General Things to Look for When Buying a 1g DSM

[break911]

I was wondering if someone can give a detailed list of things to pay close attention to when looking at or test driving a 1g talon you are about to purchase. More than just the recalls..

 

[Black_Stalon]

I'd say number 1 would be finding out when the last time the timing belt and water pump where changed. If either of those go your in for a long haul.

 

[black92_tsi_awd]

Look for oil leaks! Axle seals, transfer case and rear end seals. Not that big of deal to fix but they take time and $. Especially the transfer case seals, if they're leaking, there's a good chance the case can go dry and fail. Ask me how I know

 

[Black_Stalon]

also dont forgot to use all the resources available online, Ive fixed countless things myself that where easy to troubleshoot thanks to sites like these. and most of all be patient.. I dont know how many times ive wanted to light up my car.. godddddam. gl

 

[jesepes]

Look for an early 92 model. It has the 6 bolt engine and 4 bolt rear end. Do your best to look at the ecu to determine if it's an eeprom or not. Have a compression check done. Check turbo shaft play. Check for factory rear VC LSD. Check clutch pedal play-just pull up on the pedal with your hand or foot. Play/movement is bad. It is best if all four tires are the same size and brand to avoid drivetrain wear. Just my .02. Also what everyone else said too.

Good luck,
-Jesse

 

[mnr88talon]

hey bringing this thread back.. just had a couple more questions when looking at 1gs..

i found a white '90 1g at a small dealership.. usually i would be worried about buying from a small dealership but its a dsm so its bound to have a lot of issues.. the guy said it was a GS, but i looked in the dash and i saw a boost gauge in the stock cluster so im pretty sure its a GST since i did not see a driveshaft to the rear wheels..

anyways im pretty sure i heard 1990 DSM's are different from 91-94 but i cant remember what (did it have to do with tranny or 6/7 bolt design).. can someone remind me? Would there be any things to watch out for on 90's compared to 91-94 such as build quality -- should i look for a 91 and up instead?? or are the differences not a big deal?

last thing, is there anything i should be looking for when i have the hood popped and im lookin at this thing and the guy is trying to sell it to me? ive been on this site long enough to know what 4g63 engine bays look like but ive been driving a n/t for 4 years so i still dont know much about 4g63's themselves

 

[mindset]

hey bringing this thread back.. just had a couple more questions when looking at 1gs..

i found a white '90 1g at a small dealership.. usually i would be worried about buying from a small dealership but its a dsm so its bound to have a lot of issues.. the guy said it was a GS, but i looked in the dash and i saw a boost gauge in the stock cluster so im pretty sure its a GST since i did not see a driveshaft to the rear wheels..

anyways im pretty sure i heard 1990 DSM's are different from 91-94 but i cant remember what (did it have to do with tranny or 6/7 bolt design).. can someone remind me? Would there be any things to watch out for on 90's compared to 91-94 such as build quality -- should i look for a 91 and up instead?? or are the differences not a big deal?

last thing, is there anything i should be looking for when i have the hood popped and im lookin at this thing and the guy is trying to sell it to me? ive been on this site long enough to know what 4g63 engine bays look like but ive been driving a n/t for 4 years so i still dont know much about 4g63's themselves

I couldn't tell you about the GS 1g, but I think its a 4g63 N/T one.
The 90s and 91-94s have slight differences. I believe pretty much some things in the drivetrain. (tranny, cables, shift lever). I don't know about the clutch, diff, or driveshaft but it would make sense that they would be different because of a different tranny. I think there's a strap on the TB that's different too. I'm just telling you this from previous experience trying to find parts for my 91'. 90-92 1/2' have the 6 bolt. 92 1/2-94 have the the 7 bolt. I don't think there's anything really to watch out for in a 90'. My friend has one and it's literally identical to mine besides little small details in the motor.

Things to look for:
Strut tower rust.
RUST.
Anything that is wet or leaking.
Knock (Have him start it)
Turbo shaft play
Anything in the above posts.
Look under the car while its running. Look for leaks/noises. Have him shut it off, and then turn it on again, look again under and at the engine bay. Test drive it, bring it back, look under it while its still running. I made this mistake with my 87' Integra and it leaks everything possible.
Look for vacuum lines detached.
Listen to the car as it's driving too.

I mean it's a DSM. It's going to leak but look how major the problem is.

You'll know if something looks wrong. Check for a catalytic converter if this is going to be a street legal car. Ask him anything and everything about the car.

Good luck.

