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2G Summer plans, need some advice

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Doomchild

Proven Member
56
8
Sep 1, 2016
Ypres, Europe
Since I got a month off work this summer I finally decided to put some work into my car.
It's the first time I've done any kind of work like this and could use some advice from more experienced people.

List of jobs I've got planned:
- Replace low spoiler with Turbo Spoiler.
Spoiler has been ordered unpainted, this should be the least complicated item on the list.
- Replace front 2ga bumper with 2gb bumper.
Still not 100% sure I got all the parts, currently ordered: bumper, 2gb headlights, 2gb foglights, fog light bezels (these were a pain to find).
- Replace antenna.
Another simple job I hope, remove the telescopic antenna and motor which doesn't work with this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/141889132442
- Fix passenger side door.
So far nothing actually planned for this aside from 'needs to be done'. The trim on the door is warped and I have no idea if it is salvagable or if I'll need to order a new one. Would love some advice on how to deal with this.
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- Fix rusted out licenseplate lights.
From what I can tell I'll need to remove the rear bumper to reach this, clean off any remaining rust and weld on new pieces to screw the lights into. Anyone done this before? No idea if I should do it myself or let it be done by a professional as part of the next item on the list.
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- Fix rust & paint.
While I'm in a spending mood, since both the spoiler and front bumper are unpainted I'll have the whole exterior fixed up. Get some scratches and dings fixed, get the hole from the old spoiler plugged & get the rust on the rear hatch fixed.

While most people around here call me crazy for spending this much on a 21 y/o car, I didn't buy it to let it waste away. I just hope to do it right so I get to enjoy the fruits of my labour without running into new issues every year.

Aside from all that I still need to fix one engine issue that's been bothering me for months. The engine stalls all the time. At first we thought the Idle Air Control Valve was broken and replaced it but the issue persisted. Since my go-to garage (friend of the family, has some experience with the 4g63 engine) doesn't have the tools/software needed to do a propper read-out I'm still not sure what the cause is. My uneducated guess would be one of the sensors is faulty. Since everything up to the air intake valve has been tested and/or replaced, it has to be beyond it.
Any advice on this is highly appreciated. For now the IAC is unplugged and the BISS screw has been adjusted to run without it, though the car still stalls the engine is cold and you drop rpms (idle is fine, but manuevering out of a parking spot tends to be frustrating).
 
The warping on the door trim (also known as door cap), could be a broken clip in the way, or adhesive bunched up. I'd carefully pry it off and see if something just happened to get stuck in there somewhere and maybe get newer clips to maybe hold it more securely.

For your idle, run a leak down test, boost leak test, and perhaps a compression test. Those should get you in the right direction. During the boost leak test, spray some soapy water around all couplers, intake parts, etc and look for bubbles.
 
seems like it was indeed broken clips & 2 clip mountings that were broken, some cleanup, glue and new clips should fix the issue.

leak down test and compression test have been done a few months ago after the car started having issues, nothing out of the ordinary found.
 
Woah, so rare to see a DSMer from Belgium! I lived there for 3 years and never once saw an Eclipse, haha.

You've got a good list of things to do. However here's a tip as I've done this before: You should just change out the entire license plate light bracket with another one that's not rusted. Yours will probably be rusted all the way through. You can replace that without taking off the bumper, just take the license plate out and you can reach the bolts behind it. Then tie some sort of string to the new bracket and pull it through from underneath, as you wont be able to reach it unless someone is helping you. Difficult to explain but you'll see it once you start doing it.

Here's a picture of the whole bracket:
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I've been looking for a new bracket but it's nigh impossible to find, only sites i've found it on are US based and don't ship internationally. no point in checking local wreckers as you've stated, there are no eclipses around here :p
may have to make one from scratch
 
Awesome to know about the license plate bracket! Mine has the exact same issue and I thought I would have to remove the bumper as well.
My car also has issues like rust and I'm sure people will think I'm crazy for spending time and money, but it's a 1997 GSX. Come on! Future classic! Plus it makes awesome noises.
As for your idling issue, I am not a DSM expert, but have you tried cleaning the IAC valve, making sure there are no leaks around it, and plugging it back in?
Good luck!
 
You guys have to remember he's NT, so boost leak tests aren't really applicable.
Check from vacuum leaks, check your spark plugs and wires, air filter.

