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Starquest Newbee Checklist. Revision1 - Dec/13


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Revision 1, 12/13 - Updated topic to clean up typos and corrupted or out of date links.

 

Added:

Check Fuel Tank For Rust

Replacing TB to Intake Manifold's Flange's Goofy O-Ring

Flush Engine Oil Cooler

'87 Ignitor Up Grade

'87 EFI ECU Up Grade & Why

'87 Distributor & Vacuum Advance Up Grade & Why

Modifyng Turbo & Exhaust Manifold Mating Flange

 

Revisions or additions are denoted by * in the left hand margin

 

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Congratulations, you now own a Starquest. WHAT'S NEXT?

 

I strongly recommend NOT immediately going out and see what American Iron or Rice Burner you can blow off of the road cuz you now have a "TURBO" car. REMEMBER YOU ARE DRIVING A CAR THAT IS, AT LEAST, 25 YEARS OLD AND YOU REALLY DON'T KNOW HOW IT HAS BEEN MAINTAINED OVER ALL OF THOSE YEARS OR WHAT KIND OF SHAPE IT'S IN!!!!!!

 

I lifted the below from Shelby's GREAT Starquest FAQ Post:

 

"Ok, every so often, depending on how many new guys we get, there comes a time to warn them about turning the boost up because it's so easy, too easy!! In fact, most do not know or care what the results will be, without taking proper care and precautions before hand - but the result is always the same. A blown head gasket, that a lot of the time results in a bout of name calling and dang junk car. Any way, next thing you know the car is parted out, all because of the owner NOT taking the time to learn what he needs to do, he just wants to bypass all the stuff the rest of us have learned the hard way.

 

14 lb boost is the max safe and when I say safe, I do not mean the longest lasting safe level of boost for the engine or the turbo. Anytime you go over the factory limit of 10 lbs boost you are asking for a shortened life of the turbo and the head gasket. That's a fact of life, learn to live with it or leave things alone.

 

Even 14 lbs should never be run unless you know, for a fact, that every part of the car's fuel control system is at 100% or better , and that is your responsibility to find out!

 

One more thing, don't read that Tommy the nitro (no real person) down the street is running 28 lb of boost and think you can do the same, You won't make it without spending a lot of loot or trashing your engine

 

Many of us have been at this for a long time and we've came a long way towards much more horse power then ever before. BUT making this power and keeping the engine & drive train alive for a reasonable time, is our goal not a 10 minute wonder. That's the reason many of us go at this at a much slower pace than others; that, and money comes hard to some of us.

 

What I'm saying is take the time to fully understand just what it is you are doing to the turbo, engine and drive train when you do these mods! In the long run you'll be much happier with your car and the money you've invested in it. There are many guys here to help you, but most lean toward the let's take it slow and make it last, rather then a quick, short lived Shooting Star!!"

http://www.starquest...showtopic=27998

 

The above words to the wise, from a VERY KNOWLEDIBLE Starquester, should be sufficient.

 

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OK, here we go:

 

FIRST thing to do is download the APPROPRIATE year Mitsu Starquest Field Service Manual (FSM) from http://www.starquest...nual_index.html

 

USE THE Field Service Manual because it will save you a lot of pain, heart ache, hitting your head against a brick wall, and MONEY if you do something to your new LADY, and you find out you did it incorrectly because you didn't use or have it. I also recommend getting to be friends with any KNOWLEDIGIBLE Starquester(s) in your geographic vicinity.

 

SECOND thing to do is download the 1988 MITSU Parts Catalog from http://www.starquest...nual_index.html That way you can get the exact part you need. Even though the only parts Catalog listed is for the '88's the vast majority of part numbers are correct for the '86 through '89 Starquests.

 

An added bonus to having the parts catalog is, a good portion of the exploded detailed parts configuration views, aid in figuring out how to take some Starquest component apart and/or put it back together properly where the shop Manual does NOT show jack in DETAIL.

 

THIRD thing to do is add http://starquest.i-x...8e332568f0c4963 and http://www.b2600turbo.com/ to your TREASURED list of Starquest Favorites.

 

Engine Cylinder Compression Leak Down Test

This is an important test. Remember: Many running/driveability questions can be answered with a simple compression test on these cars. It is good to do that first, before asking a bunch of questions that need that information first, so people can better know what we are starting with.

White smoke at start up for about 30-45 seconds = coolant in the combustion chamber. Either a cracked head, or blown head gasket.

Continuous blueish white smoke = oil in the chamber, or a very bad turbo oil seal. Could be rings, valve stem seals (they usually only smoke blue at start-up), loose valve guides or bad head jet valves.

 

By running this test it will tell you the condition of each of the cylinders. Having this information allows you to make smart educated decisions as to where to start to bring back your LADY to be all that she can possibly be. This is a link which fully explains compression testing. http://www.starquest...showtopic=28020

 

There are many posts in Virtual Mechanic about how to perform this test.

 

What's an Error Code?

Error Codes are error messages stored in the ECU computer to tell you what the computer is seeing as a problem and is compensating for (it is not running the best that it can if every sensor input to it was correct) and as a consequence your engine is running in a less than optimum mode. You can check this at the receptacle located in the vicinity of the glove box.

 

CHECK THE ERROR CODES IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ERROR CODE FAQ http://www.starquest...showtopic=28043

 

GET EVERYTHING WORKING PROPERLY IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CORRESPONDING FAQ'S.

Review the applicable Starquest FAQ on how to correct the most common error codes. I can not stress this enough. NO ERROR CODES !!!

 

Hoses and Belts.

Replace ALL of the hoses and belts. Don't forget the hose coming off of the rear of the intake manifold to the behind the block hose nipple which is attached to the engine coolant return piping to the engine coolant pump and the two heater hoses. I used MITSU OEM hoses. They may cost a couple of bucks more, but it's worth the piece of mind on a hot summers day, stuck in rush hour traffic, when it's 95 degrees outside and the A/C is on. Be aware that the belt sizes are not the same for all years of Starquests. '87 and back use 5/16" wide belts; '88 & '89 Starquest's use 3/8" wide belts.

 

Engine Oil System.

Make sure that you have good oil pressure at idle (just below the 1/2 mark on the gauge) and 1/2 or greater between the mid and the high gauge marks on the gauge at 1750 RPM and above. The above pressures are based upon using 10W40 engine oil in the summer when the engine is at normal operating temperature.

 

The above oil pressures are also for a newly rebuilt engine. If you don't see those oil pressures, or close to them, install a mechanical oil pressure gauge, in accordance with the FAQ on installing one, record your indicated oil pressure at idle (should be between 800 - 900 RPM's as indicated on the dash tachometer; then record your indicated oil pressure at about 2300 RPM. Post your observed oil pressures in the Virtual Mechanics Forum and let knowledgeable Starquesters advise you as to what you are dealing with.

 

I would also recommend dropping the crankcase oil pan, clean it thoroughly with brake cleaner, replace the gasket and reinstall it. Make sure that when you are drawing up the bolts that you draw them up evenly, crossing back and forth across and around the bottom of the pan in about 3 increments. Don't be in a hurry - take your time. It would help to have a 1/4 inch drive socket set to use and on 1 or 2 bolts you will need an universal joint. BE CAREFUL!! Don't snap a bolt head off from applying too much force. But get them evenly tight.

