Team3S: 3000GT & Stealth Monday, January 27
2003 Volume 02 : Number 064
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 26 Jan 2003 01:58:44 EST
From:
Klusmanp@aol.comSubject: Re: Team3S:
Follow up: Buying tires
I bought Dunlop SP9000s from Tire Rack several years ago. At the time I
lived
about 2.5 hrs from the Tire Rack HQ in South Bend, IN. I drove up to
their
facility to have the tires installed and found them to be VERY
professional
and customer oriented.
They had equipment for checking the runout on rims and discovered a large
(.08 inch) out-of-round condition on two of my stock rims. You can actually
see the bent rims wobble as it spins on the balancing machine. They were
able
to match mount the tires to the wobbly rims. (line up the "high" point
on the
rim with the "low" point on the tire to give an overall "more round"
wheel)
This helped the situation but I eventually ordered some Enkie RP01s
from
their competitor. I would have preferred to order the rims through Tire
Rack
but they didn't carry that particular make of rim.
Lets call their competitor "Company D". They are another mail order,
high-volume discount company that is similar to Tire Rack.
I lived about 55 minutes from several outlet stores for Company D in
Indianapolis. Between the 2 or 3 stores I visited, nobody could actually
tell
me if the Enkei RP01 rim would fit my '91 VR4. I was told I would have
to
bring my car in for a check fit.
They ordered a rim and I drove out for a check fit the day after it
arrived.
When I showed up the manager on duty knew nothing about why I was
there. I
explained that I just wanted to check the fit of the rim on the
front wheels
to verify that I would have clearance on the calipers. I pull
the car into
their shop and wait. I eventually see their technician pulling
of one of my
rear wheels off. I stop him and ask him why he is pulling a
rear wheel off.
He says he is supposed to be rotating the tires. I tell him
that I'm just
wanting to check the fit of another rim on the front axles of
my car. He nods
and continues to loosen lugs on this rear wheel. I stop him
and explain to
him once more that we are going to LEAVE THE REAR WHEELS ON
and TAKE OFF JUST
ONE FRONT WHEEL. We are NOT ROTATING THE TIRES. Now he
gets the message.
We get the Enkei out of the box and check the fit. It does not fit. It
looks
small to me. The box says 17" Enkei RP01 but the rim measures 16".
They
explain that this must be some kind of packaging mixup from the central
warehouse facility.
One week later I'm supposed to drive out for our second attempt at checking
the fit of the rim. I'm not impressed with this gang so I call ahead to have
them make sure this is the correct rim. They check and verify that it is in
fact a 17" rim. I also ask them to check and make sure they have centering
rings for my car. I'm told "Oh yeah - we've got all that stuff. No problem."
I arrive an hour later and guess what? They don't have centering rings for
my
particular car.
One more week later they have the specific centering rigs for my car. I
drive
out for the third time. I think the packaging for the centering ring
said
something like "Ford F-150". It turns out that this ring is pretty
close to
what I need. It is a bit snug trying to get the rim on but it
fits.
The rim appears to be a beautifully made, high-quality Japanese product so
I
order a full set. At this point I'm not going to let these morons from
company D even get close to my car again, so I check with Tire Rack to see
if
they will install the tires on the rims. No problem.
The experience at Tire Rack is fantastic. I get to watch the tech mount the
tires to the rims and see exactly how they do the match mounting. They check
the torque spec on the lugs and use an actual torque wrench to mount the
rims
on the car. The owner is milling about the shop that day and notices
the set
of Enkei's. He does not carry the Enkei's and is curious about why I
chose to
purchase them. I told him I just like the styling. He says they are
a good
rim, he just don't carry them at that point. I told him I am a repeat
customer and he appreciates this. Cool guy. The car drives smooth as
glass.
