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What do you want to know?
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| Where can I get a replacement key? |
| For replacements try a 'Silca' blank (widespread availability); the ref. is 'MIT11R'. Also look for a blank with MT11 CEA on one side and possibly Mitsubishi on the other. |
| What battery should I use |
Halfords - HB015 (1.6 Galant and Colt Mirage) - Bigger terminals than standard FTO so you'd have to change
If you don't want to change your terminals, you can try a Halfords HB054 - Although this battery is thinner than the battery tray, it goes straight in with no problems. Be aware, however to double check when you fit it - the terminals may be the other way around from your Japanese battery. |
| Where can I get aluminium pedals from? |
Demon tweeks
Ralliart has Mitsubishi Auto Ones for sale but expensive
You can also get them from www.funkyproduct.co.uk |
| What 3rd party warranties are available? |
| Motor Warranty Direct |
| How can I convert my speedometer to MPH from KPH? |
Actual mileage = (current reading-20000) + 20000/1.6 (if you do a reset)
Possible methods:
- New Stick face
- Convert Electronically
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| What do the different colour wires do? |
These colours are as checked on '95 GPX. Double check power connections whenever possible with a multimeter. ISO harness adaptor is £7.95 inc VAT & carriage from Niche (01285-860865) PERMANENT 12 VOLTS RED/BLACK
ACCESSORY 12 VOLTS BLUE
ILLUMINATION GREEN/WHITE
EARTH 6mm NUT
ANTENNA TRIGGER PINK TO POWER UP THE REAR SCREEN ANTENNA
R/L+ SPEAKER YELLOW/BLUE
R/L- SPEAKER GREY/BLUE
R/R+ SPEAKER YELLOW/RED
R/R- SPEAKER GREY/RED
F/R+ SPEAKER WHITE/RED
F/R- SPEAKER BLACK/RED
F/L+ SPEAKER WHITE/BLUE
F/L- SPEAKER BLACK/BLUE |
| What do I need to do for the SVA? |
| You would need to change the normal things i.e.. Fuel filler, convert from kph to mph, and add a rear fog light with a controlling switch that lights up when on. So, officially, you DO need to have front indicators added, in order to pass the SVA. Some test centres are more lenient than others, though, and will pass the car. Some conversions involve adding temporary indicators, that are removed after the SVA test has been performed. During the test they have to put on some indicators. The standard front indicators are "disabled" and you get wires sticking out of the light housing (hence why you get fogged up bottom lights due to the seal being broken during this part). The new indicators are then stuck onto the front of the car in the legal position. Then you get your SVA test certificate. Then you take them off. Side lights / cluster must be visible from 45 degree angle from the opposite site of the car. |
| What do I need to do with my fog lights? |
| There are two types of "Fog Lamps" Externally they appear identical. If you remove units from spoiler and look at the back the "Fog Lamps" have a 60 watt bulb in addition to side light and indicator. The front lens and reflector appear to be the same but on the "non fog lamps" the rear moulding does not have provision for the large bulb and the side lamp is more central. Front lights are fog lights if they can be turned on independently of the main lights, they are driving lights if can only come on with full beam. Illumination Switch is 12V lamp used in stereo units - stock item in CPC catalogue. The CPC Part No. is SC00339 Type T1, 3mm which is a 12 Volt, 0.06 Amp, 0.72 Watts, 1.88 Lumens. One thing to remember is that CPC is trade only to my knowledge but you will have to confirm with CPC on Tel. 01772 654455 |
| What air filters can I fit to my car |
| See our Air filter review here |
| How do I change my air filter |
| To change the filter, remove the airbox outlet pipe and then the airbox itself. Slacken the jubilee clip around the pipe from the airbox and pull it free. Then spring the clips holding the lid of the air box on, take out the filter element and remove the two screws at the bottom. If there are any more securing screws remove them too. The box base should lift out with no problems. The filter is fitted directly onto the end of the pipe that connects the filter to the manifold with the jubilee clip. It completely replaces the original airbox. |
| What does an air filter look like |
| The standard airbox is black with 4 metal clips on the sides. To open, remove the 4 metal clips holding it together and remove top. What's inside? If it's a white (or grey!) folded paper element in a black frame then odds on that's the standard filter. Alternatively you may find a HKS (or similar) honeycomb/foam panel filter - especially if someone's already forked out on a Ralliart muffler/system |
| Who makes MIVEC controllers |
Data Systems Model MVC85X
RSpec - MIVEC Data Systems Model MVC86X
RSpec - MIVEC Ducatro |
| What do I need to do to run my car in |
| Drive at less than 3000 RPM for first 600 miles then change running in oil Limited to about 6000rpm when engine is cold |
| The car judders under heavy braking, what might the problem be |
| Warping will show up under heavy braking as judder. To warp your discs, brake heavily and keep your foot on the brake. You'll get differential cooling of the disc and the disc under the pad |
