New To The Forum, New To My VR-4

[justjon]

Just thought i would post this and say hi to everyone, just found this forum, and just got my shiny new Legnum vr4 ...well, i say new, it's a 97 p-reg, but it's new to me, only had it three weeks, but it is shiny!...well i say shiny, it was yesterday, and then it snowed!
So, to sum up then, my car is old and dirrty....lovely! ;)

[elnevio]

/Welcome2 to CVR4! They're good motors, aren't they?!

Plenty of friendly folk on here. Sure more will be along to say hi in a mo!

Tell us where you are and post up a few pics when you get chance, and the rest of us won't lynch you... ;)

[Axeboy]

Welcome mate..

Have a look around here... lots of info and help from the crew

:)

[justjon]

Thanks for the hello, will plug in my camera phone and post the couple of pics i have unless i have to have more than 10 posts before i can do that or something, like most other forums,
As for being a decent motor...oh dear god yes! mine has a few issues that need sorting out though, but i guess thats why i got it so cheap...lucky me :p

[elnevio]

No post limit to post up pics!

And another member in Ches! Whereabouts are you?

[justjon]

Old Whittington where are you?
Apparently i have to resize my files...typical...all my life ive been told that size isn't important, and now it it! pmsl

[peter thomson]

Hi and welcome to the club

[justjon]

Thanks pete, look forward to getting on here more and spending less time with the wife,
all in aid of "research love!" ;)

And how the hell do i resize my files?

[Kieran]

Hello and Welcome Jon! Another local lad - I'm just the other side of the M1 from you there :) Enjoy the car!

[justjon]

I am doing so far, but that damn speed limiter is a little annoying, not that i always go up to and beyond 115 you understand, i just thought i would try a top speed run...turns out, my old 1.5 Honda Civic was faster at top speed! lol

[elnevio]

I am doing so far, but that damn speed limiter is a little annoying, not that i always go up to and beyond 115 you understand, i just thought i would try a top speed run...turns out, my old 1.5 Honda Civic was faster at top speed! lol
Hehe... don't worry, we can help you with that, er, issue...

I'm in Brimington, by the way!

[aboo]

Hello & welcome. Enjoy
My Wife's going nuts at the time I'm spending on here.

[justjon]

Hehe... don't worry, we can help you with that, er, issue...

I'm in Brimington, by the way!

Brimington...and it hasn't been stolen yet?...do you have a lot of guns? ;)

And as for issues, i have loads of the damn things to make you scratch your heads.
i.e. When i pull up to stop at a junction either in auto or tip mode, sometimes the engine forgets what it's supposed to do and just cuts out, not all the time, just usually when i least want it to!
Number 2: have discovered that when the engine/gearbox is cold, changing gears seems to be the last thing on my cars mind, "what?! you want ANOTHER gear?"seems to really struggle untill i'm almost all the way to work, and sometimes the little green led that lets me know what gear i'm in starts flashing at the side of neautral as well as being lit next to D and letting me know that third gear is my only choice from now on, turning the engine off and then back on again seems to sort it, but it's mighty annoying!
Number 3: only one of my electric folding mirrors folds.
4: on a run to St Albans and back last week the battery light came on during the run home, had to leave my wife in the car with engine running (just in case it wouldn't start again ) while i filled the tank...AGAIN! but so far, the car has fired up perfectly every morning and the battery light hasn't been seen since!
5: only the drivers side window washer works and the rear washer has given up (wiper is fine, no rubber on it but it moves just peachy!)
6: None of the tyres match, i need decent, new tyres that don't cost the earth.
7: the front brake discs are warped and judder like hell when braking from anything more than 70mph! AAARRRRGGGGHHH.

I'm going to be Slightly mental and a little bit more than skint by the time i'm done with this car aren't I?
On the plus side, my wife loves the boot and the sheer amount of shopping "we" can get in it!



And....Breathe!.....

[ANTHONY]

hi and welcome

[Kieran]

Sounds like a bit of a project there! :inquisiti

Right... some assistance.

1:The 'Cutout' thing.... A lot of VR-4s tend to have a similar problem. Normally, if you've been cruising at speed (Say on the motorway) and then you get stopped at the bottom of the sliproad... Quite often as the car has just come to a halt, the revs will dip a little too low and it'll almost bog. Seem this loads of times and my own car sometimes does it, though actually stalling out is rare.

2: Being reluctant to change gears when cold is normal. It keeps the revs higher to warm up the engine more quickly and also the the lockup mechanism doesn't work properly with cold fluid (pressure is too high) so it tends to keep you out of top untill there's a bit of heat in there.