Paul Klusman
'91 VR4
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 26 Jan 2003 01:36:08 -0600
From: "cody" <
overclck@satx.rr.com>
Subject: RE:
Team3S: Follow up: Buying tires
You will find the match-mounting much much more common. Almost every
Discount Tire location has a match-mount machine now. Hunter GSP9700
is the model we have, and are scheduled to replace one of our other
standard balancers fairly soon with the latest greatest model of such
machine.
I know there are Discount Tire Co.'s in your area, and I do hope that this
wasn't at any of our locations, as it sounds very appalling to me.
I will be honest with you, the kind of screw-ups like you mentioned - the
"mis-packaged" wheel... I get that crap all the time, and it comes
straight from the manufacturer like that... wrong center caps every now
and then, wrong bolt patterns, and even polished finish when it's supposed
to be chrome... I've gotten to the point, any wheel sale I make, I take
EVERYTHING out of the box before we do anything...
As far as torqueing everything to spec, if a company is not doing that now,
I feel very bad for them... With the lawsuits and stuff on the rise,
this is the last sense of security we have in knowing that everything was
done properly... In fact, we've redesigned our training process at
DTC because of a lot of this.
Some interesting facts (these are new Rubber Manufacturer
Association
guidelines):
A tire may have no more than 2 repairs in it
A
puncture in the shoulder or sidewall area of a tire is not repairable A tire
that has a non-rma approved repair in it (patch with no plug, or other
similar), is automatically deemed un-serviceable If only installing one or
two new tires, they ~must~ go on the rear of a vehicle (there are no
exceptions, and if an owner wants the new ones on the front, it is stated on
the invoice and signed)
Just the other day in another of our Texas stores, there was an incident
that occurred due to something not being installed properly at Brake
Check. Ya know the DTC commercial with the lady throwing the tire
through the front window??? Well... The store in particular has a 3
sided glass showroom. On a Sunday (they were closed thank God), a
vehicle lost a wheel (obviously installed improperly at Brake Check), it
bounced over the median of a 4 lane street, through the glass windows,
bounced high enough to take out part of the drop ceiling (12' ceilings),
continued out the other side of the showroom, across a side street, hitting a
curb and promptly landing in a second story window of an office
building. Thank goodness this was not a DTC problem, but, it makes
us all realize how important our/my job really is as an Assistant
Manager.
- -Cody
------------------------------
>as I perform the 60k service, plan on doing some mods. It seems
>overwhelming to me where to start. I am curious where YOU
began
>and what increases in HP to expect.
The biggest single gain I got was installing a Stillen downpipe and a
custom catback (single side, Exelerator straight thru muffler, very loud).
It made the car more responsive to the throttle, and the turbos spool up
quicker. With the Stillen (it removes the front pre cat and the main cat),
you can quickly replace the stock exhaust if emission testing ever comes to
the Deep South.
>The one thing I've discovered on my own which many other
forum
>members agree is that the Borla Exhaust system is the way to
go....
Well, some members agree. I don't. Borla gives you a mellow sound and dual
exhausts, but I think it's a waste of $600. A $200 single side system
works just as well. But if you have excess cash, go for it.
Rich/slow old poop
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 26 Jan 2003 07:47:54 -0800
From: "fastmax" <
fastmax@cox.net>
Subject: Re: Team3S:
New to modifications...
The first thing you need to do is determine what you want out of the car
--- if you want 800 hp at the end of your build up then do your research
with that
in mind. If you just want to add 50 hp or so to keep you faster
than your neighbor who bought a new vette it's as simple as a boost
controller and a exhaust. If you want to race the car --- drag or road
track --- safety and suspension/brake mods should be high on your list. You
can spend $30k+ on mods if you want --- engine $12K or more, stand alone
engine management with
sensors $2K+, multi disk carbon fiber clutch $3K,
full gauge set $1K+, front mount intercooler and piping $3K+, exhaust,dual
turbo back $1.5 K [ if you want to go with titanium add another $1.5 ],
Suspension $2K, brakes $3k, carbon fiber drive shaft, hood, rear hatch $3K+ and
on and on.