 

* You should also pull the oil cooler and flush it out with #2 diesel fuel. This is another component that is known to have sludge in places of low flow.

 

Another area to check is the oil lines to the engine oil cooler. These are mostly metal tubing , but, there are 4 "rubber" jumper lines installed in these lines. Get a flash light and trace these lines from the engine oil filter assembly to the oil cooler and back. They are notorious for weeping oil. If you have ANY oil weepage at these joints REPLACE ALL of the jumpers. Another area to check is at the "Banjo Bolts" which attach the oil lines to the engine oil filter assembly and the oil cooler. If there is weepage at any of the banjo bolts then get some new gasket washers from MITSU and install them per the Shop Manual.

 

Two other components to consider replacing are the metal turbo oil supply line and the turbo oil return hose back to the engine block. They probably have crud inside of them which will restrict the flow of oil to the turbo.

 

Coolant System.

Check the engine coolant pump for sounds of marbles rolling around in it. No marbles? GREAT!! Now check the weep hole under the water pump shaft housing. Does it have a discoloration around it, usually brownish or a dark gray? Depends upon how clean your coolant system is. Is it wet or moist? If so the water pump is telling you that it's getting ready to loose the seal. CHANGE THE PUMP NOW, or else it WILL cost you BIG BUCKS by correcting the problems that it WILL CAUSE when it takes it's dump.

 

When you take the radiator cap off (when the engine is cold) does the coolant have a glowing green or glowing pinkish red color? If not, then you need to go completely through your coolant system as soon as possible, as stated below.

 

Completely drain the coolant system, including the engine block. I believe the agreed on correct ratio is 33% anti freeze to 67% DISTILLED water. Water has a much greater affinity to absorb/dissipate heat faster than Anti-Freeze. Better yet, take your LADY to a Jiffy Lube or similar shop that has a Engine Coolant flush Service System. It may be expensive (about $75.00) but I believe it's worth every penny. And specify that you want the above ratio of anti-freeze to DISTILLED WATER ratio to be replacing the unknown coolant that is being removed. In fact, I bring my own Distilled Water with me and make sure that they use it during the flush.

 

The Coolant System's capacity is 9.22 quarts.

 

If you are using straight anti-freeze, use 3 quarts of Anti-freeze to 6 + quarts of DISTILLED WATER.

 

If you are using a solution of 50% antifreeze and 50% water out of the antifreeze jug, add 1.5 quarts of DISTILLED WATER and then add approximately 7.5 quarts of the 50/50% anti-freeze solution.

 

A couple of Starquesters in the past,have stated that they could not understand why their Starquest started gradually running hotter after a year or so after topping off the coolant expansion tank with straight anti-freeze out of the jug. They dumped that anti-freeze solution and put in the above 33-67% solution and the coolant temperature went down to where it should be. This is because water has a much higher capacity to absorb heat and dissipate it than anti-freeze.

 

You MUST use distilled water to keep from introducing minerals, which are dissolved in tap water, into the cooling system. These minerals tend to plate the internal heat transfer surfaces of the radiator, which after time reduces its heat transfer capability. This is the main reason that so many radiators have to be rodded out or replaced after a couple of years of use.

 

Plus add just a couple of tablespoons of liquid dish soap into the radiator. This soap makes the coolant solution wetter which allows it to absorb and dissipate the heat of combustion better.

 

Check to see that all of the radiator fans are operating at the OEM proscribed engine coolant operating temperatures: Passenger side=primary fan, Driver side= secondary fan.

 

Primary fan comes on at just below the dash temperature gauge middle line.

 

Secondary fan turns on just below 1/3 of the way between the dash temperature gauge middle line and the uppermost line. If they do not come on at those temperatures you have cooling problem(s). See the FAQ on keeping your Starquest cool.

 

However, the factory temp gauge readings differ, a bit, from car to car. On some, the Primary Fan comes on about 2/5 of the way up. The Secondary Fan comes on exactly at 1/2. If you see anything above half on your Lady it is dangerous to the continued health of your head gasket.

 

You should also check the engine coolant thermostat for proper operation in accordance with the Shop Manual. If it's bad, get a new one with the temperature range as denoted in the Shop Manual. Get a MITSU OEM thermostat.

 

If the fans and thermostat are working properly and you are running hotter than the above temperatures, you most probably have a clogged radiator, which is in dire need of a radiator shop rodding out. Don't think that just because the coolant passages in the area of the radiator cap opening are clean that the rest of the radiator passages are clean too, because they might not be. Or, the A/C condenser in front of the radiator (or the radiator itself) may have leaves, paper, and etc. on it reducing the available cooling surfaces.

 

If you need the radiator rodded out it would also be a GOOD IDEA to remove the metal coolant line that runs down the passengers side of the engine block and take it in to be rodded out also. If the radiator is clogged up, this line is also. Also remove the throttle body and see if the coolant passages in the intake manifold are clogged up. If so take the intake manifold in and have it rodded out too. It might also be the right time to rebuild your throttle body while you have it off.

 

If you have to rod out the radiator, also remove the coolant lines Banjo bolts at the turbo. They also are probably full of crud as well as the turbo coolant supply and return lines. It is STRONGLY suggested that you replace the coolant lines because they ARE crudded up if you see ANY evidence of crud in the banjo bolts. You can drill out the holes in the banjo bolts and reuse them. If the bolts and lines have ANY crud in them AT ALL you are restricting the flow of coolant to the turbo and it is or will be running hotter than design temperature - YOUR TURBO IS HEADING SOUTH FROM THE INCREASED TEMPERATURE AND WILL EXPERIENCE PREMATURE FAILURE.

 

 

Engine "Rattling" noise in front.

When you start your Starquest's engine up, do you hear a rattling coming from the front of the engine? The silent shafts (balance shaft's) chain tension needs to be adjusted because this chain has stretched over the years. See the Shop Manual, Page 9-15 for the proper way to adjust the chain. This is only for G54B Turbo engines with less than 100K miles.

 

If there is more than 100K miles on the engine, or you cannot get the rattle out of the engine, it's time for a balance shaft chain and chain guide replacement. Remember there are two of them, one to the oil pump/balance shaft and the other to the driver's side balance shaft. Also clean the accumulated crud out of the crankcase oil pan. Replace the oil pick up tube o-ring with a MITSU OEM new one, or contact DAD http://www.enginemac...m/conquest.html for the parts. See the Shop Manual on how to do this.

 

Do NOT put this off!!! You and your engine will be sorry if you do.

 

It would also be a good idea to replace the engine oil pump's relief valve spring and plunger as well as the timing chain, chain guides, tensioner sleeve, rubber sheet (2 of them = more oil pressure), and tensioner spring. (Parts Catalog, Timing Train Chain, page 31 of 66)

 

Or even better yet, replace the whole oil pump assembly with a MITSU one.

 

Another option is installing a balance shaft elimination kit. See DAD http://www.enginemac...m/conquest.html for the parts, and the FAQ on how to do it.

 

Turbo Hoses and Accordian Hose

Check all of the turbo tubing hoses for proper fit to each of their metal connectors; and whether or not you have any splits at the hose ends or anywhere in each of the tubes. This includes the joints at the intercooler (if you have one). If you do, then replace the tube. Tighten all of the hose clamps on the tubing joints to ensure that you are not experiencing any leakage.

