Out of Gas - Hurst Equipped

DetergentCandy · Post by **DetergentCandy** » Sun Aug 07, 2011 6:48 am

"Once you've been in Serenity, you never leave. You just learn to live there." ~Corporal Zoe Alleyne

Das mine $\:D/$

Original owner was EvilFlameRedSRT(Roland) on the SRT forums.

I wish I had taken pictures of it when it was on the trailer last weekend. It was so cute. It looked like a lost kitten or something >.>
I JUST SAVED A KITTEN

I had to drive the car off the trailer cause the trucker wasn't comfortable driving a manual. I don't even wanna know how he BACKED it onto the trailer. Let alone how he got the job transporting cars

Wanna know what happened when the trailer left?
CHECK ENGINE LIGHT

Oh ya, and ZERO BOOST

Car was throwing an overboost code. Great. I HAD NO IDEA WHAT THAT MEANT O:
It just made a loud WHOOSH sound when I accelerated.
Drove it home sad and depressed, and called Roland.
A delicious quiche and an hour later, and I cleverly found the problem

!!!

Sometime, during loading or unloading, something on the trailer must have snagged the underside of the car. Because the hot side was not even connected

DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW HARD IT IS TO PUT A CLAMP ON THIS THING?

It's hard. Let me tell you. There is no easy way to do it. Unless you remove the front bumper. Or the engine.

ANYWAYS
This completely solved the issue. No check engine light. Full boost again. Success!

Sooo, good times.
I have an SRT-4 now and I couldn't be happier. It's clean.
It's SO clean. Roland took care of this car like...a kitten >.>

ONLY PROBLEMS
The day before the car was to be loaded on the trailer, some asshole ran into it with a shopping car full of barbed wire and shurikens.

There's a body shop right down the street for work that just needs the car for 2 days and they'll have it looking spotless again. Just need to find a loner car for 2 days now

The other problem is white smoke. Only shows up after about a minute after start up. And goes away after a mile or so of driving.

And it's only after it's been sitting for several hours. Like, it's gotta be sitting for 4-5 hours before I start it up again. Otherwise, if i'm out running errands, driving from place to place, stopping and going, parking and driving, then no smoke. It's when I start it up in the morning, or start it up after work that I see smoke.

This sounds like it's either a valve stem seal...or maybe an issue with the turbo? Halp? Am I in the right ball park at least?

BUT OTHER THAN THAT it's a beauty.
It's on BC coilovers at their maximum height

Roland had it slammed before. But it's my dd, so i'm gonna leave it where it's at. It's about Stage 1 height, which is good enough for me.

Ride is stiff, but not uncomfortable. I'm pretty happy with the setup. Little bumpy by nothing like my Eibachs I used to have x.x
I MIGHT lower the front a tad bit. I like the raked look. But might not. Dunno yet.

Exhaust looks like an ebay special.

Looks kinda like this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEON-SRT ... ccessories

When it was on the trailer I got a good look at the down pipe and saw that little chubby...cylinder....resonator....thingy.
I'm really satisfied with the sound. The built quality of it looks pretty solid. But the oval tips are sorta kinda ugly. They clash with the round cutouts. So i'm just gonna have a muffler shop swap the tips for some round ones and call it good.

Upgrade path!
-I've already ordered a K&N filter from MPx cause it has a mangled AEM one right now.
-Then, Hurst shifter that MPx has promised. I want that thing bad.
-A/F gauge and DSP.
-Slipstreams or some other fat five spokes.
-Energy suspension bushings.
-Solid motor/transmission mounts. Maybe.
-And...can't think of much else.

To be honest, I don't have much desire to do a lot more. It's perfect the way it is. Just...with different wheels X3

So, sorry I don't have more pictures. It's monsoon season so it likes to rain every other night. I haven't had a chance to wash it cause it's just gonna get dirty again in 36 hours.

Still dicking around with registration. Waiting on the lien release from some shitty bank in Kentucky.

It's been a good week

JeffM · Post by **JeffM** » Sun Aug 07, 2011 7:02 am

Looks good. What's your boost looking like? Stock 12? or higher?

Mileage? Current engine mods?

The 'white smoke' could be a number of things depending on the volume of smoke and what it smells like. If it's just a tiny bit at start-up, it's most likely just water vapor trapped in the system. If it's a higher volume and a sweet smell - there's probably a coolant leak somewhere around the head gasket. (do an oil change to see if it is milky)

Otherwise your upgrade path looks fairly solid for a DD. Just keep up on maintenance and you'll be golden.

Oh, and I love those wheels, so let me know if you ever feel like selling them.

DetergentCandy · Post by **DetergentCandy** » Sun Aug 07, 2011 7:12 am

Boosting 15! Is that stock? Thought it was stock.

Stock! VC and manifold will be PC'd another color later.

