Road Trip Adelaide 2016

[Lancer1993]

Did that with a M21 (CC coupe from Proton) and know how hard it is, on that we had to removed the whole tank to get it out. Can you get it out in the CJ without tanking the tank out?

While out visiting rellies dropped by the Mitsy HQ in Clovelly Park, stopping in the employee lot for a few minutes to take some photos.

[himynameisdaniel]

there is a access hatch under the rear seat. the entire pump+filter+gauge etc all in one assembly creates a seal on that hatch.

i should do a write up guide as im not sure if there is one on here with pictures.
ah some other time perhaps.

[Lancer1993]

Good to know.

Okay nothing major but I noticed the power steering fluid is down a little, just above the low line. It was down a bit before we left and have been keeping an eye on it.

Should I get a Mitsy dealer to top it up? Yes I know I could just get the fluid and DIY, but thought it might be easier?

If I do DIY which fluid does it need, I know brakes use different DOT depending on the car, whats the best brand to use for the PS?

[himynameisdaniel]

go to a mitsu parts department and get the power steering fluid should be red in color. Just top it up.

you can supposedly use ATF DEXRON III or II but the service manual then says not to use ATF III somewhere else. go figure.

it is supposed to be a sealed & self bleeding system.

For proper fluid check according to the service manual.

1.Park the vehicle on a level surface. Start the engine, and turn the steering wheel several times with the vehicle stationary to increase the fluid temperature to 50 to 60°C.
2.With the engine running, turn the steering wheel fully in both directions several times.
3.Check that no bubbles or milky conditions are found in the oil reservoir.
4.Check that the fluid level is changed when the engine is stopped. When the fluid level difference between two conditions (engine running and engine stopped) is 5 mm or more, bleed the power steering system.

[Lancer1993]

Thanks for the info, I'll try an organize something in then next few day as we are leaving Thursday early.

[burfadel]

Never thought of looking it up since the newer 2.0 L engines have electric assisted power steering not hydraulic. I would imagine buying the Mitsubishi genuine stuff just means you are paying a lot more for what is essentially Dextron III.

You could use the Nulon Multi Vehicle power steering fluid, it is fully synthetic, easy to buy, can be used as a top up, and recommended for the car:
http://www.nulon.com.au/products/Power_ ... ring_Fluid

[Lancer1993]

Thanks, I'll check it out at SCA tomorrow. Might call Mitsy first, maybe I should have knocked on their HQ doors the other day for help LOL

[Lancer1993]

So decided to get a dealer to check it out and it cost $0, they topped up the PS fluid, had a look around and just said to keep an eye on it.

Hate to this but could this be a sign of power steering issues? I've heard of some CJs needing new pumps after just a few years.

BTW had the dash cam on while the guys did the check, in the workshop. About 3 of them checked of the yellow bits under the bonnet LOL. I'll post a video when I can, might need to be when we get back in a week or so.

[Lancer1993]

So things I'd change for future road trips interstate...

Noise Reduction - The CJ is just too noisy on most country roads at HWY speeds, now I know my parents are old and hard of hearing but you just about need a rally comms system to talk to each other.

Better Ride - Don't get me wrong on most roads its great and the handling is near perfect for a VRX with 18" rims but on some roads the car is 'jittery' on stock suspension, not sure if anything can be done short of 16" rims on higher profile rubber.

Head Unit - Better head unit with touch screen, rev camera and built in GPS just so it's a better experience.

That's about it, mostly the ride and noise, any advice on what could be done for the next trip in the CJ?

[aspir3]

Adding some dynonmat and a good set of freeway tyres will help with the road noise.
Try finding a secondhand mmcs. Satellite navigation is always handy in a strange town and you can add the reverse camera. Fit it as per my custom location, not on the boot lid.

[burfadel]

Some cars are pretty bad for road noise. The Lancers' pretty much have no noise insulation for the wheel cavity, apart from what little the wheel arch stone shield (the thing that people still think is part of the metal wheel arch) provides. Dynomatting can be fairly expensive if doing the vehicle, and other noise deadeners don't necessary work too well on that kind of noise. I've been contemplating buying a tub of Septone Body Deadener and taking the linings off and painting the inside of the arches, although I haven't taken the linings off to see what's underneath yet. I guess if you had a free day you could paint them on part of your road trip!

Apparently this has worked wonders for some people, and others that say it doesn't do anything or much at all. They are usually the people who haven't done it. The main issues people have is that it can be messy, or those that have used a similar product and painted their boot floor and not letting it dry in the open (so smells a bit tar like in the cabin for a while). Since the application is outside the car it should be okay. I don't know what benefit painting the inside of the wheel arch lining cover would make. I guess it would add a little bit of benefit, at worst I guess it would just make it a little stronger.

