Team3S: 3000GT & Stealth Sunday, January 5
2003 Volume 02 : Number 044
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 4 Jan 2003 11:46:32 -0600
From: "Dan Hyde" <
danielhyde@attbi.com>
Subject: Re:
Team3S: Coolant Problem..
Mike
You may want to look around the lower timing belt cover weep hole for
evidence of coolant drip - Water Pump. Mine had been losing coolant slowly and
the low coolant indicator light came on about every 4-6 weeks. I suspected
a leak somewhere but the odd thing is I never had a single drop show up on my
garage floor. I suppose it only leaked while hot and driving. The Water
Pump problem was not diagnosed until I had my car up on the rack getting
emissions testing done.
Dan
97 VR4 ~86K
- ----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Neill" <
dblxx@bellsouth.net>
Sent: Friday,
January 03, 2003 9:22 PM
I have a '97 VR4 which lately has displayed the low coolant light every few
days. I fill it with Prestone 50/50, but it seems that the light comes on every
few days and disappears when the engine temp reaches "normal". Could it be that
the former owner just let the coolant reach low levels and now the engine is
sucking up everything I put in the reservoir? Thanks for your input. Mike
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 04 Jan 2003 12:43:32 -0500
From: Dennis Ninneman <
dninneman@comcast.net>
Subject:
Team3S: transfer case re-call
Just got my '97 back from the dealership for the recall. Hate the
dealership ........ really like the mechanic. Prior to picking it up
we
spoke on the phone. No leaks, outside was bone dry, case was full.
They drained and refilled the case ........ no seals were required IF
there was no evidence of low fluid levels. The mechanic confided in me
that he did not believe it is a seal issue at all. Mitsu has been
quietly asking dealers if they have any TC 'cores'. Mitsu will pay to
have them shipped to a central location. The mechanic (although they
weren't told) feels there is a case cracking problem they won't admit to
............ at least not to this dealer. Hence, no mandate to replace
seals. His recommendation is to call Mitsu even if no problem was
found
to ask their policy regarding this recall. NHTSA safety recalls are
supposedly for the life of the car ........ as, supposedly, they are
with car companies. Even so, he says not to take any chances.
Now the bigger question remains .......... even if you did get a new TC
that really doesn't take care of the problem as Mitsu/Getrag probably
hasn't manufactured those in a while which means there was no design
change. And seeing as the recall included all years, we know they
didn't change designs in the later model years (2nd gen or 97-99). So
what was put in has the same problem as the one they took out
........... another issue to bring up in the conversation with Mitsu
National Customer Service.
I'll tell you, I don't have a lot of warm and fuzzies for Mitsu at
all.
Dennis -==- Philly
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 4 Jan 2003 13:08:47 EST
From:
Rod2414738@aol.comSubject: Re: Team3S:
transfer case re-call
I just got my car back from the dealer for the TC recall on Thursday.
Mine
was leaking horribly. I had to top off the fluid every week and
even if I
drove 3 miles and parking in a driveway for an hour, there would
be a spot
about 2 inches in diameter. I took the car in for the recall
(I never did
receive a notice in the mail) and they told me that they
inspected for case
damage. Finding none, the scheduled another time
for me to bring it back for
a reseal after they got the parts in. I
dropped it off at 8 am and they
called at 11:30 am the same day to let me
know it was done. There is RTV
coming out of the case seam, so I am
comfortable they had it apart and did
not find any sign of damage
internally.
- -Rod
'93 Stealth R/T TT
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 4 Jan 2003 12:10:16 -0600
From: "Matt Jannusch" <
mjannusch@attbi.com>
Subject: Re:
Team3S: transfer case re-call
> I'll tell you, I don't have a lot of warm and fuzzies for Mitsu at
> all.
There's nothing wrong with your transfer case, yet you blame Mitsubishi
anyway because they won't give you a free new one?
I don't get it.
- -Matt
'95 3000GT Spyder VR4
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 04 Jan 2003 16:02:42 -0500
From: "Dg B" <
dbretton@hotmail.com>
Subject:
Team3S: For Sale: 93 VR-4 Chrome Wheels + Tires -$700-
Hello all,
Thanks everyone, for all your help with determining what my
wheels +
tires are worth.
I pulled the wheels out of storage, and cleaned them off. I did not
clean
them when I put them away, so sand ate away at some of the chrome over
the
past year+.
After cleaning, I would rate 2 of the wheels in good
condition, and 2 of
them in fair condition. Two of the wheels, in my
opinion, should really be
rechromed. The other two might be decent
enough to get by without chroming.