 

Do not forget to check the hose and tighten the hose clamps at the throttle body to the Over The Valve Cover Metal Tube joint.

 

I usually lube each of the joint ends with Silicon Lube. It helps getting them off at a future date. Don't over do it with the lube.

 

If you have ANY leakage, it negates the Mass Air Flow (MAF) Sensor signal to the Electronic Control Unit (ECU) which tells the injectors how much fuel to inject for the given air flow as sensed at the MAF.

 

Also CAREFULLY remove the accordian hose between the Air Filter Canister and the turbo. Inspect it for any cracks, holes or rips. If you have ANY replace the accordian hose. New from MITSU it's about $110. But you can probaby pick up a used one in the Parts Wanted Forum for CONSIDERABLY less. Make sure that all of the clamps are tight on it and that it is properly seated in it's inlet and outlet joints. Check the hoses going to the accordian hose. Are the connection joints TIGHT and going to the proper components; check the hoses for cracks or rips. If the joints are not tight or the hoses have problems, replace them.

 

Vacuum Tubing.

Replace all of the engine compartment vacuum tubing with new tubing from MISTU. Bring a sample in to your "friendly" MITSU dealer to make sure you get the "right stuff." Replace the tubing piece-by-piece, cutting to the OEM lengths. Do NOT rip all of the tubing out and expect to remember were each piece of tubing goes. It's too much of a spaghetti bowl in the engine compartment. See the Vacuum Diagrams In Color FAQ for the tubing layouts. See this link for the tubing layouts http://www.starquest...showtopic=75476 By the way, there is approximately 42 feet of vacuum tubing in the engine compartment.

 

Lightly cut a slit, just through, the old tubing at each of the plastic couplers joints before you try to remove it. The coupler's, Tee joint's, etc. plastic ARE at least 19 years old and they break easily.

 

Do not forget to replace the larger tubing that goes to the brake booster too.

 

If the vacuum tubing has been "hacked up," initiate a post on the Virtual Mechanic Forum and maybe a knowledgeable Starquester can get with you to get the correct tubing routing for what you have.

 

Intake Manifold Sensors.

Remove all of the sensors on the intake manifold and burnish the male and female ends with the jewelers file or finger nail file until they are "squeaky" bright. See this link http://starquest.i-x...pic.php?t=1097 for an excellent description on how to do this.

 

EGR Valve.

Remove the EGR Valve and clean out all of the crud in it and in the intake manifold. Remember, or better yet mark the tubing and the connectors it goes to so you can reinstall them in their original locations.

 

PCV Valve.

Install a new MITSU OEM PCV valve. Repeat MITSU OEM, the after market ones for the Starquests are junk. For further information on the problems a NON OEM PCV can cause, see: http://www.starquest...showtopic=79229

 

Exhaust System Catalytic Converters.

Gut your precat. Probably the most performance noticeable mod you can make, and still pass smog inspections.

 

If the Precat is heavily clogged up, then the Main Cat is AT LEAST partially clogged, Strongly consider replacing it too.

 

* If your exhaust Manifold does not have any cracks in it you are very Lucky. To keep cracks from developing, remove the exhaust manifold and cut the webbing between the manifold runners. This relieves the uneven stresses due to the heating up of the different thickness parts of the manifold casting. I'd also grind off all of the raised casting flashing cuz these are hot spots which induce uneven heating of the exhaust manifold.

 

Fuel System.

Replace all of your fuel filters and strainers * (3 of them) in accordance with the FAQ. I don't think that the fuel pump inlet conical strainer is still available from MITSU, but CAREFULLY remove, clean and reinstall it. You may be lucky and not damage it.

 

* While you have the fuel pick up line assembly out of the fuel tank, hopefully it's damn near empty when you do the above, using a flashlight, check the bottom & sides of the fuel tank for rust. Any evidence of rust then it's time to clean the gas tank. You'll be financially sorry if you don't - screwed up performance, injectors and continually replacing strainers & filters.

 

Check the fuel injection system throttle body for ANY evidence of gas leakage. If it's around the area of the injectors get the fuel injector seal kit from MITSU and replace them in accordance with the Shop Manual. Be aware that each injector has it's own part number. Why? I'm not really sure, but for safety sake, it's adviseable to install the right seal kit (according to MITSU) on the appropriate injector. The gas leakage at the injector to throttle body joint has been the cause of MANY, MANY Starquest burning up!! See this link for further info http://www.starquest...showtopic=79242

 

* Also remove the throttle body (TB) from the intake manifold, clean it up and replace the goofy looking o-ring which seals the joint between the TB & intake manifold coolant passages - especially if your Lady is loosing coolant and there is no evidence of leaks and compression pressures don't indicate a blown head gasket. This o-ring gets crispy after 25 years and looses it's ability to seal the coolant circulating through the intake manifold and the weepage gets sucked into the TB throat and into the engine combustion chambers - especially if the engine has been overheated.

 

Fuel Injectors and Clips

The fuel injectors that are installed are probably, at least, 19 years old. Look carefully at the plastic caps at the top of each injector. Are there any cracks in them? Does the throttle body in the area of the plastic caps have a brownish substance on it? If so it may be that the caps are leaking gas. Or, the injector o-rings are weeping ( as noted above ). If there is a crack(s) the injector is shot. If it not leaking gas now, it will in the future. It CAN NOT be repaired. Once again, gas leakage around the injectors has been the cause of MANY Starquests burning up !!! See http://starquest.i-x...opic.php?t=1031 for further information.

 

Check the electrical clips that mount in the top side, on the plastic caps of the injector for a TIGHT fit. If they are loose they need to be replaced. Review this Starquest FAQ http://www.starquest...showtopic=28086 and http://starquest.i-x...opic.php?t=1031 for how to do it and what clips to buy.

 

Next, remove each clip individually and look at the male and female connectors. Do each of them individually so you can keep track of which clip goes to which injector. They are probably dirty and/or corroded. This condition introduces electrical resistance into the pulsing signal that is coming from the ECU to fire the injector. Needless to say if these connectors are dirty they will not send the full amount of current to the injector solenoid to make it fire properly. Therefore, you will probably have some degree of combustion misfire. Get a finger nail or jewelers file and gently burnish the male and female connectors until they are "squeeky" bright.

 

Now, with clean male connectors, it is time to test the injectors themselves for proper operation. Do them one at a time so you do not get the clips mixed up and attached to the wrong injector.Get a electrical circuit tester (either digital or analog, but the digital is better cuz it gives you the exact reading numerically) and put it on to check ohms. Then put the circuit tester's two probes on the two male injector connectors. You should have a reading between 2 and 3 ohms. Anything more than 3 ohms indicates that the injector is shot and it has to be replaced.

