FAQ..read Before Asking!

Hey guys, I’ve noticed multiple questions keep popping up every other week, and I’m sure most of you have been wanting an FAQ as much as I have...so here it is. If you happen to be a new owner, a potentially new owner, or a new member of this forum, please read through this as it will probably address over 90% of your initial questions, providing you with quicker answers to your questions, and saving others the time of repeating themselves on a weekly basis. Also, if you cannot find exactly what you are looking for in this FAQ, please try the ‘Search’ feature on this forum, prior to posting...it just saves everyone time. Thanks.
And just FYI, I have a vr-4 so chances are that this will be slightly biased towards 3000gt over Stealths and to TT setups over N/A, but I will try the best I can to keep this in mind.

-What are good beginning mods/staged upgrades etc.?
A: The best upgrade guide that I have come across is http://www.3si.org/pages/mods.html
This offers 2 upgrade guides, POWER and PERFORMANCE guides. These are mostly geared towards the Twin Turbo models, ie, the VR-4 and the RT/TT, however some mods apply to all 3/S cars. My only point of dispute with this mod guide is the exhaust. As far as performance, the stock exhaust is already 2.75" wide, and is fully capable of supporting 500hp and 11sec 1/4 times. If you upgrade, it really isn't worth it as a starting modification(in my opinion). The stock downpipe and precats are more of a restriction, so you would benefit more by replacing the downpipe with an aftermarket one, and gutting the precats, before getting a cat-back and hi-flow cat or test pipe. In my opinion, the only reason to swap the exhaust for an aftermarket catback would be if you want an aftermarket look or sound.
Here is another excellent mod guide that goes along the lines of what I was saying: http://johnmonnin.netfirms.com/Upgrades.html
Also, if you have a first gen(91-93 vr4) chances are you have noticed it is rated 20hp less than the 2nd generation vr4s. This is simply because the stock boost settings are lower from the factory. You can easily turn them up to the 2nd generation boost levels by performing the free boost mod: http://www.stealth316.com/2-freeboost.htm
If you just got into modding, and are starting with a stock car, my advice is get an intake, a boost controller, an aftermarket boost gauge(as the stock boost gauge is a POS), turn up the boost to 14.5psi, a downpipe, and gut your precats. This can be done for $400-$1200 and will put you in the ballpark of 400hp and into the 12s. This is just my advice, though, do what you want.
Anyway, after the basic beginning mods, I seriously suggest you do two things.
1) Figure out what your goals are. Are you building a street or track car, what kind of numbers are you seriously looking for. And be honest with yourself. Yes there are some 10 second cars out there, yes there are some 700hp cars out there...but realistically they aren't cheap to build/maintain and you need to be honest with yourself.
2) Take the time to do research into the route you plan on taking. There are SOOO many different turbos, intercoolers, air/fuel/timing control and logging options, fuel injector options, etc. That a comprehensive guide is next to impossible. At this point I highly recommend going to 3si and reading over alot of the comparison threads over there, where many many many products are compared to each other and you can really decide what is best suited to your needs/goals.



For N/A(naturally aspired...or non-turbo) 3/S cars, check out this link to get an idea of potential mods: http://www.3si.org/forum/showthread.php?t=85924
I don’t have an N/A so I can’t confirm this guys opinions.

A nice set of long tube headers for NAs just came out as well from 3sx for around $700

But remember, moding is up to the owner...go where you want to with it. Most of these are suggested routes to follow, obviously some are necessary to perform before others, but mostly it is opinion, these are all to help you get an idea of what is available. Disclaimer: If you break something on your car or hurt yourself, it isn’t our fault, or AF’s fault.

-mod comparisons...downpipe, intake, bov etc
Trying to figure out which boost controller, turbo timer, etc to get to best fit your needs and budget...check these out.
Boost controller comparison: http://johnmonnin.netfirms.com/Boostcontrol.html
Intakes: http://johnmonnin.netfirms.com/Intakes.html
Plugs and wires: http://johnmonnin.netfirms.com/PlugWires.html
Downpipe: http://johnmonnin.netfirms.com/Downpipe.html
Blow off valves: http://johnmonnin.netfirms.com/BOV.html
Turbos: http://www.stealth316.com/2-turboguide.htm
Brakes: http://www.stealth316.com/2-brakeupgrade.htm
Fuel Pump: http://www.stealth316.com/2-fuelpumpguide.htm
Pistons: http://www.stealth316.com/2-pistonguide.htm
Oil Filters Study: http://www.frankhunt.com/FRANK/corvette/articles/oilfilterstudy/oilfilterstudy.html


-How do I...
A: Looking for detailed instructions on how to do some maintenance or install a new mod, www.stealth316.com is one of the best sites I’ve ever found...always check there first, especially the garage section. Also check out www.vr4stealth.com, http://www.supercar-engineering.com/rubberducky/ and http://johnmonnin.netfirms.com/


Some of the more common How-To’s...
Oil Change: http://www.team3s.com/~egross/3S/Maint/All/OilC/index.html
Changing Spark Plugs: http://www.stealth316.com/2-sparkchange.htm
Free Boost Mod: http://www.stealth316.com/2-freeboost.htm
Intake install: http://mi3si.org/techdata/knairfilter.htm
Changing brakes: http://www.stealth316.com/2-rotorpads.htm or http://www.team3s.com/~egross/3S/Maint/All/BPad/index.html
BOV install: http://www.penguinhosting.net/~bigmac/store/RT/dsmbov/dsmbovInstallation.html
Turbo Timer install: http://www.team3s.com/~egross/3S/Mods/TT/TTimer/index.html
Best write-up I've seen on gutting precats, by jstodda79 on 3si: http://www.3si.org/forum/showthread.php?t=318074&page=1&pp=10


-3s tuners and other useful websites
www.3sxperformance.com
www.importpoweronline.com
www.horsepowerfreaks.com
www.gtpro.com
www.dynamicracing.com

For a complete list of shops that specialize in our cars: http://www.3si.org/pages/tuners.html

Got a ticket...fight it!: www.beatmyspeedingticket.com
Another great forum devoted to our cars: www.3si.org
Random 3/S sites: www.3kgt.com www.daveblack.net
www.3sny.com (home of the some of the fastest 3000gts in the country)

Specs for every year, make, model...weight/hp/torque/etc: http://www.team3s.com/FAQ-Specs1.htm
or http://www.daveblack.net/asp/3SiSpecs.asp
Production #s and more specs: http://www.3kgt.com/dimensions.shtml

Cheapest $$$ Manual boost controller I’ve found: www.HiBoostRacing.com

Looking to buy a 3000gt or Stealth, check out www.autotrader.com

To get an idea of a possible insurance quote, go to www.progressive.com or www.geico.com (check out insurance FAQ for discounts)


-what does vr4 stand for?
A: The debate rages on...Popular belief was that it stood for Viscous, Realtime-4... Viscous coupling is a type of differential that links your front and rear so if the front or rear start breaking loose and lose traction, the torque is transfered to the other set to allow the wheels without traction to lock up again. Realtime all wheel drive with 4 wheel steering.
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/differential9.htm --What is viscous coupling?
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=254947&highlight=vr4+stand

On the other hand, ikOnone has suggested this is simply a guess that many owners have come to except, but ultimately is not true.
Linebckr49 has evidence from a European promo pamphlet that seems to support 'velocite de raison'. A French transliteration of this phrase is Velocity with Reason...on 4 wheels. "Although 'Viscous-Realtime 4' is a good try, it wouldn't make sense nor would it appeal to the average consumer, who most likely doesn't know and doesn't care what a differential, let alone viscous coupling, is."

Why a Japanese company would name their car in English or in French is beyond me...but at least you now know both sides of the debate.



-1/4 and 0-60 stats
vr4 stats are assuming good drivers and conditions.
91-93 vr4s/RTTTs run 13.9-14.1 in the ¼ with low 5 second 0-60s
94-99 vr4s/RTTTs run 13.5-13.7 in the ¼ and do 0-60 in around 4.8 seconds
91-99 SLs/91-96 base 3000gts/Stealth ES/Stealth RT generally run around 15.2-15.5 in the ¼, although some members have claimed times as good as 14.9 This of course is assuming manual transmissions, autos will be almost a second slower. 0-60 ?
97-99 base 3000gt and all base Stealths run mid 16s with a 0-60 of about 8.5 sec. Again, assuming manual transmissions.


-Differences in years/gens
Well first off, there were a bunch of features that faded out over the years and available in only 1 or 2 of the trims, I am not going to address those differences here.
The big cosmetic differences: 91-93 3000GTs were known as the first generation with more older exotic styling. 94-98 had much more curvy styling and is known as the second gen. In 99, Mitsu gave this car a styling makeover in the front and back.
In 95 and 96 Mitsu offered a hardtop convertible version of the vr4 and the SL, known as Spyders.
In 96 Dodge ceased production of the Stealth, so in 97, Mitsu swapped in the 161hp SOHC engine into its base model, making a more economical version available...this was viewed as a serious downgrade by all 3/S enthusiasts.
Now as far as engines, trannys, and internals: 91-93 had 5spds, they were set at 9-10psi from the factory
94-99 6spds set at 12psi. This accounted for the 20hp difference between the 2 generations, but this can be easily remedied by fooling with the boost selonoid. See "free boost mod" if you want more info on that.

I took this from www.stealth316.com:
"The DOHC 6G72 is an extremely strong engine, with an alloy steel block and aluminum alloy heads, and is capable of delivering well over 500 HP with turbocharging. As good as the first versions of the engine were, Mitsubishi decided to make the engine even stronger in 1993 models (starting with June 1992 production-date cars) giving it a 4-bolt main bearing cap girdle (the original used 2-bolt caps with stiffening stays on the middle 4 bolts) and a nitrided-steel crankshaft (the original was cast iron or mild steel). Mitsubishi made other changes, most significant of which was moving the crank and cam angle sensors from the left head (where it was user-adjustable for timing) and into the block (not adjustable).”

Essentially, the following internals were changed mid 92:
92.5 has 4 bolt main, 91-92.5 had 2 bolt main (although it doesn't really matter unless you plan on modding the hell out of it). (ALL NAs are 2 bolt)
93 has forged connecting rods, 91-92 does not
93 has forged crankshaft, 91-92 does not
93 has forged steel inserts inside cast aluminum pistons, 91-92 does not
93 has forged steal 25 spline output shaft, 91-92 have a cast 18 spline.
93 has stronger internals in the transfer case, and is a different design than earlier ones

91-93 had OBDI ECUs and are very easy to datalog, 94-95 had hybrid OBDI/OBDII, 96+ had OBDII
Lastly, in 99 they finally upgraded the lash adjusters(lifters) from 1mm to 3mm to eliminate that annoying lifter tick.


-Differences in American/European/Japanese GTOs
There were 3 kinds of GTOs(3000GTs in Japan), the SR, TT, and MR

The SR is pretty much an AWD SL
The TT is the equivalent of our VR-4
The MR (stands for Mitsu Racing) is AWD with the same 9b turbos. It lacks some of the features the VR4 has, such as AWS and some other stuff, simply to save ~30kg in weight. And it has shorter gears, than the US vr4. It is reported to run ~12.8 in the ¼, and only 500 were made.

The UK spec GTO had the dealer option of 13G turbos, but many stuck with the same 9bs as ours.
(Thanks to everyone who researched and debated all this)

-Records
I was hesitant to do this, because I knew as soon as I wrote this, somebody would probably destroy the old records and this would be outdated, but whatever, I'll post them, but when read, make sure to keep in mind I've last edited this in Nov. '06, and while new records were just recently made...they maybe broken yet again in the upcoming weeks/months/years.

Currently:


Matt Monett from Dynamic Racing piloted the first AWD 3S into the 9s and 150+ trap speeds with his run of 9.73 @ 151.39 running 30psi on a stock shortblock!!!

Later, Chris Hill broke into the 9s as well, driving the 3SX powered T4 car to a 9.98 @ 147.58 with a 6spd. And then later produced the NEW WORLD RECORD run of [email protected] with a custom AWD AUTO setup.

Chris Hill (3SX) also has/drives the World's Quickest and Fastest FWD SL-TT with a 10.8X @ 147.9 and a 10.191 @ 140.31

Ray Pampena, owner and chief mechanic of Pampena Motorsports, holds the 3S world record of 873.76AWHP / 598.68AWT (702.41AWT w/35 shot)

Here are 2 record lists (maintained by Chris Hill and Matt Monett I believe) that will probably remain more updated than this:
http://www.3squicklist.com/ AND http://www.dynamicracing.com/mw/index.php/U.S_3S_Top_10_Fastest_List

-What turbo do I have?
Stock the Vr4s released in the US had 2 TD04-09B-6cm2 turbos
For ideas on possible turbo upgrades check out: http://www.stealth316.com/2-turboguide.htm
Remember your stock fuel system has its limits. On the stock turbos and stock fuel system, you shouldn’t boost over 14.5psi or you will destroy your engine. If you upgrade your turbos, you will need to upgrade your injectors, fuel pump, and get an Air/Fuel controller.

-What Oil should I use
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=457132&page=1&pp=15


-Common problems and reliability
Common problems are the transmission synchros...it is either a hit or miss with these, they have a tendency to get worn out, and people have 1, 2 or 3 that need to be replaced. This doesn't mean you need a new tranny(even though some mechanics and dealerships will tell you that), but you can buy individual synchros for a $80 a piece from Kormex, and then get them installed at a local shop for $500-$1,000.

Another thing to check with mileage over 100k is the valve stem seals, they have a tendency to start leaking oil when you get up there. If this is the case you will get blue smoke out of the exhaust. You can fix them yourself for under $80 if you are mechanically inclined.

The transfer cases are probably our Achilles’ heel, they can leak, but the good news is they have been recalled, and any dealership should repair or replace them for free. While they maybe reluctant, we have the right phone numbers of the right people to persuade them. So just ask us.

Another problem that isn't necessarily common, but it does happen occasionally is worn carrier bearings/u-joints in the driveshaft. When they get worn, they allow for more play, which results in drivetrain vibrations or thumping under the car, typically when shifting or under low acceleration, but sometimes you can feel them the entire time. Not to be confused with a drained transfer case which would cause a lock-up and alot of drivetrain issues. I will add more on replacing the carrier bearings and/or upgrading to a lightweight driveshaft in a seperate post on the 2nd page of the FAQ.