However, a flashing 'N' light is NOT normal and indicates a problem. Now this could be related to the stalling now I think about it; if the gearbox fluid is knackered, or the level is too low, it can cause this. You need to check the fluid level with a HOT gearbox, engine still running and the selector in 'N' - Not 'P'.


3: Squirt WD40 in behind the mirror glass and into the join between the mirror and the stub it swivels on. work it into the mechanism. This usually frees them off provided the previous owner hasn't burned out the motor or stripped the teeth trying to force it to move.


4: I bet your car is a Cold-Area car... Be prepared for the alternator to go pop - You're one of the lucky ones, at least you've got a warning. It's worth in the meantime making sure that the voltage across the battery terminals is 13.5v (with warm engine) or just over 14 if you've just started from cold. But yes - I would say the alternator is about to let go - It's not unknown. It *COULD* be just a duff battery but usually if the battery cells have gone, it won't start the car in conditions like we've had recently!

5: Bet the passenger side jets are bunged up. Clean them with a needle and make sure the joint under the bonnet between the two is intact. There's a plastic T-piece that sits right above where heat rises from the rear turbo and the heat can make it go brittle and leak.

Rear washer uses the same tank but a different pump - make sure this is working, then suspect a line blockage/split. The majority of the rear washer line is in the car so if you suspect a leak, look for wet carpets.
only the drivers side window washer works and the rear washer has given up (wiper is fine, no rubber on it but it moves just peachy!)

6: Mismatched tyres all round on these cars is potentially dangerous. It can really upset the handling and it also means the AYC diff will not be as effective. Change ASAP.

7: Very, very, very, very..... Um, very common this is. It's either caused by hard use, people who use the footbrake at traffic lights (rather than leaving the car in 'D' and putting on the handbrake) or stuck caliper pins. Standard discs and pads aren't mega expensive. Don't use copperslip on the brake pins though.

[elnevio]

No I don't have a lot of guns. Just enough... :rifle:


Kieran is definitely the one to listen to /notworthy.

As well as checking the ATF level on the dipstick (the level of which is hard to read anyway!), check the colour too. The dipstick is the white-handled one down between the battery and air intake. The fluid (unless it is the ultra-rare orange one from Mitsubishi (i.e. unlikely!!)) should be a nice ruby red colour, orange, or worse brown, means it's knackered and is doing the autobox no good.

[Nick Mann]

Not much to add, except to consider buying a set of Falkens, potentially from Camskill. Around £60-£65 a corner, depending on size, and the best tyre I have used in that price bracket by a long way. Others on here also use them and you hear many more good things about them than bad, also unlike most other tyres in the same price bracket. I tried to save an extra £10 a corner a couple of years ago and it was one of the biggest mistakes I ever made!

Welcome to the club and enjoy your old dirty car! :D

[fuel]

the stalling at idle will be the idle stepper motor - it's a very common fault of fuel injected Mitsubishis from the 90s. Often leading up to the stalling the idle speed will surge and fluctuate between a number of revs. usually it's one pair of coils in the stepper motor which have failed, and the ECU is having a trouble of a time getting the stepper motor to do what it wants it to do.

[valleyforge1]

Welcome to the club.

As for the resizeing thingy try this, dead easy to use.

http://www.vso-software.fr/products/image_resizer/

[bradc]

Exactly what Kieran said. Make sure you change the ATF asap though!

[Lillywotsername]

look forward to getting on here more and spending less time with the wife,
;)
Hey wives are welcome at any time.... We have a great group of " Widows" on here, and to think, I used to hate just seeing the back of Richys head for hours on end, she says 3.5k posts later :speechles :inquisiti
If you can get your wife involved she will be far more supportive of your new toy and the time you spend "researching" :scholar:

Oh and /Welcome

[justjon]

Thanks guys, for the welcomes and thanks kieran for the exhaustive answers on my new toy, will get on and tackle these issues asap, in the meantime, im off to work...don't really feel much like it but hey, somebody has to pay for the fuel! See you all in a wee while!

[miller]

Welcome aboard CVR4! another midlands member, time for a local meet me thinks!

Good luck in sorting the probs!


Mike

[justjon]

Finally got round to trying the image resizer...hoping this works, if not, i may cry! ;)
If you see me tootling around Ches, give me a wave!

[elnevio]

Oh - ah, er.

Um, nothing bad for you, but this was supposed to be Mitsugaz's new car!

And its already been seen!!

On eBay (http://www.clubvr4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=36115)
In Chesterfield (http://www.clubvr4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=36480)
In Sheffield (http://www.clubvr4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=36639)

So I hope everything is ok, all round!