 

The next test of the injectors is to see if one or both are leaking or weeping gas. Remove the metal pipe that is going across the top of the engine valve cover to the throttle body. Get a clean rag and stuff it down the throttle body air inlet bore. Get a long wire and use it as a jumper between the positive pole of the battery and the fuel pump electrical test connection which is located in the engine compartment by the air filter canister. Using this jumper, energize the fuel pump for about a minute or so. Then remove the rag from the throttle body to see if there is ANY evidence of gas on it. If the rag is dry you are home free. If there is gas on the rag, then energize the fuel pump again for a minute or so, and, using a flashlight look down the throttle body bore to see if you can see which injector is weeping gas. Can't see it? Then put your finger on the tip of each injector to see if you get gas on your finger. You must either replace the weeping/leaking injector (probably the seconday) or you clean it or have it cleaned.

 

See this post for an in depth explanation of the fuel injectors, http://starquest.i-x...topic.php?t=902

 

U-joints.

Check your drive shaft u-joints for play. If you have ANY, replace them with MITSU OEM ones.

 

Spark Plug Wires.

Install the NGK 8 MM plug & coil wires. Relatively cheap, and probably give the most punch for the buck on the plug wires. That is a matter of opinion though. Some Starquesters recommend Borg Warner plug wires from Pep Boys because supposedly the resistance is 10 times lower than the NGK wires.

 

Spark Plugs

Now a little about the best spark plugs to use on the Starquests.

Stay away from the newer long lasting plugs, where turbo boost pressure could blow the fragile tip off, and into combustion chamber and scour the cylinder wall.

 

Install NGK 7031 (BUR7EA) spark plugs and gap them to 0.039" (they are gapped at the factory to 0.044". It is desirable to run the widest gap as possible before the flame blows out. Turbo boost is a factor. Do power runs, increasing the gap by 0.001" each time until you get hard acceleration with a miss-fire. When you get the miss-fire, drop back the 0.001" to when you didn't get it. (Each engine is different and you are tuning to YOUR PARTICULAR engine).

 

Below is an explanation of the designators on the NGK spark Plugs.

 

B Thread diameter = 14 mm

P Construction = Projected Insulator Type

R Construction = Resistor Type

Heat Rating Number = 2 HOT, Increasing Number = Colder

E Thread Reach = 12.7 mm

K Firing End Construction = 2 ground electrodes

N Firing End Construction = Special side electrode

S Firing End Construction = Standard 2.6 mm diameter center electrode

Numerical number = Pre-gap; for example: BPR7ES-11; the 11 means pre-gapped at 1.1mm (.044)

 

See this Starquest FAQ http://www.starquest...showtopic=27987 for more information about NGK spark plugs, setting the gap and about spark plugs in general. And here is another great spark plug link http://www.ngksparkp...ex.asp?mode=nml

 

 

Cylinder Head Jet Valves.

Also consider removing the Jet Valves located in the engine head. They have been shown to be the cause of many performance problems throughout the years. An inexpensive Elimination Kit is available from DAD http://www.enginemac...m/conquest.html Also see the FAQ on how to do this.

 

Constant Velocity (CV) Joints

Roll down your windows and when you are moving from a stop, listen for a "click" coming from the rear of the Starquest as you let out the clutch and start moving. Determine which side is “clicking” and plan on replacing that side's CV joint in the NEAR future.

 

It would be a good idea to jack the rear end of the Starquest up and check to see if the CV joint boots are ripped or cracked. If SO, REALLY PLAN ON REPLACING THEM IN THE NEAR FUTURE, ESPECIALLY IF THEY ARE "CLICKING".

 

Electrical Relays.

It would also be an EXCELLENT idea to pull all of your relays in the engine compartment, (do not forget the ones behind the panel outboard of the battery). Burnish the female and male ends of each of the connectors and reinstall. See the Shop Manual, Section 8 for the locations.

 

Electrical Grounding.

Inspect the negative ground wire from the battery to the block. Is there any evidence of corrosion at the battery connector? If so clean it NOW. Remove the negative connector where it bolts to the engine block. Same thing, burnish it NOW. Is the cable insulation split in any place or have corrosion on it. If so, replace this cable. If you have ANY of the above you are not getting the full electrical power to the engine that you need to let it work at it’s optimum performance.

 

Also check the positive wiring coming from the battery positive pole to and through all of the connectors in the engine compartment.

 

See the Shop Manual, Section 8, page 8-10, for the location of the other grounds in the engine compartment. Check them for the above characteristics. Also view http://starquest.i-x...topic.php?t=916 for additional info.

 

Fusible Links.

Remove each of your fusible links separately. Look at them for ANY sign of aging. In fact it would be a good idea to replace them all with OEM MITSU ones. God only knows how old they are, and if they have never been replaced you probably are not getting full electrical power through them. See THE SHOP MANUAL, Section 8 FOR THE LOCATION OF ALL OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT FUSIBLE LINKS.

 

At a minimum, removing one at a time, and clean ALL of the female and male fusible link connectors, using Scotch Brite pads or jewelers files. Then use a Ohm meter to measure resistance. There must be 0 Ohms.

 

Air Filter.

Check your air filter. Is it dirty? If so, either blow it out until it's clean (you can see a glow through the filter element when looking at the sun through the element) or if you can't see a glow, replace it.

 

Power Steering

Use 1.2 quarts of DEXRON auto tranny fluid (ATF). DEXRON I, II, III, etc are fine - all "higher number" DEXRONs are compatible with lower numbers. DO NOT USE "POWER STEERING FLUID" - StarQuest systems were designed to run with ATF since ATF can withstand MUCH higher pressures than simple power steering fluid. If a StarQuest power steering system ever gets filled (or just topped off) with plain power steering fluid it'll make a groaning sound, foam up and overflow, and the power steereing pump will die pretty quickly.

 

* 1987 Ignitor Upgrade - If your Lady is a '87 seriously consider upgrading the ignitor to an '88/'89 one. The '87 has a habit of going bad when you least expect it. The '88/'89 corrected the ignitor internal fault.

 

Distributor

To check the distributor vacuum advance: Carefully remove the vacuum advance tubing from the nearest plastic connector. Remove the distributor cap. Suck on the tubing and watch the lever coming out of the area of the vacuum advance inside of the distributor; it should move easily. Once you cannot suck any more air out, put your tongue over the tubing end for about a minute and watch the lever to see if it moves along with a decrease in vacuum as felt by your tongue. Then slip your tongue off of the tubing end a watch the lever to see if it SMOOTHLY moves to the at rest position.

 

If the vacuum as felt by your tongue decreases over the ½ minute or does a jerking retract to the at rest position then your vacuum advance is shot and it needs to be replaced.

 

Then check to see if the lever moves smoothly retarding the advance, by blowing into the tube and watching what the lever does.

 

You could use the following : Vacuum Advance J: Wells V1411 -- available at Autozone; Standard VC269 -- available at Sorensen 43-5004 -- available at Advance Auto Parts or CarQuest Auto Parts. See the Starquest FAQ for the procedure on how to replace the vacuum advance.

 

Next change the distributor Cap & Rotor. Use a Wells Pro Gold (made by Conrad with brass inserts) CR2205G -- available at Autozone; many owners recommend Bosch.

 

Distributor Pickup Coil: After removing the distributor cap, under the rotor, there are two pickup coil resistance-measuring terminals. The resistance value should be between 920 - 1,120 ohms.

 

Go to http://starquest.i-x...opic.php?t=1131 for how to totally rebuild your distributor.