There a little peeling/flaking to
some extent, on all of the wheels. The wheels are perfectly straight and
narrow. They have never hit a curb,
rock, rake, dog, or anything to
bend them.
The tires are Firestone Firehawk SZ50s: 255/40/ZR 17.
They have great
treadwear left. Based upon my measurements, each tire has
about
7/32"-9s/32" of tread. These tires start off with 10/32", so there is
quite a bit of tread left on these.
Based upon what I have seen on ebay, it seems like a clean, rechromed set
of
wheels goes for about $900 (~$225/wheel). Mitsu apparently charges
$400/wheel, but I think that is too pricey.
Based upon
www.tirerack.com, a new
set of Firehawk tires costs about $700
($177/wheel).
I think that $75/tire is a fair price for the tires, considering that they
have about 75-90% of their tread left. I want to offer a fair price,
so I
will subtract the cost of rechroming all 4 wheels.
New, this setup would cost:
$885 wheels
(ebay)
$708 tires (tirerack)
-------
$1593
I believe that a fair price would be:
$300 tires ($75/tire)
$400 wheels ($900
- 4*125 rechroming)
------
$700
So, I my asking price is $700+shipping, which I think is fair price. I live
in Massachusetts.
Feel free to send me an email.
Regards,
Dennis
P.S. In case anyone is interested as to why I am selling these. I
haven't
used them in a while, so they are taking up space.
Plus, I'm
working on getting together some extra cash so I can purchase an
engagement
ring. :)
"Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a
banana."
- Marx, Groucho
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 4 Jan 2003 17:34:50 -0600
From: "Scott Savoie" <
scott_savoie@charter.net>
Subject:
Re: Team3S: Electrical Nightmare
Hey guys,
Thanks for all the response to my "nightmare". I gather from the
response I received that most of you work on your own cars. I can handle
some mechanical but electrical really blows my fuse. However, I did go out
today and purchased a multimeter. I guess my next purchase will have to be
an operators manual for the meter! Also, I am going to purchase the
service manual set. This should get me started.
If someone out there should happen to know a good electrical guy that I
could bring the car to, please let me know and I'll bring the meter back!
Thanks again,
Scott
> Hello guys,
>
> I have a terrible problem. I
purchased a 1992 3000 GT VR-4 in
> September and have only got to enjoy
it about a week or so.
> I don't mind trailoring the car somewhere if someone knows of
>
a great auto electrical troubleshooter. I live around
> Lafayette,
Louisiana. I am at the end of my rope guys.
> Any help you may have
would be greatly appreciated.
> Thanks a bunch!
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 4 Jan 2003 20:22:23 -0800
From: "Riyan Mynuddin" <
riyan@hotpop.com>
Subject: Team3S: RE:
windshield washer...[snow tires]
I'll keep the Prestone fluid in mind since I used up most of my cheap fluid
already. Yes the snow tires were slightly louder but I didn't mind the extra
noise.
I understand your description, and how the tires can last two to three
winters. I know that it isn't a completely fair comparison to line up my AWD
stealth with snow tires against my 2WD van with M+S tires. But I do know this
... I was very thankful that I never needed to stop and put on chains.
Chains are very annoying. For one, they are speed limited to around 30mph
(specifically cable type chains)...driving faster than 30mph may work, but will
make them break much sooner. Plus when you go over a dry patch of road, it's
bumpy and uncomfortable. Finally, who likes to sit outside in the snow...driving
back and forth to seat chains properly?
Let me rewind and go back to my first trip with the van in more
detail...
I got near Tahoe and there was some snow on the *sides* of the road. The
chain control guys made me put the chains on about 5 miles before there was
actually snow on the road. I had a bumpy ride at 30mph while everyone else with
their snow tires sped by, going at least 50mph...some going as fast as 65. Then,
on the way back the chain control advised me to remove my chains in order to
avoid damaging the road. There was still a couple miles of snow after I had to
take the chains off. So here I am, driving about 20mph ON THE FREEWAY just to
keep my car under control. I came to the stop sign where there was a break in
the road, and even though I started braking very early, I could barely stop in
time.
Now there's a good way to ruin my fun in Tahoe. I'm sure that my case is
extreme, but why even risk needing to deal with that? The Blizzaks are an
all-around solution. You may compromise the performance of the OEM tires or the
lower profile sport set that you installed on your car...but with snow tires you
can take care of all my above complaints regarding chains, and still enjoy the
absolutely amazing handling that comes with Blizzaks.
