What Did You Do With Your Kizashi Today?

Anything related to the Kizashi can go here, but please look at the other headings first. Your topic may fit better under something else.
User avatar
n8dogg
Posts: 215
Joined: Tue Jul 30, 2013 1:20 am

KuroNekko wrote: Mon Feb 22, 2021 8:59 pm Replaced my low beam HID bulbs last weekend. 7+ years on the original components and the bulbs weren't even malfunctioning. I just figured after 7 years, it was time to retire them and replace with newer and brighter bulbs. I went with 4300K bulbs with a Philips capsule this time. I replaced only the bulbs so the HID system is running on the original ballasts, capacitors (add-on), and harness.

As for the LED kit in the DRL/High beams, I took the bulbs out and inspected them because the passenger side was failing consistently for over a month by working at partial power. Checked all components and connections with a disconnect and reconnect. Upon testing, they worked perfectly fine again. Maybe a connection or ground was loose. I also spent time indexing the bulbs but realized the emitters firing directly left and right (default position) appeared to provide the best output pattern. Maybe they were optimized a tiny bit by indexing but I didn't have the best setting to test beam pattern and doing so in the Kizashi's sealed headlight with these bulbs is a very hard process. I hope newer LED bulb designs make indexing easier as it's critical for getting the proper and safe output pattern on the road.

I'll post more with photos about the new bulbs in the dedicated thread but must say 7+ years on the same bulbs is quite impressive for a car plagued with halogen bulb issues and a nightmare replacement process.
In my recent trials with upgrading to LEDs, it seem the newest trend is to mimic the size and location of the emitters to that of halogen filaments so that they are properly positioned within the reflectors/lenses. The only instructions then are to rotate them to have the emitters firing directly left and right, as you discovered!
'12 Kizashi SLS AWD w/RF sound
easy to chip Vivid Red and 25% window tint
Pirelli Cinturato P7 Plus II
Power Stop Rotors and Pads
183,xxx miles and still lovin it!
old tech
Posts: 705
Joined: Mon Apr 23, 2018 1:51 pm
Location: n/w pennsysvania

Today I finished installing a Kizashi engine into a 2010 Sx4 manual shift. I was attempting this for the simple reason of being cheap. The Sx4 has only 104k miles but the engine was knocking due to neglect From a past owner. The Kizashi engine I already had. The only visible differences are 2.4 Kizashi uses a larger oil pan due to the balancer unit mounted under the crankshaft. The other visible thing. A larger throttle body.The intake boot was still soft enough to stretch over this. The larger oil pan required the modification to the exhaust and crossmember.Image
Image
Image
Image
The clutch disc was getting thin and needed freshening up . The Suzuki replacement is expensive . The specs on it happens to be the same as an old Ford Tempo and I still have a couple of these left over from when I was rebuilding a lot of 2007 to 2009 Sx4 enginesImage
It worked out perfect and ran fantastic. If I have to change another Sx4 engine, I think I’ll be going this way again. Currently, in the salvage world,the Kizashi engine is even cheaper than the Sx4 2.0 engine.
KansasKid
Posts: 428
Joined: Sun Mar 31, 2013 2:19 am
Location: Kansas City, Kansas

old tech wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 5:23 am Today I finished installing a Kizashi engine into a 2010 Sx4 manual shift.
not-the-hero-we-deserved.jpg
My Cars (Their Names)
'93 Ford Escort (Jorge - Prior)
'06 Kia Optima EX (Sakuya - Prior)
'11 Suzuki Kizashi SE AWD (Azumi)
'09 Subaru Impreza 2.5i Base 5MT(Akari - Prior)
'11 Chevy Cruze Eco 6MT (Erika - Prior)
'12 Suzuki Kizashi Sport SLS AWD (Kitsune)
User avatar
KuroNekko
Posts: 5170
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2012 5:08 pm
Location: California, USA

Wow. Amazing to see how easily a J24B fit into an SX4. That's gotta be quite cool to have a larger engine never offered from the factory.

