finally gettin' work done...

[Subie_Tech_Intl]

so i've had this car for about 4 months. got it from my cousin as my first car since moving to guam. shops here are shady so i've been getting a lot of hands on learning and a little bit of help from a close family friend. so here's the mods im gettin done starting this weekend.. prothane engine/trans kit and energy suspension master kit, agx struts front and rear, h&r race springs. the car came to me with a chopped up and repaired apexi cat-back exhaust, intake(that attaches to the turbo?),front strut tower bar, blow-off valve(vented), NX manual boost controller and a short-shifter.

any reviews/advice/constructive criticisms on the suspension setup im going with.. later when i get cash ill get the prothane rear kit too.

 

[Techmonster23]

The intake is indeed supposed to route to the turbo.

As far as the new BOV goes, you should really consider running it recirculated to maintain better drivability until you can switch over to SD.

Before you throw all these mods on have you already handled all the maintenance? Fluids, timing components, etc.

 

[Subie_Tech_Intl]

what did you mean by "SD"? and yes, i've done all the maintenance i can think of.. seafoamed and running royal purple 10w30.. trans fluid flush and change, radiator flush and change, rear diff fluid..even washer fluid drain and topped off (cousin used water).

 

[Twinturbo120]

what did you mean by "SD"? and yes, i've done all the maintenance i can think of.. seafoamed and running royal purple 10w30.. trans fluid flush and change, radiator flush and change, rear diff fluid..even washer fluid drain and topped off (cousin used water).

Did you install a new timing belt and water pump? All I read was fluids. SD is short for speed density, only really need it when making some type of power. But if you have the dough, it wouldn't hurt. What bov and intake did you get, running vented will make the car" break up" when you shift because the ecu already calculated a certain amount of air.

 

[Subie_Tech_Intl]

Did you install a new timing belt and water pump? All I read was fluids. SD is short for speed density, only really need it when making some type of power. But if you have the dough, it wouldn't hurt. What bov and intake did you get, running vented will make the car" break up" when you shift because the ecu already calculated a certain amount of air.

timing belt, water pump and new clutch were installed a month before i bought the car.. i also changed out the coils, plugs (gaped them too) and new wires.. all to what the sticky on here about maintenance says to do
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/frequently-answered-dsm-questions/239375-maintenance-schedule.html

oh and.. the car runs pretty smooth other than the occasional "reving" while in idle (maybe just need to clean MAF and filter?) and drastic loss of power when i have the aircon on ;

 

[g4ebguy90]

Would be ideal to recirculate the BOV. Probaly hiccup on shifts after boosting.

 

[gophishy10]

Definitely recirculate the BOV. Our cars aren't meant to run with a vented BOV. Also do a boost leak test. You might find a slight leak, which would explain the revving at idle.

 

[Subie_Tech_Intl]

its running smooth.. shifts smooth..no hiccups or any thing of the sorts.. maybe the ecu is tuned??? should i just make it recirc anyways?

how do i do a boost leak test?WTF i've never had to do one before..

 

[gophishy10]

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/art...-boost-leak-test-how-boostpro-net-tester.html
^Boost leak test (BLT)
If you want to see if the ECU is tuned, pull it out and open up the case. There will be a red chip if it has ECMLink.

 

[4G63gst1990]

Recirc your bov and the revving at idle sounds like a isc

 

[gophishy10]

its running smooth.. shifts smooth..no hiccups or any thing of the sorts.. maybe the ecu is tuned??? should i just make it recirc anyways?

how do i do a boost leak test?WTF i've never had to do one before..

YES you should definitely recirculate your bov. End of story.

Recirc your bov and the revving at idle sounds like a isc

Could be the ISC not adjusted properly, but recirculating the BOV and doing a BLT would come first.

 

[Subie_Tech_Intl]

ISC? i'll get on the BOV recirc (i figured it'd be the same as my Subaru STi) and BLT.. but what do you think about the suspension mods i'll be getting installed this weekend? any advice on that? honestly, i'd be quite happy if i can make the car run like new.. stock factory power ftw..