Oil cooler leaks in wintery climates, discussed in a post below, would cause oil to leak in front of the driver's front wheel.

Active aero malfunctions occur every once in awhile with the rear spoiler, but this is a cheap and easy repair that you can do on your own.
I believe directions are on www.vr4stealth.com

91-93 (first gens) have an issue with the ECUs. Mitsu used poorly constructed capacitators in their ECU, over time they leak, causing all kinds of issues. The caps still work fine, but the leaking crap can ruin other parts of the ECU causing wide varied issues. Generally when they leak you will smell fish or burnt fiberglass from under the dash between the two front seats...you may even see some smoke, and different things will start acting funny. These caps can be replaced for cheap upfront if you find somebody to do it, or you can send them to AVPro and have them fix it all up and do a great job with lifetime warranty for around $270. They have a great informative website:
http://www.avproecm.com/process1.htm

Lastly, the clutch slipping. If the car has been abused from many hard launches, or has over 400hp from modifications the shortcomings of the stock clutch become evident and it may begin to slip.

It is just like any other car...the 3/S are average in reliability, not excellent, but not bad. If they have been abused and maltreated by previous owners, then chances are you may experience one of the above problems. If the previous owners have been good to it, then chances are it will be in good shape. I’ve heard of 3/S cars running well over 200k, one even up to 413k miles. They are just like any other car, they have specific problem spots, so when you test drive it, race it around, shift through the gears pretty hard, and make sure you don't get grinding and such. Also make sure you aren't getting smoke coming out the exhaust, or oil leaking from the T-case or oil cooler lines. Then just check all the normal stuff, get a mechanic to check it out...etc

-Lifter Tick
Taken from www.3sxperformance.com:
“TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK... Does your car have the infamous lifter tick? You can upgrade to the later ‘3rd Generation’ lash adjusters which offer a HUGE improvement in oil circulation in the heads, thus virtually eliminating the ticking sound that incessantly emanates from the top of your motor. While the opening at the top of the lash adjusters in the 91-96 cars is less than 1mm, the opening in these is 3mm, allowing for much better lubricated rocker arms and a quieter, non-ticking ‘time bomb’ motor. ;-)”

Later 3rd Gen lifters are available for around $300 at most 3S shops, but if you check for current group buys on 3si, or ask around, recently they have become available for as low as $115.
If you don’t have the money and it is starting to get annoying, just remember it isn’t causing any harm. Typically, this is just a sign that you need an oil change. Change your oil and filter, some suggest Redline oil and OEM filters. More on lifter tick below.

-Shift Boot Replacement – provided by YogsVR4

At one time or another, we all have to replace our worn out shift boot cover.
 Remove the knob at the top of the shifter by turning it counter clockwise.
 Pull the old boot upwards to disengage the frame from the console. Continue pulling the boot up over the top of the shifter shaft.
 Make note of the boot position on the shifter before removing it
 Cut the tie that holds the old boot in place on the shifter
 Remove the old boot from the frame that holds it to the console
 Put the new boot on the frame.
 Push the boot down through the frame so it is inside out and place it over the shift knob.
 Pull it down to the same place that you marked as being the original position.
 Place the tie around the leather boot and pull tight to lock it in place.
 Push the boot and frame down over the shifter and push the frame back into the console.

Congratulations, you’ve got the job done.


-tt conversion
http://www.3sxperformance.com/faq/ttconversion/partslist.html
has a basic parts list.
http://www.bobthegreat.com/pages/mycar/mods/turbo/index.html
awesome site by bob the great with lots of picture tutorials
Also check out 3si's FWD forced induction forum, wholy devoted to TT conversions:
http://www.3si.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=53
MORE COMING SOON...

-Dashboard warning lights
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=218305
This will tell you what each picture means if you don’t have your service manual.

-60k tuneup
This is the biggest event in your cars life, if done yourself, you may be lucky to do it for $300, but if a dealership does it, expect $1,000-1,500. Not to mention, it has to happen again at 120,000 miles. This is not an undertaking to do if you lack mechanical knowledge and whatnot. The most important element is probably the timing belt...these are supposed to be changed every 60,000 miles or 5 years, if they break you can do some serious damage to your valves and it wont be cheap to repair.
http://www.team3s.com/60k.htm
http://www.vr4stealth.com/60k-tune.htm
http://www.team3s.com/~egross/3S/Maint/All/TBelt/index.html
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=376006

Also check out www.thepartsbin.com if you plan to do it yourself, parts can be aquired for around $300-$400.

www.3sxperformance.com also sells parts bundles as well for a bit more.


-Pricing value
So you are looking to buy or sell a 3/S and want to know what a fair price is
First check out www.kbb.com They have an excellent site that will help determine a fair price whether you are buying from a private party or a dealership...chances are dealerships will charge more.
www.edmunds.com is another site to help with this.
The most important thing to remember is a car is worth what someone is willing to pay for it. If someone is willing to pay 50 grand for a car, then that car will sell for $50k, these sites are only there to help assist in determining an average asking price, they are not the gospel truth. These cars aren’t being produced anymore and some people are willing to pay alot for them.
If you are buying or selling a car that has been modified, one important thing to remember is that mods do not add any value to the car, the seller is simply trying to make back some of the cash he/she has invested into their car. So your best bet as a seller is to find a buyer who wants a modified car and can appreciate the money already invested into it, or sell your mods individually and sell the car stock.
If you are looking for a 3000GT or Stealth, check out www.3si.org and www.autotrader.com also remember to run the VIN on www.carfax.com to check the cars history.


-Insurance FAQ – provided by Gateway

How much will it cost to insure my 3KGT/Stealth?
Answer: Depends on MANY MANY factors. Some you can change, some you cannot. They range from Sex, Age, Marital Status, Where you live, What type of car you drive, Credit (not in all states though), if you have current insurance or not, your level of education, your driving record, and a few more.

Usually the midwest states are less expensive than the east/west coast, and also the south. Some of the worst states for insurance are: New York, Texas, Colorado, Louisiana, Florida, California (off of the top of my head)

What can I do to lower my insurance rate?
Answer: As with the first question, there are many many factors determine how to lower your insurance. They range from discounts, to changing your coverages, to moving (ha ha)

Some possible discounts: Good student discount (usually a 3.0/4.0 or higher), alarm discount, air bags, anti-lock brakes, daytime running lights (very few states offer this discount...NY is one of them), good driver discount, renewal discount, homeowners discount, military discount, getting VIN etched in the windows (again, few states offer this), and lo-jack.

Other ways to lower your insurance:

Get older! Usually at ages 19, 21, 23, and 25 you will see a decrease on your insurance.

Raise your deductibles for comprehensive/collision. There are ups and downs to this. You want to have your deductibles at a level comfortable to you. Your deductible is how much you agree to pay first if there is a claim on your vehicle. The most popular/common deductible is $500. Usually deductibles range from $25 - $1000. You can raise your deductible, which would increase the amount you pay in a claim, but lower your cost of insurance. Word of warning -- A lot of lienholders (the bank who gave you the money to buy your vehicle) will only allow $500 as the maximum, but every lienholder is different. Usually raising your deductible from $500 to $1000 isn't the best idea anyways because it doesn't save a whole lot of money....however, since we are taking about the 3KGT/Stealth, and young(er) male drivers, you will probably see a bigger decrease than normal.

Take a defensive driving course. Depending on your state you can take a defensive driving course to save 5-20% off of your insurance rate. The cost of the class is usually between $10 - $40, but the discount will apply on your insurance policy for 3 years, which more than makes up for the initial class. You can physically take an actual class (no driving involved) or you can go online to take the class. 1 800-621-7615 is the phone number to the National Safety Council, they can tell you where/when you can take a class in your area. You can take the DDC online at http://www.nsc.org or www.defensivedriving.com.

Try your best to keep your driving record clean. Insurance companies will surcharge for any activity for 3 years. Get a ticket, it's stuck with you for a while.

General tips for insurance
Know your insurance policy. Know what coverages you have and what they do for you. Some coverages are required, which means you can not remove them, and other coverages are optional, which means you can remove them if you want. Some require written signature to reject, some don't. If you have good health insurance, you might think about rejecting Uninsured Motorist coverage. This covers you if you get into an auto accident and the other person is at fault and doesn't have insurance. If you have health insurance, then usually you are covered anyways...no need in paying for the coverage twice. Also is "medical payments" or "pip" (personal injury protection). This covers you if you are hurt in an auto accident, regardless of fault. Same as before, if you have medical insurance, you might not need this coverage. Medical payments is ALWAYS optional/rejectable. PIP is SOMETIMES optional/rejectable and sometimes required.

Add road service! It usually costs $.50 - $3/month. Well worth it if you ever need a tow/lock yourself out/run out gas/flat tire/need a jump start.

Rental Reimbursement -- covers most of the cost of a rental car while yours is in the shop due to a comprehensive/collision claim. Usually this costs $2-$5 a month. If you only have 1 vehicle, it's usually a good idea. If you have an extra car at your disposal if something happens to your main vehicle, then this might not be needed.


Car Detailing – provided by YogsVR4

Nothing you do to your cars appearance is more important then keeping it clean. A great source on the ‘how to’ of keeping our cars clean (or any other car for that matter is) http://www.team3s.com/FAQdetailing.htm#Detailing%20Intro


Here a few dos and don’ts to remember.
DO

 Wash the car regularly. The car gets a buildup of road grime, pollen, sap, salt regardless of how nice the weather seems.
 Remove any bird droppings, water spots or other contaminates as soon as possible. They will eat through your finish and mar the paint.
 Use high quality waxes and polishes. If you want a show car quality finish, I can’t recommend Zaino highly enough http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc Meguiars and Mothers are high quality products and good old Turtlewax will get the job done.
 If you have the time, using a claybar will make a world of difference on your finish. (We’ll address this later)
 Clean the chrome! Chrome will flake and peel quite easily if you do not keep it clean. Especially the exhaust tips.
 Treat your leather. Cracking and tearing can be avoided by keeping the leather nice and supple.
 Use clean 100% cotton towels to remove wax.
 Work in a cool shaded environment. Some products say its ok to work in the sun. Good for them. No product ever tells you its bad to work in the shade.

DON’T

 Avoid automated car washes that touch the car. If something touches your car that you can’t inspect, expect the worst.
 Don’t use money raising car washes. These folks are looking for money – not to do a quality job on your car. Please, feel free to donate, but do not let them touch your car.
 Don’t forget to wax your car after using a claybar.
 Don’t use dish soap. Dish soap will remove wax from the car and dry out the paint. The only exception to this is if you plan on polishing and waxing the car immediately after washing it this way. I would argue against, it, but the jury isn’t completely with me.
 Don’t use rubbing compounds on our cars. Nothing more abrasive then the claybar.
 Don’t be in a hurry. Treat your baby with time and care and she’ll shine for years.

The Claybar

This is one of the things not many people do but can have a huge impact on your cars appearance. Clay barring does not damage the paint. Not paying attention to what you are doing can do that. Follow these simple steps and you will strip away paint imperfections, distortions and get the surface silky smooth.

Wash the car.
Dry the car.

Now you’re ready to use the claybar.

1 Use plenty of lubricant – this cannot be stressed enough. You cannot use too much.
2 Use only fresh, clean clay
3 Use a very light hand with the clay
4 Stretch and refold the clay frequently
5 On the area you are working on, only use the clay until it passes the plastic bag test

I prefer to use finishing spray as the lubricant for the claybar. Others do recommend using soapy water. The choice is yours, but I live in northern Michigan where the salt, sap and bird dropping flow and my finish shines like the day it was new.

Put your hand in a thin plastic bag and rub it on the surface, the bag will stick and feel bumpy on spots with imperfections. Spay on the lubricant and lightly rub your claybar over the surface. (remember to fold often) You’ll feel the surface become smooth again and see the imperfections taken out of the paint.

Continue this process until the car has been fully inspected and rubbed down with the claybar.

Follow that up by washing the car again. If you have swirl marks in your paint, this is the perfect time to address them. There are many swirl mark removers out there. Follow their directions and you can remove or greatly reduce the swirls.

Now your cars paint is ready for a polish and wax. I always use Zaino car products to polish and wax my Spyder and I use Turtlewax on my other cars (other then the Delorean which has its own unique finish).

It is important that you at least wax your car. After using the claybar, there is no wax left on the areas you treated.


Final Note:
We want to keep this FAQ clean, organized, and most importantly 100% correct. So if you have anything to add, suggest, correct, etc. Feel free to post it. It will be reviewed and then possibly added...however, once it has been reviewed, I will delete the original post to keep it organized and also to keep this thread from reaching 1,000 pages. So please do not post comments that do not have useful information. And please do not get upset if your post gets deleted due to ‘Spring Cleaning’...Thanks to all who contributed :bigthumb:

NICE WRITEUP!!!

everyone here ows you, i bet this took you a really long time. one thing i wanted to add though is i am pretty sure that the VR-4 standing for viscous real time four idea is nothing more than a guess that has somehow become fact because so many people quote it on the internet and with each time someone learns it and tells someone else, they make it sound more like fact rather than a guess. as i have said, it makes sense but i am pretty sure it is just a guess. see my posts that i made not too long ago about this here: http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=294972

notice in there how i said that the MR's ran about 12.5 stock when it is really about 12.6-12.8 and i was the one who did all that research in the other thread about them :rolleyes: :p i am a dumbass lol

also, lol, i thought this thread was called Fag...read before asking because it was underlined lol. might want to change that to FAQ not Faq :p ;)

again, very very good post, thanks :)

one thing i wanted to add though is i am pretty sure that the VR-4 standing for viscous real time four idea is nothing more than a guess that has somehow become fact because so many people quote it on the internet and with each time someone learns it and tells someone else, they make it sound more like fact rather than a guess. as i have said, it makes sense but i am pretty sure it is just a guess.

yes, it is just a guess. once perusing pictures of the 3000GT, i stumbled across a promotional pamphlet for the European spec 3000GT. The descriptions and captions were in German and French, and i vaguely recall the mention of velocite de raison. A French transliteration of this phrase is Velocity with Reason. I have sinced cut just the pictures out from the descriptions, and deleted the originals. One of the pictures that i found in the promotional pamphlet is now the picture in my sig.

