New 2000 Legnum GDi owner [Archive]

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wipash

12-10-2009, 06:48 AM

Hey guys,

Bought a 2000 Legnum 2.4 GDi about 3 months ago. I'm so happy to find this community!

I've had pretty bad luck with it so far. Rusted out exhaust, oil leaking out the side of the head, problems with steering, subsequent problems with alignment leading to new tyres, and finally the a/c doesn't work. The of course, someone drove into the side of me, so $1400 of panel beating.

But anyway, I've almost fixed all of that by now, A/C getting done early tomorrow morning.

So yeah, as I said it's really awesome to read this forum. What kind of tips do you guys have for me, I want to do as much as possible so nothing else goes wrong with it!

I read somewhere on here about putting 98 into it? I've been using 91, as that was what the last owner used. Should I change?

bradc

12-10-2009, 07:14 AM

You definitely want to run 98. The previous owner was uninformed.

Sorry to hear about your problems, in NZ they are normally fairly good for rust as long as they haven't been on salted roads in Japan. Is the rest of the underbody ok? My ST-R has a few small bits on the edges of some underfloor panels and the bolts in the engine bay have rusted a bit, whereas on my other Legnums every bolt is perfect still.

If you have a search around for coking or decoking you'll find the most common problem with GDI's. Other than that they are normally very reliable cars.

OnBoost!

12-10-2009, 08:41 AM

Welcome to the club. You will find heaps of info..:D

wipash

12-10-2009, 10:09 AM

Thanks for the welcome guys. Filled it up with 98 for the first time ever, so I'll see how it goes! Should I notice anything in particular that should improve?

Ryan

12-10-2009, 10:11 AM

Might want to disconnect the battery to reset the ECU now that you've changed your fuel to the correct octane. Engine responsiveness should improve and in turn, gain a little extra power.

crazydriver81

12-10-2009, 11:02 AM

Hi and Welcome to the club!

GDI - Goes Dead Instantly ;) *joke*

The GDI engines are not bad at all, but you should use 98RON fuel, because I guess the car is still mapped on JDM fuel.
Additionally, the 98RON fuel has less sulfur content which means less carbon residues in the inlet manifold.
Due to the different construction of the engine, these residues might cause bad engine running.

I personally recommend to close the EGR valve to avoid warm exhaust gases reaching the inlet manifold. Simply fabricate a small metal plate for the EGR valve (you can use the gasket for the shape) and mount the plate instead of the gasket -> problem solved

Maybe you can give VR4WGN a shout, he might help you with this. ;) Or just drop me PM...

wipash

12-10-2009, 11:31 AM

Awesome, something to do tomorrow. I've read a bit about the coking building up inside the engine, is there any way to check if this has already happened? I don't think the previous owner maintained it at all.

elnevio

12-10-2009, 11:32 AM

/welcome3

wipash

12-10-2009, 02:07 PM

Thanks elnevio!

I got bored, and took it apart a bit tonight. I unplugged the battery for a couple of hours.

I started taking things apart, but then forgot what i was looking for/the engine was too hot to comfortably play with/it was too dark so I gave up.

I'll have a search on here tomorrow for some pics or something about how to block off that EGR valve, because after reading about it it would seem like a good thing to do.

crazydriver81

12-10-2009, 04:52 PM

wipash, you have PM ;)

Rambaud

12-10-2009, 06:34 PM

/Welcome

I would also add that good oil is essential, along with regular changes (inc filter).

It is likely take a few tankfuls of 98 RON petrol before an improvement is noticed. I get over 40 m.p.g. - pretty good for a big heavy automatic.

Mine has done nearly 148,000 miles, and drives fine. I give it a good "Italian tune-up" on a weekly basis. :)

bradc

12-10-2009, 06:53 PM

I'd suggest it makes more sense to change the oil every (say) 4000km with cheaper oil than it does to change the oil every 10000km with more expensive oil. The oil in GDI's turns black really quickly and the engines are hard on the oil.

