Anyone here figure out how to make a DSM reliable?

My recipe for keeping mine reliable was make sure to work on it regularly. I planned on wrenching once or twice a week and tackling all of the issues systematically. We are talking about old cars that will need constant attention. Producing huge power per liter and a rather basic awd system means keeping on top of things. I do not recommend them to people who simply want to turn the key and go really fast; they are best for those who enjoy quality time in the garage with a really cool toy.

Mine held together for dozens of autocross runs, many hill climbs, uncountable drag passes and regular old driving around duty. I only put down 400 horses from my little 4 banger but it still moved well enough. Launch control, anti-lag, etc. and 8k rpm made for one hell of a jump off the line!

They have a huge and affordable aftermarket and tons of knowledge out there. Parts swapping through the generations works pretty well too. Use DSM Link; it is cheap and powerful management that will make your life easier.

Mine left me stranded once; at the grocery store the starter finally died after 200+k miles and 20+ years. A push start, $40 and 20 minutes of wrenching did not ruin my day at all (I really enjoy turning wrenches, it is physical and mental therapy for me). Yes, I lived with poor gas mileage, a crunchy synchro into 2nd and it was a bitch to keep it cool but I would take another if circumstances permitted. Nothing there to scare a GRMer as long as you have some time to tinker, a couple bucks in the budget and a basic ability to learn.

Inspirational pic? Maybe, but surely not for everyone...

It was more actually reliable than my Subie or Bimmer; just needed plenty of attention that I was happy to give.

Read this thread. The infamous Spanish Tuner

Do the exact opposite.

Swank Force One wrote: ^Stock internals. THIS is why i love DSMs. I should buy one before clean cheap ones hit unicorn status.

They're going up in price!

We have two that hillclimb with us, both pushing north of 300whp and neither has had issues as far as drivetrain reliability.

Not a DSM, but my GVR4 never left me stranded in the 13 years and 230k miles that I DD and raced it so I'd qualify that as reliable. Sure it was maintenance-hungry, but it was high strung and flogged on like a rented mule. I can't remember everything I ever did to the car but my formula for reliability was pretty simple and applies equally to DSMs:

• The cooling system wasn't terrible stock, but I upgraded to a C&R radiator at some point for rallyx on 100 degree days
• I had the gearbox rebuilt at 200k miles (and scores of launch control clutch dumps) with a double synchro second and a bunch of other upgrades that helped improve shifter feel and resilience
• Clutch hydraulics: make sure master/slave are in good shape and install stainless clutch line. Pull the pedal box and replace the clutch arm (the "D" gets hogged out and you lose pedal throw) and weld the nut so it can't ever slip again. Make sure to adjust the master cyl rod so you get maximum actuation without blocking the internal bleeder valve
• Not applicable to DSMs, but remove 4ws on GVR4s.
• Removed ABS, replaced with lines and proportioning valve with parts from non-ABS model + braided brake hoses = vastly improved pedal feel
• A popular modification is to remove the balance shafts to eliminate b-shaft belt failure impacting your timing belt and to free up a few ponies. When you block off the oil passages, you may want to port the relief valve in your filter housing
• ECU capacitors were known to leak and damage the circuit board. This was 10+ years ago. Hopefully they've all been replaced/repaired by now. It's an easy job that costs less than $5
• Replace the 3 bolt rear end on early cars with 4 bolt LSD from later cars. Axles are beefier
• You're going to have to rebuild the drive-shaft at some point. 2 carrier bearings, 1 lobro, and 3 (iirc) u-joints. There are aftermarket shafts available that simplify the setup and add lightness
• Speaking of drive-shafts, remember the recall for the xfer case yoke. The recall part is cheaper than buying a u-joint by itself. It's a no-brainer, but make sure your xfer case and rear end have gear oil in them
• Replace rubber vacuum lines with silicone
• If you want maximum reliability, don't go nuts on your turbo. I only had an Evo3 16g. People can make 500whp in stock internals for sure, but you know the drill
• Remove cruise control and replace with non-cruise cable for engine bay simplification. A known issue is the plastic sheath inside the cable can break, slide out, and wedge the throttle open causing unintended acceleration

I'm sure I will think of more things later but that seems like a good start.

Swank Force One wrote: Crankwalk happened on a ridiculously small percentage of these and only during a small window of model years. Every shifter i've ever shifted with over 50k miles could use a rebuild. Bearing life i don't know about. I've driven a couple with over 200k that felt ok, but that's just anecdotes. Turbo awd car in the 90s built to a price point. Surprise!

All of this.

Most of the DSM problems stem from general Mitsubishiness (crappy electronics, crappy build quality, crappy suspension, crappy rust prevention) and the rest from the kind of person who buys an AWD turbo car.

In reply to Swank Force One:

Wait to find a clean one you'd need a time machine

bmw88rider wrote: the issue they had was the fact that it was really easy to turn up the boost. So most got ragged within an inch of their life. That was what I did with mine and the Colt I transplanted the 4g63T into. I have to say both lasted to over 150K miles before they tossed the tranny innards to the pavement.

This.

DSMs are not unreliable, their owners are.

My MOM had a DSM (Talon TSI) as her daily from 93-the early 2000s. Not a single problem. She,however, never modded it obviously, religiously took care of it, and drove it like a daily driver.

DaveEstey wrote: We have two that hillclimb with us, both pushing north of 300whp and neither has had issues as far as drivetrain reliability.

I had a friend with one whose only mods were 16G + boltons, and more fueling. Had like near 300whp. Was reliable. Sold it on Ebay a few months ago

It's the same E36 M3 with people who complain about older WRX transmissions breaking. They are beating the E36 M3 out of their cars and have a massive turbo with like 350whp+ on it. I don't know anyone who had issues aside people like that. People who just STI turbo upgrade and have like 290-310hp never seem to have issues unless they are launching it hard often.