Jim
Berry
==========================================
> Thank you to all in the past who have helped me with questions on this
> magnificent machine. I now have over 60,000 miles on the VR4 and soon
> as I perform the 60k service, plan on doing some mods. It seems
> overwhelming to me where to start. I am curious where YOU began and
> what increases in HP to expect. The more I read your posts, the more I
> learn! The one thing I've discovered on my own which many other forum
> members agree is that the Borla Exhaust system is the way to
go....
> that's as far as I have gotten.
> Thank You,
Mike '97 VR4
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 26 Jan 2003 09:16:57 -0700
From: "Donald Ashby" <
dashbyiii@earthlink.net>
Subject:
Re: Team3S: New to modifications...
Honestly that is probably the most overlooked step I see, and I see it more
often then not. People either massively overshooting their goals, or
people falling really short, and having to upgrade the same components
twice. The first thing you should do is definitely make a plan for what
you will upgrade. If your planning on putting some massive turbos in later on,
buy the supporting mods for it now, don't go out and buy a 3" downpipe,
then later on decide you want to go with a 3 1/2". Also decide what your
going to do with the car, do you want a dragster, or would you like to be
able to do AWD drifts through S-turns with the best of 'em? Plan your
upgrades accordingly, and realize that as you upgrade your car it will not
handle/drive/brake like it did when it was stock, so don't do some massive
upgrades over a weekend, and then hit the racetrack, that's how accidents
happen. Drive safe :) Donald Ashby '93 3000GT VR-4 "Don't drink and park,
accidents cause people!"
- ----- Original Message -----
From: "fastmax" <
fastmax@cox.net>
Sent: Sunday, January
26, 2003 8:47 AM
The first thing you need to do is determine what you want out of the car
--- if you want 800 hp at the end of your build up then do your research
with that in mind. If you just want to add 50 hp or so to keep you faster
than your neighbor who bought a new vette it's as simple as a boost
controller and a exhaust. If you want to race the car --- drag or road track ---
safety and suspension/brake mods should be high on your list. You can
spend $30k+ on mods if you want --- engine $12K or more, stand alone
engine management with sensors $2K+, multi disk carbon fiber clutch $3K,
full gauge set $1K+, front mount intercooler and piping $3K+, exhaust,dual
turbo back $1.5 K [ if you want to go with titanium add another $1.5 ],
Suspension $2K, brakes $3k, carbon fiber drive shaft, hood, rear hatch
$3K+ and on and on.
Jim
Berry
==========================================
------------------------------
Our Stealth support group in Cedar Rapids has been helping each other fix
stuff. (This means I stand around and kibitz, whilst the others do the
work). So far, we've (they've?) done a timing belt/water pump replacement
and a spark plug/wiring change on a 92 Stealth TT that has 80,000 miles.
He just bought it, the previous owner put 10,000 miles on it, and the original
owner can't be found.
Every part that comes off this engine looks new. The belt looked new, the
pipe and heat shield off the rear turbo aren't rusted or discolored, and
all the engine has on it is a little dust. No caked on dirt, oil, or
nuttin' nowhere nohow. Weird.
The previous owner says it's so clean because it was never driven in the
rain or snow. I think this is a NEW engine, installed about 10-15,000
miles ago. Under warranty, I'm guessing.
Alas, the selling Dodge dealer says the car never came back to it after it
was sold, and Dodge doesn't keep records on the car. Hmmmm.
So, how can we find out if the motor has been changed? Any telltale marks?
Can we compare engine numbers to something? Does Dodge really NOT keep
records on warranty claims?
Or do our engines just stay this clean if driven sensibly?
Rich/slow old poop
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 26 Jan 2003 11:24:31 -0500
From: "Furman, Russell" <
RFurman2@MassMutual.com>
Subject:
RE: Team3S: How clean are our motors?
Rich my thinking is that it was not driven in the rain/snow, just take a
look at the under carriage of a so cal car. They are usually
beautiful with very little or no rust at all, my MKIV was from there (even
though I bought it in MA) and when I started tweaking it I only found rust
on a couple of bolts around the D/P area.
