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new owner of 1384/2000

yubh8tn

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 21, 2019
Messages
223
Location
coeur d alene, idaho
I'm the fourth owner and I have no clue what I'm doing. Let's go.

Previous owner gave me some bits and bobs including a different shifter. It has the same base and same throw but a shorter lever. It's a factory looking shifter, I believe it's from some other 1g DSM. Anyway, I scrubbed the rust off best I could and rustoleum'd it to black. Took me about 5 hours to get the console out and the new shifter in, but I did it.



Took another hour to get the console back in. Poked out my hazard switch in the process...



But yeah. I'm 17 and I have no clue what I'm doing. Hopefully I don't destroy this beautiful car.
I sold a 1992 Subaru Loyale that cost me nothing, a 1989 Prelude that cost me $1200, and worked a few 40 hour weeks to get this thing. I absolutely love it.

 
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iceman69510

Turn Right Racing
Staff member
Joined
Mar 5, 2001
Messages
10,964
Location
Michigan
Welcome. You are in the right place, so please ask questions before you do things. There is a wealth of knowledge here, but sometimes traffic is a bit light so be patient if you do not get a response immediately.

Also, peruse the technical posts in the How to and Info Archive section.

Sounds like you have a 1g shifter. Fairly straightforward mod so a good first item to do.

As is often stressed here, maintenance before mods. Make sure everything for brakes, drivetrain and suspension etc. is in good shape before adding power.

Hint on adding pictures- they need to be sized below 2mb if hosting here.

Search function is still kind of broken. It works, but not only in the forum area you request. Still trying to get the boss man to fix it.
 

gvr4ever

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 6, 2002
Messages
6,190
Location
central Indiana
^^^^

You beat me to it. I was going to say timing belt and water pump. If you don't have documented paperwork that the timing belt was done in the last 60K miles or 10 years, I'd do it before I even start it again. Water pump is behind the timing belt. It's due every 120K miles, but because it's behind the timing belt, it's usually done at the same time on a older car.

Check the ECU caps. click

Also check the transfer case for a leak near the back where it meets the driveshaft.
 

yubh8tn

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 21, 2019
Messages
223
Location
coeur d alene, idaho
Hey, thanks for the reply! The timing belt and waterpump was redone 15k ago and the engine was rebuilt 120k ago. I just checked the caps, and they were replaced at some point. The ECU case says it was remanufactured in 2001!

Also, I'll check the transfer case right now.

I've been reading as much information as I can, but I'm still not sure what maintenance to do right away. It seems like the previous owner(s) kept this stuff up to snuff. I'll keep going and keep you guys updated!

Thanks!!
 
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gvr4ever

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 6, 2002
Messages
6,190
Location
central Indiana
That's great you have a good maintenance starting point. Is the car 100% stock?
 

yubh8tn

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 21, 2019
Messages
223
Location
coeur d alene, idaho
Not stock. FP HTA68 turbo and a FP manifold. Definitely doesn't have factory exhaust.

It also had this kickass underglow which just got removed. (the wires were cut so I had no clue it was there)


did anybody say rice?

Also, when I checked the ECU my eprom was e931. I thought most of ours were EB21?

Oh - by the way - transfer case was leak free. Yay!
 
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turbowop

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 29, 2001
Messages
11,971
Location
Yakima, WA
I like this kid. Seems he's on the right track. I've also been on this forum longer than he's been alive. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/uhh.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rofl.gif
 

iceman69510

Turn Right Racing
Staff member
Joined
Mar 5, 2001
Messages
10,964
Location
Michigan
True that Mark. I wear t-shirts older than him. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jawdrop.gif
 

transparentdsm

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 27, 2011
Messages
3,690
Location
Cherry Hill, NJ
Welcome aboard, as stated do lots of reading, take your time and be patient when working on the car, ask questions and definitely wait for a response if your unsure on something. There is lots of knowledge here, but some of us are grumpy old men and it takes us a day or two to actually answer questions.

Post pictures of the car, let's see what your working with! I hope you enjoy the car.
 

yubh8tn

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 21, 2019
Messages
223
Location
coeur d alene, idaho
Haha, I'll make sure I ask before I try anything stupid, and I'll give you some more pictures of the car in a bit.

Speaking of stupid, every now and then I can hear a big THUD when I turn. Turns out the previous owner lost a wrench and a giant hook thingy in the rear passenger fender, so I took apart the trunk to get those out.
While doing that, I saw my fuel pump and wanted to check it out. I tried to take off the protectors, but the wire protector was rusted on pretty good. I had to drill out a screw to get it.

While I was taking that apart, I discovered I had some stowaways!

