2G Maintenance on my new DSM.

[TheDude236]

Hey all! I am a newbie on these forums, and also new under the car. Got my first DSM (a ‘95 Talon AWD 5-speed) being shipped here at the moment, so I’m tying to collect as much info about maintenance as I can so I know what to work on when it gets here.
To my knowledge, seals and hoses have been replaced, but, I’m not sure if any of the fluids have been changed. Been reading a lot of the forums about what I assume is Transmission fluid, but also some people are talking about different synchromeshes, and even ATF or something?
Anyways, its a bit overwhelming/confusing to me, so I just need to know which oils are which, and which ones to put in my car. (Yes I did read a majority of the articles on the newbie page, but they weren’t super explanatory, and I’m also a bit dumb).
Thanks all!

(Also, the car has 200k miles on it. That might be helpful to some of you)

 

[1990TSIAWDTALON]

At that mileage, it is DEFINITELY timing belt and water pump time. Its not the "fun" stuff, but it will keep your car running much longer. They are supposed to be changed at 60k intervals to avoid failure and killing all of the valves in the head.
I bought a 1990 GSX with over 200000 and the kid NEW it needed it but couldn't do it so he sold it to me and I did the job. She is one very very dependable DSM, and some say that is hard to say. I am sooo happy that is done and behind me for many miles of carefree driving.
You would be wise to get a Factory Service Manual, or download one, and thumb thru it for the correct fluids the factory reccomends.
With that mileage, all of it should be changed as you mentioned. Hoses/belts the same way then you have a solid platform and reliable. I am sure others will chime in with more recommendations. Welcome to the best DSM forum on the internet!
Marty

 

[Widgmaster]

I`m thinking possibly the fluids have been changed due to the fact you mention new seals and hoses but it`s always a good idea to check just to be on the safe side. I typed you inquiry into the web and came up with this. Still I can`t recommend any thing but at least you can read for your self about the different oil ..
https://www.carid.com/1995-eagle-talon-transmission-fluid/

 

[jkuga]

Welcome to the DSM world!
Looks like you have a manual transmission from your build page. This article covers fluids.
https://www.jackstransmissions.com/blogs/pages/oil-recommendations
The recommended fluids for the transmission fluids are OEM or from redline.
Also definitely timing belt unless you know for certain it was done recently.
I would also make sure you have the correct plugs and wires. When I got my gsx those were wrong.
Other maintenance items to check might be the o2 sensors and a boost leak test. There's lots of good write ups on how to do one of those.
I would also check all of your ball joints and suspension connections for play as you don't want one of those coming loose and off.
What are your plans for the car?

 

[TheDude236]

At that mileage, it is DEFINITELY timing belt and water pump time. Its not the "fun" stuff, but it will keep your car running much longer.

YES! Thanks for reminding me! This is something I had to do on my 944 as well, not fun! I'll ask the seller if he changed em.

You would be wise to get a Factory Service Manual, or download one, and thumb thru it for the correct fluids the factory recommends.

Believe the seller included FSM's with the car, but was also planning on buying them anyways.

What are your plans for the car?

The plan is to drive it until the wheels come off. Will *hopefully* be my daily driver for a long time, but one thats gonna haul serious a$$

I would also check all of your ball joints and suspension connections for play as you don't want one of those coming loose and off.

Seller luckily replaced them, definitely a major plus!

I would also make sure you have the correct plugs and wires. When I got my gsx those were wrong.

Oh man. Wiring is not me or my dad's strong suit, I'll search for an article referring to that. To my knowledge, this car was very well taken care of (1 of 4 DSM's owned by an enthusiast), so, fingers crossed, I'm hoping they are OEM!

Man, I'm enjoying this forum a lot more than the Porsche forums I was on before this , thanks for being helpful!

 

[1990TSIAWDTALON]

YES! Thanks for reminding me! This is something I had to do on my 944 as well, not fun! I'll ask the seller if he changed em.



Believe the seller included FSM's with the car, but was also planning on buying them anyways.



