There are very few ways to check for crankwalk that the dealer would approve of. The best thing you can do is let the idle steady and then push the clutch in. If the RPMs drop, don't buy it. Take it for a test drive and take a hard left hand turn. Keep your foot resting on the clutch pedal. If the clutch pedal drops to the floor at the end of the turn, don't buy it.

Otherwise, you are either dropping the oil pan or prying at the crank pulley.

 

Thanks for the quick responce, ProjectGSX. Hey, where do you live and/or hang in the austin Area. I am in Round Rock.

 

Which dealer is it? I had Town North check my end play. But I don't know how honest they would be with a car they wanted to sell.

BTW Brian lives in Round Rock too, and I live up in North Austin. If you are thinking about getting a dsm, or get one you might want to join the local list. See http://www.austindsm.org

 

Austin Texas guys

Nice to see some hometowners. Check out the videos pages at austindsm.org, it is great. i am in OKC for another three weeks, then i will be heading back to Austin.

 

Thanks for the quick responce, ProjectGSX. Hey, where do you live and/or hang in the austin Area. I am in Round Rock.

I am just south of Round Rock. At 35 and Grand Avenue.

 

Are there any DSM weekly meets that I can caome to and talk with some guys and lookat some cars so I can know what I am looking for? I know there is a Wednesday night Fuddrucker gathering, a friday night Zilker park gatering, and a Saturday night gathering at Best Buy at 183 & Mopac but that is for everyone.

 

We were doing every other Monday but that kind of puttered out. We need a new place to meet at. People often come over to my house to tinker because I have a garage. I am hosting a birthday party for a friend Saturday and there should be several dsmers there so if you promise to behave, you are welcome to show up and meet some of us. It will not be a dsm specific meet though. Join the list and you will know when we meet next.

 

Join the Austin DSM list. http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/dsmaustin

We do not have regular meets because most of the people in the group are not very social.

 

not trying to be a dick but...

here's MY opinion of what you should look for:
a 1g gsx instead (low mileage). they are a bit uglier, but...

why?

-lower insurance rate
-more money for mods
-more money for mods
-no crankwalk
-more money for mods

just my opinon.

also, some VERY good advice that i wish someone wouldve told me: don't get too excited about the car and impulse buy just becuase it is close to what you want. get EXACTLY what you want. a better car will ALWAYS pop up 100% of the time. of course if you can buy a warranty from the dealership, get the gs-t cause warranties ROCK.

check out www.kbb.com. that's where youll find your price. also, lookk at auto trader and other online car demos so youll know a ood price rance and have an idea of what youre working with.
good luck.

 

We do not have regular meets because most of the people in the group are not very social.

Or thier cars are always broken! LOL!

 

Evol, good advise. I myself was thinking about suggesting a GSX, but they are not easy to come by. And he really might want a GST anyway. I have a friend who has been looking for a GSX locally (but a 2g) and there just aren't any locally. They are becoming hard to find as people snatch them up and hold on to them.

 

Evol, good advise. I myself was thinking about suggesting a GSX, but they are not easy to come by. And he really might want a GST anyway. I have a friend who has been looking for a GSX locally (but a 2g) and there just aren't any locally. They are becoming hard to find as people snatch them up and hold on to them.

yes there are also good reasons to buy a fwd, and the number one reason i can think of is the vast array of transmission problems that are sure to come if you ever decide to go anything better than a 14.0 in an awd car. i'd be willig to bet that fwd cars trannys last 10x longer than the typical gsx trans without breaking...

 

I talked to a guy at a place called "Japanese Specialist" in Round Rock yesterday and he said that he would rather go with a GST rather than a GSX because of transmissions probles that the car has. AWD is good if you are putting down alot of power but you can drive a FWD with the same power if you know how to drive. I think I am going to look at the car on Sunday and make him an offer.

 

yes there are also good reasons to buy a fwd, and the number one reason i can think of is the vast array of transmission problems that are sure to come if you ever decide to go anything better than a 14.0 in an awd car. i'd be willig to bet that fwd cars trannys last 10x longer than the typical gsx trans without breaking...

