So I was driving to Miri Airport after work yesterday to settle some stuff when I realized the sudden drop of voltage in my car. Thank goodness for NRG Volt Meter that I've installed in my car (transferred from the my previous Iswara) I continued to monitor the voltage of my car. As it was getting darker due to the rainy season,I turned on my headlights and once again, my car CD player (Head Unit) was off,my lights was dim and my wiper was slower then usual. At first I thought it was due to the rain, my alternator belting got wet and I thought the belting must have slipped causing the voltage drop.

A few times the head unit went off but I couldn't be bothered by it as my mind set was "belting wet, must have slipped"  but that issue didn't really went off my head till I consulted my fellow friends, the Lutong Drag Crew on symptoms of a faulty alternator. They told me what are the symptoms they've experienced before and those were the exactly same symptoms I'm experiencing. One thing I didn't take note of during my observation earlier that day was the voltage would go up following my engine RPM (revolutions per-minute). The harder I rev the engine, the higher the voltage will go.

So with all the symptoms I've experienced, I was sure that its time to change my alternator. Since today is a Sunday, I was doubting that most workshops are opened but I was sure that the parts shop is still open until 3 pm. I did some reading on how to replace the alternator and after dropping my parents off, went to get a replacement alternator. This was my first time replacing the alternator on my own. If you are not confident, please let the workshop do it for you. As for my case, most workshop was closed and I'm trying to save a few ringgits on workmanship. :D

In this post, I would like to share with you, how to replace your alternator.

Tools Needed:

1.  Spanner (Size 8,12 and 14) *depending on car make and model. Here I'm referring to a 1999 Proton Satria GTI (engine code 4g93)
   
2. Floor Jack
3. Jack stand
4. Gloves (optional)

First things first, locate the position of the alternator. 

Once you located the position of the alternator, remove the battery terminals/heads. (always remove the battery terminals when working on fuel or electrical parts of the car.) Then proceed to raise the car using floor jacks. Once you raised your car to the desired height (for easy access), place a floor jack underneath the car to support it. 

Installation of the new alternator was pretty straight forward like taking it off, except its done in reverse. Once you've put everything back on, reconnected the wiring's, start the engine and what i did was, turn the radio on, headlamps and aircond and monitor the voltage through the volt meter.So far so good, no voltage drop. The normal voltage should be 12V plus (before you start the car), 13V ~ 14V with your engine running. Don't forget the adjust the belting tensioner by turning the tensioner bold clockwise *depending on car make and model). 

So the it is, a DIY session for the weekend. A new rebuildable alternator for my ride, a new experience gained and roughly RM80 saved on the workmanship. :D

Let me tell you a story about how I became a car crazy guy. I've always been into cars and how they work ever since I dropped by at mu uncle's work place where he works as a mechanic. I've always been the curios boy since I was small, I would take things apart just to figure out how they do what they did.

My curiosity has often ended up with me getting into trouble because I couldn't put them back together. When I got my first car, which was a Nissan Cefiro A31, which was given to me by my dad (he bought another car and the old one he gave to me). The car was equipped with a 2.0cc turbocharged engine with manual transmission. The car itself is a fuel guzzler and one trip from my house in Lutong to Bintang Plaza can easily drink up Rm10 worth of fuel. Being a student at that time, I didnt have much cash with me to do anything with the car. 

Because of that, after a few years driving that car, I talked to my dad and we sold of the car because i couldnt afford the maintenance of the car. After I sold of the car (that was back in 2008, I was aiming to buy a Satria GTi (every Malaysian men dream car back then), but it was too expensive and i couldnt afford it ( the Satria GTi cost roughly about RM40k second hand).

Not long after that, I came to know that Sarawak Shell Berhad was auctioning their company car. with the help of my dad, I managed to place a bid for an Proton Iswara Sedan 1.3cc for RM5k. the car was in terrible condition, the roof was rusted, 2 of the doors was having huge holes from the rust and the interior was all dirty. but what was important to me that time was, as long as the engine runs, I can make it work.The car was left at the yard for over a year before the bidding was opened for public. After that RM5K purchase, I spent another additional RM3k on fixing the rusted parts and a fresh coat of paint. From the original dark blue, I painted it silver and replaced the 13" steel rims with a set of wheels taken from the first generation of Proton Waja wheels. 

Slowly every month I started saving some money to "beautify" the car, adding bodykits, sound system, working up the interior, headlamp replacement at purchased 2nd hand seats taken out from a Mitsubishi FTO . The following year, I've ventured out with engine mods, and thanks to Google and forums, I slowly poisoned myself into modding the tiny 4G13 engine. Started off with Open Pods filter to short shifters until adjustable cam pulleys.

Sometime around year 2010, my thirst for power has reached its peak. I wanted more power but there's so little that the 1.3cc engine could do.. Again after I read a few forums and a lot of googling, I ended up with an engine swap. From a 1.3cc engine to a 1.6cc engine taken from a wira. The maximum i can go was 1.6cc as above that, I couldnt get the engine endorsed by JPJ. After the engine swap, more mods was done to the car and there's where i started doing a lot of DIYs on my car as I was modding my car on a tight budget. Alng the way i've upgraded the rims to a proper set of wheels and re-do the audio system to suit my preferences. 

The modding slowed down and after that it was more of a fixing what needed to be fixed.. Alright, im not gonna bore you more on explaining, im just going to put a slide show on what was done to the car.