I had a 1.8 GDI facelift (in black, hot looking car) and the difference between 91 and 98 was that in top gear I could only maintain my speed up the bombay hills, whereas with 98 I could go from 100 to 120kmh up the hill and lift off well before the top. In short, it made a bloody big difference, much bigger than I'd expect from just petrol!

wipash

13-10-2009, 04:01 AM

Mine's pearl white <3

Alright so I took the throttle body off, and the far side of the throttle mechanism was covered in like, 2mm of carbon. I cleaned all of that off, and put it back on. Also took off the EGR valve and blocked it off with a piece of tin (perfectly cut tin =P)

However, now when I start the car, it revs to like 2500 and slowly falls to under 1, where it's normal idle point is. Is this what it should be doing? Or did I break something?
Also, when i blip the accelerator it revs to like 2500 and holds for 0.5 - 1 second. I assume the two things are related...

Heh, this is the most drastic piece of work I've ever done on a car =P

bradc

13-10-2009, 05:38 AM

Normally when cold they will rev up to 2500rpm then slowly drop to about 700rpm.

Holding the throttle at 2500rpm could be due to the engine not being warmed up correctly. I can't recall my GDI doing that, but then that was 6 years ago now! Perhaps someone else with a GDI could help there.

aboo

13-10-2009, 06:58 AM

Hi & welcome to CVR4,

wipash

13-10-2009, 09:15 AM

Hey, thanks aboo. Bradc, it does that not only when started, but also when i put it into neutral after driving. Even when warm.

I blanked off my EGR at the place indicated, is this right? (Credit for pic goes to VR4WGN, I didn't have a camera with me so couldn't take pics)

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/7233/img4815n.th.jpg (http://img444.imageshack.us/i/img4815n.jpg/)

wipash

13-10-2009, 01:59 PM

Am experiencing this issue with the throttle: http://www.clubvr4.com/forum/showthread.php?p=478652

It's done that since i bought it, so it may or may not be the cause.

Rambaud

13-10-2009, 06:57 PM

Did you re-set the ECU afterwards?

valleyforge1

13-10-2009, 10:35 PM

Hi and welcome to the club.

I hope thing start to smooth out for you in a while.

You are in the right place for any info though.

Good luck.

crazydriver81

13-10-2009, 11:52 PM

@wipash: have answered to the thread dealing with the noise from the engine... ;)

1. Higher rev's after blocking the EGR valve are normal. The ECU has to reset the engine parameters so this may take some miles driving. Even an ECU-Reset will not improve the situation immediately. I found that it takes up to 600km ubtil everything is fine again.

2. It would be better to block the EGR valve where it joins the intake manifold (the yellow part) not the valve itself. Can't verify from the picture if the exhaust gases flow is blocked completely from your construction.

Regarding the oil change... I found that my GDI was running good with 5W-40 or 10W-40 oil and a change every 8k-10k kms. Using 10W-40 supports the hydraulic tappet lifters but requires a change every 8k kms.

What else about the GDI.../Hmmm ...I am a bit jealous knowing the mileage you can go with one full tank. ;)

Have got a lot of experience from my last car which had a GDI engin, so if you have questions, I might ask my brain for some infos.

cheers
Stefan

wipash

14-10-2009, 12:08 AM

Awesome, thanks Stefan. I'll change where I've put the block this weekend. I put it there because it was easier to dismantle =P

As of about 5 days ago, I am running Castrol GTX Modern Engine 15w-40. I believe it's mineral oil, not synthetic. Bought because it was on special at Repco. As soon as I earn some more money, I'll buy some 10w-40, as I need to do something to make the tappety noise go away =c If the 10w-40 doesn't fix it I'll go down to Mitsubishi and buy some Pro-Ma MBL8. Should I buy synthetic?

Repco sold me some stuff called Lifter Free, which they assured me would make it stop ticking but has made absolutely no difference. I'm afraid to mix additives, so I think I should change the oil before adding the MBL8.

I found my camera, so here are some pictures:

http://img48.imageshack.us/img48/3450/img3960.th.jpg (http://img48.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img3960.jpg)http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/6215/img3961.th.jpg (http://img444.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img3961.jpg)http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/9073/img3962c.th.jpg (http://img230.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img3962c.jpg)
http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/8203/img3963z.th.jpg (http://img26.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img3963z.jpg)http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/7006/img3964l.th.jpg (http://img230.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img3964l.jpg)http://img243.imageshack.us/img243/376/img3965.th.jpg (http://img243.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img3965.jpg)

Ryan

14-10-2009, 12:56 AM

Nice interior save for the steering wheel :thumbsup:

wintertidenz

14-10-2009, 03:46 AM

Welcome!

Try the 5w-40 first and see how it goes, I think there is an article around somewhere on how to cure the tapping noise. I would recommend putting some engine oil flush through when you change the oil too.