You said the air valve is functioning.. but what about your ISC? Your ISC and your BISS work in tandem to keep everything running at low load/rpm.. also check and make sure your idle switch is functioning properly, you don't need anything more then a multimeter.
 
update on the doorcap: someone seems to have removed it before, after closer inspection 2 of the clips were actually bigger than the others, which is what caused the 'warped' look.

issue with the engine: engine stalled when idle (not when the engine was cold though) rpm would just drop to 0 when lifting my foot off the throttle.
this is what we did:
-check & clean airfilter
-check airflow sensor at the intake
-check & clean air intake valve
-check engine compression
-replace Idle Air Control Valve
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after which we gave up and just unhooked the IAC & adjusted the BISS screw.
now the engine only stalls when cold & after throttling up (keeping foot off the throttle when turning the ignition it'll idle though rather low on rpm)

what do you mean with ISC? not that knowlegdable on the jargon :)
 
License plate mounting fixed, since I couldn't find a replacement we made one ourselves.
Out with the old:
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in with the new:
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and in case your wondering what it's made of:
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polyester gutter :)

removed the antenna & motor but realised the 'universal' replacement antenna wasn't exactly universal, will need more parts to fix it. so basically without antenna for a while.
 
Nice work on the license plate mount. That'll never rust for sure haha (why did they ever use metal in the first place?)

The IAC/ISC is the same thing (Idle Air Control Valve / Idle Speed Control Valve). Check this video if you haven't yet and check your motor with a voltmeter:

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Also, I used to have a very similar problem which occurred in two occasions. So just to make sure, I'd recommend to check your 4 wire plug (gray) that goes into the alternator. Make sure it's nicely plugged in and that the wires aren't damaged. I used to not have this plug at all (took me awhile to figure it out) and that was causing the car to stall every time I go in neutral and apply the brakes.

Secondly, this used to happen when my plugs weren't gapped properly. On the N/A I believe it is 1mm gap, NGK-BPR6ES.

Additionally, if/when you check your ISC and it reads normal, plug it back in. Disconnect the MAF plug, disconnect the negative battery terminal and let it rest for 15 minutes. Unscrew the BISS all the way out, replace the little O-ring if it's very hard/old, and put it back in all the way, then back it out 2 and a 1/4 turns. Reconnect the battery and all the plugs, then start up the car (always wait for the CEL to disappear) and let it idle until it warms up; don't touch the throttle. As a general rule, the BISS should not be touched unless you have DSM Link, but if you have to adjust it, turn it very slowly 1/4 turn at a time, and wait for the RPMs to settle. As others have mentioned, it works in tandem with the ISC motor and can sometimes glitch it out.

On a totally unrelated note, I've been to Ypres a few years ago and visited the WW1 cemeteries. It was both eerie and peaceful at the same time. The countryside was beautiful.
 
Tackling the engine tomorrow. hopefully we can solve the issue :)

on your totally unrelated note, yeah, even growing up here, the cemeteries are never not eerie. they're all over the place, there's a WW1 bomb crater outside my house, got family living near the Menin Gate. WW1 is all around us.
if you ever decide to visit again, let me know, i'll buy you a beer and some fries :) wait, right, "chips"
 
Also, I used to have a very similar problem which occurred in two occasions. So just to make sure, I'd recommend to check your 4 wire plug (gray) that goes into the alternator. Make sure it's nicely plugged in and that the wires aren't damaged. I used to not have this plug at all (took me awhile to figure it out) and that was causing the car to stall every time I go in neutral and apply the brakes.

Secondly, this used to happen when my plugs weren't gapped properly. On the N/A I believe it is 1mm gap, NGK-BPR6ES.

Additionally, if/when you check your ISC and it reads normal, plug it back in. Disconnect the MAF plug, disconnect the negative battery terminal and let it rest for 15 minutes. Unscrew the BISS all the way out, replace the little O-ring if it's very hard/old, and put it back in all the way, then back it out 2 and a 1/4 turns. Reconnect the battery and all the plugs, then start up the car (always wait for the CEL to disappear) and let it idle until it warms up; don't touch the throttle. As a general rule, the BISS should not be touched unless you have DSM Link, but if you have to adjust it, turn it very slowly 1/4 turn at a time, and wait for the RPMs to settle. As others have mentioned, it works in tandem with the ISC motor and can sometimes glitch it out.

well, did what you explained here, after turning the ignition the first time, the car idled at ~800 rpm and idled stable for about 15 minutes, after which i just pushed the throttle a bit. as soon as i lifted my foot off the throttle the rpms dropped below 500 and the car stalled.
after which the car would stall instantly after starting. we slowly turned the BISS bit by bit till the car would idle again without throttle, then again to keep the car from stalling after throttling up.
now the car idles stable at ~800 rpm when hot, the rpms don't drop low when lifting my foot off the throttle. waited a few hours for the engine to cool down again to check what it did when cold. idles at ~1100 rpm and is pretty stable when throttling.

i'll see what it does over the next week. at least the rpms aren't dropping so low that the engine starts shaking & stalling :)

thx for the help so far

now i need to find a new base for a non-motorised antenna... luckily we're having a heat wave so i don't have to worry too much about the gaping hole where my antenna used to be :p
 
Well, at least we're getting somewhere!