As for how to tell just compare the production numbers (in theory they
should all match but with the age of the car and the notorious notchy
tranny they may not).
Russ F
CT
yup its Sunday and I have been working since 6:30 am EST..........
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 26 Jan 2003 16:34:49 +0000
From: "Joshua Keena" <
teamkeena@hotmail.com>
Subject:
Re: Team3S: Coolant Leak Follow Up
Andy,
Mitsu 3.0l engine block is steel alloy, not aluminum. I push
the silicate
free coolant in all my engines. Looks like Hawaiian
punch, and no matter
how many times I see it, I still double-take. All
the fluid colors are
changing, coolant=red, washer-fluid=yellow, what
next?
When making the change, you must do a thorough flush, Prestone makes an
easy
to use kit. You must evacuate the entire system (water jacket and
heater
core) thoroughly before switching types.
Josh
>From: Andrew Woll <
awoll1@pacbell.net>
>Hi
Mike: I use silicate free coolant in all my cars with aluminum
>engines or radiators. BMW highly recommends it but I don't know about
>Dodge or Mitsu. Since my Stealth engine is Aluminum (I think), I am
>using silicate free fluid. I think I use Prestone, but I am not sure.
>It costs about 9 per gallon.
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 26 Jan 2003 13:17:22 -0500
From: Desert Fox <
bigfoot@simmgene.com>
Subject: Re:
Team3S: New to modifications...
Is anyone running a true dual exhaust setup with one side being the front
bank of cylinders and the other side being the rear bank?
I'm thinking of dropping my entire stock exhaust and want to look at the
options.
- --
Paul/.
95 black 3000GT VR-4
98 VFR800F, TBR aluminum hi
exit
formerly reasonable and prudent
>> as I perform the 60k service, plan on doing some mods. It seems
>> overwhelming to me where to start. I am curious where YOU began and
>> what increases in HP to expect.
>>
> The biggest
single gain I got was installing a Stillen downpipe and a
> custom
catback (single side, Exelerator straight thru muffler, very
> loud). It
made the car more responsive to the throttle, and the turbos
> spool up
quicker. With the Stillen (it removes the front pre cat and
> the main
cat), you can quickly replace the stock exhaust if emission
> testing
ever comes to the Deep South.
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 26 Jan 2003 10:29:10 -0700
From: "Jim Floyd" <
jim_floyd7@earthlink.net>
Subject:
Team3S: New to modifications...
John Adams at JRC has done it.
- -----Original Message-----
From: Desert Fox
Sent: Sunday, January
26, 2003 11:17 AM
Is anyone running a true dual exhaust setup with one side being the front
bank of cylinders and the other side being the rear bank?
I'm thinking of dropping my entire stock exhaust and want to look at the
options.
- --
Paul/.
95 black 3000GT VR-4
98 VFR800F, TBR aluminum hi
exit
formerly reasonable and prudent
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 26 Jan 2003 13:10:36 -0800
From: Andrew Woll <
awoll1@pacbell.net>
Subject: Re:
Team3S: Coolant Leak Follow Up
Thanks Jeff L. and Joshua for correcting my erroneous assumption as to the
makeup of the block. I certainly agree on the color Joshua. The red fluid
looks strange. I don't know what it does to seals, if anything. I have had
no problems at all in any of the cars I use it in. Just one mans
experience though. Anyone else using silicate free fluids?
Andy
- -----
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 26 Jan 2003 18:20:49 -0500
From: Desert Fox <
bigfoot@simmgene.com>
Subject: Re:
Team3S: Survey time
Amsoil 75W90 gear oil in all three cases here. Runs great. Was under there
the other day doing an oil change back to some Amsoil 10W30 since the
Series 3000 5W30 had a bit more ticking going on than I care to hear.
Anyway, no sign of leaking from tranny, xfer case or rear diff. Just
rolled over 112,000 miles on the first leg of my 6,000 mile road trip.
