First Time DSM'er Needs Advice

[foolishfocus]

This weekend I will actually be getting to spend some time with my car. I drove it only twice last weekend and ran into some problems. I plan on figuring out what is causing the engine to overheat and where the coolant or radiator fluid is leaking from. I am planning on changing the oil as well. What other fluids need to be changed? It is an automatic.

Thanks

 

[riceburner]

did you just get the car if so i would change all the fluids and check the belts

 

[greenmachine97]

well, if you havethe tiem and money, you might as well get your tranny flushed, along with your radiator. just check all the fluids and top them all off, then go to pep boys and get some NGK spark plugs for liek 4 bucks and put those in. your car will feel like new! NGK brp6es

by the way, where in st. louis are you located?

 

[riceburner]

if your car is overheating i would first change the thremostat there like 6 buck and 88 cents for a gasket and make sure your fans on kicking on
( nice car green machine)

 

[riceburner]

if the leak is coming from somewhere around your radiator take off your hoses and check the flanges your hose sticks on and see if its broke or chipped like mine was and my hose kept sliding off so i had to replace it and make sure all clamps are tight if you have a 91 they are probily in bad shape and you may need to replace them

 

[Defiant]

And a new radiator cap. Was it overheating when you got it? Have you been beating on it?

 

[foolishfocus]

Well the thermostat was replaced at one time with an Autozone piece instead of OEM, which the seller was not happy with. I will look into replacing it, but have not seen them for that cheap.

Where would I go and how much is a tranny flush and radiator flush? Can I do these myself? I'm interested in learning to do things myself.

I will be getting new plugs.

I live in South County, Crestwood area, about 3 mins from Crestwood mall (ghetto).

 

[Mangold]

First of all congradulations one joining DSM owners... they are marvelous machines

ok, first things to do (especially if ur a turbo)... oil change Moble1 sythetic is what i run and i love it (u might consider adding a quart of Lucas oil too, that stuff works some wonders) clean out and empty your fuel tank and fill her up with some good shell 93 or 94 octane gas

Radiator flush, tranny flush (be sure to check to see what kind of residue is in the fluids, ie metal shavings in the motor oil or in tranny fuilds could be normal but you want to look closely at hits of something else happening)... check belts and hoses, take some time vaccum hoses can be a pain in the butt... but they are important, you may need to spend some time tracking down ur vaccumm hoses to makes sure they all look good, are attached properly and are in good order

check for oil leaks... and track any those down to a source... if its AWD check ur rear transer case for a little bit of wetness, if you find any indication of oil seepage check that out, very important

i would bleed your brake lines too and check ur break pads, lots of time new DSM owners love to go out and drive... your gonna need stopping power cause even N/T DSM is fast enough to get you into trouble

obviously there are more things that you can do but thats the main stuff i can think of... have fun and be safe

ur gonna love ur car man, just take care of it!! enjoy

 

[foolishfocus]

The car was not overheating when I got it. 3 days before I got it, a hose cracked so he fixed with an OEM part, then realized it was the water pump that had gone bad. He had a new one installed on Sunday. Mom picked the car up on Wednesday (Im at college) and it sat. I drove it the following Saturday for about 5 miles it was fine and it sat for about 6 hours. Then drove it to the gas station for some 93 octane and got into boost one time, it was fine. Drove 5 miles home later that night and was fine. Next day I drive it 5 miles and park, within 5 minutes I leave again, get about 3 miles and I start smoking. Let it sit for about 15-20 minutes and drive it the remaining 1 ½- 2 miles home where it starts smoking again as I pull in the driveway. Its leaking green fluid, but I was in a hurry to return to school and was unable to check where the leak was coming from.

 

[LAZPNO]

Sounds like a hose...