 

Engine Oil

 

Finally, what brand and weight of engine oil to use in your LADY. This subject is like who is the most beautiful woman. I can only speak from my own 22 years of experience with the Starquests. It has worked for me (I'm still running the original short block after 285 K miles). Every spring, when the temperatures start getting into the 60's Degrees I change my oil to Castrol GTX 20W - 50. In the Fall, when the temps start dropping into the lower 30's at night, I switch to Castrol GTX 10W - 40. I also religiously change the engine oil after 2500 Miles. I also use a Napa Gold 1381 engine oil filter each oil change. It is one of the best filters and has the best internal check valve on the market. I have been doing this for 20 years and it seems to work for me and my G54B. But, opinions are like tailholes - everyone has one.

 

Change your tranny & differential oils. Probably they have not been changed for many years. And it could be very possible that you have a leaking tranny rear/front oil seal

 

5 Speed Tranny:

 

2.4 quarts of API GL-4 gear oil. Fill the tranny until the oil just begins to ooze out the fill bolt half-way up the side of the tranny.

 

Also check the inside surface of the dust cup on the end of the transmission tail shaft for evidence of tranny oil. If there is ANY oil, change the oil seal before you lunch the tranny from lack of oil.

 

Auto Trannies:

 

7.4 quarts of DEXRON auto tranny fluid (ATF)

 

Rear Differential

 

About 2.7 pints of GL-5 gear oil WITH 8 oz. of "friction modifier" PN 4318060 for Starquests with the limited slip differential (LSD) (there is a warning sticker on the door jam of LSD equipped cars that warns about jacking only one rear wheel up and then running the engine). Mitsu dealers sell a one gallon can of pre-mixed stuff that is great... but pricey too. Chrysler dealers sell "MOPAR Hypoid Gear Lubricant" (part no 4318058) plus the friction modifier (part no. 4318060)

 

Automatic Transmission

Also check to see if you have any ATF leakage/weepage at the trans, the tran's ATF cooler and the cooler's supply and return lines.

 

Speedometer Cable

 

Chances are the speedometer cable has never been changed, consequently the cable inside of the jacket has 20 something year old grease which is crusty. Do the following ESPECIALLY if the speedo needle is even slightly twitching at any speed!!! BELIEVE ME, YOU DO NOT want to have to replace the cable and the jacket if the cable breaks!!!! If the cable breaks it chews up the inside surface of the jacket and you must replace BOTH the cable and the jacket, to have the job last. It is a SUPER PITA!!!!

 

Remove the speedo cable's female screw-on connector from the drivers side of the tranny. Look at how the cable is seated inside of the jacket and remember it. Pull the cable completely out of the jacket. Remove all of the crusty old grease with brake or carb cleaner. Then liberally apply disc brake grease to the entire lenght of the cable. Make sure that you do not have any grease on the square male ends which fit into the trans or the speedometer. Then reinsert the cable into the jacket turning it as you are feeding it in slowly. As the cable is just about all of the way in the jacket keep rotating the cable slowly, so the cable's square male end will slip into the speedometer female end. The cable must be seated completely inside of the jacket at the tranny end in the same location as before you took it out. Screw the jacket female end back in it's proper location.

 

If you bought your LADY with a trashed engine, you have two options.

 

Option A: Buy another GOOD operating engine and swap the original one out. I'd keep the original OEM short block though, if it is not seized. Down the road, if you ever decide to sell your Starquest, having the rebuildable OEM short block will increase the value of the car. The new owner will have the ability to return the car to MITSU OEM MATCHING NUMBERS (as it came from the factory).

 

Option B: Rebuild your Lady's engine. See DAD's FAQ post on rebuilding these engines, what options you have, approximate costs, and what to look for when choosing a machine shop. http://www.starquest...showtopic=37070

 

If you need a new head and you are considering using a Marnel or Alabama NJV head be aware that there could be valve train oiling problems caused by the machining of the oil passages in these heads. The problems and the fixes are shown in this link. BTW If it has an AMC marnal head it will have AMC near the dist. Other aftermarket heads (alabama, clearwater) have a M28 between the 2 and 3 spark plugs.

 

http://www.b2600turb...arnel%20Cap.htm The Alabama head has similiar oiling problems. See http://www.enginemac...om/alabama.html

 

 

HAPPY MOTORING!!

 

 

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

ONCE you get your lady RIGHT, cheap inexpensive ways to get the max power (increase of anywhere between 45 to 60 some HP over the stock 188 HP (and even 12 HP more for an '87) out of her are:

 

Catalytic Converters.

Once again, gut your precat. Probably the most performance noticeable mod you can make, and still pass smog inspections. Supposedly good for about 10 - 15 HP. You should also consider replacing the main cat too. It's at least 25 years old and is also partially clogged.

 

* Bore/grind out the exhaust manifold outlet opening and the turbo exhaust inlet opening to the od of the collar that fits into their mating flange. You get rid of a futher exhaust flow restriction. Many SQC guys that have done this say that they noticed a significent improvement in the Turbo's spool up time.

 

Engine Air Filter.

Unless you have a clean K&N air filter, clean and oil it in accordance with K&N's procedure. If you have an after market one replace it with a K&N Air Filter E-2873.

 

There are different schools of thought on cutting a large rectangular hole in the air filter canister.

 

Another cheap significant performance improvement mod can be made to the Starquest's engine air intake system, that eliminates what Mitsu intentionally designed into the Starquests that dramatically restricts air flow to the turbo/engine. Yeah, just like NASCAR by mandating installation of the air restrictor plate to restricting the amount of air/O2 they can injest, thereby restricting performance of the NASCAR racing engines.

 

How many of you guys have REALLY looked at the the air intake volute where it mates to the round air filter cannister shell? Have you noticed how BIG that EXTERNAL mating surface is? Have you noticed the spot weld dimples on the mating flange? How many of you have looked at the internals of the air filter cannister shell and compared those internal spot weld dimples to the external ones. Have you noticed that the air cannister air intake hole is significantly SMALLER than the outline of the spot weld dimples? Stick you fingers inside of the air inlet hole and you will discover that the hole is only about 50% of the area of the spot weld dimple's out line.

 

So get a "wizzer" and carefully cut out the air opening into the air filter cannister JUST inside of the spot weld dimples to dramatically increase the area and as a result the air flow to the MAS/AFS/turbo and the engine. Make sure that you fair in the cuts and leave no ragged edges at the cut lines. Those ragged edges will cause air turbulence.

 

Grinding out this air flow restrictor does two things:

 

1] It decreases air flow back pressure and air turbulence coming into the air cannister caused by the restrictor plate (Increased turbulence causes increased resistence to air flow). The air flow is now semi-laminar.

 

2] Allows increased air flow into the air cannister cuz the restrictor plate is removed and no longer restricting air flow.

 

You may say that that cutting out that restrictor really won't improve the air flow cuz the air still has to make a double 90 Deg turn after it passes through the air filter cannister in order for it to pass up through the MAS/AFS sensor body inlet which is at the bottom of the filter cannister.

 

My response is, every bit helps and it sure beats the hell out of sucking HOT engine house air through holes cut into the air filter cannister. That HOT air is SIGNIFICANTLY LESS DENSE and thereby contains less O2 which could be restricting the optimum performance of the engine's combustion process.

