Hi there. I’ve been lurking for quite awhile now. Figured it was time I posted about my car. I’ve had a love for the Rs for a looooong time and decided to finally try and find one to purchase as a project car and kid hauler last November. I’ve been a car hobbyist for 26iwh years now and like to turn wrenches so I thought this might be up my alley. I’ve owned a 1991 Galant VR4 since 1998 that’s been my project over the years so I’m no stranger to forums or maintenance and mods. I came across a red on Nordkap 2004 GT with 176k on FB marketplace that looked nice and after a couple price drops I told the wife it was time I took a 2hr drive to take a look at it. It needed some love but overall had been maintained pretty well and was exceptionally clean and straight with no signs of corrosion so I purchased it.
As soon as I got it home I started looking into what it needed. It was a mess under the intake manifold so first thing done was a new PCV system. I also dropped the oil pan to make absolute sure the drain wasn’t clogged and to replace the oil pickup seals while in there. A leaking dipstick tube seal was also replaced. I did the thermostat housing and a bunch of coolant hoses (upper, lower and both heater). The drivers side fuel level sender was a ProPartsSweden unit that had cracked so I replaced that with a OEM Volvo unit. I then serviced the trans with new Aisin fluid, serviced the Haldex with a new pump/filter/fluid and diff fluid. I removed the AG to inspect the collar splines and service the fluid on it as well. The previous owner had installed poly torque mounts on the engine which caused massive interior vibrations so I installed five new Volvo/Hutchinson engine mounts. The car has IPD sways but the bushings were toast and noisy so I replaced them all and added grease fittings while I was at it. The car has an IPD tune with boost gauge and catback exhaust but also unfortunately had their TCV. I removed that in favor of a Viva HD unit. Other than all that, it’s been a couple of bulbs and a rear wiper motor replacement. I also replaced a bad EVAP check valve and hose that was creating a vacuum/boost leak. The car feels great now and I wouldn’t hesitate to drive it across the country. I even installed a new Android head unit to replace the stock HU803 with Grom. It’s been awesome being able to use Apple CarPlay and installed a backup cam that integrates with it.
I now have Vida and have done trans fluid reset, SUM calibration, fuel system tests, old DTC code clearing, and all the other fun stuff that goes along with having it.
Anyway, I look forward to engaging more on this forum and will leave this thread with some pics of the car.
