G'day guys,

I recently purchased a TF Exec Magna 98 model from the melbourne flood affected vehicles auction, so yeh it has been flood damaged as a result. (freshwater)

I bought the car in the intention that it is a repairable writeoff and that having a neck to fix cars, took a chance and bought it. I have to admit I only worked on nissans up until now, CA,SR,RB but never on a mitsubishi. It doesn't look any different I have to say but can someone please tell me why does the plenum go over the 3 spark plugs, dont you guys find that annoying while you are working on it???

I believe the water reached up to the handbrake area, I haven't quite ripped out the entire interior to fully diagnose as yet but I'm pretty sure the ECU would be a complete loss, so I was wondering if any of you guys might have one sitting around.

Next is to check if the water entered into the valves and over the pistons. Would you guys have any pointers on how to flush out the fuel lines? Not the tank itself but the lines, I suppose i could just blow into it and get high on the fumes!!!!

If you guys have interior panels, seats or like to give me pointers I'd be grateful if you can drop me a personal email about it. And YES i'm aware of the search function before you bite my head off. Thanks in advance guys.

Good Luck with the new toy!

If all else fails.. Anything you need, hit up Madmagna (MitsiFix) as he wrecks a few cars every now and then, so keep an eye on that section and give him a bell to see if theres anything you can salvage from one of his toys!

SuFz

If its an unregistered repairable write off, you are in for some fun! Here in SA you need to get it certified that all the electronics (ECU, ABS, airbags, lights etc) are working correctly, so you need to get it working and tested before it can be registered. The road traffic people have a list of people able to do this here in Adelaide, but its worth checking your local reg dept for requirements and obligations on your part to get it back on the road.

PS If its an automatic check for water in the trans fluid.
When you say "freshwater" you mean MUDDY fresh water, don't you? lol Don't want that in a trans!

Fuel lines: Why not clean out the tank and pump, then add fresh petrol and power up the pump to flush the lines?

yeh airbags might be a bit tricky especially if you dont want them to prematurely set off in your face while playing with the wires. And yes all fluid will be flushed from the car and replaced.

haha yeh i meant muddy fresh water!! I was trying to keep optimistic :)

cheers guys, keep em coming

Sounds like you will be busy buying some spare parts...start up a WTB (want to buy) thread for the items you need, and people will respond as they see them...

Good Luck with your little project, and welcome to AMC.

There are 2 sets of leather seats for sale at the moment, one black one beige with door trims, about $900 and $500 at the moment if you want a special interior... Check out the for sale section.

Sets don't get damaged by water, I have washed mine on the back lawn with the garden hose a number of times lol Same for the carpet, but the electrics are another matter.

ECU can be opened up, washed out, rinsed with methylated spirits, dried out and then examined for damage. A trick used on mobile phones and computers that have been soaked. It might still work, it might not . . . . .

I am wrecking a KE Verada at the moment, has everything you need

Dont worry about airbags, they dont just go off for the hell of it, you have to give them power to get them to go off and that is after the shorting tab has been pushed back out of the way

The ECU, you may be surprised as it is high up

The fuel tank, to get water in the fuel system you would be very unlucky as it is a sealed system

The engine agian, if the water went as high as the TB then perhaps, if not then shoudl be fine, the trans same, unles went as high as the dipstick you should be fine also

Getting a VIV is not too bad, depends on what was listed with VicRoads. YOu will need to go to a Mits Dealer and get a print out of any ABS and SRS systems, the moron inspectors here dont accept that the car has check lights and they light up, do a system check and then go off if all is ok. In short, VIV here in Vic you will love it, they think they are gods and will pretty much bend you over and have their way with you and still make oyu come back a few times so the theives can get a few re inspection fees from you lol

the steel wires in the seats will rust if they are exposed to water too much. this can cause rust stains in the fabri. seen it on a number of wrecks

