Once the electrolyte leaks out, the capacitor can become thermally unstable.It's quite possible the innards shorted out as they distorted from the heat, and that's what caused the "blow out".It goes without saying that you should replace all the large "can style" caps while you're in...

Ken,Sounds like you're on the path to getting this diagnosed correctly.As "MyDSMmakesRoadkill" (love that screen name ROFL ) pointed out, many of these cars have not recieved the maintainance that would keep them troublefree.There are a few other things that we may have to check /...

iugrad, while I also think that a little work on spelling / grammar would be helpfull, you didn't even try and address the man's problem.... anybody who keeps my friends safe on the salt deserves more respect than that.(for what it's worth, I have problems with the written word, and I...

... just went thru this exact same situation on a Galant vr4."Sounded" like a wheel bearing but did not "act" like one. (loading it up side to side didn't change the noise)Didn't find anything when we drained the transmission oil, but on the advice of a saavy man, we pulled the end cover on...

That's why you NEVER replace a fuse with one that has a higher rating.The o2 heater power wires are now all melted, infused and entwined.This happens because the 02 harness gets hot/oil soaked/basted in service. This causes the wires to become brittle and the insulation to crack...

The vr4 harness will be too short to use in a dsm, ( and not by a little. )The ecu on your 1g is located behind the radio in the center console area.On the vr4, it's located on the "a" pillar behind the glovebox.This means the harness will be waaay to short to reach the ecuOne other...

I used to deal with this problem on Weber carbs back in the day.I learned (the hard way of course, after ruining more than a few throttle shafts) that there's times that it's easier to thread it thru the plate and out the other side.The factory screws are often staked/expanded on the...

... not real familiar with the 2gHowever, that "looks" an awfull lot like a condensor/noise suppresor for the ignition coil. (hopefully, a wiseman familiar with the inns and outs of a 2g will be along to help)It really does sound like you're still having problems with a plug wire or...

It's highly unlikely that the clicking/"arcing" sound you are hearing is coming from the wiring harness. The battery voltage carried by the harness isn't anywhere near the level that it takes to cause that type of a problem.... now, the ignition system is a whole different ballgame!In...

Thanks for the pics!... gotta admit I don't see so well anymore, but it "looks" like at least a few of the valves have been replaced at some point during it's service life. (look at the valve faces, they tell a tale when they don't match)... at any rate, she don't appear to be a virgin...

fifteen thou is a BUNCH!A lot more information will be required to make an informed decision.Got any pics?Where was the headgasket compromised?One thing to consider is that many machine shops do a piss poor job of thinking thru the ramifications to...

The integrity of the alty fuse should be checked with a voltmeter, as a visual inspection doesn;t always tell the tale.Just open the sides of the plastic casing that houses the fuses, and check both sides of the fuse for voltage.

Check your alternator fuse

Make sure that the ecu capacitors have been changed.They have a nasty tendency to leak while a car is down for an extended period.The electrolyte that leaks from the capacitor casing contains boric acid and amonia salts and will damage the ecu board, leading to all kinds of problems...

Please note that the brake booster check valve is installed inline inside that hose. (that's why it's 80 bucks from the dealer)Simply running a hose over to the booster without finding a way to install the booster check valve inside your new hose will cause you some problems.No vaccum...

Sounds like your alternator's internal voltage regulator has lost it's mind.Do not continue to drive the car, as other, much more expensive systems will be damaged by the overvoltage.Get a quality replacement alternator from a reputable source, or have your's rebuilt locally.I...

Have you checked the alternator fuse with a voltmeter on both sides?You can just put the positive probe of a voltmeter on the the 6mm bolt (with a ten 10mm head ) at the base of the fuse.Both sides should be hot.

This may be a loose/cracked/damaged flex plate.Pull the convertor inspection cover, sneak a small dental mirror in between the block and flex plate and give everything a visual inspection.While you're there, ensure the convertor bolts are tight.

To avoid some confusion, could you walk us thru the timeline again?You installed a chip, and swapped the firing order of the plugs.The car ran fine for a day or two ( ? :confused: ? )Then, out of the blue, with no other work performed it started smoking coils?^^^please verify^^^...

If everything was fine before you replaced the alternator, I would start there.Are the connections on the alternator correct?It's really easy to put the power wire on the wrong stud. (:tease: I've done it :shhh:)It should be on the insulated stud. It will have a 'lil insulator...

When the car left the factory, on the positive battery terminal, there should be three distinct connectors.One feeds the mission critical stuff, and has some fuses built on to it. It powers the ignition, ecu, and fuel system (The car won't run without it)One feeds the starter, and...

Your symptom sounds like a broken feed wire to the fuse box from the battery.A quick way to tell would be to pull one of the front row of fuses, (i.e. the power seatbelt fuse, for example).Check for 12volts in the fuse socket with the car off. It should show 12volts on one side with...

How, and where are you measuring the oil pressure?If you're topping out at around ~75psi hot, that shows the regulator is at least trying to do it's job, and there's sufficient volume at higher rpm's.What's your cold idle oil pressure?Was the pressure relief valve ported when the...

Doh!:tease: Edited out my pic ROFLYes, that dust and those crumbs are what's left of the outside of the pin. There's still some stuck inside the bushing, as well. WTF

^Very good advice! I've always felt that if you take pride in doing your own work, can change your own oil/perform a tune up, then, with a little care, you can do this job!My experience, (20+years, Ase master tech, ;) ) is that the O.E. ball joints will outlast anything you can find in the...