From memory the MBLM8 is very good stuff, it's worth a try!

crazydriver81

14-10-2009, 11:32 AM

nice looking Legnum GDI :thumbsup:

Mitsi recommended in Europe 0W-30 fully synthetic oil or 5W-30 semi-synthetic oil for the GDI engines. Maybe to sell more of their expensive oil, other than that there seems to be no real reason.
Also the temperature range of 30 is not good enough. In summer this oil can't handle the high temperatures and you have the effect discribed below. So you have to have an eye on the viscosity and the temperature range of the oil.

While owning my Carisma GDI, I have found, that you are running best with 10W-40 oil in summer and 5W-40 oil in winter (at least in Germany). I changed the oil and filter every 8k-10k kms. In real warm environments I would recommend 10W-60 oil. From my knowledge today, I would go for Amsoil products. (before I used Castrol products)

The tappet lifter noise mostly comes from:
1. oil with too high viscosity (0W or 5W in warm environment)
or
2. oil with too low viscosity (15W or 10W in cold environment)
or
3. wrong oil level

Simple reason: There is a hole in the lifter which is filled with oil. Low viscosity oil sticks in this hole until the engine is warmed up. High viscosity oil is not sticky enough and the hole is empty until the warm oil from the sump is pumped in the engine head and fills the hole.

To clean the engine internals, I suggest to change the oil filter and put 10W-40 oil in for 1000 or 2000kms.
Then is the time for the cleaning process.
(a) Drive your car until it is fully warmed up (esp. the oil).
(b) Put in some chemical cleaner which helps to get all the crap out with the oil change.
(c) Then start your engine and let it run for 10mins while car is parked. Do not drive around with the cleaner in (you risk an engine damage; with the cleaner in, your engine will not be lubricated correctly in higher revs) !
(d) proceed with the oil and filter change
(e) fill in the new oil, start the engine and stop it after half a minute, check the oil level and top up if necessary ;)

oil recommendations:
winter environment -> 5W-40 Amsoil AFL or 5W-40 Castrol Magnatec
summer environment -> 10W-40 Amsoil AMO or 10W-40 Castrol Magnatec
engine oil cleaner -> Amsoil AEF Crankcase Cleaner & Engine Flush

AFAIK there is an Amsoil distributor in NZ, located CC.

Ok, enough :blahblah: Any questions, drop me a PM.

wipash

14-10-2009, 12:16 PM

Thanks so much. Wow, this sounds like quite an exact art.

I appreciate you guys taking the time to reply with all of this info! I'm pretty keen to join the club properly, just gotta wait until I get paid =c

crazydriver81

14-10-2009, 03:04 PM

that's the reason we are here.

btw, if you like a post, you can add reputation points for the writer. just a hint... /pan

Turbo_Steve

14-10-2009, 07:45 PM

Ohh....what are the little extra switches next to your right knee?

MMCS as well.......have you looked into converting it into English?

wipash

14-10-2009, 10:45 PM

The rep buttons don't appear for me, I assume I have to be a paid member to dish it out. Wait till next week, +rep in my mind till then =P

Switches are from me and a mate getting bored. I'm planning on buying a concealed radar detector, which requires a laser and radar detector mounted in the front bumper.
We wanted to see how easy it will be to get cables from inside, through the firewall to the engine bay. After discovering an easy way to run the wires we thought we'd better make use of them, so installed a disused house alarm siren in the front grill.

Switch on the left is a normal switch, the other is momentary on. The normal switch is very useful as a sort of car alarm, as I can instantly tell when my flatmates are trying to borrow my car without asking. It's attached to the cigarette lighter, so only comes alive when the key is turned on.

The other switch is useful for making pedestrians in town get off the road, or if I press it quickly sounds just like a wolf-whistle =P

MMCS, yea I have to get in touch with someone here about an English cd for that. A friend of mine can read Japanese marginally well so he pointed out what all the buttons meant, so it's not a great inconvenience.
What I would like though is to find a tv tuner module for it, so that I can plug in ipods, etc. Unfortunately it didn't come with one, so I'm considering ringing round wreckers next week.

wipash

17-10-2009, 11:35 AM

Haha, took apart the EGR pipe properly to move the blank to the place you guys recommended, only to find that it already had one. /wall

This however disproves the theory that blanking off the EGR was causing the change in revs. The only other possible cause for that would be me cleaning out the throttle body, I think.

