97 Vr4

[VR4Exige]

Hey guys!,

I recently bought a 97 vr4 like 2 days ago, and damn im kind of mad at myself for not reading this forum first b4 doing so. So i jsut read the FAQ of some problems that the vr4 has and i think i identify some of my problems.

Here's a little info about the car first.
107000 miles, drives beautifuly, sounds great, paint job is in excellent condition, 99% stocked (has turbo timer & the k&n intake, clean title, and bought it for 9.7k

now for the bad part
the transmission transfer case is cracked...
oil is leaking on the engine...
i think i hear the owl noise with the turbos, not 100% sure on this
engine is dirty(not a big idea i think)
antena kinda messed up
breaks

I think i made a big mistake buying this since im a poor college student... But as i read the faq i found out that the cracked transfer case can be fixed by a recall. Can someone tell me what to do to be eligible to recieve the free transfercase fixing? Also, my oil is leaking on the valve cover and a mechanic said that it might not be the oil seal but soemthing else i forgot. ill attach a pic to show. When i use the breaks the car shakes like hell. The orginal owner said the front breaks pads were changed last week. But its still shaking like hell. So would i have to change the back too or would it be the front break roters( i think thats what u call it) causing the shaking problems?




please help me if you can, thanks!

[tarfin]

Call a Mitsu dealer give them your VIN and they should be able to help with the leaking case....assuming it hasn't been done already.

As far as brakes its more likely rotors than pads causing the vibration.

Check your oil filler cap and bend the tangs to see if that gets rid of the oil leaking issue.

Oh and welcome to the platform.

[Corey3000GT]

Hey, yeah if your getting a pulsation in the brake pedal then the rotor(s) are warped. Replace the fronts first since they take more of a beating, road test, if pulsation is still there then do rears. Replacing brake pads alone will not fix that kind of issue. I would have someone check out the shaft play on the turbos and get them rebuilt before they explode. I don't know about the transfer case recall. I'd just talk to your local dealership. The power antennas on these cars like to crap out, and most people just get a fixed stubby to put on, easy fix. I as well have a little bit of oil leaking around the oil cap. I'm not sure whether its oil cap gasket or valve cover gasket. I'm not loosing much oil. Well good luck with it, and welcome to the world of the 3S!!!

Corey

[andyvr4]

If your transfer case is actually cracked rather than just leaking then I suspect that you're going to have a very difficult time getting a dealer to replace it under warranty as the recall is not due to the transfer case cracking, but rather to the seals leaking.

As far as the oil on the front manifold, it's most likely due to a leaking oil cap of which you can purchase an aftermarket one through any of the vendors for this site, are you can an OEM one fairly cheaply from one of the discount dealers. There's also a small chance that it might be leaking out around the valve cover gasket, but the oil cap is a known problem that a lot of people have so I'd start there.

[Turbo79]

For the brakes . . . . if the car shakes when you are applying the brakes, it is the rotors. If it shakes when you are driving, it probably the alignment or steering.

You do not have to replace the rotors on the first go around, you can get them turned (but can only get them turned so many times before the rotor is too thin). Remove the rotors, and take them to a shop to get turned and put back into balance. Its a $30 fix as compared to a several hundred for the rotors. I took mine to Pepboys

[oohnoo]

Welcome to 3si
Daily driver > Poor college student =

What make you think the transfer case is cracked? If it's leaking it can be repaired by the manufactor even if it's been done before. But beware as there have been cases where the manufactor has doen bad repairs only tp have them fair a short time later.

Replace or repair the gasket under the oil fill cap. Also check the PVC valve as it can cause excessive crankcase pressure blowing oil out of your oil fill cap.

Hooting noise can also be your blow-off valve.

Little elbow grease is a sure cure for a dirty engine.

You can get replacement masts for the antenna

Definitly sounds like the rotors are warped. Replace those with some quality ones and then bed the pads properly.

now for the bad part
the transmission transfer case is cracked...
oil is leaking on the engine...
i think i hear the owl noise with the turbos, not 100% sure on this
engine is dirty(not a big idea i think)
antena kinda messed up
breaks

[alex10superman]

It doesn't really sound all that bad of a car. The hooting noise is probably your stock BOV because you have an open air filter (k&n). As long as the recall has not already been done on your car than the dealership just needs to see that it is actually leaking to be eligible. The oil leak should be easy to track down since it is from the upper part of the engine. The antenna.... well I don't even have one in my 97 because the motor broke... I'm pretty sure they all go bad after awhile! Oh, and the rotors are most likely warped. My car also had warped rotors when I got it and I was able to just get them turned instead of buying total new ones. Keep an eye on your oil level untill you fix that leak, otherwise you'll have bigger problems!

