SharpGuy11

Just bought a 2005 Accent 3 door with 77K miles. 5 speed stick and all stock.

I really like the car and it has a lot of get up.

What are some minor modifications that I could do for low money that will increase the performance / MPG of the car?

I was thinking of a K&N air filter, but have heard that its not worth it.

Mechanic that checked the car over suggested to use platium plugs.

What oil do you recommend?

What issues have come up with this car in the past? engine, tranny, clutch, CV boot, break problems??



Also, I know of a site to get the manual, but I can never login. Anyone know where I can get a manual so I know what fluids to put into it.



Thanks in advance.

no_name

I've heard from people on the forum that intake + exhaust has actually improved performance and MPG on these cars, but I can't verify it. There's cheaper setups than K&N on ebay. Apparently there's an intake a 99 non-turbo Eclipse that works.



The only thing I've had go wrong on my 05 was the water pump had to be replaced at about 50k miles (actually really bad, I know, but that's it).



I recommend getting polyurethane bushings (particularly on the sway bars) since they're cheap and the difference was noticeable.



I find the brakes spongy but effective, and the lack of feedback is annoying considering it doesn't have ABS. I'm sure steel brake lines and DOT 4 would fix that if I ever get around to it.



Other than that, I run Royal Purple oil, 5w30 (completely unnecessary but I like it).



But it's a great car. I take it to auto cross, snow cross, and it's already been to one track school and is about to see another. I push it way beyond it's limits on a regular basis and it's quite content to do so.

187sks

A short ram intake and new exhaust including the header to the exhaust tip got me about 4mpg vs. stock.



As stated the cold air intake from a 99 Eclipse non-turbo will fit, and are cheap on ebay. I would replace the filter with something better than what comes with the Ebay kit though. I use a K&N, others use AMSOIL or AEM filters and like them.



It is common to have a rough 1-2 shift. If you do, switch to Redline MT-90 trans oil. If you don't have the rough shift, switching to MT-90 at the next service is a good idea.



If the timing belt has not been replaced, it should be. I had mine snap and ended up replacing the engine because I bent valves.



Don't switch to platinum plugs. Run the cheap NGK plugs.



You can get the factory service manual off of ebay if you get lucky.

zero_gravity

first note: generally performance mods will NOT increase your fuel economy, they will drop it. this is because mods increase the volumetric efficiency (more power for the same displacement) but do nothing for thermal efficiency (how much heat energy is converted into mechanical energy). the idea is more air in so more fuel is added making more power. nothing is free. when you see claims of some mod increasing fuel economy, its usually one of two things: 1. fuel usage was not tracked properly or for long enough to really know what is going on or 2. very rare cases where the design of the part replaced (intake, muffler) was just a terrible piss poor design. #2 doesn't happen too often, the designers want these cars to have the best fuel economy possible. simple stuff like that doesn't often get overlooked.



mods:

- platinum plugs won't do jack all. in fact, it can make the engine run rougher since its not designed for platinums. shouldn't toss them into any engine and expect good results. also, once the fuel is ignited what more do you want? the idea of 'burning the fuel more completely' is a crock. if its lit, its going to burn unless your mixture is off.



- K&N is a good idea for a little more power, most recommend a short ram intake. you will want to replace the intake from the throttle body down for any results weather you buy one or build one yourself. if you build one, do NOT use PVC piping as the chlorine is leeched out under higher heat and becomes corrosive to the engine internals. do note that other than it being reusable an OEM replacement K&N (replacing filter only) will do nothing. the differential pressure between one of those and a regular paper filter is so close to the same it might as well be. its the reduction of piping restrictions and much higher surface area of the cone filter that does the job.



- exhaust, can get expensive but will help. just don't go too big, 2.25" seems to be the sweet spot for these cars. too large will reduce exhaust gas velocity and reduce the valve scavenging. this can actually cause a reduction in power.



- as mentioned, switching to a synthetic gear oil in the trans IS worth it! however, i would NOT recommend Amsoil. i'm pretty sure it trashed my transmission! the MT-90 seems to be well liked. also your car requires a GL-4 oil. if anyone tells you that GL-5 supersedes GL-4 walk away. they are wrong, it is a different oil.



