New Owner: Anything I should know? What should I mod first? [merged]

[airboss]

Hello to everbody in this forum. I'm new to all of this so from time to time I may ask a foolish question or two so bear with me. I just recently purchased a 1991 Talon TSi Turbo FWD for $7,600.00 Canadian and the Car was in MINT condition, never winter driven, always stored indoors, 100,000 kms., one owner (A Doctor) who always did the regular maintenance and anything else that needed to be done, and always a couple of good coats of Mother's Wax on her. She is in Pristine condition on the inside as well as under the hood, Pictures will follow soon so you can see for youself. What do you think? Also, I plan on doing some modifications, nothing outrageous but enough to put her around 250 HP. I'm thinking a mechanical boost gauge mounted on a single A Pillar Pod, a K & N High FLow Air Filter System to replace the whole stock can filter that is there now, and a new blow-off valve...Does this sound reasonable? That would do it for mods under the hood for now. The rest would be looks items like 17" Sniper Rims, and a neon purple ground effect kit.

Let's here those comments...I'm new to this stuff so all advise and help would be appreciated.

 

[Splitpi]

Well the guy I bought it from was a great guy, thanks Yuri. All matanence was documented with reciepts for everything. New clutch , and clutch slave master cylinders. Rotors and pads, regular oil changes and all. Only thing is hes the 2nd owner so... I don't know much about what happened with the 1st. Took a look at the timing belt (alot easier to do compaired to the 420a) and from my standpoint it looks pretty good. What should i be looking for as in indications of something wrong. Im gunna do the cleaning on the IC and catch can once i have some cash again. But now im broke since the purchase .

At a minimum though I would say pull the plugs and inspect them.... clean them with a wire brush, ensure they are properly gapped then reinstall them if they look good.

Do a compression test, get the tool from your auto store (usually lend for free) and perform the test.

Build a Boost leak tester and perform that after you clean the IC.

This is all pretty much free maintance for your car and helps to verify the condition of the motor.

Edit: Oh, lastly, inspect your turbo.... see if the blades shaft has play either side to side (which is not necessarly bad) or in/out (which I understand to be bad). You can do this by just taking off the intake... simple and free to do.

 

[nightracer91]

How much do you like that turbo compared to n/a?Better go with the 60k maintenance schedule.

 

[numlock666]

wow man its like night and day . I half a$$ the pedal and fly ^_^. N/A flooring it and struggle to get uphill. BUT GOD WHY IS MY ENGINE BAY SOOO DIRTY!!

 

[Deagle_TT]

Hey all. just acquired a '93 eclipse GS (turbo swap is in the garage and waiting...) it has a couple issued I'd like to ask about quick...

First off, it's an ATX (i know, i know YUK, but it's all I could afford)

when I am sitting in gear stopped, the car is really shakey. RPM's are anywhere from 750-1000 depending on if it's warmed up or not. shakey bugs the hell out of me because it is not exactly a sign of quality or reliability.

Secondly, when I am just cruising or stopped and I stop on the gas pedal it hesitates and rpms DROP first then increase. if I slam on the gas it does it even more so.

Now experience tells me to replace the fuel filter, but I was looking around and I cannot find a fuse labled fueil pump or anything like that. I know how to change the filter, I've done it on my 3000gt VR4 and it's WAY easier on these DSM's because you dont have to take have the engine bay apart.

How can I disable the fuel pump so I can releave fuel line pressure??? I dont even know where the pump is in these cars.

a little advice would be great! I look forward to the new platform and community of people! and I can only hope the DSMers are as kind and helpful as the 3S members have been!


p.s. the more help I get the more likely I am to post pics of the custom fiberglass work I will be doing in this thing!

 

[Talon-96]

if you search for where the fuel pump is there is a step by step in here on how to do it just search ive found it so can you.

 

[nuclearpenguin]

I would check most components of the fuel/ignition system. Grab a Haynes or Chiltons and see what it says.

