98 Eclipse GS

[GzusEclipse98]

This is the Build Thread for 98 Eclipse GS. Reply below.

 

[GzusEclipse98]

The item 98 Eclipse GS has been updated:

Maintenance log:
All 4 Motor Mounts (3 O’Reilly’s Power Torque PTQ B9174, B9198, A8670 / 1 Proline EM-9394) & Transmission Output Shaft Seal (National 3459) replaced @ approx. 60,360 miles May 30th 2025
Power Steering Pump (BBB Industries/Terrepower 920-0135) replaced @ approx. 60,500 miles June 24th 2025
Rack & Pinion (70-6933) + PS Fluid, Radiator (432505) + Coolant, Oxygen Sensor upstream(Walker Products 250-24076)/downstream (Denso 234-4083), Oil Sensor Pressure Switch (Standard Motor Products PS287T), Reverse Light & Brake Light replaced, wheels aligned @ approx. 61,400 miles August 21st 2025

 

[GzusEclipse98]

MAJOR Maintenance log:
The following maintenance was performed in December of 2025 but i don't have the exact mileage the car read for this month so my rough estimate would be somewhere around the 62,000 mileage mark for the odometer.
Headgasket replaced (hooray) with MAHLE CLEVITE Headgasket set (HS54044B) as well as headbolts with MAHLE CLEVITE headbolt set (GS33341). At the same time the timing belt with water pump, hydraulic actuator, camshaft belt idler and tensioner pulley were replaced with the DAYCO Timing Belt & Component kit (WP246K1A). Also, the head was machined for any warpage. Also, the crankshaft rear main seal (WP-214582) and torque converter seal (1476-45962) were replaced (i don't have the proper part numbers for these 2 since my mechanic took care of these) alongside a transmission fluid service. The reason for all this service was due to constant fluid leaks that SURPRISE, turned out to be the headgasket, I read that this was a problem for the 420a and was apparent around the mileage my 2G GS was at, but the prior mechanic I was seeing at the time wasn't able to diagnose it correctly. So I took the car to another mechanic who I used to watch for a few months and got to know, now this mechanic is my primary mechanic as he was able to correctly diagnose the issue, and he was able to help me out a bit on the price of the repair and work although it was still pretty steep. Doing my research, I decided on getting the multi-layer steel headgasket that Mahle Clevite offers. While he was in the engine bay it only made sense to take care of the timing belt since God only knows how much life it had left, went with Dayco since Gates seems to no longer be the quality it used to be according to reviews. That was a much-needed service that hopefully gives much more and longer life to the 2G GS.
The following maintenance was performed recently, with the odometer currently reading just over 63,500 mileage mark. Wheels aligned PARTIALLY. At the end of February, at the recommendation of my mechanic I took the car to be aligned by a shop that specializes in that kind of work, according to the alignment specialist (sidenote but he had a coworker who passed away but also had a DSM and was happy to see how clean mine was underneath making note of the pinch welds, this was great to hear given I'm not sure how well the underside is since I have no garage to store the car and keep it street parked unfortunately) the front passenger wheel could not be aligned due to an issue either with the upper control arm or the spindle. The spindle seems impossible to find without getting a replacement CV Axle (I think but I really don't know) despite my efforts. So, I opted to replace the upper control arm with a new Delphi passenger-side front upper control arm (TC2505). Given that 3 months had passed since December I also decided to have the oil changed with the oil filter this time. I went with Valvoline Restore and Protect 5W-30 and Mobil 1 Extended Performance M1-204A Oil Filter. My mechanic noted that i should also change the lower control arm since that part has some play to it, so i just this evening ordered a new Delphi passenger-side front lower control arm with ball joint (i got the machined arm vs the pressed in arm at his recommendation) (TC5358). While at it I ordered a new Wix air filter (46028) to replace the old one that's been in the car since owning it. In a couple months I plan to also change the brake pads, rotors, and fluid. I've decided that I'll get both the Brembo Prime Ceramic pads P54012N for the rear and P54014N for the front since the rear is made by Akebono and the front by Sumitomo, both of which seem to be good quality. As for rotors, I'm thinking Dynamic Friction Geospec Coated rotors front and rear to protect against rust. For brake fluid Dot 3 Prestone i think will be fine. This will be done around 2 months from now. I'm in a more dire need of new tires since the ones on the car have a date code of 0516, so I'm riding on 10-year-old tires, I had a flat about a week or two ago and got it plugged that same night, but I don't know how long these will last. I don't make a lot of money and frankly this car deserves better than I'm able to care for it but I'm doing what I can to care for it properly. If I'm desperate I'll settle for replacing the current tires with some used tires, I'm in the Bronx so there's no shortage of used tire shops, sadly there's very few new tire shops other than dealerships, I've been looking at getting a new set of tires from Mavis Discount Tire (specifically Hankook Ventus V2 Concept2, I love the look of the tread pattern on them), but I really gotta save money to do that. I also got new wheel-locks installed by my mechanic, ordered them from STMTuned, since I didn't have the old wheel-lock key from the previous owner so now I should be able to replace a flat tire if God forbid a flat happens, he also replaced the trunk struts with ones I ordered from RockAuto, made by Sachs (SG114003/SG114004), i would have done this myself but the screws of the old trunk strut brackets were stripped. Also cleaned the spare wheel well of some rust and dirt/grime, including the drain plugs, I do have a spare wheel and it seems to be fine and hold air no problem, wasn't able to see the date code of the spare tire but it didn't seem old, the jack and equipment is also there, I believe I'm not missing anything if I need to replace the wheel. Also found the trunk cargo net, it needs to be cleaned. If it's not clear to anyone that I'm new to owning a car, much less a DSM, I just got my first ticket ever for being 2 months overdue for a vehicle safety inspection sticker :/ Any advice, recommendations, or suggestions on what I've got going on would be greatly appreciated.
03-17-2026 ~GzusEclipse98

