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Few problems with my newest Dsm. Need advice.

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95DsManiac

Proven Member
399
13
Dec 5, 2012
Bay Point, California
Hey everyone,

Some of you know me and know about the 1995 mitsubishi eclipse gsT full out drag car I am currently building. However, I, probably like many others, miss driving the car on the streets. So I found a 1990 plymouth laser fwd with 086457 or something close to that for 1650 on craigslist. The car was two and a half hours away from me and I called and spoke with the guy or should I say child for a while. He said it runs good, is bone stock besides cams and the body is strait. New clutch axles, blah blah blah. Not registered and has no cat. Comes with extra parts, heads, powder coated valve cover, full apexi exhaust etc etc. Long story short I got it for 1400 and drove it home.

On the way I find out the drivers light don't go down. The battery is in the trunk not strapped down, there's no headliner, seat doesn't adjust, small grind in second after car warms up, feels week in the upper rpm, rattling noise from front drivers side, among many other things.

I get the cat, weld it on, and the place said it's the wrong one. I go to a muffler shop and spend the 300 to get a new cat and welded on. Changed the exhaust manifold gasket because it had a horrible leak due to two bolts broken. Was able to get one out but not the other. Will has a leak and will be addressed soon. I fixed the very annoying idle surge and now she idles perfect at 1100. I also noticed I have a lot of oil leaks I will need to address and the car came with a aftermarket radiator and fan. I finally got the car to pass smog today and now I am ready to get to fixing her up for this years drag season along with my other gsT.

So far the car came with web 546/547, prosport boost gauge, greddy turbo timer, aftermarket radiator and fan, 3" downpipe, and ported 2g manifold tapped for egt.

Extra parts are 1gb eclipse conversion, alternator, starter, arp head studs, head, 1gb intake manifold, prothane driver mount, awd apexi exhaust??, EPROM ecu socketed with flashed chip, 1gb throttle body, powder coated valve cover and few other things.

I've gotten so far 1gb talon read lines and wing, catco cat, ordered v3 full today, and have everything to swap over my hx40 set up besides a fuel pump and wideband.

Now before I do this I am trying to address a few issues I see fit to be addressed, the reason for this thread. I know I'm blabbering but stay with me.

Issue 1. The car seems very week in the upper rpm. I was thinking maybe the springs are week and I am experiencing valve float of some kind??

Issue 2. When I first start the car and drive it, it doesn't grind in second. It only starts to grind and continues to grind about 10-15 minutes after driving. It won't grind if I shift very slowly under 2500 rpm. What could be causing this? Low fluid, wrong fluid, bad synchros??

Issue 3. When driving the car hits 8 psi and when I shift I don't hear my BOV releasing the air. I've never owned a 1g, but shouldn't I hear it release the air? I don't care about the sound I just care if it's operating correctly. I checked it and I can push it in, but I can't hear it while driving. I am ready -20ing/vac so was what would cause it not to open??

Issue 4. When driving the car is really shaky. It doesn't have aftermarket mounts installed. When on the freeway I can hear a shaking/rattling noise coming from the front drivers side. And when going over a speed bump it kind of feels like everything in the front drivers area is moving around. Could this be a bad shock? What should I be checking or looking at here?

Issue 5. When driving yesterday I turned into the restaurant me and my wife were going to eat out at and I hear and a loud pinging noise. I let go of the steering wheel and the car is shaking really really bad. I know that what I heard was one of my lug nuts flying off the car. I park and find it down the street. Half of the stud is still connected to it. Dam thing broke. I check the other four and they are all lose enough to tighten by hand. What the heck would cause this, someone messing with the car or what. Also, I never dealt with this part of any of my dsm's, so do I replace the entire hub, or do I just somehow replace the one broken stud??

I have more issues but this thread is super long. I'm ending it here. I'm sorry it is too much, and I kind of know what needs to be done, but I always check with my Dsm family for reassurance. Please let me know what you would do and what I need to do. I don't half axx do things and I don't care if I have to buy stuff.