 

[Xploitn]

Hey guys, try not to be acronym happy on this the thread. Most of them are specific to our cars, and maybe even our forum (I wouldn't know, I never leave this forum).

As far as the suspension goes, I will spare you brand loyalty and opinion. What are you building the car for? If you are autocrossing or taking it to a roadcoarse then I wouldn't waste money on AGX. Go with Koni Yellows. http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/handling-tech/430689-koni-yellow-shocks-appropriate-spring-rates.html Increased handling for actual racing applications will require a suspension setup that is greater than $1000
The suspension options are limited on the second generation talons/eclipses due to our need for a 'spherical bearing at the top mount' when converting to coilovers.
Autocross.dsm.org - Build Your Own Konis
if you are just looking to drag/lower/or daily drive the car then get whatever suspension will fit in the car and your budget!

I do like your idea of energy poly bushings, what wheels/tires are you getting? (include plans for the sizes too!)

Here is THE BEST info you can get on idle surges for our cars:
http://www.dsm.org/how-tos/tttt/tttt3.html
Please give us a better description on what is happening and wee can try to help you troubleshoot remotely.

....aaaaand here is a better link for shopping for suspension parts and getting info for suspension.
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/art...ks-struts-springs-coilovers-not-finished.html

 

[Subie_Tech_Intl]

wow, this is all great advice. thanks so much! unfortunately i already have the AGX struts and H&R Race Springs but ill just save up and get the Koni Yellows and follow that guide asap. here in guam road conditions are awful.. its like driving on the moon. but there is a track here that hosts solo events.. its a spirited drive whenever i go through the hills to get to town, but its a slow creep around pot holes in the village. my goal for this car is to make it a road rally/daily car. i dont mind harsh suspension and i am planning to ship this car to california, as that's where im originally from and moving back by next year. so i do need all my smog restriction stuff reinstalled / replaced (its running cat-less with a chopped up apexi turbo back exhaust.. now custom mid-pipe and flow master 44 muffler)
http://youtu.be/c-GXjwlHATc
this is what i want to get close to building.. and to be california legal as my daily i know im not getting anywhere close. are there things that i can do to the car that are "removable" for inspection? if so what kinds of things can i do that are relatively simple to convert back to california street legal.. so that i can enjoy it here in guam (the only thing required to register your car here in a safety inspection.. no smog)?

2G Rear Chromoly Subframe | Magnus Motorsports

is this rear subframe good for my what my goal is?

 

[redbud23]

I like this forum all the people giving great advice. As far as mods that you can switch back and forth for inspections. The cat would be the first thing i can think of. You can get a test pipe and a good cat and switch them, but it may be a pain to switch back and forth. Everything else will be alittle harder Cali is a tough and strict place when it comes to car mods. Which is funny because alot of the auto industry comes out of Cali. I personally would never live in the Great Communist state of California, just because of this. No offense to anyone I lived there for four years and really loved it, but I had to leave.

 

[Subie_Tech_Intl]

yeah.. i was just thinking of a former co-worker that had a nicely modded integra. from internals like cams and pistons to ignition system and full exhaust (high-flow cat).. yet he was still street legal and drove that for a few years before he sold it for a svt cobra ; was curious on weather or not i could pull that off with my TSi.

so i got an email from the retailer that the H&R springs i ordered are discontinued and im getting a full refund. so i've been looking online for better springs to compliment the AGX's that are on the way here already (i found out too late about Koni Yellows). i'm interested in going with AFCO Racing but don't know if the ship to Guam or what size spring i need to get.. all i know is that they sell springs by size, not application, and you can select the spring rate you want. also, i keep hearing how the AGX's are crap, will it be safe to run them or will they damage my car? i'm assuming that all the negative reviews come from actually racing on them? Any suggestions on a set of springs that can be as good, if not better, then the H&R race springs? thank for all the advice up to now.. everyone's been awesome.
today im taking my engine and trans mounts out, friday i get 'em pressed out and then saturday i slip the Prothane Engine/Trans kit on

 

[redbud23]

Why do you have to be Cali legal if your in GUAM? Just curious.

