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I Hate My DSM, or My DSM Hates Me [Merged 12-8]

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Talesin said:
Heh. More like 'Welcome to the world of DSMs. Here's your 10, 12, and 14mm wrenches, some band-aids, a tube of RTV, and some duct tape. Aim for something soft when you start throwing your tools.'
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QFMFT!

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=207241

you own a dsm. suck it up and live with it and fix it, or move on. if leet wasnt so drunk now and defiant wasnt awol, this thread=thread has died.
 
Damn guys... i was thinking of picking up a GSX tomorrow for my daily driver. It's pretty modded so I don't know whether that's a bright idea. It seems that every other person has their car in the shop longer than its on the road[/QUOTE

well to be fair, the people bitching own the nightmarish 420A motor. God does it suck to work on.. your GSX wont be quite as... retarded... as the non-turbos.
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My car has been in the garage for I don't know how long now... but everytime I pull into the driveway in my beater Civic I look at my engineless DSM and only dream of the next time I get to drive it, even though I know it wont be for a few more months while I finish saving for my 6bolt and DSMlink. I had NO idea of what I was getting myself into. But hell, I drove it from IL to CA and back with no problems except a vac line popping off. And that was a straight 32 hours only stopping for gas (really hard on the engine, don't do it. If you had my brother in the car you'd understand why I did...) Sucks that a month later it spun a bearing, but what can you do? I've learned so much from this car... and even though it's stuck in a garage... Do I regret owning a DSM? Hell no.
 
Patience is the key to owning a DSM. My car spent the first 2 weeks of my ownership in the shop, then was out for a month, then spent 4 months just sitting outside due to a spun bearing, then spent 3 months in the shop awaiting the 6 bolt swap. I have racked my brain over this car, i have bloodied my knuckles from tight spaces, i have spent countless nights working into the early hours of the morning finishing up the car for the next day to drive to school and work. I have sworn I hated this car. But in the end nothing beats the feeling i get driving this car, hearing the intake, exhaust, turbo and bov. My DSM is my addiction, and no matter what happens i will always remember this car even when(god forbid) I get rid of it. Its a love/hate relationship, and I love this car even though it apparently hates me. Crying about your dsm being broken all the time? get over it. shit happens. Dont make a mountain out of a molehill, we have mostly all been there. Dont like the unreliablility? Get a Honda.
 
You guys complain... you should see my DSM and what we've gone through.

Motor blew up last October (October 7th to be exact) and it hasn't run since then. It took me about 2 months to find a good motor to put in there. After that, the shop which was working on my car... wait, it wasn't a shop, it was my dad's firestone (WORST IDEA EVAR!!) couldn't figure out how to prep it to fit into a 2nd gen. I printed them off directions, diagrams, wiring charts, pictures, etc. NOTHING. They fiddled with the motor for almost another month and couldn't understand how to get the 1st gen motor into a 2nd gen. From there, I decided to say #### it, and took the two motors to Buschur. $900 later, new water pump, timing belt, balance shaft removal, and basic maintence, I have a 6 bolt ready to go in. It is now about February. Well, the shop STILL didn't know what the #### they were doing, and I needed a 6 bolt flywheel to make the car start up. Got one, had it put in, car seemed "alright" so I was able to take it home. Funny, because that's where the nightmare STARTS.

March 14, I got my car home, and noticed it couldn't do over 60 on the highway. WTF? When I got it home, it had stalled a few times, jumped, and grinded... all bad things. Got the car into my garage and started doing other things. I wanted to paint the interior black, fix my lights, etc... small little things. Well, the car wouldn't start anymore. The starter disengaged from my flywheel, because the flywheel I bought was completely a POS. I said #### it, and had it towed to firestone, bought a Fidanza flywheel. Firestone was doing the install, took em about 2 days (they were busy, and I get free labor almost, so I wasn't complaining). In the mean time, I had parts to paint/rip out of the inside. Well, Firestone ####ed up again. When they put my tranny in, they forgot tranny fluid. All my gears turned into metal doughnuts. I told em they were buying me a new one, and that they did. 21k miles on a 2g AWD tranny. Hey look! My gears all work now! :D The car comes back to my house, same problem with going over 60.

It's May now. I drive it around town for a while, maybe a few days, and notice that it has no power, pickup, can't go over 60, and this weird metal sound in the front of the motor. Yea, my turbo was shot. The turbo had been shot from when the motor blew BEFORE, and Firestone didn't notice it. Bastards. I throw that POS out and get me a 14b. About the same time, I realized I wanted more power in the long run, and get an Evo III GT (they seemed like good turbos). Sold the 14b locally, gave the T25 away to the guy as well. 2 turbos for $120, not a bad deal. As the new turbo was on it's way, I started cleaning the car, making the plastic pieces look not so ghetto, and overall taking car of it. I also decided to boost test it, why the hell not? The motor has 40k on it, so it shouldn't be THAT bad, right? TB seals, injector seals, TB gaskets, BISS o-ring, PCV valve, boost solenoids, lines on the intake, wastegate hose, everything. You name it, it leaked. For nearly a month I fixed all of them. Yes, ALL OF THEM. Not one thing leaks now, holds 20psi like a champ.

