The Top DSM Community on the Web

For 1990-1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse, Eagle Talon, Plymouth Laser, and Galant VR-4 Owners. Log in to remove most ads.

Please Support Kiggly Racing
Please Support STM Tuned

Engine Identification Help

This site may earn a commission from merchant
affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

91DSMFAN

15+ Year Contributor
43
0
Mar 14, 2008
Las Vegas, Nevada
Hello. I recently purchased a 91 Talon TSi AWD and was told that the Engine was replaced 15K miles ago. Unfortunatley I am stationed in South Korea untill December of 2008 and the Car is in Nevada. After looking at pictures I have noticed some abnormalities. First being the Red Mitsubishi Logo Valve Cover. I searched and found that some thought this to be a VR-4 or JDM Engine. However, I also found that some thought the JDM Engine had a different Intake Manifold. My second find is that the Turbo has TD04 stamped on it. After a search, I believe that this is incorrect and that I should have a TD05. The TDO4 is from an Automatic Car if Im not mistaken. Can anyone tell what Engine this is or give me more info on how to find out? I have more pictures if needed. Thank you for the assistance.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.


Also, it looks like the Wastegate Actuator isnt even connected in the pictures. That kind of scares me. Should I just start looking for a good Long Block?
 
Looks like a 13g turbo on a jdm long block with a stock intake mani.

You half way around the world dude. There is only so much you can do.

Thats what I was affraid of, a Frankenstien Engine. My biggest concern was the TD04 Turbo. Im hoping that the Engine is not from an Automatic Car, being that I have found from searching that there are internal differences from a Manual Car.
 
Thats what I was affraid of, a Frankenstien Engine. My biggest concern was the TD04 Turbo. Im hoping that the Engine is not from an Automatic Car, being that I have found from searching that there are internal differences from a Manual Car.

All turbo motors have the same internals, shit even the na 2.0 share everything but the pistons, oil filter housing, the crank and rods are the same.

The only difference is the manual came with a 14b (16g in japan)
The Auto came with the shitty 13g.

Chances are that motor has less than 40k on it.

Pop off the vavle cover and take a pic, also do a compression test, the right way. If you dont know how search.

Also might be a good idea to change the timing belt etc the whole shebang and change the water pump.
 
Arent the Cams different between the Automatic and Manual Cars? My Car has an overheating issue. I plan to change the Headgasket and all other Gaskets along with all Belts and Pumps. Basically a minor rebuild.
 
I love those valve covers.. I had one on my talon.. It looked so sweet, plus. it said mitsubishi on it, which the american ones dont say..

The difference between the cams is negligible.. And that wouldnt make your car overheat..

Check for fluid leaks, flush the radiator, and check the thermostat before you go doing anything like that.. If its a JDM swap, its probably pretty low mileage..

Compression testing isnt hard, but the thing everyone forgets is to leave the throttle at WOT.. You will get bad reading if you dont do this..
 
Thanks for the response. I know that the Cams arent the cause of my overheating issue, I was just under the impression that the Manual Cams were more aggressive then the Automatic Cams. Im pretty sure that the Headgasket is blown and I plan on changing it. In the pictures it appears that the Wastegate Actuator isnt even connected and that worries me.
 
Yeah... The difference in the cams is so small, you probably would barely notice, if you noticed at all...
 
In the 1G DSMs the automatic cams had peak torque at a lower RPM and the manual cams had higher peak horsepower. The auto has only four speeds and needs a wider torque curve.

For the 2G DSMs the cams are the same in auto and manual.
 
Get your PCV hooked back up, as well as the wastegate actuator.. I you lost the pin, then just go to ACE hardware or something and buy a cotter pin.. I just used a savage safety pin and that worked great.. haha.. Its all I had..
 
My PCV isnt hooked up??? I cant tell from the pictures. The Vaccum Line to the Wastegate Actuator appears to not be hooked up. Unfortunately I dont have the ability to look at the Car myself.