 

[GzusEclipse98]

I forgot to add I got myself a pair of JDM 2G folding mirrors , i gotta get them paint-matched alongside the Volk Metalcraft aluminum door handles, I really hope the mirrors just plug in and work no issues, here's hoping

 

[GzusEclipse98]

Maintenance Log
New full set of Hankook tires (yay)
Old Zenna Sportline tires with a 2016 date code have been replaced with a new set of Hankook Ventus V2 Concept 2 tires with 2025 date code, size 205/55/R16. Got the tires from Walmart, had them delivered home with free shipping thanks to Walmart+ subscription, then at a tire spot near my work i had them installed, balanced, and aligned, and the car rides MUCH better, go figure driving on 10 year old rubber vs new will feel different. Happy with the tires needless to say. (Sidenote: installed @ 63,700 miles on odo)

 

[GzusEclipse98]

The item 98 Eclipse GS has been updated:

Maintenance log:
All 4 Motor Mounts (3 O’Reilly’s Power Torque PTQ B9174, B9198, A8670 / 1 Proline EM-9394) & Transmission Output Shaft Seal (National 3459) replaced @ approx. 60,360 miles May 30th 2025
Power Steering Pump (BBB Industries/Terrepower 920-0135) replaced @ approx. 60,500 miles June 24th 2025
Rack & Pinion (70-6933) + PS Fluid, Radiator (432505) + Coolant, Oxygen Sensor upstream(Walker Products 250-24076)/downstream (Denso 234-4083), Oil Sensor Pressure Switch (Standard Motor Products PS287T), Reverse Light & Brake Light replaced, wheels aligned @ approx. 61,400 miles August 21st 2025

Recently was able to match the part-number for the radiator (432505) to one offered by Advance Auto Parts through their Carquest products, specifically their Carquest Premium Radiator #432505, as well as O'Reilly Auto Parts through their Murray Heat Transfer line (from what a quick google search tells me Murray is owned by Standard Motor Products), same part-number #432505. Until now I previously believed the radiator was one belonging to a Chrysler Town & Country / Grand Caravan under the CSF product line, since that was the only match I got from 2505. I was also expecting the part to be under Famous Brands given their part numbers also are very similar. Still Have yet to match the Rack & Pinion. I also would have the radiator to have been any part-number variation of 2023, had i gotten the radiator myself i would have opted for TYC, but this radiator was installed by a mechanic i was trying at the time but is no longer my current one, who i mentioned i my more recent posts ~GzusEclipse98

 

[GzusEclipse98]

Maintenance log
Today on the 30th of May 2026 (Forgot to mention Odometer was at 64,694, or basically 65k miles rounded) Brake Rotors and Pads changed. The new Brake Discs are Dynamic Friction GeoSpec Coated Rotors front and rear (60472028 & 60472023, 2 of each). The new Brake Pads are Brembo Prime Ceramic (P54012N & P54014N, both sold as a set). The old Brake Fluid was flushed with Prestone Dot 3. Everything was ordered thru RockAuto.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsnBR4ZTWPM

 

[GzusEclipse98]

Maintenance log
Today on the 30th of May 2026 (Forgot to mention Odometer was at 64,694, or basically 65k miles rounded) Brake Rotors and Pads changed. The new Brake Discs are Dynamic Friction GeoSpec Coated Rotors front and rear (60472028 & 60472023, 2 of each). The new Brake Pads are Brembo Prime Ceramic (P54012N & P54014N, both sold as a set). The old Brake Fluid was flushed with Prestone Dot 3. Everything was ordered thru RockAuto.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsnBR4ZTWPM

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Something to note about the rear Brembo brake pads P54012N is that although the pads themselves fit fine the shims were not the right size, so the old ones had to be cleaned then reused, it might be worth keeping this in mind for anyone else who is thinking about replacing the brake pads, these are supposed to be the same brake pads offered by Akebono but since the Brembo pad kit came with the shims and lubricant i opt’d to get that instead. Thought it was worth noting