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Project Clean 420a

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Discussion starter · #21 ·
Ok I'll do some work tomorrow and take some pics hopefully tomorrow.

Regarding the ongoing discussion of buying an evo I personally think 2gs look better but evos 7-9 are pretty nice(the X is kinda fat but still nice, and expensive) If I get a new car in 6 years or so I'll probably get the Ford Focus ST. just my 2 cents
 
Discussion starter · #23 · (Edited)
Well i'll be putting on the painted stock rims next tuesday. still no luck finding a W12 hatch (hi-rise or wingless) . Haven't put the W12 White mirrors on yet either. Radio is in though. Heres a decent pic of it.

I may take it down later in favor of a nite shot
 
Discussion starter · #25 · (Edited)
and finally the painted stock RS wheels. They look a little bad because when i painted them i left the balancing weights on(stupid) and now that they've been taken off there are some small unpainted sections. I also mad the mistake of gluing the center caps in which had to be removed for balancing so the nice black center caps with the red mitsu logo are all cracked :( All in all though the wheels still look better than they did. So heres a cell pic of it as it sits. (I still really really need some 1.5-2 inch lowering spings. Probably sportlines with tokiko HP shocks...
 
Discussion starter · #26 · (Edited)
I just would like you guys to know I just drove through one of the biggest blizzards NJ has had in a decade and both my little RS and I survived even after all the Hummers and Suberbans turned in. It drove through the easily 16 inches of snow(more with drifts) like a champ. Horray for Mitsubishi. Still want an Evo or a GSX by Jr. year of collage though.

Heres a pic of the car about 3 hrs into the storm
 
Discussion starter · #27 ·
I had to leave the car in a nearby parking lot covered with only a tarp because the snow was drifting too much for me to get in the driveway :( When I turned the car on this morning it started up great but after about 5 min an indescribable bump(but not that loud) happened. As I drove the car back to the garage it went away though. I'm never doing this to any of my cars ever again. Does anybody know what that might have been?

On a semi related note I was thinking about what should be my next car; a GSX or an Evo 8 or 9. (not a big fan of the Evo X's looks). I Really like the 2G body style but as they are at least 4 years older than the oldest Evo I could buy I'm not sure I would be able to keep up with the maintenance (as it will likely become a DD). The downside of the Evo would be that they can cost at least $13,000 (if I'm lucky) Any opinions?
 
Discussion starter · #30 · (Edited)
DSM4LIFE-AWD said:
Doing what ever again ? Drifting in the snow ? An ESi is just boring as any other fwd cars in the snow ...
Click to expand...
Sorry should have been more clear. I am never driving my car through an colossal snow storm then leaving out in a freezing cold parking lot overnight. I was not "snow drifting" I said that the snow WAS drifting and these giant snow drifts prevented me from getting my car into the garage. I do agree with the "boring in the snow" bit. When I do drifting in the snow I use my moms 2010 impreza (blasphemy I know but what can you do) and its a blast.

Also thanks for the info about the insurance for an Evo being almost twice as much as that of a DSM. Why is that? I like them both but if I could find a DSM with low enough miles with good maintenance etc. I'm sure I would end up buying it (AWD of course)

Side note: oil change+new wiper blades+ wash and maybe wax tomorrow
 
#31 ·
FormulaDz92 said:
Side note: oil change+new wiper blades+ wash and maybe wax tomorrow
Click to expand...

THIS^ Perfect.... Keep it simple, prob. wouldn't hurt to rotate your tires..

BTW that picture you took in the snow, it does not appear that you have a factory exhaust...... The muffler at least.
 
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Discussion starter · #32 ·
I have a 3" Megan Racing Cat-back exhaust which sounds great by the way. Very bass and not "fart cannon"y at all. I'm not going to do the tire rotation because I just got the stock rims+tires put back on about a month ago.
 
Discussion starter · #33 ·
Alright its been a while and I've finally got some questions to ask.

1. First and most important is about my radiator temp gauge. As most of you probably know it has been freezing in NJ this winter and I've noticed that when I warm up the car the radiator temp gauge goes to about half way(the car is in a garage but is not heated). Once I start driving however the gauge drops down to zero in about 1-3 min. I just filled up the radiator fluid so is this normal when driving in 14 degree weather?

2. I had my 1 DIN Pioneer radio/cd player installed at SAMM sound because me and an ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING MAJOR could not figure out why it wouldn't turn on. Long story short I took apart the center console the other day to find that a wire from my cigarette lighter(looked like a black grounding wire) had been wired into the CD player. This doesn't bother me as much as the fact that now the light from the cigarette lighter is stuck behind my radio(becuase of the limited cord length. Now i have a cigarette lighter that doesn't work and a stupid light behind my radio that goes on every time I turn on the headlights. Any ideas?

3. Last problem isn't really a big deal but my valve cover has a small leak in it. Is there any permanant(and preferably cheap) solution to this?
 
#34 · (Edited)
Long Time no see, Just Kidding. Now with your problems, The Overcooling if you will, seems to be a stuck open thermostat. A good way to check to see if it is, While the car is running at normal operating temp, Put your hand on the Upper Radiator hose, Squeeze it while someone else gives a little throttle, If you cannot feel coolant circulating through then chances are you have a clog or Busted Thermostat.

