Is it worth doing anything to my car?

[99'EclipseGS]

I have 140k miles on it. It's a 420a, should i bother doing anything to it? is it worth it? new timing belt. that's pretty much it, everything else is stock. but i want to work on my car, is it worth it? if so, what could i possibly do to it? i need a new intake manifold and exhaust headers, any suggestions on good companies? i've been looking around and just need some opinions

 

[OakStreetTuner]

If your worried about destroying a motor because it has a ton of miles........ i guess you should determine the state of your motor first, do a compression check, change your plugs and wires, Air, and fuel filters are all good places to start to help prevent problems down the road.

 

[DSM_6SL2 Power]

You could get some good work time and experience on it, but I wouldnt bother spending to much money on it unless you go all out, and build up the tranny and motor and boost it. Then theres alot more involved then that.

Otherwise you suck at life and should just quit working on cars now.

 

[KnightHawk434th]

DSM_6SL2...if you aren't going to post good info, that stay out of the 420a boards. You ever own one? If not, you have not the slightest bit clue about it, and should not post bogus info that isn't even remotely helpful. You don't HAVE to go all out on a 420a. Do your homework, then post..............


Of course your GS is worth doing something to. Depends on your goals, whether you want a quick DSM or just plain stock. If you wanna make it quick, turbo it. Some 4G63 owners would argue that the NT eclipse is not worth any kind of performance, but the 420a tuners would argue in our favor.

As for I/E/H starts, there are alot of companies out there. Some intake manis are by venom, weapon-R, and some even go with OBX, but OBX isn't very high quality from what I hear. Some are happy, some are not. You can also get an intake manifold off ebay if you wish, or spend the big money and get named brand for pretty much the same gain in power, but just a bragging right and a few hundred dollars more. I have an ebay intake, and it works well, just make sure you get a cold air system for better gains over a short ram.

For exhaust, first of all, you have A header...not headers unless it is a v-style engine. If you plan on going turbo later on, go with ebay stuff. Good for your money, because when you go turbo you have to get a new manifold structured for a turbo setup anyhow. If you plan on staying NT then you are limited to your pocket depth. You can also upgrade your exhaust system as well. A good cat-back system off ebay will run you around $150, whereas name brand stuff can be anywhere from $400 on up. If you don't have to pass emissions, then your can replace your cat with a test pipe, or a "high-flow cat" (basically a resonator) and squeeze out a few ponies, but not alot. All exhaust systems basically give you around the same gain, so it makes no sense to spend $500 on a system where you can get one for a fraction of that on ebay.

Hope this gives you a good starting point. If you got any other questions ask around. There are tons of guys here and even over at 2GNT.com - home who can help. Make sure you search over at 2gnt 1st. They get hairy about non-searchers, but there a TON of info over there that is specific to the 95-99 RS/GS 420a NT.

 

[DSM_6SL2 Power]

I said nothing about the performance of the nt. I was talking about the condition and age of the car, and if you think your going to get much power out of a car that old for very long without building it up then you are not very bright.

Also, if you think your going to get much power out of a stock block nt then your not very bright either. Let's take your car setup for example? Do you even run
16's in the quarter? I doubt it.

 

[VelocitàPaola]

Oh great... I can see where this is going.

Settle down, people. We don't need any 4G63 vs. 420A threads.

 

[Defiant]

Drive it and enjoy it. Other than acceleration, it does most of what any other DSM does, which is looking good, handling well, being comfortable, and being fun. You'll also use less gas and do fewer repairs than a turbo will.

 

[KnightHawk434th]

To clear things up because there was obviously a misunderstanding...DSM i never said YOU referred to NT Performance, in my post I said SOME 4G63 owners. Read some boards over in DSMtalk.com - DSM Forums :: Eclipse, Talon and Laser Information and you will understand why I say that. All I said was you posted no useful information from your tone. Now that you talked about age I see what you're saying, but that is still no excuse to just bail. Work on it, and make it something.

I have no idea what I'm running now, haven't had time to get to the track. WIll I run 16's I don't know, depends on many variables as well as my setup which may/may not be strong enough for 16's. Point me to where I said my car was all powerful, and where i said you can get lots of power out of a stock block.

