First car 95 eclipse gsx. How to start my build

[EazyLoc]

I'm new to the car world let alone the dsm world. My grandfather pre ordered this car when it first came out. He didn't drive it much. When I was a kid I always wanted it. Now I'm 22 years old and he sold me the car. A 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse Gsx. Only has 66 thousand miles on it. I put new brakes on did a oil change, changed cooolant & replaced tires. I have been doing some research and now have many questions. I want to build my car to be fast but everyday diveable. First question I have is where do I start?

 

[unashmdsm]

DSMLink.

 

[Lou98GSX]

do all the maintenance first . timing belt , balance shaft belt , gas filter, plugs , wires , pcv . after you do that then check the upgrade path and see whats good for you .

 

[2gGst98]

^^^
All maintenance is a must. Now that doesn't seem hard the car seems to be "grandfathered"

But no really timing belt is a must every 60k if not little earlier. I do hope your granddaddy took care of it which I'm sure he did.

After maintenance I would get link, and start logging. You can tune a stock DSM and get some power from it. Exhaust is a good thing, you will feel the improvement with that. Their is a good build path on the front page of the site you should check it out.

Congrats on the car though man seems like a nice buy. Can we get some pics when you get a chance.

 

[EazyLoc]

Timing belt is coming. Can I put top of the line spark plugs etc on it now. Btw my dad owns a auto shop, so yea car is well taken care of.

What link should i get?

 

[ayyyalexxx]

Def all maintenance! Might wanna change out all your fluids too (transfer case, differential, transmission). Fix any and every leak also.

 

[c2ypt1c]

Damn, that sounds like a beautiful dsm. I would keep that thing close to stock, only run e85 in it, and use it as my daily driver.

 

[2gGst98]

Get DSM link. I'm not familiar with it but it's vary versatile to my understanding. I use evo scan/flash. Not sure what you want out of the car but a nice 14b will do wonders at stock boost, and with room to grow. You can get them for 100-150ish. Get a wideband, I went with LC-1,

After all maintenance
Link
14b
Intake
Exhaust
Wideband
MBC maybe wait for injectors, I didn't. Just log if doing so.

That's what I started with after I did all my maintenance. Felt a nice difference after just that.

It's nice you have a shop to work on it. My step dad had to sell his when he moved. Gotta love the driveways and jack stands.

 

[hocka09]

Pics mang!!!

 

[EazyLoc]

Like I said I'm pretty new. What is a 14b?
I want to drive it daily but make it a monster def want to put a bigger turbo in it, I know I have to upgrade other parts before upgrading turbo. Was looking at the Evo x turbo. I rea somewhere on here it could be done. Anyone know of good performance and dyno testing in tri state area? Pics comin soon

 

[CrackedDSM]

You really need to crawl before you walk, let alone run or participate in a marathon. Start small. Get that "super fast beast" out of your head, and take your time to learn hands on what does what. Start with maintenance as said above, and then baby steps. A 14B is the stock turbocharger off of a Manual Transmission 1st Generation DSM(1990-1994 Eclipse/Talon/Laser). Do not bother with DSMLink if you don't even know what a 14B is.



Read EVERYTHING you can. Study the "upgrade path"s, research into what "freemods" are. Look into what "supporting mods" are(front mount intercooler, fuel upgrades, etc). Research, research, research. Again, right now big turbo street beast is waaaay far beyond what you can handle. My recommendation is after maintenance, and after reading everything you can is hard intake pipe w/ open K&N filter, 3" turbo-back exhaust, rewire your fuel pump, invest in a quality mechanical boost gauge, get a stronger aftermarket BOV(and recirculate it. Do not vent it to the air) invest in a good manual boost controller. Find yourself a great condition 14B, up the boost to 16lbs(no more than that) and learn to handle that first. After you truly can handle that and need more...then it's time for Link and a wideband(you need both of these at the same time, DO NOT TUNE WITHOUT A WIDEBAND). Grab some bigger injectors, a bigger fuel pump(Walbro 255HP will be fine), an adjustable fuel pressure regulator, a 16G(or 20G). Learn how to properly tune, and a 16G @ 20-23lbs of boost will be more than enough power for quite awhile. Then when you can properly keep together a 16G/20G setup, you can start thinking about a bigger turbo and where you want your power goals to be at.


Don't make the mistake of trying to build a race car when you don't even know what it takes to maintain a proper 16G setup. I might come across as harsh, but this is the truth and what you need to hear. Take things slow.



Here are some helpful links for a lot of your future questions.

1000 Already answered questions
The Almighty VFAQ. Tips, guides, installations, comparisons, etc.

 

[c2ypt1c]

Do not bother with DSMLink if you don't even know what a 14B is.

Actually, I disagree. I firmly believe that 'Link and a wideband should be everyone's first mod, whether it be a daily-driver (for diagnostic analysis) to an all out 9 second dragster (for performance tuning). The sooner he starts digging into it and asking questions the quicker he will learn all things dsm.

Learning 'Link on a stock dsm is very rewarding because you can see how each modification has an impact, from the ground up. Also, it gives you a good foundation to build upon, in terms of learning.

/endpreach

 

[2gGst98]

Any pics yet? Please

Just so you know, this website holds the key to mighty door that can be opened with research.

Took me almost 3 years to save parts and learning what does what. Take your time with your baby, don't nut too quick and she won't go anywhere.

 

[CrackedDSM]

Actually, I disagree. I firmly believe that 'Link and a wideband should be everyone's first mod, whether it be a daily-driver (for diagnostic analysis) to an all out 9 second dragster (for performance tuning). The sooner he starts digging into it and asking questions the quicker he will learn all things dsm.

