How reliable has your DSM been?

[TurboTJ]

Im looking into buy a 92-94 Talon TSI AWD. Being that its almost 15 years old, I was wondering how much money i will probably have to invest to get it running decent before i can get to modifying? Is there anything prone to going out on these years? Worst case scenario, how much money have you had to spend to keep your talon on the street?

 

[drivemusicnow]

That all depends on what you're trying to do. If you try to find some super cheap, beat on car, then you're going to have reliabilty problems. I would almost say you might as well buy a car that doesn't have a motor, and build a cheap motor (do it well, just with stock components) and you'd be better off. If you don't have the tech skills to do that, Don't cheap out on the actual car purchase. Try (if you can) to find one with 1 owner... or at least as few as possible. look for something thats been well maintained, and has a record of maintanence that has been done.

The most expensive problems that can happen would be crankwalk (Very unlikely), If you break a timing belt (very unlikely if you make sure you change it ever 60k mies), or if you destroy the trans by beating on it. These are all around 1000$ to fix (plus labor).

Clutch isn't too bad if you do work yourself, but shops charge quite a bit for it. other than that there are a variety of little things, but nothing common, or all THAT expensive.

Just remember, a car that costs a little more up front (as long as it is actually worth the money due to being well maintained) tends to cost less in the long run.

 

[guitarhero14]

it really depends on the condition of the car(obviously). But check to make sure all the fluids are changed, timing belt, all other belts esp balance. It could be cheap or expensive, there is just too many variables to determine how much you are going to spend.

 

[TurboTJ]

First thing i am planning to do is pull the motor and rebuild it, the things i was wondering about going out are like power stearing, axle joints,,, Do things like that go out often? Are they cheap to replace?

 

[rodtheedge]

I think that depends on whats been maintained in the car you are going to buy and when they replaced those parts. For example I got my 92 tsi for $1500. It came stock with good brakes but the pcv valve and hose were bad, I need struts and springs, my left front wheel bearing is making a rubbing noise so thats bad, my carrier bearings were shot, and I think my cv joints need to be changed out soon too. I guess you get what you pay for. Just make sure to ask and check out all these parts before you buy the car so you know what your getting into. Just fixing these problems myself with no labor is gonna cost me alot of $$$$ and If I replace the parts with performance ones even more. My power steering is good though...

 

[BUCK]

You'll have $5K & a lot of YOUR work in it before it's a relaible DD.

 

[dr1665]

You'll have $5K & a lot of YOUR work in it before it's a relaible DD.

I don't know that it would be that much. I just priced practically everything the Parts Dinosaur carries for a stock 6-bolt rebuild and it was less than a grand including tax (I live across town from him). Round that to a grand, add $500 for machine work, $100 for fluids, $300 for a clutch, $100 for odds and ends like injector cleaning, and you're sitting with a zero mile 6-bolt with a new clutch and freshened up tranny for $2000. At the same time, things can, and do, go wrong quickly with these cars if one's not careful.

Bottom line, if you intend to modify your DSM, reliability should not be your main concern. Build, tune, and drive within your means and you should be just fine.

 

[BUCK]

Im looking into buy a 92-94 Talon TSI AWD. Being that its almost 15 years old, I was wondering how much money i will probably have to invest to get it running decent before i can get to modifying? Is there anything prone to going out on these years? Worst case scenario, how much money have you had to spend to keep your talon on the street?

He asks for worst case scenario - These 1G's are OLD - @ $5K I'm including purchase price of vehicle, Turbo, ECU, Alt, WP, AC, Radiator, Axles, Brake System, Clutch System, EVERY Hose, etc... & I've DONE it - In keeping with good Customer service practice I'd rather be a little high & do better $$ wise than low ball somebody.

 

[quickeclipse]

Hey everyone! Ha, it's hard to think of myself as a car noob, but looking at all this stuff for dsm's, I guess I am.. I just bought a 97 GST. I love the car, it drives great! It was a one owner car, a women owned it. I guess that is either a good or bad thing.. but, the car has miles.. 156K.. I've had honda's since I was 16, so 156K on one of those isn't anything really, but I'm not sure on this thing.. So.. my questions are..

1. How reliable are these cars, when completely stock, how many miles are people putting on these engines?

2. I already have a fun/fast car. I'm not looking for serious power out of my gst, just want alittle more umph, but not enough to make it at the expense of my motor. So, would it be "safe" to add a front mount, intake, exhaust mani, turbo back exhaust, and blow off on the stock turbo and engine and keep it pretty reliable?

