April 2023 update

I finished intalling the ducktail on the DSM, and it looks like it's always been there At first I was nervous about the outcome, I've never seen a 2g with ducktail in my life. But the end result is even better than I expected, It really gives the car a unique look.



In the meantime I found a set of front Evo Brembo brakes for a good price. They are in a bit rough shape, but they were only about 400 USD, and they came with a set of Ferodo DS3000 pads with about 80% life left. I'm going to sell the race pads, and slowly start gathering the parts to rebuild the brakes and install them.



I also managed to get the car on the racetrack for the first time It really is a blast to drive on the track, the tyres (Michelin Pilot Sport 4) are sticky enough, the 4g63 can easily pass an MX-5, or a Fiesta, and the OEM seats also hold me suprisingly well. It was all fun, until about 8 minutes later the engine started to knock on full throttle. I tought it was some kind of overheating, so I came off the track as soon as I could, and let the engine cool for about 1 hour. After that I went back for another session, but it started to knock again, and now it started almost immadiately So I tried to push a bit, but then I let it go, and came back for cooling again. I tried it once again, but the same happened.

I cruised home from the track, checked the oil and the spark plugs but there is no evidence of damage. I went under the car, and everything is dry, it looks the same before I did the track day. I did a 2 hour drive since then and the car feels normal during cruising, no weird noises, no twitching, nothing, but the knocking is still there when I do a pull. This weekend I will do an oil change, I will also change the coolant water and add Motul Mocool to it, maybe that will help a bit. I contacted my friend who flashed the ecu and we will look into the timing too. I hope I don't have to take the whole engine apart after one afternoon on the track...





I will be back if I have update on the engine or the brakes, If anyone have other suggestions of what should I check, I will appreciate the help.

It turns out, my knock sensor couldn't take the heat on the track. Also it was never changed so it could be expected to go wrong anytime. I went to a local shop and they had a Mitsubishi knock sensor on storage, but it was the md304933 OEM number. (It is for the 3g Eclipse and other 4g64 engines) I decided to give it a shot, but the frequency is different, so it picked up all types of knocks, sometimes even when idling, so I do not suggest using it.

It took me some time to find a new oem knock sensor (md300670), but I got one and installed it, and the car is working normal now, I still have one more trackday planned this year, I hope it survives After that I will upgrade the cooling.



You can clearly see the difference, and how bad my old knock sensor looked when I pulled it.

Looks great. I love the color and the wheel/tire setup. I love reading the European threads because it reminds me how easy it is to source parts here in the US. You guys really have to plan ahead and do it right the first time. I respect that a lot.

Thank you Tina! It is harder to build these cars here in Europe but not impossible, sometimes you just need a little creativity Like I wanted a new 3bar map sensor, and learned here that the GM 3bar MAP is an easy swap, but it's very hard to find here in Europe. So instead I went with a Ford Mondeo 3bar MAP, which was way easier to find, and I also found the characteristics of the sensor online.



Meantime I also gathered all the parts for the evo brake swap, so all I need now is time to rebuild and repaint the calipers the I will install them

Also finally decided to get myself an ECMlink chip So now I can get rid of the knock. I've set it up, and it's extremely useful. I've already adjusted my TPS, and started adding my WBO2 and the Mondeo MAP sensor. I still need to figure out how to set a new sensor up properly, they are not reading accurately at the moment, but I'm consantly learning. The chip came with pre-loaded timing and fuel maps (I think it's the factory fuel and timing maps of the 2g), I went out for my first ride with it, and the knock is gone. I still need to log in different conditions to confirm everything, but it's better already.

I also found that the EVO 8 base maps might be a bit better for the 2g, and as I am using EVO 8 pistons and rods, I figure they me better for me too. So I will try that. I just started learning ECMlink things, but it is very exciting, so I will surely have a lot a questions

Good stuff Pat. FYI you can find Chinese GM 3bar MAP replicas everywhere for like 10 bucks, they work the exact same; that's what I got for mine. I also got a used IAT sensor off a 1984-1990 Jeep Cherokee / Wrangler. Those use the SAME exact scale as the GM IATs from that era, in fact the sensor itself is built by GM but has a Chrysler number on it. The part number is 3300 2382 or the aftermarket equivalent is Tomco-12134. I bet you have plenty of those in Hungary. It cost me like $5 and with a nice clean it works and is very quick to temp response (ball in cage style). Both those sensors have an option in the drop down menus in DSMlink.

Good call on the EVO 8 map. Personally what I did was I loaded that up, kept mostly the pre-spool (off-boost and boost building region) part with slight tweaks to give me more torque from the get go, and then I significantly leaned out the WOT target AFRs since the EVO one runs pig rich as usual. What I've found is these motors respond very well to lean mixtures as long as you aren't retarded with the timing (no pun intended ).

Once again congrats on the ECMlink. It's by far the best thing you can buy for these cars I think!!

Thank you Stefan!

I'm new to changing things in the map, where should I exactly look at when I want to change the WOT AFR target? I plan on ising this evo base map and slowly changing things after logs, but if I can get a step ahead I would be happy with that. I might be asking some more questions about that later in private messages

Thanks for the tip with the MAP and IAT sensors, I will fiddle around with this Bosch sensor, try to make it work. I can see the volt output it gives, and have the linear diagram for it, so I think I think I can calibrate it. But if I cannot, I will order a chinese GM 3bar MAP.

