in that case you could be spiking which could explain the fuel cut, you sure it's fuel cut though.

The ticking makes me think you have an oil issue and that your head is getting starved for some reason. Are you keeping an eye on your oil pressure.

Also just realized you have a new head, what kind of prep work was done and which gasket did you use. You check to make sure you aren't burning coolant or there is not coolant in your oil and vice versa?

im not sure if it is fuel cut. the car just feels like theres only half of the power going to it. and not sure about the head prep it was done at car quest in hannover before I bought it and all oem mitsubishi gaskets were used. during the rebuild. but they used ARP studs for it. I cant see any coolant in the oil or any oil in the coolant. oil pressure is fine when im driving and a little lower then the minimum at idle. but the cars always idled at 500-ish RPM when warm but just over 1000 when its cold.

When was the last time you did a boost leak test? 500 is low, stock idle is 750. Have you inspected the timing marks to make sure everything lines up mechanically? When is the last time a compression test was done? Were you told why the head was replaced?

the story I got when I bought the car was, the whole motor was rebuild because the timing belt broke and took out the original head (which I still have) so the whole motor was rebuilt and a rebuilt head was put on it. I've never done a boost leak test or checked the timing.

So first add boost leak test to your maintenance routine.

I would check timing too just to make sure, just take a wrench and a few turns

okay im not too sure how to check timing lol still fairly new to this. and how do I do a boost leak test?

No worries, we all start somewhere!

For the boost leak test
Grab a PVC end cap and drill it for a tire stem valve and just get one of those inflators that has a gauge on it.
How to:
http://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/boost-leak-test-how-to-with-boostpro-net-tester.169435/

Timing belt
Scroll down to 21 and you will see where the crank timing mark is then scroll down a bit more and you will see how the cams should line up.
http://www.dsm.org/tsbs/tbelt/tbelt.htm

Blt is very simple to make and all DSM owners should own one.

perfect thanks Bryan i'll let you know what happens

for the coolant temp issue...can you confirm the system isnt leaking (depressurized), if no leaks try burping it...run the car with rad cap off and you should within a minute or two see bubbles come up like a burp...also make sure the rad hoses arent those universal ones (kinda ribbed looking)...and lastly id suggest getting a coolant system flush if youve never done it heck id even say run the coolant flush twice

Why not just take it to the Meet next Sunday. I am sure there will be a vast amount of knowledge there to help sort it out.

perfect thanks many !



im the one setting it up so it'll be there

ended up pulling the codes yesterday and found that theres a cylinder 3 miss fire, upstream o2 sensor is bad and there 'insignificant coolant temp' so looks like im pulling the plugs and doing a compression test tonight hopefully I have good compression and its just a bad plug. even though I did change them back in august....

So have you been driving around with a Check engine light on this whole time?

Misfire could be oil leaking into your spark plug tube.

O2 sensor was most likely the cause of the almost stalling.

Whats the code for insufficient coolant temp?

no it just popped up on the drive home from sauble on Monday but it didn't really start acting up until my drive form Cambridge-Mississauga that night. and I forget what the actual code was I gotta pull it up again tonight.

I had something similar happen to my Elantra... Primary o2 sensor died but I kept driving on it, which fouled up my plugs and threw a cylinder x misfire code as well. New o2 sensor and plugs, it's back to a whopping 120hp, no codes, and 700kms/tank.

Gotta be careful with all them horses lol

yeah im going to be changing plugs and wires tonight. its at my mechanics place getting the test pipe thrown on as we speak because im getting the "burnt match" smell coming from my exhaust too so by by emissions

more headaches.... I keep ripping the drivers side CV boot and now I found out my passenger side shock tower needs some "attention" there was always a small hole in it but now the area around the one bolt for the upper control arm is quite soft... #dsmproblems

#rusty2Gproblems **

The beauty of rust. You think it's just a small hole until you dig in and realize a massive area is actually rotting away, unnoticed.

yeah rust is my biggest pet peeve so now Im in search for a passenger side front shock tower. or would it be easier to just patch this on?

patch it but do it fast so you don't end up needing to find a full tower

alrighty I was hoping you chimed in on this bryan, you seem to be the king of fixing rust lol. just use sheet medal or...?

By the time there's a hole on the top, there's a large area underneath that's already rusted. You'll need to cut it all out and yes, replace with sheet metal. Make sure you clean up everything and paint it afterwards or the repair will just rust through again. And use paint with hardener; standard rattle cans aren't sufficient for the wheel well side.

Quality paint and a good clear as well as some sort of undercoat will help preserve it better after the repair. But of course, nothing is as important as a proper repair and prep. Do a half ass job and it will come right back, possibly even worse.

okay i'll start working on it after the bbq sunday lol

And no flux core!! if there is anything i learned from the last car is that flux leaves a lot of pores in your welds, they started to rust within the year, there is also weld sealer that you can use too, you paint over the welds before you start your painting though i have no idea if this would have worked as I never tried it.

I got 2 towers from miller import parts in north carolina for 150 USD. Should be clean enough. Post up some pics.

Weld through primer solves this problem.
My welder is flux core and none of my welds have rusted.

soooo I fixed everything that was going on and the shock tower should be fixed this weekend. just going to be cutting out the section that's rotted welding in a thick chunk of metal and painting/clearing it inside and out to prevent future B.S. I replaced my spark plugs and it fixed the miss firing issue. BUT I put the NGK BPR6ES plugs in them due to me being pretty much stock but I still get a misfire code every now and then. should I go with a colder plug or could this be something else. oh and on a side note timing is smack on and I did a compression test and it was a strong 180psi across the board

BRP6ES should the right plug for you. Did you gap them to 0.028"? I know when I bought a set of BRP7ES last week they were set and 0.032" so I had to adjust before putting them in.

Is the misfire code always the same. P0301 P0302 P0303 P0304 or is it random?

Did you gap them to 0.028"? I know when I bought a set of BRP7ES last week they were set and 0.032" so I had to adjust before putting them in.

[/quote]
yep there gapped to 0.028



its a P0302 code

So easy diagnosis. Move the plug to #3. If it stays in number 2 switch an ignition coil around... if it still stays then swap an injector around....if the misfire stays in #2 you have mechanical issues....thats when its time to dig deeper.

having a weird little problem still. as im driving and I go to get on the throttle the car doesn't want to do anything. im still spooling but the car doesn't pull for sh!t. it feels like its only running on 1-2 cylinders when I do this. its hard to explain but the only thing I can think of is the MPI relay maybe?im at a loss and cant figure it out somebody elaborate on this please lol if I can get it on video I will.

Do you have a logger so you can check if you are getting knock

sadly no, all stock 99 motor. its doing it about 7-10 times I get on the throttle. anywhere from easy driving to heavy acceleration.

I would go out and get a logger, this will help you a lot.

http://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/list-of-loggers-and-info-for-tech-article.230375/

Those cheap bluetooth ones and torque works great.

okay whats the purpose of the logger, does it just monitor whats going on?