NJDSM Tech Articles

Members local FAQs - Info NJDSM members have discovered.

Please send updates to johe@umdnj.edu

Rene's Clutch Adjustment FAQ (master cylinder rod)

Tommy's Tools - 1G DSM ECU Code Reader

Ever wonder why people make the craziest complex contraptions to do the easiest things? Well, this ECU code reader does the job, just as long as you have the cheat sheet to read the blinks to understand what they all mean. The cheat sheets can be obtained from www.vfaq.com. You can get all of these parts are Radio Shack or any other electronics parts house. By the way,this also reads auto-tranny codes. If there is a need for tranny codes, I can post the cheat sheets for them. Note: This may not look aesthetically pleasing, but hey, it works. Warning: Although it works fine for me, perform this at your own risk. I cannot be held accountable if you blow your car up.

Parts required:

One red test lead with alligator clips, about 12 inches long

One black or green test lead with alligator clips, about 12 inches long

One resistor, 470 ohms, 1/8 watt

One LED (light emitting diode)

Electrical tape

Note: The resistor chosen limits the current going through the LED to about 10 milliamps. The back of the LED package will list how much current it can handle. To get the right resistance, compute 5/current in amps. Remember that one milliamp is 0.001 amps. 470 ohms is a standard size resistor. Having no resistance will blow up either the LED or the ECU. Having a high resistance will make it difficult to see the light. Double check this current resistor value before you build this.

Instructions:

   1.Gather the parts.
   2.Connect the one of the red test lead clips to the 470 ohm resistor.
   3.Connect the other end of the resistor to the anode of the LED (usually the anode has the longer lead, but refer to the back of the package of the LED for details).
   4.Connect the cathode of the LED to the black or green test lead clip.
   5.Wrap all of the connections with electrical tape. Make sure there are no exposed connections by the resistor/LED section!!!!! A short here can spell disaster.
   6.Did I mention to make sure there aren't any exposed connections?

<-(clip)------red test lead--------------------(clip)--\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/-----------(to anode of LED)

<-(clip)------green or black test lead--------------------------(clip)--(to cathode of LED)

Usage:

   1.Connect the black lead to some unpainted metal on your DSM. I found that near the brake pedal, there is something to clip onto.
   2.Connect the red lead to the diagnostic plug.   The pin located at the top left is the one you want to clip to. For the AT guys, the pin at the top right is for the AT computer.
   3.Turn the ignition on and read your codes. The long durations is the 10's place. The short durations are the 1's place. For example, long-long-long-short is a code 31; long-short-short-short is a code 13.
   4.If you don't get any pulses of light, try swapping the black and red leads on the car.

If you have questions or comments, please mail me.

Rene's 2G Front Brake Shim Info

Well, I have read several posts in the digest regarding squeaking on the big AWD brakes. I had the same problem with my 2G, even after ordering and installing anti-squeal shims and anti vibration clips. The brakes chirped every time brake force was applied at medium or low speeds, regardless of pad type. The brakes gripped wonderfully compared to my previous GST brakes, but the noise was really annoying me.

After looking at some 1G DSMs in Jeff Hill's lot, I discovered the 2G Eclipses have only ONE shim instead of 4 like the 1Gs. I have a comparison picture:

Note the sole 2G shim is rubberized black and is intended for the outside pad.The 1G outside shims are steel and the INSIDE inner and outer shims are rubberized (meaning that the 1G outside outer shim is the exact shape and size of the 2G shim, but it is not rubberized black). If you look at the above picture, you will see both shim sets fit on the same size pad, so they are interchangeable. The listed order number for the 2Gs is MR389651. This consists of 2 shims, while the 1G set consists of 8. The 1G order number is MR389652, but your dealer will tell you they are not compatible and are intended for the 93-94 model year. My suggestion would be that you use the 1G shims on your 2G, as all squeaking has ceased on my car since I installed them (without ANY grease may I add).

I wish I knew why Mitsu stopped using this shim set...