July, my turbo came in. Full kit w/ported mani and all. Yay! I might have a working car! Wrong. The kit is a piece of shit. The turbo return line sweats oil, is too long, and doesn't seal worth shit. I, of course, didn't realize that until I started driving it around. Because it's too long, the line kinks. The kinked line then backs the oil into the turbo, and destroys the seals. Thus making you smoke like a pothead. I had to cut about 1/4 of the line off and it still sweats oil. Looks like the ExtremePSI stainless one is my best bet. Now, the turbo is off getting rebuilt. So yea, it STILL doesn't run right. Even after I get the turbo back, I need to figure out how to fix my random misfire code! Because of the 6 bolt, I'm throwing a code P0300 under cruise, and 2 cylinders shut off. DSMLink maybe?

[/rant] I just wanted to show you how these cars are. If you love em, you love em. I love mine. I won't give it up for ANYTHING. Not until it's built to how I want it. After the Firestone incident, all work is done by me, nobody else touches my car. That's the best way to handle these beasts. And yes, your car will have problems. But read up, ask questions, and take care of them. All the little problems you don't feel like fixing, turn into bigger problems and more headache latter.
 
I think the biggest problem is a lot of you guys who complain are younger or less experienced. You will go out and modify your car, drive the snot out of it and when something breaks, complain. People (myself included) have been modifying these cars for years. I bought a second 2GB GSX last year. It was stock then and it is stock now and I have had no problems. I do regular maintenance of course (speaking of which it's time for a T-belt job), which is essential to every car, but especially older cars.

The other thing is it is far more frustrating when your daily driver is down. I wouldn't have a heavily modified DSM for a daily driver, unless I had built it from the ground up myself. There is too much of a chance that your modification will rattle something loose, an old hose will start leaking oil or coolant, or something else will lead to catastrophic failure. My first 2GB GSX (before it was totaled by some kid who rear-ended me) was moderately modified, and I never worried about reliability. I did all of the modifications myself and ensured that the results wouldn't damage my car. Adding a bit of power (which is easy for us to do) without considering the problems that could arise from it (which most of us don't) can be costly. For example, doing the typical full 3" exhaust, intake/BOV upgrade needs to include a good boost controller to keep the little t25 from spiking to dangerous levels. Reving much above 6000rpm with stock cams is pretty much pointless, red-lining is ridiculous even though th valve-train can take it. Shifting your transmission as fast and as hard as you can can prematurely wear the syncros. I could go on, but I think I have made my point.

Yeah, I abuse my DSM, and she takes it pretty well, never complaining because I take care of her.
 
Injected said:
I think the biggest problem is a lot of you guys who complain are younger or less experienced. You will go out and modify your car, drive the snot out of it and when something breaks, complain. People (myself included) have been modifying these cars for years. I bought a second 2GB GSX last year. It was stock then and it is stock now and I have had no problems. I do regular maintenance of course (speaking of which it's time for a T-belt job), which is essential to every car, but especially older cars.

The other thing is it is far more frustrating when your daily driver is down. I wouldn't have a heavily modified DSM for a daily driver, unless I had built it from the ground up myself. There is too much of a chance that your modification will rattle something loose, an old hose will start leaking oil or coolant, or something else will lead to catastrophic failure. My first 2GB GSX (before it was totaled by some kid who rear-ended me) was moderately modified, and I never worried about reliability. I did all of the modifications myself and ensured that the results wouldn't damage my car. Adding a bit of power (which is easy for us to do) without considering the problems that could arise from it (which most of us don't) can be costly. For example, doing the typical full 3" exhaust, intake/BOV upgrade needs to include a good boost controller to keep the little t25 from spiking to dangerous levels. Reving much above 6000rpm with stock cams is pretty much pointless, red-lining is ridiculous even though th valve-train can take it. Shifting your transmission as fast and as hard as you can can prematurely wear the syncros. I could go on, but I think I have made my point.

Yeah, I abuse my DSM, and she takes it pretty well, never complaining because I take care of her.
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+1. I can second this. I am only 19 and have had my only car for 4 years now. I've been doing normal matinenance, but ALOT of my friend beat the SHIT out of their cars. Then they complain when it breaks down, bogs, what have you... It's a cycle if you don't change your driving habits or wrenching skills. Either one of the two, or both.

It's all about patience.

Alot of guys on here think if they're car is down, then the world is over. Because the car is their world. In reality, we all need to step back and realize that it's NOT the end of the world, and it's just a CAR. It can be fixed. Just do it right and you shouldn't have problems..
 