The plan is to drive it until the wheels come off. Will *hopefully* be my daily driver for a long time, but one thats gonna haul serious a$$



Seller luckily replaced them, definitely a major plus!



Oh man. Wiring is not me or my dad's strong suit, I'll search for an article referring to that. To my knowledge, this car was very well taken care of (1 of 4 DSM's owned by an enthusiast), so, fingers crossed, I'm hoping they are OEM!

Man, I'm enjoying this forum a lot more than the Porsche forums I was on before this , thanks for being helpful!

You won't find a more helpful site anywhere.

 

[jkuga]

Make sure they are copper plugs and the Ngk wires. And yes this site is extremely helpful!

 

[XC92]

The ATF is for the power steering pump, if it has one, NOT the actual transmission. Make sure you get the right kind, IIRC it's 4+. I'd replace all the fluids if you're not sure they were replaced with good stuff fairly recently. With your DSM that's 3 for the drivetrain only, namely the transaxle, transfer case and rear diff. Probably wise to flush, replace and bleed the brake and clutch fluids too, and of course coolant, especially if you're changing the TB. Plus the other belts, if they're old.

I've been gradually swapping all these out on my '92 Talon TSi AWD manual, along with ball joints, bushings, struts, etc. Makes the car feel like new again.

 

[pauleyman]

YES! Thanks for reminding me! This is something I had to do on my 944 as well, not fun! I'll ask the seller if he changed em.



Believe the seller included FSM's with the car, but was also planning on buying them anyways.



The plan is to drive it until the wheels come off. Will *hopefully* be my daily driver for a long time, but one thats gonna haul serious a$$



Seller luckily replaced them, definitely a major plus!



Oh man. Wiring is not me or my dad's strong suit, I'll search for an article referring to that. To my knowledge, this car was very well taken care of (1 of 4 DSM's owned by an enthusiast), so, fingers crossed, I'm hoping they are OEM!

Man, I'm enjoying this forum a lot more than the Porsche forums I was on before this , thanks for being helpful!

I've noticed you've had the car for only a week and you're already purchasing mods. I am begging you do NOT do this. Learn the platform and more importantly your specific car first. I've been modding dsms for nearly 30 years now and I've seen countless stories of teens like yourself getting in over their head way too fast. Slow down, enjoy the car, learn, Maintenance maintenance Maintenance...THEN mod. Did I mention maintenance? And lastly, if you can't afford to break it you can't afford to mod it. This is especially true if you plan to daily drive it. Believe me. I have daily driven, truly daily driven an awd turbo dsm for 26 years. My maintenance was and is meticulous. The car still broke occasionally and I fixed it because I was prepared to do so. Hope this helps.

 

[AWD-Tony]

My maintenance was and is meticulous. The car still broke occasionally and I fixed it because I was prepared to do so. Hope this helps.

So true. Well put Pauley!!!

 

[XC92]

Excellent advice. A variation on you have to learn to walk before you can learn to run (unless you're an ungulate).

 

[JosephSMendez]

Hey all! I am a newbie on these forums, and also new under the car. Got my first DSM (a ‘95 Talon AWD 5-speed) being shipped here at the moment, so I’m tying to collect as much info about maintenance as I can so I know what to work on when it gets here.
To my knowledge, seals and hoses have been replaced, but, I’m not sure if any of the fluids have been changed. Been reading a lot of the forums about what I assume is Transmission fluid, but also some people are talking about different synchromeshes, and even ATF or something?
Anyways, its a bit overwhelming/confusing to me, so I just need to know which oils are which, and which ones to put in my car. (Yes I did read a majority of the articles on the newbie page, but they weren’t super explanatory, and I’m also a bit dumb).
Thanks all!

(Also, the car has 200k miles on it. That might be helpful to some of you)

Be sure to change all Fluids, oils, Filters, and and spark plugs to start. I always recommend getting an Interstate Battery.

 

[XC92]

My admittedly non-expert take on how to approach working on an older and not in the greatest of shape car you intend to keep and enjoy.