Pretty nasty stuff.

Anyway, I took the protectors and hole cover (all pretty rusty), scrubbed off as much rust as I could, and rustoleum'd them black.



The trunk had some rust spots, so I scrubbed those with a steel wire brush and some 80 grit sandpaper then used my best friend (black rustoleum) to cover it all up. This is just temporary, I just wanted to feel like I was accomplishing something.


My instrument cluster lights don't work, so yesterday I replaced every exterior bulb in the car. I read somewhere that the taillights being out could cause it to not function, but they're all fine now and it still doesn't work. I gotta figure that one out. I was also hoping that replacing the bulbs would fix my fast right turn blinker, but it's still quicker than the left. Gotta figure that one out too.

Those front combination lights are really wack. Took quite a few glances at the service manual to figure those out lol
 
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GSTwithPSI

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 1, 2012
Messages
3,460
Location
SoCal
Quoting yubh8tn:
I'm the fourth owner and I have no clue what I'm doing. Let's go.





This is by far the best into to a build thread I've read to date.

If you need specific parts, hit me up. I've got tons of crap, and would like to see it put to use by a guy like you on a build like this. If I've got it, you're welcome to it.

What's the end goal for the build?
 

transparentdsm

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 27, 2011
Messages
3,690
Location
Cherry Hill, NJ
Agreed, here to. Also if it to big to ship I'm like 8 hrs from Brett and about 8 from you and sure we could figure/work something out.
 

yubh8tn

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 21, 2019
Messages
223
Location
coeur d alene, idaho
Quoting GSTwithPSI:


This is by far the best into to a build thread I've read to date.

If you need specific parts, hit me up. I've got tons of crap, and would like to see it put to use by a guy like you on a build like this. If I've got it, you're welcome to it.

What's the end goal for the build?


Hey! The end goal, for right now, is to make the car reliable (hah) and get everything to satisfactory condition. Then it's horsepower time. Also - thanks for the offer!! Do you have any rear passenger windows? Sorry for not updating anything these past couple weeks, but from a break-in and school starting again I've been pretty busy.

Anyway, yeah. The car got broken into.

There I was - working, glancing at the clock every 5 seconds, counting down the minutes until I get to go home. I got to the 40 minutes mark when a Marine walks into my tiny mexican restaraunt.
He b-lines it to the register and tells my good friend, the cashier, that a poor fellow with an old green Galant just had someone break into his car. I run out there to find my rear passenger window smashed in. The glass was still popping.



The guy handles the cops for me so I could finish my shift, then I tape that window up and sit there depressed. Then I realize my backpack was no longer in the car.
I really hope that guy likes math. He stole my textbooks, notebooks, and my fancy calculator. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif

On that high note, I've redone all the radio wiring (that sh*t was ATROCIOUS), replaced the plastic door lock thingies (they were all broken), changed the grill back to the original turbo one, added some oil, and fixed my tire pressures. Trying to stay productive.
I plan to delete my EGR (i think this is a good idea?), find a new window, and change every fluid in the car. I'm also going to order $185 worth of bushings since this bad boy is running on some rubber ones that have gone around the earth ~11 times.

I really appreciate the support, and I'm here for the long haul. As long as this car CAN be repaired, it will be. Not gonna give up.
 
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gvr4ever

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 6, 2002
Messages
6,190
Location
central Indiana
I had a attempted break in, in the early 2000s and it took awhile to find glass. It was made in Germany.

The alarm scared off the person and they didn't actually get anything. Pretty sure it was someone close by who thought I left tools in the trunk. I took them in, but I think they ran as soon as they popped the trunk open and the alarm went off.
 

fuel

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 23, 2009
Messages
2,165
Location
Toronto, ON, Canada
That's my worst nightmare having a break in! Total unnecessary destruction of property for hardly any gain to the thief.

I had my old beater Galant GLX broken into multiple times and it got to a point where I took anything valuable from the car and left it unlocked.
 

transparentdsm

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 27, 2011
Messages
3,690
Location
Cherry Hill, NJ
Shoot me a text at 530-208-9548 - shane. I just picked up a parts car and have all kinds of parts. Let's see what I have and what you need and maybe we can meet halfway to exchange parts and get you what you need for cheap.
 

yubh8tn

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 21, 2019
Messages
223
Location
coeur d alene, idaho
Sorry for taking so long, but I broke my transmission a month or so ago (pretty sure i destroyed a shift fork) and haven't really done anything to the car since. Luckily, though, Shane helped me out an enormous amount and sold+shipped me a new transmission and tinted rear+quarter windows. Everything recently came in and I'll be able to install it all in about a month.

