TAS New owner of a village bicycle.

[Brendo]

Hey all,

Brendo, here for Tassie.
Been lurking for a bit but saying "hey" now.
Been after a legnum for a good few years and was recently in a position to make an acquisition.

Long story short, I'm kinda the new owner of "SW44GN" after putting up a wanted ad and recently took delivery of it (kinda... dramas, haha).

I'd like to say it's been a swell introduction to legnum ownership but it's been anything but.
So I'm hoping this forum is surviving, as im gonna be asking some answers to help fix this car.
Or, possibly, sell parts if I decide to wreck it instead.

 

[Baba Galant]

Hi Brendo. First Legnum? How about some info on the car, year, auto etc.
The forum is fine and can provide everything you need to service and DIY repairs.
There's some great minds here with years of experience, you have no worries there.
I can't speak for everyone else but in Melbourne driving is all but banned.
Stage 4 lockdown is the pits right now. Buying online is a crap shoot, I've had at least 10 purchases cancelled due to no stock, talking silicone hoses, clamps and some basic Ford parts for my kids Barra.
Delays, lost deliveries etc, can't be just me so I figure it accounts for a quieter forum.
But yeah, as long as your a paid member you'll have no problems running your new Legnum!
What's going on with the car?

 

[Gt_Galant]

! ! ! Welcome To OzVR4 ! ! !

 

[Brendo]

Hey mate, ah sorry... Bit more info...

There's a slightly more extensive list of mods done to it on these forums.
But the gist is it's a 99, manual (converted), motor with about 25k ks by TME with their turbos.
SAYC, LSD front, MCR XR coil overs, brembos, gearbox with some tasty bits and a range of other bits.

Cool, depending on the direction I go I'll be needing some assistance I think.
Was mostly unsure if forums are a thing these days still, seems most haven't faired too well.

Tassie isn't doing too bad, life is different but we don't have many restrictions compared to some.
Shame you've been finding such difficulty though.

As for the issues I have... (I'll add, some I was not aware of while purchasing).
The car was in one hell of a sorry state when I picked it up (it wasn't delivered, I had to go fetch it as it was DOA on the wharf (purchased from qld))
Major one is it's burning large amounts of oil, I'm leaning towards valve stem seals.
The hard pipe off the throttle body is knackered.
Boost leaks.
Need a new ignition barrel housing, ignition switch.
Various bits of trim and such.
A few under bonnet bits
Rear tail light garnish (bit that goes across the tailgate.
Previous owner tapped the arse end in just before it got picked up.
Cosmetically it's pretty average, interior was absolutely disgusting when I first got it, slowly cleaning it and bringing it back.
Quite a few bits of trim are broken, damaged or missing.
Stereo wiring was an absolute mess, which I have since tidied up and got going.

So, I'm in two minds of trying to rescue this or wreck it and try and get some money back (I'm already in it for way too much for what I have).
It's only saving grace is it does drive nicely.
And the sunroof.
I like that sunroof.

 

[Interloper]

Hi Brendo sorry to hear of the dramas and hopefully you can sort it all out.

Where in Tas mate, I'm up in Launceston...

 

[Brendo]

Ah nice, another Tassie person.
I'm down in Hobart though.
I'm reasonably capable of doing the work myself, no stranger to tools or learning. And I'd rather do/fix things properly rather than dodgy stuff up further.

 

[Jakevr4]

Such a shame it went to shit, the SW44GN rig was a no expense spared build when it was done originally.
It made 298kw ATW on 98, which is a pretty big deal for these.
The oil burning is probably the turbo seals, they are being pushed pretty hard on that setup and the big boost leak would have them spinning even harder.
It would be a shame to see it parted out, but these thing are crazy expensive to have working properly.

 

[Brendo]

Very much a shame.
After reading and speaking to people about it I was more or less convinced it was what I wanted.
More done to it than I'd have ever done myself (or would have wanted to but bank account saying no, haha). And prior to the previous owner in a condition I'd have been happy with.

I'll try and post up some more pics, I didn't take much on delivery as I was a bit too 'annoyed' to.

As I understand it's last tune put it at around 255kw.
And I'm not 100% certain but I get the impression it's running quite rich (oil burning and boost leak aside).