I'm also not sure on how much you need for 4 arches. I believe 1 litre (small tin) isn't enough, but with the 4 litre tin you'll have plenty left over. The stuff can be layered so that really isn't an issue. You can then always paint the boot floor when you have the opportunity for it to dry or when you get home. The other alternative is to buy the spray can version, but apparently that doesn't work as well. You also pretty much have to shake the tin till your arm hurts, ideally after warming it in hot water. Then, you pretty much have to use a can per wheel arch.

The lack of noise insulation saves them a little money in manufacturer and a little weight on the final car, but the extra few kilograms of using a tin is well worth it I think. If you want further insulation then you can use dynomatt, but keep in mind that is more expensive, and you can't really use it on the front wheel arches. It's suited more for sound installations to stop resonance in panels, so in effect is a product targetting something different. The body deadener is resonance stopper and noise blocker, the dynomatt is just a resonance stopper. This is why you will read in forums people saying you don't need to cover the whole panel, covering part of the panel works to stop the resonance. The noise blocking is a nice side effect of it, but like I said you can't really apply it to stop front wheel noise, and even rear wheel noise you can only stop it in certain places. The Septone Body Deadener can cover all interface areas between the inside and outside of the car from the wheel arch. It's also hidden under the wheel arch lining so no problem there. Just don't be like some people who apparently painted the wheel arch lining and not the actual car body beneath it, and wonder why it didn't work a well as expected.

All that road noise you currently have must make for a tiring ride. The other thing you mentioned could be helped by new bushes when you get home, but you would have to target the right ones (if any at all help). Probably Superpro bushes for some things, really only want harder ones like nolathane on sway bar bushes etc., but I'd stilll go for the Superpro ones for those. Most of that jitterness is likely due to tire profile and pressure, different dampeners (shock absorbers) could possibly help to some extent. If you do the bushes and it doesn't help the jitterness, it still isn't a loss since polyurethane bushes generally provide better handling. The downside is if the bushes are too hard (like nolathane are hard) it will improve handling but also make the ride a little harsher. That's why I suggested softer Superpro bushes.

[Lancer1993]

Yeah I know there is always a compromise between handling and comfort when it comes to making a car, add a few kg's and hurt the fuel economy and performance.

Speaking of... my fuel usage went down when we hit VIC with a 100 kay limit, and the other day as a test we went trough road works 40 kay limit, left it in 5th. Pressed the CC reset, it was a little sluggish but got us back up to 110 with no issues from about 1500 rpm. Still better to drop back to 4th or 3rd though.

[burfadel]

Here's the Superpro list for CJ Lancers (non-evo):
http://www.superpro.com.au/find/superpr ... 01400/vid-

Same bush front and back apparently. Installation difficulty is rated as 1/5 (meaning easy), with a 0.75 hour (45 min) fitment time. So I guess 1.5 hours all up?

[Lancer1993]

So yesterday did the Great Ocean Road, which was pretty good, only bad was a rough section west of Apollo Bay, one bridge with a rut before it (road sunk) which felt like the wheels would fall off when I hit it at only 60 kay. But all is good, FIY the pressures have stayed pretty good, checked them again today and set them back to 35psi.

On a good note we were going towards Melbourne in the morning so all the buses were heading the other way, not one bus of caravan slowed us in the twisty stuff so a VERY nice mornings drive. But explain this why did we get the best fuel econ on that leg of the trip with 3-4th gears and constant speed changes? Just below 8lt per 100km.

Today we blasted up the Hume to Albury, nice change of pace, stopped in a Winton for a short look, joked about going around the track.

Tomorrow we heard to the NSW coast.

[Lancer1993]

Bathurst today!

Started out bad, wanted to travel to coast up from Wollongong but the sea bridge was closed for repairs, so did a U turn and went up the Bulli pass, only to be slowed by a caravan. Decided to just head to the Blue Mountains and Bathurst. Not a bad drive apart from the road works on the other side and the mother of a pothole I hit at 100 kays, could not see it because of the shadows on the road, but no apparent damage, lucky. I'll post videos when I get home, been saving my dashcam footage all trip!

The track was good, not seen it in over 20 years, nice drive apart from an idiot in a 4x4 ute passing others doing over the 60 kay limit!

On the last leg, 2 days left to get home, total will be more than 6000 kays in 19 days. Cars is a mess and will need a good bath and service when we get home.