Random maintenance questions and general advice sought

[Karl V]

Ladies and Gents,

First off, I apologise in advance for such a long post and long list of questions. I have owned my Atom 2 245 for 4 months now and have a long list of maintenance tasks to deal with. The problem is, everytime I go out to the garage, I can't help but get in and go for drive. The time has come to tackle the list...

Can anyone offer any advice with the following:

1) Is there an engine/ECU diagnostic port somewhere? I'd like Honda to plug in and just check the state of play.

2) Squeaky rear suspension. A common problem it seems... I have had it stripped down once and lubed, but less than a month later (1,000 miles) and it is back. Is this something I need to live with? Is there a rubber bush in there somewhere that I could replace to achieve a semi-permanent fix? I don't have the technical term, but the noise comes from the suspension to frame mounting pivot.

3) Old gaffer tape! The original gaffer tape from 5 years ago is still on the frame and seems almost welded on. It needs to come off. Has anyone any tips? Would a heat gun help? Would a heat gun kill the powder coating or just melt the tape and make it worse?

4) Lights... Rusty, broken, loose. Any tips on where to get a standard replacement set from? I'm not sure I have the patience for an LED swap-out, unless feedback says it is worth the effort. My understanding is that the moulded enclousers at the back are factory made, so I guess a new set will need to come from them, but is there a recommended friendly ex-Rover / Land Rover supplier who will say "ah yes, an Atom, I know what you need..."?

5) Lastly, a general question (semi-related to point 1 above)... I used to have an S2000. When you hit VTEC in that, you could really feel the punch. I don't get the same feeling in the Atom. My understanding is that the Type R VTEC unit should deliver a similar kick. I know VTEC is kicking in as I hear a change in engine pitch and my left ear drum almost explodes, but the sense of urgency is just not there - if anything, it is less than pre-VTEC! Am I expecting too much? 

Muchus gracious for any tips!

[Karl]

[quote="IonMan"]
Ladies and Gents,

First off, I apologise in advance for such a long post and long list of questions. I have owned my Atom 2 245 for 4 months now and have a long list of maintenance tasks to deal with. The problem is, everytime I go out to the garage, I can't help but get in and go for drive. The time has come to tackle the list...

Can anyone offer any advice with the following:

1) Is there an engine/ECU diagnostic port somewhere? I'd like Honda to plug in and just check the state of play.

2) Squeaky rear suspension. A common problem it seems... I have had it stripped down once and lubed, but less than a month later (1,000 miles) and it is back. Is this something I need to live with? Is there a rubber bush in there somewhere that I could replace to achieve a semi-permanent fix? I don't have the technical term, but the noise comes from the suspension to frame mounting pivot.

3) Old gaffer tape! The original gaffer tape from 5 years ago is still on the frame and seems almost welded on. It needs to come off. Has anyone any tips? Would a heat gun help? Would a heat gun kill the powder coating or just melt the tape and make it worse?

4) Lights... Rusty, broken, loose. Any tips on where to get a standard replacement set from? I'm not sure I have the patience for an LED swap-out, unless feedback says it is worth the effort. My understanding is that the moulded enclousers at the back are factory made, so I guess a new set will need to come from them, but is there a recommended friendly ex-Rover / Land Rover supplier who will say "ah yes, an Atom, I know what you need..."?

5) Lastly, a general question (semi-related to point 1 above)... I used to have an S2000. When you hit VTEC in that, you could really feel the punch. I don't get the same feeling in the Atom. My understanding is that the Type R VTEC unit should deliver a similar kick. I know VTEC is kicking in as I hear a change in engine pitch and my left ear drum almost explodes, but the sense of urgency is just not there - if anything, it is less than pre-VTEC! Am I expecting too much? 

Muchus gracious for any tips!
[/quote]

1. If you have a Hondata K-Pro ECU (all of the Brammo Honda cars got one), then there is a USB port that you can use to interface with the ECU. Otherwise, I'm not sure if Ariel put in an OBDII port.

2. I don't know anything about solving suspension squeaks, sorry!

3. Heat guns will probably soften the powdercoat. I would try progressively more aggressive adhesive solvents to try and get the remnants off.

4. The best source for spare LR Defender lights I have found is eBay, though Terry Kennedy is also selling replacements now in the USA. You should be able to walk down to your local LR dealer and ask for them.

5. VTEC transition should be smooth and not punch-y. The fact that you can't really feel it in the Atom is indicative of a good ECU tune. However, if you truly want to know what is going on with your motor, have it run on a dynamometer ("rolling road").

[Terry Kennedy]

[quote="Karl"]
4. The best source for spare LR Defender lights I have found is eBay, though Terry Kennedy is also selling replacements now in the USA. You should be able to walk down to your local LR dealer and ask for them.[/quote]

The original poster's timezone is GMT (that's the only location clue) so I'll assume they're in the UK.

