just bought my first DSM

[yeti-gvr4]

I've wanted to learn the frustration of FWD so I picked up a 1992 gst the hood is thrashed, needs a sunroof and there's no rear seats or trunk interior,

I got it for 500$ and got it towed 92 miles to my house for 140$.
Funny thing is I know the person who's on the title.
And it wasn't the seller.

Anyways

The car has a horrible rattling that never goes away even under throttle it doesent change pitch or pace under throttle (I think Ill be checking it all out tommarow )

He said the head was ported so I'm geussing its valves tapping?

 

[Sphinx]

hmm, under assumption to valves tapping, if your raising the throttle the tap would be more frequant. i may be wrong but i would rule that possiblity out take note cant hear the car ither. good luck

p.s. wish i could pick up a dsm for 500$ ... there around 1k even with the front end written off :s

 

[TimIacobucci]

A loud rattle that does not change with engine or drive line speed is usually something loose clanking against something else. Or just bent or misaligned so it is vibrating against something else. Just check all around the engine and accessories for any loose/missing bolts. Also putting your hand against different parts will sometimes stop the movement and dampen the vibration and can help to locate what part the noise is coming from.

It could be a very simple fix. Don't go tearing into the engine before you rule out the simple stuff first.

 

[yeti-gvr4]

I know I talked him down from 1000
And the rattling sounds like its from inside the engine,
But I will search around the whole engine bay today,
And also get a second opinion before I. Tear into the engine.

And a second question anyone know how much a sunroof goes for?
NOT NEW

Or can anyone tell me if the sunroof from an eclipse gs or anyother dsm sunroof will fit with a bolt on affair

 

[Dhan]

I've seen sunroofs anywhere from $100-$140. Some OEM replacements, some aftermarket. I would check with DSM Graveyard or the classifieds on this site for cheaper prices.

NeMiZis, another member on here, said he has a spare 1G sunroof. Any 90-94 1G sunroof will fit.

About the sound: is it a metal rattling, or a plastic tapping sound? Can you discern what type of material is making the rattling sound?

 

[yeti-gvr4]

So I Got good news ish.....

My friend the previous owner 3 times ago said the block is cracked he said he put 3 new heads on and there was a repetative result of coolant in the oil.

I checked the oil today and it looked like a green and black milk shake I ran the car for about an hour just idleing and it never got over the cold side of normal on the temp gauge.
NO OVER HEATING

And the rattle is from 1500rpms to about 2600rpms outside of those ranges its completely gone NO RATTLING above 2600rpms and it definately sound like it coming from the head.

Also there a weird Light Grinding noise maybe coming from the tranny case I'm not sure but it only happens every other 5 mins and then completely goes away.

My questions are what will happen if I continue to drive the car with oil in the coolant and what will happen to the cracked block, will the crack just spread over time and abuse?

Oh and my stock oil gauge is pegged to L on the scale that's say L to H oil gauge I don't know if its pressure or oil itself. Can anyone tell me what the oil gauge is reading?

 

[atruepretense]

So I Got good news ish.....

My friend the previous owner 3 times ago said the block is cracked he said he put 3 new heads on and there was a repetative result of coolant in the oil.

I checked the oil today and it looked like a green and black milk shake I ran the car for about an hour just idleing and it never got over the cold side of normal on the temp gauge.
NO OVER HEATING

And the rattle is from 1500rpms to about 2600rpms outside of those ranges its completely gone NO RATTLING above 2600rpms and it definately sound like it coming from the head.

Also there a weird Light Grinding noise maybe coming from the tranny case I'm not sure but it only happens every other 5 mins and then completely goes away.

My questions are what will happen if I continue to drive the car with oil in the coolant and what will happen to the cracked block, will the crack just spread over time and abuse?

Oh and my stock oil gauge is pegged to L on the scale that's say L to H oil gauge I don't know if its pressure or oil itself. Can anyone tell me what the oil gauge is reading?

Your friend is a completely moron obviously. Who the hell runs a block cracked? Then proceeds to spend money on 3 different heads? There's coolant in the oil because the crack is probably right where oil and coolant can end up mixing.

Take the valve cover off and look for anything suspicious. Could be a balance shaft bearing even? (Confirm me here guys).

As for the trans, does it matter which gear you're in? Also could be a clutch problem. If you continue to drive the car with a crack in the block, it might expand, it might not, but it's definitely not helping any. I mean it's an iron block so I'm sure it'll expand with heat. As for the stock oil gauge, look under the car on the oil filter housing and see if a plug is plugged into the sending unit (Little canister type thing). If it's not, there's the problem, if there is, your gauge is bad or there is some kind of fault in the wire.

 

[TimIacobucci]

Don't drive it with coolant in the oil. You can spin bearings that way.

Did he say where or how it was cracked? That whole story sounds strange. It is possible that even if the block was really cracked before that over the last 2 owners the engine was replaced. So don't assume that is the cause of the coolant in the oil. If you tear the engine down you can have it magnafluxed to see if it is the same block and where the leak is coming from.

Running it like that will kill the engine eventually if you don't fix it. At the very least if you are really lazy change the oil and top off the coolant to see if it quickly dumps right back into the crankcase or what the deal is.

I would be sourcing a new engine or building one though while you are limping the thing along.

 

[yeti-gvr4]

For all I know it could be a spun bearing would that always make noise threw 1500-1600 RPMs
And I'll definately source a new block. I can get one for 130 shipped so I'm going to try to hop on that.
it will be my first build.

Thanks everyone for the information, is this a bad buy for 500$ the body ok the hood is thrashed and there's no rear seats/interior or trunk interior, also needs paint, sunroof, and a new side skirt.

