Very Very sad week, RIP Mitsy

[Slimshady]

Ok this has been one of the most depressing weeks of my life for a long, long time;

My V6 has recently passed the MOT with minor problems, rear wheel bearing being the worst, therefore I decided to treat her, fix the problems and conduct a very stringent service for another years worth of fun, just 2 weeks ago I brought the tax for the year, starts 1st April (still pinned to our notice board). She is still an old girl with minor imperfections but a fire breathing dragon with so much ompf she is hard to train when you put your foot down, she bites, and bits hard. Trust me when you have close to 200BHP at the front without AYC and 4WD she is a bit of a monster.

Anyway enough with the sentimental stuff, end of last week I noticed a whining noise under load, i.e. transmission growl when engine and clutch engaged with the wheels.

I suspected low gear box oil so I managed to pump about 1 to 1.5l of oil into the box at the weekend and drove a 30 mile round trip with a non to progressively bad whining sound. Monday I had no problems on cold start but after a while she made whining noises from the transmission again and on Tuesday she finally popped out of first gear and made more louder whining sounds and I struggle to get some of the lower gears without forcing the stick into position.

This must be a leaking gearbox that may have wrecked a bearing or the gears, hard to tell without opening her up.

I am now scared to drive her in case I make things worse and have currently shelled out;

£200 for MOT (parts included)
£180 service (parts only)
£320 insurance
£205 road fund tax
(costs are aprox.)

That’s close to a grand and I don’t want to drive her now in case I proper kill her.

What do I do now?

1) Get the gearbox fixed, that could cost between £300 and £ 1500 (my est.)
2) Buy another V6 and transplant all of the mods and best bits into the new one leaving the engine behind (best bit, with close to 200BHP) and break the rest on CVR4 and ebay. She is now a hybrid V6 VR4
3) Sell her whole and buy something else.

Whichever way I look it has already cost me lots for this year’s running and now it’s going to cost me mega bucks, to sort the year out again.

Any thoughts or opinions (sensible please) welcomed.


Neil
AKA Slim


Actually before I sign off I thought I had better post up her technical info;

She is a 2.5L V6 24V manual Galant with everything: i.e. electric everything (seats adjustable + heat, mirrors, windows, etc) sliver with cream / Mitsy beige leather interior sedan, VR4 lowered shocks and springs, VR4 spoiler, five spoke 17” 225 45 Eagle F1 wheels / tyres, cross strut brace, Ralliart intake induction cone filter with pipe feeds, (that’s the power boost (and crap mpg), up rated brakes, she also has a full SH before me and I am an engineer servicing her more than Mitsy recommends. i.e. mobil 1 oil change every year (I do less than 4000m per year).

The down side;
See is old, she has the typical rear arch V6 rust and a bit on the bonnet, she has a couple of bumps (very small) but she now IMO looks old, but not dated.

Before all the vultures start getting exited I am far from breaking her or selling her I just want some feedback for now.

If I do decide to sell or break then I will endeavour to post in the correct forum (not this one, although I will try to leave a link for you)

Thanks all in advance.

Slim

[Wal]

Hope you get it sorted soon mate, I know how depressing it is when your pride and joy is not 100% as I've written a pristine golf off earlier this month and my VR4 is off the road as well :( At least it's nearly the weekend!

[Nick Mann]

The FWD manual gearbox is well known for destroying input shaft bearings. I'd take a guess that is your problem.

As to what is the answer - I guess that has to be up to you. If the car will make you smile for a long time to come then fix it. If it is going to be unloved in 6 months no matter how it's running then get rid. I'd guess that the total cost should be well under a grand to get the box sorted, although I think your £300 guess is a bit optimistic.

[Slimshady]

Yes Nick you are correct, the £300 quid option is very optimistic and based on two options;

1) If I can find a very cheap transplant and do the work myself
2) If I remove the box myself and the damage is not that bad requiring a couple of bearings and hobbing my own gears.

To be honest too much work just to find out what the problem is and I am so busy at work doing more than my daily duties and designing parts at home in the evenings and weekend.

