Buying a 1991 Eclipse GST today. Got a few questions!

[Dr Funkenstein]

Hey guys!

Checked out a 1991 Eclipse GST yesterday and even though it had high miles it seemed to pull pretty damn good. A lot faster than any car I've driven. I am going to pick it up after work today. Of course, it does have a few problems that need to be fixed before I'm able to drive it. I was hoping you guys could help clarify a few things for me.

I'm no expert mechanic, not even close to it. I like to tinker around with things though and am always willing to learn. So if I'm using any incorrect terminology or need to clarify about something further, let me know.

1. The first thing I noticed is that the intake system is missing. Or at least half of it. Basically, the part circled in yellow below is missing.

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I've been trying to find replace parts and came across Dejon. I was wondering if this is what I'm looking for. I was thinking about getting one with the BOV tube because I want it to be as stock as possible (aside from the Dejon intake pipe and air filter). For size (turbo end) I can either choose 2 3/4" or 3". Which one is the stock size?

2. The BOV wasn't plumbed into anything. I'm assuming its because its missing the intake pipe. Regardless, it drove fine and didn't stutter or stall out or anything, however I think it may be running a little rich because of it. What are your thoughts on this? Does leaving the BOV disconnected hurt anything? I plan on hooking it back up anyways.

3. The front driver's side caliper seems to be frozen in the closed position. I'm assuming out of all the things wrong with the car, this will be the easiest to fix.

4. The power steering pump is broken. The owner said that the power steering pump was leaking, so he just disconnected the belt and left it like that. I briefly read that the power steering pump is relatively easy to replace, as its only about 3 bolts and two lines. I'm just wonder, how easy is it to get at it? Meaning, is it underneath a bunch of other things I'll need to take off first, or is it easily reachable?


That's about it. Unless you guys tell me something like the power steering pump is ridiculously difficult to get at, I'll probably be buying this car later on today.

 

[GsXdSmKingGsX]

Blizzack's are what I use for winter tires on my STi.. Handles about as well as a car can in the snow.

 

[Dr Funkenstein]

Hello everyone!

Finally got my power steering pump taken care of today! However, just as usual, I get one step forward but then take two steps backwards.

1. My brake light is on. E-brake was totally disengaged, break fluid was full and it stopped fine when I drove it up and down the street. Any ideas?

2. Oil pressure gauge doesn't work. I never noticed it until today, so I don't know if it happened recently or not. How do I fix this?

3. I was about to flush my radiator when I noticed how crappy it was. Definitely need to replace it ASAP.

 

[Achelea]

1.) Likely a short some where, you can do a continuity check on the wires or pull off the interior and check to see if wires are touching.
2.) It's likely the sending unit on the bottom. You know where your oil filter is? There is a wire down there that's the sending unit.

 

[Dr Funkenstein]

1. Hmm, where exactly would the wires be touching? Like by the e-brake itself or under the car? Someone on another forum said the e-brake might be stuck and to hit it with WD-40.

2. Would that be the thin wire near the oil filter? Last time I was under my car I noticed that wire and that it looked grimy as hell. How do I go about replacing this?

 

[Achelea]

It's possible the contact for the E brake lever could be sticking, IE the button that tells the car that the E brake is up. You could check there, inside your center console.

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/new...l-pressure-sending-unit-go.html#post152169420 <--- Here ya go.

Credit josh38127 for his post.

 

[Dr Funkenstein]

So, I have some very bad news. I think my 1G has a blown head gasket.

Before I bought it, the car has been sitting in this dude's garage since 2003. I drove it a few miles back to my house, and since then a few times up and down the street after fixing various things. Today I noticed white smoke coming out of the exhaust. It smelled/tasted kind of sweet. I checked the coolant overflow reservoir and it was dark gray-ish.

Now, I've never driven it for more than 20 minutes, but the temp gauge never goes over half way. But, according to the two things I listed above -- I probably have a blown head gasket, right? It has 166,XXX miles on it.

I'm really broke and finally saved up enough money to get it registered and buy new tires in a few weeks. Now it looks like I'll have to shell out $500-$1000 to get this head gasket replaced. At this rate, I'm not going to be able to drive it for another 6 months.

Is there any sure fire way to test to see if the head gasket is actually blown or not?

EDIT: My radiator is in desperate need of replacement and I need to do a coolant flush too. Could this cause either of the two problems listed above? I read that if a car has been sitting for as long as mine has the coolant could just need to get flushed.

 

[4g63Powered]

Does your coolant and/or oil look like nasty chocolate milk? That is, opaque and brown? If yes, that is a good indication that your oil and coolant are mixing somewhere in the system. The most likely place is the headgasket.

Also, it wouldn't hurt to compression test your engine.

