Might be getting a 3kgt vr4 got some ?s

[JP2005]

hey...what up yall? im new to these boards, cause ive normally been on camaroz28.com,since i have a 1999 z28, but recently ive been looking into a 3000gt vr-4, because of their unbelievable specs, looks, and price, since im only 17, i was looking into getting around a 1994-1996, but ive seen many of these cars which have had alot of little minor problems that would seem to add up to being alot of $, i have done my research on the cars as much as i could but their didnt seem to be any major deffects anyways, my questions are:

what are the common problems with the 94-95 vr4s?
how much do these problems occur?
and how much are these problems to fix?

alot of times it seems as if the activeaero functions cease to work, or the a/c just quits, and the clutches and trannys seem to have problems, please give me personal experiences with vr4s from around 1994-1996...any help is greatly appreciated
peace and thanks
JP

[Hotshot8792]

Originally Posted by JP2005

hey...what up yall? im new to these boards, cause ive normally been on camaroz28.com,since i have a 1999 z28, but recently ive been looking into a 3000gt vr-4, because of their unbelievable specs, looks, and price, since im only 17, i was looking into getting around a 1994-1996, but ive seen many of these cars which have had alot of little minor problems that would seem to add up to being alot of $, i have done my research on the cars as much as i could but their didnt seem to be any major deffects anyways, my questions are:

what are the common problems with the 94-95 vr4s?
how much do these problems occur?
and how much are these problems to fix?

alot of times it seems as if the activeaero functions cease to work, or the a/c just quits, and the clutches and trannys seem to have problems, please give me personal experiences with vr4s from around 1994-1996...any help is greatly appreciated
peace and thanks
JP

hey buddy, you sound like me, Z28 and TT. Anyways, as for the VR-4s, the biggest problems are usually transmission lately, but mitsu called for a transfer case recall which helps out a lot. Timing belts and waterpumps generally go out ever 60K miles. Stock turbos last forever, but mainly, usually it all depends on how well the car is taken care of, if the car was treated properly, they can last a long time without many problems.

[Igovert500]

He's correct about the trannys and transfer case recall. Usually the clutches/trannys start having problems which will be most noticeable shifting into 3rd gear. If it's grinding or really hard to shift into 3rd, this is a tell-tale sign that tranny work will be in your future. This could cost up to 3-5 grand depending on where you get your tranny rebuilt or if you do it yourself or get another tranny. So that would really depend on your abilities and the people you know.
As far as turbos lasting forever, that's definantly not true. They can go just as easily as the trannys, if they aren't treated properly and aren't given opportunities to cool down after heavy use, oil bakes inside the bearings and can destroy them. I'd look for a car with a turbo timer already installed and check out the turbos. The thing is that these cars have so many bells and whistles that there is alot that can go wrong, so really take it out and try out everything before you commit to buying one. Any repair has the potential to be expensive simply because these are not cheap cars by any means.

[ikOnone]

transfer cases used to be a big problem, not as much for the 94+ cars because of the better poutput shaft, but because of the recall, i would not be that worried about it anymore.

clutches will be an issue, AWD is hard on clutches but it is not really that much worse than other cars.

i agree with igovert on the thing about the turbos not lasting forever. it really depends on the treatment of the car. i would say that they are generally good for 100k miles and not that costly to replace though.

i would have to disagree with igovert on a few tranny issues though. one bad thing about our cars is that if your synchro gears go bad, the people at the mitsu dealership or any normal mechanic or tranny shop will not know where ot get the parts to fix it. they just tell you you need a new tranny and that is like $4k + ass loads of labor. i am sure that is where igovert got the $3-5k figure. BUT (and this is a huge but) there are people that make them now and as long as you do not drive your tranny into the ground, you can just replace the synchros and the fluid and such all for more like $500 at a good tranny shop. i think kormex makes the synchros but maybe it is someone else. it will say somewhere on www.stealth316.com. like the turbos, i generally see the synchros starting to go at about 100k miles but probably closer to 120-130k normally.

also for the grinding, yes, a grinding in third is a tell tale sign of a bad synchro gear in third but i have never heard that it is more common in one gear than another. in my old car, it started out with first and then second and then a little bit in third. i would think that it is probably because those gears saw more brutal stop and go use.

the thing with the active aero that generally goes wrong is that the front active aero gets grimey and sticks and so it also prevents the back one from working. take it apart, clean and lube it up, slap it back on, or if it is really bad, just take the bar out (but leave the motor to complete the circuit) and i bet that would solve at least half of the broken active aeros out there. a very easy cheap fix.

all in all, it is probably just about as pricy as any other car in it's class. it mostly depends on how it has been treated though. it has it's weak and strong points like any car but if you do your homework, you can generally find the best way past these weaknesses. hope this helps.

chris

[NitroguN]

Wow .... $3to$5k ... on a tranny fix? Kinda makes me think twice about getting a Vr4 now .... one of the reasons why i didnt want to get a 3rd gen Rx7 is simply because of the costly repairs. How often does the tranny go out on the vr4's?