| I want to uprate my brakes, where can I get uprated discs and pads |
| Camskill Motorsport on 01946-694794 Made by EBC Fronts are Kevlar or Road Sport pads, Rears Kevlar only Black Diamond 15" discs for GPX / GPvR |
| I need to get my tracking adjusted, what are the settings |
For 94 -96 MITSUBISHI FTO DE2A, DE3A FRONT MIN PREF MAX
Caster left 2°20' 2°50' 3°20'
Caster Right 2°20' 2°50' 3°20'
Camber left -0°30' 0°00' 0°30'
Camber right -0°30' 0°00' 0°30'
Total toe -0°17' 0°00' 0°17'
SAI 14°06'
REAR
Camber left -1°30' -1°00' -0°30'
Camber right -1°30' -1°00' -0°30'
Total toe 0°05' 0°17' 0°17'
Also, check out the Technical information page under Suspension |
| I want to replace my rear speakers, but I've got a windscreen wiper |
| After unclipping latches located at front of back seat and unbolting/removing back rest.(back seat removed). Push through about 8 plastic grommets under rear shelf.(rear shelf will now be loose but will not move). Take plastic top off rear windscreen wiper, unscrew 10mm bolt, remove small plastic disc. Unscrew large flat nut. Wiggle windscreen wiper blade off (ensure boot is closed). Gently pull out large rubber grommet, release water spray tube attached. Underneath shelf there are three long screws that need to be removed (using large Phillips screwdriver or 14mm socket) two of these are easily identified the other is hidden inside just below the wiper motor. Wiper motor should now drop. From inside the car slide out housing between rear window and shelf.(rear shelf can now be removed). Standard speakers have four self tapping screws. Hints: When removing the screws that hold the speakers in, the window means only a screwdriver bit can be used, To make this a lot easier use the screw driver bit for the first quarter turn, then use pliers to turn the screws from the underside! When reassembling ensure the water spray tube is inserted at the same time as the motor (if you mount the motor first the tube will be impossible to push in |
| How big should the rear number plate be |
| 13.4" x 6.7" (34cm x 17cm) |
| Whereabouts are the air conditioner sensors |
- Front near side low - external temperature sensor
- Beside the AUTO & Temp control knob are little slats - there is a thermocouple just behind there and a pipe connects that "vent" to the back of the aircon unit so create a vacuum and pull air over it.
- The light sensor on the windscreen - detects when bright sunlight falls on the car so it can compensate quickly for heat buildup
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| How do I connect my mirrors to the central locking |
| Equipment required: - Multimeter meter (or 12v bulb) - 2 small 12v relays - nothing special single pole / single throw will do - A soldering iron (+ solder) - Small knife - Insulation tape - Small gauge multi strand wire - eg car speaker wire - Patience 1) Determine where the central locking control unit is in the driver side footwell by un / locking the door a bit. 2) Using a Multimeter (or a 12v bulb) track down the two wires that trigger the central locking, measure where the plug goes in. These are at +12v until the pulse is send to the central locking when it drops to 0v. 3) On each of these wires scrape a small amount of the wire bare and solder on a length of insulated wire, cover join with insulation tape. 4) Gently slider the mirror switch panel out and turn around. Disconnect the big connector. Remove a small plastic cover from above the connector to expose a test connector. Solder two wires to the 2 left most pins, poke in the hole and retrieve at the footwell end (one is mirror open and one is mirror close). Replace panel. 5) Wire up both relays with the following: 1 side of actuator coil: +12v permanent Other side of coil to length of insulated wire 1 side of relay contacts to +12 perm Other side of contacts to length of insulated wire. 6) Connect the loose coil wire to the output from the remote locking unit (for both relays - one for each output). 7) Operate the central locking to make sure the new relays operate with the central locking. 8) Connect the loose wire from the relay to one of the wires from the mirror panel, repeat for other relay and panel wire. 9) Test by locking / unlocking central locking - you may have open close the wrong way round - just swap the wires. Ensure all bar wires are covered with insulation tape and the relays are fixed out of the way. It is good practice to disconnect the car battery when doing such work but I was worried about loosing the ECU settings (and it keeps you on your toes!). The problem that means all this has to be done is that the central locking produces a -12V pulse and the mirrors require a +12 pulse. |
| How do I remove the centre console |
- Firstly you have to pull out the lower surround section which surrounds the gear stick and rises to cover the radio area. This you can do by putting your finger around the inside area of the gear shift aperture and pulling up. This will free up the lower section. You will now need to carefully slip out the top restraining clips taking care not to scuff the centre console assembly which is made of a softer compound that the gearstick and radio surround.
