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Having Baby, Very confused.

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lilrob2069

10+ Year Contributor
213
0
Apr 26, 2010
Battle Creek, Michigan
Alright, hey guys, My names Rob. I just turned 26 on Dec. 20th. I bought my first DSM (91 Talon N/T) back in april, and stepped up to a 94 GSX with 75,000 original miles.(only been in the game for 9 months and already have owned 2, These cars are addicting) here's my dilemma. Found out in october that my fiance' is pregnant, with MY 1st child, she has a 5 year old which i might as well be his dad. a few weeks ago i found out that cylinder 1 has no compression. but it still fires normally(weird.) leakdown test showed exhaust valves are kind of open. Now i haven't been able to do a boost leak test yet due to financial ordeals but it is next on my list. along with a major rebuild. The lady i bought it from (original owner) never did timing belt or anything of that nature. So first off my list starts rebuilt head, Timing components, Arp head studs, 3g lifters. water pump. Etc. then to get rid of the old azz rubber IC lines and step up to hard piping. maybe a boost controller. The only mods i have done really is removed the BCS, and Put a K&N minus the air can. And a 3 inch exhaust also Boost gauge. My only problem is i also need to do Clutch kit. amongst some other maintenance like the trans drain and fill, diff service etc. But what bothers me is in June my child will be born and i have to get all this stuff done before than. My bill just in parts from dsm graveyard is gonna be around 1000 and im trying to see if there is any honest people out there with GOOD used aftermarket parts that are willing to sell for cheap. or if anyone knows of a good cheap vendor that i can get my bill down a little bit. I'm suppose to be saving up money for this child but right now the cars more important since it is my daily driver and i don't want it to blow timing belt or anything of that nature while i have my new born in the car. Also if there is any suggestions on other things i should do since i will be pulling the motor would help greatly so i don't have to do this again. I love my car, ever since i took it home the first day i just can't seem to get off the DSM rush. I won't sell it but i wont just let it sit around either. Sorry if this is so long, it's 3:30 am and im wired awake. But what do you guys think i should do, car runs fine still and pulls hard with the way it sits. but once taxes come back i will have a better idea of the amount to spend. any of you guys and girls. have anything they want to sell on the slightly cheap just pm me and let me know. Thanx i am gonna leave you guys alone now. good nite.
 
Your story is touching, but this isnt the proper place to put this..

And again, im 19 years old and i cant tell you what your priorities should be because well, i love my dsm as much as you love yours. but you got a child coming soon.. maybe you should sell one of your dsms and pick up a daily driver.. and when you got spare money put it into your dsm.. Because if you halfass your build because your in a rush, your going to be wasting money and your time..
 
Your story is touching, but this isnt the proper place to put this..

And again, im 19 years old and i cant tell you what your priorities should be because well, i love my dsm as much as you love yours. but you got a child coming soon.. maybe you should sell one of your dsms and pick up a daily driver.. and when you got spare money put it into your dsm.. Because if you halfass your build because your in a rush, your going to be wasting money and your time..

oh most definitely agreed, on the not half assing thing. i unfortunately only have this one car now. my priorities are straight. my fiance' explained that my car is fine as long as it's fixed. and i plan on fixing it before my child is born but my main concern is saving money as good as possible on parts. this was basically a rambling maintenance story, i apologize if this is the wrong place for it. but like i said my main concern is to get this car done to have it ready for the baby when he/she is born so i don't have to worry about breakdowns while we are goin somewhere. So on that note i am just wondering about while the motors out is ther anything i SHOULD do while i have it out.
 
So you said you lost compression in a cylinder?

Personally. Id find a motor and just swap. Faster and easier.
But if your determined to rebuild it.

You NEED to get it machined. Take it to a machine shop and have them clean it up and everything else it needs. (id tell you what it needs but i havent seen the motor =P)

But For the Head. If you need, your gonna need Valves/springs/retainers.
You can most likely reuse your lifters (lash adjusters)/rocker arms/cams/cam gears

For the block. Have the machine shop check out your crank journals and have them decide if you need a new crank or can reuse or fixed.

But new Main bearings/Rod Bearings are a must. Check out the condition of the pistons.. if not get some new pistons. You can reuse your rods most likely if they are within limits.

Outside of the block. You should replace the timing belt/timing bearings (all 3) and new oil pump.

When i did my build; i used these sites. Very Good pricing

http://www.store.partsdinosaur.com/page365.html
http://www.thedsmgraveyard.com/Default.asp?Redirected=Y
 
So you said you lost compression in a cylinder?

Personally. Id find a motor and just swap. Faster and easier.
But if your determined to rebuild it.

You NEED to get it machined. Take it to a machine shop and have them clean it up and everything else it needs. (id tell you what it needs but i havent seen the motor =P)

But For the Head. If you need, your gonna need Valves/springs/retainers.
You can most likely reuse your lifters (lash adjusters)/rocker arms/cams/cam gears

For the block. Have the machine shop check out your crank journals and have them decide if you need a new crank or can reuse or fixed.

yea after doing a comp test. i found cylinder 1 had like 5 psi, while cylinder's 2-4 had 100 psi, then with the leakdown test found that cylinder 1's exhaust valve are stuck slightly open a little. planning on upgrading to the 3g lifters. and reusing everything else. i have this weird smoke problem that only happens at idle. and some people are saying that with the compression numbers and the smoking it might be a head gasket but others are saying that the two problems aren't related. that my valves seals are shot.
 
Well. with those signs. Ether bad piston rings, a bad head gasket, or bad valves are your culprit..

Lets hope for ether a bad head gasket or bad valves. =)
Thats much less work.. And yeah id upgrade to 3g lifters. and just replace the valves and put new timing belt on..

Heres a timing belt kit for 89$ that i used for my car
4G63 4G63T 2.0 DOHC Timing Belts & Bearings KIT Mitsubishi and Hyundai

and heres exhaust/intake valves $6.59 $8.79 Each.

http://www.store.partsdinosaur.com/product149.html
http://www.store.partsdinosaur.com/product150.html

head studs.. 39.90

Depending on how much boost and what future mods you will be doing Id just get these.
http://www.store.partsdinosaur.com/product1683.html

Head Gasket Set $71.55

http://www.store.partsdinosaur.com/product166.html

Water Pump $39.90
http://www.store.partsdinosaur.com/product138.html
 
I can check pretty much all the clearances on the motor itself and if it all looks good then i should just be able to do the head and thats about it. last time i did my oil change we stuck a magnet in the oil bucket and then drained it to see if there were any serious shavings in it and surprisingly there was very little. as far as rings when i did a wet and dry test the results were close to each other so the rings don't seem to be super worn. just a lil on the low side for compression.


and with the head bolts i want to go with arp head studs cause one day i want to upgrade, my original plan was about 300 hp dd. but now i just want to get the car normal with the exception of parts for future mods.
 
Welppp. Im sure you'll be fine then!
Those are the cheapest prices man.

and he gives GREAT discounts when you order in bulk.

thats, cool thanx for the help. i'm gonna have to look at stuff, i know this sounds funny but i found the same gates timing component kit on Amazon.com for 60 bucks brand new, kind of weird but i might find more out about it. was wondering would it be better to go with the cometic head gasket right off the bat.
 
recommend planning on saving just in case of complications with the birth (got any insurance?) - you definitely got priorities facing you. We can't tell you what to do.

Sorry, life ain't fair - we can't always have what we want ... gotta give an take some ...

-DSM
 
If you are determined to keep the dsm; then take your time and rebuild the engine RIGHT. Which means getting the block/head checked out and machined if needed, new bearings and pretty much the list 98mitsubishigst gave. It will cost you more up front; but spending the time to go it right the first time will pay off in the end.

Congrats on the baby, btw!

As far as insurance goes; I believe that in MI, the child and mother are covered if they do not have any.
 
This is an air tight example of a person who needs to sell their DSM. If the arrival of a child means you have to worry about it even in the slightest, than you are not financially equipped to be a DSMer at this moment.
 
I had the same problem a year or so ago. had a kid and was driving a p.o.s. dsm. well long story short i picked up another vehicle till i could get my dsm up and running good. Well i ended up buying a 2g spyder and let me just tell you putting a car seat in a dsm isnt very easy. although its easier to put a car seat in a 1g than a 2g its still a struggle. my advice if you can afford it get a different vehicle. if not fix up the 1g and save up for another vehicle as you will get tired of taking the car seat in and out of a 2 door. I've got 2 kids now and as soon as i get my tax return back im going to try and buy a lancer or something reliable and 4 door.
 
Talongirl: Thank you.
Spawnedx: Understandable in some perdicaments. Mine is weird since it would be cheaper for me to fix the problems rather than sell it and buy another car that maybe worse off. My job is starting to pay me better and i will be able to save more money. My fiance' has insurance so that will help with the whole hospital bill thing. I found out from her that i should plan on buying all parts and even ones i may not actually need, but should change while motor is out. so that i don't have to tear it apart again. with all the other maintenance needs. Like timing and clutch. I am thinking on doing all the necessary checks of the lower end. and if they need to be done for certain then i will do it. if not im just gonna replace the whole head and upgrade some parts like 3g lifters and arp headstuds, full gates timing kit w/ oem tensioner. water pump, all new belts. then once i have everything i need and even might not need, when the baby is born she will let me drive her car since she will have to stay home. This will give me time to work on it instead of feeling rushed. the worst thing i could do is half ass stuff. what do you think would be better in terms of longevity compared to price, OE replacement Clutch kit or ACT 2100. I can get a OE replacement for 130 bucks from my work. (perks of paying 10 % over cost.) but i can't get any Performance parts cheaper than i can from some of these vendors.
 
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Anytime.

I personally do not like ACT clutches. I have had one fail by breaking the pressure plate on a STOCK car. Went with Exedy and love their products. You shouldn't need anything heavy duty if you're keeping it stock (which i suggest!)

Believe it or not, I actually have faith in these cars. Most have fallen victim to hacks and beat on; thus having earned a bad rep. Just like ANY car 10-plus years old it is going to have problems. Take you time, fix it right, don't mod the crap out of it and it should be a pretty reliable car.
 
Alright, so i was talking to my fiance today about the situation and she said not to sell my gsx, keep it, and you can get a car while you fix it. And then she popped out that she is buying me another dsm for 500 bucks, some kid that has no idea about them bought it and doesn't like that he can't work on it like he can his cavalier. it's a clean 93 Talon tsi fwd. he said why he is selling so cheap is because at 40% throttle it starts misfiring. but idles like a dream. looks pretty clean, goin to look at it thursday, and if it's game im buying it for a secondary car while i fix the gsx and also have a secondary vehicle. the issue i think is either a boost leak, or ignition wise. might just need a tune up.but for 500 bucks you can't beat it cause i could part it out and scrap it after and get my money back. What do you think it would be. anyone have that problem.
 
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Wow $500! Jump on that. It sounds like it could be something as simple as wires.

Congratulations on the kid! :hellyeah: Enjoy it; kids are awesome. Your girl sounds like she's really great and supportive of your DSM hobby. Make sure you don't focus too much on your car, and that you are there for her when she needs you. Having a new baby is a lot of work, and can sometimes be stressful for families, so make sure to be extra understanding with your woman, and keep her happy.

I know it can be hard to put your car on the back burner, but you'll be better off if you take your time with it, and only set a certain amount of time aside for working on your car.
 
Wow $500! Jump on that. It sounds like it could be something as simple as wires.

Congratulations on the kid! :hellyeah: Enjoy it; kids are awesome. Your girl sounds like she's really great and supportive of your DSM hobby. Make sure you don't focus too much on your car, and that you are there for her when she needs you. Having a new baby is a lot of work, and can sometimes be stressful for families, so make sure to be extra understanding with your woman, and keep her happy.

I know it can be hard to put your car on the back burner, but you'll be better off if you take your time with it, and only set a certain amount of time aside for working on your car.

yea, she understands my hobby, but i will have my car at my buddies house since he has a garage and i can just work on it when i need too.
 
well im going to get my 93 talon tsi, (future panda). guess it was just the wires that was causing the misfire problem. so here's the low down. 93 talon tsi, 160000 miles, Automatic(i know go ahead and flame on), but this is for me and my girl since i am trying to get on OUR page. hopefully she will realize the good in these cars instead of the bad(typical breakdowns.)
 
Wall of text crits you for over 9000 damage.

I seriously tryed to read this twice now. I get about halfway through the 2nd setance and just cant do it.
 
Ok guys, well good news and bad news. Good news is we had the baby, He's adorable.
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Unfortunately I had to get rid of the GSX for the safety of my child. Bought a 07 Dodge caliber from my work and just been driving it since. Come tax season I will be buying another DSM. Unless something goes wrong between now and then. Best part is He makes turbo noises. I'm looking at buying a 2g awd, my question is what are some of the problems area's to look for with the 2g's. I know shock tower rust, and obviously smoking. But what about rear axle's? How do i look to see if they are gonna be trouble in the future for repair? I know there's more but i can't think of it all. Any help would be wonderful. Got to get the Lil one into DSM's early.
 
Congratulations! I just had twin girls in April. Not to mention I have a step daughter as well. I had to stay in the DSM game just to stay sane!!! I had a 2004 C230 Benz / 96 AWD Talon (long drawn out project) and turned it into a 2010 Dodge caravan and a 95 AWD Talon (that actually ran :rocks:). I put the performance parts from the 96 on the 95 and have basically an extra car in parts. After 7 long years project paperweight made it's way to the junkyard. I got 2 wonderful babies, my garage back, and a DSM to drive again. If anything breaks I got it covered. DSM's SAVE LIVES:thumb:
 
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