I found one guy on cardomain who can back up this information on the pictures---see the similiarity between my sig and his pics: http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/333253/3.

Another guy on cardomain states that VR4 stands for VELOCITY WITH REASON ON 4 WHEELS.(http://www.cardomain.com/member_pages/view_page.pl?page_id=348501&cat=10&val=1). This substantiates what i read in the Euro spec promotional pamphlet. As you can tell, this is a catchy phrase which evokes with passion and simplicity the concept behind the VR4. Although "Viscous-Realtime 4" is a good try, it wouldn't make sense nor would it appeal to the average consumer, who most likely doesn't know and doesn't care what a differential, let alone viscous coupling, is.

Just thought i'd clear this up and actually back it up with other info. So the long-forgotten true meaning of VR4 has been remembered and revealed.
-----------------
EDIT: I saw this line in someone's sig on 3Si. it caught my eye, then i remembered: "that's the exact phrasing!". i can't remember where/when i saw it, but its the one, trust me. the line read VR-4: "Velocity with Reason secured by four of everything". when Deft Spyder (www.deftracing.com) finally edits and publishes his video interview with the Mitsubishi designer, we'll be able to have confirmation on this.

UNder the NA mods you linked to the "NA upgrade bible" on us3s. that is a copy of this thread from 3si http://www.3si.org/forum/showthread.php?t=85924

the 3SI thread has much more information and discussion. I think it would be a better resource.

Winterizing

First step is to make sure you have the security number because you will be taking out the battery which will reset the system after you put it back in.

Indoors is better then not.
Heated is better then not.
Carcover is better then not.
Clean the car. Wax the car. There is no such thing as waxing it to many times. Vacuum the interior. Wash the carpeting if you can. If indoors and on concrete, put down a heavy piece of plastic to prevent condensation on the undercarriage. Take out the spark plugs Put oil into the cylinder and hand turn it a dozen times to make sure everything is coated. Put the plugs back in. Some people think you should put some anti-seazing on them, but I haven't had any issues. Disconnect and take out the battery. Store in a dry warm place (or it will discharge faster) Put some grease (or WD-40) on the door, trunk and hood latches so they don't get rusty. Check all fluid levels and make sure they are filled. You are allowed to skip the window washer fluid level. :p To prevent mice from finding a new home, either load up the engine bay with moth balls, or stuff rags into the intake. Jack up the car. You may want to take off the rims and store them seperately. If outdoors, take off the wiper blades so they don't get stuck to the window.In the spring do the following (the order isn't all that important. Its obvious in some spots). Take out the mothballs and rags. Put the tires back on. Lower the car. Charge the battery. Put the batter in. Reenter your security code. Change the oil. Start the car. Enjoy the summer. :iceslolan

Well seeing how I just finished my 5-Speed conversion I figured I would make a thread telling what's involved since I couldn't find any when I started:

Here's the specifics of my conversion: I have a 94 SL and put a 5-Speed out of a 93 into it, some of the parts, such as axles, MAY not apply to all years, i'm not sure but it isn't hard to find out.

First, here's the parts you need:

- 5-Speed Transmission
- Flywheel
- Clutch kit
- Shifter (direct replacement) / Shifter cables
- Clutch Pedal (requires drilling a hole through the firewall)
- Clutch Master Cylinder / Fluid Line / Slave Cylinder
- Driver and Passenger Side Axles (for driver side only the inner axle)
- Starter (they ARE different between automatic and manual)

all of these things combined cost me just under $1200, some parts used and some new.

Second, here's the special / hard parts of the conversion:

- Installing the new brake/clutch pedal. Had to take the steering column down, and move the brake booster back to make room to get it in.
- Drilling a hole through the firewall. There isn't much room under there, but it doesn't take a professional.
- Installing the master cylinder. VERY small space to work in, but once it's in there's only one bolt that needs tightening. *The lines must be bled.
- Starting the car when you're done: There's a shift control connector that will be hanging loose, which used to plug into the automatic transmission. Two of the terminals need to be crossed to bypass the neutral safety switch so you can start the car, and two others need to be crossed to have reverse lights. It's different for every year from what i've heard, but it will be the one that has voltage and the terminal directly next to it that need to be connected.

After that, there's not much else other than testing everything out.

Labor Time: With no experience it took me a total of about 10 hours (ran into few problems). If I had to do it again, i'd say it would take from 6 to 8 hours.

Difficulty on a scale of 1-10(hardest): 4 (pretty easy, would have been much easier if I had this thread beforehand)

There are instructions available for free on the web at: http://www.ecanfix.com/users/manualcd/gift/3s/index.html

The new 5-speed will require 75W-90 Gear Oil, don't put automatic transmission fluid in it like I almost did. :)

I take it Mike's advice helped you? As for the axles 91-92 were different than 93-99. So if you have a 93+ and get a 93+ tranny they should work. Don't foget you also need the shifter cables. I am trying to think here, we did a 5 speed conversion on my brothers Talon which involves basically the same work, don't forget a throw out bearing too. Make sure you get gear oil to fill the tranny with. That is all I can think of. Glad you got it going.

Nope, never heard back from Mike. Ahh shifter cables that's what I forgot, the throw out bearing would be part of the clutch kit. And i'm a little iffy on the axles b/c I have a 94 and bought a 93 tranny, I think they might have changed w/ the generation change. But people will have to find out for themselves. But that's all I can think of, if anyone can think of anything else add it in!

The EGR system recirculates exhaust gases (carbon dioxide) back into your intake system, reducing the amount of fresh oxygen entering in the cylinders thus reducing the combustion in the cylinders. Blocking off/ by-passing this system keeps that extra and unnecessary CO2 out of the cylinders, thus netting more oxygen, thus allowing more fuel to burn for better and more complet combustion, thus more power. Also getting you better gas milage. But if you do this you will result in a faliure during emissions inspections.

There are one of two ways to do this. One is to buy EGR blockoff plates. Or for free you can remove it then use the O2 housing flange you already have and find a bolt to put in it then weld it. I'll explan. There is a pipe (about 1/2" diameter) that runs from the rear turbo O2 sensor housing, to the firewall facing side of the intake plenum. This pipe is the "heat riser" tube for the EGR system. Since I removed the EGR control solenoid, and the EGR valve, this pipe had no purpose. What I did, was to hacksaw the center out of the pipe, just leaving the flanged ends, connected by 10mm bolts to the rear turbo O2 housing, and the back of the plenum. I then used an epoxy resin to make a ball, which I jammed into the flanges and smoothed and allowed it to dry. This worked fine on the back of the plenum flange, (it isn't subjected to the extreme heat of the exhaust and turbine side of the turbo)...but the rear turbo O2 housing flange gets hot enough over time to break down the epoxy, and pop it out. So my suggestion is to take a 1/4" drive ratchet with a 10 mm socket, (3/8" drive will work as well, but may be a tight fit in the heat shield) and take out the (2) 10mm bolts, remove the flange from the top of the rear turbo O2 houosing, and either, have the hole welded shut, or clamp it in a vise, and drill and tap the hole for a pipe plug which I would seal with pipe dope (no teflon tape) and reassemble.

Here is a pic of what i did. http://img84.exs.cx/img84/1705/EGRweld.jpg

Just fine a bolt that fits the flange with out any gab around it. Then cut off the end of the bolt so its flush with the flange. The take a grinder the grind it down flush as posable. Then take a file and file it down the get it to the best shape. Then weld that way the bolt doesn't pop out the top just like i did. Its really easy.

Nate.

If you get a CEL on the EGR blockoff, go find a 10cent resistor, it is because the EGR sensor isn't getting a signal...it doesn't monitor which signal it is getting, it only knows that it needs a signal, so get the resistor and attach it

http://www.laser-eclipse.net/images/egr%20resistor%20fix1.jpg

For a detailed explanation of this:

http://www.3si.org/forum/showthread.php?t=239202&page=1&pp=10

Addendum to Lifter Tick

In addition to 3sxperformance.com and DynamicRacing.com, i have found 2 other useful outlets in tracking down 99/3rd gen lifters at a very affordable price.

aluminum head service @ 1-800-362-1909-->i was referred here by user MyKiss69 @ 3si.org, they quoted me a price of just over $200 (not sure if the lifters would be new/used/refurbished)

www.store.partsdinosaur.com/index.html -->referred to this site by user dgarret50 @ 3si.org. they quoted me a price around $225.

Again, i'm not sure if these are new, used, or refurbished parts. Definitely check before you buy. If the ones sold by Dynamic Racing and 3sxperformance are new, then i would spend a little more for a new engine internal part rather than take the cheap route for a used part.

And just another note for all those worried about lifter tick. It does not hurt your engine in any way. It is simply very annoying. So if you don't have the money to upgrade to the 3rd gen lifters, don't worry, nothing should happen in the meantime with regard to your lifters.

SUPERCHARGERS:

Like most of you N/A owners out there I too dream of boost. Turbocharging our cars is easy and yeah it has been done time and again but lets face it, it'd just be cheaper to buy a VR-4. well supercharging is an option too. Problem is there really are not alot of options, the guys who have done it successfull are keeping a tight lip and not much research to go on.

here is what we know:
Superchargers are belt drive where turbos are driven by exhaust gases. this makes superchargers generally easier to maintain and less likely to fail since the boost is regulated by the size of the pulley rather then the dynamic performance of the engine.
on average supercharger utilize less piping than a turbo set up thereby decreasing the chance of boost leak and elliminate the need for an intercooler.
Superchargers also operate on lower boost then turbos but with higher compression. This means that if you have an N/A you already have high compression, to turbo it you'd need to change out your pistons for lower compression ones, in most cases very costly. But a supercharger will bolt right on and make more power with less boost. so why not bolt on a turbo and boost low? well 1. a turbos boost capacity is dependent on its construction, not always will you find a turbo designed to boost low for your car and 2. boost is generated when exhaust is produced, the more the car breaths in (revs up) the more exhaust it lets out and the more boost you get. the point is with a turbo, you have to rev up and get it to some high rpm to increase exhaust/boost.
Since the supercharge spools and pushes boost in from a pulley you get instant power at low rpm then you would with a turbo. In other words, ther is no lag.

Different types of Superchargers.

There are two types of superchargers. A roots type supercharger and a centrifugal. A roots SC is a big air blower bolted right ontop of your engine where the intake plenum would go. When the pulley spins it forces air right downinto the engine. the centrifugal SC actually looks like a turbo. as the pulley spins it actually compresses air and fowards it into the throttle body and down into the motor.

Available Superchargers for 3000GTs and Stealths:

There have been a few supercharged 3s cars already but some have failed and some are still prototypes for the most part.

Thomas Knight is a name that comes up often. To my knowledge he actually built the first SC for the 3s. its a centrifugal type that uses a jack shaft to conect the pulley on the drivers side to the SC on the passenger side. the problem was the jackshaft had small bearings inside that would break or get stuck and the system would fail. People went through as many as three shafts in a short time before they got fed up and the kit's production siezed. BE CAREFULL! these kits are still being sold out there and if you see a centrifugal SC with a silver plated jackshaft and the words Thomas Knight, STAY AWAY FROM IT!

In one case a marine SC was used to supplement the knight's centrifugal kit. it worked wonderfully, problem is it was one of a kind. still this shows that if you are a good fabricator you can get it to work, as in our next case.

Thomas Knight Eaton Supercharger.
The Eaton SC has earned its name as one of the most reliable roots types on the market, averageing 150,000 miles between overhauls. Thomas knight says it will deliver 80 flywheel hp on a stock 6G72 and can safely boost between 5-7 psi. with upgraded internals the Eaton can push up to 500 HP. If you go to www.boosthead.com you can see this kit and the price.
The problem is that when the Eaton kit comes up so does "fitment Issues". everyone has had them, other wise these units would sell like hotcakes! here are the problems I've come across.
1. the Eaton was too big, the hood would not close. In Mr. Knights deffense I belive this was an earlier model, a M-90 eaton. I've heard the kit on the site is a M-60 now.
2. the eaton's does not line up with the intake manifold, leaving gaps or just plainly not bolting in!
3. the fuel management is weak and can result in lean/rich conditions which we all know spell disaster.
I live 40 minutes away from Mr. Knight and believe me, it is inpossible to get a straight answer from this guy. There is a reason his kits are not so popular and why you always see them on e-bay being sold by someone who bought it (and could not figure out how to get it to work) before. I do have to admit that a select few have gotten thier Knight Eaton kit to work but they always mention "slight moddifications" to the kit before it was successfully installed. So like I said before, if your a bad ass fabricator and know your way with metal, go ahead and try.
The Thomas Knight kit is available for any model N/A 3000GT and Stealth, SOHC and DOHC.

Ripp Mods Supercharger.
Ripp Mods is a small comapny that came out of no where and has achieved light years of R&D for different SCs and different car applications. Thier success can be attributed to the fact that thier products are reliable and work phenomenaly.
Ripp started by developing a centrifugal SC for the SOHC 3s. the kit was finished and tested well over a year ago in 2003. Thier recent project has been a similar kit for the DOHC.
as of 1/1/2005 the DOHC kit is completed and tested, thier prototype made 286hp and 244 ft lbs torque at 5-6 psi.
the Ripp mods kit is a bit pricier, you need to buy additional headers. since it is a centrifugal kit then yes, you do get a BOV, which means your car will PSSSSSTTTTT between shifts! The SOHC kit can be found on thier web-site www.rippmods.com the DOHC kit does not appear but IT IS ALREADY AVAILABLE. just give em a call. the kits come with everything but the headers.
another sweet thing about Ripp is that they offer stages. at least the SOHC kit has up to stage 3 and well the DOHC kit just came out but we can expect to break the 300hp bar soon enough.

contact the vendors directly for personal questions and remember that the future of SC development rests on us, the consumer. If we are not willing to fork over the money, companies will not be willing to fork over for research and development.

Ever wondered how you can get sponsored?