As for disabling the fuel pump, if you pop the rear hatch, beneath the carpet on the drivers side there is an electric plug, unplug it, then turn the car on and let it die (from running out of any left over fuel in the system). Then you should be good to change the filter.
If you have a repair manual you woulda already known that though

 

[wolf20043]

Or just pull the fuse on the pos. terminal on the battery (MPI), then crank for a few seconds and it will de-pressurize the system.
Mike

 

[Avalanche419]

Whats good?? I'm new to the DSM world....Just bought my 1st 98 Eclipse RS the other day and i'm anxious to learn more...I really wanna drag this car so I'm hoping I can learn some stuff from yall....I will post pics of the new car soon, and i'm anxious to read what everyone else gots goin on....

 

[dsmulla]

If you look through the N/T section, I am pretty sure you will find some good information.

 

[Talesin]

Drag it from what? N/Ts are good daily drivers, but if you're looking to put down big power at the track, you'd really be better off buying a GS-T (or GSX if you're making a dedicated strip/track car) and starting from there... no offense intended to our turbo 420a guys, but it's a LOT of work, risk and expense compared to modding a stock turbocharged car, when you're shooting for big numbers. Especially when you're just getting your feet wet.

If you just want a little more oomph, there's a few things you can do... as noted above, see the N/T section, or the 'TECH/DIY' link at the upper left of the forum page. They have a section for the N/Ts. Personally, I'd start off with lightening the car as much as possible. There's no greater gain than dropping dead weight. Immediate results on power and handling, and it only gets better when you increase the power or upgrade the suspension down the line.

 

[pooker]

2gnt has some good tech advice, like I always say though go big or go home so plus one on turbo'ing it.

 

[Artago]

I agree with everyone. I had a 97 ESi and after spending money on it I sold it and bought a TSi (turbo AWD) and I wish I had bought a TSi to start. But I did have LOTS of fun in my ESi when I had it. It never saw the track but it was a quick nice car. Now that I want to go to the track/circuit I see that it's much cheaper and WAY better to do it with a TSi. It's really your choice Avalanche and no matter what you decide you will have great fun. But if you wanna see some real numbers you have to upgrade. Best of Luck, Tom.
PS: If you want to, then start with the cheap basic upgrades and then decide.

 

[burnnxs]

rs eclipse's are like v6 mustangs, im not saying that their bigger brother v8 are any better they are just more fun to toy around with...
i needed to blur that out good luck with your project

 

[JayRolla]

rs eclipse's are like v6 mustangs, im not saying that their bigger brother v8 are any better they are just more fun to toy around with...
i needed to blur that out good luck with your project

Shit a v6 mustang is still better, stock and to mod. Seen a guy run a 12 with a supercharger on his v6. Nice sleeper.

But I agree with the rest if you want a drag car, buy at least a turbo version already and go AWD if you can. It will save you a lot of headaches. Also having a separate car to DD would be a good idea. I know a guy that spent all this money for a hahn turbokit and made barely more HP than what a stock turbo dsm has. He laid around 220whp and believe me he spend way more money than he planned on.

 

[Avalanche419]

yeah, I was talkin with someone about this earlier...It would be a headache to do all i need to with it...I just got a damn good deal on this car, thats all, I spent $5000 dollars on it, thats it...It only has 68,000 miles, and the exterior/interior is in mint condition...I got a hell of a deal, thats why I went with the upgrade...so basically with the 420a motor, i won't be able to do much??? I mean, I want this to be a daily driver also....I was lookin at the 420a turbo kits and they run about $1200 i think i saw....

 

[JayRolla]

Just remember you have a neon motor. The pistons cant take boost that well. Research on the neon forums and you may find more info.

 

[Avalanche419]

So the 420a is a Neon Motor??? So do they make the header for the Turbo for the neon? Would that fit?? Is that what I should Look for?

 

[talonalex92]

a new gsx or gst haha
only kidding.. good luck with your new car and have fun!