 

[Subie_Tech_Intl]

Why do you have to be Cali legal if your in GUAM? Just curious.

i want to be able to bring the car with me when i move back home

 

[Xploitn]

Hypercoils are great and yes, the springs are usually sold by length and spring rate. I tried doing some research on suspension for rally and I couldn't find a clear answer but it looked like slightly stiffer was a trend in the opinions being stated (Hopefully you can find the answer with some internet super sleuthing). The length is dependent on the ride height you want with the limitation of how low the shock can handle. Also lowering requires higher spring rates too but I would not lower the car if you are interested in rally as you need as much suspension as you can get. I don't remember the stock ride height, but I know that people use 8" springs on the Koni's. I would confim the ride height for this length spring though. Ask Snowborder714, Turbosax2, Gofer, or anyone from this group buy:
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/ven...ed-coilover-group-buy-dennis-grant-specs.html
Point them to this thread too!

Don't forget to buy helper springs and from my research I've found that bumpstops are important for rally (makes sense). The AGX struts will come with bumpstops but they might not be good enough. I don't know though.

Just a heads up if you are serious about the rally stuff. McPherson strut suspension (on the front of a first generation DSM) has more travel distance than the double A-arm (on the front of the second generation DSM) which makes first generation DSMs more favorable for rally because travel length is more important in rally.

Here is a fun thread on rally (with vids too!):
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/road-course-autocross/352246-anyone-prepped-rally-rallycross.html

If you need to pass emissions then you also need all of your vacuum lines connected to the solenoids. Many people including myself delete most of the vacuum lines for the sake of simplicity, reliability (less sources possible for a boost leak), and for a cleaner engine bay. All of this is reversible however.
Here is some reading:
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/art...-speed-shop-vacuum-diagram-removal-1g-2g.html

Unfortunately I don't know much about the subrame. I would mostly be interested in the weight reduction that it offers. I would imagine it's at least 100lbs which is HUGE! (You might want to focus on other, free weight reduction mods first) Beyond that, the subframe probably doesn't 'perform' better than the stock one.

A word of caution: I don't know how events are Guam and organized and run but if they are like the club racing here is the US then I would start reading the rulebooks and fully understand the modifications allowed for your class. For example, I race in SCCA Solo events under the ESP class and I can't swap my turbo. I'd be quite unhappy if I learned that AFTER spending time and money on a 16g turbo.
That is my long way of saying, know the rules and how strictly they are followed before spending hard earned cash!

 

[Subie_Tech_Intl]

Hypercoils are great and yes, the springs are usually sold by length and spring rate. I tried doing some research on suspension for rally and I couldn't find a clear answer but it looked like slightly stiffer was a trend in the opinions being stated (Hopefully you can find the answer with some internet super sleuthing). The length is dependent on the ride height you want with the limitation of how low the shock can handle. Also lowering requires higher spring rates too but I would not lower the car if you are interested in rally as you need as much suspension as you can get. I don't remember the stock ride height, but I know that people use 8" springs on the Koni's. I would confim the ride height for this length spring though. Ask Snowborder714, Turbosax2, Gofer, or anyone from this group buy:
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/ven...ed-coilover-group-buy-dennis-grant-specs.html
Point them to this thread too!

Don't forget to buy helper springs and from my research I've found that bumpstops are important for rally (makes sense). The AGX struts will come with bumpstops but they might not be good enough. I don't know though.

Just a heads up if you are serious about the rally stuff. McPherson strut suspension (on the front of a first generation DSM) has more travel distance than the double A-arm (on the front of the second generation DSM) which makes first generation DSMs more favorable for rally because travel length is more important in rally.