Is it possible for a leaking turbo seal to show occasionals symptoms of valve stem seals?
It'll sometimes blow smoke under power but also on the overrun, shifting down through the gears, usually each time I heal/toe it'll blow a puff out.
It'll also smoke pretty heavily after coasting down a hill.
It doesn't always smoke on idle or after idling.
The intake pipe pre front turbo is usually wet and the front turbo had oil in it last I looked.
Intercooler onwards also had/has oil.
I've done a compression test and that came back ok.

It would be a shame to part out, yes. It's quite a package, I'm impressed with how it handles (not a fan of the toyo tyres though, haha) and how it drives.
I was prepared to spend some coin eventually to do what it needed to make it what it could be but would have been happy as it was for the time being.
But after getting it and finding I just inherited a load of previous owner induced issues and the condition I kinda lost a bit of interest.
I also don't have the parts it was supposed to come with.

 

[Jakevr4]

That looks more PCV related than anything else. Doesn't look like there is a catch can/oil air seperator so its just burning all of the blowby, the intercooler can catch a lot of oil and the engine only gets a belly full of it when the throttle is open.

 

[Brendo]

That was another suspicion I had actually.
No catch can or separator. I have rerouted the breathers as per TME instructed, joining the front and rear covers, with only the baffled vent off the rear valve cover going to the intake and the pcv to the intake manifold as standard, unused ports on the intake blocked off.
Oil level still dropped.
I've since (two days ago) routed the rear cover vent and the pcv to a Milo tin (temporary "catch can") to try and prove a point that it's not crank case pressure/blowby or anything else crank case related.
Haven't driven it much or checked it yet but it does still blow smoke, the optimistic part of me says it's residual oil in the intercooler and exhaust, but I have my doubts.

 

[Jakevr4]

There would be plenty of oil left to burn in the 2 metres of piping and intercooler if the breather suspicions are correct haha.
Fingers crossed that's what it is, cheapest option to remedy by far.

 

[Interloper]

wow looking at those pics is depressing this was such an awesome car when intially done.

 

[Brendo]

@Jakevr4, I hope so, cheap easy fixes are nice.
I'm hopeful but expecting it to be something worse/more serious.

@Interloper The pics don't do it justice. I'd already started cleaning it and reassembling it before I took pictures.
When I first saw it, the amount of filth and grot in it was nasty, I didn't want to get in it. It stank and everything I touched felt dirty and slimy.
It took me an hour and a half to get it going on the wharf and the 4 hour drive home was a nervous one with bits falling off or discovering broken/missing bits and blowing the elbow off the throttle body any time I dared go near 3k rpm.
Stopping every now and then to cable tie or tape bits back together.
It was filled with glass, from a window he broke when he lost the key (the main actual issue I was aware of, he later found the key but he didn't put it in the car).
Broken beer bottles and a couple dozen beer bottle caps, rubbish, dirt, hair, and just general grot through it all.
He broke the glove box hinges a few days before pickup (it's cable tied at the moment).
The whole rear bumper is stuffed, the tailgate has the corner bent around and a long dent about 8-10" long just under the number plate.

Nearly all interior bits are scratched, gouged or otherwise damaged.
Driver's seat rocks but I haven't looked at it yet.

I've got a fair bit to do before I could put it in for Tassie Rego.
And find out how I transfer private plates to eventually sell.

 

[mookers]

Welcome to the forum Brendan. Looks like you have quite the job ahead of you

What a shame the car was treated so badly. I hope the person who did that wasn't someone from this forum!

Anyway, here's your welcome template. You may have already discovered a lot of this info:


Unclepaulie's infamous welcome template, version 17.3a

Stuff you need to know:
- Forum rules

Stuff that could save your life:
Do not buy aftermarket suspension parts, especially Lower Control Arms (LCAs)
- This is what happens if you don't replace your control arms
- Recall check using your chassis number

Useful threads:
- INDEX - Look here FIRST
- Guide to Galant & Legnum common problems
- The most important thread on the forum. MUST READ
- Oils and Fluids
- Staged Upgrades
- Legnum/Galant Production Info
- Posting photos, especially in the Classifieds

Posting new threads is restricted by default, for full access become a Premium Member:
- Upgrade to Premium Membership benefits

Please read before selling anything on this site:
- Rules for posting in the classifieds

 

[Albrek]

Well, god damn.

