Getting started, recommendations?
 

So I just turned 20 and bought my first car, 1997 Hyundai Tiburon base model 1.8L engine automatic with 140k miles. The car has a few problems here and there that will get fixed over the next month.



The car is all original except for the radio and the previous owners did not man handle the car so the engine and transmission are in decent shape. (as decent as they are going to get from a car almost my age with 140k miles.)



Any way my goal is to make her look nice again, get a decent sound system and most importantly make her move a lot faster then what she currently does. Ill post pictures of her tomorrow on here.



So, what do you guys suggest and where can I find the parts online if you have any good sites :)

If I just got a 97 tib the first thing I would do would be inspect all wearable items and make a list of stuff to replace to make it like new again. Down to the suspension bushing, etc.

Ive changed a few thing on it already, new rediator, new altornator, new gas pump, new gas filter, new battery. I need to replace water pump/lines since its leaking coolant and i need to replace the head gasket, very small oil leak but not mixing water/oil.

Always make sure a car is running properly before doing any modding. That goes for ALL makes and models.



With that being said, you have an auto, so that limits your power upside tremendously. There are DIY's on how to swap to a manual, if you chose to go that route.



I would spend the money on reliability and ride stability before doing anything aftermarket. 140k, isn't super high mileage but it's up there. I would change the trans fluid aswell if you haven't already.

Wow super nice turbocharger, do stock rd tibs handle boost well enough for daily driving?



@SR, yea that's my main focus at the moment but everything it needs is getting done this month. So I'm just trying to plan out what's going to be first and what im even going to do after I'm done making her run smooth again.



And switching it from auto to stick sounds like a crazy amount of work with lots of room for failure for a guy without a shop but I would have definitely gone shift if I had the choice.

I would say get the motor checked out. Does it have decent compression, is the fuel system at 100%, and can you afford to get good supporting mods behind it. The beta itself can take the boost. Strong head gasket and a good crank. The ring islands don't put up with sh*t tuning and will blow out on you pretty quick if stuff starts exploding at the wrong time. Others who have boosted would be a lot more helpful there than me. If you do not want to swap out the trans then you will need some sort of boost to make it quick. The beta doesn't do that great with N/a mods and after throwing a ton of money at N/a a 5spd tib would still stand a great chance at pulling away from you. The auto at least has the edge at being able to load the turbo before launch and not close the throttle on a shift. You would probably want to get a cooler and maybe a torque converter upgrade if you really have some cash laying around. One big item with hyundai autos is do not use anything but the fluid recommended for it. Its not worth the risk to go with anything universal in my opinion, cheap insurance.



If you could manage to find a lower mileage 2.0 beta 1 tib and buy it. Like one that was hit by a dump truck in the rear but all the front end stuff was good. That would probably be the best way to go. You could even move the 1.8 beta stuff the 2.0 beta guys like, cams and ecm are two things that work well in the 2.0 from what I understand. That would probably be the easiest and cheapest way to make it a good second quicker in the 1/4 and much funner to drive. Then you could turn around and sell that auto trans and the 1.8 with 2.0 cams



If you live in an apartment.. scratch that idea.

If it runs, it runs and I wouldn't worry too much about getting the engine checked out. Keep an eye on oil consumption and coolant color to be sure it doesn't lose oil to the wrong locations. A bit of seeping oil isn't too worrisome to me either. I *would* worry about the transmission oil. ONLY use the approved fluid and change it at LEAST as frequently as the shortest interval in the manual. I would strongly recommend an aftermarket oil cooler in place of the stock cooler in the radiator. The stock transmission cooler runs the fluid too hot and it burns in 10-15k miles.



I changed from auto to a standard transmission in my garage with a helper. It's not that bad.

I meant if he wanted to run boost, not just for shitsNgiggles. I still think the best plan is my first post as many boost dreams never actually happen. Looks outside at the silver thing I haven't done much with....

I'm taking all this into consideration, definitely needs a compression ratio check. Not sure if its just me but it feels week. Also just noticed after putting gas the car starts to putter, only after I put gas.