Got wheel hop?

 

I might suggest doing a lot more research before making your mind up either way rather than listening to just one opinion.

Don't get me wrong, GSTs are great for roll racing and that is about 80% (or so it seems) of the local racing here.

BUT, the idea that GSXs don't have any real advantage until you are making a lot of power is misguided. A stock GSX will still have a huge advantage when racing from a stoplight. There are several local people who have had GSTs and gone to a GSX because they were sick of not having any traction.

Talk to Stoli. He has a GST Spyder, and although it is a beautiful car, wheelhop is not his friend. Also talk to Todd, who has had both and is looking for his third and refuses to go back to a GST and the same with Brian Wilson who has just gone from a GST to a beastly GSX.

Just make sure you make a decision you will be happy with. One of the things that make our cars unique is thier AWDness.

Also, if you are making power, you have to worry about the tranny if you are FWD OR AWD. Wheelhop in a FWD is not tranny friendly.

I would suggest starting here on dsmtalk and search for the 1000000 threads on the subject. Feel free to ask me of any of the locals if you have any questions and I am sure that everyone here on this board will help too. But searching is better as if you are asking a question that is asked 100 times a week (Which is better AWD or FWD?) you will sometimes get snapped at with a use the search button! response (good idea anyway).

 

I hear about just as many GST's breaking tranny parts as I do GSX's. I wonder where the rumor about GSX's having tranny problems came from? Maybe it is tied to the transfer case recall?

 

Well one of the reasons I am going with at GST (Most likely) is that the GST here are few and far between and the GSX's are even rarer. I have to go to Belton just to see this car. I can find a million and one GS's and RS's but have only found a few GST and no GSX's.

 

I have been helping a friend look recently. What is your price range? I just saw an immaculate 1999 GSX in Houston with mods for 18K. I will look around a bit if you tell me what you have to spend.

 

I am looking for something in the $7000-$8000 range. That puts me in about the '95/'96 GST area and that is with decent mileage.

 

Great I'll do some checking for you. Also, unless you really don't want one, don't forget the first gens.

$5000 will buy you a suweet first gen GSX in primo condition (if not even less $$) and you will have enough left over for mods to get it well into the 12s.

On the other hand you may be like me and your bank finances according to how old the car is. In my case I had a MUCH better rate with a newer car than I would have with an older one.

 

I like the look of the 2G eclipses, so does my wife, and she is the one that is going to drive it on the weekedays to and from work. But it is mine on the weekends.

 

AWD reliability... probably just misinformation. AWD has more parts to break, so i guess it could break more often.. law of probability or whatever. mebe people tow their AWD cars w/o a flatbed or 2 dollies

as for the gst..

make sure the rotors arent warped. any vibration when braking will be a giveaway... check for it at high speeds too.

check shaft play on the turbo and look at the blades to make sure they arent chipped or anything. the dealership might have replaced the turbo with one that's also on its way out. one of my friends had that happen to him.

 

ok...assuming that I get this car. The first thing I am going to do it let it breathe easier. I am getting a K&N aircharger and an exhaust sytem. What exhaust systems to you reccomend. I like the dual tips that are on the car now. Is there any exhaust that wil free up flow but the sound won't really change?

 

Check all the upgrade paths. You can keep the duel tips if you really want, but a single bigger mouthed exhaust will flow better. There are a lot of different sounding exhausts out there. Depending on your goals, a 2.5 or 3" are usually used.

 

Looking for a 1st gen...

I'm actually soon to be in the market for a 1st gen AWD DSM myself. I've gotta get rid of my truck first, which should go up for sale Monday of next week.

I've been out to some of the meets, I know I've met Brian. He was gracious enough to take Peter and I for a ride in his GSX after he got the FP28 and Web Cams. DAMN that car is fast!

Anyhow, if anyone knows of any 1st gens for sale (AWD), lemme know! Ideally, I'd like to get a '91, but I won't be too terribly picky. Stock or modified doesn't really matter, so long as they've maintaned it well.

When is the next DSM meet? I'd be interested in going.

-Mike