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

[Nekoni]

I'm not going to lie to you. DSMs are probably the LEAST reliable cars I've ever owned. They were very poorly engineered and they will bite the f' out of your wallet if you don't keep putting money into them because those small things you should have replaced or didn't have the money to replace at the time, turned into one huge problem that will cost a lot more to fix.

I WILL NOT daily drive my DSM because I know it's going to take me at least 2 more years to sort through everything the previous owner didn't keep up on 100%

 

[r1991_4g63t]

I WILL NOT daily drive my DSM because I know it's going to take me at least 2 more years to sort through everything the previous owner didn't keep up on 100%

wow, glad i didnt come up with the 8k pricetag you had on it....

 

[pj91gsx]

That is suprising that your temperature stayed down, Its probably ok because VW had an air cooled engine,

 

[r1991_4g63t]

the cool air kept the outside of the temp sensor cool... doubt the engine was that cool, remember if nothing is there to read its gonna give you a low to normal reading

 

[boostngsx]

I feel your pain. My car has been nothing but headaches since day 1. Car had a fuel pressure issue when I bought it, owner said it was the regulator. Replaced that still no damn pressure. Go to replace the pump the fuel lines are so rusted the wont move. Went to drop the gas tank, thing is so rusted I have to get a new one. Anyway just about everything has been like that. Replacing one part after another.

 

[Nekoni]

wow, glad i didnt come up with the 8k pricetag you had on it....

Buddy, with this car, it was a matter of you're not buying it for reliability, you're buying it because of how clean it is and what's done to it, just like EVERY dsm I've ever seen. I can make one of these cars reliable, it just takes time and money. Moral of the story is, don't daily drive a DSM unless you've got luck or money coming out your ears.

 

[Lofty]

Buddy, with this car, it was a matter of you're not buying it for reliability, you're buying it because of how clean it is and what's done to it, just like EVERY dsm I've ever seen. I can make one of these cars reliable, it just takes time and money. Moral of the story is, don't daily drive a DSM unless you've got luck or money coming out your ears.

I've been daily driving it for 3 months now.
I don't see whats wrong with it?

 

[joro702]

nice to hear that these problems get around, mine has been on jackstands for two weeks now

yeah i feel ya me to

 

[XilArAtiNG]

haha I just graduated UTi. Great school... but its what you make of it. Anyway

Something simple like a hose is nothing... the car is 13 years old and just had a simple hose break. Relax. My friends Integra burned a valve at 114k...sounded like a subaru for a few days . Just because its a honda or a toyota, it will not last forever. They do break I work at a shop and have seen corollas blow their motors before too... Just replace it, do the needed maintenance on it and pay attention to the car.

btw its more of a neon than a dsm....

 

[Nekoni]

I've been daily driving it for 3 months now.
I don't see whats wrong with it?

You're N/A 4g63, completely different ball game.

I daily drove my 91 GS 2.0 m/t for a year and a half with no problems, sold it at 218k miles and the guy is STILL driving it.

Buy a turbo, or worse yet, turbo and modded DSM, it might not hit you at first, but it will slowly start to fall apart on you.

Easiest way to make it reliable? Rebuild it from the ground up, or find a stock auto, stock down to the air filter.

 

[pj91gsx]

You're N/A 4g63, completely different ball game.

I daily drove my 91 GS 2.0 m/t for a year and a half with no problems, sold it at 218k miles and the guy is STILL driving it.

Buy a turbo, or worse yet, turbo and modded DSM, it might not hit you at first, but it will slowly start to fall apart on you.

Easiest way to make it reliable? Rebuild it from the ground up, or find a stock auto, stock down to the air filter.

The OP is a NT too. I have friends that say if you can work on a Mitsubishi you can work on anything. I have learned how to diagnose problems really well. You just have to know what can go wrong before it does and you have to know what was done last to your motor. If you know how to do a boost leak test, compression test, reset the timing belt, reset ignition timing, and diagnose codes from the ecu you can fix any car.

