Thinking of a VR4

[328FTW]

Sick of my current ride cause I already have an mr2 so want to get something else. Looking at a 97 VR4 + cash my way. The first thing I noticed is it's missing that thing in the middle of the bumper that they all do lol. Mostly cosmetic stuff like it could use a good buff, the plastic engine cover is missing, taillights look a bit faded.








The price works out and is posted at about $4500. He seems genuine and says that the AYC has been serviced regularly and that the only thing is the engine sounds tappity when cold which sounds right from what I hear. Got 170k on it and was wondering what things I should take with me for a look see. Like I would like to compression test but the rear bank is too hard to get to. Do the maf sensors have some kind of easy multimeter test? There must be a manual round I could look at but I'm obviously not going to tear the car apart to find things it'll be a check out, drive and look underneath for leaks kinda deal.

Triptronic auto, no big intercooler or any other things like that just looks like something that has been daily driven. It doesn't seem to be a rip off and run deal but pays to check into any big possible issues that I can simply check for and if it really is market value. Yes I'm from New Zealand hence posting here about values opinion etc

Thoughts?

[Kenneth]

Might pay to ask about to see if there is a member living close who is willing to go look with you.

Things to check
The transmission fluid. Ideally you want to drop some oil to see if you find any metal parts... Seeing if the fluid is ruined is a good start though.
Next I would check the wheel bearings for play, the lower ball joints and the rack ends (inner and outer). The rack ends are not such a big deal as they can be got for about $30 each, the ball joints require new suspension arms and will put you back on average about $150 each, the wheel bearings anything up to $250 each depending on your source and your available tools.

Do a search on lower ball joint failure (not necessarily those exact words though) and you will see how important it is to check those. Abnormal tyre wear is a good indication that at least something is gone in that area.

Check under the bumpers at the chassis rails and surrounding steel work to see if anything has been bent. Also helps to look at the front corners from under the bonnet to see if everything lines up properly.

As you have already addressed, some tappet noise is common.


Test drive
If you can, get someone to go with you who can follow you on the test drive.
Do some acceleration tests up hill and see if it stutters at about 4500-5500 RPM as this can indicate plugs need doing.
On the way back down the hill (steep is good) go into a low gear and let it engine brake. Afterwards ask the person following if it smokes.
Listen for obvious noises that shouldn't be there.

Thats the best I can think off from the top of my head. You should introduce yourself too, which is why your post was moderated.

[328FTW]

Thanks

I crawl lots of forums so skip the intro thing at times but I can hit that up if you want. I'm a little, maybe a lot of a gearhead

Plugs he said he did and that the rear bank was a pain. No word on the cambelt though but they are cheap enough just I would assume a pain in the ass to do. Checking framework for flattened rails is a given, misaligned panels and off paint on one side etc. I do paint a bit so I can normally spot that kinda thing.

Transmission fluids I could of guessed, burnt smells and off colour are normally a really bad sign. Someone said a big transmission cooler is a good idea and cheap insurance for future issues and I'm inclined to agree so if I got it I'd put one on unless there is a reason not to? When they do smoke is it normally bad rings or do the bores get outta round? Maybe bad stem seals and guides cause it's the overrun? To be honest rings don't phase me that much but weak blocks cost big $$$ if you land up having to sleeve them with cast bores, cylinder heads I can do in a weekend if it's just seals, if worn guides that is a bit more of a pain but whatever. Bad turbos I don't even want to think about *shudders*

Balljoints as long as they are cheap are fine, it's those pressed in little shytes which mean replacing a whole arm to fix that are a pain. Is there a good place to pick them up or is that a dealership kinda thing? I can be a maintenance freak when it comes to suspensions cause I'm not keen to have another big accident.


Lots of people seem to scream blue murder that they blow up everything but I believe that is dickhead syndrome, same as my mr2s. People do hard launches and burnouts then seem disappointed after 4 years of this with no oil changes that the car blows up.

[mattnz]

Also, pod filters are bad on these, hopefully he's got the stock snorkel

[Nick Mann]

Ball joints are the type you need to replace the whole arm. And one of them on the front has been known to fail catastrophically, which is why Ken mentioned it.

Smoking on overrun tends to indicate worn turbo seals. The tubs are small and can be worked quite hard, especially if the boost level has been increased! The engine itself seems to be a pretty reliable unit - failures are few and far between and most of the ones I know of can be put down to a maintenance or tuning issue.

Cambelt is not horrendous, just fidly in the car. The belt itself isn't too expensive, but there are a fair few other components that are recommended for change at the same time and the cost can add up.

Checking the gearbox is important, because whilst they aren't weak, they are possibly the least reliable part of the car. That is NOT to say they are unreliable, just that the rest of the car is pretty much bullet proof!

[328FTW]

Do the pod filters affect the maf due to swirling airflow? That is a common thing in the later model yotas and stuff to, also the removal of the resonance boxes causes weird things.

Bugger on the whole lower arm, they're a pain. I'm assuming when you do a cambelt the waterpump and tension kit should be done to which is where cost adds up. My friend works at segedins so I can get good deals on stuff a lot of the time which I why I go maintenance crazy, probably doesn't need doing again for a long long time so someone should do it.

I'll do some searching and price up things so when I go for a look I know what it could be costing me to set straight.

[VR4WGN]

good luck with your search mate,i would steer you in the Facelift direction imo but never the less another vr4 member is awsum... it sure does beat an mr2 in all ways tho lol... hope to see you get a vr sooooooooon,1 main ting is idle smoke too watch for that