- suspension mods can be fun. even strut tower bars are a good idea, and not that expensive.



- for the exhaust, there are headers available but they require removing the upper oxygen sensor. can be illegal depending on where you live and your emissions laws. since you put down CA, guessing that is true.



- beyond this mods start getting expensive....up to you what you want to get into. honestly at that point i'd do a beta swap and turbo it.



sh*t that breaks:



- for the most part these cars are very reliable, but there are a few issues to contend with.



- clutch bearings wear out prematurely. its an ass of a job and if let go long enough can cause damage to the pressure plate. that means new clutch. you'll hear some chirping while your foot is off the clutch and then it will immediately stop by pressing the clutch pedal even slightly. i'll be doing my 3rd one in the space of 4 years this fall...



- as mentioned, i did kill my transmission. its seems to be very rare, wouldn't worry about that. i got boned



- EVAP system is crap. gives troubles from engine lights to misfires and even stalling sometimes. can be an ass to diagnose as well.



- i have noticed that the EFI relay can become faulty sometimes, run into that more than once but not overly common. causes engine to not want to start in cold/damp weather. turns over just fine, but will not catch at first. easy fix there.



- rust is common in back wheel wells and bottom edge of doors. i've got some good rot going myself.

187sks

I had about 70k miles of mod free fuel economy to compare to the 110k miles post mods. And I tracked it pretty closely. I went from 36-37mpg highway to 39-42mpg on highway trips.

SharpGuy11

Zero_gravity

This is the kind of info I have been looking for. thanks.

I also hear that the water pump goes out. Best to do the timing belt at the same time. or water pump when doing the timing belt because you have to go thru the timing belt to get to it. Is the water pump something anyone can do with some wrenches and a few hours?



On the air intake. Smog is an issue here in SoCal, so I really don't want the CAI/WAI to have to put all the OEM airbox back on just to get it smogged. I understand about the K&N OEM filter. Had the same problem with my truck. Higher flow filter, still have the restriction of the OEM air box.

I fixed this by drilling holes in the bottom (pre filter side) of the airbox so the air can come from either the stock tubing or thru the holes. It made a difference and sounded great.

My thought with the Higher flow filter is: If it allows less restriction and the engine does not need to work as hard to get the air, plus added added air to fuel mixture will increase the HP. I understand I am not changing the engine. But reducing the restrictions.

If I use 50% pedal to go 70 mph in 5th with stock filter and K&N with air box mod's creates 2HP gain then,

49% pedal to go 70 mph.. this may be nothing, but we all know if we back off on the gas pedal, we save gas, we just don't get there as quick.

SharpGuy11

No_name,

Nice car, looks like fun.

Is your racing through SCCA or another organization.



How much are the strut bars and where can I find them?



Also, what fog lights can I put in the front air dam that will fit in the stock holes?

Anything that is not OEM that will fit?

187sks

You can get OEM fogs, or I can measure my OEM fogs and tell you what size they are.



You can find strut bars in several places. I'm working on Nameless Performance to make a set for me (much better than any other bars available for the Accent) and if they do they will become production pieces.



I would just get a K&N panel filter and call it a day. Or move out of California to somewhere that they don't try to ruin your automotive life.

zero_gravity

i won't say that a fuel economy increase isn't possible....it is. its just not very much (as with yours) and it is very rare. driving habits make far more difference, stuff like that. fuel economy is so damn fickle. more a general rule of thumb don't expect any increase. if you get it, be happy!



sharpguy - not sure about the water pump going out being an issue, i have not heard anything about that. however, timing belt should be done before 200,000kms regardless and you want to replace the pump while you do the job. timing belt needs to come out to do that, so why wouldn't you? kinda silly to try to skimp on a few dollars there when the consequences are overheating the engine.



i have done a couple timing belts and when i do the job i order the timing belt kit which comes with tensioner and idler pullies as well as the belt and i also do the water pump. my accent and a friend's were done around the 180,000km range (maybe little less) and i did find some signs of wear on those pullies and the water pump bearing. they weren't going to fail, but if let go would have sooner that the life of the car. i think best way is to do all this at once and leave nothing to question. look at it this way, if you do the pump with the timing belt the chance of water pump failure is pretty close to nothing.