I was the owner previous to the individual that trashed it. I had it when all the work was done by TME, spent a lot of coin and a lot of time trying to get it right, and ended up moving on from the Legnum platform wanting something sportier, and ended up buying a 2017 Mustang GT. I quite regularly miss the SWAGON dearly, it was such a nice car, had some fantastic vibes. It's such a sore point, that I have begun actually accruing cars rather than selling them. If I had my time again I would never have sold this car. I'll tell you a bit about the person I sold it to.

Originally when they test drove the vehicle, they presented really well. They told me about another Mitsubishi they had, a Mitsubishi RVR, one of the models that ran the 4G643T. They seemed passionate about the vehicle, and test drove it carefully, and sounded like they were familiar with various Mitsubishi platforms and that they would be someone that looked after the car. They flew back to QLD after their test drive, and told me they'd be in contact soon to organise buying it.

A month or so passed, and I finally heard from them. They'd had a family emergency of some kind, and would need a month or so to sort that out before flying down to buy the car. As they appeared to be a good buyer, and im quite meticulous with my cars, I was happy to wait, believing it would go to a good home.

A month or so passes, and he gets in touch, indicating he'll fly down and pay for the car. I pick him up in at the airport, and we head to the bank so he can organise a bank cheque to pay for the car. All seems ok, though he does seem far more disshelved than last time I met him. Maybe just a rough flight. He pays, and thats when the conversation started getting a bit weird - The bikies are after him, he's witnessesd a murder, he needs to check the Legnum for listening devices, he's been in and out of some mental health departments, and so on - showing me a box with a little light that allegedly detects tracking devices. No offence to him, mental health issues can be a real tough trot, but at this point it was too late for me to turn back.

Next I hear of him is a third hand story, that he was chasing a replacement mirror, because he'd almost had a head on, clipping the mirror instead, at over 200kmh overtaking someone on a country road. And that he'd performed some kind of back yard mechanic changes to the intake piping. Then think perhaps it was you that called me Brendo when you bought it? It's almost painful going back and hearing about how the car had been trashed by him, inside and out.

Well anyways, why am i here? Actually what led me back now, was getting a number plate for my next car, and am keen to get my hands on the SW44GN plate - it appears its still taken in NSW - is the Legnum back here? any info appreciated.

Also, an update? its been 4 years, I'm hoping she's still together and has been shown the love she deserves.

Cheers

-JP

 

[NSNO_RJB]

i believe its still around but not as you knew it!

if its the car i think it is, i believe Jason has it, and its been reborn as the single turbo legnum thats been killing it at roll racing.
same forged bottom end, billet cams, the full monty thrown into it.
i ended up buying the exhaust manifolds and a few other extras for my high flow twin build.

@J_banger i think is his username.

 

[J_banger]

@Albrek You’ll be happy to know she is in good hands finally.
I purchased the car from Tasmania sight unseen in the hopes it was still in good nick after an unfortunate incident with my previous leggy.

I have completely rewired the engine harness, aftermarket ECU, and big single turbo, she’s making over 400awkw with just shy of 800nm peak torque. And also looks a little different to when you owned her (in a good way I think)

I still need to get around to making a build thread

 

[Albrek]

Glad to see the Legnum appears to be being looked after again! looks like a great build, would be keen to read a build thread on it Do you know what happened with the SW44GN plates by chance? (I've ended up with SW46ON)

 

[J_banger]

Glad to see the Legnum appears to be being looked after again! looks like a great build, would be keen to read a build thread on it Do you know what happened with the SW44GN plates by chance? (I've ended up with SW46ON)

I only had one plate to give back when I got the car registered. So I think they have to hold the combination for X amount of years until they can re release it.

 

[VRFOUR]

@Albrek You’ll be happy to know she is in good hands finally.
I purchased the car from Tasmania sight unseen in the hopes it was still in good nick after an unfortunate incident with my previous leggy.

I have completely rewired the engine harness, aftermarket ECU, and big single turbo, she’s making over 400awkw with just shy of 800nm peak torque. And also looks a little different to when you owned her (in a good way I think)

I still need to get around to making a build thread

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What intake are you running bro? car looks SICK btw bro!