Less then a month after I've installed new bodykits and resprayed the car, on May 23rd, 2012, I was involved in an accident on my way to work. I was about 5 minutes away from my office as I drove pass by a housing area, I saw a white Toyota Hilux stopping at a junction.. Seeing that, I proceed driving normally until i was about 50 meters from the junction, the Hilux just came out of the junction. I tried to avoid crashing to him, I stepped on my brakes and I swerved to the right side going into the incoming lane but it was too late. I crashed into him and basically my whole left side of the car was badly damaged. At first i was keeping my cool but when I got out of the car, I saw the damaged, my heart just broke into pieces..  

I was car-less for 6 months after the accident.. The insurance process was fast but the workshop that was appointed by the insurance company just took their sweet time fixing my car just because its an Proton Iswara what broke my already broken heart more was the way the handled my car. After calling the insurance company headquarters(I guess the claim manager said something to the workshop), they started to work on my car the next day and within one week, my car was done. Workmanship wise was terrible but all I wanted that time was to get back my car. The moment I got my car back, I didnt drove it straight home but instead to my own workshop and got it fixed there. 

After that, I tried slowly fixing it back to its original state but you know what they said, once broken, it will never be the same. More and more problems came after the accident, it spent most of its time in the workshop rather then being driven. 

So last year, I decided to get another car. Fix the Iswara and sell it off after that. So I got myself the car that I always wanted to get. Yes.. The Proton Satria Gti 1.8. An the whole modification process starts again on a new platform. Progress is slow as Im still paying for the car. In 10 months time, I'll be done with the car loan and we will see how it goes from there. Currently the Iswara is in the workshop, getting some loving before being sold off.

Well thats about my three cars. When I'm not doing my car, I'll be doing something else to my friends car. Painting rims, center console, installing foglights, bodykits and such. Over the years I've learnt a lot about cars and when you're modding a car under a strict budget, DIYs is the way to go. Its an effective way to learn new things as long as you are willing to try and believe in yourself.

Someone asked me before, "if you love cars so much, why did you took IT instead of automotive?". Well here is the story behind it. I did wanted to take up automotive after if finished high school but my parents didn't agree to it. They questioned me on my  reasons and eventually I told myself, "its okay, my parents always wanted the best for me. They know what's best for me." So yeah.. Until today, Im still doing IT as a profession and I have to thank my parents for that. I was never a "technically attached person"and  I've always enjoyed getting my hands dirty. If my parents didn't asked me to take up IT, I dont think I know anything about how much things and information I can find online. Im really grateful that my parents actually forced me to study Information Technology. With that IT knowledge, Im able to utilize it to feed more knowledge and fuel my passion for cars. Well, Im looking forward to more car projects soon, be it my own car or others. till then, cheers!

Alright readers, this will be my first 'How To Guide: DIY" post and hopefully won't be my last. 

For this first DIY post, i'm gonna share with you on how I painted my valve covers. FYI, I have 3 valve covers in my possession up-to-date all painted by me. :D 

For this DIY, the tools needed is as follows

1. Spray Paint (the colour of your choice)
2. Masking tape
3. Paint remover
4. Brush
5. High pressure water jet/ pressure pump
6. Abrasive paper AKA sand paper (400 and 800 grit)
7. Gasket maker/gasket glue
8. Rubber gasket (optional)

First of all, remove the valve cover from your engine bay,(in my case, i purchased another valve cover from one of the Facebook page and got it posted over-no removal required.) and prep it for paint removal.. When i got the VC, it was already painted black by the previous owner and the paint had a few scratches and chips at the edge(I'm guessing that the previous owner didn't use high temperature paint as base coat and it has already been painted 3 time previously - red,blue and black)

To remove the old paint, I used this paint remover which can be purchased at most hardware store. Please be extra careful when using this product as it is extremely acidic. Use it in a open area where you have good ventilation and avoid direct contact with the liquid.

Apply the paint remover using a small brush and leave it for a few minutes until you see the paint start lifting itself from the valve cover. Remove the residue using flowing water or using a high pressure water pump/water jet. You may need to repeat the steps until all the paint has been removed from the valve cover.

Next step is to sand the valve cover using the 400 grit abrasive paper and prep the valve cover. cover all the holes that you do not wish to paint using the masking tape. and apply 3 even coats of high temperature paint as the base coat. I recommend using high temperature base coat as the valve cover tends to get hot and without the high temperature base coat, the paint will chip and cracks over time.

After the high temperature paint dries up, its time to spray the valve cover with the colour of your choice (I chose metallic purple). LIke the other valve covers i did previously, I applied 3 even layers of paint coat. Wait 10-15 minutes for each layer to dry. 

After the paint dries, I prepped the valve cover for another round of sanding. Taped up the side of the letters to protect the paint just in case you over shoot the sanding process. Using a flat block of wood wrapped up with the 800 grit abrasive paper, rub away all the unwanted paint until bare metal is exposed. I suggest you use the wet sanding technique. 

Finally, spray 2 layers of clear paint to protect the newly painted valve cover. Re-install the valve cover on the engine. Don't forget to apply gasket marker along the sides of the valve cover and the spark plug holes. If the valver gasket has hardened, replace with a new valve gasket which can be easily purchased at auto part shops.

the other 2 valve covers that I painted using the same steps as above. 

- the blue(top) has been resprayed to candy purple. Currently on my engine.

- the blue/gold broke when i got into an accident last year.

Hopefully this DIY project of mine can help and guide you with your valve painting project. Till next time! Chio~