Buying vr4 next week

[91Vr4white]

Just signed up on the forum thought I'd say hi. I'm buying a 91 vr4 galant next week and need advice. I'm a mechanic by profession and a mustang enthusiast. I have a 10 sec street fox mustang.

Anyway the car has almost 200 k on it and needs a lot of TLC but I'm picking it up for $500 and it seems pretty solid. It does need struts all the way around just wondering how you guys would go? My end goal with this car is a decently quick reliable daily driver. I can get stock replacement stuff pretty cheap but was wondering how much more cost effective that would be over aftermarket. Nothing fancy maybe some height adjustment or something.

Any common issues I'd need to address? Once I get the car and get it to the shop ill know
More. Owner says it has a possible bad half shaft in the rear. Any chance that
Could be the rear diff? Car is stck an has not been beaten on.

Any advice is welcome

 

[DR1665]

Quick daily driver can be built piecemeal from OEMfar cheaper than aftermarket. 4g63 is known to handle 400bhp on stock internals with a good tune. Snag stock Evo bits like cams, injectors, fuel pump for cheap because so many of them think thwy need forged bottom ends to run 12s and park on campus. Run 2g DSM pistons for a nice bump in compression for improved engine efficiency and throttle response. Consider making an adapter harness so you install an Evo ECU (or $50 3G Eclipse) and flash tune it on the dyno without spending stupid money on a standalone EMS.

First thing you do is handle your maintenance, mate. Belts - tbelt, especially - pullies, hoses, fluids, sensors, proper vac line routing, etc. will set you up nicely. You could be outting 300+ to all 4 wheels for under a grand all said and done.

Welcome to the fray. You're gonna dig this car.

 

[91Vr4white]

Thanks man I'm really excited. I've always been a v8 guy and I'm really looking forward to my first real import.

For right now I just want to get it in good working condition. I have about $800 to put in immediately most will go twards struts and mounts. Then any hoses belts brakes and possible rear half shaft that the owner says needs replacing. And tires. I plan on replacing both front and rear diff fluid an tranny fluid right off too. Goin to look into a timing belt as well. How big a job is that? I have the ability place and tools.
Then maybe some Evo upgrades. Thinking 16 g turbo and supporting mods. But that won't be for awhile. Any other tips advice or knowlage

Did I mention I'm getting the thing for $500 bucks lol

 

[iceman69510]

For suspension on my daily I use KYB GR2s with some 1g gsx springs. Good enough combo, and the KYBs can be had on Rock Auto for about $200 for all 4.

 

[91Vr4white]

Thanks. I was thinking about using the G2 kyb. I was wanting a little drop like an inch. How do these cars do with cut springs? Like maybe half coil? Or are there some eclipse springs for small drop?

 

[Vr4junkie]

You can always get used Evo suspension for cheap I got mine for free .

 

[prove_it]

+1 on evo suspension. The agx combo rides rough, evo suspension feels good. Also with 200k on the clock don't go trying for 400 whp, lol. That motor is going to be tired and you'll find things break fast with high mileage stuff. Check to see if the ECU caps have been replaced, and go through the whole suspension. I'm sure you'll need some ball joints, tie rods, bushings, etc. You didn't mention what your goal with the car is, but I preach maintenance for a reason. Lot of people skip that then mod things then talk bad about it when things break. Your a pro tech though, so I'd suspect that you already know that.

A little info on the GVR4 platform.
It is NOT a dsm. These were built purely by Mitsubishi only and imported to the states.
ECU's like to fail unless they have the caps replaced.
4WS can be fun, but only if the parts are fresh, loose parts can cause dangerous handling characteristics.
The search function is a little tricky to learn, but very valuable.
This site is great for info on the engines and various other info. VFAQ
Typical rust spots are located behind the front dogleg, the piece right behind the front wheels, bottom edges of the doors, and near the lower rear jack points.
The transmissions can be delicate and require proper fluids for good life and shift quality. Any 'ol gear oil won't cut it. I like recommend redline drivetrain package. Trans fluid ALso shockproof light in the t case and rear diff are the best for lower power.
Typically the center driveshaft will need a rebuild, the u-joints are probably loose and the carrier bearings are most likely shot.
The transfer case and rear diff are really stout in low power applications.