The Wipac (manufacturer) web page is here: http://www.wipac-aftermarket.com/uk/acatalog/Side_Rear_Fog.html Their list of UK distributors is here: http://www.wipac-aftermarket.com/uk/acatalog/Land_Rover_Distributors.html.

The other manufacturer that I know of is Perei, but their web site is rather useless: http://www.perei.co.uk

You'll need to get the back covers (called "Madonnas") from Ariel.

Seriously, though, replacing the lights with the same units is just as much work as installing the LED units from Mobile Centre - in either case you need to disassemble the fixtures and solder wires. I would definitely go with the Mobile Centre LED units.

[MonsieurX]

1) could be custom plug from Ariel - depends on the car's year.
2) Which suspension is it? You might need to have them reconditioned...
3) Try brake cleaner - cleans everything

5) Sounds normal like mine... No real kick but you feel a boost...

[ross]

2) teflon/PTFE spray at regular intervals on all the joints should do the trick and only takes a couple of minutes.

3) I found that WD40 always worked quite well for me

5) This was one of my questions to Ariel when I first got my 2 245.  Apparently the ECU activates the V-Tec at lower revs than in Honda's road cars so it's less obvious but probably more useful in terms of the power/torque curves.

Hope this helps!

Cheers, Ross.

[Karl V]

Thanks for the feedback gang - much appreciated.

So it appears there is no diagnostic port on the Atom 2 245 machines. Can be retro-fitted apparently, but the factory say that you can't get access all the codes anyway as it is a modified Honda ECU (as Ross also said above). No drama though, as it sounds like the engine is behaving normally...

I'll get some silicon spray for the rear suspension mount (where the shock absorber joins the frame), some WD-40, sticky gunge remover and a large tub of elbow grease to remove the old gaffer tape. BTW Mr. X - I did have the rear shocks reconditioned a month ago, but thanks for the tip - you are spot on. One of the shocks was dry!

As for the lights... those LED puppies do look good! Problem is, for £440 I could buy 2,500 miles worth of petrol. Tough call...

http://www.mobilecentre.co.uk/river-run ... p-558.html

[Mobile Centre]

Coloured lens versions are cheaper

http://www.mobilecentre.co.uk/river-run ... p-449.html

Full set of LR lights with the built in connectors £21.89 delivered!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-8-lights-Lamp ... arParts_SM

[Karl V]

OK, I've gone for a straight LR replacement set, but the LEDs are definitely on my Christmas list!

[Terry Kennedy]

[quote="IonMan"]
OK, I've gone for a straight LR replacement set, but the LEDs are definitely on my Christmas list!
[/quote]

You'll like them. I have the earlier style from them with over 12,000 miles on them so far. The factory Rover / Wipac / Perei lights have a number of issues - the sockets crumble, usually where the lens screws on, the bulbs get hot, melt the plastic and pop out, and so forth. On an Atom 2, there's also vibration which doesn't help. One owner here had his car go from 4 working tail lights to 0 in 750 miles of trailering + 150 miles of driving!

When you change these lights, I'd suggest picking up one of the square white LED lights from them as well, to replace the reversing light. While you're in there, I'd also suggest replacing the lamp in the license plate light with a LED unit and soldering it into the fixture (or get a whole new replacement plate light from Mobile Centre - I'm sure they can advise). The reason for this is that the license plate light bulb can pop out from vibration, and it is a pain to get to since there's a setscrew on the right side which is blocked by the reversing light. A LED there should last forever, and soldering it in prevents it popping out.

[Terry Kennedy]

[quote="IonMan"]
I'll get some silicon spray for the rear suspension mount (where the shock absorber joins the frame), some WD-40, sticky gunge remover and a large tub of elbow grease to remove the old gaffer tape. BTW Mr. X - I did have the rear shocks reconditioned a month ago, but thanks for the tip - you are spot on. One of the shocks was dry![/quote]

Linguistic nitpick - silicon is an elemental solid. Silicone is a lubricant.

On a more useful note - the rod ends (at least the ones from Aurora, marked AM/AB or PRM/PRB) are not intended to be lubricated. Their senior motorsport application engineer states that if there's enough play for lubricant to get into the rod end, it is worn and should be replaced. Some owners here feel there are benefits to lubricating them. In particular, Aurora part numbers ending in T indicate a built-in Teflon liner. If that isn't working, it is time to replace the rod end.

As to WD-40, it isn't really a lubricant, though it may serve as one in a pinch. My big complaint with it is that people use it on things and then expect the proper silicone / lithium grease / graphite to work correctly afterwards.

[John Scherrer]

... then there are those who believe WD40 will fix anything!

They also think that if you stare at the engine long enough it will magically fix itself and that if the car won't start (say) cramming more oil in the top will solve it!