Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Update #2 from Mine's...

So got an update from Mine's earlier today. Turns out, the problem was not one burst hose but two! Not sure exactly which hoses (they were behind the engine), but likely due to normal wear and tear? Or is something else to blame? I'll find out when I pick up the car hopefully later this week.

I had also mentioned when I dropped the car off, to Nakayama-san, that my car's exhaust stunk.  In fact it was overpoweringly bad. Mine's is reporting that this is because the catalytic converter (Apex'i Super Catalyzer) is dead.  I suspected this, in fact, and was thinking about getting another one to replace it.

from Apex'i website - http://www.apexi.co.jp/products/exhaust/cata.html

The Apex'i replaced the OEM one that was on the car when I bought it. This was a couple of years even before I had the Mine's engine put it, circa early 2006.

At the time, in my research I found that the Apex'i was the best catalytic converter because it had the lowest cell per square inch (cpsi) of only 130 cpsi - most other catalytic converters were in the 200 range (OEM is 400) and therefore more constrictive.

However, I always believed that catalytic converters pretty much lasted the entire life of the car, although now I suspect that is only true if your car is not highly tuned.

But a relief the smell wasn't necessarily caused by the engine. I've asked Mine's to go ahead and install a new catalytic converter - they've recommended an R33 GT-R specific one by HKS, which happens to be the one I was looking at anyway. Hopefully they will have photos of the old one for me to see how badly it had degraded.

The HKS one has 150 psi so a slight increase, however their website claims that their catalyzers have "high purification performance" - so something to look forward to, if true.  And if for some reason the HKS fails or dies in the future, at least its replacement cost is not as much as the Apex'i.

From: http://car.indac.jp/product_shousai.asp?hin=10123126012

In any case, as Mine's has the car for a few more days,  I've decided to ask them to do a full check of the car, in order to see if there are any other parts that could be suspect.  I'll post what (if anything) they find.  Hopefully this whole incident was just a wake up call for me to pay more attention to my car!

Stay tuned...

8 comments:

Stj88 said...

Why don't you get a de-cat? Better flow, sound, flames and about 4 time's cheaper that a sport cat.

Aki said...

Good question. But basically because I can't be bothered to fit the car with a cat every time the car is inspected. And I'm not willing to get pulled over if a cop suspects something's up...

Aussie R33 GTR said...

You can also gut your current cat empty then weld a steel plate in it so it doesn't feel empty when tapped. If they do an emissions test then just tell your tuner to run it lean for the test. Just a thought.

Anonymous said...

I have this cat fitted to my vehicle. Quality is exceptional. Good choice sir.

Stj88 said...

@Aki

I thought that they were pretty loose with tuning rule's in Japan! And i don't think that the police would even know that there was a cat missing on a BCNR33. The cat is located pretty far away from the engine, so most cops thing its somewhere near the engine like on most normal cars.

My current BCNR33 came from Tokyo, and already ran a full straight pipe. Its pretty much the loudest car i ever heard in my life! Haha Wonder if the previous owner ever got into trouble.

Stj88 said...

*Owner

Aki said...

Anon - thanks!

Aussie/Stj - well truth be told if I run the car on a track, I'll probably install a de-cat. But for normal around town driving, it's not worth the risk. As Stj points out, police enforcement might be a bit loose and subjective - but the rules are quite strict. I certainly don't want to draw more attention than I already do.

Plus, if I memorialize, in writing, an instance where my car is running around illegally, such evidence could be used against me in a court of law. Not smart.

Thus, my policy on my blog is to ensure that I everything I write about is consistent with what the law requires. :)

Kadir said...

I have a Mines Super Catalyzer on my BNR34. I didn't realise what cells meant when a fellow BNR34 asked how many cells my catalyzer had. I also note that Mines no longer list this part on their website?