Need help getting started

[jamie8dc]

Hey, I'm new to the forums and don't actually have a DSM at the moment. I'm only 17 and own an '02 v6 Camaro, but want to sell it in order to get a TSI awd turbo (lookin at 96-98) and put the leftover money towards mods. I'm thinking I could get about $12500 for my Camaro, and could find a decent TSI for around 5,500.

Problem is, I don't know a damn thing about working on cars.

If anyone could give me tips on the easiest way to learn about cars, please let me know. I'm willing to put forth time and effort to gain experience in this "field", so if anyone has any suggestions please share them with me. I'm currently looking for a job at an auto garage or something of that nature.

I know this is pretty vague, but I'm sure many of you were in my shoes at one point, so any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!!

-TSI Driver Wannabe

I realize the oddity in replying to my own thread, but I was also wondering if there are any common problems with 96-98 TSIs? One person I've talked to said there is a "widely known" valve problem that almost all Eclipse/Talons have, and I was wondering if there was any truth to this. I just would like to know what kind of money I should expect to put aside for maintanence on a TSI awd turbo between those years, so I don't go out and spend all my money on mods then have the damn thing break down on me or something.

Thanks

 

[boostedinaz]

The cars a broken down kinda weird. You can blame Mitsu for it.

1G cars have two versions of the 4G63T. From 89-may of 92 had a 6 bolt motor. After that every DSM has a 7 bolt motor. The bolt part comes from how many bolts hold the flywheel to the crank. There is a problem with crankwalk in 7 bolt motors. A crank has a bit of side to side movement, when that movement gets to be to much then the motor needs to be rebuilt, thats crankwalk. For some reason it is more likely to happen in 7 bolt motors more then others. It can happen to any motor but these are just a bit more likely.

Once you read the board some more you will learn alot more about these cars. Give it time.

Michael

 

[MNGSX]

Yes.

Open this chart in another window and read on...



1g = 1st generation

2g = 2nd generation

Changes Good = suspension improvements (closer to true double wishbone) and IMHO improved body style. They handle alot better... I dont know why they call the 1g suspension stronger.... maybe road rally cars need that but on the road I'd rather have the ability to tear up a auto-x track than go fourwheeling... None of the 2gs came with the weak 3 bolt rear drive train components...

Changes Bad = 7 bolt engine (glass slipper), t-25 turbo (tiny)

6 Bolt engine = Manufactured prior to april/may 1992...
Therefore some 1g's are 7bolts....

7 Bolt engine = Manufactured after april/may 1992...


The 7 bolt engine has narrower main bearings, different main caps, different oil jets to squirt oil on the underside of the piston, weaker connecting rods, less capable heads in stock form... Some had improperly machined crankshafts.... according to mitsu...

IMHO the cause of crankwalk is the stacking of mistakes made in the design...

1. An oil squirter can hang open at low rpm and they get oil from the main bearings sub passage not the primary oil passage...


2. Bad crankshafts. Machined wrong.

3. Main caps shifting.

4. High clamp load clutches. They grab the disk harder and hold more power that way but when you push on the clutch they also push on the crankshaft harder.

Crankwalk Notice on the chart that on early 1gs it is almost completely unheard of which is why I built on a 1990 engine block..

Read this

1g v 2g head and intake

So if you have a 2g most people do
This as I have

Note I did it right and have no check engine lights....

Simply put a 1g engine with upgrades in a 2g car combines the best of both generations..

Like I said private message me and I'll talk numbers. I'm mostly trying to make the bank happy so if I have to eat the cost of some of my mods... so be it...

 

[BlackbirdOfPrey]

I dunno if this has been said already, but I learned a lot about cars, and working on them just by reading my Haynes shop manual. If you get into dsms, I recommend getting a manual (Chilton's or Haynes), If you start ripping stuff, out, they are good to have if you screw up, plus they have torque figures and such with them.

 

[jamie8dc]

I'm trying, like I said I'm more than willing to put forth the effort to learn. And since yesterday when I signed up, even reading when I had a few extra minutes at work and when I get home, I'm beginning to learn a lot.

Though I do not know what a flywheel or crank do, I do hear those words all the time when talking to friends about cars, I'm usually just too embarassed to ask what those are for fear of my peers laughing at me. Haha :laugh:

But thanks for explaining that to me, I'm sure it's fun explaining this kind of stuff to someone as ignorant as I am (I sense sarcasm...) but I really do appreciate it. Since I've been reading this forum my yearning for a DSM has increased dramatically haha. My buddy from work is almost 21 and he recently bought a #g (not the new girly lookin ones, I think it's a 96, whatever "g" that is) for like 7 grand, and he loves it. He's the one who made me first consider a DSM.

But anyways, can't seem to find anything decent on ebay or autotrader. Whoever posted that red tsi awd on ebay for like 3100, looks pretty nice. I want something black so if I got that I'd have to paint it. And 130,000 miles is quite a bit. Problem is, with something I'm iffy on I'd like to test drive it first. And that thing is no where near Texas, so that's a problem.

At this point I'd kind of like to buy whatever I get as close to stock as possible. First of all because I don't want some dipsh!t modding out my car and messing things up and me not finding out until 1000 miles later... and second of all because I'd like the learning experience that comes with modding out the car myself. Even if I don't do much of the labor myself, talking to the mechanics and figuring out what I want to mod and such will be a learning experience in itself.


I just found out that the scratch/dent on my camaro (some prick hit me I guess, I just noticed it today) is going to cost me $753.20 at the chevy dealer :thumbdown so i'm gunna try a few more places... but its probably gunna be around that. That's coming out of my DSM modding fund haha. I hate bad drivers. Especially jerks that don't leave their insurance. Not that I'm sure I'd leave mine if I hit a parked car... Oh wells, gotta fix it before I sell it.

When I do sell it, I'll post the link here for the autotrader site... so if any of you are lookin for a stock '02 35th Anniversary Camaro v6 automatic with leather, t-tops, chrome rims... check back here in the somewhat-near future


BTW what are cams?

All I know about a motor is that fuel and air are injected into some chamber, which is then ignited by the spark plug, which causes pressure which pushes the pistons up... then they come back down... rinse and repeat... and this causes something to spin the axles. I suck at this

Link to an engines-for-n00bies site anyone???

Sorry to be a pest. An ignorant pest. An ignorant pest with obnoxiously long posts...

<3

 

[MNGSX]

Intro to Turbochargers

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/turbo1.htm

Fuel injection

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-injection.htm

 

[jamie8dc]

MNGSX!!!!

This site is wonderful!

It's like okay, so you're a prick and don't know a damn thing about cars? You're at the right place! I feel so at home. This is perfect. It has pretty color pictures for me to follow and everything woohoo!!!

I've read through almost every article it has about anything resembling a car and an engine, and I feel like my brain capacity just doubled. Or something of that nature.

I know what an overhead cam is!!! w00t!!

Thanks dude!

 

[BlackbirdOfPrey]

BEWARE! Modding your DSM may cause serious addiction and or poverty! Boost at your own risk!