It may seem obvious but sometimes it's the obvious things that fool us. Maybe check that your throttle cable is correctly positioned over and into the throttle cable bracket. Make sure it's not binding anywhere. But then again the throttle valve can never really close tightly. UNLESS! Unless your SAS (fixed speed adjusting screw) has been messed with before (the little screw that acts as a stop to the throttle cable bracket. That usually should not be touched and is set to a specific value from the factory. I believe to set it properly, you unscrew the lock nut on the back, turn the screw all the way till it just hits the cable bracket, then you thread it 1-1/4 turn further, then tighten the nut while keeping the screw stationary.

Just gotta keep troubleshooting till you either fix it or if someone else comes along with the right solution :idontknow:
 
well, now i look like an idiot... wasn't the BISS we were adjusting, but the SAS... though that's what everyone up until now has been messing with ever since the problem arose

so... considering it's running decent now, i guess i'll leave it until i know better what i should do :p

like i said, jargon aint my thing yet
 
Woah, okay let's just be super clear, take a look at this pic (it's a 1G throttle body but it's virtually the same):

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If you really did confuse the two, I'd suggest repeating the steps above to reset everything, then set the screws to the correct amount and let 'er idle for a few.
 
right, though it'll be wednesday before i have the time to deal with this :/
still, thanks for the explanation so far

what problems should i be expecting if i leave it like it is now? (BISS untouched afaik, SAS used to regulate idle rpm)
 
Well, the factory service manual mentions that the SAS directly affects the fuel/air mixture. Your TPS gets its reading based on how far the throttle valve is open/shut, and the ISC (stepper motor) has to work harder to keep adjusting the idle because of the different SAS setting. You probably wont break anything 'till Wednesday but it may be running richer.
 
Wow awesome job helping, Kryndon! Glad to know another knowledgeable DSMer!
Great job on that simple license plate bracket Doomchild. I was thinking of making something way more complicated for mine, but that looks excellent!
 
well, that's the second seller that refunds my purchase of the left foglight bezel, at least the first one gave me a notice instead of just a paypal refund.

anyone who can help me find this bezel? OEM part number: MR296098

edit: redid the instructions you gave me on the BISS & SAS, after putting the SAS in (what we assume is) the factory setting, removed, cleaned & treated the rubber seal on the BISS and put it back in as described, the cars smooth, no stalling, both cold and hot. also idles on lower rpm (yesterday it idled at 1500-1600 rpm and the car is already fairly thirsty :p)

so thx for the help ^-^
 
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update on the doorcap, new clips arrived today & putting it back on shows exactly the same warping it had before, nothing is fixed. it's almost as if the holes dont match up on the doorcap...
 
Really glad the idle issue has been fixed. It can get annoying. Funny enough I'm currently having some weird idling issues now... Guess I'll do that procedure as well.

For the foglight bezel, I looked around and honestly unless you can get lucky and get one from the Mitsubishi dealer (highly doubt they have this part in stock anymore), your best bet would be to order one from the US (used).

As for that door trim, I looked and it appears there are two different clips. There is a bigger one (only 1 per side), and 3 smaller ones per side. Those clips are the types where you just have to hit the mold right over where they are attached with your palm and it should pop right in. Do you have the mold completely off the door now? I don't see why the holes wont line up. It may just need some persuasion.
 
I just replaced all the clips with new ones, so they all match, tried to take it back off but it looks like it'l break when i do :(

as for the foglight bezel, been trying to contact US scrappers/recyclers but no answer so far, they don't seem keen on shipping oversees
 
I need the right-hand fog light bezel (with mounting screw & clip):
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Looks like i'll also need the mounting brackets for both sides:
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and if you have both headlights, then i could cancel the ones i have on back order (wont ship until the 14th of juli which pushes back the time at which i can send my car to the painter)

help is much appreciated, let me know of you need more info.


update: been contacting US based scrappers/recyclers but so far haven't found one willing to ship to the EU. not trying EU based recyclers in the hopes they have a 2gb on the yard
 
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