[Davezj]

Sound like you have answered you own question.
I your time cost nothing then the it is probably worth doing the work yourself, but as you have said you don't seme to have the free time and you are getting paid to do other things with your time. Amd you have said that to pay someone else to do the job its not cost effective.
And there you have your answer. It is probably not the answer you are looking for but it is the answer.

[Gly]

what everyone else has said,

personally id fix it (i always do) mainly because.. what else can you get thats the same money and puts the same smile on your face?

what sort of extra outlay will you need to get another car if you sell it as is?

taking the box out of a FWD is much less involved than the 4wd,
i cant see it being more than a day combined taking it out, and putting it back in.

id prob track down another fwd gearbox, and just get it done,
and poss rebuild the original for spare or resale.

[djtrauma]

My X reg V6 24v manual estate is for sale on here mate if you're interested? In the Cars for Sale section (obv!). Open to sensible offers!

[crazydriver81]

I'd do like Carsten said. Get yourself a replacement box (should be easy to find a F5M42 box - either from Galant / Space Wagon / Outlander) and put it in. Keep the old box and possibly redo the bearings and sync rings in there if you have spare time and money. :) You'll end up with a close to new box you could put in again. The V6 will last for many more miles.

[BillHardy]

I think a gearbox rebuild or swap is the best option,there is another V6 for sale on here going cheap I think[exevoowner],see what he wants for his

[The Vee]

Surely the insurance & tax and to a lesser part the service items are going to be running costs on any car. If you like the old girl so much - fix it. After all it is a known quantity.

[Slimshady]

Just brought a new Wagon (not sedan) still V6 and quite powerful, I need to do some of my magic mods to get her a bit quicker. She is a lot tighter in transmission but not in suspension / cornering.

43512

I was going to take the best bits out of Mitsy 1, to evolve Mitsy 2 but to be honest all I need is the air cone and cold feed pipes.

I now have 2 other options:

Sell Mitsy 1 (sad)
Break Mitsy 1 (also sad)

Let the vultures decide, I will leave it a week or 2 for someone to make me an offer for her in her current state, after that I will break her.

Sad but I have now managed to get a smile back on my face.


Slim

[ANTHONY]

take the good bits off the old car and keep it for spares

[Slimshady]

Yes Anthony you are totally correct, that is my primary goal at the moment, the only problem is storing Mitsy 1 at the back of my house for parts. Gly your car rocks (as always), if I could get my body work to look close to yours I would be so happy, yours is the benchmark for me.

Therefore the questions are;

1) Are the old V6 fogs the same as the facelift fogs i.e. interchangeable (Mitsy 2 is missing the fogs and I could use the old ones) or has anyone got a set of facelift fogs?
2) Is it worth changing the lowered springs from Mitsy 1 to Mitsy 2, big difference in height between them is big although Mitsy 1 had big problems getting over speed ramps.
3) The front nearside wing has a dent and I could have M1 re-sprayed and change them over??? Not sure
4) The rear bumper is dented and M1 is a sedan not a wagon therefore not compatible so if anyone has a wagon rear bumper that would be nice.
5) I love Gly’s bonnet Evo style scopes, so I am thinking about changing M1’s bonnet, re-spraying and switching over, but I would like to know where to buy the raised bodywork, can anyone help.

Thanks all in advance


N

[aboo]

1: if M1 is a PFL then no there not a straight swap.
2: If you were happy with the hight of M1 then change them over. Should be a straight swap if the FL or M1 doesn't have self levelling shocks.
3: Wouldn't it be just as cheap just get the FL wing sorted?
4: Sure someone on here would have one/yes
5: I'm sure Gly's is ether CF or a Fibre glass bonnet. There is someone on here selling vented bonnets at a good price I'll try & fined the thread.

Edit here you go have look at these.

http://www.clubvr4.com/forum/showthread.php?55997-Fibre-glass-bonnet-group-buy&highlight=group+buy

[Gly]

thanks,

as above mine is just a fibreglass evo style bonnet same as the uk group buy,

everything else has a deffinate answer so not more that i can add,

oh and yes the fenders can just be changed over, there all the same. legnum or galant

[mawoods]

There are front wings on ebay for £25 each,cant remember the postage though