Anyway, if you want a towing eye cover for the front bumper, you can order them from Mitsi, colour-coded, for about £40. If you ask nicely, one of the other members with CAPS or ASA (the Mitsubishi parts programs) should be able to give you a part number! I've found Gordon Lamb parts department to be quite good!

Car is looking nice though! :thumbsup:

[miller]

hmmmm gazzumped on the car!!

[ianturbo]

I thought Mitziman was just waiting for delivery !!:5shots: :5shots:
ian

[GT40-Steven]

About that tow hook cover
If that's Indigo Blue (not sure) the part number for the tow hook cover is: MR465895

[elnevio]

About that tow hook cover
If that's Indigo Blue (not sure) the part number for the tow hook cover is: MR465895
It is Meister Blue :scholar:

But I still don't know the part number :(

[justjon]

I had no clue about anybody else waiting for the car...sorry if thats pissed anybody off, never meant to at all, i just saw it at the dealer in leeds and went up to get it, drove well so i paid for it.
Been to Nitro performance on Storforth lane, and it's booked in for some new brakes on Monday, i might do them myself actually it's just finding the time
Also ordered the EBC Grooved discs...good idea, or not?

[elnevio]

I use the EBC Turbo-Groove discs (which sound like the same ones) combined with Red Stuff pads, and I'm quite happy with them. Million times better than the standard set-up. I'm not really a heavy braker these days, but I guess the best test will be Castle Combe this year. Quite a few members have the EBCs.

Miller has got his from CRN Products for a ridiculous £80 or so, by ringing them up for a price. And they're based in Ches! Worth a ring if you haven't already got them.

And as for the car, I guess you weren't to know, and what's done is done. After all, you're not the one at fault. So don't worry!

[justjon]

I guess Mitsugaz can be happy that i've bought the car with the few problems, therefore chances are he will get one without any!
£80 for ebc discs?....will definitley look them up, still gonna take it down to nitro as he is gonna do some poking around under the bonnet while he is there.
but i can manage to do the brakes myself

Additional...anyone know where in Chesterfield would be the best place to get the Falken tyres from, as they reallly need doing asap!

[justjon]

right, off to work, will be on later.

[mitsugaz]

im so glad i joined this forum as i was told on monday that the car was getting brake pads and discs which were on back order and the guy would contact me regarding delivery believe me it would have been nice for the guy to have let me know i hope the car is a good one justjon and i will just have to find another by the way how much if its not too cheeky did you pay.

[Kieran]

im so glad i joined this forum as i was told on monday that the car was getting brake pads and discs which were on back order and the guy would contact me regarding delivery believe me it would have been nice for the guy to have let me know i hope the car is a good one justjon and i will just have to find another by the way how much if its not too cheeky did you pay.

I'll bet you're glad - Time to ring the seller and have a little 'Chat', eh?! /grr

[mitsugaz]

i wouldnt waste my phone bill i won the car on the 19th of december and i asked for the brakes to be done before delivery for the extra cost obviously going by the thread he didnt even do that the worst is there was a couple of others i was looking at and there now gone and its the first time ever i have left negative feedback on ebay but he deserved it

[pitslayer]

Can I just make a suggestion to one of Kierans points, dont use WD40 on the mirror, tried it once, folded the mirrors in lovely, but when you fold them in for 20 seconds to clear any rain off them, the wd40 splatters everywhere, all over mirror, door, glass etc, not only that, its a penertrating fluid so wont last, use a good spray grease instead, will last longer
WD40-3 weeks max
White grease i sprayed in-6 months and no sign of fading on the control

[mitsugaz]

an update on this legnum after giving negative feedback on ebay the guy has now started an unpaid item strike on me so basically he wants me to pay for the car even though i have now found out he has already sold it to justjon the nerve of this guy /Grrr

[ritch_w]

an update on this legnum after giving negative feedback on ebay the guy has now started an unpaid item strike on me so basically he wants me to pay for the car even though i have now found out he has already sold it to justjon the nerve of this guy /Grrr

Get a statement/e-mail from JustJon confirming he purchased the Legnum and the date, fire that off to fleabay requesting they ban the seller.

[justjon]

how much if its not too cheeky did you pay.

It is far too cheeky but i'll tell you anyway, i paid £1695
yes it was a bargain as it only had 66k on the the clock, however, as it turns out, i am going to have to spend a little bit of time and money getting things put right on the thing, changing transmission fluid and brakes with my pops this weekend, any suggestions?, hopefully gonna get a new bunch of rubber for each corner as well, either this weekend/during the week.