Now for the Cigarette lighter, Whomever did your radio would not be the first one to wire it like that, Seen a few, it cause's problems. First the Radio Probably stopped turning on due a Blown Fuse, Lighter or the actual one on the back of the Cd Player. Inspect things and get a wiring harness so you can reinstall it the right way. There is a harness you plug into your stock radio harness, then you wire the new harness to the CD player harness. Easy as Pie.;)

The light you see behind your cigarette lighter isn't supposed to be there, It actually has a small little box on the cigarette lighter housing, It plugs in there, and twists to lock, In order to see all of this, You will need to pull your CD player anyway. It is fairly easy once you have the deck out, You can unscrew the bottom part securing the Lighter & Housing to the Center Console. Then Remove the Wiring Clips, Then you should be able to pull it out. :D

Good Luck, Let me know if you need pictures.


EDIT: Forgot about the Valve Cover, Go ahead and try to tighten up the Bolts, You know max them out, Not to the point of no return, more so like a break in period type thing.
Do it in a cross pattern, One corner To the Next, and so on and so on. Its not like there gonna be loose when you try this, Just a band aid to try to help it snug up a little more. A cheap solution if it doesn't fix the leak is to Replace your Valve Cover Gasket, Its not hard at all, and its cheap, Some EXPERIENCE I know you could use.
 
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Discussion starter · #35 ·
Thanks for getting back to me so quickley. I'll give all of these things a shot as soon as my friend can give me a hand. She needs the experience too she just bought a CRX Si sooo this should be fun.

Progress so far this winter has been repeated washes(no waxes), keeping on the tire pressure in this ever-decreasing temperature, cleaning + drying out interior, oil, etc.

Last thing; I woke up today and there was a this layer of ice on the INSIDE of the windsheild. All seals are good so I did a little reading and found out its probably too much moisture in the car and when it gets cold it all freezes up. Is there anything I could buy to get some of the moisture out? Best Ideas i've got to far is to leave some cups of rice and a bag of bakeing soda in there overnight but I'm not sure how much good that will do...
 
#36 · (Edited)
I highly Doubt all your seals are good.:rolleyes: Haha That sucks though. Sunroof maybe? Though your tips you have recived are not bad, Rice is to absorb most of the moisture in the Air/Car. But I know Rain X Fog Stopper also works Great for this, I used it last winter after the same problem, it kept on happening, So Put some of this on, Cleaned it up. Its supposed to make it so you don't have to defog/defrost your windows. Check it out good stuff.

Never had the Problem again. Even In the Last month my car has been in the garage with windows open.

Although I would do that, I would also get a good wax on her. When I Wax my car, I wash/wax, All crevice's around inside the hood, doors, hatch, gas door, wheel wells, everywhere they put factory paint on. It cleans it up like new, and keeps rust, dirt, water out of hatch gutters, door gutters, all that. I love it, and it keeps the seals nice and fresh.

Alot of info for a small problem, but I am very detail oriented.:eek:


Edit:

http://www.rainx.com/Products/Windshield_Treatment/2_In_1.aspx

http://www.rainx.com/Products/Windshield_Treatment/Anti-Fog.aspx

Both of those.
 
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Discussion starter · #37 ·
Alright if it is a seal issue it must be the sunroof which I had replaced. The current one was from a diamante which had the same part number but it is completely flat, not curved. This isn't that big of a deal but I have been looking for a better one. This could be the seal problem. Maybe I'll try putting on the old sunroof and see if the icing goes away.
 
#39 ·
Do the work man and spend the money. I know how you feel, I had a black GS and I spend almost 1500. Now that i think about it, for what?? I couldent even keep up with a frankinstine honda (It was PATHETIC), But you know what man the car looks nice and if it works for you then more power to ya. Just think about the money that your spending on that and if you woulda spent it on a 4G63. The 420A isnt that good IMO it blew up on me and it only had 98K and it doesnt really make good power for the amount of money put in. Oh and as for the headers I had DC Headers and they really didnt make it sound any louder or more aggressive. Definetly let my revs go alil faster but not that big of a difference. Good Luck with the car.
 
Discussion starter · #40 ·
Thanks...I think. I realize now that buying a 420a may have been a bad decision. I'm doing my best to keep it in good shape and put as little unnecessary money into it as possible. However this is my first car and I have had no reason to doubt it so far.

On that note I have been thinking of what I mite buy as a good, fun, and reliable after-collage car. Heres what I have so far:

Nissan 350z (great as long as its not in snow)

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 8 or 9 GSR (great car in every way except price and MPG)

Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX 2G (my first choice, but hard to find ones that aren't heavily modifies + its old so it will require that pesky old-car maintenance)

Chevrolet Cobalt SS Turbocharged (I can;t believe I'm saying this but between its 260 hp engine, good looks... well at least I think they're good, and its horrible resale value its a bargain)

Let me know which car you would choose and what climate you are in ex. urban/rural cold/hot etc.
*Also don't say to post a poll because my profile won't let me do that.
 
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FormulaDz92
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