Good luck with your new car. You'll quickly learn that there isn't that much difference between import and domestic when you look at the basics. These are great cars and if taken care of will never give you grief. Also aftermarket is an ok choice, but my experience has shown me that OEM is best for maintenance parts, ie suspension components and such.

 

[91Vr4white]

Thanks for the info. Ya first thing on the to do list maintainence full fluid swap and repair anything that's been neglected which I'm guessing is a lot. I probably won't be modding for a while. I want to do a compression check before upping the boost.

I don't really have any exact goals. My goal is a fun respectable reliable daily driver. I'd like to do a small turbo upgrade. I hear the Evo turbos are decent and cheep with all supporting mods of course. Depending on how the motor checks out might do a rebuild maybe with some cams. Not sure yet.

Is there anything I can do cheep? I guess the 2g manifolds are better? Im thinking full exhaust and intake. What type if intake would you reccomend? What kind of 8th mile 1/4 mile times am I looking at with just basic stuff?

 

[prove_it]

RRE GVR4 upgrade path

Just a general guide, but will help you to get that ball rolling. You can push the stock turbo to 18psi and get into the 13's. If it's got play it will die fast though.

What I would do after maintence:

full turbo back 2.5" exhaust, 3" isn't that important now.
2nd gen eclipse exhaust manifold, ported turbine housing and a ported 2g o2 housing
Manual boost controller set to 15psi(for now)
2g eclipse MAF sensor with a High flow filter
Evo 560 fuel injectors
Walbro 190 fuel pump or bigger with a rewire and a Fuel regulator
Either build a front mount intercooler or buy one up
And then some sort of tuning chip
And add a decent upgraded clutch as a stock one will not last very long.

Do this and you should see high 13's and a fun daily driver. Don't mess with an intake manifold unless your going for 500+ crank HP

 

[91Vr4white]

Ya I guess I should have clarified. I meant intake like cold air short ram type deal. I didn't know if I needed a bigger intake tube or just a filter.

What do you mean by 3" isn't needed anymore?

 

[James]

He just meant you don't need to go 3in because its a DD and you don't want it super loud and annoying.

 

[91Vr4white]

Ok I have another question. I know injector sizes by lb per hr not cc. But to my understanding stock 1g dsm injectors are roughly #42 injectors. I've see. Guys make 500 rwhp boosted v8s with 42's. and aren't the vr4 injectors bigger then the dsm? So why would I need to upgrade the fuel system for 15 psi on stock turbo that shouldn't be more then 300 whp correct? Also what about tuning? In my world you just get a chip burned. We have a local dyno but its not awd. I have no idea where the closest awd dyno is to me. I guess I could just disconnect the rear drive shaft? Also at what power level do I need to start worrying about a tune?

I keep hearing something about caps on the stock ecu. Can someone explain this to me better thanks.

 

[MellowVR4]

pretty much, once you go past 15psi on a 16g with fmic kit and so on, running the stock 450cc injectors and a 255 walbro fuel pump, you pretty much hit fuel cut on a stock ecu unchipped.

 

[prove_it]

The reason why I said go with the evo injectors is because they can be had for 100 cash. Also when installing with the 2g eclipse MAF sensor and filter this will cancel each other out. What I mean by that is the 2g MAF reads differently and will cause issues if installed with no other parts. When you install that MAF and the injectors together it will cancel out and everything will be fine.

No, you can not just disconnect the center driveshaft to dyno the car. The center diff is open and without the center shaft all power will go to the rear. You can work around that by installing a welded solid(don't do it yourself) center diff in the trans. Not good for street driving though. The diff can be swapped out without pulling the trans, but is best left to someone that has done it before.

Yes you can get a chip for tuning. Not sure where anymore but you can. You will need the stock computer to be modded to accept a chip though.
Stock injectors are good for 250 MAX whp and that's pushing 100% duty cycle. Get the evo's and you'll have plenty of room, your better off with em. You need to remember that in the V8 world, 500 whp is about 62.5 hp per cylinder. A bone stock car will make 45hp per cylinder and a 500whp car will be making 125hp per cylinder. So yea, on a V8 you need less injector per cylinder, but you got a 4 cylinder now. Even at 300whp your making 75hp per cylinder. That's why it takes more to get the power in these, and why it's easier to break things.