Learning 'Link on a stock dsm is very rewarding because you can see how each modification has an impact, from the ground up. Also, it gives you a good foundation to build upon, in terms of learning.

/endpreach

I can run faster, longer, and just as reliably with a DSM I've spent that $700~ in, than you would with a 100% stock DSM with just Link. Too much too soon, you'll be better off gaining mechanical knowledge first and how everything works together. Getting Link before you even know what a 14B is and where to get one, is a great way to overwhelm yourself and harm the car.

 

[Rikolas]

I'd agree to get link earlier on, but maybe not your first thing. But I also agree that you should do more research into your car and get a better understanding of what you and also getting the maintenance manual and doing all of the required maintenance before moving on to things to gain more hp.

 

[TSicktalon]

My $0.02:

1. Do maintenance - either OEM or Gates Racing timing belt. NO AUTO PARTS STORE BELT
- change fluids, fix any small issues, do a boost leak test, etc

2. Exhuast - 3" whatever, its just a pipe.

3. Supporting mods - injectors, dsmlink, fuel pump, rewire, fmic, etc.

4. 14b, 16g, or 20g turbo. MHI framed turbos that produce decent power


Anything in this post you dont know about, highlight it, press ctrl + c, click on the search box up top, press ctrl +v, enter. DSMTuners.com will tell you everyting you could ever need to know about your car.

 

[c2ypt1c]

Too much too soon, you'll be better off gaining mechanical knowledge first and how everything works together.

Better to start off with the stock tune on a stock dsm than to jump into the deep end later on down the line. So many guys on here slap on the biggest turbo they can, get overwhelmed with link, and then have joe shmoe try to tune it. Even if you go for a smaller turbo, you'll still be needing a way to control the injectors, adjust airflow compensation, etc...I'm saying it's much easier to start with a stock setup than anything else.

 

[EazyLoc]

Is there a timing belt that any one here recommends. I've heard so many different opinions. Doing a lot of research now. Thanks for input so far. Here's some pics

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[Nickracer]

Your car has a lot of potential. I got my 97 gsx not to long ago with a bunch of stuff already on it and its changed how I would have gone about the whole build. You have a great opportunity with so little done. I hope you enjoy as much as do.

 

[bucken13]

I'd agree to get link earlier on, but maybe not your first thing. But I also agree that you should do more research into your car and get a better understanding of what you and also getting the maintenance manual and doing all of the required maintenance before moving on to things to gain more hp.

+1 on getting dsmlink early on. It will save alot of head ache with diagnoising any issues. it has helped me a ton. Plus once you start modding you will need a way to tune the car. I sold my first dsm 95 gsx because i didnt know what link was and bought the car with a 6bolt cyclone swap and it would run in limp mode for a random misfire code. If i would have had llink then. It would have been as easy as a click of a buttom to get rid of that code. But you are deffanety a noob so alot of research and using the search function will help. Welcome to the Dsm family

 

[EazyLoc]

Deciding to go with the link cause that's what most people are recommending. How much do they cost cause I looked one up it was 500 is that right?

 

[c2ypt1c]

Is there a timing belt that any one here recommends

Gates Racing timing belt (blue). You should also replace the balance shaft belt as well, if you decide to keep the bshafts:
EXTREME PSI: Gates Racing Performance Timing & Balance Belts

Deciding to go with the link cause that's what most people are recommending. How much do they cost cause I looked one up it was 500 is that right?

Since you have a '95, there's a chance you have an eprom ecu. You should remove it and check:
ECMLink wiki: epromid

Brand new, v3 alone costs $545. If you have an eprom ecu, they can install the socket and chip for you in one shot for an additional $40:
ECMTuning: ECMLink V3 package (DSM)

If you're super lucky, you'll have an eprom ecu with a socket already on it:
ECMLink wiki: socketid
In which case, you can just install the chip yourself.

If you don't have an eprom ecu, you can find one used for around $100-150.

 

[Insomniac13]

Become religiously familiar with this:
DSM 4G63 Maintenance Guide - DSMtuners - Mitsubishi Eclipse, Eagle Talon, Plymouth Laser, 4G63t, and 420A Information
And then if I were you I'd spend as much time as you can reading up on these cars on this forum, the more you know the better off you are in the long run! I would also highly recommend you do some research into link to see if you're willing to dive into that this quick. Look into it, and then see if you're confident enough to tackle it.
Like others have said, start out small. Try the free mods on this website's tech section haha, that's what I started with: Tech Guide: 2G 4G63t Upgrades: Stage 0 Power - DSMtuners - Mitsubishi Eclipse, Eagle Talon, Plymouth Laser, 4G63t, and 420A Information
Oh, and beautiful car dude! Hope she serves you well!

 

[Lemon]

I'm new to the car world let alone the dsm world. My grandfather pre ordered this car when it first came out. He didn't drive it much. When I was a kid I always wanted it. Now I'm 22 years old and he sold me the car. A 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse Gsx. Only has 66 thousand miles on it. I put new brakes on did a oil change, changed cooolant & replaced tires. I have been doing some research and now have many questions. I want to build my car to be fast but everyday diveable. First question I have is where do I start?

Vfaq the free mods and do a turbo back exhaust. Really wakes the car up.

 

[Puff0725]

First step to any build in my opinion is sitting down and figuring out what you really want. What kind of numbers you want to make, budget, is it going to be your daily, realizing that the more power you make the more money your going to sown fixing the weak links. Every modification will call for supporting modifications. Link isn't a bad start because the heart of the car comes from the tune but like I said I would figure out your overall realistic goal and budget and go from there.