[mitsugaz]

thanks for that i won it on ebay for £1500 and he was charging me £200 for delivery so £1695 was about how much it was gonna cost me still says the car is with him can you believe that and that he has the discs and pads which i asked for im gonna keep looking but might be a while before i trust ebay again.

[elnevio]

changing transmission fluid and brakes with my pops this weekend, any suggestions?
Yes, use only Amsoil ATF or Mitsubishi's own SPIII ATF. You will need around 12 litres to do a full flush and change, but it is not a simple 'drain and refill' job. If you do that, you will only change about 5-6 litres of ATF, and the new stuff will be contaminated with the old stuff as soon as you turn it over. My best suggestion is to join up as a full member, and you'll have access to Kieran's excellent ATF full flush and change article (http://www.clubvr4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11295) (as well as everything else and discounts, including on Amsoil stuff).


hopefully gonna get a new bunch of rubber for each corner as well, either this weekend/during the week.
You should be able to get a complete set of Falkens for under £300, fully fitted. Generally well recommended!

[justjon]

Thanks for that Nev, may just join up...do you work on comission? lol
And gaz, i would never trust anything on ebay, every single thing i have bought through them has had some kind of issue, either with payment, packaging or something.

[elnevio]

Haha, I'd be a poor man if I did /lol

I had my ATF changed in May, and the saving on Amsoil ATF was more than my membership!

As for eBay - have bought and sold PLENTY on there, be it DVDs, cars, sofas - just a case of doing the research thoroughly, and not getting too carried away with a bargain.

[justjon]

You must be one of those lucky gits then...do you fall out of a 10th floor window and manage to land on the only soft mattress for miles around/that type of guy?
I had a friend like that once, big tall good looking ba*tard he was, good at everything....he's unemployed and fat now, i almost feel sorry for him! lol

[elnevio]

Unfortunately, I was never either of the former, although I'll take one out of two on the latter... and I'm back in the office tomorrow :p

I have looked at the seller's feedback, and I wouldn't have done business with him based on that. I know it's easy to say this in hindsight, but I usually carefully check the background info, dig down a little. Sometimes it's difficult to be entirely rational in the face of a bobby bargain, but that is sometimes what you have to do. And Mitsugaz - that's not a dig at you whatsoever :thumbsup:.

As for his comment on the feedback, just posted, he is still saying he has the car! Incredible!

[ianturbo]

thanks for that i won it on ebay for £1500 and he was charging me £200 for delivery so £1695 was about how much it was gonna cost me still says the car is with him can you believe that and that he has the discs and pads which i asked for im gonna keep looking but might be a while before i trust ebay again.
Tell him you will pay when he drops car off with you and see what turns up !!!:thinking:
ian

[justjon]

As for his comment on the feedback, just posted, he is still saying he has the car! Incredible!

That actually is rather funny, i never saw it on ebay, just checked autotrader and having seen it a couple of times priced at£2700 i thought it might be worth checking out, but on the saturday morning he had come down £1000 so, off i bloody well went!

[mitsugaz]

yeah it was on ebay and autotrader for £2495 then £2295 or best offer then starting bid of £1500 and buy it now £1695 on autotrader i never thought anything of it as a lot of legnums were struggling to sell

[justjon]

I was due to go and see a guy based in Bradford saw his cars on Pistonheads he had a perlescent whit legnum with 75 on the clock 17" alloys, albeit with a red reflective ring around them, but the guy wanted £3000, and would only deal in cash, and he didn't have any premises, just his house/street, even though he seemed to have a fair few cars to sell, you may have seen his work...Phat 'N Modified is the company name.
i would have gone up and bought it if i could have got the cash in time, but sadly it wasn't to be.
http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/778023.htm

And that is the very car, i see he has dropped his price a little as well

[elnevio]

That's Zee, aka TORQUE OF THE DEVIL on here. Keithatport bought one of his - Keith might post up his experience later at some point :).

[justjon]

Thats the guy, seemed like a really nice chap, but it was just the fact that only cash could be used, and thats a fair amount of cash to be lugging around with you (well, it is to some people anyway)

[Turbo_Steve]

Welcome to CVR4, Jon :D As Nev has said, STRONGLY reccomend you take the advice on the correct fluids, and join the club today to do a proper gearbox flush.

The fluid that is in there at the moment sounds like it's going to kill your gearbox. If you put anything other than Amsoil or SPIII, your gearbox will react badly and start doing all sorts of weird stuff: thumpy gearchanges, over revving...the works.

VR-4s rock!