And with those mods, on stock engine and stock turbo, would I actually be able to feel the difference or would I have to upgrade fuel pump, turbo and add boost control?

Anyhow, thanks in advance to any info back.. Please, useful help only, I'm not looking for another 13 sec car.. just something comfortable with alittle more power then it has.. And, just wondering, with those mods, wouldn't they allow the stock engine and turbo to run easier?? just wondering!

Thanks everyone!
Douglas Day
Boise Idaho
ISR.com

 

[No_Skillz]

Reliability is all up to how it's maintained. Front mount is useless without a bigger turbo and might decrease your performance. Your 2G exhaust manifold is a great piece stock. You don't need an aftermarket piece, nor will you get any performance from one (at least not at your level of mods). You should get another BOV since your stock 2G one leaks around 12psi, but make sure to recirculate it.

Best way to make some extra power with the least amount of money is to follow the tech guide.

Just out of morbid curiosity since you mentioned Hondas... what's your "fun/fast" car? Don't mean to bash, but if that car is a Honda, your DSM will outpace it easily with the same amount of money/mods.

 

[quickeclipse]

Reliability is all up to how it's maintained. Front mount is useless without a bigger turbo and might decrease your performance. Your 2G exhaust manifold is a great piece stock. You don't need an aftermarket piece, nor will you get any performance from one (at least not at your level of mods). You should get another BOV since your stock 2G one leaks around 12psi, but make sure to recirculate it.

Best way to make some extra power with the least amount of money is to follow the tech guide.

Just out of morbid curiosity since you mentioned Hondas... what's your "fun/fast" car? Don't mean to bash, but if that car is a Honda, your DSM will outpace it easily with the same amount of money/mods.

Morbid curiosity.. hahahah.. that's a new one.. na.. not a honda.. Mazda mx6 gt.. it's an 88.. if your not familiar with em.. got to mx6.com.. Really, I think the thing is ugly as hell, but it's a total sleeper. It's been set up for autoX, has full suspension, big brakes, slotted and drilled rotors... blah blah blah.. I guess it's not super fast, but it runs mid 13's with stock turbo, chipped ecu and catback exhaust.. which is pretty fast for as little go-fast mods it has. Anyhow, to answer your question, no, not a honda.

 

[talonproject]

well imo first thing u should do is to have it checked for crankwalk
then if your car s ok, meaning no boost leak, good compression etc,
buy a boost gauge, a 1g bov, and put a 3inch from the turbo the back...then buy a datalogger and a manual boost controller, then u may follow the tech guide...

 

[quickeclipse]

Again.. I'm new.. what exactly is crank walk? and.. would I be able to tell while driving? the car seems to drive just fine.. boosts pretty well, kinda surprising for a stock car.. Just wondering.

 

[talonproject]

http://www.vfaq.com/index-main.html
and mainly http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=44

 

[7"exhaust_tip]

search, search, search!

 

[onegeenewbie]

Hello , I'm fairly new to this world and I have a few questions that maybe you experts can answer for me. I've done some homework on these cars outside of this forum and so far everybody says that they're mechanics cars or that they're pretty decent cars if you modify them correctly.... it's about 50/50. I'm still fairly new to the turbo world, I have a 1996 jetta that I recently swapped a 1.8t into, so I have some experience from that. I'm considering selling it to get myself into one of these famed rockets.

My questions are:

1) can a 1g turbo awd car be a good daily driver if it modified correctly? I'm aware of the slim crankwalk issues (but apparently that's not true about the 1g's?), and I'm also aware of the manual transmission not holding up... what exactly breaks on them?

2) If I get I plan on performing basic maintenance, fixer uppers to make it perform well in stock form. Any things I should pay close attention to?

3) After I address all the maintenance items (it is an old car, it's not invincible), I am planning to build a 300awhp car that can be driven reliably.

any and all advice is appreciated.... except from those who say "SEARCH"

 

[ROOKIE1]

Search ....








I have had mine since 95 . It is like any other car as you know . You take care of it , it takes care of you . Maintenance issues : Timing belt and components , Harmonic dampener , and the usual . Oil , plugs , wires . There is an upgrade path here . http://dsmtuners.com/sub.php?page=1gtupgrades , http://dsmtuners.com/sub.php?page=2gtupgrades . Vfaq . com is very helpful . Crankwalk is a 7 bolt issue . Not all that common in my opinion . You hear about the ones that do , I don't think the percentage is that high .