In short, VIV here in Vic you will love it, they think they are gods and will pretty much bend you over and have their way with you and still make oyu come back a few times so the theives can get a few re inspection fees from you lol

So pretty much like the system here in SA then? lol

Tier 2 check, Tier 3 check, then roadworthy, about $600 all up, then plates and rego.

there,s a 98 verada down here(near sale ) going cheap with blown motor, it around the $300 mark. will have everthing you need. and i do not own it.

yeh good old VIV, i had lot of problems when registering a silvia, i won't mention what i did to overcome it. thanks for the tip though. appreciate it guys

Here's some of the things I had to do to my sons freshwater flood damaged TJ S2 wagon to get itgoing in 2008:

Replace airbag control module & obtain a mitsubishi printout confirming correct SRS operation;
Replaced charcoal cannister as the old one was full of muddy water, sticks , leafs etc;
Replaced ECU, BEM, keys with a matched set (supplied with car);
Drain water from exhaust system;
Cleaned MAF sensor;
Replaced air filter;
Engine oil & filter change;
Replaced timing belt as mud & debris caused the belt to slip (approx 6 teeth per cam sprocket) far enough for the engine not to start;
Remove debris from air side of radiator & condenser;
Remove starter motor & check pinion gear is clear of mud / corrosion etc;
Remove grass, sticks & leaf litter from exhaust heat shields & from underneath the main fuse box in the engine bay;
Auto Transmission flush to remove water (auto runs fine);
Replaced the auto selector cable (water entry)
Replace 1 x burnt out power wire under the front passenger seat (supplied power to the aerial & rear window brake light);
Clean wiring harness connection plugs with contact cleaner to remove moisture;
Replaced steering column ( was holding water & the bearings were rusting up);
Replaced front & rear brake discs / pads & flush through brake fluid;
Replaced both front seats due to rust staining of the upholstery from the supports within.

I ran a decent photo diary for the VIV check & didn't have any issues. I did have a donor vehicle on hand so was able to get it all sorted out without too much running around. Would be worth getting a parts list together then spend a few hours at Madmagnas place loading up what you need.

Cheers

finally the weekend has arrived to get down and dirty, magna diver that is a great list you provided-thanks heaps. I noticed you didn't mention your leads, distributor and the alternator in that list. Were these all ok??? The photo diary is very clever mate, i might as well take pics of the work as I'm doing it to show it was done properly.

so far I haven't done much other than remove the back seats and take out the plenum to check if water crept over the valves, i whipped out the air gun and gave it a clean down there. Nothing seemed out of ordinary there so im happy with that, engine and gearbox drained but not flushed. I noticed the gearbox has a filter?? this is new to me!!

You guys have been great, thank you

Oops,
forgot to mention I changed the dizzy due to moisture ingress/corrosion. It still worked & ran the engine OK but the internals were corroding & I figured the coil pack would fail further down the track. I swapped out the leads & dizzy cap a few months later after it was registered. I gave the alternator a cleanout & it was OK as were ithe drive belt idler pulleys. The AC compressor clutch faces needed a cleanup to remove surface rust but the compressor & clutch are still working OK.
If you go to the VIC roads website & look up the info on a VIV's check they ask for a photo diary & receipts etc to be made available when the vehicle is inspected.

Cheers

Well after days and days of airing out the car, blowing out all the internals with an air gun, checking most of the connections and using some of that wd-40 goodness.....SUCCESS, she started and roared into life. I wanted to have a crack at it before I put the interior back together, i didn't even put the dashboard on. I turned her over and she hesitated for a while and then voila she kicked in. It didn't want to idle at first so I stayed on the throttle for a bit and then she started idling by herself thereafter.