Also maybe resetting the ECU caused it? I'm not sure.

bradc

17-10-2009, 08:07 PM

Just drive it for a little while and see what happens :)

crazydriver81

17-10-2009, 10:14 PM

resetting the ECU caused it

Drive for a while. The ECU will have to find the correct values for the engine and then it will settle to the correct rev's.

ryanjames.powell

31-03-2010, 02:53 AM

oil recommendations:
winter environment -> 5W-40 Amsoil AFL or 5W-40 Castrol Magnatec
summer environment -> 10W-40 Amsoil AMO or 10W-40 Castrol Magnatec
engine oil cleaner -> Amsoil AEF Crankcase Cleaner & Engine Flush

My owner's manual says 10W-30 or 5W-30, although that is for Japan. My mechanic puts Fuchs Titan GTO 10W-40 in it and it seems to go quite well. I had 15W-40 in it at one stage, and when I added cold oil into it at the service station, the engine would seem to struggle with it for a couple of seconds after restarting, so I'm guessing it was too thick.

VR4WGN

31-03-2010, 06:56 AM

Welcome dude!!!!! CNC looks likea familiar rego number i think iknow the car!!!

but the on,ly thing stumbeling me is the COTY Leather inteiror in the car and not the Perforated tho!! nad that wheel... weird
if you need anyhting dont hesitate to pm me i can supply you a replacement engine woithout GDI lol... hehehe

sampsulo

31-03-2010, 05:08 PM

WELCOME MATE....IM still waiting for my motor.....couple of months before i drive mitsu engine! :( tired of waiting!

wipash

31-03-2010, 10:01 PM

I run Castrol Magnatec 10W-40, with a shot of MBLR8 or whatever it is to make the ticking go away. The ticking normally stays away for about 2500k's, but I guess loses it's effectiveness as I dilute it with more oil.

Also what's weird about the interior and wheel? Are they not standard? =P I kinda like the wheel, adds a tiny touch of class

Rambaud

01-04-2010, 12:17 AM

I find 0W-30 much better (not a cure) than 10W-40 for tappet tick at start up - and a lot kinder than a 10W while the oil gets to operating temperature.

Also, the engine is a lot smoother.

IIRC, Mitsi UK now recommend 5W-30 - it used to be 10W-40.

ryanjames.powell

01-04-2010, 05:39 AM

Also what's weird about the interior and wheel? Are they not standard? =P I kinda like the wheel, adds a tiny touch of class

The "Genuine Plastic Walnut" look is not highly regarded on this forum lol. And that style of steering wheel is generally only found on a VR4.
And about the interior, I think he was saying that it is odd for the old style leather interior to be in a facelift car. Usually it would be the perforated type with red piping (I have it in my car so I'll show you what I mean). Not that my car originally had leather at all of course...

wipash

03-04-2010, 06:46 AM

Intriguing. Well, now that we're calling the originality of it all into question, does anyone have any idea if these kick plates (or whatever you call them) are standard, or indeed made by Mitsubishi at all? Also the Legnum sticker thing between the lights on the boot. They do have cool Legnum logos on them though...

http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/4746/img4196e.th.jpg (http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/4746/img4196e.jpg)http://img688.imageshack.us/img688/852/img4199d.th.jpg (http://img688.imageshack.us/img688/852/img4199d.jpg)http://img704.imageshack.us/img704/7686/img4197y.th.jpg (http://img704.imageshack.us/img704/7686/img4197y.jpg)http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/8646/img4200gd.th.jpg (http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/8646/img4200gd.jpg)

-edit-
Shuttup about the grubby =P I've been krankin out assignments for the past couple of weeks!

ryanjames.powell

03-04-2010, 07:09 AM

bradc

03-04-2010, 10:11 AM

ryanjames.powell

03-04-2010, 10:56 PM

I had that sticker on both of my facelifts, I think it is an option that not many cars had. IMHO it makes the rear of the car look a LOT better from a distance but close up the grey plastic looks like crap.

At first glance I thought it was just the usual lettering built into the rear lights, but then I looked closer. I wonder what the reason for putting a sticker like that on at factory is when you can have it with basically the same lettering built in...

wipash

04-04-2010, 03:11 AM

I agree with bradc, it looks far better from a distance, but it's deteriorating pretty badly so doesn't look so flash from close up.