Good post!Except for the bolded part.It is a very bad idea to sandblast/glass bead this style valve cover!!!They were made with a pair of oil separator baffles underneath to pull the liquid oil out of the crankcase venting system. The baffles are not easily removable/replacable. It...

The major tool manufacturers make a positive locking, quick release extension that may cut down on the "creative" socket removal techniques.

A blown alternator fuse will cause the problems you are describing.It is a bolt in fuse, in the right front fuse box.You may also want to check that the fuse box is recieving power with the engine off. There is a ~10awg wire from the battery to the front fuse box. If it's not hooked up...

The best way to narrow this down is to remove all the accesory belts, and then cold start the car.This will remove the load of the alternator, power steering pump, and etc. This will also give an opprotunity to visually inspect the harmonic balancer. It will also allow him to spin the...

That's the starter/bendix crying out in agony for some lubrication.Remove starter, apply moly/high temp grease of your choice to the starter shaft and end bushing, (sparingly) and rotate/slide the starter gear over it a few times.Re-install starter, and you're good to go!Downside...

Launching without preloading the driveline of an awd car means higher shock loads to the drive line ...period, end of discussion...This shock load puts the center diff and axles at a much higher risk of catastrophic failure.In addition, without something holding the car in place, it's...

I'm not an expert, (:tease: by any stretch of the imagination ROFL ) but this works for me in an awd car.Pull around the burnout box!StageBring the rpm's up to ~4500~Pull the handbrake upLet the clutch out 'till it just starts to bite and load the driveline/suspensionOn...

How are you venting the crankcase?A fully functional p.c.v. system *may* help with decel smoking. By applying some engine vacum to the crankcase thru the p.c.v. system, the pressure above the valve seal is lowered. This will help on decel because there will be less of a positive difference...

A thorough visual inspection may be helpfull in narrowing down the problem, and it may be that you have more than one.The rolling, once per driveshaft rev "ting" sound may be a U-joint on the center driveshaft. Many times, there will be a ring of rust around the bad cup/spider. It could also...

Loose battery connections or a bad/corroded ground can cause some pretty funky issues.

Make sure the spark plugs aren't drowning down in their little hidey holes.Gently twist and pull on the spark plug boots and pull them up off the plugs.If the spark plug wells in the head are full of water, you won't have any spark.You can just twist the corner of a paper towel...

When you turn the key to the run positition, the ecu should power up.This will illuminate the check engine lite for ~ 5 seconds, (and then it will go out.)The boost gauge in the dash should read ~"0".If neither of those things happens check fuses/power supply for the ecu.The caps...

When I was researching the parts for my Galant Vr4 transmission I found these guys.www.jackstransmissions.comThey stock a full range of internal transmission parts and are very helpfull.They ship worldwide, and their packages actually arrive when they say they will. :thumb:

Did the old c.v. shaft have a torn outer boot?The moly gease that's in the c.v joint can get flung around a bit, and some may have gotten on the inner friction face of the rotor, and some of this grease may have transfered to the inner pad. This will give a symptom very similiar to what you...

Sean, The speedo and odometer work from the cable directly. The vss is inside the speedo head itself.This means the speedo could read fine and yet there's no vss signal to the ecu or cruise module. I've never dissected one, so I don't know how to test it. When I suspect a bad vss, I usually...

Yes.

Many times shops will use a vacum bleeder to speed up the process. On an older car, with tired master cylinder cups, air can be drawn into the master cylinder, past the cups. This will give a soft, funky feeling to the pedal, and just make the system feel less than confidence inspiring.To...

I usually manage to bend at least one backing plate during a major suspension/brake service. The backing plate gets really close to the front rotors at the bottom, (to provide clearance for the ball joint,) and it doesn't take much to bend it into the rotor there.Give it a hard look to...

Sean, does the cruise work?I think T9Si is on the right track.:thumb:It's possible to have the clutch down switch (starter interlock) switch working and the clutch up (cruise and stutterbox) offline.This would still require the clutch to be fully depressed to get the starter to...

Man, that's a bummer!!!Knocks/noises are really hard to diagnose long distance, but there's a few things you can check to narrow things down. I hate tearing a motor down to diagnose an engine noise. I certainly wouldn't drive on it, but running the engine a bit in the shop might enable you...

Mitsubishi transmission codes can be found here http://www.vfaq.com/mods/Trannies.htmlAs near as I can tell, the wqnk box came in JDM/export market Galant vr4 RS and Evo 0 models.I have conflicting information on the final drive ratio's (primary/secondary internal ratio)as well as the...

I was hoping a wiseman would come along and answer this.Simple questions like this drive me nuts. I've been driving along, finding myself thinking about how the wheel speeds on stands could be so visibally different. It's one of those really simple questions that has to have a good...

Noice!!!I'm a little amazed it didn't break the shaft along the splines, but it just goes to show you how strong the driveline pieces are in these cars.The output shaft can be changed pretty easily, with out dissassembling the whole transmission, but I would strongly suggest you...

Oooof!I just went thru this with a customers car. It was doing the exact same thing after a motor swap, and they had also disconnected the p.s. pump.When the pump is running, any air trapped in the pump or lines is compressed, and gets entrapped in the fluid. When an air bubble hits the...

The oil pressure numbers your aftermarket gauge are reporting are right in the ball park.The factory oil pressure gauge is highly dampened, and not very accurate to boot.The main thing to be mindfull of is the oil pressure at operating temperature, especially at a hot idle.