New GSX owner

[ViperPete]

Hello everyone!

My name is Peter and i just purchased a 1998 GSX 5-speed manual car with only 68k on the clock. I have a ton of experience with my 1998 and 1999 Avenger's in pretty much every conceivable way. Converted my 1998 to a 5-speed and dropped in a 6g75 from an Eclipse with a Megasquirt II- fabricated the mounts, exhaust, adjustable suspension, brake swaps, full interior changes, system installs, fuse box relocation... etc... a ton of work. And a lot of other details. I also own a 2013 Viper GTS and 2005 Ram SRT10 which is my daily- so I love low-end torque.

I didn't come here to talk about that though. I have experience with the sister cars is what i am getting at and wanted to give some backround info on me.

So I bought this Eclipse just now and here are my observations: Has pretty decent power. All the gauges work. Seems to build boost just fine. Feels exactly like a stock Avenger in terms of ride and driving position. Suspension feels loose as hell. Stereo is terrible. Has ice Cold A/C! No check engine codes. The clutch has a lot of travel. I was surprised at how much travel. Feels even longer than my Viper and I thought that was a lot. The car looks pretty.

I'm sitting here at work and am about to drive it home and basically what i am asking is what should i look for once i park it in the garage and jack it up off the ground? I've never owned a turbo car before so I'm not 100% sure what to expect. I know some 4g63 engines are better than others (i think). How do these transmissions hold up? The diff? Transfer case? Sounds like an exhaust leak somewhere up front. Is replacing the manifold gasket a total PITA? First step is i want to change all fluids. What do you guys recommend for the transmission and diff?

I'll have a lot more questions i am sure and y'all will see my posts, but i am glad to have finally found one of these as i have wanted one for over 15 years.

Thanks

Peter

 

[AKbag]

I can say the manifold gasket is pretty easy and cheap to fix. Did mine with new bolts and helicoiled a stripped out hole in a few hours in no rush. I also did new tierods and ball joints on my 1g and the front end feels like new now. Also not hard or expensive.

 

[lasershark]

Hello Peter and welcome the the site.
Akbag beat me to the punch on the mani gasket...
As far as fluids go... http://www.jackstransmissions.com/pages/oil
but do some research as you will find many people say many things...
Anything you need to know can be found on this site, be prepared to spend hours researching these little beasts once you get addicted

http://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/welcome-to-dsmtuners-now-go-create-a-dsm-profile.499707/

 

[AKbag]

And yes of course welcome! Stm and extreme psi are great sources for parts like that.

 

[BoostzillaTSX]

Welcome to the forums.. I am also on my very first dsm, and pretty much anything you need to know can be found here.. Definitely a lot of knowledge here!!

 

[oneslowwdsm]

Welcome, if you are at all mechanically inclined you will find working on these cars isn't all that difficult. It's diagnosing issues that can become difficult

You may want to check the condition of the timing belt and plan on replacing it if it has never been done.

 

[nwBryce89]

First I would be checking the condition of the engine, inspect plugs, compression test I'm sure you know the drill. Maintenance is key with these cars if you don't know the cars history I would definitely be changing the timing belt and tensioner. You also could be down on quite a bit of power if you have a pre turbo exhaust leak. Vfaq is also a great source for info.

 

[ViperPete]

Thanks for the advice and links guys. Timing belt looks like a PITA in this car. Not a lot of room. Are there "how-to's" on this website for projects like that?

 

[lasershark]

http://www.vfaq.com/mods/timingbelt-2G.html

 

[oneslowwdsm]

Thanks for the advice and links guys. Timing belt looks like a PITA in this car. Not a lot of room. Are there "how-to's" on this website for projects like that?

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For a 1st generation engine but it's pretty much the same thing.

 

[ViperPete]

Ok. So here's the info i was able to get from the previous owner...

Engine rebuilt 8,000 miles ago
Transmission rebuilt 10 months ago with a new clutch.

He couldn't remember if they replaced the timing belt, but it is probably likely with an engine rebuild.

Needless to say that is pretty amazing information. I am pleased. Now i gotta find that exhaust leak and check everything over real good. Definitely needs shocks in the front.