Here is what has worked for me and a few close friends in the past:

I dont know if there is a said way to get sponsored but I've been at it for 8 years and have had three cars sponsored and about 12 sponsors overall.
First of forget about that "being in the right place at the right time" thats rubish! a sponsorship is a legal contract (or agreement I guess but there are contracts to be signed in between) between you and a manufacturer where both parties benefit through show advertisement.
to get a sponsorship first get your car in the right running condition, if its stock make sure your engine bay is spotless, clean body, clean paint job ect... no one will sponsor a slob.
second: add a few mods, forget that crap about RICE! if you want to get sponsors then forget about performance tunning, you have to invest some buck into cosmetics, "all show and no go" but hey if you want a sponsor its all about eye candy, a sponsor honestly does not care what your 1/4 time is (there are performance specific sponsors, more on that later.)
Third: ok so now you got some show right, maybe not a show worthy car but you got a dvd player? racing seats? custom interior? you gotta have something unique to set your car apart from the others of your make and model out there. example look at our 3000GT, almost all look the same, even the ones with body kits all share one out of three different body kits, this is no good cause a sponsor wants to see something new that they have never seen on your car before! go crazy think of it like a job interview, show em something thats new to them.
fourth:
have a clear plan, I would not want to invest money into someone who has no clue exactly what he wants! my last sponsor gave me 12,000 bucks and said "we need a list of the items you will buy with this money, please include the brand, item number and cost after tax and you must use all 12,000, anything above that will come out of your pocket. be as acurate as possible as this will be loged into your account"
my advise is to make a list of what the ultimate tunner car would have if you where to build it out of your ride.
Fifth:
Here it is chief, the big secret to sponsorships! WEB SURFING. go online to every single company website that offers aftermarket stuff, on thier front page they all have a "apply for sponsorship" link, well 95% of them have the link the other 5% you have to call or e-mail and they will send you an application. fill the application in full and include all the pics they require. they will ask you what shows you have attended and what shows you plan to attend for the rest of the year. become familliar with the shows in your area, if you can attend a few and enter your car before applying then do it. include with the application the contact info to verify your appearance at past shows. a sponsor will choose your car based on 1.current condition, 2. capacity to mod (your plan of what you want to do with it) and most important of all 3. how often and how many shows you attend.
sixth:
dont get discouraged , apply to alot of sponsors as some will never call you back, the more you apply the more chance of getting picked up on.
laslty make sure you understand what a sponsorship is and what a sponsor wants. the sponsor will invest money into you and your ride because it really is the best form of advertisement. you promise to advertise and show off as much as humanly possible.

about performance sponsors: they are really hard to pick up on because they scout, so unless you already have a fast car or race for the SCCA often then you might get noticed or have a sponsored mate recomend you to the sponsor. still my secret is to keep an eye out for the small guys who are just starting out and wont be as picky as the big shots. my friend got sponsored by APC and got his accord fully decked out back in 99 when APC first established itself, when Sony first opened up thier X-plod line back around 97-98 they took on alot of jackasses with ugly ass rides just to get the word out. X-box was also a softy when they first came out.

SWAY BARS

I recently purchased some sway bars, the Addco front & rear sway bars off 3sx. these sway bars have a bit of a brass-metal color to them, so a goldish color really stands out on an underside plagued with dirt and just dark everything. they look good, but they perform even better. the install wasn't too bad, but the only way to get the front bar out and the new front bar in is to take apart the control arm. and alas, that means i need an alignment. but i can also see i have some negative camber too, when i put the tire back on. also i figured it wouldn't hurt to re-align the rear tires since the rear sway bar fit tighter than the stock bar. so maybe the new bar squeezed the wheels together a bit.

APPLICATION OF SWAY BARS FOR PERFORMANCE
I know many people have strut tower bars on their cars, but all in all sway bars are the way to go b/c they provide much greater improvement in performance and rigidity than strut bars do. however, strut bars would nicely and perhaps appropriately compliment upgraded sway bars. i've seen many people that just have a rear strut bar and no front strut bar.

k3smostwanted states "everyone i have talked to says that both strut bars make a huge difference on the 300zx and many other cars. my thoughts is that when cornering, a strut bar will help keep the wheels at the same level better, in result leading to your outside tire pressing harder against the ground than without strut bars...with the outside tire pressing harder against the ground it should increase cornering ability."

Musashi3000GT has "heard from alot of the older guys there that front strut bars will stiffen up the chasis but the negative effect is it increases understeer. If you think about it technically the front of the car will roll less so it cant pitch into the corner and yeah, udersteer wil be a little more noticeable. with the propper tires and suspension mods you can overcome that and still keep the strut bar but most people just dont have the time to test out the 50 thousand different suspension set ups to see what works. its intersting cause one time this guy brought up the question of why GT cars all have a stiff as hell front end and can corner so good, the response they gave him was "weight". GT cars dont have the extra weight to pull them away as they reach the apex. No matter how much you lighten up a street car once you corner in, forces will always pull you to the outside."

Igovert500 suggests "2 reasons why many recommend sway bars and a rear strut to compliment them...but not so much the front strut bar.

The first was along the lines of what Mushasi said about the understeer...I read a great article a year or so ago that had great comments/theories on different pairings of strut and sway bars, and essentially the basic conclusion was that stiffening up the rear with both was good, but they only did the sway bar in front, because of the excessive understeer. I wish I could find the article, because me attempting to summarize it wont do it justice...however I cannot seem to find it. (I thought it was linked at www.stealth316.com, but I can't find it.)

The 2nd reason, although this is a ridiculous reason at best, is because many of the front strut bars create obnoxious clearance issues with the hood and battery. Now anyone who really wanted to get one in there, would manage, but it can be a PITA (but honestly, what mod isn't?)"

To better explain the application of Sway Bars, it would be a good idea to read up on articles linked through stealth316.com. stealth316.com>technical-suspesion section at bottom of page. however, here are some direct links to a few articles through stealth316:

for Strut Bar Theory, this is a good read. a little physics and math, but nothing complicated and gives a layman's breakdown of all the forces involved: http://e30m3performance.com/myths/Strutbar_Theory/strut_bar_theory.htm

this article explains in very understandable detail the concepts of Body Roll, how sway bars work, sway bar stiffness, and how to create the best handling application for yourself adn your car: http://www.teamscr.com/sway.htm

INSTALLATION TIPS/THINGS TO BE AWARE OF
[nota bene: this is for an isntallation on a 1993 front wheel drive 3000GT base model]
I didn't actually take any pics, but all the pics you'll need can be found at 3sxperformance.com--> http://www.3sxperformance.com/installs.asp. I did run into a few problems when installing, and i called up 3sx just to let them know. nothing big, but just a little customer feedback.

I did NOT have an extra pair of arms to help, just did it myself. Though it would have been nice, its not necessary. It wasn't a difficult install, suprisingly! I actually found it tougher to re-install my stock rear sway bar when i replaced my rear suspension.

a few notable things:

1) i noticed that the end-link holes in both front and rear sway bars were not quite large enough to allow the end-link bolts to smoothly go through (http://www.3sxperformance.com/insta...ar/image13.html). and so, it was obviously necessary for me to enlarge the holes slightly. The stock measure 3/8", but to increase the hole to 1/2" would have been too large. So i took a drill with a 3/8" drill bit and "bored" out the hole to make it just slightly larger than 3/8". i just bored out the hole until the end-link bolt fit thru the hole smoothly. [you could also use a dremel tool to make the holes larger]

2) when installing the brackets for the rear bar, you must use the mounting plates. i quickly and carelessly read thru the directions for the rear bar, then discovered that i installed the bracket incorrectly. i didn't see how to use the mounting plate, but after a little thinking, i figured it out. as you can see in this pic http://www.3sxperformance.com/insta...ar/image16.html on the mounting plate on the far left there is a circular hole (compared to oval shaped holes). no bolt goes thru this hole; this hole is there for the bracket to go around the existing stock mounting nut that is welded to the suspension frame. here the mounting plate is being slid up where the stock mounting nut is http://www.3sxperformance.com/insta...ar/image18.html, and here you can see the mounting plate in position http://www.3sxperformance.com/insta...ar/image19.html. the stock mounting nut extends behind and just above the bushing (hole not visible in the pic) and the circular hole in the mounting plate allows the mounting plate to snuggly position right around this hole, but flush with the suspension frame. [you can't see this, but you can feel the welded nut with your finger].
Here is a final installed pic of the rear bar http://www.3sxperformance.com/insta...ar/image29.html

3) when installing the front bar, the mounting kit came with 4 mounting plates. However, i did not see any way these mounting plates would go on with the brackets. also, if you look in the pictures and instructions, there is not mounting plate used in the installation: just the new bracket and stock bolts are used here http://www.3sxperformance.com/insta...nt/image36.html and here http://www.3sxperformance.com/insta...nt/image37.html.

ALSO, i had to bore the end-link holes a little bit so the end-link bolts would fit smoothly. If fitment seems a bit rough and the bolt is having a tough time going through, DO NOT hammer the bolt thru for fear of damaging the threads. If you damage the threads and are fortunate enough to have a tap & die set, then count yourself lucky. but if you don't, then you're screwed. so don't hammer the end-link bolts if they won't go smoothly-->rather simply make the hole larger.

4) on the front bar, it is very hard, if not impossible, to get the stock bar out and the new bar in without taking apart the control arm. i tried for about 20 minutes to try to fish it out, knowing that if i suceeded i'd be a badass and i wouldn't have to get an alignment...but i wasn't so lucky. In the caption in this pic http://www.3sxperformance.com/insta...nt/image18.html, they say that "In hindsight, it may be possible to only have to drop the inner part of the lower main control arm, not removing the 2 bolts that hold the hub to the strut." This IS what i did. it is not necessary to remove the 2 bolts holding the hub to the strut. all you have to do is remove the one reamer bolt holding the inner part of the control arm to the frame. so you can just skip to pic 24: http://www.3sxperformance.com/insta...nt/image24.html. Now once you detach this part of the control arm, you'll have to move the control arm out of the way to wiggle the strut bar out and the new bar in. By moving the control arm, the strut moves, which merits a re-alignment. so its unavoidable. but don't worry about it. whenever you mess with the suspension, you should get an alignment.

PHEW!~ a bit long, but those are my thoughts on the installation process. just a few bumps i ran into, but nothing big. just make sure you have a drill and 3/8" bit handy [or a dremel tool] just in case the end-link holes aren't quite big enough. that's the only thing that delayed me a bit. other than that, if you have air tools and a lift, that would greatly speed up the installation. since i had neither, and was working on a semi-rocky surface, i had a fun time properly and safely jacking the car and setting the jack stands. BY THE WAY, a good mounting point for the jack stands is on the ball joint of the front control arm (front sway bar installation). this mount point is perfect as its rounded just like the jack stand.

good luck to all, and its much simpler than i made it sound. just a little mechanical knowledge and/or someone to help who maybe knows what they're doing, and you're golden!

ROAD TESTING
Before you go and road test your newly stiffened chassis and uber-handling beast on the streets, it is NECESSARY that you get at least a front end wheel alignment. I wanted to play it safe and get the rear wheels aligned as well, b/c i had just put some new tires on and i don't want them to wear unevenly. also, since the rear sway bar fit tighter than the stock rear sway bar, most likely the rear wheels were pulled inward, so a rear wheel alignment is a good idea.

well i took my car on a quick run, and thru the infamous curve in which i tore up my rear suspension. i didn't push her tho, quickly remembering all the crap i had to do to fix my car from a collision that just took a few seconds. but she feels much tighter in the front and rear. i drove her a bit when i just had the rear sway bar in, and i liked it a lot! then with both bars in, it balanced out, but still very tight. i think i'll definitely add just a rear strut bar to make the rear a bit tighter, and as Igovert and Musashi said, will help with the understeer.

Since then i've driven much and i really do love these sway bars! that's an understatement...these things are freakin awesome! taking corner is a lot of fun now, as understeer is drastically reduced and the car also grips the road a lot better. body roll is significantly less. its fun to bob and weave through traffic and see how much less body roll there is. it fells so good and tight. i think some bucket racing seats would make the ride feel that much better, especially in the curves!

Jeff Lucius has just uploaded a 216 page Technical info manual for a 93 vr4. This thing is a huge pdf file that has detailed illustrations of everything. It is a manual that apparently wasn't available in the US, anyway, its like 48mb (so 56k warning), but it's worth the download.

http://stealth316.com/misc/3tim.pdf

So you have an oil leak, on the timing belt/driver side of your engine? Upon further inspection, it appears to be coming from behind the driver side intercooler. Well chances are it is your oil cooler lines. Mitsu stock oil cooler lines SUCK. And chances are, if you live in colder climates with snow and salt, and your stock lines are 10 years old…they are leaking or will be soon. For me, it started as a small drip…for others, they didn’t realize until it was too late. Mine slowly deteriorated, others have had oil explode all over as their failing line burst. Either way, if left unnoticed, this can cause SERIOUS damage to your engine.

So to check your lines for leaks or just to check wear preventatively, jack up the front driver side of the car, remove the wheel. Remove the plastic wheel well. Mine had 3 clasps, 2 10mm bolts, 1 longer screw, and 3 screws with the plastic gromets…(numbers from memory, so give or take)
http://www.stealth316.com/images/sad-panelconnectors.jpg

This will give you a clear view of the oil cooler, but to view the far connections where the lines meet the oil pan near the oil filter, remove the engine side cover
http://www.stealth316.com/images/ac-compr-engroom-sidecover.jpg

You should see this
http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/500/74532oil_cooler1.jpg
Mine was SOOO much messier.

Now here is where you have a few options, and they all depend on your budget/ability/condition of stock lines.