 

[chicagoavenger]

2gnt.com or asog.net will be your friend.

 

[Talesin]

Five grand would get you a very nicely maintained 1G GSX, and a 1G GS-T to use as a DD. Lighter, better stock engine, bigger head, bigger throttle body, bigger intake manifold, bigger turbo... crappy exhaust manifold. Just stay away from the '90 model year, they're known as the bi***-cars for a reason. Electrical nightmares, every one of 'em, with the dumbassery that Mitsu pulled while developing the platform.

Only thing you lose is the melted jellybean look.

 

[wite2nr]

Hi, I'm 17 and am currently looking for a 2nd car. My 1st car (96 civic) was stolen, stripped, and sold. that said, I have 4K now and by the end of the summer I should have 5K+. I am choosing between a 2G eclipse, 240sx, or something like a g20 or integra.

My concerns about an eclipse (aside from insurance cost) would be maintenance cost / reliability. From reading about them online, I have heard lost of bad but not much good. Now, I found a 97 GST (red, 5sp, 80K miles, all stock). The guy was asking like 7800 but after talking to him on the phone he said he would take 5500 cash (which i could get). I am going to take a look at it sat when he gets in in, so what should I be looking for? I'll search to try and find some answers but any help is appreciated. thanks!

-Alex

 

[asexton6969]

Look at the condition of the timing belt. Cracks, etc
Does he have any Maintenance records?
check tires for tread depth, wear, etc.
Make sure the ball joints, tie rods, wheel bearings are all tight.
Oil leaks, Coolant leaks
Are the cv shaft boots torn?
Brakes - rusted, pitted, grooved?
does the engine run smooth?
Take it for a drive and make sure theres no shaking, clunks, etc. (Try to hit some bumps but nothing thats gonna rip off the front fender)
Struts (replaced? leaking? Any Broken Coil Springs.
Does the transmission shift smooth?

That would be a few things off the top of my head, I'll edit if I think of more.

 

[staticbrainwash]

Geez, everyone says these cars are so unreliable. It's just not true. They're just like any other car. Treat it like crap, and a dsm will treat you the same right back. But, treat her right, give her some love, and she'll be yours forever. I bought mine for 1600 bucks in GREAT disrepair, and now, she's a bitchen ride. It's all up to how you take care of it.

And i agree with all of the above too!

 

[Calan]

What Geoff said...

The main reason these cars have that reputation is because they are known to be cars that can be made pretty quick with not a lot of cash, compared to most "hot rods".

But think about it... who are the people that normally want and can afford cheap hot rods? Kids (no offense) that want to go fast but not take care of the car and do it right. So in some ways, the stereotype is accurate... there are a lot of these cars out there that have been beat up and mistreated. But show me a car that won't break down more often under those conditions.

My mint condition '77 camaro that I got while in high school back in the day turned out the same way. Started out a nice reliable car, and within 2 years I had trashed it and gone through 2 engines, a tranny... who knows what else. Because I was 16, wanted to go fast, and didn't have the knowledge, patience, or money to do it right.

Anyway... DSM's are no less reliable than any other car, until someone causes them to be that way. Treat it right... and you'll have a fun reliable car. Spend money on that big shiny 123546123 hp turbo and don't replace the cracked timing belt and oil with 15k miles on it... well you get the point.

BTW - I just sold a '93 eclipse in January that I bought new off the lot. (so I could get a TSI AWD to play with ). My Eclipse had 150k on it, all original except for the timing belt and other normal maintenance. I work with the guy I sold it too, and other than some brake work, it still starts on the first click within 2 seconds and everything works great.

To answer your question.. What Andrew said and do a compression test on it before buying

 

[wite2nr]

thanks for the advice. i'm not going to lie, i did redline my car a few times but i don't have the money to abuse a car. It will be my daily ride to school / work. i want to keep the engine stock so its reliable and work on sound, suspension but keep everything easily convertable back to stock. but i learned my lesson before and the first thing i will buy will be an alarm. any recommendations there?