33K miles

It's quite a bit of smoke. I can get a good cloud going. I doubt it's condensation. It lingers in the air too long.
I get A LOT of smoke during decel...
Not a lot at idle.
Doesn't smell sweet...it just smells like it's rich. And...kinda sorta burning? I dunno. I put my nose in the smoke and it just smelled rich to me. Once in a while i'll get a whiff of burning. Like...engine burning. Not fire burning.

Never been a fan of blade type wheels so they're definitely going away sometime.

JeffM · Post by **JeffM** » Sun Aug 07, 2011 8:56 am

Stock boost is between 11 and 15, so yes.

I'd first replace the PCV valve and go from there. Also, pull your sparkplugs. They can tell you a lot about what's going on.

Jenni · Post by **Jenni** » Sun Aug 07, 2011 9:35 am

find a cheap set IM and valve cover - i guess someone will like to buy those green parts from you!

ThomAce · Post by **ThomAce** » Sun Aug 07, 2011 9:43 am

Looks good, now where's the pictures of the red doorless TJ 2 spots down?

LilSparkPlug · Post by **LilSparkPlug** » Sun Aug 07, 2011 10:03 am

I kinda like the minty green he has going on in the engine bay there. So glad everything worked out for you. It's quite possibly, if not a bad PCV valve, the turbo seal but the fact that it goes away makes me lean away from that a tad.

WhiteSRT69 · Post by **WhiteSRT69** » Sun Aug 07, 2011 10:27 am

ha good job man on getting a SW!!!
best color out there!

have fun with her!

iThane · Post by **iThane** » Sun Aug 07, 2011 11:11 am

i love the gold rims on the white. good choice color though! it looks purrty

LowNSlow · Post by **LowNSlow** » Sun Aug 07, 2011 11:19 am

If it was me... I'd compression test it.

It's easy and takes like 10 minutes.

You bought this car knowing it smoked on start up? If so, that'd be an instant red flag for me.

If your numbers turn out low... add a few drops of oil and retest that cylinder.

FAC3L3SS · Post by **FAC3L3SS** » Sun Aug 07, 2011 1:24 pm

Want. Your. Wheels.

Johny · Post by **Johny** » Sun Aug 07, 2011 2:24 pm

I can has plz? looks absolutely sexy

(just get rid of the rimz pl0x)

DetergentCandy · Post by **DetergentCandy** » Sun Aug 07, 2011 2:38 pm

JeffM wrote:Stock boost is between 11 and 15, so yes.

I'd first replace the PCV valve and go from there. Also, pull your sparkplugs. They can tell you a lot about what's going on.

LilSparkPlug wrote:It's quite possibly, if not a bad PCV valve,

That's a slightly old picture. It now has a catch can.
Will that change anything? Or is the PCV valve still a possible issue? What am I looking for if so? How do I tell if it's bad?

jenni wrote:find a cheap set IM and valve cover - i guess someone will like to buy those green parts from you!

LilSparkPlug wrote:I kinda like the minty green he has going on in the engine bay there.

Then hopefully they'll be easy to get rid of!

White and green just...doesn't go well with me. I know why he did it. Cause no one else has. He wanted to be different. But in this case, I dunno if I like different

I'm thinking of going PC'd chrome or bright silver.

LowNSlow wrote:You bought this car knowing it smoked on start up?

No no. I bought it without test driving it. I know, it was a huge risk. But SO FAR, things have played out in my favor. Except for the smoke

That I didn't know about and I don't know if Roland did either.

The rims just aren't my thing. Never been a fan of blade style wheels. I do like the gold...but not the design. They are quality wheels though.
Falken Hanabis were discontinued a couple years ago, right? Kinda makes these special ^.^

LowNSlow · Post by **LowNSlow** » Sun Aug 07, 2011 2:44 pm

So the car creates a huge amount of smoke when cold but you don't think he knew about it...and he didn't disclose it to you?

I'd definitely be hitting him up about it....it could end up being a very costly repair, depending on what it is.

DetergentCandy · Post by **DetergentCandy** » Sun Aug 07, 2011 2:47 pm

LowNSlow wrote:So it car creates a huge amount of smoke when cold but you don't think he knew about it...and he didn't disclose it to you?

I'd definitely be hitting him up about it....it could end up being a very costly repair, depending on what it is.

It's not like a HUGE poof of smoke right off the bad. Car has to warm up first. Then it smokes for a little. Then it goes away.
And he may have known about it...though he's been 100% honest on every other issue it's had, so I don't wanna jump to conclusions.
He also rarely drove the car. It sat most of the time. So maybe he just never noticed it smoking?
I'll get a video of the smoke. Maybe that'll help

JeffM · Post by **JeffM** » Sun Aug 07, 2011 3:26 pm

Unless you have an aftermarket check valve in-line to your catch-can, the PCV is still very much a part of the system.

