officially irked me. Why build a 'Sportswagon' with soft rear suspension, under sized engine/trans mounts and drum brake rear end? A firmer rear stabiliser bar, disc brake rear and now potentially better engine mounts will make this thing what it should've been from factory. Well, guess it's up to me then

 

[geezer101]

I now suspect the urethane I used is waaay too soft. I'm planning on yet another UPI run to do some measuring and collect a few parts - primarily at least 2 engine/transmission mounts and maybe the under brace from a coupe if it is any better or fits/works. A pic of my attempt at a semi solid mount -

The other side is super fugly, so I won't post a pic of that to avoid scaring the normies 😅

 

[geezer101]

Well today I did the gearbox swap with the generous help of a friend. He donated his time and brought a bunch of indispensable tools/equipment with him to make the job less painful. Objective wasn't to get it back together and running as I'm waiting on inner and outer CV boots to come in from interstate. Cleaned everything as much as possible before starting (only thing I couldn't clean well was the under brace and some sections of the gearbox due to access problems) Pulled the gearbox with limited grief including the cheap chinese driveshaft that locked itself into the transfer case last time around. Then the fun began. The throw out/thrust bearing in the gearbox can't be re-engaged without physically unclipping it from the pressure plate. After a number of futile attempts we realised this wasn't going to happen without taking the pressure plate off as the retaining spring clip that holds the bearing in faces the flywheel side of the assembly. Pulled the pressure plate, removed the throw out bearing and gave the pressure plate a huge clean with oven cleaner and a brush before blasting it with the pressure cleaner and installing (under brace got the same treatment). Fresh gearbox went back in without too much of a struggle except my friend noticed the lower clutch fork bush had the top shattered off it and was causing the clutch fork to sit unsupported and too low to line up with the throw out bearing. Luckily the clutch fork bushes from my very dead 5 speed were still serviceable. I chose to lop off the counterweight on the gear input selector shaft as it was actually heavier than the original counterweight. I also decided to install my sketchy semi-solid forward mount as I needed to get the under brace installed. Front brakes are fragged (no surprise) so the barely used pads will go in once the shafts are recon'd and installed. A full days' work due to some assing around and unforeseen issues...

 

[geezer101]

...and a correction. Gearbox mounting bushes in the RD1-2 coupe and the J2/J3 series Lantra/Elantra are the same. The brackets on the donor gearbox were really spread open which made them appear to be different and/or not interchangeable. I have installed my sketchy mount (it still seems soft) but maybe after a few more days it's integrity will improve and it'll feel firmer

 

[geezer101]

Inspected yesterdays' work - clutch needs bleeding - easy to do solo. Chassis rail end bolt wasn't locked up - lucky I checked...

 

[geezer101]

...so much for that. No clutch engagement. Couldn't get the throw out/thrust bearing to lock into the pressure plate. Pulled the gearbox, tried again. Still no engagement. Asked my friend to come back and give his opinion. Pulled the gearbox a third time. The small retaining spring clip that is meant to lock the bearing into the pressure plate was protruding out of it's housing, preventing the bearing from fully seating and locking into place. Problem - if I tried to release the spring clip and reinstall the throw out bearing onto the clutch fork fingers there was every chance it would do it again. Only thing we could try was installing the bearing into the pressure plate first - not the easy or right way. We had to then guess what angle the fork fingers would have to be, hold the gearbox aligned and slot it into place while adjusting the clutch fork shaft to guide the fingers into where the locator holes on the bearing 'should' be (without hitting the bearing and forcing it to rotate out of alignment) 2 failed attempts - bearing kept moving out of alignment and the clutch fork would not line up with the locators on the bearing. Third try, guided it in and kept adjusting the clutch fork til I could feel it lose it's range of movement and we pushed it home. Clutch arm was now resting on the stop block and had resistance. Hooked up the slave cylinder and tested it. Now... it works. This is not a one man job - huge kudos to my dude 👍 Tomorrow - remaining gearbox bolts, reinstall starter motor, then shifter cables, speedo cable, under brace w/forward and rear gearbox bushes. Then when the replacement CV boot kits come in, replace shafts, fill the gearbox with synthetic oil and replace front brakes. May replace the corrugated conduit on the wiring harness before getting off the axle stands... Clutch is fully bled and at least 90% of the engine bay is clean now 🙄