1. Replace with stock lines
http://www.3sxperformance.com/stock.asp at the bottom of this page they sell stock lines, banjo bolts, gaskets, and stock oil cooler. If you have a leak…clean it up, and try to determine what you need to replace. GET ALL NEW GASKETS! Sometimes just a gasket is leaking, sometimes everything is leaking…you will need to determine what you need. My oil return hard line was deteriorating…and after I got everything apart, I found the return rubber lower line was in need of replacement as well. I also picked up 8 extra gaskets and a banjo bolt just in case. So like I said, you have to figure out what you need…chances are you don’t need a new oil cooler…

Option 2: Replace with SS braided lines and AN fittings. After struggling with the stock lines, and snapping the hardline in half…I would HIGHLY recommend spending a bit more and going with SS lines. They are easier to work with, are hassle free, and will give you peace of mind in the future…definantly worth the few extra dollars.
http://www.stealth316.com/2-fmoc.htm This has everything you need to know about SS lines…just one comment, I’ve heard from a member on 3si that the aeroquip 16mmx1.5mm to -8AN adapters don’t work, so to be on the safe side, stick with the Earls parts he mentions.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v399/AJMatson/Stealth%20Pics/100_0524.jpg

Option 3: Larger oil cooler, relocating oil cooler. There are many upgrading options, and many threads on 3si regarding this issue. Many with upgraded intercoolers may have to look into this. Some options I’ve heard used are various Fluidyne and Setrab oil coolers available at Summit Racing and http://www.bakerprecision.com/setrab.htm I believe I even remember hearing someone say they swapped in a larger rx7 oil cooler they found…so be creative. Most relocate theirs in front of the radiator, as it receives much more airflow there, than in its stock location behind the intercooler.
http://www.team3s.com/~egross/3S/Mods/TT/BAFMOC/

http://expha.com/CTECH/MEDIA/oilcooler/DSCF0211.JPG
http://expha.com/CTECH/MEDIA/oilcooler/pix.html

Tools:…get a TON of PB blaster to soak all the bolts and soften up rust.
Besides your typical wrenches, I remember needing a 17mm wrench for the bolts connecting the soft to hard lines
A 19mm wrench for the heads of the banjo bolts
And there was another large sized wrench needed, I used a large adjustable wrench. But make sure you have these ahead of time.

Tips:

1) If you decide to reuse the stock oil cooler, if you just leave it in place and change the lines, you don’t really need to do all that much to it…however being that it is so easy to remove (3 12mm bolts holding it to the brackets) it is a good idea to flush the oil cooler. I’ve heard people use brake cleaner, kerosene, diesel fuel, normal gas. Use you best judgment, just make sure to clean it out again, as you don’t want to contaminate your oil with kerosene or whatever. Also you may just decide to take it out to get more room to maneuver.

2) If you take the cooler off or are putting a new one on, make sure to refill it. The oil cooler has a check valve and doesn’t open up until the engine is hot…you don’t want to be going WOT and have it open up and shoot a burst of hot air into your engine instead of cool oil!...so take 7 seconds and refill the oil cooler.

3) Get the 2 low-profile AN fittings recommended by Jeff Lucius on stealth316. I tried to go cheaper by getting 4 of the same non-low profile 90 degree connectors...trust me...you'll wish you had the 2 low-profile ones for the oil cooler end, when you try to remount it. Note you need the normal ones for the oil filter end.

4) I bought all the stuff from Summit Racing
2 EAR-303008ERL 3 ft -8AN autoflex SS braided hose
4 EAR-9919EFJERL -8AN to 16mm-1.5 Adapters
2 EAR-809108ERL -8AN 90degree tube swivel
2 -8AN 90 degree low profile swivel

Costs with tax and shipping around $155

5) Putting the AN connectors on the SS lines can be a PITA...use a vice as recommend..if you don't have one, get a decent clamp and a work bench...this worked for me.

6) Once the lines are connected to the swivel fittings...they have a tendency to bend themselves and want to stay that way...so spend as little time between putting them together and mounting them as possible. I found it easier to mount the lines on hte oil cooler and put that into place, route the lines, and hten connect them to the engine side. Use plenty of zip ties to route them!

7) Before you do all this, map out where you are going to run the lines, and measure (including bends) the route, then cut the lines down accordingly. I just used both 3ft lines, and it would have been a bit easier if they were the proper lengths...rather than routing them in loops like an idiot.

That's about all I can think of. All in all, as usual, everything goes alot smoother if you put the extra effort in the preparation phase, than trying to figure out ways to deal with the problems that arise later from you being too lazy to do something correctly the first time around.

Hope all of this helps someone in the future, and it isn't as much of a headache to you as it was for me.

Hotshot's battery relocation thread:

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=3132080

The how to on how to wire second gen headlights using first main harnesses.


http://www.import-power.com/gallery/d/8217-1/headlight+wiringcropped.jpg

Thought this would be a good addition to the FAQ. Taken from speedingticketcentral.com

Well the first thing is, what kind of ticket did you get? I put tickets into three categories:



Equipment tickets such as loud muffler, illegal lights, etc.

Ordinary moving violations, mostly speeding.

Serious violations such as reckless driving, DWI or anything that carries jail time.

Now before we begin, I want to talk about how to act when you get busted. I know, it's too late this time, but lets not kid each other. This might be your first ticket but it for damn sure won't be your last.

Did you ever watch COPS? Have you ever wondered to yourself where the people are who don't act like idiots? I'll tell you where they are. Home. They had their brief interlude with the police, acted right and either got sent home or quietly booked for some offense and FOX thought their scene was too boring to show.

A cop's favorite traffic stop is a boring one. What you need to do in a traffic stop is act like a cop. How does a cop act? The moment an off-duty cop in a civilian car knows that he's going to get pulled over, he pulls over. If he can't pull over immediately, perhaps he's on an overpass, he waves to the cop behind him to signal he sees him and pulls over as soon as there is a place to pull over. Don't drag this out of course. When you pull over, pull over far enough that he can park behind you in such a way that his car protects him from oncoming traffic. Turn you wheel all the way to the right, roll down your window, turn off the radio, shut the car off, place your hands on the steering wheel and wait. If you have passengers, have them sit quietly with their hands folded in their laps. If there was time after spotting the cop pulling out you should have put away your detector, but ONLY if you can do it without him seeing you fumbling around in the car. That generally means you'll only have time for this if you get popped on the highway. Do not be wearing sunglasses when you talk to the cop. Just toss them on the dashboard. Have your passengers do the same. When the cop asks you for your license & registration, tell him where they are before you reach for them, and then move slowly. Not ridiculously slowly, just very carefully. Don't sir him to death, that will often annoy him, just be polite, calm and speak in an ordinary conversational voice. Everything you've done has now signaled to him that you're not going to be trouble. This is good because most of the time he hasn't yet decided if he's going to write you and any warm fuzzy feelings you can generate are a good thing. IF YOU HAVE A PBA CARD, DO NOT GIVE IT TO HIM. Keep it directly behind your drivers license. When you hand him your documents, make it a point to hand him the license last. Keeping your arm resting on the door sill and your wallet in your left hand, remove the license with your right hand and hand it to him, leaving the now exposed PBA card in plain sight. SAY NOTHING! Trust me. He sees it. If it's going to do you any good, it will. If not, don't even mention it. Don't give the cop some lame excuse. He's heard them all and then some. About the only excuse worth bothering with is that you were rushing to the Doctor/Hospital or home, to the bathroom. But of course, only use that excuse if it's true. What you can do is express to the cop that you would be grateful for any slack he can cut you, but leave it at that. If he writes you a ticket, don't bother asking him to see the reading, or about his qualifications, or when the gun was last calibrated. I know that goes against conventional wisdom, but trust me. The 70's are long over. Tickets just don't get beaten like that anymore. These police departments have got this stuff down to a science and the whole process from getting pulled over to paying the clerk runs like a well oiled machine. This is a serious source of revenue and they don't play games with it.

OK, moving on to the meat. Lets take the third category first, because it's the easiest. IF YOU ARE FACING POSSIBLE JAIL, GET A LAWYER. If you can't afford one and you are looking at jail time, they MUST provide one for you. If you aren't looking at jail time but are looking at a serious violation that might result in you losing your license, consider hiring a lawyer anyway. OK, that's it. Category three is done.

Category One is equipment violations. This is pretty easy too. If it's something you can get fixed before court, such as a loud muffler or cracked windshield, it's usually easier and cheaper to just do it. If you're going to fight it, look up the law, find out what it is that the people have to prove you did to get a conviction and ask yourself if the cop did what he was supposed to. For instance, in most places a cop cannot just say your car is too loud. He has to quantify it with a decibel meter. If you live in NY State and have a loud exhaust ticket, e-mail me directly. I ruined the law in NY a couple of years ago and the legislature hasn't fixed it yet. If you got a ticket for something you know damn well they can prove, like illegal tail lights or tint, and you aren't going to fix it, just pay it by mail. I also suggest that you consider driving a lower profile car, or making yours less "flashy" or "bling-bling" But it's a free country, mostly, and if you want to drive a cop magnet, that's your business.

Now we come to category two, the most common reason for a ticket, LEAD FOOT. OK, first lets dispense with the illusions. If you are reading this, you are most likely reading it at VWVORTEX.COM and that means you're a car enthusiast. Car enthusiasts speed. Pretty much all the time. Some more than others of course and some faster than others, but if you're a car guy (or girl) you drive faster than you're supposed to on pretty much a routine basis. What does that mean? It means that unless you stop driving, this will not be your last ticket.

Now why is that important, you ask? Because you cannot afford to think in terms of beating THIS ticket. You must take a long view and have a strategy. Your goal is to avoid accumulating enough points to lose your license. THAT'S IT. You have no other mission. Remember one thing: Speeding fines are the fee you pay for the privilege of driving as fast as you want. If you do not agree with that premise then stop reading this FAQ right now, because everything that follows is based on that premise. One quick disclaimer here... This is NOT legal advice. This me reporting to you how the system actually functions in the real world and how you can work the system.

Why should you buy into my advice? Because I have been doing this for 20 years. I've lost track of how many tickets I've received but I do know it's in excess of 100 and I have NEVER been suspended for points. Came close a couple of times, but never crossed the line. I've argued in cases in both trial and appellate court, I generally win, and I've even beaten the Ohio Department of Motor Vehicles in court, which is only slightly less difficult than what O.J. did a few years ago. In short, I've been there and done that.

OK, step one... You have the ticket. Hopefully you didn't act the fool when you got the ticket and the cop won't have any reason to remember you unkindly. Don't change that now by requesting a supporting deposition. Let me repeat that. Do NOT ask for a supporting deposition. For those who don't know, a supporting deposition is a written statement from the cop that sums up the events leading up to the ticket. The theory behind this is that if the cop's testimony varies under cross-examination, you can get the ticket thrown out. Well forget it. You ain't Johnny Cochran and all you're going to do is annoy the cop by making him do paperwork. You might wonder why that matters if you already have the ticket. Well it does, and I'll come back to that.

Now, most tickets have a section on the back that allows you to enter a not guilty plea by mail. Do this. If it doesn't, or if the ticket says that you must come to court, that first visit is going to be an arraignment. You'll be entering a plea. That's ALL you're going to do. Don't try to hand the judge your explanation or sob story because he don't want to hear it.

Quick note on NOLO CONTENDRE pleas. Hopefully I spelled that right, but either way it's the famous "No Contest" plea. This is a very nice plea. It basically means that you don't admit guilt but you won't object to being punished. If your ticket arises from a traffic accident, make SURE you plead NO CONTEST. In most cases someone official at the court, possibly even the Judge will actually tell you that. It has to do with liability and the possibility you might get sued. Also, in most cases, the court won't let you enter a plea of NO CONTEST unless you were in an accident. Furthermore, if you were in an accident, don't play around. Put in your NO CONTEST plea, pay your fine and get the hell out of there. You don't want this to come back to haunt you later and a plea of guilty when you have been in a traffic accident is considered to be an admission of fault in civil court. Don't take my word for it, ask a lawyer. If there was no accident involved, plea NOT GUILTY and go home. You will usually be mailed a court date. Sometimes they will give it to you on the spot. Either way, go home and don't sweat it.
OK, so you've entered a plea of NOT GUILTY.

First thing is... don't agonize over this. You're charged with speeding, not murder, OK? The absolute worst thing that can happen to you is you lose some money and you get a couple of points.

I want to inject something into this FAQ now, based on an issue that arose with another poster on this board. What this person did was to contact the ADA before the trial and try to work out a deal. This certainly seems like a good idea but unfortunately it usually only works for other attorneys.
Know this: ADAs are human. Humans are lazy. When an ADA shows up in court he has only one goal. Getting the hell out of there as quickly as possible. This is actually true of everybody there, espescially the people who are being paid to be there. You see, you only have to be there once. They have to be there all the time.

If you go calling that ADA at the office where they have easy access to the offender database and time on their hands, you lose the leverage that their inherent laziness and dislike of their job brings.

Wait until court, when they are MOST likely to be in a mood to cut a deal just to get you, and by extension them, the hell out of there as quickly as possible. Does this make a deal a sure thing? Well, no... it doesn't. But it increases your odds and when you're playing a number game that's crucial.
So, your trial date rolls around. By now somebody has told you to see about getting something that's sometimes called "Adjournment in Contemplation of Dismissal" or some such fancy title. The deal is, nothing happens with your ticket. If you stay clean for a certain number of months, usually 12-18, your ticket gets dismissed. Sounds great, right? The only problem is that if you get another ticket the OTHER one comes back. Now you have TWO tickets and TWO fines. ooops.

Basically, unless you're about to join the Army or go abroad for a year, it's a bad gamble. Like I already said, this isn't your last ticket. The question isn't IF you get another, the question is when and 12-18 months is a long time to drive like your grandmother.

So what do you do? You engage in that honorable American institution known as The Plea Bargain. On the day of your trial, before you go in front of the Judge, you will be approached by either the Cop who wrote the ticket or by an ADA, or Assistant District Attorney. This pretty much depends on the population density where you got the ticket.

Now is where you tell them, in quite simple language, that you know you were doing wrong and you're mostly worried about the points. Ask them if it's possible to plead guilty to a non-points charge instead and pay the fine. Now, remember when I said you shouldn't annoy the cop by asking for a supporting deposition? This is where it pays off. Basically, if you didn't do anything to annoy the cop either at the original stop or later on along the way, he's pretty much not going to care. If you have an ADA then he's going to ask the cop if he's OK with any deal.

Now, sometimes you can't get the deal you want. OK, try for what you can get. If they ADA says that he can't let off the hook with no points, ask him if there is anything he CAN do for you. What's the worst he can say, no?
I have encountered exactly TWO courts in 20 years that simply will not allow plea bargains of any kind and they are both in suburbs of Cleveland, so unless you're there, don't worry about it.

