hadyn Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 Hello everyone, Im thinking of buying an ST185 GT4 with a few mods on as a cheap bit of fun on the side of my daily driver civic Has anyone owned one on here? What do you think? I know they're not the quickest things around, but they seem fun and seem to have a cult following too, which is always coolio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blitz supra Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 Hello everyone, Im thinking of buying an ST185 GT4 with a few mods on as a cheap bit of fun on the side of my daily driver civic Has anyone owned one on here? What do you think? I know they're not the quickest things around, but they seem fun and seem to have a cult following too, which is always coolio Buy the ST205 a much better car 245bhp and twin entry turbo 4x4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hadyn Posted July 18, 2006 Author Share Posted July 18, 2006 Buy the ST205 a much better car 245bhp and twin entry turbo 4x4 Well thanks for that useful and insightful post there blitz. My budget is 2 grand not the 5-6 grand needed to buy a good ST205. Keep it JDM, yo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJI Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 I owned a ST185 before getting a ST205 as my second car. The ST185's are ok, not a serious performance car in my view. Saying that the Carlos Sainz edition is, as they come with uprated everything. The biggest let down on my old ST185 was the fact it didn't have a rear LSD on it, so when you're sliding it around the traction was all over the place and it never felt like you had full control. They are an OK car if its just going to be a fun drive as a second car. They have decent power levels (200bhp) and they are nicely balanced in the corners. But if you can get hold of the CS edition for cheap money then that would be the preffered option. One thing to check when buying an old ST185 are the air pipes, they tend to decompose and lead to overboosting when they get holes in them. This obvioulsy leads to turbo damage. Check underneath the pipes where holes may be out of sight. If the car had been overboosting for long periods of time then there is a good chance the turbos won't have much life in them. Just re-read you intial post and you say that it will come with a few mods.... in modified form they can be a good drive. (My 'not a serious performance car' comment above refers to them in stock form). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisSZ Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 185s are good fun, look very nice (with a few tweaks) but I would never describe them as being cheap to run!!! As with any turbo car, it's very difficult (well, it was for me!) to resist the temptation to mod the engine, better turbo, FMIC, more boost etc. etc. etc. If you do get one, then as stated, look for a RC/CS model as they have slightly better performance. Have a look on the website ( http://www.gt4oc.net ) to see if anyone's selling, what problems to look out for (especially the dreaded head-gasket!!) and what sort of prices to pay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hadyn Posted July 19, 2006 Author Share Posted July 19, 2006 example im looking at has a metal headgasket and some odds and sods to take it to 230 ish bhp. Not looking for lightening performance, just a good bit of fun to help me deal with my fast car addiction Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisSZ Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 If it already has a steel head gasket then you have the biggest worry out of the way already:) Definately a good following for the marque - more exclusive than the Hyundai look-a-like 205 :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hadyn Posted July 20, 2006 Author Share Posted July 20, 2006 The owner says the car is making a slight grinding noise when turning left slowly - he thinks this might be cv joints? I think it might be brakes etc myself? It also has an uprated turbo only running 7psi as he says the adjustable actuator is at its slackest and adjusting the manual boost controller (ball and spring) does not increase boost..... Any ideas fellas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hob Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 The owner says the car is making a slight grinding noise when turning left slowly - he thinks this might be cv joints? I think it might be brakes etc myself? It also has an uprated turbo only running 7psi as he says the adjustable actuator is at its slackest and adjusting the manual boost controller (ball and spring) does not increase boost..... Any ideas fellas? He probably hasn't disabled the VSV ? I guess as for the CV joints best asking on gt4oc.net I know Fig 8's go on the 205 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisSZ Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 Tighten up the actuator slightly, lose the releif valve and get a decent EBC CV joints is possible - no worry about figure 8s though :) Hob, what are the pink cards for then?? :) (how come they're pink?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hadyn Posted July 20, 2006 Author Share Posted July 20, 2006 CV joints - easy diy job? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TLicense Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 CV joints are the bane of the modified ST185. I changed mine I think 4 times in the 3 years of ownership. Still if I could, I'd get a stock RC/CS for a runaround tomorrow. Excellent cars IMHO. Lots of things to look out for unfortunately. Headgaskets Diff mounts CV joints rad end tanks All hoses Turbo Catalytic convertors Not sure if you'll be able to find any unmolested cars nowadays. They're cracking on a bit. Expect parts to be as equally as expensive as the Supe. Hope that helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisSZ Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 Parts are generally much cheaper dude - TCB are very good and there are plenty of non Mr T suppliers about now Rads can be iffy but things like cats can be easily deleted. Diff mount is a pain but not a major problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hadyn Posted July 20, 2006 Author Share Posted July 20, 2006 im really looking forward to owning one tbh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hob Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 Hob, what are the pink cards for then?? :) (how come they're pink?) someone has to "big-up" the pink supras Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blitz supra Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 Well thanks for that useful and insightful post there blitz. My budget is 2 grand not the 5-6 grand needed to buy a good ST205. Keep it JDM, yo. The ST205 is the better car, My mate back in 95 was one of the first to have one ( shame only in red) they were basically an import through UK Dealers (e.g square no plates) and a price tag of £38000 .... To this day i have not been in such a entertaing car maybe only 245bhp but with the 4x4 it sees of most things... yeah "keep it JDM yo" whatever that is supposed to mean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hadyn Posted July 22, 2006 Author Share Posted July 22, 2006 Went to look at an ST185 today and overall it was a good car, but had the following issues which im wondering if anyone could help me with? 1. The stock boost gauge doesnt work (common problem?) 2. The aftermarket boost gauge shows on idle that the car is making about -10 (1/4 off the 0 mark) negative pressure on idle. All the turbo cars ive had seem to settle at about -20 negative pressure. Is this something to worry about? 3. The car at the moment will only boost to 5psi with an uprated turbo, is this a boost control issue? 4. The car stutters sometimes between gear changes on boost - I put this down to running a vent to atmosphere on an ST185 or has it got the wrong type of bov fitted? 5. Once when I had the car on full lock, it died completely with the ABS light coming on. Any idea what causes this? The guy who owns the car said that some ABS pipes by the front wheel had been plugged off and this can sometimes cause problems with the ABS system? 6. The dump valve seems to kick out a bit of oil. Is this a sign of worn turbo seals or is it oil in the intake being blasted out? The turbo is less than a year old. 7. Is ST185 coolant a clear colour?? Any help with these questions will be most helpful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamieP Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 6. sounds dodgy and ive never seen clear coolant? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbeh Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 How much oil? Mine spits a little out, but nothing excessive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hadyn Posted July 22, 2006 Author Share Posted July 22, 2006 Not that much, but a bit. Seemed thicker than the usual supra oil spray. Plus the bov opening seemed a bit gunked up with oil, so its probably been doing it for ages... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisSZ Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 Some 185s run fine on vent to atmosphere BOVs, others prefer a recric. Oil is quite usual unless it's a lot. As to the boost problems, it sounds very much like there's a boost leak somewhere - what condition are the hoses in? Chech the small hoses around the TPS - left hand side at the back on the bulkhead. Actuator pressure should be 7psi I think, possibly 9. As to the ABS on full lock - could be a tight wire somewhere possibly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hadyn Posted July 22, 2006 Author Share Posted July 22, 2006 I initially thought what you're thinking ChrisSZ. Unfortunately, Ive posted this on the GT4OC about the oil out of the bov and they're all saying i should walk away/rebuild time etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisSZ Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 Like I said, it very much depends on the amount of oil. A light misting is quite common - mine didn't stop until I'd fitted a catch can. Best way to check is to take off the inlet hose to the turbo and have a look in there (bear in mind a replacement second-hand turbo can be had for around £150 for a ct26 or £250 for a ct20). Having said all that, what sort of price is being asked? It may be as well to forget it and find another motor. Have you checked the 'For Sale' section on the 4 forum?? Cheers, chrisfalcke Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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