 

[geezer101]

Happy new year folks. Anyhoo it turned out to be an insanely hot day so progress was limited. Stripped the crumbling conduit off the harness to the starter motor and ground lead etc and gave the cabling a clean. Under brace is installed with forward and rear mounts. All lower gearbox bolts in, just need to release the engine crane and return one of the 2 main upper bolts back into the back of the block (I temporarily repurposed one of the bolts for the sling loop holding the engine up) Removed the battery tray, soaked it in citric acid solution to remove a few spots of rust and gave the tray a couple of coats of satin black epoxy paint (cleaned under the tray where it mounts to the frame rail while I was at it) Gave the starter motor a good scrub and cleaned the gearbox and mounting cradle yet again (lots of greasy paw marks all over the place + handling a clean starter motor makes installation easier)

 

[geezer101]

What I was stuck on (throw out bearing not locked into pressure plate)

...and the victory shot

 

[geezer101]

Under brace installed and gave the forward mount and whole brace a couple of coats of epoxy satin black...

(this pic shows the heavy duty 6" flex join that replaced the tiny flex that was originally welded to the ebay headers)

Might as well post a pic of it looking like that - it's not going to stay clean for long 🙄

 

[geezer101]

Trying to separate outer CV joint - no luck. Using the dead drop method and tapping the inner race to free the C clip. Also found the slave module for the central locking hiding inside of the drivers' door. The central locking is very temperamental in this thing. Sometimes it would activate all of the door locks but most of the time it didn't. Pulled it apart, cleaned the traces on the board and gently bent the sweep contacts on the actuator arm. Hopefully this will cure the sketchy central lock situation. While I have the door apart, I've removed the window bailey channels as they are getting some worrying rust on them. Soaked them in citric acid, wire wheeled them down and have sprayed them with epoxy satin black. The anchor tags on the door glass have also come apart so I'm going to bond them back on with urethane sealant (both front doors are suffering from this issue) Inside of the door has been given a good clean and I'm also installing a pair of used Kicker 6.5" splits. I've modified the OEM tweeter mounts to adapt the Kicker tweeters. I am contemplating tinting the glass myself but I'm not looking forward to doing the cargo area glass...

 

[geezer101]

Central door lock slave module repair was a bust. I'm thinking about investigating the later model XD Elantra to see what the C/lock module looks like. Jobs crossed off today - starter motor installed and harness re-routed, gearbox selector linkage and cables installed (LMM grease packed into gate selector linkage on the input shaft mech) speedo cable installed, cooling fans installed, battery installed, amp power cable eye loop replaced on the positive terminal, both upper gearbox mount bolts installed, connectors to crank sensor + knock sensor + temp sender unit hooked up, installed repaired bailey channel into drivers' door.

Remaining jobs before getting the wagon off the stands - remodel CAI intake duct, improve air filter box mount and install replacement duct to throttle body, sort out the drive shafts (hopefully separate CV joints and install new boots with minimal drama) replace front pads and bleed brakes, fill gearbox with fresh oil.

Possible jobs - bypass coolant feed to throttle body, install oil catch can, window tint (not looking forward to that job but already have the ceramic film - better not to waste the money or the opportunity...)

 

[geezer101]

...and I gave up on trying to knock the outer CV off the short shaft. Instead I 'cheated' and disassembled the shaft from the inner joint. Was still a struggle but I only had to remove the circlip holding the tripod on and slide everything off that end. Then discovered 3 of the 4 boots weren't compatible (only boot that was correct was for the tripod end joint on the short shaft and the long shaft has a different tripod housing) I reassembled the the short shaft and repurposed one of the incorrect boots to replace the inner long shaft boot (that I pierced like an ape when I removed it from the wrecked wagon...) Shafts are both installed - will need to install front brake pads so I can lock up the castle nuts this afternoon. A small victory.