 

Remove the secondary air cleaner (which simply provided insurance to pass idle and low RPM smog requirements by introducing air into the exhaust to dilute the exhaust gas mixture to pass any potential "FUTURE" CA regimented smog gas requirements). Yeah I know they can't back mandate any smog requirements, but Mitsu wanted to be in EXCELLENT standing with the CA Smog Board cuz they were trying to break into the USA auto sales market - ie the smog emmissions over-kill. Also do not forget to block off the vacuum line to the secondary air cleaner actuator. Removing the air cleaner tubing also removes the shoroud that sticks down into the waste gate housing restricting exhaust gas flow by about 33%. Look at the the below link to see it's size. See this link for removing the Secondary Air Cleaner's air tubing to the waste gate housing and plugging up it's hole. http://starquest.i-x...aa7514cdf4be055

 

 

Ignition Coil.

If you are still running the original Mitsu OEM coil (it's at least 19 years old), replace it with a MSD Blaster 2. Coils get old (like me @ 62 years old), and don't put out like they used to on hard acceleration (?) like when they were young. They sort of loose their ability to "pulse hard, fast & with gusto." I'm still trying though. WTH, I still have the hard & fast part - WITHOUT Viagra.

 

* 1987 EFI ECU Upgrade.

If your Lady is an '87 seriously consider upgrading the EFI ECU to a '88 or '89 one. It's just a plug & play mod. In '87 the engine was rated at 176 BHP at 5000 RPM, torque is rated at 223 LB - FT @ 2500 RPM. iN '88 the HP was upgraded to 188 HP @5000 RPM, and Torque to 234 FT - LBs. No other engine changes, other than different distributor advance fly weights, and the vacuum advance were made between '87 & '88/'89. You get an additional 12 HP gain due to just the improved EFI ECU fuel maps, corresponding distributor centrifugal and vacuum advance changes. See the below paragraph.

 

* 1987 Distributor Upgrade.

If your Lady is a '87 and you upgrade to a "88/'89 EFI ECU, seriously consider upgrading the distributor to an '88/'89 Mitsu PN MD11 9954. The "88/'89 distributor advance fly weights match the improved '88/'89 fuel map curves so you get the maximum benefit from the improved fuel maps. You should also get From Mitsu the distributor cap for this distributor Mitsu PN MD61 1605, cuz it comes with a o-ring which seals the cap to the distributor body. You don't get the o-ring with after market dizzy caps. The '87/88 Mitsu Parts Catalog, pages 8-36 & 37, lists 2 vacuum advance units - vacuum Set ( cuz I think that there was a standard vacuum advance unit, MD61 1360, for all of the different Factory OEM EFI ECU's that were installed in "87), and MD 61 1769 for '88. Maybe the '88 vacuum advance is for the revised '88/89 EFI ECU fuel maps. I don't know. However if I was going to upgrade to the '88/'89 distributor, I'd get and install the '88 one so I'd get the maximum factory '88/89 HP/Torque after spending the money for that year's EFI ECU and distributor. Why do I include the distributor cuz you don't know what year vacuum advance was installed by the PO's of that used distributor that you bought.

 

BSE.

Consider doing a Balance Shafts removal modification, for reliability & performance in accordance with the Starquest FAQ. If you are new to Starquests, I would recommend doing this modification WITH a KNOWLEDIGIBLE Starquester, that has previously done this mod, to advise you and give you tips and tricks on how to accomplish it. Once again, contact DAD at http://www.enginemac...m/conquest.html for the parts, and print out the FAQ on how to do it. Supposedly this is good for a 15 HP gain.

 

Ignition Timing.

I have also read, on this site, that you can advance the ignition timing to 15 DEG and not hurt anything. But I have no direct experience in that. Maybe someone else does. For daily driving I would leave it at 10 DEG advance.

 

Remove your belt for the AC compressor. I've heard a rule of thumb over many years that this is good for an approximately 15 HP gain.

 

Engine mounts.

You might also consider changing out the engine mounts. God only knows how bad they have been abused over the years. It would really be a bummer if you get a hole shot and hit second and your tranny shift linkage suddenly moves SIDEWAYS and you can't hit third cuz the linkage wouldn't let you.

 

If you get all of the above done and still have money left over and you are a glutton for additional punishment, consider changing out, with new, all of the tranny and differential mounts in accordance with the Shop Manual. But once again, I would recommend having a KNOWLEDIGIBLE Starquester help and/or advise you.

 

Last, but not least; make sure your tires are at the proper air pressure.

 

For what it's worth.

 

KEN

 

The above compilation of Newbee need to know and do data is a result of numerous Starquester's contributions: Shelby, DAD, Ernie88TSi, indy_85stariones, MainstreaM, shift1313, hickabilly, MikeC, ProfessorQuest, JustPaus, Indiana, chiplee and Starfighterpilot.

Edited by Starfighterpilot
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wow thats alot of info. you double posted the part about the plugs and the part about 8mm wires.

 

Also some of our cars are more then 18 years old :lol: mines almost 24 thank you.

 

Some things in there i dont totally agree with like saying you should definately get rid of balance shafts etc. I dont think we should tell people that what happens when they go bad and let them decide because while some have the knowledge some will just blindly follow. I know when i first joined a starquest club i was told to cut my airbox and i did not think too much about it and i regret it as an example because i notice you warned against it.

 

One other common problem is the clutch packs sticking in the rear diff. you should note to do some tight figure 8's to unstick them.

 

 

i couldnt really think of anything else off hand but it is pre 8am and 30 degrees here so im not fully functional yet:)

 

great post

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Just removing the belt for the A/C is good for 15 hp?!?!

 

I was planning on putting new belts this winter anyway... in the meantime I may just do a snippy snip on that belt to examine the diff in power...

 

Couple other notes on this-

 

I suspect the factory temp gauges differ a bit from car to car. On mine,

Primary comes on abt 2/5 of the way up. Secondary comes on exactly at 1/2. I see anything above half on my car as dangerous. Maybe ya could be a bit less exacting in your description? Maybe point out which fan is which-- ya know, Pass. side=primary, Driver side= secondary, as many (including me originally) get the two confused.

 

 

Also, I agree w/ shift1313 that recommending BSE and oil pump assembly replacement straight out of the gate is a bit much for a newbee.

 

...and how do you do a turbo inspection again? I know my turbo's shaft has abt 2 inches of play. is that normal? :wink:

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This is my list...

 

I would say...

 

#1 - replace 195F/90C t-stat currently in car with 180F/80C

#2 - drain and refill all fluids

#3 - replace all filters

#4 - replace ignition parts including vacuum advance

 

http://home.earthlink.net/~rbrown23/indyswebsites/b000.htm

 

Tune Up

 

 

Plugs: NGK BPR7ES-11 in most climates. Gap between .035 and .039 (instead of preset .043). Use NGK BPR6ES-11 in cold climates. This plug is one step hotter, so gap between .039 and .043. Decrease gap even more when running higher than factory boost. Many owners recommend a set of AC Delco Rapid Fire #4's for everyday driving.

 

The R in BPR7ES means it has a resistor (A BP7ES has NO resistor)

The U in BUR7ES means a semi-metallic facing material (Definitely NOT recommended for our cars!)