- Having done this turn the assembly through 90 degrees about the gearstick and you will have a little more room to manoeuvre.
- You can now see 2 exposed cross head screws (gold in colour) just below the upper console. Remove these before attempting and removal of the upper console.
- Now place both hands flatly upon the two gauges ( Volts and Clock) and attempt to slide back the upper console. It will then slip out of it's restraining clips.
- Detach all wiring ( don't worry it is all keyed so that you can't put the wrong one in the wrong hole upon re-assembly) and detach the AC temperature sensor pipe on the lower right hand side ( this just slips off).
- The rest is all self evident. I did all this so that I could remove a little dust from behind the voltmeter.
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| I can't get much on my radio |
| Japan use a different frequency range for their FM stations. You need to get a band expander to shift the FM frequency range to the UK range. |
| How do I remove my radio |
- Remove the rubber gasket around the gear shift housing. (Tiptronic). For a Manual - Put it into second or fourth and remove the gear knob.
- Carefully pull up the plastic surround that goes round the radio and the gear stick, start at the gear lever end. Be careful with the leads to the Cig. lighter.
- Remove the aerial lead from the rear of the radio and connect the band expander, take power from the cig lighter, reconnect the aerial lead to the radio.
- Fasten the band expander to something with cable ties or double sided tape.
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| I've just fitted new speakers and the cars panels are rattling |
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A note to anyone thinking of installing a Subwoofer in their car - You can have problems with the new "sound" rattling the body panels like hell. Because the boot is so enclosed there is nowhere for the air to go and it has been known for the sound waves to open the boot !!. Tightening the internal panels doesn't seem to make too much difference, so it has been suggested that sound proofing materials (Dynamat or similar), advertised in the back of many car magazines, fitted into the body panels and cavities - Helps to stop the rattles and cut down road noise in one move.
Other suggestions include - removing the rear speakers and letting it vent into the cabin - leaving the grills and add separate mid. range and tweeters in the rear side panels.
Another top tip is, if your rear view mirror vibrates so much with the throbbing bass put some blue tack around the ball joint.
It stops the vibration being conducted to the mirror.