MAINTENANCE FIRST! Get that stuff out of the way, then the rest is up to how you want to plan your car. Turbo for less than $1000 on stock block, running 5-8psi will get you around 200whp. A quick upgrade for a stock block. OR you could stay stock with minimal mods to have as Defiant said, a nice looking, well handling and comfortable DSM. After that, then the money comes rolling into the engine with performance internals and that power number slowly rises with more building and tuning if you choose that path. Good luck, and have fun with it. Working on your car will get you a good amount of experience and knowledge on your car which will come in handy someday.

 

[erald01]

^ Dude the guy has 140k miles on an engine that was not build to take a beating, so there is no reason to boost or make it fast, what he needs to do is do all the maintenances fro A to Z then drive the car and enjoy it. Unless you have the money and want to rebuild the engine do not do too much upgrading on that stock engine other wise you gona end up spending more and more.

 

[totaleclipse_05]

I have 150k and boosting on a stock long-block. What's wrong with that?

The 420a's can take a beating, they are built well.

 

[KnightHawk434th]

At least someone sees my point . As long as you don't over do it, i see no problems either.

 

[4UH8ERS]

There both great cars, theres just too many things that rattle . The only thing that drives me nuts about this car is the rattling.

 

[mitsocruiser]

So you have that rattling problem to I have removed the back seat and a few other parts trying to find the ghost rattle still looking as for 99 eclipse gs it all depends on were you want to go with your car .If your into speed buy you another block and build when you can if your in to looks just go with body mods it all comes down to what your looking for just have fun with what you got

 

[turbo_punk]

I agree I love my car and have had it for about 2 or 3 years and i just got mine running just how i want it maintenance is the biggest issue with these cars luckly you dont have to worry about boost leaks...

 

[turbo_punk]

Rattling and other sounds you can sometimes take a long time to find let alone fix just remember we all have to deal with them.

 

[fwdmaster]

Just fix it up as a daily driver, and get a 1g or 2g turbo car and put money on that and you'll be happy

 

[RSTeclipse97]

I agree matinance first. Then go from there. You can do pretty much any basic bolt on to that car and never have a problem 4g63 guys think their cars are far more saperior but ask them how often they are broke down. A freind of mine has one and even he thinks my boosted 420a will produce less problems than his. And on another note why the hell are there any 4g63 guys in here anyway,go to your own forum and help someone with your motor that you actually know something about. And i dont know what my car will do in the 1/4 but il take on any 4g63 slightly modified and not cry if i lose or jump if i win. They're both great cars/motors it all depends on what YOU WANT not anyone else

 

[robleen69]

yes it is worth it take me for instance i just blew a rob through my block i just picked up a block for 50 bucks now im ordering my eagle rod race bearings pistons etc. then you go to the head and do that up then you go boost it strong high powered motor more boost its not cheap but it will keep up with a 4g63 all day

 

[99RedGs]

I/H/E and an underdrive pulley will net you some nice throttle response. I have heard of plenty of cars with 150k+ miles that are boosted just fine, it all depends on the condition of YOUR car. So do a compression test on it and go from there if you wish. If you don't want to go all out turbo and your compression is fine and your maintenance is done what you can do is:

I/H/E+ underdrive pulley+ clutch+ 75 wet shot: and you will have a fairly fun car to drive.



What I can say is that if you think you are going to turbo in the future:

a) Don't buy I/H/E now because when you go turbo they will be useless.
b) Buy a spare long block and build it up outside of your car and take your time and do it right
c) Start learning about tuning because we don't have DSMLink (although a PnP Ms system is coming) and that will be a huge factor in how much power you can make. Tuning a 420a requires much more knowledge then tuning the average 4g63 with DSMLink.
d) Plan everything out and write it down so you don't forget something

Otherwise just enjoy one of the sexiest cars of all time, ladies love it whether its fast or not.

 

[Defiant]

There both great cars, theres just too many things that rattle . The only thing that drives me nuts about this car is the rattling.

Tighten the six Torx screws on the sunroof glass.

 

[Locke]

And every other screw you can get to. Lubricate the armrest latch, where it contacts the console.

It doesn't take much effort to have a rattle-free/squeak-free DSM.