 

[r1991_4g63t]

The OP is a NT too. I have friends that say if you can work on a Mitsubishi you can work on anything. I have learned how to diagnose problems really well. You just have to know what can go wrong before it does and you have to know what was done last to your motor. If you know how to do a boost leak test, compression test, reset the timing belt, reset ignition timing, and diagnose codes from the ecu you can fix any car.

i think he meant trying to dd a turbo dsm is alot more of a problem than a non turbo, theyre both unreliable as a daily, just more so with the turbo. i drove mine 28/30 days a month, with a day off every two weeks or so to fix the new problems

 

[Nekoni]

i think he meant trying to dd a turbo dsm is alot more of a problem than a non turbo, theyre both unreliable as a daily, just more so with the turbo. i drove mine 28/30 days a month, with a day off every two weeks or so to fix the new problems

Like I said, money or luck coming out the ears. Honestly I could be daily driving mine right now, but I'm one of those people who just won't drive something with anything wrong with it. Including fluid leak, lifter tick, exhaust leak, blue smoke, you name it. Right now it's down because I had an exhaust leak in two spots and found out my cat is toast.

Also, I said 4g63 N/A, so I'm not including the neon engines.

 

[smithGSX]

look at it this way man, at least you didnt buy the car for 1500, realize you got ripped off when you found out the ENTIRE engine was shot (head, turbo, block, crank) and then try and get some cash back and never hear from the seller again. trust me, NOT GOOD. but hey, i rebuilt my engine from the bottom up with 1800 bucks for good aftermarket parts. DSM's are cheap, fast, and reliable as hell (as long as a 20 year old woman who cant change oil aint driving it........). you'll get by fine. keep it around, it will be worth something soon. mitsu went soft and the late 90s were the last good years.

 

[r1991_4g63t]

Like I said, money or luck coming out the ears. Honestly I could be daily driving mine right now, but I'm one of those people who just won't drive something with anything wrong with it. Including fluid leak, lifter tick, exhaust leak, blue smoke, you name it. Right now it's down because I had an exhaust leak in two spots and found out my cat is toast.

Also, I said 4g63 N/A, so I'm not including the neon engines.

i was agreeing with you, a tsi dd isnt a good idea

 

[XilArAtiNG]

i was agreeing with you, a tsi dd isnt a good idea

It all depends on how its driven, built and with what parts...

I drove and still drive my Big16g at 20psi daily 100 mile round trip with no problems, take care of the car and it will take care of you!!! DSMs are not shit boxes that break daily, its the drivers and their age that makes them seem like that...

 

[LandoAWD]

Gee, I wonder why all the other import owners trash talk our cars...

Drove my Laser 100,000 miles and was NEVER left stranded. Hell, I wrecked the car and drove it away.

Some of you should think before you type. Perhaps the car isn't to blame...

 

[Nekoni]

When I do nothing but put either higher strength or OEM Mitsu parts in every single time it breaks, the fact that I've never run a boost controller on the car (running 9psi), the fact it's never seen a drag strip, autocross, road race track in it's life, or that I baby it on the street.

If you want, I can prove this $20,000 car (when it was new) has around $50-60k worth of parts keeping it on the road throughout its whole life. My car was a one owner car and he kept everything, just like I do. Also, it's not a question of mechanics skills seeing at 95% of the time this car was ever serviced, it was done so by the Mitsubishi dealership, all the way down to a brand new head because the balance shaft belt broke at 45k miles.

It's not just this car either, I've owned 10 DSMs (including parts cars), five of them AWD Turbo that I tried to daily drive. The only one I was able to get semi reliable came to me with every, EVERY fluid leaking; rear end, transfer case, transmission, coolant, power steering, engine oil, everything. I tore that interior down, rewired the whole car, I went through and resealed all the gaskets including an engine rebuild. She wasn't the prettiest I've ever owned, but the money and time I had into that car gave me a reliable low 13 second DSM. She still broke every once in a while, but it was a rare case all the way up until I let my buddy drive it and he plowed a deer.

 

[LandoAWD]

My counterpoint hinges on two daily driven, modifed DSMs that perform as they should. Your example holds no more weight than my own, and the point is that threads like this keep the reputation of our vehicles down.

 

[Nekoni]

Maybe if you wouldn't touch my butt, I wouldn't feel sexually threatened.

 

[LandoAWD]

No means yes; got it?

 

[Nekoni]

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[ShawnsGarage]

DSMs are like prostitutes you have to pay to beat/bang them.

I have put about 50,000 miles on mine with no problem. Don't drive them like you stole them and keep them maintained and you wont have this problem. When something needs replaced don't be cheap and say hell ill fix it when it breaks. Like Kris said i don't think the car is to blame.

 

[r1991_4g63t]

It all depends on how its driven, built and with what parts...

sorry, shouldve specified, 18 year old stock dsm

 

[Nekoni]

sorry, shouldve specified, 18 year old stock dsm

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