Not very elegant but stops you from seeing multiple blue flashing lights behind you ;-)
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| I want to run cables from the engine into the boot |
| I hope you've got small hands! I did this when I had my FTO and I had to get the missus to pass it through the bulkhead because my hands were too big. The place to feed the cable through is behind the battery, there's a 'container with pipes coming out' I think it's for the brakes but I can't be sure. There is a grommet there that you'll need to cut a hole in, it's a bit fiddly to do but I'm sure you'll be OK. It comes into the car just behind the glove box. From there I think you'll be alright. Remember not to put the power cable down the same side of the car as the phono leads. OR Take it through the near side bulkhead. It really is a swine to do, but it's possible. Make sure it's secured firmly under the dash and route it between the passenger seat and the sill. There are little brackets where the passenger seat is bolted to that the cable will fit under nicely. I had a nightmare when I came to remove my CD player from the boot because of these brackets. The CD connecting cable had a big multi-plug on each end and it was pushed under these brackets BEFORE the big power cable was installed. This meant that when I came to remove the CD cable from the car it would not fit through the gap that was now taken up by the power cable! I had to remove the fuse under the bonnet and pull the cables back through the car to get it out. Doh. Stuff you need to do: Fit a suitable fuse in the engine compartment as close to the battery as possible. Get your cable through (take some prozac first). Remove: passenger side kick panel, passenger's sill trim, rear seat bottom (two pull tags at the front of the seat pop it off), rear seat backrest (two nuts at either side of the car under the seat you've just removed and then the backrest lifts upwards from two hooks), any panelling separating the boot from the passenger compartment. Use loads of Duck Tape (or similar) to secure the cables and use cable clips through any spare holes where possible. Earth ALL your stereo equipment in the SAME place (a rear seat belt anchor is a great place) What "audio packages" does the FTO come with |
| What ICE does the FTO have |
| I have been told that there are 3 "Standard audio packages" incl. one with 6x9s in the back and two with circular co-axials in the back. The "Top factory package" has the following set-up - Tweeters up on the dash, 'mids' in the door. 6x9s in the (ahem) rear shelf. The power handling rating of these (roughly) is - The front tweeters 15W, the front Mids 20W and the rears 40W. Other points: There are no standard front crossovers. Do not be tempted to cheat by simply attaching replacement tweeters to the standard tweeter feed cabling. The standard cabling carries a full-range signal to each speaker - the standard tweeter has a choke/coil/whatever on it to filter the low range out. Behind the plastic kick panels is a rubberised inner wing cover - peel that back and use this void for routing cable in/out of the doors alongside the standard wing/door wiring conduit. |
| How do I remove the rear shelf |
| DON'T USE FORCE! The parcel shelf is completely removable, take the back seat out and you will see 3 screws holding it down, then there is a main clip in the centre of the shelf, lever that up with a long screwdriver and the others should pop out without damaging anything. The best part is removing the screws that hold the 6x9 in place, you'll need a screwdriver tip (from ratchet set) and a spanner because not even the smallest normal screwdriver will fit in the gap between the rear window and the screw |
| My car is whining |
| A whine from any corner where the pitch alters with speed or on cornering in one direction could be wheel bearings. |
| My car is rumbling |
| A rumbling from the wheels may not be bearings - Check your tyres - If you feel around the tread, you may find flat spots that make them Rumble. I'm told this could be due to incorrect inflation or old age. For all noises from the rear - There is very little or no sound insulation over the back arches and all that separates the wheels from the inside of the car is the metal skin and the plastic side bits. They can be very noisy in wet weather |
| My car is rattling |
| Rattles from the rear of the car may be just loose items in the boot !! Tires, tools or other items in the boot - remember there is precious little sound proofing in the rear of these cars Answered by webmaster on 11/06/2000 16:50:54 I read on the funky FTO site (http://www.fto.barkingspider.co.uk/) that a tinny rattle from the drivers side when hitting bumps in the road is from the rod that supports the bonnet when it is open. See the site for more information, under the "How To's" section. |
| My car is making other strange noises, what might be causing this |