 

[awdtalontsi1992]

1. Yes these cars can be good daily drivers if they are maintained and treated right. They are no honda.. ...haha It is the 7-Bolt found in cars after 4/92 that are known for crankwalking it hasn't been a problem with Early 92, 91, and 90 cars. However I would not be concerned with this especially at the power levels you are seeking. The main problems with the tranny's are that the synchros especially in second gear tend to wear out. The only time this really becomes a problem is when you are trying to make power shifts at 7000rpm.

2. Make sure when you buy the car to look it over first and take it for a test drive. These cars have a few problem areas. The rear calipers and e-brake cables are notorious for freezing up. Check the shifter cables condition as they are often a pain in their old age. Finally and most importantly check the turbo over as best as you can(taking it for a test drive will also help with this).

3. 300hp is easily achievable with these cars with simple bolt-ons. As long as you down beat the car all the time and take care of the car it will be as reliable as any 15 year old car.

Either way enjoy.

 

[onegeenewbie]

wow, thanks for the quick replies!!! so the syncros huh... would a professionally built race transmission solve this issue then for the power levels i'm planning for? I don't plan on 'power shifting' like a ricer/idiot would, and I normally drive like your grandma does, accelerating in vacuum.

The only way I would get into this world, is if I can find a fairly unmolested one that has less than 100k on it. This will obviously be a huge jump for me.

Keep the responses coming though!

 

[TurboDreamzGST]

hey....i have a 97 gst....and ill tell u....just be prepared in the beginning....it was a little overwhelming for me because at first my car was NOT reliable at all but with the right fix ups and mods it seems to be doing just fine....i went through my fair share of fixes such as that transmission....but i have heard that the 1g's seems to hold up a lot better than the 2g's in all around reliablilty....but dont get me wrong...i love my car and i wouldnt trade it for anything.....if you're patient and have the time to really take care of the car...you'll love it and their a lot of fun to drive...hope this helps and hopefully you'll turn into a dsm enthusiast as well...good luck

 

[TheClaw]

I've been daily driving DSM's for a combined 5 years - never had any major probs.

My 91 (198k) is my current daily driver - pulls 12.5 and 310 to the wheels. Motor is original - only opened for cams and a metal HG. Been DD'ing it over a year - only let me down once when the alternator failed.

Treat them good and they will return the favor. Beat the living crap out of them, rig'em, don't keep up on maint and they will hate you in return

 

[ROOKIE1]

The only way I would get into this world, is if I can find a fairly unmolested one that has less than 100k on it. This will obviously be a huge jump for me.

Keep the responses coming though!

They have those ? . Under 100k on a 1 G . Talk about your needle in a haystack . We have a classified section here .

 

[onegeenewbie]

They have those ? . Under 100k on a 1 G . Talk about your needle in a haystack . We have a classified section here .

I've seen it , or even around 100k... I'll take a peek...

 

[VanIsleDSM]

I have a 1g with 155,000km (under 100k mile) it's a '92 6/4 bolt with viscous coupling, it's mint, I want to make it clear that I'm not trying to sell it on here, I just want to post this to show the pics of my rare gem, it's stock with no power, no ac, no ABS, lightest TSi AWD possible, with all the performance goodness.. perfect race car! kicks the crap outa my new 2g.

http://www.revscene.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=426787

if this is completely not allowed I'll take the time to post just the pics here... it's just easier this way.

 

[Quasimondo]

1) can a 1g turbo awd car be a good daily driver if it modified correctly? I'm aware of the slim crankwalk issues (but apparently that's not true about the 1g's?), and I'm also aware of the manual transmission not holding up... what exactly breaks on them?

If properly maintained any modified car can hold up to daily driving. Crankwalk is not an issue with 1G's, and it's been a very long time since I've heard about any 2G engine going out from crankwalk. Transmissions break when they're beat up, abused, and launched like there's no tomorrow every time you pull off from a traffic light. Drive it like a regular car, and it'll hold up just fine.

2) If I get I plan on performing basic maintenance, fixer uppers to make it perform well in stock form. Any things I should pay close attention to?

If you're not sure when the timing belt was replaced, replace it. Same goes for all other accessory (power steering, alternator, air conditioner) belts. Change the oil, change the air filter, the fuel filter, check the coolant. If you're not sure when was the last time the gear oil in the transmission, transfer case, and rear end was changed, change that too. Same goes for the brake fluid.

3) After I address all the maintenance items (it is an old car, it's not invincible), I am planning to build a 300awhp car that can be driven reliably.

any and all advice is appreciated.... except from those who say "SEARCH"

Start here:
http://www.dsmtuners.com/tech.php