Any word on if the Kizashi's manual trans clutch is the same as another more popular model?
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
old tech
Posts: 705
Joined: Mon Apr 23, 2018 1:51 pm
Location: n/w pennsysvania

The J20B & J24B use the same fly wheel. A larger clutch disc and pressure plate are used on the JB 24. I know of no mate for this one. J20B is using a 20 spline 8 1/2 inch clutch disc while the J 24V is probably 8 3/4. I don’t have one to measure out but I know that the 8 1/2 could be used in a pinch. It certainly wouldn’t be an upgrade but you’d be saving a bunch of money. The oem Kizashi disc retails for over $300 just for the disc. You can get the clutch kit for the 1987 gas tempo for less than $40 and scrap the pressure plate. When I bought mine , I found a warehouse dumping old stock and I bought 10 of the for around $10 a piece. Some of them were perfect while others I had to shorten the center sleeve area to match .


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
User avatar
Livewireshock
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Oct 15, 2020 12:00 am
Location: Lismore, Australia

My old plastic cover was getting worn and tatty for my handbook. So I got a local leather shop to craft a new one and I think it is fantastic. It has been customised with a small pocket to place the insurance documents etc. Plus two pen holders, one of which holds a tyre pressure gauge. Overall I am very happy with the result, to have a handcrafted item like this for a reasonable cost of about US$50.

Many thanks to The Leather Shop - Kyogle, here in Australia for his skills and craftsmanship.

Image

Image

Image
At the Premier State Rally:-
"What was it like to do over 200Kph down Watagans Road?"

"Wait until I check my pants, I did not know if I should sh#t myself or orgasm!"
Simon Evans, Australian Rally Champion
User avatar
Ronzuki
Posts: 2382
Joined: Wed Nov 17, 2010 5:33 pm
Location: Lancaster County, PA

Well it's that time of year again....what I did with my K today....

Fired her up, rolled her out of the garage , and... wait for it....drove it to work! After months in hibernation, stretched its donuts. Today was a wonderful day to give it a nice casual run. God I love this car.. After lumbering around in the CX5 all winter, it was really, really nice to settle back in behind the wheel. Seems to be almost begging for me to get down to business. Had to restrain myself today. Tomorrow, however, is another day. Feeling the urge to exercise the nimbleness once again.

Annual state safety inspection is due this month. I might have to actually break down this year, maybe, and put some new brake pads on it. At over 94k and 11 years, the original Akebonos may actually not pass inspection. :facepalm: We shall see. Incredible...no noises, no pulling, no vibrating, no problems. 3/32nds all around last year, so logic would say they've dropped below that in the last year which would be a fail.
Ron

2010 Kizashi GTS, CVT, iAWD (3/10 build date)
2011 SX4 Premium Hatch, CVT, iAWD (12/10 build date)
2018 Mazda CX-5 iAWD Touring
2014 Wrangler JKUW (GONE, traded :D :D )
1991 Samurai, 5-Speed, EFI, Soft-Top ( :| sold)
User avatar
KuroNekko
Posts: 5170
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2012 5:08 pm
Location: California, USA

I like working on my car and keeping it going. I've realized I'm one of two types of car enthusiasts: The first kind are the type that want to drive the latest and the best and often lease or buy for short terms. They change cars often and are more about driving certain cars than ownership for the long haul. Many guys I know like this drive all kinds of fancy cars but for a few years at a time and hardly ever work on it themselves.
The second are the type that buy and own the cars for the long haul and work on them. Repairs, maintenance, upgrades, mods, etc.; they get to know the vehicle intimately inside and out, owning them long enough to learn the quirks, issues, and all. I'm definitely in the second category as I've only ever bought used cars and did all my own maintenance since high school. When I first got the Kizashi, it was preowned but only 1-year old and with 7500 miles on it. It was basically a new car and I didn't have much to work on for years. Just oil changes for the most part. Now, at 105,000 miles, I got a bunch of stuff to do and it's more fun in that regard but I struggle to find the time. Thankfully, the car is such that it's tolerant of a bit of neglect and doesn't give much drama. With its manual transmission, I really don't worry about it. It's now reminding me of my beloved Impreza I had in college that I got used with 109,000 miles. Drove that thing past 215,000 miles, learning a lot about maintenance and repairs along the way, before selling it to a friend.

Given the Kizashi's generational age now, I think a lot of us are entering the phase of high mileage ownership and doing what we need to keep them going. It's somewhat fun in a different way. Now I don't sweat the small stuff and think of ways to have it suit me for the long haul.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
User avatar
AirRideFan
Posts: 97
Joined: Mon Sep 12, 2016 10:59 pm
Contact:

Drem wrote: Wed Aug 12, 2020 11:30 am I wish there was a "like" button for posts like there is on other forums I use. Can we get one?