Ps.: You didn't change the evo base timing at all? Was it good for you as it was?

patman said:

Thank you Stefan!

I'm new to changing things in the map, where should I exactly look at when I want to change the WOT AFR target? I plan on ising this evo base map and slowly changing things after logs, but if I can get a step ahead I would be happy with that. I might be asking some more questions about that later in private messages

Thanks for the tip with the MAP and IAT sensors, I will fiddle around with this Bosch sensor, try to make it work. I can see the volt output it gives, and have the linear diagram for it, so I think I think I can calibrate it. But if I cannot, I will order a chinese GM 3bar MAP.

Ps.: You didn't change the evo base timing at all? Was it good for you as it was?

Click to expand...

The stock DSM base timing is 5 deg, and it also has 5 deg idle timing. The EVO 8 uses 8 deg of idle timing but I do not know how much their base is, probably 5 as well. On a 2G even with DSMlink we cannot change base timing since it's hard coded into the ECU. What I did was run the 8 deg of idle timing in the first 2 cells which gives me a stronger idle (more torque) and it affects how quick the car feels off the line. I experimented with even higher numbers such as 12 and 15 (most modern cars run around 15 idle timing) but that messed up with my other values such as airflowperrev so I brought it back down to 8.

I had some time to work on the car, so I've done the Evo front brake swap. I done it with changing to Galant Knuckles, I also added Russel SS brakes lines, and mounted the OEM Evo dust shields. One hole is a bit off, but with a small cutting and a bigger washer, I could easily solve that problem.



And as I had the stock EU spec GS calipers, the Outlander calipers, and the Evo calippers lying around, I did a nice comparison picture of them Sadly I don't have the OEM discs, but they are even smaller.




I also worked on the upgrading the cooling system after I had some overheating issues last summer. I added heat insulation to the water pipe in front of the engine. It's secured by a Velcro tape, and I used some clamps just to be sure. It's really not that apparent, but I hope it will help.


I bought a Mishimoto Radiator, but I decided to use the OEM fans, I did the research here, and learned that a slim fan doesn't really make a difference. I added padding to the radiator fan housing to let less air escape.



I'm planning to use more heat insulation on the underside of the engine, mostly around the exhaust area. I will also design, 3D print and insulate a custom air box for my air filter, which is just casually hanging around in the engine bay right now, thus sucking in the hot air.

I will also add Steel brake lines to the rear brakes, change the rear upper controls arms (they are corroded) with new bushings, change the trunk lift supports, do a big clean and I will be ready for the 2024 season

Last weekend I had some freetime so I took the rear brakes apart, I got new pads and discs, and since I alredy head the Russel SS kit for the rear too, I swapped that too. I wouldn't say the rear brakes were in bad shape but now they are brand new.

Speaking of bad shape, I noticed earlier that my rear right control arm was pretty much devastated. So I got one in better shape, cleaned and painted it, so I was just waiting to swap it out. I managed to do that now so that's one more thing off the list



Oh, and also for an update, I got myself a genuine MHI big16G, with OEM O2 housing (I got kinda annoyed by the screamer pipe I installed), so now I'm gathering parts for the support mods and getting ready for a turbo upgrade finally!

You got "annoyed" by the screamer pipe?!?! Bro. come on, it's the BEST sound mod you can do to a DSM and it frees up a bit more horsepower .

I can't see from the pic, but is that a "42" or "47" casting on the 16g? You're gonna have to ditch the stock side mount cooler now and run a front mount.

Yep It's way to loud, and also dumps a lot of hot air right under my engine bay. I'm doing everything I can to decrease my engine bay temperatures, so I thought the OEM O2 pipe will help with that.

The police is also getting more strict with checking modified cars here in Hungary, and it wouldn't help if I blast by them with a fully open dump pipe . My car is still illegally modified (very much), but my exhaust is actually not that bad, I want to keep it quiet under WOT too, so I will not raise any suspicion.

I am planning to port out the OEM housng, but I'll keep the screamer too, so I will still have the option to swap it out.

It a "42", so a regular big 16G. I did some research, and learned that I can keep the SMIC until about 16 psi, so that's my first goal. Then I'll see how it performs and how quick it overheats. The FMIC would be good, but I'm not confident that I can find/make the cutsom piping, brackets and venting needed for it.

I highly suggest you look into fitting a front mount Pat, look at some of my custom intake pipe setup if you want to get a better idea of how it will look. The 42 16G is fine but 16 psi on it will be waaay more than 10 psi on the T25, and the T25 already heat soaks the side mount if you stay on the gas for longer. I feel you will be knock limited a few degrees lower than compared to a front mount, so you may have trouble even breaking the 300 bhp mark. Just my assumptions. At least install the intake air temp sensor before your TB and see what intake temps you get. I would say anything over 25-27*C after cooler temps will not be optimal. My regular temps were 15 on a cold winter pull and 20-22 on a very warm summer day with regular pulls and a warmed up cooler.

I appreciate your help, I will put the front mount, and the AIT on my list then. (might as well go speed density then)

As I said I want to do everything to lower the temperatures, so the FMIC will help too. But this takes a lot of time with all the measuring and the welding (possibly), so I will postpone the turbo swap to next winter.