The S in BPR7ES means Standard Electrode

The Y in BPR7EY means V-Groove Electrode

The -11 in BPR7ES-11 means pregapped at 1.1mm (.043)

 

It is desireable to run the coolest plug as possible before fouling, e.g. the plug loses its ability to clean itself. It is desireable to run the widest gap as possible before the flame blows out. Turbo boost is a factor.

http://www.extrememotorsports.com/plugfaq.htm

 

Stay away from the newer long lasting plugs, where turbo psi could blow fragile tip off into combusion chamber.

 

Wires: NGK 8MM wires #9012 (ME51 - custom fit) -- available at most import car parts stores; Many owners use 8.5 and 9 MM wires.

 

Cap/Rotor: Wells Pro Gold (made by Conrad with brass inserts) CR2205G -- available at Autozone; Many owners recommend Bosch.

 

Pickup Coil: After removing the distributor cap, under the rotor, there are two pickup coil resistance measuring terminals.

 

Resistance Value -------- 920 - 1,120 ohms

 

 

Vacuum Advance: Wells JV1411 -- available at Autozone; Standard VC269 -- available at CarQuest; GP Sorensen 43-5004 -- available at Advance.

 

Coil:

 

Primary Resistance between pos(+) and neg(-) terminals ----- 1.04 - 1.27 ohms

Secondary Resistance between pos(+) and high tension terminals ---- 7,100 - 9,600 ohms

Take measurements after engine has cooled off at room temperature (68F)

 

 

 

Click on Pic

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maintenance

 

 

01) Change Oil.

Avoid oils that have a large gap between viscosities, e.g. 5W-30 and 10W-40. I have always used Valvoline 10W-30 in the Winter and straight 30W the rest of the year. Other folks like Castrol GTX.

 

Pour 1/2 quart of fresh oil in filter and apply to gasket o-ring.

 

To restore oil pressure, disconnect wire on neg(-) terminal of coil. Crank engine at short intervals, allowing starter to cool between attempts. Also, follow this procedure after the car hasn't been driven over a long period of time.

 

 

 

 

 

02) Power Steering.

Avoid power steering fluid. Use Dexron Type II.

 

 

 

 

03) Cool Down.

Ever hear of the phrase "Rode hard and put away wet"? Whether talking about horses or turbocharged engines, the same principle applies. As you arrive within a couple miles of your destination, shift down to 3rd or 4th and cruise steadily at 2.5K rpms. As you arrive at your destination, shift down to 2nd and cruise steadily at 2K rpms. Before turning off the ignition, idle the engine steadily at 1.2K rpms for a few seconds. I have close to 200K miles on my original turbo without any problems. I replaced the oil feed line to my turbo. Even though it was mounted to the exhaust manifold -- many folks rotate that bracket 90 degrees and fabricate another bracket that bolts to idler pulley mount -- there was slight evidence of any blockage.

 

 

 

 

Click on Pic

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top Ten Things

 

 

01) Check compression. Check dry engine compression. For each cylinder, it should be between 120 and 140 psi. There should be a difference no greater than 5 psi between cylinders. Check wet engine compression. For each cylinder, it should go up a few psi depending upon the condition of piston rings. If compression is below 100 psi and remains the same (between dry and wet), then problems exist in valve train.

 

 

 

02) Check fuel pressure. There is a connection on the Throttle Body. It should be 36-37 psi at idle. It should rise 1 lb. for each corresponding additional lb. of turbo boost. You will have to "duct tape" the gauge to your windshield to do this.

 

 

 

03) Change main fuel filter. It is in engine compartment. There are 5 filters, in all. A screen in the fuel tank. Another on the fuel pump. The main one in engine compartment. And two small filters -- one on each injector.

 

 

 

04) Clean corroded electrical contacts on injectors. An embory board or nail file can be used. Replace injector connectors. Before unplugging the injectors, Tape and mark each wire. Yes, the connector for injector #1 must be used on injector #1. They can't be reversed. Yes, polarity matters. New injector connectors (pigtails) must be soldered (heat the wire) on the old wires and covered with shrink-wrap. Standard Ignition SK25; General PS35730; NAPA 2-17427. Any Bosch style connector will work -- GM, BMW, even Honda. Connectors from late model years have quick release clips.

 

ECU's from 86 and earlier model years, fire injectors alternately.

 

ECU's from 87 and newer model years fire injectors staged, e.g. primary first (until around 3K depending on boost and throttle position) and secondary as needed. If your car idles poorly, probable corrosion on primary pigtail. If your car stumbles at 3K rpms, probable corrosion on secondary pigtail.

 

 

 

05) Replace that 195 degree thermostat with a 180 degree thermostat. First of all, the book requires a 190 degree thermostat. That means, it begins to open at 190 degrees -- fully open at 212 degrees. Most aftermarket thermostats are available at 195 degree. If your temp gauge needle is not slightly below half mark, there is probably one in your car right now. Your 195 therm begins to open at 195F degrees -- fully open around 220F degrees. You are well on your way to a c-r-a-c-k-e-d h-e-a-d.

 

If you see 80 stamped on your thermostat, that is 80 © or 176 degrees (F).

If you see 87 stamped on your thermostat, that is 87 © or 189 degrees (F).

 

Your ECU uses the coolant temp sensor on the intake manifold. It requires the engine temp to reach 176F degrees to function properly. I prefer the OEM Mitsu' thermostat. It has a larger opening than aftermarket. In colder climates, go ahead with the 195 degree therm. Your ECU will set your air/fuel mixture too rich, when the proper engine temperature is not reached.

 

 

 

06) Replace colapsed, weak, and leaking vacuum hoses. Use a razor blade -- as a reminder, old metal/plastic parts are fragile. Also, your old OEM hoses have colored dashed lines painted on them. These colors correspond to the diagram under your hood and in service manuals. You may wish to paint circles at each end of your new hoses, in order to easily connect to correct part. Many folks use colored silicon hose with 3.5mm inside diameter. Some use 3.2mm where high boost is encountered.

 

 

 

07) Clean Injectors. If your injectors are leaking, send them to RC Engineering.

 

 

 

08) Throttle Body. If there is fuel residue around throttle body, purchase a throttle body gasket kit -- some are missing a crucial o-ring.

 

 

 

09) Return fuel line. If you smell gas fumes in heating/ac vents during hard acceleration, tighten clamp on TB return fuel hose. Better yet, replace the whole hose.

 

 

 

10) Vacuum Advance. If your car hiccups when going into boost, replace the vacuum advance.

 

 

 

11) A/C Drain Hose. If you hear gurgling sounds when running A/C, replace the a/c drain hose under your glove box. The water will short out the ECU in passenger's side kick panel. There is another drain hose between inside/floor rails of car. Check/Clean as needed. Better yet, extend this drain hose to prevent rust on passenger's side frame rail.

 

 

 

12) Cluster Switches. If your headlight doors won't close, remove and clean the contacts on the push buttons. While you are at it, remove corrosion on all electrical relays on driver's side inner fendor next to battery.

 

 

 

13) When your car decides to run rich, there is air leaking between the air can (MAS Sensor) and the Throttle Body -- tighten/replace I/C hoses. Other possible causes, intake coolant temp sensor, O2 sensor. Which brings us to number...