OK, so there are two possibilities now. a) You struck a bargain b) You struck out

90% of the time you'll have struck a bargain, and you can almost always get rid of the points. At this time you'll go back into the courtroom and wait to be called. When you are, walk to the front of the courtroom, say "I'm your honor." and shut up. The cop or ADA will do the talking for you, there will come a moment when the Judge will ask if you agree to the plea bargain. You say: "Yes, your honor" and shut up. The Judge tells you what the fine is and hands you off to the court clerk. By the way, you REALLY should have your fine money with you already. This is NOT the moment to be asking for time to pay, but if for some reason you don't, then you better speak up before you walk over to the clerk. Make sure you know how long you need and I strongly advise you to make sure sure it's not longer than a couple of weeks. Pay what you can on the spot.

Now, let's say that you were not able to strike a bargain. Well, you have two choices. You can try to cross-examine the cop during your trial, hoping to trip him up. Trust me when I say that this is pretty much a waste of time and will annoy the Judge, especially if you're clumsy about it. They HATE wannabee lawyers. OR, you can take that sob story you've been saving and tell it to the Judge. Keep it short though, and don't insult the man's intelligence. Ask for a reduction in fine if you want. Ask whatever. You've really got nothing to lose at this point. Unless you do something stupid like argue with him or smart off of course... Now you're done. Pay your fine or ask for time to pay and go home.

Using this method you will almost always be able to avoid the points. That also has an effect on your insurance. The few times you don't manage to get a favorable plea are just that, FEW. Over the long term this will keep your points down, your insurance costs down and cost you only the occasional fine. And remember; Fines are the fee you pay for the privilege of driving as fast as you want

ANSWERS TO SOME QUESTIONS THAT HAVE COME UP __________________________________________________ __________________ Parking Tickets Not even worth fighting. To give you an idea of what I mean, every parking ticket written in the State of NY is jurisdictionally defective. Why that is isn't really important. The point is that nobody, especially not a layman, ever wins a motion for dismissal on jurisdictional grounds in the little "kangaroo court" traffic courts that those things are heard in. Usually, you don't even see a real Judge. You see a Justice of the Peace, or even the local Mayor. You'll get convicted ever time. Of course, you then appeal, citing the correct case law, and you will over turn the conviction and get your money back every time. It's like shooting fish in a barrel. But it costs more to go through the process than the actual ticket is worth. Not to mention that filing an appeal is a genuine P.I.T.A. You get a parking ticket, just pay the stupid thing and move on. It's not worth it to fight it even if you have the Pope ready to swear you and your car were elsewhere.

__________________________________________________ _____________________________

The Cop made a mistake on my ticket. Color wrong, name misspelled, etc. Should I fight it? Don't bother. Unless the person and vehicle on the ticket are CLEARLY not you at ALL, in which case why do you have the ticket, this falls under the category of "allowable error" Let's say the ticket spelled your name wrong and described your yellow Jetta as Blue. The Judge is just going to ask you if the ticket is yours. If you lie to this man I PROMISE you, you'll be sleeping with Bubba that night. Just treat it as if the cop got all the info correct. Now, I will say this. There are some jurisdictions that are pretty fussy about having the paperwork filled out correctly. If in doubt, just pick up the phone, call a local lawyer whose yellow page ad says that he deals with tickets, DUIs and such, and ask him if the flaw on your ticket in particular is fatal. Lawyers generally don't mind answering a quick question like that. If he says it is, you may want to consider hiring him to get your ticket thrown out. You can usually get them cheaper when it's a slam dunk. This is pretty much the only time I advocate hiring a lawyer for a regular speeding ticket. __________________________________________________ ____________________________

The Cop was mean/rude/nasty to me! I want to complain and this ticket should be dismissed! 95% of Cops are just regular human beings doing a tough job and won't give you a hard time unless you ask for it. The other 5% are just jerks. Deal with it. Take a cue from the Mafia. "It's just business." treat it as you would any other ticket and don't let the jerk get to you. Remember, you aren't here to get revenge, you're here to play the game and work the system as best you can. Lose sight of that and you'll be staring at 2 points on your license you probably could have avoided. If that doesn't work for you, just think about it this way. By the time you arrived in court and paid that fine, because of all the speeding you've done in the meantime, you have pro-rated that ticket down to a fraction of a cent on the MPH. __________________________________________________ _____________________________

This is a bogus ticket! I know for SURE that I didn't do it. Can you prove that? Yeah, me neither the few times it's happened to me. But really, I can count the number of truly bogus tickets I've received on one hand. Did he write you for a higher speed than you think you were going? Chances are his numbers are correct. Even if they aren't, remember, it's just business. This is the fee you pay for the privilege of driving as fast as you want. You play the game right and the numbers go in your favor over the long run, even if you DO get a genuinely bogus ticket. __________________________________________________ ______________________________

This cop was following me for a while before he pulled me over. I don't think he can do that! Sorry, but the bottom line is that you have a ticket now. It doesn't really mater if the ticket is legit or not, you have it and unless you can prove that it's a bogus ticket, the cop is going to win in court. Fair? No, of course not. But who said this was about fairness? __________________________________________________ ______________________________

Should I get a continuance and hope the cop forgets to show up or something? Don't bother getting a continuance unless you actually need it. In the first place it has no impact on the cop showing up or not. These things are scheduled and co-ordinated between the court and the Police, meaning the cop doesn't have to remember a damn thing. All he has to do is show up on the regularly scheduled court date when he has only to look at the list of cases and has everything he needs provided for him. The second problem is that the courts are wise to this trick and have been for years. If you try playing games with continuances you'll run the risk of annoying the clerk. You know, the person who the Judge counts on more than anyone to keep his life organized?

Hope that helps.

DIY short throw shifter for under $3

http://www.3si.org/forum/showthread.php?t=248166

Thanks to DeftSyder from 3SI, we now have this tutorial on installing aftermarket leather seats. Enjoy!


Installing an aftermarket Leather Interior on your 3000GT seats
I drive a '95 3000GT, and I just realized this car is over 10 years old now. Now, I keep it in pretty good shape, watch the paint, make sure it is waxed professionally with all the tips the guys at Meguiar's could give me, etc.

Do you have questions?
Want to know specifics about models available, colors , stitching, shipping, etc?
Call the guys at leatherseats.com (http://www.leatherseats.com/). They have several hundred different patterns for just about every make and model.

LeatherSeats toll free # is:
1-866-639-7328.
You can also email at [email protected].

I take care of the engine as well as possible, change the oil, etc. Maintenance is definitely on my mind. But there's an odd thing about my cars leather.. after 10+ years, it's just been around too long. It's do ne... no leather conditioner will work on this puppy. I never saw it ‘brand new'. As far as I know, it's pretty nice compared… to, well, 4 years ago when I bought it. Man was I wrong.

The fact is leather can be as nice as possible from the factory, but use and wear and tear are unavoidable, and your seats become the glaring indicator of just how old your car really is. This show car got “Is that new” all the time… when the doors are closed. I got “what year is this” much more often with the doors open… because they could tell by the seats it was getting pretty old, as my seats became torn and tattered.
Interior wasn't even in my top 10 things to do… I'm not sure why I didn't think of my interior earlier. It's not something you think of first off in this world of body kits and neon lights… but it should be. It's such an incredibly omni-present piece to your cars appearance. Sure, YOU don't see them so much when you are seated, but you sure as hell feel them in comfort every moment of the drive, and every time anyone else looks at your car, be it a show or just driving around, it WILL be seen just as much as that front lip you bought… probably more.

So why don't people do a new leather installation? We'll, it's going to cost more than that front lip… and I think the main reason is the installation is going to cost a bunch on top of it.

Well, we're all a bunch of do-it-yourself guys, and watching someone do an installation on our car is for someone else. We want to install it ourselves… and you can.

That's where aftermarket leather interiors come in. You can get a substantially better price on top of the line leather that any “professional” installer would be using, and all we have to do is spend a little time doing it ourselves. It can be any color, any style, different color sticking, two tone… and best of all it uses your stock, very comfy seats as the base, and makes them comfortable again. (Yes, they get A LOT more comfortable… after installing mine the difference was amazing… I had no idea how broken down my seats were.

The big thing holding us back is… can we do it ourselves? I thought of a leather install like my transmission… just not something I want to touch because I know nothing about it, and if I screw it up, what then? Well, luckily I had my hand held through the beginning, and I must say, it got me to make the first snip, but I really didn't need it. And now that I know, I'm going to tell you too, because it really isn't that hard, and for the benefits, it is a NO BRAINER.

So where do we start?

Well the start is actually the fun part. Head over to leatherseats.com (http://www.leatherseats.com/). There are flashier websites on the web, but there are not better companies or prices. I know this because I dealt with them all. LeatherSeats answered their phone and stayed on the line for about 40 minutes while I asked every question in the book, worried about whether or not I could do it… and that was leatherseats.com. That's the sort of support I want, and I stuck with them. It didn't hurt the pricing was great, and that's why I stayed with them and eventually worked out a deal.

It also didn't hurt at all that they had already written an installation overview for the DIY Network using… you guessed it: the 3000GT. It just so happened when I called the guy I spoke with was working on a… yeah, 3000GT. Seems it was in the stars.

Take your time deciding what look you want for your new interior…. This leather is going to last a long time, so make sure what you pick isn't the fad of the moment. Get familiar with all the color options, stitching color, etc. You can get perforated or not… it's your call. Just think it out. Maybe right now blue and yellow seats seem really cool, but imagine that in 4 years when you're not a UCLA student or not showing your car as much as you thought you would. Think long term and stylish.

Luckily my decision was easier because the Spyder is classic styling and my design cues have never been “wild” but rather going for a more “tasteful exotic”. I went with two tone seats… charcoal on the outside, and “slate” on the inside. When my kit arrives I was pleasantly surprised; these matched my stock beige color and the gray on my interior so close it was amazing.

Now that I've picked my color and got my leather kit in the mail it's time to get started.
Lets get to the tools now.

The tools I needed were pretty simple. To start off you need “Hog Ring Pliers”. Here's what they look like:
http://deftracing.com/images/ls_hogring_pliers.jpg Actual Hog Ring pliers They are used with… you guessed it, hog rings. Here's what hog rings look like:
http://deftracing.com/images/ls_hogrings.jpg Actual Hog Rings You put the hog ring into the pliers like this:
http://deftracing.com/images/ls_hogring_pliers_use.jpg Actual Hog Ring Pliers in actual use And the pliers easily bend the hog ring into a nice triangular ring shape that will hold whatever is attached to it in place pretty easily. If this looks familiar, it's because this is the exact same thing they use on fences to keep the chain link attached to the poles. As a matter of fact, while there's all sorts of fancy Hog Rings out there for you to buy, the ones I bought said “Chain Link Fence tension Wire Clips: Hog Rings” on the front. I bought a bag of 200 at the local OSH Hardware for about 4 bucks. The pliers right in the same area were about $9.50.

I also bought a pair of snub nose wire cutters to take off the old hog rings. The snub nose is so that mechanical advantage is on your size and the stock rings get snipped easier. If you don't have these, buy them… they were about 12-16 bucks, and well worth the time I saved trying to use wire cutters or some other totally inappropriate tool. Having the right tool for the job is essential, and I guess that means my dad was right about at least one thing.

Now you have what you need to start, so get going!

Where to start, where to start…

Start in the back. As you well know the back seat of a 3000GT is best suited for newborns and those shorter than 4 foot nothing. Chances are while you the new leather for the back seats you wont miss them too much. Why did it take me three hours? Mostly because I was enjoying the learning curve, seeing how the stock leather it attached to the car, etc. Once you get a good idea for how the stock leather is attached with the stock hog rings, you'll have a good idea for how the rest of the project is going to go… just different places for the rings to be. This comes fairly quickly because it's pretty obvious.

I should probably mention that I brought my back seats in from the garage and did the entirety of this project sitting on my couch watching movies. There's no reason why this can't be a relaxing project, and frankly, rushing it won't help at all. Take your time, and it'll be better served all the way around. I did the 'seat back' of the back seat first.

The leather for the back seats comes off like unwrapping a package. As you cut all the rings it will unwrap slowly, and then you can pull it off. Be careful that you pay attention to where the rings were, what they were holding onto, etc. This will help things to be more intuitive when you put the new leather on as you'll have an idea of what they are talking about.

Chances are the old hog rings were attached to a metal wire. These hard metal wires go throughout all of the different areas of your interior and form a skeleton for which the leather attaches too. Some of the other things the leather will hog-ring too is parts of the metal lacing that runs through the backs of the interior. This part looks most like what a bed spring pattern looks like.

That's going to be pretty easy..
...so now we'll show you the front seats. If you're worried about the backs, just go over this tutorial, because we will cover all the same stuff.
http://deftracing.com/images/ls_3692.jpg
Removing the seat from the car How do you get the seat somewhere to work on? First, get the seat out of the car by removing the 4 bolts holding it to the car. Look underneath as power seats have some wires that need to be disconnected. The connectors are easily visible. They are easier to get at if you unbolt the seat first and tilt it back to get underneath.


