Rack end, tie rod and minor repairs

My HT51S had this alignment issue, rattle noises and uneven ware of tires for some time. So it's the time to change some parts and fix them. After some inspection it seems both rack end and tie rod needs to be changed. 

Shock absober mounts were also needed to replace.

And the axle boot was damaged so replaced that also.

There was an oil leak from tappet cover gasket. Replaced that with genuine tappet cover. (As advised by the agents gasket maker was not used.) 

       

Just before fixing the gasket, a view of the engine. 

   

And finally new wipers for clear looks. : )

That's all for now. See ya. 

ATF change

It’s time to change ATF on my HT51S. Usually agents recommend to change after 40,000 kilometers. I don’t have any idea when was the previous change. So for the safe side lets do it.

Process was straightforward. First need to drain existing ATF inside. Used manual method as it was recommended by most. Once the drain comes to a stop, refill the transmission with new ATF. BG ATF (compatible to ATF 3317) 2 liters was poured in and run the engine for around 5 minutes. New ATF will circulate inside the transmission and helps to remove what was left over in the drain process, including ATF inside converter which wont get removed in normal drain. Again let the ATF drain and remove the sump cover. This is a crucial step and you’ll know why from below.

One the sump was removed we can see a metal filter inside. Need to clean that also, so go ahead and remove that. Once sump and filter are removed need to clean them thoroughly using petrol. Below is how the transmission system looks like after removing above components.

There are two magnets attached to the sump, to collect metal residue inside the transmission system. It will be full of residue when cleaning period comes. That too needs to be cleaned. Once the metal filter is cleaned, fix it and place the two magnets on the sump. Use a gasket maker (used ABRO) and seal the sump cover and and secure with nuts.

Time to refill. It will require around 4 liters of BG ATF. Pour it and check the levels with dip stick. You wont get an exact reading until the engine start running. BG conditioner was added to the ATF to smooth the operation.

Once the ATF filled to a satisfying amount start the engine and refill to the correct level using dip stick. Let the engine run few minutes, check the ATF level and refill as required.

That’s how ATF was changed. Check the level after a day or two to make sure the level aren't changed.

How to enable Hyper-V on a VM running on VMware Player

Shut down the virtual machine.

Enable VT-x/EPT in your virtual machine.

Modify the vmx file associated with the virtual machine. (Should be inside VM folder.) Add the following lines to the end of the VMX file.

• hypervisor.cpuid.v0 = “FALSE”
• mce.enable = “TRUE”

Power up the virtual machine.

Enable remote management on a Server Core installation

Open a Command Prompt and run below commands. It will enable emote management.

netsh advfirewall firewall set rule group="Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI)" new enable=yes

netsh advfirewall firewall set rule group="remote event log management" new enable=yes

Swift HT51S Service

So the Swift went for a service. 85K+ on the reading time to fresh up with new oil and filters. First with engine oil. Drained existing oil and top up with Mobil Super 1000. Why chosen a multigrade? Simply because I wanted to change oil after another 5K which if I chosen full synthetic need to wait till 10K line. Whole 4L put in to the engine.

Next for filters. Chosen VIC as it was recommended by most as well as the service center guys.

  

In HT51S it seems the fuel filter is inside fuel tank and can’t replace the unit only. Need to check with agents and get it changed. After that went for brake pad check. It seems there’s a little stiffness in rear right wheel. Need to take to a garage and get it checked.

As there’s no any serious issue at the moment went to garage to check the rear wheel. It seems the razor is not functioning properly and need to replace. So bought a NSK razor and got it fixed from ‘pattalaya’. The handbrake liner was also little stiff. Cleaned that also with oil and fixed. Took a little time as we can’t use petrol to speed up the process as it damage protective plastic cover. 

   

Coolant level was little low. So top up it with a mixable coolant. (If we have existing coolant or water we can’t use coolant that can’t mix and use.) After that cleaned the air filter duct using ABRO Carb and Choke cleaner. After everything is done went for a test run. Wow it feels more power added to engine now.

That’s it for now. Need to replace front shocks on next free time. Will post the details them. See ya.

the OtterBox story….

Once you get a new gadget you need to protect it (at least for a couple of months). :) That’s why when I got my Galaxy S3 LTE (GT-I9305) I ordered this nifty hard cover OtterBox Defender series for Galaxy S3.

It has a screen protector, polycarbonate inner layer and a silicone outer layer. (Need to mention 4th element the belt-clip holster / stand which I wont use.) So why this particular case? Simple it provides protection against drops, bumps and shocks which happens frequently and my old mobile knows about them. Also it’s inner layer covers USB and earphone ports and prevents getting dust inside. Below is some shots taken before fixing the cover.

   

Once the cover been fixed (took around 2-3 minutes, depends on how well you can understand graphic illustrations) side by side with big brother S4 in Commuter series cover.

Here’s the back side view of them both.

Not forgetting my old partner in crime the ACE.

That’s all for now. Need to play with the gadget and see how well it can take my cruelty. :) Will update the results soon.

New SUNshine @ UML

Unboxing of newly arrived Sun Spark T4-1, T4-2 servers and StorageTek tape drive.

Windows 8 and 2012

Ok I was little late this time. But testing is going on. And the results will be posted pretty soon.

Office 2013 hands on

This is the hands on review on Office 2013. Testes is Professional Plus preview version with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, InfoPath, Lync, One Note and Publisher. installation is the same as Office 2010 with only graphical interface changes which is now more boring.

Installation didn’t take much time (which is an upgrade to my 2010) and everything went smoothly without any issue. Start menu entries are also same as before.

Don’t laugh now. As everybody does me also try Word as soon as I install any Office version. Logo is pretty much boring but I felt that it loaded pretty much faster than 2010.

On the first run you’ll be prompted about the new changes done in the package. There’re further option where you can learn more about it, which I skipped just to take a look at new interface.

Another important thing which I can’t skip and go is 2013 version is mainly targeted d at online collaboration. Using a Live ID and Office 2013, you can work on the same document from anywhere in the world. Microsoft was kind enough to add SkyDrive integration to the maximum level which provides far more benefits and flexibility.

Here comes the application. Wait… what??? Is this for real what I’m seeing? Is this Office 2003 installation relabeled as 2013? Nope you’re wrong. This is 2013 alright with new interface and flatter buttons. Why? because Windows 8 support (and recommends) touch screens and this is it’s companion. Remember Metro style? But we don’t need to worry about that too much because layout is pretty much the same (or I couldn’t find any differences yet) so virtually no learning curve at all.

Ok for Outlook there’re some changes in layout but is very easy to find and get used to.

Didn’t tested PowerPoint and Excel much but at a glance they’re pretty much the same.

I’m not a fan of Access but it’s there and that’s it.

All the icons are changed to match the new Metro style.

That’s it for now. I’ll update the post once I get more hands on the application.

Windows 7–Increase shared folder access speed

Open a CMD and type below.

netsh int tcp set heuristics disabled

netsh interface tcp set global autotuninglevel=disabled

Reboot the system. This will significantly increase the shared folder access speed in Windows 7 client PCs.

Device of the day