As a side note, the need for snow tires may be a good excuse to buy an
extra set of lightened wheels for your Stealth/3000GT. Mount your sport tires on
the lightened wheels and use your OEM wheels for the Blizzaks. Now you won't
need to waste time and money just to mount and re-balance every time the snow
season comes around.
Riyan
93 stealth rt tt
back from the snow, impressed, and most of
all...SAFE!
- -----Original Message----- (posted with permission from the
author)
From: Darren Schilberg [mailto:dschilberg@pobox.com]
To: "Riyan
Mynuddin" <
riyan@hotpop.com>
Sent: Saturday,
January 04, 2003 5:49 PM
Riyan - The Prestone stuff is better than most and the increase in price is
not enough to warrant me to clip coupons (since I use no more than two bottles
of it per winter). Glad it worked for you.
EXCELLENT that the Blizzaks were that good. Sounds like we've
converted another person. They are an absolutely blast as you now
know.
It is hard to get sliding going up a hill. Going down a hill is
easier but with smart driving is nearly impossible to do. You can tap the
brakes and lock them up then release and you get traction again. On summer
tires as soon as they lock they keep sliding and never catch back up to the
traction. Glad you had a positive experience. Remember that you also
have 4 wheels gripping instead of 2 like your van.
I did forget to tell you that at speed on a dry road it feels like you are
on a skateboard and side-to-side moves are downright scary sometimes.
Maybe you found that out. I should have mentioned it. The tread is
like 13/32" and that is why it feels so unstable at speeds sometimes.
These tires are meant for winter first then on into March/April then winter
again then finish with summer. They have the grippy grippy snow tread on
the outside (I forget how much percentage) but the last part of it is like an
all-season that you can end in summer with since it is much harder than the
winter tread and doesn't have any of the properties anymore and if you don't use
up the tread in the summer and try to use it in the winter it will be like a
summer tire in winter - and we all know what that acts like.
You with me so far? You have one winter on your tires. Take
them off in March or April and use them again next winter. Then, you just
keep them on your car from about November/December 2003 until July 2003 or
whenever the tread wears out. You get at least two winters and the
included summer. If you can get it to last three winters like Desert Fox
(since he doesn't drive much and is on all snow whereas you and I are on dry
pavement much of the time) then you get three winters and two small portions of
summer time (or Spring/Fall time). You'll see in March when you measure
how much tread is left.
What you did doesn't hurt at all. Just don't do burn outs and high-G
turns or that will scrub off the nice tread a little faster than being kind to
them. You can read Bridgestone's guidelines but that is why I got the
LM-22 as they are rated right up to Autobahn speeds (easily 80-90 mph in the
States) whereas the WS-50 is a little more ice/snow tire - mine can still do
some decent highway use.
Winter tires also do not have treadwear ratings. You can drive at any
speed you want. You will notice it is a little louder than summer tires
but no, it doesn't detract from the life of the tires very much at all.
And you have my consent to forward the message. Eventually I can see
a FAQ page being started for winter travel in our cars. Thanks for asking,
Riyan, and glad you had a positive experience.
- --Flash!
- -----Original Message-----
From: Riyan Mynuddin
[mailto:riyan@hotpop.com]
Sent: Saturday, January 04, 2003 18:59
To:
dschilberg@pobox.com
Darren,
Unfortunately, I didn't get your message in time to fill up with Prestone.
However, I did make sure that the generic brand was an antifreeze/winter ready
mix. It didn't freeze, and it was very useful for getting the dirt and salt off
my windshield.
The Blizzak WS-50s were awesome. I had great control of my car the whole
time I was up in Tahoe. No slips, slides, or anything. I am very impressed
and I definitely will be going up to the snow more often now. Just before I left
Tahoe, I went to a safe place and tried to make the wheels lock with hard
braking (my ABS doesn't work). Sure enough they did, but it sure took a lot of
braking to make it happen. And even with the wheels locked, stopping distance
was surprisingly good. I could really hear the car digging into the snow to stop
me. When I was in my van and my wheels locked, the darn thing just kept sliding
forward.
Finally, I have a question for you. I was driving 70 to 80 mph on dry roads
for the 200 miles up to Tahoe and back (400 miles total). Is this hard on the
snow tires? I'd imagine that since the rubber is softer, they wear down quicker.