Crap and gunk inside the tank? Clogging fuel injectors?

Do not live in a apartment but yard is way to cramp for another tib. Theres 2 tibs a project 85 stang (shes going to be fun) and a bike hogging space already.



going to see where I can get a compression check for cheep this week.



Also synthetic, should I go for it? I've heard a bunch of different stories about it



@Stocker, how long did it take you? Im only going to have a 2 day window at max to get that done. I go to college and work so that thing never gets over 2 days of rest

I would not boost the auto personally, you always here about tranny issues on a stock motor, let alone one with a power adder. The motor can take it just fine with a GOOD tune.



It feels "weak" to you because it's a 130hp 1.8L with a auto trans



The sputtering after fill up is probably the purge valve sticking open.



If you look in the DIY section there's a step by step swap for the auto->manual conversion.



Or just keep bugging stocker with questions :biggrin:

I honestly think the majority of the auto issues are people dumping the wrong fluid in it. Almost every post where someone showed an auto die it didn't have SP III in it, if they were willing to mention the fluid anyway. I can't find it on a search but there was a really powerful tib running an auto and he seemed to have less trouble out of the trans than the 5 speed guys running boost. A good cooler and the right fluid; it should be able to handle low boost without much trouble assuming its not already damaged.

Yeah, IF. Good luck knowing transmission oil use history, unless you have maintenance records from a Hyundai dealership.



Use Pennzoil Platinum 5W30 synthetic oil in the engine and just trust it. Use an OEM filter from the dealer, because it is a good part. Do NOT use the cheapest FRAM filter, because the head needs more oil than a cheap filter will let through.



It took me a weekend to do the transaxle conversion, but I don't recall if it was a 3-day weekend. I also only had a few hours of help from a couple other guys. If you have a helper willing to put in two longass days, and you both know what you are doing with a set of tools, AND you have ALL the parts and the right tools, you could probably get it done in a 2-day thrashing session. Some of the preparatory stuff you can do beforehand, to preserve your time window for the serious work. Make sure your pressure plate and clutch parts are in good shape. Make the holes for shift cables beforehand and seal with duct tape until you get ready to install shift cables. Remove the plastic intake resonators. Little stuff like that. Study as much as you can and lay out a careful plan of attack before you do the actual work and you might could get it done in a regular weekend.



If you do the conversion, Do yourself a favor and use Redline synthetic gear oil.



As for adding power: An air intake pipe (up to the MAFs), header pipes and exhaust, and you're pretty close to as much power as you can reasonably get without forced induction on this engine. Note that a 2.0L block should bolt right in place of your 1.8, and you can reuse the head from the 1.8 (it already has the slightly-better intake camshaft). These engines respond well to turbocharging and seem fairly reliable up to ~250-300HP without changing any internal parts.

On rebuild #4 I made sure they used Hyundai fluid and it still went boom around the 1st hard corner. Just tossing that out there.





Pretty much what everyone has already said, but I'll toss a few extras out.



If this car has ever seen a northern winter, in fact just for good measure, inspect the suspension. My lower control arms were rusted pretty badly and its never seen real snow or salt. Any OEM parts needed rockauto.com will have them a fraction of dealer price and the support is awesome. Only had one screw up ever and they overnighted the missing bit. Any exposed metal bits that you replace under the car (control arms, tie rods, subframe, etc) make sure you coat with rust inhibitor. This protects it ensuring longevity for a nice reliable ride for years to come. Also invest in good struts or coils, you'll love yourself for it.



DO THE 5 SPEED SWAP. PERIOD

a little bias here, but the auto is crap.



As for http://oi61.tinypic.com/dpcku8.jpg, get yourself a donor motor. I found a beta2 from an elantra a few years ago for $300. Sadly the prices have gone up, but I can still find some of the less popular Kia betas for fairly cheap. This way you have a motor to build while still dding the car. It alleviates a lot of stress I find. Total extra expense for me was the motor and a $25 craigslist engine stand.