Here is a fun thread on rally (with vids too!):
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/road-course-autocross/352246-anyone-prepped-rally-rallycross.html

If you need to pass emissions then you also need all of your vacuum lines connected to the solenoids. Many people including myself delete most of the vacuum lines for the sake of simplicity, reliability (less sources possible for a boost leak), and for a cleaner engine bay. All of this is reversible however.
Here is some reading:
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/art...-speed-shop-vacuum-diagram-removal-1g-2g.html

Unfortunately I don't know much about the subrame. I would mostly be interested in the weight reduction that it offers. I would imagine it's at least 100lbs which is HUGE! (You might want to focus on other, free weight reduction mods first) Beyond that, the subframe probably doesn't 'perform' better than the stock one.

A word of caution: I don't know how events are Guam and organized and run but if they are like the club racing here is the US then I would start reading the rulebooks and fully understand the modifications allowed for your class. For example, I race in SCCA Solo events under the ESP class and I can't swap my turbo. I'd be quite unhappy if I learned that AFTER spending time and money on a 16g turbo.
That is my long way of saying, know the rules and how strictly they are followed before spending hard earned cash!

there's scca here in Guam so the rules are all the same. im honestly looking to build a daily driver yet come from an approach that most guys here know almost nothing about. when people here think rally, they think ken block ;
that being said, they dont know that there are such things as road rallys.. and though they dont host such events here i'd like to have something that nobody else has. your advice and links are super appreciated, thanks
i suppose you could say that i partake in rather spirited driving often, being that most of the roads here are mountain passes.. most with a great ocean view that will keep you from going all balls out

 

[Afizzle]

Did you get receipts of the timing belt/wp job?

If not pull the upper timing cover and check out the belt.

Incase youre unaware, the 4g63 is an interference engine so if the timing belt snaps... bye bye head, atleast. Add power and abuse to an old belt an it aint gon' do ya' no gud!

 

[Subie_Tech_Intl]

Did you get receipts of the timing belt/wp job?

If not pull the upper timing cover and check out the belt.

Incase youre unaware, the 4g63 is an interference engine so if the timing belt snaps... bye bye head, atleast. Add power and abuse to an old belt an it aint gon' do ya' no gud!

it never crossed my mind to check for myself because i bought the car from my cousin and he husband. they told me the car was in super good shape and that everything wrong with the car would be inexpensive... yeah right. so yea, good looking out, i'll go check that out for myself.

 

[Subie_Tech_Intl]

It's been a while since I've posted here. So here's my update:
my car's been giving me a ton of weird issues and as unreliable as it's been, iI decided to rebuild the engine. I've never rebuilt an engine before. I'm honestly just rebuilding my engine to make my car reliable and a touch more lively.

here's a list of parts i have purchased:

ACL thrust washers
ARP head studs
ACL Race standard main rod bearings
Supertech valve stem seals
Supertech standard size valves
Supertech S1 valve springs
Supertech Ti retainers
Supertech bronze valve guides
Manley lightweight pistons
Eagle H-beam rods
Gates Racing belts (timing component kit and serpentines)

..as well as a complete gasket/seal set, water pump and oil pump. can i just go back to install Cometic gaskets, 272 cams, adjustable cam gears, lightweight pulley set, fluidamper harmonic balancer, EvoIII turbo (and supporting mods), FP DSM flange manifold and ECM Link v3? i ask this because i dont quite have the money to drop on all of this at one time. if so, in what order would you suggest i acquire these parts?

 

[valon24]

I don't have advice on what parts to install and/or purchase first, but was just wondering, how much does it cost to get that car from Guam to California?

Have you considered to saving your purchased mods and buying a dsm when you're back in cali (one without the current issues that you are experiencing) and putting all your mods on that one?

I know you mentioned that's a while away, so I can definitely understand the need to want to work on your current car instead of waiting... especially if you have the parts within arms reach .

 

[Subie_Tech_Intl]

you're absolutely right.. and i did think of doing that. its going to cost somewhere around $2,500. im putting all this work into my car due to just needing transportation and through all of this i've grown attached to this car. after rebuilding my engine i have to really focus on the body rust (sunroof, hatch and the lower edge of the doors). i would like to get it up on a rack and really look for if there's more rust and what else needs to be repaired. but for now, just keeping it running strong and smooth is my priority.