| There are a number of cables that are laid under the carpet running through to the boot. They pass through the space between the inside surface of the Bodywork and the plastic paneling on both sides of the rear seating area. Mitsubishi use tape to fasten this cabling down, eventually with time this works itself loose. The aerial cable that lives behind the panel at the rear near-side of the rear seat, there is a connector in the cable which is usually stuck to the inside of the wing with some tape. Again with time the tape can become unstuck, and the connector rattles against the Bodywork. To remove the panel, you'll have to take out the rear seats. You may if you're lucky, be able to reach this from inside the boot by removing the cloth trim (This is much easier if you can reach the cable, the cloth is removed by just tugging at the plastic clips). People have also reported loud "snap" sounds from the front. This has been reported this under extreme acceleration, braking round bends or under wheelspin on very uneven surfaces. This is when the suspension is placed under lateral stress. Check the anti-roll bar under the car. It has, on some cars, been traced to worn bushes in the link between the bar and the suspension rose joints. |
| I'm getting a rattling from the engine bay |
| This one's may be quite easy to explain ! It's your tappets (Valve Rockers). Overnight, all your oil drains to the sump. When you start your engine the only lubrication some of the engine components get is the residual oil coating. After a few seconds running, your oil pressure rises, oil circulates, and your rattles stop. Don't forget that we have 24 of the blighters in there, so they can make quite a clatter. If the noise is excessive or it keeps going after a few minutes, sounds like you need the clearances checking or adjusting. Some makes of engines use shims, some are on an adjustable thread. The clearances are adjustable to account for any wear and tear due to age/mileage. Again, even if your car continues to rattle and it is left unadjusted your car will run for ages without a noticeable problem. However, the normal wear rate will increase exponentially the more out of adjustment they become. As for the correct clearances...... Couldn't tell you I'm afraid. -The GR will be the same as a Gallant V6 I'm guessing. (don't quote me). As for the MIVEC, God only knows. -These valves open much wider with the second stage of the Mivec mechanism. Also found something on hydraulic lifters getting gunged up and noisy due to poor oil/filtration leading to the small oiling holes in the tappets getting blocked. |
| What is knock and how does it relate to Octane ratings of petrol |
| There are also thoughts about Octane ratings of British petrol The definition of octane is a numerical designation given to a fuel to express its ability to resist Detonation. That's it. No performance increases etc (OH NO!!). During the compression stroke, fuel and air are compressed rapidly, as they compress the mixture heats up but this is usually not a problem. At TDC or just before it on most cars, the spark plug fires and the mixture is ignited, the fuel catches fire and begins to "Burn Very Rapidly". Petrol does NOT explode in a combustion engine. As the "flame front" begins to travel away from the plug, the fuel air mixture at the far ends of the combustion chamber are compressed even higher and so begin to heat up even more. If the fuel being used does not have a octane rating high enough then the heat generated by this compression can cause the fuel to reach its flash point and ignite before the flame front reaches it. Now we have two flame fronts traveling across the combustion chamber in opposite directions and when they meet the resultant crash is almost as explosive. THIS is Detonation. The sound you here is the cylinder walls and head ringing from the pressure waves and the damage to an engine can be serious. So if a fuel can hold out against the heat generated by the oncoming flame front without self igniting the octane number is high enough. Turbo and high compression engines aggravate this by cramming more fuel and air into the cylinder at a given time and so raising the combustion chamber temp. more than other engines. Thus their need for fuels with higher octane and a high resistance to detonation. noisy fuel injectors. They seem to have a problem on the FTO's cousins (Eclipse/Talon) with the Oxygen (O2) sensor. Apparently when this goes the ECU compensates by calling for more fuel leading to more injector noise (is this plausible?) and worse fuel consumption. |
| My fan belt is noisy, what can I do |
| A quick squirt of WD40 to the bearing area of the upper wheel as you look from beneath the car, (don't worry about getting a little on the shiny wheel edge, that's ok) while the engine is running, you'll know if you've hit the spot or not because it'll stop almost straight away. Then, engine off and take a fine wet/dry paper to the lower wheel, just a couple of wipes around the shiny surface to 'rough' it up a little. If the belt nearest the bonnet is squeaking then you WD40 the other pulley and then take the sand paper to the one that squeaks WD40 on the one that's squeaking, wet/dry on the lowest wheel. It's really doesn't take much. If it squeaks in a few weeks you could always go the other route and replace it. |