This is a good opportunity to clean your carpet too. If you don;t have a steam cleaner, get "tough Stuff" foam carpet cleaner. Scrub your stains out with it, following the directions. It's awesome stuff, and you won;t get a better opportunity to get at your carpet easily.
http://deftracing.com/images/ls_3673.jpg Stock OEM 3000GT seat.. passenger side. Old, broken down, stained & destroyed The seat is basically 2 pieces, the back and the base. We will start with the back as it's easiest to start taking apart. You'll want to take off the seat backing first. Accessing the screws under the plastic covers is easy.
http://deftracing.com/images/ls_3674.jpg The backside of a front seat.. amazing There's the plastic covered screws at the bottom. Take those off, and the piece slides out with a few metal tabs from the top of the seat towards the bottom.

http://deftracing.com/images/ls_3675.jpg Hiding under the plastic covers is an ordinary screw.. amazing

OK, so i forgot you'd need a screwdriver, but it's still easy.
http://deftracing.com/images/ls_3676.jpg Already we can see the leather edges and the stock hog rings
The back is off, and we can now see what you will be getting very aquatinted with now.. the wire framework underneath the leather. This is about it every one.... once you have an idea of how the OEM hog rings are holding the stock leather on to this metal framework, you've seen everything to co me... because it all attaches this way.
http://deftracing.com/images/ls_3677.jpg Snub Nose Pliers cutting the first hog ring. It has begun!
It might be a good time to point out that the stock "hog rings" are very small, copper looking, and round. They didn't actually use hog rings like we are using, because they have big robots to put these rings on. Just don;t freak out because their rings are small, and ours are much bigger and angled (triangle). The leather will still pull tight and be fine. The bigger hog rings are much easier to work with as well.

http://deftracing.com/images/ls_3678.jpg Continuing to cut the hog rings After unwrapping the leather from the backside you can get at the front side hog rings. Some of the hog rings are pretty easy to see, and of course there is a pattern to where they are placed. You'll get a feel for how many inches they are apart. You'll feel tension in some places and know one is there, and dig down to get at it. All the while, keep in mind that you'll need to put hog rings back in these spots, so don't forget where it is.
http://deftracing.com/images/ls_3679.jpg Peeling back the old leather You can see 4 spots where the hog rings where in the center. Those 4 spots were the place that brought in the leather at the seams. You might be able to tell that there is still one hog ring up there in the corner.
http://deftracing.com/images/ls_3680.jpg Leather pulled taught underneath the seat As you pull away the leather you'll see all the different ways that the leather is attached. Keep all of this in mind, as there will be a test.. when you put the new leather on!
http://deftracing.com/images/ls_3681.jpg Snub Nose Pliers cutting a hog ring off a metal framework piece. here's a good shot of a hog ring on the metal framework. This framework is where all of your hog rings will end up for the leather. The metal runs through and back out of the foam that makes up the cushion of the seats. Take care not to pull so hard on it that you tear the foam.
http://deftracing.com/images/ls_3688.jpg Plastic Clip on base of seat. Your foot may look different. To the left here you can see a plastic tab piece that wraps the front leather down and pulls it taught. It's one of the few places that hog rings aren't what's holding the leather, but it is still easy to detach.
http://deftracing.com/images/ls_3687.jpg Seat with the base off I found it easier to just remove the seat base to do it. You'll see as you work how to get at the leather and attach the hog rings easiest. This is also a good opportunity to clean your chair.. I took some soap, water, and then armor all to the plastic recliner lever and surrounding plastic. It's almost impossible to get to all of this in the car, so why not take a few minutes to get it looking perfect?
http://deftracing.com/images/ls_3683.jpg Here we got the headrest piece out. You push the base together & it comes right out. Note where the hole is, because once the leather is wrapped, you'll need to poke a hole so you can shove that piece right back in.
http://deftracing.com/images/ls_3686.jpg Shoot to the future.. the headrest position piece goes back in. This is out of order, but here's how we put the headrest piece back in. Just a relatively small hole is good to push the piece through, and the leather will stretch. If it is too small, just cut it a little more. remember you can cut more, but you can't cut less, so go slow and watch the leather stretch as it goes in.
Starting to put on the new leather!
http://deftracing.com/images/ls_3684.jpg Laying out the new leather to see what goes where. Now that you've stripped the old leather off, it's time to put the new leather on. You have to keep in mind that you have to do the innermost hog rings first. The inner rows of the seams we mentioned before need to be done first. Then work your way out, until you get to the edges. I took one row at a time, and as you work it's obvious how this should go. If you end up missing something, you can always cut the hog ring and go back and get the one you missed.

There is allot of room for error and if you do mess up it's not the end of the world.

Take care to massage the leather into place. It's not plastic.. it stretches and bends. It also sticks, so sometimes you may need to lift up and pull over a corner and get it into the right place. Make sure that you get the leather fitted on the part you are working on carefully. It is easier to go slowly and look at corners, making sure the peaks/corners of the leather are on the peaks/corners of the foam.

http://deftracing.com/images/ls_3685.jpg Leather base reattached here we are with the leather reattached at the base. The back is done at this point. Lets take a look.
http://deftracing.com/images/ls_3690.jpg Back done without the base attached. here you can see the back on and done. You'll notice some creases in the leather. These can be massaged out for the most part, and of course after a few weeks the leather relaxes and these creases pretty much go away completely. You can see the plastic clean too... the seat is looking better than new!
http://deftracing.com/images/ls_3691.jpg Seat ready to go back in. Here's the finished seat, ready to go back in! The power seat is heavy and unwieldy, so if it seems like you can;t get it back in get someone to help guide it. Those wrinkles will relax in time as the leather stretches slightly to fit the seat. You can see the backseats are already done and installed as well!
Let's see how it looks in our 3000Gt Spyder!
http://deftracing.com/images/ls_3728.jpg Looking brand new and better than ever http://deftracing.com/images/ls_3727.jpg Side angle http://deftracing.com/images/ls_3731.jpg Close up and blinging Your initial reaction to new leather seats, besides the obvious complete updating of the look of the car, is how they FEEL. What you don;t realize is that the old broken down stretched leather over the years lost all of it's comfort. I used to think the foam did all of the cushioning, but it really is the leather seats that makes all of the difference. The seats felt brand new, and I couldn't believe that they were my old seats. If I hadn't done it myself I'd think the foam had been replaced.

So what are you waiting for.. this is THEE mod to do to your ride, and nothing else changes a car so entirely than new leather. You feel it, you see it, and you'll love it!

Do you have questions? Want to know specifics about colors available, stitching, shipping, etc? Call the guys at leatherseats.com (http://www.leatherseats.com/). They were extremely knowledgeable with my car, and have several hundred different patterns for all sorts of cars, not just the 3000GT.
Their toll free # is 1-866-639-7328.
You can also email at [email protected].

Things you will need:

10 mm, 12 mm, 14 mm, 17 mm, and 19 mm sockets
at least a 3/8" ratchet
1/2" breaker bar
A universal swival joint that allows you to angle your sockets
P.B. Blaster
All the oil and coolant gaskets, and exhaust gaskets that you take apart
Upper to lower intake manifold gasket
And maybe some misc tools and a prybar

First thing you do is spray all the bolts down with PB Blaster the night before and let them soak so they will come off easier.

Step 1: remove the battery from the car, and then jack the car up and put it on jack stands.

Step 2: Take the plastic shielding off from underneath the car, drain the oil from your oil pan, and drain the coolant from your radiator.

Step 3: Disconnect the MAS, and pull the all the intake piping out of the car. Then remove the y-pipe, all the intercooler pipes that go from the y-pipe to right across the front valve cover, and remove the hard intercooler pipe that connects to the rear turbo.

Step 4: Remove the upper intake plenum and throttle body, i like to just leave them attached together so that I dont have to worry about getting a new gasket for it.

Step 5: Remove the two coolant hoses from your radiator, one on top and one on the bottom. Then undo the 4 bolts that hold the two radiator brackets in place, then pull the radiator out of the car.

Step 6: Remove the big plastic heat shield from the front and remove the big plastic heat shield from the rear. And you probably just never want to put them back in your car again because they really don't do much good.

Step 7: Get up under the car and disconnect the downpipe and let it sit on the floor.

Now its time to start pulling the turbos.

Step 8: Disconnect the oil return lines from the oil pain, then disconnect the oil feed lines from both turbos. Next disconnect the coolant lines from the turbos. If your having trouble getting to the bolts on the turbo, then just disconnect the lines from the thermostat housing.

Step 9: Disconnect both O2 housings from both turbos. There are 4 nuts on each one.

Now the only thing holding the turbos on are the exhaust manifolds. Since the front one is the easiest, lets start with that.

Step 10: Remove the 3 bolts from on top of the front exhaust manifold, and the front turbo comes right out. Be sure to place the oil return line on your new turbos before installing them. Use the new gaskets as your putting stuff back on. The new front turbo just goes back on the same way the old one came off.

Step 11: Now there are two ways you can attack the rear turbo. If you have a TD04 turbo that uses the stock turbine housing, the easiest way is to undo the clip that connects the cartridge to the turbine housing and the bolts that hold the wastegate, and just pull half the turbo out of it, and insert the new one making all the new connections. There are alignment pins to set the turbo to the correct clocking. This seems to be the easier way.

However if you need to pull the entire turbo out of the car, there is one nut on top, and 2 (a bitch i might add) underneath. Using long extensions and possibly even the universal joint, you can get the two out from underneath, then the entire turbo comes out. Just put the new turbo in the reverse process.

Step 12: Once you have the new turbos in, make sure you connect all the oil and coolant lines, and put everything back on in the reverse order, and your done.

Linbckr had some useful link on what you can do with your head light fixtures, where to get them and FAQ's.


here are some more useful links for auto lighting and HIDs for all interested:

great overview. many questions answered. FAQ...nuf said http://faqlight.carpassion.info/index.html

wikipedia--great overview in one article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headlight

different type of HID bulbs http://faqlight.carpassion.info/hl-hid-bulbs.htm

HID Planet-University (faq section, great write-ups, plenty of pics) http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/view...c382cc8 70810

HID Planet - sells certain projectors, bulbs, ballasts and other lighting options http://www.hidplanet.com/main.html

retailer that makes wire harnesses http://www.suvlights.com/index.php

1G HID retro install (PICS) http://www.3si.org/forum/showthread.php?t=291237

I do NOT know if these are recalls for 2nd and 3rd generation 3000gt's but they ARE recalls for 1st generation 3/S's. They are as follows:

NHTSA Safety Recalls:


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recall date: Not reported
Units potentially affected: 3,154
NHTSA campaign number: 93V033000
Defective part or component: POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE (INDICATOR FORWARD OR REVERSE)

Description: A CONDITION EXISTS THAT ALLOWS OIL TO LEAK FROM THE ALL WHEEL DRIVE TRANSFER CASE. LOW OIL LEVELS IN THE TRANSFER CASE CAN CAUSE BEARING DAMAGE AND FAILURE. BEARING FAILURE IN THE TRANSFER CASE CAN RESULT INPOWER TRAIN LOCKUP WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING, WHILE THE VEHICLE IS AT HIGHWAY SPEED.THIS COULD RESULT IN A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL AND AN ACCIDENT. INSTALL A C-RING TO TRANSFER CASE TO PREVENT OIL LEAKAGE, OR REPLACE TRANSFER CASE TO MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT OIL LEVELS IN THE TRANSFER CASE.

Recall date: Not reported
Units potentially affected: 658,000
NHTSA campaign number: 95V103004
Defective part or component: INTERIOR SYSTEMS:ACTIVE RESTRAINTS:BELT BUCKLES

Description: THE FRONT SAFETY BELT BUCKLE RELEASE BUTTONS CAN BREAK. THESE RED PLASTIC RELEASE BUTTONS ARE MARKED "PRESS." IF A BUTTON BREAKS, PIECES CAN FALL INTO THE BUCKLE ASSEMBLY CAUSING THE BUCKLE TO OPERATE IMPROPERLY. THE SAFETY BELTS WOULD NOT PROVIDE ADEQUATE PROTECTION TO AN OCCUPANT IN A VEHICLE CRASH. OWNERS SHOULD PROMPTLY CHECK THE CONDITION AND OPERATION OF BOTH FRONT SAFETY BELT BUCKLES AND CAREFULLY INSPECT THE RED RELEASE BUTTON FOR ANY BREAKS OR CRACKS. THEY SHOULD ENSURE THAT BOTH BUCKLES ARE OPERATING PROPERLY BY INSERTING EACH LATCH PLATE INTO ITS BUCKLE, TUGGING ON THE BELT TO MAKE SURE THE LATCH IS SECURELY LOCKED, AND THEN PRESSING THE RELEASE BUTTON. THE LATCH PLATE SHOULD POP OUT OF THE BUCKLE WHEN THE BUTTON IS PRESSED. IF EITHER RELEASE BUTTON SHOWS A SIGN OF BREAKING OR CRACKING OR IF EITHER BUCKLE FAILS TO OPERATE PROPERLY, OWNERS SHOULD PROMPTLY CONTACT THEIR AUTHORIZED DEALER TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT TO HAVE THE BUCKLE REPLACED OR REPAIRED, FREE OF CHARGE. THE MANUFACTURER IS DEVELOPING A REMEDY DESIGNED TO PREVENT FAILURE OF THE BUTTONS THAT ARE NOT CURRENTLY BROKEN.

Recall date: Not reported
Units potentially affected: 10,000
NHTSA campaign number: 96V143002
Defective part or component: BRAKES:HYDRAULIC:LINES:HOSE:NON-METALLIC

Description: UNDER CONDITIONS OF FULL LOCK STEERING AND FULL SUSPENSION TRAVEL, THE LEFT OR RIGHT FRONT WHEEL-SIDE BRAKE HOSE CAN CRACK, RESULTING IN BRAKE FLUID LEAKAGE. BRAKE FLUID LEAKAGE WILL CAUSE ILLUMINATION OF THE BRAKE WARNING LAMP AND REDUCTION IN BRAKING EFFECTIVENESS INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE ACCIDENT. DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE LEFT AND RIGHT FRONT WHEEL-SIDE BRAKE HOSES WITH REVISED HOSE ASSEMBLIES.

Recall date: Not reported
Units potentially affected: 53,162
NHTSA campaign number: 98V311000
Defective part or component: INTERIOR SYSTEMS:ACTIVE RESTRAINTS:BELT BUCKLES

Description: Vehicle Description: Passenger vehicles sold in the Caribbean. In the front passenger seat of these vehicles, which are equipped with Takata belt buckles, the seat belt release buttons, which are made of ABS plastic material and marked "PRESS," can break, allowing pieces to fall into the buckle assembly. If pieces fall into the buckle assembly, the buckle may not operate properly, failing to properly restrain an occupant in the event of a crash. Dealers will repair the front seat belt buckles.

Driveshaft discussion.

A semi-common problem is worn u-joints/carrier bearings.

A lot of times carrier bearings and u-joints can be mistaken for one another.
Worn carrier bearings cause a loud/violent thump when shifting or under hard acceleration, and can lead to bad u-joints.
Bad u-joints tend to shake when shifting and a bit under light acceleration, but at higher speeds there may not be any vibration.

Want to make sure? Jack it up and get under the car, grab the driveshaft and try to move it, it shouldn't move. If you are getting obvious movement, you need to replace hte carrier bearings. Check out these links:

http://www.penguinhosting.net/~bigmac/homepage/cars/faqs/driveshaft/driveshaft.html

The carrier bearings are $60-65 each at Norco
951-735-7100 (That maybe with the 3si discount, I'm not sure, but if they quote you higher and you are a 3si member, I'd mention it)

Bad U-joints however aren't really serviceable, and therefore not as cheap to replace. At this point, you typically have to replace the entire driveshaft so many go with a lightweight one. The lighter the driveshaft, the less rotational mass, and therefore the less hp is wasted trying to spin it, this basically means less parasitic drivetrain loss and therefore more of hte hp your engine is making makes it to the wheels/ground.