To check if it's bad - take it off and shake it. If it rattles: get a new one or buy an aftermarket check valve and gut the PCV.

DetergentCandy · Post by **DetergentCandy** » Sun Aug 07, 2011 4:25 pm

I'll check the PCV valve later this afternoon.
Can someone tell me why this would cause smoke, if it is the issue?

gtownv6 · Post by **gtownv6** » Sun Aug 07, 2011 4:50 pm

its letting oil blowby and into your intake manifold. But I would think the catchcan would help that

DetergentCandy · Post by **DetergentCandy** » Sun Aug 07, 2011 5:06 pm

That's what I would assume...
Here's a pic of the catch can!

I removed the PCV valve and shook it. O.O
Sounds like there's a ball bearing in there.
rattlerattlerattlerattlerattlerattle

Going to replace it tonight.
But like gtownv6 mentioned, wouldn't the catch can CATCH any oil that the PCV valve is letting by? Isn't that the reason for a catch can?

SC62391 · Post by **SC62391** » Sun Aug 07, 2011 5:21 pm

About time you posted pics! Looks good man

RADARsx 2.0 · Post by **RADARsx 2.0** » Sun Aug 07, 2011 6:31 pm

car looks amazing. sorry about the few issues, and the paint. Glad you love it and plan to continue to mod it.

Oh and how could be be a truck driver? there is a big craze in the trucking industry or "auto-tragic" big rigs. lets the ppl who don't know stick drive and it's more "eco friendly", and bottom line fuel wear friendly to the company.

gtownv6 · Post by **gtownv6** » Sun Aug 07, 2011 6:36 pm

the rattle means the pcv is bad and have you checked to see if the catchcans full?

DetergentCandy · Post by **DetergentCandy** » Sun Aug 07, 2011 7:16 pm

Catch can is almost empty.
I just pulled the plugs. They were gapped wrong...were only set at 45. So I regapped to 50.
And the spark plug in cylinder 1 was black. That means it's burning oil, right?
He said he had just replaced the spark plugs before he sent it off to Phoenix. So the other plugs mirror what he said. They're clean as a whistle. But plug 1 was dark and the bottom 3-4 threads were wet with oil.

And it's obviously burning oil. Was down a quart. Maybe more. Gotta wait for it to level out so I can check again.

stairmaster3001 · Post by **stairmaster3001** » Sun Aug 07, 2011 7:25 pm

NIce! congrats on getting another neon!and a srt4! i like it alot. lol I did the same thing when i bought tht stupid gti i bought it without test driving it lol i wanteda turbo car too bad but i learned my lesson. test drive and close inspection before i hand over any cash.

DetergentCandy · Post by **DetergentCandy** » Sun Aug 07, 2011 7:59 pm

So, kind of an update.

Pulled the PCV valve again. I can't tell if it's bad or not. It rattles when I shake it...but shouldn't it rattle? That's the ball inside that's supposed to move. Right?
With the PCV valve in, I can't feel any pressure coming out of it. But if I remove the PCV valve then there's pressure/air coming out of the valve cover.

If I hold my finger over the tube that connects the valve to the manifold, then the car feels like it wants to die. If I reconnect the tube to the PCV valve, then it stutters like it wants to die but then it evens out and runs smoothly again.

JeffM · Post by **JeffM** » Sun Aug 07, 2011 8:02 pm

you're losing a quart of oil!? Do a compression test and see what you get. I would say VC gaskets, but the bottom 3-4 threads of the plug....do a compression test.

And yes, your PCV is bad.

LowNSlow · Post by **LowNSlow** » Sun Aug 07, 2011 8:10 pm

JeffM wrote: you're losing a quart of oil!? Do a compression test and see what you get. I would say VC gaskets, but the bottom 3-4 threads of the plug....do a compression test.

And yes, your PCV is bad.

This.... a compression test takes like 10 minutes like I said before.

Can be done with one person no problem.

I'm going to guess you'll have some low #s somewhere in your test. =/

DetergentCandy · Post by **DetergentCandy** » Sun Aug 07, 2011 8:11 pm

:/

Hypothetically speaking...if the cylinder DOES have a low compression...what am I looking at? Going to run to the store to pick up a compression tester.

LowNSlow · Post by **LowNSlow** » Sun Aug 07, 2011 8:13 pm

DetergentCandy wrote::/

Hypothetically speaking...if the cylinder DOES have a low compression...what am I looking at? Going to run to the store to pick up a compression tester.

Compression test it... if the cylinder is low... add a few drops of oil to that cylinder, retest... if the number goes up. That means it's rings...

Test it, report back..we will go from there.

DetergentCandy · Post by **DetergentCandy** » Sun Aug 07, 2011 9:49 pm

Reporting back!

Dry test
1: 155
2: 155
3: 155
4: 160

Wet test
1: 160
2: 165
3: 165
4: 165