| How fast is the FTO |
| 0-60 in 6.8 0r 7.4 seconds (depends on which model and who you talk to or what you read !!) Theoretical top speed of around 155mph (De-restricted GPX MIVEC Manual - 113mph otherwise) |
| What MPG can I expect |
| FTO GPX (GP/R in brackets)MIVEC on a mixture of main roads and back roads with the following results : Best MPG : 33 (37) WORST MPG : 23 (25) - Can be even less !!! AV MPG : 29 (31) |
| Top dead center sensor lead problem |
| There is the possibility of cars breaking down because the wires to the TDC sensor had been ripped by the adjacent Cam belt. This is more likely on early FTO's as they have a plain/loose cable for the TDC sensor - later ones are modified with a clip to attach it to the cambelt housing. The cable is dead easy to find - it runs from the top of the engine,along the cambelt plastic covers and dives down behind the crank pulley, It travels right behind the Cam belts and this is where the damage can occur to the cable if it is loose. If it is not attached to anything then devise some method to anchor it in place-even silicone bath sealer would do it by sticking it to the cambelt cover (make sure all surfaces are degreased first!) |
| How do I change my brake pads |
| 1) Take off the front wheel. 2) Undo the bottom bolt on the caliper. 3) Lift up and pivot the caliper and tie it to the suspension spring with a piece of string. 4) Take out the pads. 5) Take off the anti-squeak plate on the outside pad. 6) Replace the pads making sure to put the anti-squeak plate on the new outside pad. [Please note there is an inside and outside pad]. 7) Untie the caliper and push in the caliper pots so as to take account of the new brake pad thickness. (Also watch out for brake fluid overflow in the engine compartment in the top up container while you do this) 8) Replace the caliper bolt and tighten as required. 9) Replace the front wheel. 10) Repeat for the other side ! The pads cost a total sum of £45.12 from our good friends ........ Mitsubishi. Apparently they are the same as the shogun, the things you learn ! The magical part no. is DBP511118 - Brake Pad Kit, Front |
| My headlamps are fogged up, what can I do about it |
| The headlamp units can become fogged up and show quite a lot of water inside - The best way is to take the lamp unit out (take out the screw(s)) and then the bulbs (on a bayonet fitting). Then dry the glass with a hairdryer and assemble the whole lot again. It should be airtight but you can't stop condensation! It was suggested that you might try some silica gel (the kind you get with new cameras, computers etc) in the lamps...? Answered by webmaster on 11/06/2000 16:55:44 I sprayed my bulb assemblies with WD40 prior to re-assembly so that there was minimal condensation possible. Answered by John Talbot on 05/10/2001 12:24:48 Mitsubishi rectified this problem for me by drilling two small holes in the bottom of the light unit. They said this is sometimes a common problem for all models of cars and my local garage who also deal with Hondas say this is how they solved it. So far no problems with mine |
| How do I clean my air filter |
| Now, this only applies to performance filters, try cleaning your paper filter and you'll just be left with a pile of mush ! Cleaning your HKS (Green Hairnet !!) or ITG freeflow air filter (Available from Camskill Motorsport on 01946 694794) - Use soap (Washing-up liquid or liquid soap ) and water - the filter should be oiled afterwards (Dust retention coating - from Camskill). |
| What's the best thing to use for cleaning my car |
| If you really LOVE your FTO, then nothing in many opinions is better than AutoGlym products. Wash with the Bodywork shampoo conditioner, Polish the paintwork with the Super Resin Polish, Polish the glass with Car Glass Polish, Use the Extra Gloss Protection for an ultimate paintwork finish! You can also use Clean Wheels to get all that brake dust from your, erm, wheels... finish off by using Instant Tyre Dressing for the 'new tyre' look... Vinyl and Rubber Care used for all things like window seals etc... |
| Where is the paint code |
| Open bonnet and look across engine towards windscreen, you should see a silver/aluminium plate on the bulkhead. Get the paint code from bottom line (I think) of this plate. It should be a three digit code. Spray shops should also recognise this code. If you want to a touch up stick, go into your local Mitsubishi dealer and pick up (literally, these things are normally on display in the accessories area) a "Your car colour" touch up stick - you should look at the reference codes on the stick. The three digit code from your bulkhead should show as the last three characters of one of the touch up stick ref. numbers. In the event of any "what model is this for?" shenanigans from staff, demand to see the manager as this is none of their business - suffice to say the paint is for a Mitsubishi vehicle - model un-specific !! |
| What should my tyre pressures be |
| Front 2.2 Bar/32psi....Rear 1.9 Bar/28psi.....Space saver 4.2Bar/61psi !! |
| What is TCL |