Currently there are a few carbon fiber options, and I believe possibly an aluminum driveshaft or 2 available as well (but I'm not positive). You can get 1 or 2 piece driveshafts. The 1 piece are lighter, but some complain of vibration issues, and opt for the 2 piece. I have heard PST will assist you if you order hte 1 piece and later decide to switch to the 2 piece...they also offer a $100 3si discount. http://www.pstds.com/carbonfiber.htm

Dynamic Racing also sells ACPT CF driveshafts at: http://www.dynamicracing.com/customer/home.php?cat=117

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=594435

Thread with a lot of good stuff about Auto Tranny problems, including trouble shooting, part numbers, pulling codes from the TCU, replacing TCU, etc.
Generally look for the posts by Linebckr

Get a can of seafoam, it was $5 for me yesterday and it made my car feel better than it has ever fealt before..

I used to use carb cleaner and just spray out the intake and never noticed a difference in feel after clearing it out of the engine, not like with the seafoam.

What you do is simple pour 1/3 a pint of the seafoam into a glass jar... then take a vaccume hose thats connected to any part of the upper intake plenum (I used the one that connects to my BOV) and with the engine on (must be warmed up for propper fogging I am told) you SLOWLY use the vaccume line to suck the 1/3 pint of seafoam into the intake.. Go slow and for heavens sake do not dunk the vaccume line under the surface much or you will stall the engine a second later and have to turn it over till it clears out enough to start again... Just barely touch the surface of the liquid with the hoze and it will suck a bunch in, do it in short bursts till its all gone from the jar.. Then re connect the vaccume hose you used and shut off the engine and leave it to work its magic in your heads cylinders and intake.. Go back after 5 minutes and start the engine.. it may not want to start but let it crank and get some freash air to burn.. once it starts up it can get EXTREEMLY smoky and may piss off neighbors, thats all the gunk in your engine coming out! Rev it up to 3-4k and keep doing that for a few minutes till it feels pretty good and perky (not bogged down by the seafoam so much anymore)... so thats when you take it out for a few loops around the block (again can be very smoky if you have a dirty upper portion of your engine like mine was), give it some load while your out there and dont be shy with it.. after a few miles or so and a few hard pulls it will start to not smoke under load or at all anymore and thats it!

I noticed a MUCH better climb in PRM and my engine sounds a lot nicer, it also dosent make a horrid noise I have yet to figure out when starting up! Who knows if it makes more power but boy does it feel like it, much better response from my engine and a little less choppy idle. I never fealt as much of an increase in performance from any of my other mods alone even turning the boost up to 15.. and this one costs $5 and is very easy and should be done to any and every car at least once when it gets up there in miles. I plan on doing it to both my parents cars and mine again in a few weeks. I'd take a vid since it sounds so excellent but its snowing and raining out today.

Check out vids on www.youtube.com of the smoking, its pretty cool in and of itslef.. can look like a good burnout! Just search for seafoam.

VACUUM REDUCTION

http://www.3si.org/forum/showthread.php?t=359412&highlight=vacuum+reduction

DATALOGGING

pertinent threads:

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=433120&highlight=datalogger
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=642969&highlight=datalogger
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=531654&highlight=datalogger
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=459473&highlight=datalogger

useful info:

software development and info (http://www.3si.org/forum/showthread.php?t=203226&highlight=mmcd+1.8): MMCD v 1.8g
direct download for MMCD v1.8g (http://www.3si.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=49809).
datalogging software sites http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=3251562&postcount=2

----------------

a datalogger consists of a program running on a plam type device, connected to the diagnostic port via a few cables, and one special cable, denoted "datalogger cable".

you can easily find a palm type device used on ebay for about $10-$50. i recommend getting a device that has a color screen, so that when logging different parameters, you can tell the difference on a graph by different colored lines. but if you want to go the really cheap route, a black and white color screen will work fine, as you can display different parameters either in graph mode, or in number mode. below in the pics you will see a cradle and a palm serial cable. the cradles are relatively easy to find on ebay, and are used to transfer to datalogging software to and from your palm and computer. the palm serial cable is not so easily found. you may have to search and search on ebay, but when you do find one, it will be around $10. you need the serial connector on this cable to connect to the datalogger cable.

Datalogger Cables & Software
MirageCorp (http://automotive.miragecorp.com/Products/products.html) sells datalogger cables, but they are a bit pricey at $70 for the OBD1 (1st Gens = 91-93) and $250 for 94-95 cars [hybrid OBD, between OBDI (91-93) and OBDII (96-99)] for the cable and software. there are some other new software Hand Held Halo Datalogging (http://www.handheldhalo-datalogging.co.uk/home_html.htm) (aka HHH) that is talked about a lot on 3Si. i have not researched this as the older methods work just fine. TMO (http://www.technomotive.com/) (Technomotive) Dataloggers are another option. Jeff Lucius documents its use on his stealth316 website: http://www.stealth316.com/2-tmo2.htm. There is also a product called Scanmaster (http://3sx.com/store/comersus_viewItemBundle.asp?idProduct=26228) that can log many different parameters. Scanmaster has been around for a long time, and many platforms, other than the 3S, use it.

So many of the aforementioned products include the cable + software in the package. however, all will cost you at least $100. the most cost effective route i have found is to purchase your own datalogger cable and download some free, open-sourced software. the datalogger cables i use and recommend to everybody are well built with ABS plastic, plug and play, and are only $35 shipped. you can also get a gender changer adapter (pictured below, last pic) for an extra $5 from the same guy. he is user Countdepolygonze (http://myworld.ebay.com/countdepolygonze/) on Ebay. he does not always have an auction on ebay, but perhaps once a week you might find one. you could always contact him through ebay and ask to purchase a cable.

as for the free software, there are 2 options: Tunerstein and Palmnstein - the original free logging software (http://stevem.4dwebhosting.com/software/) and MMCD (http://mmcdlogger.sourceforge.net/). the latter, MMCD, is by far the best of the free software, AND the best software overall. however, as far as i know, it will only work for the OBDI cars (91-93). if your car is a hybrid (94-95), then you're only option is MirageCorp's software + cable. for more info on MMCD than you ever wanted to know, check out the software development and info for MMCD v1.8g (http://www.3si.org/forum/showthread.php?t=203226&highlight=mmcd+1.8), and for the direct download of the software, click here (http://www.3si.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=49809).

once you have downloaded the software, you'll need a way to transfer it from your computer to the palm device. the Palm Desktop & HotSync (http://www.palm.com/us/support/palmdesktop.html) is a free program you can download to interface your palm with your computer. the program is device specific, so you'll have to first choose which palm you have (e.g. m100, m105, etc) and then get the program. for a list of known compatible palm devices that work with datalogging software and our 3S cars, go here (http://mmcdlogger.sourceforge.net/#Palm%20Support).

i highly recommend that you get a memory card for you palm device, and load the datalogging software onto the memory card. this is because WHEN (not if, because it will happen) the batteries in your palm die, all of the programs loaded onto the palm itself (minus the operating system) are deleted/lost. but if you have the datalogging software loaded onto the memory card, then it will not be lost. so instead of having to re-download the software program from your computer to the palm, simply access it from the memory card when you replace your batteries.

palm on cradle
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g236/Linebckr49/3000GT/palmoncradle.jpg

cradle (used to connect palm to computer to transfer datalogs or upload/download software)
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g236/Linebckr49/3000GT/palmhotsynccradle.jpg

palm cable (palm connection to serial connector)
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g236/Linebckr49/3000GT/palmserialcable.jpg

datalogger cable (serial connector to OBD diagnostic connector)
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g236/Linebckr49/3000GT/dataloggercableebayercountdepolygon.jpg

sometimes a serial gender changer is needed to connect the 2 male serial connectors of the palm cable and datalogger cable
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g236/Linebckr49/3000GT/serialgenderchanger.jpg

This hopefully will help in future questions. There will always be new people to engines. I made this for my other home, at florida3s and thought I would share it here.

First off, you may be wondering... "What is a precat"

A precat, or pre-catalytic converter, is like a filter for your exhaust fumes, much like your main cat. For those new to motors and 3S's, a catalytic converter is like a honey comb like compound placed inside a metal tube, as part of your exhaust. A catalyst is a chemical which speeds up or reacts with another chemical in chemical changing state. So, in turn, a catalytic converter reacts with your exhaust gas to lower nitrogen oxides, and carbon dioxide, which both are normal compounds from your raw exhaust fumes. With a catalytic converter, your car is safer for the enviroment. http://florida3s.com/forum/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif

Your next question may be... "If I have a main cat, why do I have precats"

Good question. The answer is, your catalytic converter contains rare metals such as platinum, to work correctly. Metal expands when it is heated, and thus, it must be a certain size to work correctly when you are driving around town to the local Taco Bell, city driving. When you first start your car, your cat has not had time to heat up, and does not do its job filtering your exhaust, because it has not expanded. So what do they do? They stick in "precats" directly after your exhaust manifold, that way your car is not polluting the enviroment during warm up. That whole 3-5 minutes....http://florida3s.com/forum/images/smilies/wink.gif

After your main cat finally warms up, you have no need for your precats right?? That's right!! But!!! They are still there, and still restricting your exhaust. They are pretty much permanent.

Now I know you are asking yourself "Does my 3S have precats?"

Here is the list.
1st Gen 3000GT's/Stealths (1991-1993)... The TT models do. N/A's don't, although they are both called fed-spec.

2nd Gen 3000GT's/Stealths... Sometimes. Some 3S's in 1994 and 1995 were "hybrid" and kept the fed-spec feature. The Cali-spec were thrown into the mix with precats, if your car has an O2 housing as described below. All 1996's had cali-spec.

3rd Gen 3000GT's - Yes... Now fully cali-spec.

"Why did you say they are permanent?"

They are, to a degree. I call them permanent because of the use of O2 sensors. You have 2, or 4, in your Cali-spec. The first, or before your precats, are used to tell your ECU if your car is operating correctly by measuring the O2 in your exhaust, directly after your exhaust manifold. The sensors past your precats are used to make sure your precats are doing their job.. Damn them!

"What can I do about them?"

Gut them! Take off your downpipe, chisel out the icky honey comb stuff, and leave your O2 housing clean as a whistle...

"Won't that throw a check engine light, since you just said the O2 sensor was there to make sure it was doing its job?"

Not if you get an O2 simulator (www.3sx.com (http://www.3sx.com/)), which sends the correct voltage to your ECU from the O2 sensor, making it think everything is working correctly, even though you just took on a big DIY job.

The 96+ are the only ones that need the 02 sims

"Why gut your precats?"

The answer is simple. If you have a twin turbo, you will notice your turbos spooling up much quicker. Personally, I have a N/A, with just a K&N drop in filter.. woo hoo. My peak RPM for power used to be 4,500 and drop. After gutting my precats, I pull hard up to 6,000. It also sounds bad ass. http://florida3s.com/forum/images/smilies/evil1.gif

"Is it hard to gut them?"

It was fun for me, took me about 9 hours with my buddy, goofing off. I started at 6 p.m. and finished early 3 a.m. using just a chisel.

"What about a test pipe? I hear about them on FL3S all the time."

A test pipe just replaces your main cat, which is 24 inches of the same crap. I am waiting for mine from 3SX, and hopefully I will pull way hard up to my redline with the combination of kitty-less-ness.

"What's the catch?"

It's not exactly legal... But we live in Florida, and no smog checks.. But this is a mod of the... off road racer? http://florida3s.com/forum/images/smilies/wink.gif If you live, or move away, and only have your modded 3S, and on your way to Taco Bell realize you aren't street legal and realize you have a smog check coming up, just get it checked after driving your car around for about 30 minutes where your main cat is working at its fullest. Tisk Tisk for you driving an enviroment polluting car.

And most importantly "Where are the precats?"

The precats are located after your exhaust manifolds. After the gas begins to hit your downpipe, it actually runs into your O2 housing first, which is part of the downpipe. The flange meets up with the 2.5" or 3" manifold, and with the precats inside, looks like a bloated tube. After the exhaust finishes being cleaned, it finishes through the rest of your now straight downpipe, to your main cat. You can tell if you are fed-spec or cali-spec by looking beneath your exhaust manifold and determining whether the downpipe remains one diameter, or "bloats" and increases with diameter.

*You will only be able to check the front, because the rear is hidden by a lot of engine stuff..

"Where can I get more information and pictures?"

Here is the sight for gutting them. Even if you don't gut them, you can see what the O2 housing looks like, as well as the downpipe, and so on.

http://www.3si.org/forum/f1/gutting-...h-pics-318074/ (http://www.3si.org/forum/f1/gutting-precat-walkthrough-pics-318074/)

If your Active-Aero rear spoiler gets stuck up or down, one possible culprit may be the limiter switches.

My wing would go up all the time, but would only go back down if it was wet out. I looked over all the wiring, rebuilt the linkages, and even replaced my AA control unit. The problem turned out to be a bad limiter switch.
http://rsk.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pRS1C-2110710w345.jpg
There are 2 of these. They control whether the wing goes up or down when it gets power and tell the AA control unit what position the wing is in. You can see the limiter switches are to the left of the white gear in this picture.
http://www.vr4stealth.com/Mvc-009s.jpg
The best part is, you can get them right from RadioShack for ~$3 each. Part # 275-017.
For instructions on how to remove and disassemble the wing, go here:
http://www.vr4stealth.com/
and using the menu on the left, go to "Repair", then "Exterior", then "Spoiler Removal and Repair"

Once you've got it apart, simply replace the switches. Each is held by 2 small screws. You will need to solder the connections.
I would use this opportunity to lubricate all the linkage and moving parts. Be sure not to move the white gear, as this may make the spoiler not raise or lower all the way, which could break the linkage. Also, note the position of the arms (whether the wing was up or down when you removed it) and make sure it's in the same position when you put it back together.

pic 1 taken from Radioshack.com, pic 2 taken from vr4stealth.com

DIFFICULTY: Easy, 3/10
TIME: ~2 hours
TOOLS NEEDED: Soldering Iron, Solder, #1 & #2 phillips screwdrivers