And if so, how do I preserve the life of my tires? Should I drive at
around 50 mph instead? (hope not, that would make for a long trip).... If you're
not sure about this, then feel free to send the post to the list as well. In
fact, I think there's enough tech. info here to deserve the list either way. But
since you sent the original message to me only, I want to have your consent out
of courtesy and since I don't want to get the admins mad again.
Riyan
93 rt tt
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 4 Jan 2003 21:33:02 -0800 (PST)
From: Brody Martin <
brody_martin@yahoo.com>
Subject:
Team3S: OT OT OFF TOPIC ECM repair
I am faced with a problem. I have less than a month
before I ship out
for the Air Force and I think that I
have an ECM problem with the capacitors
(I think).
Here is my question. Do I go ahead and replace the
capacitors,
send in the ECM or just wait for when I
get back. I want to drive it before I
leave but I
worry about time restraints. I don't know if I have
enough
time left. I am not sure if it is the ECM but
from the research I have done
and the way the board
looks around the capacitors it looks like it could
be
the problem. What do you think would be the best
decision? Please let
me know of your thoughts. You can
email me off list to keep it off the list
if you want.
Thanks,
Brody
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 5 Jan 2003 02:46:11 -0500
From: "Planet" <
planet.j@sympatico.ca>
Subject:
Team3S: NEED HELP FINDING A WIRE!!! PLEASE!!
This is for a 92 Stealth SOHC base model. Please the turbo and the DOHC
models seem to be very different.
Today ends another 5 hours of looking for the tach wire. I have a remote
starter/keyless entry. Keyless works fine. Starter needs to learn the tach
so I need the tach wire. I need the wire that is AC and voltage changes directly
with the rpm. The spare tach hookup under then wiper motor does not change with
rpm. Thus does not work. Also it doesn't seem to be a AC connection
either. Correct me if I am wrong. All I need is this 1 connection and I
can put my seats back in and have my transportation again. So far it has been in
the garage for two days and it is my commuter car.
I got a guide online that is suppose to give me the locations for all the
wires I would need. All it tells me is the white wire in the instrument harness.
Which I believe is on the passenger side under the dash. I found two white wires
with silver markings on them, on that same 'white connector thingy' (excuse my
lack of technical words). Two wires the same? how so. I tried them, they just
provide a solid 12v and do no change with RPM. I am now completely lost. PLEASE
HELP!
Thanks
Jay
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 05 Jan 2003 10:01:00 -0000
From: "Jeff Lucius" <
jlucius@stealth316.com>
Subject:
Re: Team3S: NEED HELP FINDING A WIRE!!! PLEASE!!
>> I am now completely lost. PLEASE HELP!
Try page 8-180 and 8-30 in your 1992 Stealth Service Manual. If you do not
have a factory service manual, it is no wonder you are lost.
Daimler-Chrysler Publications
800-890-4038 M-F 8a-8p EST
$59: '91-'95
Stealth Service Manuals
$90: 1996 Stealth Service Manual
$12: 1991 Stealth
Body Repair Manual
$10: '91-'96 Owner's Manuals
Shipping about $6 per manual.
- ---------- Original Message -------------
Subject: Team3S: NEED HELP
FINDING A WIRE!!! PLEASE!!
Date: Sun, 5 Jan 2003 02:46:11 -0500
This is for a 92 Stealth SOHC base model. Please the turbo and the DOHC
models seem to be very different. <snip>
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 5 Jan 2003 07:01:34 -0800
From: "eK2mfg" <
eK2mfg@attbi.com>
Subject: Team3S: Dual
Valve spring break in.
Back story - My neighborhood is full of hot rods from a 7sec maverick that
gets trailored everywhere to the 4x4 that we see in the truck shows. Well last
night one came to life, a 66 Galaxy 500. Big Detroit iron, very big gathering in
the garage like a bunch of expecting fathers with grins and tins as it were put
by one of wives dropping in. (beer can = tin)
He was breaking in the cam, Started the motor and ran for 20 minutes at
high idle. That sounded very reasonable to me. Now the part that I never heard
of, Remove the rocker assembly and now put in the second set of springs? OK I
know that there are dual valve springs on many cars, that's not it. But for us
to do this is going to require the heads to come off or something that would set
you down a path of self destruction. I believe it needs to be done due to the
man who said this runs 7's (seriously) in his sportsman series?
Question - When installing new cams (regrinds) and the dual springs, does
this need to be done (outer spring set first) to our cars? What is the break-in
procedure? Obviously his cam is in the block unlike ours with 4 in the heads so
I figure I would ask the experts running the times.
bobk.
------------------------------
End of Team3S: 3000GT & Stealth V2
#44
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