| If the light comes on, it means it is kicking in and doing what it is supposed to be doing Traction Control !!! |
| What do I need to do to look after my air conditioning |
| It is a good idea to check/charge the gas every year, as running a system that is low on gas will ruin the rubber seals and components of the system. The lubricating oil in the compressor also needs to be `bathed` in gas to keep it `oily`. The only basic servicing that a system will need is purely just to be turned on at least once a fortnight -even in winter, to allow the gas to circulate a) through the system, and (b through the oil. It also allows all bearings etc to be lubricated. The oil in the compressor is there for `life` supposedly. The gas used in most car systems used to be R12, but this has now been replaced by either R22 or R132 which are both environmentally friendly, but double the price!! If you do need the system re-gassing ENSURE they fully vacuum it out to remove even the slightest trace of moisture. Usually it gets vacuumed out to about 5-6 time the max operating pressure of the system. This is the bit that costs most of the bill, because it can be time consuming, but to give you a rough idea a complete vac-down and re-charge of the system will cost you approx. £50-£90. The owners manual describes the `bubble test` briefly, so just make sure you check the gas at least once a year. |
| What does the ECO option do on the climate control |
| The ECO setting only switches the air con on when it's needed - example: Set the temperature to 25deg and have * set. The compressor will switch in and out all the time regardless of what temperature you set. Set it to ECO* and it will only switch in if it NEEDS to cool the air. This is so that in full * mode it dehumidifies the air all the time (e.g.. when it's wet weather). In normal use when you don't need dehumidification but MAY require the air to be cooled. |
| What length wipers blades do I need |
| The blades are two different lengths, 20" for the drivers side and 21" for the passengers side |
| What head lamp bulbs can I use |
| The bulbs in the FTO are bayonet fitting. According to the lookup table in Halfords the bulbs also fit the Ford Puma. The Halfords Part Number is 9003 or 9004 , they are the odd looking bulbs, sort of normal bulbs with right-angled plastic bits stuck on. They were about £8-9 each. As the Puma uses the same bulbs. Question is do Ford do Xenon bulbs? I think it's a reasonably safe bet to treat the quaintly termed "Discharge" headlight and Xenon as the same thing. Some of the facelift FTOs have Discharge lighting and I guess the GTO. You could brazen this out with a Mitsubishi dealer and compare what he offers with your present bulbs? Also, I've heard a lot about "blue" bulbs. The proper ones are legal and look cool but I've seen some old cars with blue paint over 'em. I've particularly noticed the Vauxhalls, BMWs and Renault's with the proper ones; Ford Puma dip bulbs, need a little work before they fit - The electrical connector may not fit and the bulb may not seat correctly into the lamp housing. Inside the bulb female connector are two small ridges which are not on the old bulbs connector. Using a heated Knife the ridges can be removed and then the bulb will fit the connector with ease. As for the bulb to lamp housing : The new bulb has 3 equal size locator tabs at 120 degree intervals as does the old bulb. But in the old bulb the locator tab at the top is much smaller than the other two. Again using the heated knife trim the excess and the new bulb should fit perfectly. Finally new bulbs are rated at 65 watts (old were 55 watts). Demon Tweaks definitely sell Xenon bulbs of various types. From the Demon Tweeks catalogue (They are in stock). H1 Main Beam........Xenon Plus Part No RU848 H4 Main/Dip Beam....Xenon Plus Part No RU872 Around £9.98 plus vat in current catalogue More thoughts on those"blue" bulbs - Proper Xenon lamps give a blue cast but are much closer to "proper" white. Genuine arc-discharge (also called metal-halide HID) Headlamps run with a very purplish-white character that reminds of the color of the electronic flash on your camera, because the same technology is at work (an electrical arc jumping through an atmosphere of Xenon gas). But despite the purplish appearance, this light is actually white with a discrete blue component. That is to say, the vast majority of the output light from an HID headlamp is a good, solid white that is closer to the white of the sun than most halogen bulbs' output spectra can reach. And, in addition, there is a separate output spectrum of blue-green to blue-violet frequencies that is a byproduct of metal-halide lamps such as the HID lamps currently used in cars. That blue-green to blue-violet frequency band is "throwaway" light in an HID headlamp. The signal image of an automotive HID headlamp has a distinctly blue cast, but if you drive behind them you are struck by the very white characteristic of the light. This next bit is how to tell the blue lamps and the proper Xenon lamps apart. Another way to tell at a glance is to observe the color of the light. Genuine arc-discharge Headlamps run with a very purplish-white character that will remind you exactly of the color of the electronic flash on your camera, while blue-tinted halogen bulbs give Headlamps a turquoise/blue/green coloring. Once you have this information in mind, it is easy to spot a user of these bulbs at quite a distance. So, it looks like these Halfords jobbies, if they ARE Xenon bulbs could be the right ones. |