However although I like to think that was a success, unfortunately there are problems, so far:

Sh!tloads of noise from the engine you can hear it from down the street, pulleys, belts, timing belt or lifters definately requires a change or clean (might as well because I didn't change or cleaned any of them)
Indicators aren't working (not sure if thats because I didn't put the dashboard back on, because the key remote does lock the doors and the indicators flash while doing it or it might be something else I haven't referred back to the repair manual for the wiring)
THE BOOT won't open....god dammit....I haven't quite looked into yet as I was working on the engine entirely. Mainly because I can't pull out the backseats (upper part) to crawl into the back, how the hell do you remove it????is there bolts?? does it slide up and down???
Electric windows won't operate (again not sure if related to dashboard internals)
Horn sounds...well bit weird, not sure if they give pass on it.
I'm worried about the gearbox a bit, it might require a few flushes.
I suspect the radiator fans are not coming on, couldn't diagnose fully just yet.
The rubbers for the doors are not in good condition at all, then again thats pretty much the entire interior.

Few hiccups along the way: I broke the driver side kick panel, I broke the stick for the shifter after you remove the rubber handle of it....i know im an idiot. I was pretty much throwing myself around inside the car.

Suprisingly there was hardly any debris build up which made life much easier, I'll keep you guys updated.

Hey guys,

What's the easiest way to tell whether or not the magna came equipped with an airbag or not. I did not locate a SRS ecu or a yellow loom and the airbag modules are not there.

However the mitsubishi dealer is insisting that it should be on there. Is this true? I really doubt the previous owner purposely removed it from the car. I'm quite confused as to what VicRoads would make out of this when i take it in for the VIV.

I did a bit of a search on the site and I have seen a few comments that said that it was an optional package when you bought the car. How do I actually prove that?

If its an optional extra then it will be recorded on the VIN plate as an option, easy way to check. What option codes does it show? Someone here will be able to translate them into English for you. Are airbags physically present on the steering wheel or on the panel above the glove box? Photos of those would help greatly. Does it have an SRS light on the instrument cluster that lights up? (When the dash is back in of course.)
VIV will check that the SRS light comes on (if it has one) when you turn on the ignition, and goes off after a few seconds. Same for ABS light.

As to the indicators not working, I think you need to have the hazard switch in circuit for them to work.

Back seat upright has 3 bolts down the bottom (normally hidden by the seat base), then it lifts up off some hooks along the top.

Might be an idea - down the track - to take the car to a Mitsu dealer and get the error codes printed out (or a letter saying they tested it and it is ok) to show VIV everything is ok. Photo diary is an excellent idea too.

If its an optional extra then it will be recorded on the VIN plate as an option, easy way to check. What option codes does it show? Someone here will be able to translate them into English for you. Are airbags physically present on the steering wheel or on the panel above the glove box? Photos of those would help greatly. Does it have an SRS light on the instrument cluster that lights up? (When the dash is back in of course.)
VIV will check that the SRS light comes on (if it has one) when you turn on the ignition, and goes off after a few seconds. Same for ABS light.

As to the indicators not working, I think you need to have the hazard switch in circuit for them to work.

Back seat upright has 3 bolts down the bottom (normally hidden by the seat base), then it lifts up off some hooks along the top.

Might be an idea - down the track - to take the car to a Mitsu dealer and get the error codes printed out (or a letter saying they tested it and it is ok) to show VIV everything is ok. Photo diary is an excellent idea too.

Sorry but this again is wrong, VIV will require a printed report from a dealer stating that any installed safety system are working

The TE Exec did not have airbags and AFAIK were not even optioned with them, I believe the first exec range to have the option was the TF. Either way if the bag is not there, the control unit under the ecu is not there and there is not a yellow wire running down the rhs center dash support, it is not there and your dealer is an idiot

Sorry but this again is wrong, VIV will require a printed report from a dealer stating that any installed safety system are working



Yeah, that's what I meant. It would include the ABS as well. Or in this case, only the ABS. Anything else that needs to be documented by a dealer?

hey mate, the problem with your indicators is a random one, if you have the hazzard switch disconected from its cord they wont work. i found that one out the long way..