 

[geezer101]

All mechanicals completed. Drive shafts locked in, brake pads installed and calipers bled, gearbox oil filled, strut tower brace reinstalled, throttle body coolant bypass performed (one of the hoses had perished so this was a well timed procedure) replacement throttle body air duct installed, factory air box reinstalled (will need to investigate CAI to improve overall fitment and also figure out a way to support the air filter box as it seems to be mounted pretty loosely) A quick lap around the block to bed in the used pads and to do a leak check. So far, so good - other than a lot of foul smoke from the header wrap being contaminated while cleaning the engine block and old gearbox prior to removal... gearbox shifts quiet and smooth, no creaking or knocks from the front end.

 

[geezer101]

A few things I forgot to mention. Replaced the oil sump plug with a red anodised alloy sump plug with a rare earth magnet. The original sump plug was getting beat up and I thought a replacement was due. It was cheap and it looks pretty (the road will impressed while looking at it and the weight reduction will improve handling...maybe, or something) Bought it off AliExpress for a few bucks shipped. The bolt head is M14 and has a through hole for a retaining wire (not going to use a wire as it has nowhere to hang up on and it will only risk getting caught on something) and the side of the bolt head is embossed to let you know what size socket/spanner to use. Second was drive shaft installation and removal. I had issues with the short shaft being painful to install and extract. This time around I had a good look at the spring C clip and it was slightly deformed (ends of the clip were bent inwards towards the locating groove, forcing it to not seat completely during fitment) I removed the C clip and gently bent the ends back into alignment, then lightly crushed/closed up the clip to decrease clearances while being inserted into the transfer case. Went in without a fight this time around.

Took the wagon for a decent run last night. It is now a pleasure to drive. Shifts through gears like butter. The sketchy semi-solid forward engine mount may be contributing to shift improvement but I didn't experience any real vibration or adverse effects. In fact there used to be an annoying vibration through the floor that has all but disappeared. Noticed some lost torque - CAI wasn't installed so that has to be rectified. Don't race VW Golf R's with DSG. Guys can't drive, but you don't need skill when the gearbox does all the work (until the shift command module inside the gearbox fails and you need $4k to fix it...)

 

[geezer101]

And now the front end creaking commences. This time I found the culprit - front stabiliser D bushes are contaminated and/or worn + bar end link left side. I've hosed them down with silicone spray lube and it silenced the creaking for a few minutes lol. Sooo looking forward to removing the stabiliser bar to get to those bushes Also have to add right side control arm replacement to the list - it's trash.

 

[geezer101]

*addendum - did the throttle body coolant bypass but I haven't noticed any real difference as of yet. Hard to tell as where I live it gets notoriously hot. Still haven't remodelled the CAI yet and haven't installed the original unit. Need top get onto that soon as I'm pulling hot air from the engine bay. Daft central locking module has decided to start working again...

 

[geezer101]

I went scrounging through my pc to find the pics I took while installing the stereo and found them in a backup. I've since changed head units 3 times (first was the factory cassette player, then a competition Alpine unit that developed a bunch of bad faults and finally a JVC 4 channel unit) I always use a 4 channel amp now when doing car audio. First was creating a template to mount the Philips XP640 amp and a port to fit a spring terminal connection for the SAS 10" sub tube -

panel is made from 12mm MDF. screw holes are recessed into the board and all speaker, RCA and power cable holes are pre-drilled into the board so cabling can be passed through from under it and concealed

 

[geezer101]

I applied spray glue adhesive to the board and to the back of the meltrim cloth and then wrapped the board -

 

[geezer101]

The hole is then cut out for the sub speaker terminal connection and fitted -

I've used self tapping screws to anchor the board and cut out small folding tags in the meltrim cloth to conceal the screws once installed