1G Proud New Owner of a 1990 Eagle Talon TSI AWD

[Artofschiffy]

Hi everyone. I am a new proud owner of a 1990 Eagle Talon TSI AWD with 150,xxx miles that I plan on fixing up and hopefully bringing back to life. I have always wanted to buy a car that I could work on and I feel like I made a great choice as it was either this or a mustang/civic/miata/240sx.

I'm not sure if it was kept this way all 27 years but everything in the bay is basically stock. It looks pretty fair, the last owner spray canned over the paint and I think its original paint was Black Cherry Metallic. The dsm plaque is unreadable and I can't find the paint code anywhere around the doors but the purple/cherry paint looks to still be on the doors. The motor doesn't sound that bad but there are some leaks, no power steering, electrical bugs, and idling problems. The last owner got it from a friend and spent some time on it at the end of last year in order to get it running and smogged for sale but the car sat for about seven years before that. He also said it was rebuilt but thinks some original worn components were put back in the rebuild..

Goods:

-Newer alternator
-Newer front axles
-All the belts look good
-New motor mounts
-I own a dsm


Bads:

-Cracked valve cover. The guy poured plastic over the cracks and bolts in order to stop the engine from leaking.
-Valve cover gasket is falling apart.
-Bad power steering pump/leaks
-Some leaks around the back of the head and around some of the lines.
-I think the BOV is crushed but not in the modded way, literally crushed, pics below.
-Drivers headlight dented and not closing working properly. Even if I adjust it, it will fall out of place after turning the headlights on/off.
-transmission linkage/syncros may need some inspection
-Interior and exterior need some love


I just got a replacement power steering pump, valve cover gasket set, spark plugs and wires, and a lot more maintenance parts and liquids. Still need a valve cover, a ton of new hoses and a lot of missing nuts and bolts. I really want to bring this thing back to life and hope I can keep this 150,xxx mile engine running for a couple years. I live in California so I just want to keep everything pretty stock other than maybe an fmic, guages, turbo timer, etc. I just replaced the fuel filter and I am already amazed with the results!


Just wanted to introduce myself and my new talon to all you dsmtuners! Please feel free to shoot me any pointers or comments. I'll try not to ask repetitive questions throughout my dsm project, don't worry I know how to use the search bar!!

My only questions so far are is the original paint black cherry metallic? Do you think I should buy a replacement BOV? Pictures posted for reference.

Thanks all!

 

[joejoe]

Black cherry metallic is correct. Code R16/PM9.

If the bov is working well leave it. But on the other hand a used 1g bov is easy to come by and cheap.

 

[jcastello214]

Congrats on that sweet ride! I just wanted throw in my advise.. change the balance/timing belt!! Just in case.

Just a pointer would hate to have to see you rebuilding your head that's all.

And where in Cali are you I'm in the sf bay peninsula if you need help or anything

 

[Artofschiffy]

Black cherry metallic is correct. Code R16/PM9.

If the bov is working well leave it. But on the other hand a used 1g bov is easy to come by and cheap.

Thanks for your response. I actually just came home with a noncracked valve cover as well as a clean 1g bov!

 

[Philip]

Nice find! 1g's are hard to find where I'm from!

 

[boostdawd]

Very very nice clean panda u got there. Idle problems may be attributed to boost leaks. Pressurize the system and with soapy water check for leaks and repair as needed. Might be a good idea to rebuild your throttle body as those TB shaft seals are known to go bad and dry rot. New plugs Ngk bpr6es and cables if not changed already.

 

[Boostedmm17]

Nice find man, and glad to see your doing maintenance first.

 

[Artofschiffy]

Congrats on that sweet ride! I just wanted throw in my advise.. change the balance/timing belt!! Just in case.

Just a pointer would hate to have to see you rebuilding your head that's all.

And where in Cali are you I'm in the sf bay peninsula if you need help or anything

Thanks for the response! I think I will replace the belts as soon as I finish maintenance, power steering pump and finding the leaks. Power steering fluid is all over the place too so it's hard to tell where the leaks are coming from . I just hope I can get a couple more years out of the engine!

I'm in socal, thank you for the offer and let me know if you're ever in the area!

Very very nice clean panda u got there. Idle problems may be attributed to boost leaks. Pressurize the system and with soapy water check for leaks and repair as needed. Might be a good idea to rebuild your throttle body as those TB shaft seals are known to go bad and dry rot. New plugs Ngk bpr6es and cables if not changed already.

Thank you for the pointers. This week I'm going to replace the power steering pump, valve cover and gaskets, plugs, and wire set but leak tests and throttle body is now my next project!

 

[Mannyfresh]

Very nice find.