 

[mindset]

hey bringing this thread back.. just had a couple more questions when looking at 1gs..

i found a white '90 1g at a small dealership.. usually i would be worried about buying from a small dealership but its a dsm so its bound to have a lot of issues.. the guy said it was a GS, but i looked in the dash and i saw a boost gauge in the stock cluster so im pretty sure its a GST since i did not see a driveshaft to the rear wheels..

anyways im pretty sure i heard 1990 DSM's are different from 91-94 but i cant remember what (did it have to do with tranny or 6/7 bolt design).. can someone remind me? Would there be any things to watch out for on 90's compared to 91-94 such as build quality -- should i look for a 91 and up instead?? or are the differences not a big deal?

last thing, is there anything i should be looking for when i have the hood popped and im lookin at this thing and the guy is trying to sell it to me? ive been on this site long enough to know what 4g63 engine bays look like but ive been driving a n/t for 4 years so i still dont know much about 4g63's themselves

Should of just started a new one...

 

[slickers111]

Look for an early 92 model. It has the 6 bolt engine and 4 bolt rear end. Do your best to look at the ecu to determine if it's an eeprom or not. Have a compression check done. Check turbo shaft play. Check for factory rear VC LSD. Check clutch pedal play-just pull up on the pedal with your hand or foot. Play/movement is bad. It is best if all four tires are the same size and brand to avoid drivetrain wear. Just my .02. Also what everyone else said too.

I will agree with Jesse, but also check the belt condition. And your going to regret buying a Automatic non turbo, so look for a Manual with a Turbo. Thats what Im looking for too.

 

[lazyazzdaddy]

to answer your questions just reread this post! the main thing you want to check is the timing belt. you can easly take the cover off and at least inspect it.

 

[untouchablecc]

Cracked exhaust manifold

 

[OwninFools]

Check for when the Timing Belt, Water Pump, if the Balance Shafts are still there along with the belt (and when it was changed if it is).

Check for shaft play in the turbo, as well as always do a compression test on the motor. Also, if he lets you go for a drive with him, test and see how well the car goes into 2nd gear. 1G transmission have always had weak 1 - > 2 synchros, and if it's tough going into gear the transmission could be needing a rebuild or replacement soon enough.

Some leaks under the car are not that big of a deal, there's a common leak where the oil return line from the turbo connect to the oil pan. But the design is so stupid, so it leaks quite frequently. It's not a big deal, about a quarter size drop every night. But you wont notice it until you leave the car off for a few minutes.

 

[mnr88talon]

k thanks for all the replies, wasnt sure if i should have started a new thread or not and yes i was taking into account the previous responses, i just thought i heard somewhere before that 90's had minor differences from 91-94's and i wanted to make sure of that before i start looking into this '90.

btw it is a manual, and i DO NOT think that it is a GS.. i checked it out IN person earlier that day.. i checked everything on the outside/underneath the car and it looked decent for a 20 year old car no rust, i looked in the window and i saw the stock boost gauge (right under tach) so i believe it is actually a GST.. i called the guy the dealer later in the day to ask him a little more about it and he said it is a GS but these guys probably dont know anything about these cars..

i will check it out again tomorow and actually test drive it, check the engine and make sure it is a 4g63t, then check for everything you guys have mentioned.. but im like 99% sure its a turbo -- unless the 4g63 n/t came with boost gauges in their dash

 

[mindset]

k thanks for all the replies, wasnt sure if i should have started a new thread or not and yes i was taking into account the previous responses, i just thought i heard somewhere before that 90's had minor differences from 91-94's and i wanted to make sure of that before i start looking into this '90.

btw it is a manual, and i DO NOT think that it is a GS.. i checked it out IN person earlier that day.. i checked everything on the outside/underneath the car and it looked decent for a 20 year old car no rust, i looked in the window and i saw the stock boost gauge (right under tach) so i believe it is actually a GST.. i called the guy the dealer later in the day to ask him a little more about it and he said it is a GS but these guys probably dont know anything about these cars..

i will check it out again tomorow and actually test drive it, check the engine and make sure it is a 4g63t, then check for everything you guys have mentioned.. but im like 99% sure its a turbo -- unless the 4g63 n/t came with boost gauges in their dash

...you never know about ricers these days...

 

[MichaelSuch]

When my insurance cards come in my GS-T says it's a GS, but came with a turbo from the factory. But I did see another 1ga like a mile from my house with a turbo gauge cluster but I popped the hood and was surprised to see that it was in fact N/A.

 

[Defiant]

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/art...k-when-buying-dsm.html?highlight=buying+guide