God bless you all,

Anthony B.
 
Issue #1: Check the boost gauge while on the higher RPM's and under load, your blow off valve might not be holding the pressure and leaking it out, thus loosing power!

Good luck!
 
issue 2 souds like low fluid, wrong fluid or a bad sincro. i would replace the fluid wiht redline mt90 and see if it goes away.

issue 3: did you check to see if the vacuum line is attached to the top of the BOV? is the opposite end attached to the manifold?

issue 4: sounds like a bad strut, maybe a ball joint or 2 could be going out. i have a 3g eclipse with bad struts in the front and it sounds exactly like what you are describing.

and 5. yes you can replace just the stud, no need for the whole bearing. ARP makes a stud kit for added insurance so you wont have to worry about them again. Either someone didnt torque the lugs to spec or maybe someone thought it was funny to losen your lugs. A lug stud will snap if all the others are lose and theres a ton of torque or force on 1.

hope this helps!
 
It's holding it solid at 8-9psi, I'm going to have to tear into this car more to figure this out. I'm new to the 1g but know these car, so I should be fine. I was just trying to see what everyone else thought. I'm just waiting for link to show up and start doing some logs and see what I can find.

Also found another problem, I can move my strut up and down while on the car. So I need to get new suspension as well.

Anthony B.
 
So far everything I have checked is hooked up. I think it's these dang cams in there with nothing else. Stock springs from 1990 and everything else internally stock. I'm going to be getting springs and retainers, fuel pump, and a wideband, then I'm going to swap over my hx40 bep, hafe, tial, 1600, Fmic etc etc from my fwd drag car and just finally put my divided t4 gt4202 set up on the drag car.

Anthony B.
 
issue 1: I would check the Timing belt and make sure that is all good first.

issue 2: all of those things could be an issue, start off with a fluid change and go from there. If the previous owner put some thiner oil in there (penzoil syncromesh for example) it might have broken down enough to be to thin when it is hot, I have heard of people only getting a few hundred miles with syncromesh fluid before noticing some breakdown. Its always good to start fresh on a car that you don't have history with anyway.

issue 3: Do you hear any fluttering sounds when you get off the gas? if the BOV isn't opening you will hear compressor surge coming from the turbo (youtube if you have never heard it)

issue 4: Does it feel like warped brake rotors? you might have a bad wheel bearing, does the noise go away when you turn one way or the other on the freeway or at speed?

issue 5: make sure the lug nuts are not acorn style on the stock wheels, the lug nuts should be flange style for stock wheels. just take the car to a tire shop to have the wheel studs changed. should be pretty cheap.

good luck.
 
It's holding it solid at 8-9psi, I'm going to have to tear into this car more to figure this out. I'm new to the 1g but know these car, so I should be fine. I was just trying to see what everyone else thought. I'm just waiting for link to show up and start doing some logs and see what I can find.

Anthony B.

Are you looking at the stock boost gauge or at an aftermarket one?
 
Aftermarket. I'm going to be checking things more closely I a few days. Waiting on link to get here along with symborski shift kit and stm cable bushings. Today when driving the car made a title clink noise and the car would only stay in third. I can move the shifter around anyway I wanted and it would stay in third. I got it to get in 1st thank god because it was hard driving in third alone. I checked the cables under hood and all looked good.

Anthony B.
 
#1 = Could be a slight boost leak if it still has the stock rubber piping. Also possible too low octane gas, causing knock and forcing the ECU to change the timing to compensate, robbing power.

#2 = Definitely a fluid change to a good, quality fluid to test.

#3 = It is hard to hear the stock 1g BOV when recirculated.

#4 and 5 sound related = Loose lug nuts will cause a vibration as the tire will move around. Get the lug replaced and get it all tightened down and see how it goes.
 
issue 4: Does it feel like warped brake rotors? you might have a bad wheel bearing, does the noise go away when you turn one way or the other on the freeway or at speed?

When I bought my gvr4 I had to replace wheel bearing, tie rod, and ball joint.
 
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