I got a new pair of speakers to try out. These are Bliesma T25B-6 beryllium tweeters from Germany.

The plan is to pick a new tweeter and small midrange and make an enclosure for them on the dash/pillar. Then I will remake these kick pods to have larger volume and use exclusively for midbass. For now I just swapped them in to see if I like them better than my silk dome tweeters I've used for ~20 years. ImageImageImage

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
Awww! I LOVE that position for a set of components! I have the (now pretty damn RARE to see, EVER!) Q-Logic Kick Pods for my 1992 GMC Typhoon-clone (S-15 Jimmy) --- didn't decide on which speakers or amp/s I'm using yet- haven't installed them.

I LOVE what you've done though, Drem... that is awesome. Please keep us updated on that stuff... nice!

(and I agree--- def would love ot have a "like" button to click on some of these posts on this site)
2012 KIZASHI Sport SLS

ExtremeContact DWS Tuned tires on staggered Speedlines! :o
Ecsta V720 235/40's on the OEM 18's
Hakkapeliitta R2 235/45's on Sport Edition KV5 18's <- too heavy
WinterContact 215/55's on Lexus GS 16's this winter!
KlutzNinja
Posts: 286
Joined: Wed Dec 04, 2019 6:58 am

KuroNekko wrote: Thu Mar 11, 2021 7:00 pm I like working on my car and keeping it going. I've realized I'm one of two types of car enthusiasts: The first kind are the type that want to drive the latest and the best and often lease or buy for short terms. They change cars often and are more about driving certain cars than ownership for the long haul. Many guys I know like this drive all kinds of fancy cars but for a few years at a time and hardly ever work on it themselves.
The second are the type that buy and own the cars for the long haul and work on them. Repairs, maintenance, upgrades, mods, etc.; they get to know the vehicle intimately inside and out, owning them long enough to learn the quirks, issues, and all. I'm definitely in the second category as I've only ever bought used cars and did all my own maintenance since high school. When I first got the Kizashi, it was preowned but only 1-year old and with 7500 miles on it. It was basically a new car and I didn't have much to work on for years. Just oil changes for the most part. Now, at 105,000 miles, I got a bunch of stuff to do and it's more fun in that regard but I struggle to find the time. Thankfully, the car is such that it's tolerant of a bit of neglect and doesn't give much drama. With its manual transmission, I really don't worry about it. It's now reminding me of my beloved Impreza I had in college that I got used with 109,000 miles. Drove that thing past 215,000 miles, learning a lot about maintenance and repairs along the way, before selling it to a friend.

Given the Kizashi's generational age now, I think a lot of us are entering the phase of high mileage ownership and doing what we need to keep them going. It's somewhat fun in a different way. Now I don't sweat the small stuff and think of ways to have it suit me for the long haul.
I like the idea of driving several cars (such as leasing), but at the same time I grow attached to my cars and hate the idea of seeing them go. I didn’t work on my previous car, beyond (waterless) washing it far too infrequently :lol: and putting air in the tires, but I had a lot of trouble handing my keys over to the used car dealer when I traded it towards the Kizashi. And this was considering the Kizashi was a unicorn car for me; rarely seen and the thought of ownership almost a pipe dream. Part of it was how my Kizashi wasn’t in perfect shape, as the previous owner was apparently an indifferent douche. I sort of wanted to wait out for a Kizashi in better condition, one with a steering wheel with its leather in better condition and a glove box that didn’t rattle on sub-perfect roads, etc. But I didn’t, and now almost three years later I still find myself smiling when I think about the fact I have a Kizashi, the car I sought for many years.

Oddly enough I started working on my Kizashi not really out of passion, but because I didn’t want some uncaring mechanic messing up an oil change. Meanwhile my brother’s Escape has been dripping oil for a while because the dealer didn’t do it right. Although to be fair, I had the same problem after my first change because I didn’t torque the drain pan bolt to spec.

Kuro, what happened to that Impreza after you sold it? Do you know how many miles your friend put on it? I’m guessing it’s been “retired,” but if not, that would be remarkable.
Current: Blue 2018 Mazda 3 GT 5-Door
Previous: Blue 2010 Ford Focus SES,
Black 2013 Kizashi Sport GTS-L (CVT; FWD)(RIP)
Post Reply