[Hotshot8792]

owning both a camaro and a TT, i can tell you that it definitely is more expensive to maintain a TT than it is a Z28. As for the turbos, if they are treated properly, they can last for a loooonngg time, mine have well over 100K and are still in great shape.

[The1NamedMarc]

If you treat your car right, the tranny will hold up just fine. If you want to launch the shit out of your car, have the $5,000 ready.

[Igovert500]

IKOnone, I stand corrected. Thanks for all that information. I guess I just assumed that when the synchros start going it can be seen in 3rd the easiest. It seems to me that more people complain about trouble with 3rd gear, but like I said, it was an assumption. And I wasn't aware of Kormex making new syncros, I just meant that the price will vary depending on where you get the parts and who does the work. My friend blew his tranny racing in Philly, but had friends at a junkyard and a decent tranny shop and had it replaced for under400, parts +labor, so that was what I was trying to get across. but thanx for the clarification.

[ikOnone]

Originally Posted by NitroguN

Wow .... $3to$5k ... on a tranny fix? Kinda makes me think twice about getting a Vr4 now .... one of the reasons why i didnt want to get a 3rd gen Rx7 is simply because of the costly repairs. How often does the tranny go out on the vr4's?

no, read my post. more like $500 if you know where to get parts (which you can find out on the web).

igovert - yea, i would assume that 3rd is a common gear to go out first though because it is used in city driving. honestly, if you live in a place where the speed limit on local streets leaves you in 3rd a lot, hell maybe that is the most likely to go out first. also, i am not sure that it is kormex. i know that they make the hardend output shafts and lsd's and such but it might be other folks who make the synchros. does depend on where you go though if you are getting it replaced.

[Sweet Stealth]

Trannys themselves are not usually the problem.. The synchros go out more then anything.. Like others sais most dealerships tell you to buy a new tranny..

Kormex makes synchros but are fairly costly.. You can buy every single synchro for $290 give or take a few bucks.. Its been a while sinse I looked.

On my car my second gear is going and 1st gear.. 3rd is 100% fine on my car.. It grinds going into 2nd and back down to 2nd. Also cant go into 1st without being like under 5mph in my TT..

Usually the lower miles the better on a car, but it all depends on how it was taken care of..

Problems ive had in the last 6000miles.100,000 to 106,000 miles
oil cooler lines rusted through
clutch went(people I bought the car from bought a cheap clutch, I shattered it )
Stock boost solonoid went out.
Possibly a few other things.

Can make them pretty quick for cheap..

Stock synchros are fine unless you get huge HP #'s. A company makes the replacement synchros like I said for around $300 just need to find someone to do the work..

Most problems are active parts, IE exhaust,spoiler, dash vents tend to crack after time, leather wear on side bolsters..

Ive seen motors last 60kmiles and some last 200k+ it all depends on the history of the car..
Ryan

[ikOnone]

Originally Posted by Sweet Stealth

dash vents tend to crack after time, leather wear on side bolsters.
Ive seen motors last 60kmiles and some last 200k+ it all depends on the history of the car..
Ryan

damn, so true, these are not big problems but VERY common. the vents crack and are hard to replace and the driver's side leather (usually more because it gets more use) is very often ptretty worn or torn.

i got 215k on mine and it runs fine

also, arn't those $300 synchros the "upgraded" synchros and someone makes close to stock synchros for more like $100 - $150. i got the "about $500 fix" price guess for the tranny from $300 for 2 synchros and $200 for labor which i thought was a good ballpark average figure but i could be wrong.

[sLADe781]

Are these problems common for only VR4s or does it go for all types of 3KGTs?

[JP2005]

thanks guys, ive been reading about cars that grind when shifting from 1st to 2nd i figured it was the synchros but wanted to make sure, and theirs no better people to ask than people who actually own the car... the truth is like i said right now i have a 99 z28, but was looking into getting a vr4 in the next couple of months...first im gonna get a turbocharged opel gt, then my vr4, and then a crotch rocket... but i was just making sure the price was right on the repairs, youre responses have really helped me i just cant wait to get my 3kgt hotshot trust me i know owning a tt is gonna be alot more given the fact the only money ive had to pay for my z28 is my unneccesary speed needs, and none in repairs, just a question for all of you who have suped your vr4's how much hp you got and what you runnin a 1/4 in?

once again thanks
JP

[ikOnone]

jesus jp, where are you getting all of this money?!?!?! i want in on what ever drug you are selling. also, honestly if i were you, i would try to find a 93 VR-4 that is in good condition except for the tranny, then get a price quote from a mitsu dealership for a new tranny and labor and get them to write something that says that they only replace them, they do not do work on them, then talk them down on the price A LOT and then fix the problem for a rew hundred dollers

slade, no these are mostly vr-4 problems other than the seat wear and cracked dash vents. the lower models do not have the turbo and transfer case problems (obviously) and they do not really have the clutch/tranny problems either because they are only FWD and they have less power. the lower models are very reliable from what i hear but i have never owned one. again, it all depends on how it is treated though.

[youngvr4]

did you say $200 for labor to do the synchro's? let me know if this is accurate because if so maybe i don't need to sell my car.