First, fix whatever's broken that needs to be fixed for it to be safely driven, e.g. grinding gears, weak brakes, bad struts. As opposed to a dead radio or non-structural dings, scratches and dents. Those can wait.

Then, replace all past-due replacement parts and fluids, e.g. engine oil and filter, coolant, belts, hoses, plugs, bushings, ball joints, etc.

Then get to those "secondary" but still important fixes, like non-structural body damage, flaky radio, stinky mats, etc.

Then, drive it around a while and get used to it and just enjoy it.

And only then start thinking about mods. And even then you're just thinking about it, not actually doing it. Do a lot of research, talk to people who know about them, price things out, find out what the potential drawbacks of various mods are, whether you really need them for you needs, etc.

And then, and only then, start actually doing any serious mods.

 

[TheDude236]

I've noticed you've had the car for only a week and you're already purchasing mods. I am begging you do NOT do this. Learn the platform and more importantly your specific car first. I've been modding dsms for nearly 30 years now and I've seen countless stories of teens like yourself getting in over their head way too fast. Slow down, enjoy the car, learn, Maintenance maintenance Maintenance...THEN mod. Did I mention maintenance? And lastly, if you can't afford to break it you can't afford to mod it. This is especially true if you plan to daily drive it. Believe me. I have daily driven, truly daily driven an awd turbo dsm for 26 years. My maintenance was and is meticulous. The car still broke occasionally and I fixed it because I was prepared to do so. Hope this helps.

Dont worry, my dad is a lot smarter than I am! He talked me out of purchasing stuff at the moment, not like I have any money to buy stuff anyways . I have read countless forum post on here about matinence, matinence, matinence, and while I told myself I’d do it, i got a bit caught up with how great the car is, and wanting to improve it. After the master and slave are done, should be done with broken things and we can get to diagnosing my power steering leak and preventative matinence.
Again, I won’t be modding it! Yay!
Although I do intend on modding the smell, the car smells quite terrible! Nothing some black ice little trees cant fix!

 

[XC92]

Matinence? What dat?

Seriously, no one's telling you to never mod the car, just to hold off till you've dealt with its outstanding issues and gotten it back to decent shape where it can be driven safely and reliably with no serious issues, AND have done a fair amount of research into the various mods you're thinking of doing.

As for the smell, I've had good luck with Chemical Guys Foaming Citrus Fabric Clean Carpet & Upholstery Shampoo, which is concentrated, effective and nice-smelling. There are many excellent alternatives made by them and other companies. I just happened to try this one as it was well-regarded and not that expensive.

You don't want to just mask the smell. You want to get rid of it, and whatever's causing it. You're in for a lot of elbow grease-type work, but it'll be worth it in the end. While you're at it clean the entire interior, upholstery, dash, console, doors, etc. Then the exterior, e.g. engine, engine, bay, trunk, under the car, body, etc.

 

[TheDude236]

You don't want to just mask the smell. You want to get rid of it, and whatever's causing it. You're in for a lot of elbow grease-type work, but it'll be worth it in the end. While you're at it clean the entire interior, upholstery, dash, console, doors, etc. Then the exterior, e.g. engine, engine, bay, trunk, under the car, body, etc.

Thanks for the tip! I did clean the interior with some Armoral plastic & dash cleaning wipes, and gave it a good vaccum, but the carpet is pretty nasty so I definitely gotta clean that.
Engine bay is clean-ish, but does need a good-ol scrub.
Also there is a hole in the catalytic converter and mutliple holes in the exhaust pipe near the headers. Thats where the smell is coming from, and since the rear hatch is trashed, I'm guessing thats my issue.
As for the mods, I gotta grab myself a boost gauge soon so I can monitor if there are boost leaks or not. So far the car pulls good, but after I fix the master and slave cylinders I intend on checking for a boost leak, and lots of maintenance related to the intake and airflow systems.

 

[pauleyman]

Boost gauge will not tell you if you have leaks.

 

[TheDude236]

Boost gauge will not tell you if you have leaks.

And thats why this forum exists