So does everyone agree with this being a JDM Engine?
 
at the very least it's a jdm valve cover. It doesn't matter if it is a JDM motor, there is no difference between the JDM and the USDM motor.

The only difference is that most JDM's come with a cyclone manifold, consider yourself lucky that yours doesn't have it. While cool when it works it adds another thing to break, and in a DSM the last thing you need is another thing to break.

The small turbo is also a blessing in disguise, if you had a 14b you'd be tempted to keep it. Now you can just jump right to a 20g!

So stop worrying about the whole JDM thing and start ordering parts! You'll have years of fixing and tuning ahead of you when you get home!
 
We got those valve covers here in Canada quite a bit.. But they are tricky to find. They get snatched up pretty quick..
 
Im not worried if it is in fact a JDM Engine, Im just curious as to what I have. I am worried about having Automatic Cams being that it appears that I have an Automatic Turbo. I know that the difference may be negligible, but it is just one of those things that I would like to avoid. I am looking forward to constantly working on my Talon, I just need to get back to the States first. Thanks for all of the responses.
 
pop the inatake tube and look at the copressor wheel if they are all the same siz than its a 13b if they alternate than its a 13g. 13g's arent too bad they spool up very fast they came on the vr4 3000gt's. if your looking for no lag it a good turbo
 
If it is an automatic motor: You have different cams (Look at Tunatalon's post), the 13b turbo, a smaller exhaust manifold to match the smaller turbo, smaller injectors(390 cc), and a different fpr.

Your PCV valve appears to be hooked up. I would double check the injectors and if they are 390s, you need to have some way to control the injectors because your manual ecu is programmed to control 450s. If they are different, performance will suffer and you will run into fuel problems.

For the overheating: make sure your coolant is full, test your thermostat, and check for proper fan operation. Good luck!
 
Thanks all for the help. Unfortunately I am in Korea right now and dont have the ability to work with the Car. I will utilize all of your suggestions as soon as I return to the States. Thanks again for all of the help and info.
 
hyundai?????? mitsubishi logos in a hyundai thats a new one to me
 
Yeah thats not a hyundai. The hyundai's say HYUNDAI across the top and dohc 16valve on the bottom. They are also a touch thicker I believe. Like I said thats what our talons came with here in Canada, but for some reason americans never cared for the mitsu name, so they likely didn't put it on down there for that reason and you guys got the crappy 16V.

http://www.mirage-performance.com/sonata/Painting/valvecover001.jpg
 
pop the inatake tube and look at the copressor wheel if they are all the same siz than its a 13b if they alternate than its a 13g. 13g's arent too bad they spool up very fast they came on the vr4 3000gt's. if your looking for no lag it a good turbo

3000GT VR4 and Stealth RT/TT models came stock with a set of TD04 9b turbos. The automatic 1g DSMs came with a 13g.

The only thing I know of that relates to '13b' is a Mazda Wankel engine.
 
Now Im confused. I too thought that the Automatic 1G's came with the 13b. I had never heard about a 13g untill this thread. Does anyone have a solid answer? I have also found quite a few threads with people saying that there Red Valve Cover Engine came with a TD04 Turbo. What gives??? Is there any way to find out for sure where my Engine came from?
 
It's really simple actually. What I just told you is the truth. Look here and tell me where you see 13b.

Stealth 316 - Turbo Upgrades

That explains most everything you could care to know about turbo specs.

Then go here to read about 13b.

Mazda Wankel Engines

A lot of people like to say 13b because the the manual 1g DSMs came with the more commonly known 14b. As you now know, this is incorrect.
 
Last edited:
Support Vendors who Support the DSM Community
Boosted Fabrication ECM Tuning ExtremePSI Fuel Injector Clinic Innovation Products Jacks Transmissions JNZ Tuning Kiggly Racing Morrison Fabrications MyMitsubishiStore.com RixRacing RockAuto RTM Racing STM Tuned

Latest posts

Build Thread Updates

Vendor Updates

Latest Classifieds

Back
Top