As for your oil pressure sender, I had an issue with the wire slipping off the sending unit so I wound a little bit of wire around it to hold it on.

 

[Dr Funkenstein]

Honestly, it looked more gray than brown. Could that just be from the coolant sitting for 7 years? If not then I am assuming its the head gasket. I'm going to order a new radiator tomorrow and put that in. If the new coolant turns nasty really quick, I'm going to then it must be the head gasket.

Would it be more cost efficient to have the timing belt and water pump replaced while my head gasket is getting replaced? I'm trying to figure out how much this is gonna cost me.

 

[NightRiderSRT4]

Honestly, it looked more gray than brown. Could that just be from the coolant sitting for 7 years? If not then I am assuming its the head gasket. I'm going to order a new radiator tomorrow and put that in. If the new coolant turns nasty really quick, I'm going to then it must be the head gasket.

Would it be more cost efficient to have the timing belt and water pump replaced while my head gasket is getting replaced? I'm trying to figure out how much this is gonna cost me.

You might as well get it all done at once. That way you will not have to keep bringing it back. Maybe the garage will give you a discount for the amount of work that needs to be done. It wouldnt hurt to ask.

 

[Dr Funkenstein]

Hello everyone,

I'm compiling a list of everything I need or should do when having my head gasket replaced. I know I should use ARP head studs as well as an OEM head gasket. Do you guys recommend anything else?

 

[Calan]

In addition to the other thread, I just read all of this one. And I must say, I really hope you don't sell your car. You have busted your ass on it, you are doing things the correct way, and your questions have been intelligent and to the point. You could be a poster child for the way DSM "noobs" should approach ownership and restoration of a 20 yr old DSM.

With that said, I'll mention this...it sounds like it's too late for the brakes and PS pump, but in most cases you can buy a kit and rebuild components for less money than replacing them, and you usually end up with a much more reliable component (especially when just replacing something with another used part). A PS pump rebuild costs about $20 and takes an hour or two; a front brake caliper rebuild is about $15-$30 depending where you buy the kit, and takes maybe an hour. (1G rear calipers are more difficult, but not impossible by any stretch). There are articles on this site for many of these types of rebuilds, along with information on where to source rebuild kits etc.

Just wanted to mention that as it sounds like something you would tackle and probably do just fine with.

Keep at it...you're doing great.

As for your last question, replace the water pump and all timing components unless you know for a fact when they were replaced last and it's within reason. A big part of the labor involved with a HG replacement is in removing and replacing the timing belt...so it makes no sense to pay for that labor twice.

EDIT:

On the brake light, it could also be that you need to adjust the emergency brake if you replaced the rear calipers. If the cable isn't adjusted properly, it can cause the light to come on. (and drag the brakes of course if it is bad enough).

And O'Reilly's has the stock lug nuts for about $4 each if I remember correctly.

 

[Dr Funkenstein]

Thank you very much. I don't know much about cars, but I'm always down to learn about them! I wish I had known about the rebuild kits, but its too late now! I also wish I had did the 2-piston brake caliper upgrade. But eh, what can ya do?

I was talking with my dad and he said I should insure my car first. Then drive it to the shop, instead of tow it. Then get the head gasket fixed. Then get tires. I think that sounds like a good plan, hopefully my car doesn't blow up on the 20 minute drive to the shop, haha.

I have to call my dad's mechanic and see how much for HG, WP and TB all together. Maybe I can get a discount, haha.

EDIT: My new goody:

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[Ripley]

Stick with it. Seems like you are almost there and will have a nice running ride.

 

[Dr Funkenstein]

Ugh, another day, another problem.

So two weeks ago I replaced the alternator. I was able to jump start the car and the battery held a 14V charge. I just tried to start the car and nothing. Not even a click. I tried to jump start it with the spare car, but the Eclipse's battery wouldn't charge past 7.4V nor would it start.

The battery is a cheap-o, but the sticker on it says its from August 2010. Do you think the battery is dead or would it be a different problem?

 

[Calan]

If the battery was completely dead when you replaced the alternator, it may have been weakened or been on it's way out. Swap another battery in if you have one available and see if it holds a charge.

Otherwise, see if you have a continuous current draw that is draining the battery with the car off. Something like a shorted interior lamp (or a stuck dome/map light) would do it.

 

[Dr Funkenstein]

If the battery was completely dead when you replaced the alternator, it may have been weakened or been on it's way out. Swap another battery in if you have one available and see if it holds a charge.

Otherwise, see if you have a continuous current draw that is draining the battery with the car off. Something like a shorted interior lamp (or a stuck dome/map light) would do it.

Would I be able to bring the battery to AutoZone and have them diagnose it?

What about the starter?

How do I check for shorted interior lights?







Okay, I got some good news and bad news.