 

14) Rather than trouble-shooting by replacing good parts with new parts -- learn to check your ECU error codes. The error codes tell which sensor has gone bad. The Heater/AC computer has error codes as well.

 

 

 

15) Rust. Take a look under front bumper. Under the car, take a look at the passenger's side frame rail (See A/C Drain Hose). In hatch, remove passenger's side interior panel and sound deadening paper and take a look at strut tower.

 

 

 

16) Check Strut Isolators. In the engine compartment, look for center cap poking thru strut towers. Rear strut isolators are usually fine.

 

 

 

17) Radiator Fans. Rather than wiring both fans to respond to low-temp coolant sensor, replace the high-temp sensor with another low-temp coolant sensor. When a problem occurs with the low-temp fan circuit, the modified high-temp fan circuit is your redundant backup.

 

 

 

18) Change coolant often. Use no more than 50% coolant and distilled water. I use Peak's green stuff.

 

 

 

19) Replace hoses and belts. Don't forget to have a new bearing pressed into each idler pulley (2 of them). Don't forget the intake to block hose and two heater hoses. I use Goodyear hoses and belts.

 

 

 

20) Change transmission, and differential fluids often. Remember to use LSD additive.

 

 

 

21) Replace timing and balance shaft chains. When you start your engine to begin your day, listen for tin can rattling noise under the hood.

 

 

 

22) Replace engine, transmission, and rear-end mounts.

 

 

 

23) Replace rear-end seals and U-joints.

 

 

 

24) Wiper Blades. Replace with OEM Mitsu' inserts. I like OEM wiper blades. They have 6 pivot contact points on the insert. Most aftermarket blades have only 4. If you no longer have OEM wipers, replace with Lexor or Rainex blade assemblies available at Wal-Mart.

 

 

 

25) Replace your tired old stereo. Pacific Accesory Corp makes an adapter which enables you to keep your factory steering wheel controls. Your aftermarket radio must be infra-red remote enabled. You can purchase PAC's SWI-6 unit at Circuit City for $60.

 

 

 

26) Replace rear speakers. Do it the correct way as outlined in your service manual. Start by removing your rear seat and seat belts. After you slide your interior side panels forward, you will be able to do the rest. Use Dynomat sound deadening material on interior side panels (there are large openings in metal body panel) to reduce unwanted road noise.

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I'll compile this into an FAQ, remove any that might be considered hearsay or wrong.

 

Just a note, taking off your A/C belt will gain you NO horsepower, period. The only time that the A/C belt is making you loose any horsepower, is when you have your A/C on. When the A/C is off, the A/C clutch is disengaged. The only "power" that you're loosing when the A/C system is off (if you hit the "econo" button twice, it turns off the A/C compressor while still running the fan blower motor. With the A/C off, you are spinning two bearings that have NO load on them what-so-over.

 

So, everyone, add anything else you think might be of value, I'll go over it, put it into one, single, complete post, and then I'll move it over to the FAQ.

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<!--QuoteBegin-Ernie88TSi+-->

QUOTE (Ernie88TSi)
<!--QuoteEBegin-->Just a note, taking off your A/C belt will gain you NO horsepower, period. The only time that the A/C belt is making you loose any horsepower, is when you have your A/C on. When the A/C is off, the A/C clutch is disengaged. The only "power" that you're loosing when the A/C system is off (if you hit the "econo" button twice, it turns off the A/C compressor while still running the fan blower motor. With the A/C off, you are spinning two bearings that have NO load on them what-so-over.<!--QuoteEnd-->
<!--QuoteEEnd-->

 

Ernie,

 

This rumor of the A/C belt driving the extra 2 pulleys costing the engine about 15 HP, has been around since the early 1960's.

 

I saw it vividly displayed in 1971, in San Diego on an ENGINE dyno. We had rented the dyno for a complete Saturday from 8 AM to 4 PM, because we had four race engines (2 Dodge HEMI's and 2 440's) to dial in that day for the next weekend's dragging up in Los Angeles. I think that it was at Ponoma. Anyway, the hemi's went in the '67 Dodge Dart and the 440's went in the '70 Dodge Challenger. I believe we were dialing in the engines to get the maximum out of a new high rise dual quad intake manifold that the back room of MOPAR Racing wanted us, along with some others, to test out on the strip. We were racing Super Stock at the time, not Modified Production. It was "officially" one of the last back door performance mods that MOPAR's back room put out because the '72 HP's were going to drop dramatically because of auto insurance costs and the EPA. Although MOPAR's back room never folded up shop until about 1977 for the '60's, 70 and 71 MOPARS. SSSSSHHHHH!!!!!!!! I wasn't supposed to type that!

 

The owner of the race team, who owned a Dodge dealership in San Diego, had been selling his performance Dodge's without the A/C option because the rumor was, substianted by nothing other than hearsay from DODGE, that the A/C belt driving a free wheeling A/C compressor clutch/compressor took 15 HP away from the HP of an engine. If this was false, it was costing him money, big time, in sales. So he decided to find out for himself if that was true or not. He had us modify a A/C compressor mount (had to because of the headers) and install an A/C compressor on one of the Dodge 440's (bored 0.030 over), with dual Holley 4 barrel carbs, a MOPAR Purple Stick cam, pushing about 480 + HP with Hooker headers using the new intake manifold.

 

We got lucky and finished dialing the 4 of them in about 2 in the afternoon. We had 2 hours to burn so we installed the pulleys and belt and the A/C compressor on the above 440. I want to emphasize that the compressor clutch was not engaged or was the compressor hooked up to anything..

 

We ran this engine through the same routine that we did when we were dialing it in originally on the dyno.

 

Although it was not consistant throughout the RPM range, on the average, the new HP readings recorded about 16 HP less than the HP readings that we got without the A/C belt/compressor assembly installed. NOTHING ELSE HAD CHANGED. So Dodge was right although they never put it in writing.

 

Carl, the dealership owner, also considered the additional weight of the other A/C system components and the degradation in performance verses a exact same but non A/C car. As a result of this dyno run he directed his salepeople to not push the A/C option for the performance cars, unless the customer REALLY wanted it (especially with the decreased engine performance projected for '72). He wanted his MOPARS with his dealership logo on the back to be recognized as similar or equal to MR Norm's Grand Spaulding Dodge in Chicago. In other words, kick a**. He could not do the dealer drive train modifications that Mr Norm did, because he could not get away with it due to the dealership being in Southern California with all of the SMOG requirements/restrictions. But he sold the same parts as Mr. Norm did. He had two of his top performance line mechanics moon lighting, "unofficially" installing those parts at a non-dealersite location if the customer wanted it. He uses that site today as his store house of vintage '60's and EARLY 70's MOPARS that he set aside while he owned the Dodge dealership.

 

Just thought that I would let you know what we found out back when Christ was a kid.

 

Getting the most HP & torque out of the MOPAR engines back then was similar to going to the Moon in the Apollo Program. It was an exciting and sometimes frustrating time, before the age of computers, to find out if the modification you made worked on the dyno, and especially on the drag strip.

 

For what it's worth.

 

KEN

 

PS You can say how in the *ell does he remember this stuff. Well, I kept a diary back then, documenting what worked and what didn't AND WHY. My ex-wife didn't get her money hungry hands on it.

Edited by Starfighterpilot
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