Alza lower arm problems and replacement

The old Perodua Alza model from 2009 to 2022 plays a major role in the suspension area of the car, and in fact, it can have adverse effects on other components such as the driveshaft, braking system, and balancing.

First, let's discuss the driveshaft. For the Alza car, the driveshaft heavily relies on the lower arm to maintain its sturdy balance, especially inside the gearbox. A slight wear and tear to the control arm can result in a serious crackling sound in the gearbox. You might think this is a driveshaft issue and end up changing the wrong expensive part, not knowing that it's actually the lower arm which holds the driveshaft no longer stable. This was once demonstrated when I almost replaced the driveshaft due to a serious crackling sound inside the gearbox hole where the driveshaft is slotted in. The imbalance of the driveshaft's position due to a fault in the lower arm causes the gear inside the transmission to not hold the driveshaft properly. As a result, a very serious crackling sound occurs, and if left untreated, the teeth inside the gearbox might get damaged.

The second problem when the lower arm goes bad is the braking system becoming less effective at the front. This is due to the unstable brake disk, which the lower arm can no longer hold sturdily when it has gone bad. As a result, the braking system will become weak.

The third issue is tire balancing. You cannot have the Alza car balanced when the lower arm has gone bad—no matter what you do with it, when driving, it always feels wobbly. So, replacing it is the only solution to keep the car's balancing stable again.

There is one hidden trick when installing the Alza lower arm; most mechanics will use wire tape or anything to increase the size of the rear bolt of the arm to fit in exactly. The problem with hand winding the tape is that you can never get an accurate size, and sometimes you still have a gap between the bolt and the bolt hole of the lower arm. The result of this may cause random clicking noises to the driveshaft because it is not completely sturdy. This issue is very similar to the first one, but it produces random clicking noises only.

In order to solve this problem, see the picture below to learn how it should be done. Lower arm bolt bushing is the perfect solution, and the lower arm will be 100% guaranteed sturdy. No wobbling and driveshaft sound anymore

Degradation of ground surface area in older cars honda city idsi 2003-2008

The Honda City IDSI 2003-2008 model is indeed a remarkable car, boasting exceptional fuel economy that outshines its counterparts from the same era. Even after 17 years of use, the engine retains its vigor, seemingly capable of enduring another three decades without major issues.

However, with age comes a concerning issue – the gradual decline in the effectiveness of the grounding surfaces around the engine bay and chassis. This decline is primarily attributed to rust, engine oil spills, and the accumulation of dust and grime.

The resulting increase in resistance effectively splits the car's engine bay electrical grounding surface area into two distinct sections. The battery section and the fuse box each have their own grounding, whereas they should function as a unified entity.

Consequently, poor electrical connections have a considerable adverse impact on the overall engine performance of the Honda City IDSI, manifesting in issues such as:

• Delay gear shift.
• Pickup acceleration delay
• Consume a little more fuel. 
• Sluggish engine performance and sometimes very loud
• Car jerking badly when stopping at the traffic light while braking on gear D (Drive)
• Having difficult to start randomly (As if the battery is dead) empty crank.
• Door lock sometimes difficult to open / lock by the remote-control key.

The above problems arise when the engine sensors, solenoids does not have sufficient current flow to communicate with the ECU / ECM / PCM.

• On the transmission there are sensors and solenoids that must have enough current to communicate effectively with the TCM (Transmission Control Module)
• On the engine side
• MAP Sensor (Mass Absolute Pressure)
• MAF Sensor (Mass Air Flow)
• Coolant Temperature Sensor
• IAT Sensor (Intake Air Temperature)
• DDVT Solenoid
• Knock sensor.
• Oxygen Sensor
• ISCV 
• Camshaft position sensor
• Crankshaft position sensor
• Evaporative valve solenoid
• Throttle position sensor.

All engine sensors require an efficient flow of current to communicate seamlessly with the ECU, ensuring prompt operation of injectors and spark plugs for effective combustion within the engine. This assertion holds particularly true, as after the addition of a single high-quality copper wire for grounding, there was a significant improvement observed. This enhancement made it feel as if the engine had been revitalized, akin to the experience of having a new engine.

1. Gear shift delay - solved.
2. Pick up acceleration - improved significantly feeling can chase any high-speed car.
3. Fuel consumption is better.
4. Car jerks reduce significantly when braking on traffic light while on gear D.

What to do when the car feel sluggish and gear jerk

After years of driving suddenly you feel the car becoming sluggish and the gear starting to jerk especially when reverse or braking while on gear D. This is common behavior for most cars when it is getting old. So, what is first thing to check when it happens. 

The most basic thing to look at is the battery connection - make sure nothing loosely tightens and if so, tighten it accordingly. Loose battery connection can be the main culprit in sluggish car as the engine sensos such as.

MAF - Mass Air Flow Sensor

MAP - Manifold Absolute Pressure Sensor

IAT - Intake Air Temperature Sensor. 

TPS - Throttle Position Sensor

ISCV - Idle Speed Control Valve

ECT - Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor

CMP - Camshaft Position Sensor

CKP - Crankshaft Position Sensor

OCV - Oil Control Valve Solenoid

Knock Sensor

As well the spark plugs, fuel injector, fuel pumps

The sensors and components above require efficient electrical signal to communicate them between Engine Control Unit (ECU / ECM / PCM) effectively.

Meanwhile on the transmission side the gearbox solenoids and sensors require efficient current to communicate with the transmission control unit (TCU). 

Therefore, make sure the battery connection is tightly.

Redundant nipple valve on the K3 or 3sz-ve engine block behind the catalytic converter

Earlier I was wondering what the redundant nipple valve, sticking out of the 3sz-ve engine block. Even daihatsu forum has no answer for this so I've searched and found the mechanic manual book for K3 engine and it turns out that is the cooling water drain plug. Not sure what is the common function of the nipple valve since the coolant drain can easily be done via the radiator drain plug and for the record that valve rarely being used by anyone in the lifetime servicing their K3 engine.

Idle RPM not going up when A/C turned on and it cause the car to vibrate (shaking)

This is quite an intriguing problem that I've not yet do some experiment. The idle is running at 750 RPM without accessories on especially the air conditioning system. Now the interesting part is when the A/C is on the idle RPM refuse to increase and stays at 750 RPM that result in the car to shake (vibrate) feeling like almost stalling. 

The problem is becoming moe intense when braking on traffic light while on gear D and when the A/C compressor kicks in the vibration becoming even more because the idle speed stays around 750 RPM. Why won't the RPM also increase dynamically based on the engine load? 

Suggested solutions:

1. Idle Speed Control Solenoid - dirty / malfunction

2. Adjust the throttle body cable to get more air?

3. Air conditioning gas is over charged thus the compressor magnetic coil consume more power to engage

Will need to experiment this one by one and see the outcome.