Which is why pushing a 200k stock motor will eventually fail. Cylinder pressures are dramatically higher than a V8. I recommend the book Maximum Boost by Corky Bell. It's a bible. Really good info in it even if you already know turbo systems. If you need anymore help, just keep posting. You can always PM me too.

 

[James]

Side note: the Evo/550cc injectors and 2g Maf combo doesn't ALWAYS work.

I had get a chip made for the 550/2g Maf combo.

 

[91Vr4white]

Ok I tottally get what your saying now. Makes perfect sense, should have thought about it a little harder. I plan on doing atleast a rings and bearings rebuild before doing a turbo upgrade. Maybe before I up the boost depends on how the compression test goes.

 

[91Vr4white]

I got the car today and got it in a lift finally. I was actually pleasently surprised to find that most of the suspension and steering where in decent shape. Most if the bushings are dry rotted but still in decent shape. It needs an inner tie rod end and has an oil leak near the oil filter adaptor.

Also found out the brake lights don't work, guessing brake light switch.

 

[91Vr4white]

Ok so I'm buying struts and strut mounts next week. I want to get some springs but I'm not sure what to get. I'm looking for something cheep and easy more interested in leveling it the Lowering. I know someone said Evo suspension but is that a direct bolt in? Was looking at struts online and they didn't look like they would just bolt in. I'm guessing I have to order anything I get because there arnt many modded Evo's around here if any.

 

[prove_it]

The evo front struts pretty much bolt in. The rears will need a bushing welded in. Other than that and coilover suspension your choices are limited at H&R springs with KYB AGX shocks.

Forgot to mention that only use a wix or oem oil filter. There are others that work, but those two are highly recommended. Some filters will drop pressure too much or hinder flow and cause lifter ticking and next to no oil pressure in the head. Don't use Mobil 1. It's not good enough in my opinion. An oil pressure gauge is a good investment. On an older engine I'd recommend Rotella 10w-30. Good stuff and has ZDDP and cheap too.

Also you'll want to use NGK BPR6ES spark plugs on a mostly stock car and BPR7ES on a car making 300+hp. There is no reason to use platinum, or iridium. The ngk plugs have proven to be the most dependable for our engines. I change mine often as they are less than 2 bucks each.

Sorry if it seems I'm lecturing you, but I figured your a super newbie to these cars and all this info will help you in the end. Plus I wanna see you get hooked on this car and build it to beat those mustangs you used to play with. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devil.gif

 

[matt92vr4]

Congrats on the new car. It sounds like we have similar goals. I'm basically going to install all of the best OEM mitsu parts from other cars to achieve a quick, reliable DD. Then of course there are some parts that will be aftermarket. The nice thing is that everything is pretty inexpensive. Here are some parts I have installed from other Mitsus onto my Galant:

EVO8 valves
EVO8 valve springs, retainers, lifters
OEM MLS headgasket
Eclipse 2G pistons (8.5:1 compression over our 7.8:1 stock) You can also install stock forged EVO pistons instead.
Eclipse 2G Exhaust manifold
Eclipse 2G o2 housing
Small 16G Mitsubishi turbo (I will upgrade to a EVO3 16G turbo when I find one at the right price)
Eclipse shifter and shift boot (takes away the truck feel)
Eclipse ECU with EPROM which allows me to install pre-tuned chips or my ECMLINK
I have an EVO9 intercooler waiting to install. You'll laugh when you find the stock intercooler.

As stated before, you can also use an Eclipse 2G MAF and EVO 560 injectors. I decided to go with 1000CC injectors and a chip. They were so cheap I couldn't pass them up. I'm still getting 25mpg on my DD VR4! Of course you will need an aftermarket clutch to handle the power and a few other little things here and there.

Once I install everything and tune it I think it will run mid 12's in DD form and high 11's in balls out mode. That's plenty fast for an old ugly 4 door car with my kids in the back /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Just to give you an idea of 1/4 mile times, I bought my car bone stock from the original owner. Bone stock it ran 15.5. With a manual boost controller, k&N, and gutted cat it ran a 14.5. With the upgraded Mitsu parts above, a 3" exhaust, and walbro fuel pump it ran a 13.4 at 15psi on pump gas. Anyways, once you start doing things to the galant it will really wake up and run! Next I'll go back to the track with more boost and my EVO9 intercooler. Ultimately shooting for about 22psi.

Edit: Forgot to mention that white is the fastest /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif