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Talon TSi

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I got around to tidying up the engine bay. Just gave it a general dusting but the blacks pop out a hell of a lot more. Still a long ways to go before it's 100% LOL
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Here is a before picture from October 2018. Changed the plug wires and air filter since then. I have also removed some vacuum lines that were plugged with bolts in favor of proper vacuum caps.
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The injector resistance pack is what got me to dust the engine bay LOL. I thought it was dirty so I cleaned it, and then the area next to it looked dirty in comparison and it started a chain reaction.

The resistances checked out at a solid 6 ohms for each pin. Reason for checking this part is that I'm trying to diagnose a no start issue.
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Wasn't really sure what to take a picture of so I just grabbed the backside :idontknow:
 
I wanted to put my new lamps in. I cleaned the plastic trim and the surrounding area.
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This is with the old ones in.
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New lamp on the right, old one on the left.
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Had to deal with some stripped screws. Always a pain in the ass :banghead:
 
I took off the front bumper cover and broke several seized bolts, as you do :cry:

I was going to replace my fog light bulbs but the screws holding the housing on were stripped to all hell. I didn't want to deal with that so I opted to leave the old bulbs in :idontknow:
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The front bumper cover is looking pretty rough.
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I cleaned the rust from where the metal brace sits and also the mud on the backside of the bumper cover.

I removed this metal bracket and the screws because I thought it looked ugly on the front side and didn't feel that it did a very good job of holding the crack together.
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I drilled a hole at the end of the crack to prevent further splitting and stitched it up with some zip ties. I think this looks a little more tasteful.
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I was wondering why one of my lug nuts wouldn't go back on and found out why.
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A couple of new wheel studs and lugs are on my shopping list.
 
I was wondering why one of my lug nuts wouldn't go back on and found out why. View attachment 565927 A couple of new wheel studs and lugs are on my shopping list.
haha never get bored with these cars ...at least urs is up and running ...yes the bumpers like to crack in that area ...if not from high curbs then its ice and snow in the winter (ask me how i know LOL)
 
Anyway, back to the no start issue. When I had absolutely zero knowledge on DSM's in October, I took it to a Mitsu tech for diagnosis and he determined my CAS was sending intermittent signals. I bought a black top 1g CAS and never got around to installing it before winter hit.
Spring time comes, I know a lot more than I did before as I read threads when I'm bored.

I put in some NGK BPR6ES plugs gapped to 0.28". I put in some new 93 octane gas. I plop on my new CAS and try to turn her over. Nothing happens, just a single click from my starter. I figure it isn't getting enough power from the battery. I check the battery and it's at 12.50v. Okay, just throw it on a charger and try again tomorrow. Easy enough.

I was right about the starter not getting enough power, but another issue! The motor cranks but does not start. It doesn't sound like my fuel pump is turning on, but it's getting power from the harness, and the cylinders and plugs smell of gas so I'm certain the pump is doing its job. This would also mean the injectors are firing?

I pull off my CAS and leave it plugged in, turn the little rotor by hand with my plugs pulled out and grounded in the valve cover. There is no spark present in any of the cylinders. Found the issue!

I have checked the diagnostic port with a multimeter and it's giving a solid 0.015v with no pulses. If I'm correct, this would be a constant buzz if I was using a 12v buzzer as some people suggest. That means the ECU is faulty as per the error code list?https://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/1g-code-reader-cel-code-reader.319844/


I've yet to check the coils and power transistor (don't know where they are, yay more learning opportunities!) but I'm placing my money on the problem being the ECU. I found a previous owner on a Facebook group (not the guy I bought it from) and learned that the ECU failed 6 times in 3 different cars. The ECU is a '90 manual, while my car is a '91 automatic. He put this ECU in because a) it was the 'best' one he had at the time :confused: and b) the car's running 450cc injectors.

After some researching, I found out that using a '90 ECU in my car requires a pin layout change? So I'm not entirely sure which ECUs would be compatible and I'd be able to use.

I pulled my ECU out and popped that bad boy open. I also determined that it is a non-eprom unit.
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It doesn't have a rotten fish/egg smell, the capacitors aren't leaking and there doesn't appear to be any broken solder joints. I didn't grab a picture of the backside but everything looks fine at a glance. I gave it to a mechanically inclined friend to inspect and he says that everything checks out.

I'm thinking that my ECU is the cause of my no start issue, as I read that a faulty unit will not give you either fuel, spark, or even both. Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated.
 
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I should probably also mention that yes, I did install my CAS correctly. I set cylinder 1 to top dead center (the cam gear dowels were at 12 o'clock and I made sure the piston was physically at its highest) and lined up the two notches on the CAS rotor.
 
New hatch supports and some new weather trim went in today. Way more convenient than propping it up with my snow brush :thumb:
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I broke the plastic trim while prying it back when installing the supports though.
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I used a utility knife to make it look a smudge better. I hated how it was asymmetrical so I cut the plastic on the other side in a much neater fashion. Later down the line I'll come back and find a more elegant solution.
 
I checked the resistance on my injectors just to be on the safe side.
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All 4 checked out at a steady 2.4ohms each. I still need to check if they're getting power from the harness but overall I think the fuel system works as expected. I'm still thinking the ECU is the bad part here :f-u:
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Today I removed the heatshield so I could get a better look at the exhaust header.
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I cleaned up some of the rust and caked dirt with a wire brush. I took off the heatshield with high hopes that it'd be crack free but I had gotten my hopes up for nothing :toobad:
There is a crack on cylinder 4's piping.
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I also pulled my ECU again as I'm expecting to buy a new one soon. I looked over the internals once again and found a slight rotten smell from the capacitors when I put my nose right up to it. Yuck. Not sure how I didn't notice this the last time I opened it up.
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Took a closer look at everything on the ECU and one of the capacitors does not look good. I'm getting a buddy to solder some brand spankin' new ones on and clean the area a little bit. Fingers crossed that this is the issue with it, but if worst comes to worst I'll just buy another unit.
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New ECU caps went on and I put it back in the car.

Tried starting it up a week ago, it would crank and very subtly hesitate to actually start. Today I bought some starter fluid and shot some into the cylinders. The engine started for the first time in almost a year! :hellyeah:

It ran about 2000rpm, but I realized I had a couple of vacuum hoses unplugged as well as the upper intercooler piping disconnected still. Plugged those back in, started it up and it ran between 750-1000rpm, barely fluctuating at all. I think it's good to go finally.
 
On May 20th, 2019, I inflated my rear passenger tire and took the car for a drive around the block. The steering wheel was rapidly shaking back and forth (read: death rattle :f-u:) and the brake pedal was giving physical feedback. I pulled into my driveway and the car stalled going up the slight incline. Jacked it up and took the tire off, and found bad news.
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These front rotors are goners.

There were several other issues:
• CV boots were obliterated, explaining the grease all over the brake parts.
• Strut towers beginning to rust through, there is a 1" hole on the driver side tower.
• Rear passenger wheel well is rusting through on the corner.
• ~20 year old bondo repair on the rear passenger quarter panel. For what it's worth the repair was well done but it's beginning to crack.
• Pretty significant amount of side-to-side play with the wheels when the front end is in the air.

I don't have very much money at the moment to dump into this car and I legitimately considered selling it out of anger. I went to bed and the next day decided that I will order a new set of front rotors and brake pads and see where that takes me.

I ordered Centric rotors and pads from Rockauto for CAD$100 shipped.
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My game plan is to install these and clean the throttle body in hopes of solving the stalling issue. There is also a parasitic draw which I believe is from my stereo, so my battery isn't charged enough to start the engine at the moment.
 

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after almost 3 decades these cars need a lot of attention ...pretty well everything has to be rebuilt ...seal ,boots , bushings ,hoses are all gonna be pretty well shot ...best to reassess and realize this is gonna be a major commitment and ur gonna run into problem after problem unless u tear everything down and catch things before they leave you stranded or over ur head in the money department and find something major structural that can't be fixed ...I'd make sure that the shell is sound or at least repairable before i'd go any further ..rust is a killer..after that take it one bite at a time :thumb:
 
like he said cheap kit ....that's my next job ...picked up the rebuild kit from rock auto .will be following the link tk106 posted and put in my 2 cents worth on my thread ..when i get home next week

I got my gates kit from rockauto also. The only problem was it came with two blue oring which did not fit. I called gates and they set me the correct ones. Mine was for a 92 though so it might be correct for your pump.
 
after almost 3 decades these cars need a lot of attention ...pretty well everything has to be rebuilt ...seal ,boots , bushings ,hoses are all gonna be pretty well shot ...best to reassess and realize this is gonna be a major commitment and ur gonna run into problem after problem unless u tear everything down and catch things before they leave you stranded or over ur head in the money department and find something major structural that can't be fixed ...I'd make sure that the shell is sound or at least repairable before i'd go any further ..rust is a killer..after that take it one bite at a time :thumb:
The shell and undercarriage are surprisingly rust free. There is some small rust spots on several body panels but nothing too major. The wheel well in question seems to have been coated with a rubber undercoating a millennium ago and I suspect that's why the rust spot exists.
Never a dull moment working on/restoring a 30 year old car. I noticed the alternator is soaked. May want to rebuild the power steering pump before you lose the alternator. The kit is cheap and you just need basic tools.

https://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/how-to-rebuild-and-modify-a-power-steering-pump.345914/

1g exhaust manifolds are junk. Look into replacing it with a 2g manifold.
Thanks for the info, I'll look into rebuilding the pump. It seems like it's the hoses that were leaking but it definitely wouldn't hurt to rebuild it. The alternator is pretty gunked up, I think after I get the car driving I'll get it tested at a shop.
 
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