I should add that I managed my all time high of 29mpg going from Cheyenne,
WY through Kansas down into Oklahoma. I think this is the only upside to
having my plugs gapped a bit too wide...
- --
Paul/.
95 black 3000GT VR-4
98 VFR800F, TBR aluminum hi
exit
formerly reasonable and prudent
> True for the newer six speeds but in my 92 shop manual (for older
the
> 5-speed's) GL-5 - Mobil 1 is ok. Apparently they didn't have
brass or
> copper bushing or synchros. With 108,000 mile with Mobil
1 in the
> tranny it's still gong strong.
------------------------------
I am looking to re-polish and paint my front rocker cover and need a used
cover. Depending on the condition, if the used cover is cleaner I
will polish up that one, since mine has a few scratches on the
outside.
------------------------------
I am looking to install one of the Krank Vents that I have heard so much
about, but can not afford the $100+ for the kit I saw on their web
site. Does anyone know where I could get one cheaper ?
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 26 Jan 2003 19:31:58 -0500
From: Vinny <
vinman3@comcast.net>
Subject: Re:
Team3S: Survey time
I as well am running the AMSOIL 75W90 Gear oil in all my cases and engine
and it runs great! I only have 31,000 miles though on my 93
VR4. But it doesn't leak and runs real smooth. Now if I could just
find that bumping noise front he front right I would be happy with it.
Vinny
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 26 Jan 2003 18:48:10 -0800 (PST)
From: "A. Kryjevski" <
abk4@u.washington.edu>
Subject:
Team3S: ECS malfunction
Hello:
While I was contemplating suspension modifications my 1992 Stealth R/T went
ahead in the opposite direction and developed an ECS problem.
Most of the time pushing the ECS button results in nothing, that is no
"sport" light, no suspension stiffening-- so, it's stuck in the tour mode.
Sometimes the "sport" light would flicker irregularly spontaneously, i.e.
ECS button is left alone. At the same time I would hear the sound of the
damper actuators going on and off in accord to the light flickering.
Sometimes it would be stuck in the sport mode as I understand it should be
at all times if the ECS is malfunctioning, but for the most time in my
case it's stuck in the "tour" mode and has no reaction to the ECS
button.
I saw one post in the archives with symptoms similar to mine, but I could
not find any discussion. All other ECS malfunction related posts have
"tour/sport" flashing condition. I presume flashing is different from
irregular flickering.
I checked the connections on the tops of the front struts. They looked good
(no rust or contamination inside--sprayed with contact cleaner anyway), no
loose or frayed wires that I could see. There is a tiny bit of rust on the
outside of the top part of connectors, the lower part going into the strut
is rust free. I read off 12 V off the 1st and 5th pins (see scheme below)
of the connection right outside the strut with the engine running. The connector
looks like
1 2 3
4 5
No change was observed when the ECS button was pushed (nor the "sport"
light went on), i.e. 12 V off the 1st and 5th and 0 off the rest The
connections on the rear shocks looked like new. So I assume they are
ok.
I tried to read of the error code from the self diagnosis check connector
(many thanks to Jeff Lucius and Dave Holden). It's 3d (+) and 12th (-)
pins for the ECS, right? Well, all I ever saw was the steady 12/14 V
signal (with ignition on/engine running). My voltmeter had sensitivity 1
volt per division. Is it not sensitive enough? Was I doing something
wrong?
Does it sound to anybody like there is a loose connection somewhere
(spontaneous flickering of the "sport" light)? Where could it possibly be?
I think I looked at everything "on the surface".
Does anybody have any relevant experience?
The funny thing that it had been for several months that it'd not go into
the "sport" mode every once in a while. So, I thought that cleaning the
contacts on the struts would fix it, but, instead, now it barely works at
all. Don't trouble trouble until trouble troubles you.
Thank you and sorry for the long post.
Andrei Kryjevski.