[VR4Exige]

Thanks alot for your replys and help guys!

So i did waht you guys said about the transfer case and called the dealer and mitsubishi internationals and they said that that the car has been recalled already . So that really sucks alot!!!

@ oohno - I had a a mechanic take a quick look at the car and when he looked under it, he said that the transmission transfer case is cracked. There's tons of oil or transmission fluid that has leaked and flew back and is sticking under the car (hope that made sense), none though near under the engine. so the engine is not leaking oil below. He said that it looks like work has been performed on it already and that there's a sealent stuff on the crack. He said the car will be very drivable still as long as i check on the transmission fluid every once in a while to make sure it's not low. Damn though, he gave me an estimate and said that it might cost 3-5k!!!

Also i dont know how to take out the roters and brakes to take to the shop and let them check it out. But one of my friend said he can change the roters and replace my back brake pads for $100 plus parts. Is that a good deal? i dont know how much the normal price is.

As for the oil leaking on top, where do i go to buy a cheap cap at? I looked around 3sx.org and a cap is like 20-30 bucks plus 12 shipping!! I'm not trying to be cheap but, damn thats alot still for a cap.

thanks again for the help guys and welcoming me to the forums

[andyvr4]

Originally Posted by VR4Exige

So i did waht you guys said about the transfer case and called the dealer and mitsubishi internationals and they said that that the car has been recalled already . So that really sucks alot!!!

Since it's a safety recall if you fuss at them enough a lot of people have managed to get mitsu to perform the recall a second time, but like I said before, the recall isn't really for a cracked transfer case, but rather a leaking seal in the transfer case.

Originally Posted by VR4Exige

@ oohno - I had a a mechanic take a quick look at the car and when he looked under it, he said that the transmission transfer case is cracked. There's tons of oil or transmission fluid that has leaked and flew back and is sticking under the car (hope that made sense), none though near under the engine. so the engine is not leaking oil below. He said that it looks like work has been performed on it already and that there's a sealent stuff on the crack. He said the car will be very drivable still as long as i check on the transmission fluid every once in a while to make sure it's not low. Damn though, he gave me an estimate and said that it might cost 3-5k!!!

Be very careful if you do this because if the transfer case should get to low it can cause it to lock up which is very dangerous at high speeds. Assuming you have a little mechanical knowledge you can usually find somebody parting out a car and get a transfer case from them fairly cheaply (far less than 3k) and it's a pretty easy thing to install.

Originally Posted by VR4Exige

Also i dont know how to take out the roters and brakes to take to the shop and let them check it out. But one of my friend said he can change the roters and replace my back brake pads for $100 plus parts. Is that a good deal? i dont know how much the normal price is.

That definitely sounds like a good deal assuming that your friend knows what he's doing.

Originally Posted by VR4Exige

As for the oil leaking on top, where do i go to buy a cheap cap at? I looked around 3sx.org and a cap is like 20-30 bucks plus 12 shipping!! I'm not trying to be cheap but, damn thats alot still for a cap.

The part number for just the gasket is MD311638 and it's 96 cents.
The part number for the cap and the gasket is MN143845 and it's 8.10.

Both of these prices are through Mentor Mitsubishi, but they should be very similar to most of the other discount dealers are as cheap as they are you might just want to go and talk to your local dealer to save the shipping costs.

[VR4Exige]

dang andy, i wish i read your msg first being to the dealer today. and yea you were right when i went there they told me they just reaseal the case if nothing was wrong with it. then i bought a oem cap from them for 15 bucks

There's this gap on my car between the hood and bumper that i have no idea why it is there



can some one tell me why there is a gap there and in alex's 97, he doesnt have it?

also this is how my intake looks? is it bad? it looks dirty and very benty. should i get a new one or repair this one?



Now for a very very nooby question.



i jsut got the car for 2 days and this is waht ive done to her... =[ Is there any precautions beside going diagonal through bumps and stuff to not scratch my lower front bumper? also, is there anything i can do besides repainting the front bumper to get rid of the scratches?

Lastly, how long should i set my turbo time to run for? I currently have it set to 1:30 and i realize that 1:30 is really long and adds up to being a lot of gas.
Thanks again!