I brought the battery to AutoZone and it tested bad. The dude there said that was the cheapest piece of crap battery Walmart sells. So I bought a Duralast from AutoZone and she fired right up!

I changed the oil today and there didn't seem to be any coolant mixed in with the oil. After I changed the oil I let it idle for 5 minutes and also drove it up and down the street. I checked the coolant overflow tank with better lighting this time. I noticed that it looks more yellow then brown. I let some of the liquid from one of the hoses connected to the tank to drip onto my hand and it was clear like water. Maybe I don't need a new head gasket after all? Still gotta run a leak down test to be sure though.

I also noticed that my power steering was gone again! I checked the power steering fluid tank and it was bone dry! Then I noticed the puddle under the car. Looks like one of the lines is cracked and/or leaking.

The more I look around the car, the more I notice what a hack job it was. Pipes cut. Wires connected with electrical tape. I took a few pictures to share my misfortune with you all. I didn't get a chance to change the radiator today because I was starting to get pissed off, so I still have to do that.


What the hell is cut here?

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Notice the electrical tape and puddy-stuff.

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What is this on top of my new battery? It looks like the piping connected to it is way too long, hence its position.

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[NightRiderSRT4]

dammn man. im sorry to see all these problems. i haaaaaaate how people completely hack up cars. if you were closer i'd give you a helping hand with this stuff.

 

[Calan]

What is this on top of my new battery? It looks like the piping connected to it is way too long, hence its position.

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That would be your fuel filter. It should be bolted to a bracket that mounts on the firewall. It normally sits about about 4 inches below the battery on the firewall, a few inches toward the driver's side.

If you look here, you can see a SS line coming straight up out of the top of it, directly below the injector resistor pack at the upper middle-right.

There's a bunch of east coast DSM'ers. Someone over there needs to annie up for a road trip and come give you a hand. I think you've earned it.

EDIT:

I never noticed it before, but the virtual engine bay page doesn't show the fuel filter anywhere. It's not even listed in the text index. Huh... that's weird.

Here's the best pic of the stock filter in the original location that I can find. You can see it at the lower left, below that mess of wiring as I was tearing my car down.

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[Dr Funkenstein]

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Ah, I see now. It looks like at some point he ran new piping to it and didn't cut it to length or something!

You have any clue what this could be? Its like 6 inches to the right of the fuel filter.

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[Calan]

Ah, I see now. It looks like at some point he ran new piping to it and didn't cut it to length or something!

That is the stock banjo fitting on top, but I can't see the bottom so maybe the line going to the tank has been changed or something. Is the bracket still on the firewall? If so, see if it will bolt back up...it could be that he just unbolted it for some reason and left it hanging, judging from the way other stuff is hacked up.

You have any clue what this could be? Its like 6 inches to the right of the fuel filter.

Can't quite tell. It's been a while since my engine bay was stock, and your zoomed in just a bit close. Shoot a pic from a little further away, or maybe someone else will recognize it.

 

[Dr Funkenstein]

Thanks! I'll take another picture tomorrow or Friday if it rains tomorrow.

Random question, but does anyone know the 4 bolt sizes that the bottom of the battery tray uses to bolt down to the car? Or know where the get a battery tray? All I have is the bottom base part.

Also: What is used to secure the bottom of the front bumper to the car, bolts or plastic clips?

 

[Calan]

Random question, but does anyone know the 4 bolt sizes that the bottom of the battery tray uses to bolt down to the car? Or know where the get a battery tray? All I have is the bottom base part.

M8 x 1.25 x 20mm long...or there abouts.

All you have is the brace that goes to the frame, or both that and the flat part on top? If you have both, then you're just missing the plastic box that sits on top of it and surrounds the battery. Hit up a junkyard or search the classifieds for someone parting out a car for whatever you need there.

Also: What is used to secure the bottom of the front bumper to the car, bolts or plastic clips?

Not sure on a '91 front clip, but it's probably just plastic fasteners snapped into a metal support strip.

 

[Dr Funkenstein]

Thank you very much, sir!

Yes, all I have the bottom tray that sits on the frame. I just sent out a boat load of PMs to people parting out their cars, so hopefully I'll get a few bites.

Not much else to report in here, so look forward to my next update of failure and misery. Also, if its nice out this weekend I might be Plasti-Dipping my wheels.

 

[Calan]

Well keep at it; you're doing fine. It's just part of owning a DSM, and it gets better...I promise.

 

[chris7156]

Ah, I see now. It looks like at some point he ran new piping to it and didn't cut it to length or something!

You have any clue what this could be? Its like 6 inches to the right of the fuel filter.

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You said it looks like the person ran new lines so I bet that the pic is just the old lines that was just cut off there and never completely removed. Im not 100% sure but thats what it looks like to me.