| What can I do about rust |
| Stonehouse Rust-Shield - Derek - looked at an owners car and referring to the level of current rust protection diplomatically said, "I've seen better" ! The outcome of the appraisal was that the cost would be £180+ vat for what Derek recommends as the minimum required, and £230 + vat to go further and rust proof all areas that sensibly should be done. The job takes 2 days to be completed. There is currently a back log of cars awaiting treatment, as he is experiencing problems getting the latest batch of the magic stuff (Paba) from the continent. Get you skates on and wallets out before you pride and joy rusts away to nothing ! An owner had this treatment at a cost of about £230 + VAT. They got Underbody and wheel arch treatment (Black Goo) Inner Wing and Inside door treatment Box Sections etc... (Brown Goo) You don't get the inside of the bonnet and boot lid done (I would recommend you do these with Clear WaxOyl) Paba is good if your car already has any rust on it. It penetrates the rust and forms a seal which will not crack. Makes you car smell new too. A company who provide a suitable treatment for the FTO; Stonehouse Rust-shield Ltd. 1 Coombs Lane Wokingham, Berkshire. RG41 4SU. Tel :0118 978 9503 (ask for Derek) The treatment consists of using a Danish product called "Paba". This is an oil based liquid which can be sprayed onto any surface of the car. It chemically prevents rust occurring (don't ask how)and lasts for about 25,000 miles. The reason why it is particularly suitable for an FTO is because we already have a water resistant coating on the underside which if you applied conventional underseal to it would trap in any moisture present. The Paba forces out the moisture while it sets and leaves a paint-like coating. Charlie Browns (Ilford). It cost an owner 75 quid and they used 3M Stuff that is supposed to last a lifetime. The owner would recommend this particular garage as they did a really good job on his car. DarleyCross Motors in Stockport do undersealing for £50 + vat. Their number is 0161 430 6060. Birmingham, Colin at Witherford Garage is now offering this service @ £90.00 for underseal & WaxOyl. A car body repair specialist said ... Underseal is OK but ... without a full steam clean first you could be buying trouble. Underseal will "seal" in all those pockets of dirt, salt, general crap, etc. that cause RUST. They'll merrily eat away at your floor plans and you won't notice until a huge piece of your underbody falls away. Apparently it's better to "WaxOyl" to avoid this. The only parts of an FTO that are undersealed already are the rear wheel arches. As for steam cleaning it is probably a good idea but I would get the car put in an oven afterwards to dry-off any residual moisture which could also be sealed-in. Any decent body shop will have a 'drive-in oven'. Another owner said - "When I got under my car. I saw that it was pristine, but had no protection at all. I had the benefit of a long dry spell to do the work, and I used products that reputedly "chase out" moisture. This is how I attacked mine (some may say its overkill !). The entire underside, including the wheelarches under the plastic covers, I brush-painted over the original paint with finnegan's smooth-rite. (A thick hard-bastard rust inhibiting paint that requires no primer.) Any bit I could not reach with a brush, I sprayed. It comes in cans too. The next step was to find all the seams where panels had been spot welded together, and spray them with seam-sealant. There are loads of these in all the nooks and crannies you can think of. After this had dried, I used a thick layer of finnegans underseal (WaxOyl based) This stuff never quite goes dry, and is supposed to "heal" due to creepage over small stone impacts etc. Again, all places I could not brush, got sprayed. Interior trim on doors, inside boot, on top of sills and rear arm-rest panels were all removed for WaxOyl spraying. I also re-waxoyled all the underside with the spray-kit on top of the underseal. Finishing touches was brush painting the WaxOyl under the bonnet, and boot on all the seams and water drainage areas. Particular attention should be paid to the nose of the bonnet -I had rust just starting to form in the hole where the catch goes. I also waxoyled all non-visible areas of the car like door-hinge pillars and the underside of the doors etc. I plan to check the car periodically to see if there are problem areas to be attended to.." |
| A warning light comes on when I brake or corner heavily |
| This is probably the most commonly asked question. If it's an orange light on the top right hand of the dashboard then it means that you need to fill up your windscreen washer bottle. Nothing to worry about ! |
FTO Info