After doing that, my plans are to rebuild the front and rear suspension, get some BC coilovers, 'rebuild' the entire drivetrain (its crazy how much play your driveshaft can have after 300k miles), and fix all the electrical issues. No particular order. I also want to get some 3000gt brakes for the front, but I'll get there when I get there. I'm also planning on fixing all the dents and scratches then vinyl wrapping the car.

If anybody has suggestions on things to inspect and maintain, I'd really appreciate it.
Time to go read how-tos.
 

yubh8tn

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 21, 2019
Messages
223
Location
coeur d alene, idaho
Sorry if this is considered a necro-post, but I decided it was worth doing anyway. This is my (almost) three-year update.

After putting in the transmission from Shane, it lasted 10 days before my balance shaft belt disintegrated and caused my intake cam gear to slip a few teeth, causing them to contact. It took me a few months, but I got the car all back together with a fully rebuilt engine. Car already had a 68HTA and FP manifold. I deleted the balance shafts immediately. I then put on ARP Main and head studs, ARP rod bolts, Kiggly main girdle, King XP main and rod bearings, NPR piston rings, MAPerformance Evo 8-9 beehive springs with titanium retainers, and 3g lifters. Put on an STM o2 housing with Tial 38mm wastegate with 14lb springs. MBC set to 20psi. OEM timing tensioner, gates everything else. I had a local machinist re-assemble my head and he supervised me assembling my short block for my senior project in high school. Fully rebuilt my suspension, Moog everything, and put poly bushings on the subframe and control arms. My buddy and I got the car back together and converted to a 3g maf with 1000cc FIC's and a walbro 255. Got the sucker tuned at English Racing at the end of April, made 260whp and 280wtq. Less than I expected but oh well. During tuning, we noticed the timing belt was grinding. We finished the session and resolved it when we got home, turned out the timing tensioner pulley got a knick in it somehow and was cutting up the belt. Unfortunately for us, we followed the pictures in the FSM (where it shows the two holes on the timing tensioner being one above each other) instead of doing our homework. As a result, the belt had a lot of unnoticed slack in it; it was extremely loose. Took it around town, hooned a bit for ONE DAY. One single day of tuned, happy driving. And the next morning, timing slipped at start up and destroyed my intake valves again. Took the head off, got new valves put in, and got it back together. This time it smoked oil like crazy. Filled the garage with thick white smoke on first start up while making the loudest ticking sound you ever heard. The smoke got better as I put miles on it but I ended up overheating the sh*t out of the car because I didn't plug in the sensor on the bottom right of the rad and the fans never came on. Ticking went away after I redlined it a few times. After disassembly that ticking ended up being a failing rocker. By driving on it, it destroyed one of my lifters and one of my retainers. We were down a valve and burning a f*** ton of oil. Smoke always persisted but never filled the room again. About 11 days later I went to put the car into first and it felt wrong. Pulled it down into second, and it felt wrong. Pushed it into third, and just like *that* the car was in two gears at once and never drove again. Well, that's not true, it drove to a parking spot at the very back of the lot and sat for a few days waiting for a tow. During those few days, the front passenger fender was hit by someone and dented. Got it towed home and then my life fell completely apart for unrelated reasons and I wasn't able to touch it until recently. I got the new and old transmissions apart to figure out what went wrong in each and to merge their parts to make one good trans. In the old trans, both shift forks were severely damaged. The 1-2 fork was ground extremely thin but still functioned, but who knows for how much longer. 3-4 had broken along the roll pin. The new transmission had its 1-2 shift rail end break. The little knob or lug or whatever you'd like to call it that you push against when shifting into 1st broke off, so when I pulled it into second there was no way to ever pull it out again. I pulled the rail from the old trans and began to clean/reassemble the new one when I found that the intermediate shaft bottom bearing had been destroyed by all the metal shavings from the lug and it fell completely apart. As for the oil burning issue, it was some sort of internal engine failure. I'm suspecting rings, but instead of figuring it out, I'm getting my block honed again, head inspected again, and putting on new rings and a new felpro composite HG. Right now I'm waiting on a new one of those intermediate shaft bearings to come in as well as a new snap ring for the VCU. I found a built 7 bolt at the junkyard and pulled its cams to use in my build and I'm selling the rest to finance attempt number 3 at getting this car to work. Hopefully with these cams, a switch to speed density, and some nice intercooler piping I can hit my original goal of 350-400wheel, but we'll see. This car has been through hell due to a mixture of ignorance and bad luck.

Thanks for catching up with me. This is my final post here as I am going to start an actual build thread.
 
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