New car please give some input

[DesertEagle90]

Never have posted anything on a forum in my entire life but after getting this 1990 talon tsi I think im going to be on here everyday. Don't know much about cars, im learning as I go but im not an idiot. The car seems to run great I havent gotten a compression test yet but for the most part it sounds good, cept for a little idling problem, it will rev between 1100 and 900.

My real question though is I wanna start doing some upgrades I have a little extra money. I just don't know what I should do first.. the motor is stock from what I can tell so any opinions? I was thinking about getting an intercooler or a cold air first. Sort of a follow-up question to that the engine seems to be runnin hot, like i could cook a steak in 10 min on top of it. I know turbos run hot but should it be that hot? The temp gauge seems to be working tho so idk if its normal or not. I would really appreciate some answers thx

 

[Zdrummer15]

Do any and all maintenance first then check out the upgrade paths on this site and use the search function for specific questions.

Tech Guide: 1G 4G63t Upgrades - DSMtuners

 

[SrKegler]

Your car is 20 years old. If possible, find out from the previous owner when the last timing belt was done. I see a lot of these cars being sold because it's time to replace the belt. Most shops want around $500-$600 to do the job.

Check all your water hoses for softness. If you find one that is in bad shape chances are the others aren't far behind.

Check for oil leaks. Get under the car, check all the boots on the CV joints for leaks and tears.

If you just browse through the posts on here you'll find 100s of posts where the car overheated going down the highway, or engine siezed when it ran out of oil.

A small leak where you only have to add a quart of water or a quart of oil every 2-300 miles can suddenly turn into a big leak and big problems fast.

Properly maintained our cars are just as reliable as any other car in the world. Neglect them and you can count on calling the tow truck.

Word of advice, we like real english in the posts. Stay away from the abbreviations (IDK, etc)

Good luck.

 

[DSM1G90]

Ya, save your money right now and just drive it since is still runs fine(Idle thing could be the ISC acting up..).

Then, when you get more green in the pockets, take it easy and not try to go too fast with it and get experienced help with it when it comes to doing any mods-which a motor rebuild would be the first thing since add-on mods requires a strong motor to handle it.

Good luck-DSM

 

[rapedbytheeves]

i agree with the guys up there. i just picked up my first dsm. 1990 awd eagle talon tsi. i had a vr6 t4 turbo'd jetta that was quick. got sick of blowing that up and building it every year, so i sold that, got a honda and swapped a motor, had that stolen twice and the second time was a total loss, didnt get a penny back from it and it was un salvagable. so i took what little money i had left and bought this car. i've had it for about 3 weeks and ive just been trying to keep it running. a lot of my friends have DSM's and keep telling me to make it faster, im just gonna focus on getting the car running like new, save up and rebuild the motor, i just picked up a timing belt, tensioner, water pump, arp head studs, head gasket and a few other things, im gonna do it all in a month or so here. i like not having to worry about my car breaking down. rather than going fast and needing a tow home. although i already had to tow this car home twice i still love it!! never had a problem with my honda other than it getting stolen. what i've learned though, id rather have a broken dsm in my driveway thats still there in the morning, than a working honda that is gone after i wake up, or after 20 minutes of going on a walk with your dog and girlfriend at a park .

 

[EuroDriver]

Build the motor itself with a BAD ASS tune-up. I JUST accomplished this recently.. so that you can trust the motor and car.. these motors take a beating and usually keep ticking.

Fix what's broke and then upgrade... also upgrading along the path.. broken exhaust.. UPGRADE! get a exhaust system.. 2 birds one stone!

Timming belt is a MUST along with gaskets and seals... It'll suck at first because you're not adding HP BUT when you do, no worries about being broke down. You can't haul ass parked.. with cool upgrades or not