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 26 Jan 2003 20:25:53 -0800 (PST)
From: gary rohrbach <
g2write@yahoo.com>
Subject: Team3S:
RE: how clean are our motors
When I bought my '92 TT Stealth I went to the local Dodge dealer. Not
only did they provide me with the cars maintenance updates but also the
history including every owner, their address, mileage when they bought and
sold the car--everything. It may be that not every dealership gives
out this info so easily or maybe some don't keep track but as detailed as my
report was I would think they keep better track than you might
think. When they put my cars' VIN number into the computer it gave
me more information than I expected--even previous owners phone numbers--
which I didn't think they were allowed to give out.
Gary
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 27 Jan 2003 00:30:13 -0600
From: "Dan Hyde" <
danielhyde@attbi.com>
Subject:
Team3S: Damaged - Enkie Wheel - VIA 18x9JJ 42
I had a minor mishap yesterday. I banged curb and bent one of my Enkie
wheels. (No need to discuss how - it is what it is)
First - please excuse. This post is not specifically 3000GT related other
than the fact I run these wheels.
My anticipated dilemma is that Enkie appears to not list my wheel model on
their web sight anymore and I think the specific model I'm running could
be
4 years - maybe 5 old. I have to assume this because I
have a 97 VR4 and
it is possible the prior owner could have swapped out the
stock wheels as early as 97.
I'm just beginning the search to find/buy a replacement. I'm not
feeling real good about my prospects of success since I'm not seeing the
model listed on ENKIE's web site and they only appear to sell though
distributors.
I'm anticipating a low response on this post but what the heck, in
the event anyone knows of a place that sells Enkie, please post back. I do
have a call queued up at their corporate number.
If the VIA model can't be found anywhere, I'll investigate wheel repair. I
suppose it might be possible. Right now the damage is bad enough
where every rotation of the tire causes sufficient bead separation at the
bend to hiss out/lose air. It's a little weird since the issue
manifests itself as a 'ticking noise'
Wheel specifics:
ENKIE - VIA 18 x 9 JJ 42 -
These are numbers that are stamped on and
inside the wheel. I'm
assuming VIA must be the ENKIE model but I have no evidence of that except
for a stamp on one of the 5 spokes.. I'm hoping I can locate one of these
wheels.
These things appear more expensive that good sin. I hate to think
about the cost of replacing all four - yipes!
Thanks
Dan
Richardson Texas
------------------------------
At 12:30 AM 1/27/03 -0600, you wrote:
>I had a minor mishap
yesterday. I banged curb and bent one of my Enkie
>wheels. My anticipated
dilemma is that Enkie appears to not list my
>wheel model on their web
sight anymore and I think the specific model
>I'm running could be 4
years - maybe 5 old.
It may just be that they don't list 'em for a VR4.
They may still have
it for an SL.
The difference is a half-inch in wheel width.
For example, TireRack (tirerack.com) lists only 5 wheels for the VR4 but 50
wheels for the SL. All those wheels (94 up) will fit a VR4. I know, cuz I
have a set of SL Milli Miglias for my street tires, and I used to race on
a set of beat up 97 SL wheels.
Rich/time to retire.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 27 Jan 2003 02:16:53 -0500
From: Desert Fox <
bigfoot@simmgene.com>
Subject: Re:
Team3S: New to modifications...
Scrap that idea then...
So the Stillen downpipe replaces the front pre-cat - what about the rear
one?
So it looks like a full replacement exhaust is gonna run me between
$750-$1200?
- --
Paul/.
95 black 3000GT VR-4
98 VFR800F, TBR aluminum hi
exit
formerly reasonable and prudent
> I was considering doing that, problem is, a true dual 2 1/2 is going
> to flow nowhere near as good as a mandrel bent 3 1/2 downpipe will. I
> had my local DSM shop lift the car up, and we walked under it
>
with the guy who ended up doing my exhaust setup, and he pointed out where all
------------------------------
End of Team3S: 3000GT & Stealth V2
#64
**************************************