I have a GSX.. what to do with it?

[eclipsegsx98]

so i bought a 98 eclipse gsx. it ran amazing for about 5 hours then the engine blew... so i have a half ass running gsx now. my local mechanic says he wouldn't in a million years put a new motor in it. what should i do?? this is my dream car.. i refuse to sell it. but whats a good reliable engine to throw in a dsm? wanting around a 300whp build, nothing too serious, just a solid set up. this is my first mitsu, i also have a non running 300zx na.. may sell both and get a genesis turbo.. but no clue, id really like to keep the eclipse, ive dreamt of owning one since i saw it in fast and furious, and of course since i grew up playing need for speed underground..​

 

[Artago]

How bad did the engine blow? It might be rebuild-able. If not you can do a 6 bolt swap. Or a 6 bolt short block with a 2G head.

300 whp isn't that hard on a DSM. 16g turbo, injectors, fuel pump, dsmlink, 1g BOV, and a boost controller.

Sell the 300zx for dsm parts money

 

[eclipsegsx98]

well i found out the entire time it was running, that the #3 cylinder was misfiring, but the mechanic who was supposed to fix it, (for the other owner) didnt. all he did was up idling, which caused the check engine light to come on, so the higher idling would cover up the misfires. (basically so i wouldn't hear it) so right now its got bent intake valves, just two of them, and the #3 cylinder is out. along with a bad piston (it probably got ate and thrown out the oil pan, but i havent checked) so the car misfires like hell, and has probably 50 hp when it runs, but i dont like to start it. it sounds like a 6.0L diesel when running. also the headlights stay on no matter what (literally the headlights have a mind of their own) . so i took the battery out.

 

[Artago]

It sounds like the engine is toast. Depending on the damage, it may or may not be rebuildable. For the headlights, check your relays: may just need new ones.

If you do pull the motor and tear it down, take some pics and post them here. I'm sure some of the DSM wisemen will chime in.

Get yourself a cheap USB bore-scope from ebay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/5M-6LED-5-5...hash=item25b7e43c53:m:mO9Tpa0Wu04UTah81gYVAxA

Stick it down the spark plug holes, oil fill, oil drain and take some photos.

 

[pauleyman]

No one can tell you what you should do. Are you asking how much it would cost? Can it be fixed? Of course. Is it worth it from a pure financial standpoint to pay to have it done? In my opinion no. What you do will be up to you, your skill level and your wallet.

 

[Spideydsm99]

@pauleyman said it best!

 

[eclipsegsx98]

im basically wanting to know from people experienced with not only working on cars, but working with a dsm, what would be some advice. what would yall do if you bought a gsx that blew up in a day? and you have another non running car that can sell for about $1,000. and about $5,000 on top of that to throw into the project.

 

[Vegas Smith]

It depends. Do you have any experience building cars? It will cost you probably 2-4 times more to have someone fix it for you. For example, I be able to but a used engine for say $500 and do all the labor myself. It may cost you $2000 for the same job. If the car is really nice, besides the engine, and you enjoy it then it may be worthwhile for you to slap another engine in there. Also, you could be in a world of hurt if you're relying on the local mechanic to build your dsm for you.

 

[jaytec4g63t]

get yourself a manual and go for it

 

[sinned4g63]

Well I'm with you in that it's like my dream car, but I wasn't lucky enough to find a GSX (got a GS-T instead). Obviously starts with weather you have the ability to do the repairs yourself or know someone who can help you, that'll save you lots of $$$. A used 6bolt will probably be the biggest chunk regardless but paying a shop will easily triple your cost if not more. Sell the 300zx and get a shop manual either way cause it's nice just to have and make it a project. I'd probably do it myself but it'd be a long process..

 

[Jaytec2jz]

I think getting a shop manual and trying to fix it yourself will make you understand the car a lot more. On top of all that you can go ahead and troubleshoot the car way easier in the future if anything goes wrong or anything starts giving you any types of issues

 

[pauleyman]

I don't know why everybody says it's a long process. Thats is entirely dependent on money and ability. A skilled guy with a reasonable budget could get it done in a few weeks. The time is all spent waiting on the machine shop. If I just needed a car running....i could do it in two weeks if I had to. Would be some long weekends and no "while I'm in there" stuff. My guess is your problem isn't an entire engine rebuild and you could get the car running again

 

[boostjunkie24]

I will sell you my 97 GSX 4G63 long block engine out of my personal car long with 50K original miles. I just installed a new timing belt and water pump and I will take your engine as a partial trade plus cash.
I sent you a PM and here is a photo of my car
Thanks,
John Ledellaytner

 

[sinned4g63]

Me personally would take a while due to budget and time. Still something I'd be willing to tackle though to save a GSX.

 

[zedicus]

bore scope and post pics.
a guy could ball hone, pistons, valves, lifters, bearings, and be out under 1000$ and a weekend. they do not have to be expensive to be reliable. its only when the HP bug bites that people start breaking stuff quick.

and as far as turbo cars go, the DSM is dead simple to work on. Avoid that genesis, they are not in the same league as a DSM, especially a GSX.

 

[spyderdrifter]

I really wish people would stop jumping on the "6 bolt swap" bandwagon. Most people say this because they believe it's better in every way. Sure it may have stronger rods and crank, but they can crankwalk just as easily as a 7 bolt. Both engines can be built for reliability.

For the sake of expenses, you should rebuild the engine if it's rebuildable. If you can't find someone that can that knows how to do DSM things. It'll be cheaper in the long run, and it'll give you a chance to learn about building an engine. It's a bit time consuming, a little tedious, but well worth the effort and in the end, you'll have pride in your work knowing your dream car runs again because YOU made it happen. Take the advice of the DSM Wisemen, they know their shit and won't steer you wrong.

 

[freedomtanker]

Sounds like my story, no compression in two cyl but love the car. Tore it down and had the block machined, not im looking at a 400+whp car that was barely running when i bought it. Its an easy first build car as well. Mine was a vw and let me just say the germans had the same technology in the 80s that dsm had in the mid late 90s. Good luck and have fun with it. At least when its all said and done you can say you built it, adds a bit of charm to it imo. Sell the z cause its really not worth keeping.

 

[Nico_]

Whatever you do, don't sell it to buy a Hyundai!

Keep the gsx, it's a very fun car and very easy to work on. And I think you should do it yourself, as a project car.
Think of it as a hobbie, and i'm sure you'll learn a lot from the experience.