Injected said:
I think the biggest problem is a lot of you guys who complain are younger or less experienced. You will go out and modify your car, drive the snot out of it and when something breaks, complain. People (myself included) have been modifying these cars for years. I bought a second 2GB GSX last year. It was stock then and it is stock now and I have had no problems. I do regular maintenance of course (speaking of which it's time for a T-belt job), which is essential to every car, but especially older cars.

The other thing is it is far more frustrating when your daily driver is down. I wouldn't have a heavily modified DSM for a daily driver, unless I had built it from the ground up myself. There is too much of a chance that your modification will rattle something loose, an old hose will start leaking oil or coolant, or something else will lead to catastrophic failure. My first 2GB GSX (before it was totaled by some kid who rear-ended me) was moderately modified, and I never worried about reliability. I did all of the modifications myself and ensured that the results wouldn't damage my car. Adding a bit of power (which is easy for us to do) without considering the problems that could arise from it (which most of us don't) can be costly. For example, doing the typical full 3" exhaust, intake/BOV upgrade needs to include a good boost controller to keep the little t25 from spiking to dangerous levels. Reving much above 6000rpm with stock cams is pretty much pointless, red-lining is ridiculous even though th valve-train can take it. Shifting your transmission as fast and as hard as you can can prematurely wear the syncros. I could go on, but I think I have made my point.

Yeah, I abuse my DSM, and she takes it pretty well, never complaining because I take care of her.
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+2!!!!
 
I agree, everyone wants a fast cheap and reliable car but it doesn't work that way.

Some don't even know how to maintain a turbo dsm car, they beat on it till something breaks, attempt to fix it and fail, stays in the garage for several months and thats when the complains and crying start.
 
Alright, so I just need some room to rant. I'm really hating my car right now. So far my car has done nothing but give me problems. It has developed this random habit where it dies for no reason. My car no longer has a driver side headlight cover. It had the fog problem that our cars normally have so I went to fix it. I didn't realize that our timer was broke so I ended up melting the plastic. Now I have clear tape over the light just so it's protected from the elements. Now I'm in college so I don't have any money to fix anything on my car. Then I was on my way home back from home this weekend and my radiator hose came off and my car overheated. I didn't notice all the fluid drained cause I was on the interstate and the cool air was keeping my temps down. When i exited is when I noticed the problem. I'm just having so many problems I'm tempted to sell the damn thing and go with a honda just for the fact that they last forever. Someone please remind me why I love my DSM, cause at this moment the thing is nothing more than a pile of bolts that is falling apart.
 
We've all been there, don't worry. And it's moments like these that make all times that it works right worth it.
 
DSM, Honda, Toyota, all cars can be like this. Don't give up man.
 
Its just a stage (one of the many in the dsm world) Just keep at it and soon everything will become second nature :)
 
sell it for a turbo car. at least when it brakes, its justified cause when it does run again, its pretty quick. rather than spending alot all the time on a car that gets spanked by Kia minivans right off the showroom floor.

i see people with n/t's asking twice as high sale prices than those with turbo cars. maybe you can find someone dumb enough that thinks its worth it.

saw a beat up 95 n/t and they were asking $5k for it, and here my buddy found a 95 GSX with 110k on the clock for 1900$, turned around and sold it for $3800 iirc. n/t crowd is smoking methinks.
 
Thomas91169 said:
sell it for a turbo car. at least when it brakes, its justified cause when it does run again, its pretty quick. rather than spending alot all the time on a car that gets spanked by Kia minivans right off the showroom floor.

i see people with n/t's asking twice as high sale prices than those with turbo cars. maybe you can find someone dumb enough that thinks its worth it.

saw a beat up 95 n/t and they were asking $5k for it, and here my buddy found a 95 GSX with 110k on the clock for 1900$, turned around and sold it for $3800 iirc. n/t crowd is smoking methinks.
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Well I'm not a friggin idiot and know my car isn't worth every penny I have put into it. On the other hand, I go to UTI so about every kid there would be willing to pay a nice chunk of change just to say they own a DSM, especially one with a body kit (it's from my ricer days, quit laughing) that isn't falling off and actually fits its correctly.
I would like to get a turbo car, I just can't seem to save any money long enough to come close to affording one. I would need to save a couple grand then sell my car just so I would have enough money to get one so i would have a car to drive to school.
 
Im right there with you man. there are times where i just wanna get rid of it but at the same time I love the way my DSM looks and the way i look when im rollin in her!!!! but if you do end up selling your DSM :-( then make sure you get something similar like a WRX or atleast something with a turbo.
 
Yeah In my opinion NO Honduh or Toyota comes even CLOSE to lookin as badass as the 2g DSM. I sold My N/T for $6,500 and bought a TSi AWD for $4500! I was getting sick of my NT with turbo, but when I got the AWD it opened my eyes to a whole new love for DSM's again! If you sell your car BUY an AWD. You'll love it!
 
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