Thanks guys, you have no idea how helpful you have been,

I have fixed the indicator problem and I felt quite silly afterwards as well...didn't realise how simple it was.
Back seat is out as well, I was being a bit of a girl (excuse the stereotype) and didn't yank on it hard enough to remove.

Now as for the SRS system, I'm quite confused, I've taken some pictures and I'm quite certain there is no evidence of any module or ecu in this car. The repair manual states that the srs ecu should be below the Engine ECU and the module should be either in the passenger side or the drivers side and from the photos I think you can agree there is nothing there. I might be overanalysing this but I don't want the dealer to start installing things that wasn't meant to be. What do you guys think?

http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss94/sevy351/DSC00068.jpg
http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss94/sevy351/DSC00069.jpg
http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss94/sevy351/DSC00070.jpg

Most definately a non srs model

Are you sure however is an exec, I think you will find is a TE Advance from memory due to the cruise and the provision in the dash (where second glove box is) for airbag

no actually i'm not sure at all, the auctioneers said it was a TF and all I know is that its a 98 model. perhaps I might have been using the term loosely. sorry for the confusion if I got it wrong

No SRS is good, that's one less thing to get working right. lol

Quick update fellaz,

The car is officially on the road, it passed VIV and roadworthy with flying cars. Had a minor hiccup with the electrical inspection side of things, they still wanted the SRS report to be signed off by the manufacturer but I kept arguing it wasn't fitted with it. I took it to Mitsubishi and they said we will just write that the vehicle wasn't equipped with it but they refused to sign the report. So i took it back to the VIV and they said yeh ok!!, so yes they certainly didn't make it easy and gave me the run around a bit. That was about it though. Vicroads didn't say much other than check the paperwork, slapped the plates on and off I went.

Since then the idle air controller gave up but that was quite an easy fix.

The car runs like a dream with no problems.

Thanks for all your advice.

I still don't know what kind of a TF it is though, the VIN has a TF in it so I'm pretty sure it is that, but yeh not that I care about it anymore lol

Quick update fellaz,

The car is officially on the road, it passed VIV and roadworthy with flying cars. Had a minor hiccup with the electrical inspection side of things, they still wanted the SRS report to be signed off by the manufacturer but I kept arguing it wasn't fitted with it. I took it to Mitsubishi and they said we will just write that the vehicle wasn't equipped with it but they refused to sign the report. So i took it back to the VIV and they said yeh ok!!, so yes they certainly didn't make it easy and gave me the run around a bit. That was about it though. Vicroads didn't say much other than check the paperwork, slapped the plates on and off I went.

Since then the idle air controller gave up but that was quite an easy fix.

The car runs like a dream with no problems.

Thanks for all your advice.

I still don't know what kind of a TF it is though, the VIN has a TF in it so I'm pretty sure it is that, but yeh not that I care about it anymore lol

Having had my TJ flood up to the door sills twice in the past couple of years I want to offer you some advice:

-Even though the car may seem dry...even if you ripped the carpets out and dried everything out, there will still be some residual moisture around. Go to the Reject Shop or a supermarket and buy one of those moisture collecting plastic boxes. The Reject Shop ones are the cheapest and just as good as the ones in the supermarkets. These thingames are filled with a type of silica that attracts humidity like a magnet. I still have one in my car at the moment and it has collected a cm of water at the base of the holding container.

This is the sort of thing I mean: http://www.oxy.co.kr/eng/product/hama/ha_sub01.asp

-Keep an eye on your brake light switch. When water gets in these things they can short out intermittently and cause erratic brake light function. If you don't want to buy a newie, just p[op the unit out, take it apart and spray it with some stuff called "Contact cleaner", which you can buy at Jaycar or Dickie Smith's. Then just put it back and it should be fine.

-Good luck with the car...Magnas are just magic cars and the most underrated cars (by the general public and some motoring writers) on the road.

thanks mate, I never thought about that moisture issue, I will go look for one cheers.