'00 Galant GDI

[ph4yl]

Hey everybody,

I'm running a 2.4l '00 Mitsubishi Galant GLS GDI with the 4G64 engine, that holds great emotional value to me.
While having 150 bhp on a naturally aspirated engine is nice if you're in the right RPM range I'd like to have a bit more power on it. Only problem is I'm absolutely clueless when it comes to that sort of thing. I thought adding a turbo might be an easy way to add a bunch of power but after some reading into it that doesn't seem like a good idea.
So the queston is: what would be a good way to start? How much power can I approximately expect out of reasonable mods, it is a 20 year old car that's run a bit over 105,000 km or almost 65,000 miles. What kind of money can I expect to pay? I know pricing can vary greatly between the US (where I expect most of you guys to live from the threads I read so far) and Germany, but since I'm completely new to this sort of thing I'd at least like to know if a mod would be closer to 100 or 10,000 dollars/euro if that makes sense.
Would I be better of sourcing a V6 and going for an engine swap? I've spent quite some time trying to read into it but I just can't find much on a car that had it's prime way before posting about it on forums was really a thing, not to mention that most of post that were around at the time probably don't exist anymore.

At what point, if at all, would a FWD to AWD conversion make sense? I know that's not reasonable anytime soon, but what if in a year or two the car is at 250 bhp? Or 300? Would it make sense then? Can I expect to add a "modern" AWD system or would I be limited to a 20 year old system that can't manage the power nearly as efficiently?

Also while I absolutely love the car and it's features, it is the GLS, so the one with ALL the optional features, some things could probably do with being modernized a bit. But again, I have no clue as to what's possible and or reasonable to do.
For example is it possible to play around with the tech behind regulating the AC, i.e. adding a sensor to the interior and having the AC automatically react based on those readings? Say it's 22C (I'm sorry, but I won't be converting temps for this) outside and the AC is set to 20C or even 22C, I can basically chose between AC, which leads to the car cooling down to probably more like 16C because apparently the car's struggeling to barely cool down the air, or AC off which leads to the interior warming up considerably because the black leather interior will soak up a lot of heat on a sunny day with not enough comparatively cool air being added to actually keep the car at outside temps.

Basically I love this car and I'm absolutely willing to put in quite a bit of money and work into it, probably a lot more than it's actually worth after 20 years, but I'm an IT guy, who's absolutely clueless when it comes to cars and I need some help here.

Thanks in advance for your answers.

 

[obi_waynne]

I'm actually based in the UK and we are literally from all over the world from eastern Europe, Australia, Canada and even from African countries so you're in good company.

The max you can expect on a NASP engine is around 80-90hp per 1000cc so 216 would be possible, with higher compression, a fast road cam and gas flowed and ported head. If you blueprint and balance the engine you could raise the redline as well which gives the upper end of your power.

Just adding a cam and intake/exhaust mods will give you another 30bhp to play with, so not a lot for your money.

How about an engine swap to the 4G63T this will put out quite a bit of power and give a much better potential for other mods even the later 6A12TT or 6A13TT might be an option for you. For the money getting an engine and ECU from the breakers and fitting this makes more sense than modding your existing engine for not a lot more power.

If you wanted a mental project then fitting a mistubishi EVO engine would take power to around 300bhp.

FWD to RWD makes sense around 220bhp where most cars start getting traction issues. With the VR4 out there you practically have a drop in system around, and even though its old it does really well and is pretty solid and reliable.

Our wedding car was a white Mitsubishi Galant VR4 - so they hold a special place in my mind too.

 

[ph4yl]

First of all thank you for the answer, this has given me at least a general idea of what I may want to do.

Oh, so a lot more international than I thought, that's good to know.

Basically if I want room for upgrades an engine swap would be my best bet.

Let's say I wanted to go for the 4G63T, it appears there are lots of variants, how do I know what's right for me? Will they all fit fairly easily? Are there variants I should avoid or ones that I should seek out?
A quick and not very thorough search for this engine says I can expect to pay between 500 and 3.500€ for the engine alone, but then some of them say AWD automatic. I'm assuming that means I'd buy engine and transmission? Or does it actually make a difference for the engine itself if the car is 2WD/AWD and manual/automatic? I could just stick with my current transmission for time being, couln't I? (When I said I know nothing about this sort of thing I meant it as you can probably clearly tell by now^^)

Is there any merit in looking that the 4B11T, the successor to the 4G43T?

Speaking of buying the new engine, how much can I expect to pay for the actual engine swap? It's not gonna be a drop in replacement I'd assume, so it would take some time to make the adjustments neccessary to get the car to run with a different engine, including a lot of wiringm right? Time that has to be paid for, so I'd look at up to 3.500€ for the engine + labor + disposal of my current engine. If I want it done properly I'd be looking at what? 7.000? 10.000? The answer is it depends, isn't it?

Mental project as in figuring out how to make it work, or...? Cause I'm clearly not qualified for that sort of project^^

So depending on the engine swap I may get quite close right away, that's... unexpected, but good to know.

 

[obi_waynne]

Yes a transplant makes so much sense in the long run.

If you want an easy route use whatever VR4 engine came in your model year. So if your is a second generation, stick with second generation engines.

Generally speaking even more recent generation engines should drop in, little changes between each generation but it's not unheard of to have a major platform revamp.

A long engine - engine and transmission and ECU will save time and money in the long run.

Cost is impossible to say as you intimated, there are so many factors involved. Find a small one man company that can offer a good hourly rate and is familiar with Mitsubishi engines, and let them have the project on the back burner over a few weeks.

DO as much research as you can, if possible try to find someone who's already done this and pick their brains and hopefully you'll avoid many pitfalls and problems.

 

[ph4yl]

So my best guess is looking for an engine that already has a (manual) AWD transmission, ideally from the same generation but for the most part more recent engines should be fine too. Makes sense but also means I prolly should save up some more before going for it.

Are there any specifics I need to look out for while looking for an engine? I.e. don't get an engine that's been run more than x km, or try to get one that is mostly stock, or...?

Getting the engine swapped over a few weeks means I shouldn't really go for a mayor mod like that unless I have some sort of backup car...? I mean sure, that makes sense because something can always go wrong, but I kinda can't afford to be without a car since I'm living at the back end of nowhere, so there's that.

Given how little I know about the subject and how limited my options apparently are, would you say I should hold off on going for a major mod like that? For the most part it's not the engine that breaks down first afaik, so driving the car as is until it breaks down before going for an engine swap in hopes that I'll be more prepared by then probably isn't a good plan either, is it?

Man, I'm so lost and clueless with this, I'm sorry for asking what must be the most stupid questions.

 

[obi_waynne]

NO there are no stupid questions, so please ask as many questions as you need, I'm sure there are lots of others out there in the same boat as you especially seeing how many have read this thread, and each new post.

When buying an engine make sure it's been looked after, a full service history is nice but failing that as most engines are detatched from the service history check the oil for sludge, and the exhaust ports for carbon build up and fouling, it will tell you quite a bit about the internal condition of the engine.

A modified or altered engine is a red flag to me, so few people know what they are doing and there are usually hidden problems.

Check there are no obvious oil leaks too and you don't want an engine that has been sitting around for months on end, they can rust up pretty quickly when left without coolant etc...

Talk to a friendly local mechanic about the project and how long it will take and he might even be able to sort out some temporary wheels for you whilst it's off the road.