 

[red92tsi]

Getting the car towed for $140 for 92 miles sounds like a good deal!

 

[Below Ambient]

that engine is going to be trash if you keep running it that way... sounds like its already spun a bearing... can you post a video for sorting it out?

 

[yeti-gvr4]

I'll be planning on registering my gvr4 and bringin the gst to my house and swaping a block in. But have a feeling its gonna take me awhile.

I'll get the block for 130 shipped and then pay for some help.

Should I swap the ecu from me gvr4 into the gst and then hook up the link or will it not work?

Ones awd ones fwd is there a difference?

 

[Below Ambient]

Should I swap the ecu from me gvr4 into the gst and then hook up the link or will it not work?

Ones awd ones fwd is there a difference?

if its a 92 then it will work but you'll have to swap a couple pins on the connector... i can't remember which ones, but the gvr4 is the same as a 90 ecu so look up swapping 90 ecu into 92

 

[yeti-gvr4]

Is is it bad for me to let the car get warm every day.
There's still coolant in the oil and vice versa I'm planning on an oil change but I'm gonna get a block first priority.

What I'm asking is should I run this motor as long as possible and hope it last as long it takes me to rebuild the engine.

 

[97 Demon]

I would say to stop running that enginge before more damage is done to it, just drive your other vehicle untill you have your build completed.
$130 for a block is dirt cheap, I would make sure to magnuflux it just in case it is damaged as well, build your new engine, drain the fluids out of the one in there now, and keep your head in the game.

$500 for the car in the condition its in isn't too bad.

 

[yeti-gvr4]

Ok so I won't run the car anymore unless I change oil and coolant just to tell if ikt mixes right back together.

Other than that the cars runs preety good

It idle surges when cold and idles at about 1000 when warm.

I can stil run it preety hard though I haven't driven it past 2nd gear so I don't know that.

 

[97 Demon]

I can stil run it pretty hard though I haven't driven it past 2nd gear so I don't know that.

This is what's going to cause you to spin your crank bearings, my advice is to just drain it and pull the battery out, because based on what you have told us so far I can garuntee you that the fluids are going to mix again so it would be a waste of your money to pour new fluids in just to see if it will mix again.

Trust me, you do not want to beat a dieing enginge, I have my car at half compression and every time I. Jump on it and start beating it I can feel it getting that much closer to just giving up the ghost.

DO NOT CONTINUE TO RUN THE OLD ENGINE, do not waste your money on pouring fresh fluids into the cracked block, and DO have fun building a new engine to put in the car so that you can enjoy the hell out of it.

 

[yeti-gvr4]

Should I do a compression test just to check if it cracked cause I don't know if the block is really cracked I just believe it.

is a 6bolt block for $130 a good deal (I already know its a good deal but it needs boring or honing)..

Kinda sad the engines gotta go but really stoked I finnaly got that push I've been waiting for to start learning A LOT more

And if I get justa plain block how much for a head,pistons, crank, rods . Bearings and gaskets and all that

Is gonna be around 1000 at the end right?

 

[97 Demon]

The price of everything will depend on where you shop and what kind of performance your looking for, I would suggest that you check out the vendors on here, I know for sure that DSMGraveyard is good business, John over there likes to make sure the customer is ordering what they want and they gwt the best bang for their buck.

That's still a good deal on that block, your going to want to pick up oem/ oem equivelent parts to start with because of $ reasons, but if you do that then you will have that much more respect and awe with your DSM down the road as you start throwing performance parts into it.

 

[yeti-gvr4]

Thanks for the info.

Will a 7bolt crank fit into a 6bolt block?
( and is it worth it to have the crank knife sharpened)
And should I not even do the compression Test would it just be a waste of time

Reason i can't pull the block and build it out of the previous engine.

Is because I have to register my galant and park the gst for a month or 3 tops and have to get it done with the 3 months

 

[97 Demon]

Check the pm I sent you, that should be everything you need.

Compression test on the old motor = waste of time.

Knife-edging a crank is to reduce rotational mass for quicker RPM climbing revs. Its a waste of time unless your planning on racing the car... and you being in the part of california your in, I wouldn't. I spent 4 years in sacramento and only stayed off the radar of the cops because I was in a white crown vic.

 

[thomcasey]

Thanks for the info.

Will a 7bolt crank fit into a 6bolt block?
( and is it worth it to have the crank knife sharpened)
And should I not even do the compression Test would it just be a waste of time

Reason i can't pull the block and build it out of the previous engine.

Is because I have to register my galant and park the gst for a month or 3 tops and have to get it done with the 3 months

Compression test will test the pistons/rings/valve and such. A cracked block will not show up in the compression test unless is is cracked in a cylinder wall.

 

[yeti-gvr4]

So a leak down test then...

If I even do it I think I'm just going to keep it running til the new longblock is ready

 

[97 Demon]

Not a good idea, just use your gvr4 untill you can fix the 92, it will sieze or blow parts out the side of the block if you continue to run the motor, and with the white smoke coming out of everywhere I would say your piston rings are now fried, possibly more, your going to end up bending your valves if you continue to run the motor because it will skip timing in the condition its in. Our cars run what's known as an interference motor which means that the valves open in the space the pistons sit which can cause some serious damage if they lose timing.

 

[thomcasey]

So a leak down test then...

If I even do it I think I'm just going to keep it running til the new longblock is ready

Why would you do that?? The motor is hurting. Unless you are ready to buy new everything for the bottom and top ends, just park it and drive the VR4. Am I the only one here who is flabbergasted at how difficult it is to explain this? WTF