[mitsugaz]

Get a statement/e-mail from JustJon confirming he purchased the Legnum and the date, fire that off to fleabay requesting they ban the seller.

he gave up the unpaid item strike and im no longer obligated to buy it thats a laugh thanks to justjon for all the help

[peter thomson]

Good, I assume it was an attempt to recoup the fees ebay will have charged him but still a bit fraudulent I think

[mitsugaz]

Good, I assume it was an attempt to recoup the fees ebay will have charged him but still a bit fraudulent I think

funnily enough that time the car was seen in chesterfield he said he was using it but that was the 21st dec the day after it was sold:speechles and also have email on the 28th saying that pads and discs were on back order and would contact me when car was ready:thinking: thats taking it a bit far me thinks as well as his feedback response is comical/pan but thanks to justjon i have his address but i doubt if ebay will kick him off, oh well i didnt lose any money so theres hope for me yet.

[justjon]

Glad you didn't lose any money on it gaz, and yes t'was me in the car in chesterfield, and also parked outside sam salvins in sheffield (was getting my hair cut down the road), and after tommorrow you should be able to see me with better brake discs and pads on...not flushing the gearbox out this weekend as have just spent a small fortune :p
And the tyres (Falken, thanks to everyone, are coming on tuesday)

[mitsugaz]

:smoking: i know the risks with ebay but have been quite lucky apart from one time i bought a 1988 mazda rx7 had it 3 days wouldnt start decided to tow it got it started then stood back :smoking: and watched it go up in flames that time i did lose money heres a pic of the engine after the fire

[justjon]

Mmm..pretty!
Love those Wa**els! ;)

[JayPee]

Nice looking car you've got there Jon. :thumbsup:

[justjon]

Looks ok, should see it today with the accumulation of a few days road filth on it, she's a dirty girl ;)
Got the new brakes on it this morning, had a look at the ATF dipstick as well, level isn't even registering on the stick...think this maybe the reason for the gearbox playing up?

[bradc]

Almost certainly!

[elnevio]

had a look at the ATF dipstick as well, level isn't even registering on the stick...think this maybe the reason for the gearbox playing up?
Could be, but the level is notoriously hard to read! I take it you read it in N with the engine running? (after cycling through the all the stick positions)

Even if low, there should be some fluid in the tube, of which you can wipe some off with a piece of kitchen towel or something. Check what colour it is!

[justjon]

Could be, but the level is notoriously hard to read! I take it you read it in N with the engine running? (after cycling through the all the stick positions)

Even if low, there should be some fluid in the tube, of which you can wipe some off with a piece of kitchen towel or something. Check what colour it is!
Was in N with engine running, still bloody hard to read, both me and my dad seemed to think it was kind of orangey/brown...thats not good is it? gonna have to get that membership so i can get hold of Kierans article about the changing of the fluids.
Bit of an annoying scrapey noise comming from the new discs and pads at the moment, it's not the metal plate behind the disc(allthough that was catching and we sorted that) anybody think it's just the break in coating they put on the yellow stuff pads as i only drove the 7 miles home from my work at holmewood, and drove gently, will be doing for the next 100 miles.

[justjon]

well, i went and did it...here i am 39 posts in and already been talked out of hundreds of pounds! (brakes...and now membership)
just know that will have been the best £20 i have ever spent....apart from that night in Amsterdam! :pimp2:

[Kieran]

well, i went and did it...here i am 39 posts in and already been talked out of hundreds of pounds! (brakes...and now membership)
just know that will have been the best £20 i have ever spent....apart from that night in Amsterdam! :pimp2:

lol - Welcome to full membership!

Now - You wanted an Article on ATF changes, did't you?:scholar:

http://www.clubvr4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10475

[TAR]

you need to bed the brakes in by doing some 60-0mph stops , so go find a nice quiet road and give it some /rally

:happy:

[shaun1978]

yup definately sound like the ATF needs doing , should be a bright clear red colour

[Nick Mann]

you need to bed the brakes in by doing some 60-0mph stops , so go find a nice quiet road and give it some /rally

:happy:


60-5 is healthier! :thumbsup:

[bradc]

Yes, you don't want to come to a complete stop while they are very hot. Also best that you do a good 5 minutes of gentle driving afterwards before parking up.

[justjon]

Done, done, and done. did the 60-5 mph stops though, and drove gently home from work after everything was done, however, seems to be a very slight metal on metal scrapey noise from the front left, only when turning right though. maybe it's the little plate that sits behind the disc, as this was catching on the right hand side before, but only heard that side as it was really noisy...ah well, wheel off again! lol