First time dsm owner

[drewb]

I got a 96 talon tsi AWD in a trade for a 2001 Yamaha warrior that i had 1200$into.The car runs pretty well but needs work for sure..Any suggestions on my first DSM build as i am going to do a minor restoration on this car.

[007jimmy]

Maitainence first! What are your goals for the car and post some pics of it.

[Bud92gsx]

Click this> Tech Guide - DSMtuners

[CleverDSMusername]

my first question is, which area of the car needs work?

[ElementDO]

Welcome. Same name as me. Pretty much same boat as me

[jakk220]

Well ive learned that DSM's dont like when you try to cut corners. Also I would say that this forum and DSM friends are going to be your biggest help.

[dees75z]

I would suggest maintenance as others have. New timing belt, check the tensioner and both idler bearings would be on the top of my list. Most replacement parts are fairly cheap on Rockauto.com. I cant tell you how many heads ive had to repair on these things from lack of maintenance and not doing enough research on how to properly time them. Once that is done I would put a timing light on it and verify it is set to its factory base timing. Then go on with normal items, spark plugs, plug wires, fuel filter, etc

Good luck

[mrjreezy]

If its your only car or your daily, go with maintenance like everyone said. If you have another car or two you could do what I am doing and rebuild your awd with forged internals and a head to match it. Study the tech guide posted above and do enough research to learn what you actually want to do with your dsm. I wouldn't take shortcuts. If you don't have the time or money to get caught up in a project then just stick to maintenance and better bolts on.

Hope this helped. You didn't state what your power goals are.

[juntjoo]

Originally Posted by dees75z

i would suggest maintenance as others have. New timing belt, check the tensioner and both idler bearings would be on the top of my list. Most replacement parts are fairly cheap on rockauto.com. I cant tell you how many heads ive had to repair on these things from lack of maintenance and not doing enough research on how to properly time them. Once that is done i would put a timing light on it and verify it is set to its factory base timing. Then go on with normal items, spark plugs, plug wires, fuel filter, etc

good luck

+1...

[blasterracer817]

I would start with all the maintenance first. fix any leaks, flush the fluids, timing belt, waterpump, balance shaft replacement or elimination, tires, fuel filter, etc. But first, buy a repair manual if you have not yet. It helps out tremndously and could potentually save you alot of money if you do the work and maintance yourself. Besides its only like $20.

[Demon33]

Listing of FREE DSM CD Files
I can't take credit for this. I found it here.

This forum along with the factory service manual, are invaluable resources when maintaining or modding your car. Some of our cars are approaching 23 years old, so they are bound to have problems. Start with a solid foundation (ie. maintenance, repairs, etc.) to give yourself the best chance of success with these cars. Believe it or not, I am the original owner of my 1990 Eclipse GSX! It's had its fair share of breakdowns and problems as you will undoubtedly come to know first hand with your own car, but with the help of the forum members and the service manual, I've been able to keep it running all these years. Good luck and welcome to the DSM community!

[drewb]

This would not be a daily driver and i would like to get the engine rebuilt and try to get 400 to 500 hp.I plan on rebuilding it over the next year or two.I think I have a pretty good platform to rebuild.It has work done by the previous owner such as Bigger turbo,racing head and some other things but i would like to make it my own and have the engine rebuilt by pros who know what they are doing and will give me a warranty.For 1200 dollars i think i made out pretty well.I keep in contact with the guy i traded with.He traded for a quad to give to his son for his birthday and he seems like a legit guy.At first i thought it was too good to be true but it's working out so far.A tree fell on the car that's why the hood is different and the fender is off.The guy i traded with also has a monte carlo he wants to work on and can't restore two cars so i got this one.I am the third owner of the car.

[Tiki2777]

Make sure you recirculate that BOV, and when was the last time the oil was change and the timing belt replaced? You want to do all maintenance first before so you don't have to go through headache after headache. Nice find

[snowborder714]

Please try again with a more descriptive thread title. A generic thread title like this does not help me when browsing new threads to see if I can offer help or when searching old threads for info to help myself or others.