New to DSM

[Munster]

So I bought my first DSM. 98 eclipse. I'm switching from Toyota so I have a lot to learn. My eclipse has 155xxxmiles on it. I'm curious to what people would do.
Rebuild the engine, get a new jdm one, or get a 2.3 stroker

 

[josh408]

So I bought my first DSM. 98 eclipse. I'm switching from Toyota so I have a lot to learn. My eclipse has 155xxxmiles on it. I'm curious to what people would do.
Rebuild the engine, get a new jdm one, or get a 2.3 stroker

depends what you want to do, 6 bolts last longer, 2.3 stroker if you want HP, jdm if your just trying to get by. I guess it's what you want and how your budget is.

 

[Munster]

What's the difference between a "6" bolt or a "7" bolt?

 

[dsmpat95]

6 bolts last longer.

There is no merit to this.

What's the difference between a "6" bolt or a "7" bolt?

1990-1993, 6 bolt crankshaft.
1994-1999, 7 bolt crankshaft.

And some other small things are different.

 

[jimbob_843]

6 bolts hold the highest stock motor hp rating at 640 sum. Basically beefier. Also jdm and us motors have no differences with the 4g63. Oh and that crankwalk story im sure youve heard by now mainly happens in 7 bolts. I would search for more info, its the best way to learn. And welcome to dsm

 

[norcal_drifter]

welcome to the dsm life! first before anything do maintenance make sure everything's running good then when your ready to mod your car buy a honda as a backup =D haha jk good luck!! ohhh and dont be afraid to use the search button if your ever curious about something!

 

[jdub1992]

I agree with the general maintenance on your vehicle. DSMs have a terrible rep for things both big and small going out. When I bought my 96 talon TSi AWD, 2 miles after driving it the idle air control valve went out and in neutral it revved itself up. That was 100 dollars after 3 minutes.....see the point good luck and welcome.

 

[95talongirl]

First off, welcome aboard!

Secondly, as mentioned above, do all the maintenance on the car. At 155k I'd be looking into a timing belt replacement with the tensioner and such. Coolant flush, tune up, ect. If you have proof of previous maintenance, you could probably do less, but if no proof do it. Sounds like your car is running good right now, so no need to rebuild it.

Once you get the car all tuned up, then you can look into modifications. The "JDM" engine is virtually identicle to the US one, so no need for that. The 2.0L is plenty capable for a decent amount of power. Strokers really come into play when you want to run very large turbos since you'll have more displacement to work with. It really depends on what your goals are for the car.

Don't be afraid of the 7-bolt engine. You'll find that in recent years the whole "Crankwalk" thing was blown out or proportion. Premature thrust bearing failure can be seen on ANY engine; it is not exclusive to DSM's. I do not buy into the belief that the 6-bolt is somehow beefier than the 7-bolt. Both are plenty "beefy" in stock form. For peace of mind, some people will use a 1g rod on a 2g piston in order to get the "best of both worlds."

There's a few threads here and in the FAQ's that have suggestions on a modification path. Again, it is up to you and what you want to build the car for. A road race car is set up differently from an all-out drag car.

Welcome again and hope your new car brings you some fun!

 

[Gostlrs]

If anyone ever believes that their "JDM" engine only has 30K miles on it..I have a bridge to sell you for cheap as well.....

You have to decide what your cars use will be and go from there. With bolt on's & some head work you can have a 400Hp car on a stock block.

 

[miguelmcv]

Welcome to the World.

When we first start In DSM World. We always try to get a new engine or a Rebuild.
(Why?..... If the Engine still Working).

Do Maintenance and Keep learning.

Build an Engine on a side,,,,,,

Do all bolt on upgrades that you want and have fun.

When your stock Engine Dies. (YOU ALL READY HAVE A NEW ENGINE WAITING TO ROCK N ROLLLLLLLLLL).

You never know how much time your stock engine will last. could be a week or could be 1 year or 2....

Have Fun.

 

[bsendkew]

Welcome! i just recently got into the dsm game too. From "newbie" to another, read alot if you ever get bored read up on things not play games or what not. When ever you are thinking about doing a mod, research it alot, ALOT! Anyway have fun and welcome.

 

[Novec64]

Might as well introduce you to some classic answers. First and foremost the internet has blown the frequency on thrust bearing failure (crankwalk) waaaaay out of proportion.

VFAQ.com

Road Race Engineering upgrade path

 

[95boostedGSX]

Im new to and that past few nights ive been on the forums avearge 4 hours a night just reading, and helping other users out!! Way better than video games.

 

[Munster]

Thanks everyone For the welcome. My current engine has a few things that needs fixing ( front crank seal ) but I'll probably keep my eyes out for another 7 bolt and keep it on the engine stand and slowly build it up

 

[g4ebguy90]

Its actually 1992.5 For a 7 bolt. I own one . COnfused the crap outta me.

 

[jimbob_843]

Yeah what i meant for beefier was the 1G's rods.

 

[96GST96]

Welcome! I'm semi-new to the DSM world myself, only 8 months in. I have a 96 GS-T with a JDM swap (didn't have a load of money :/). BUT, these guys are right about having an engine on the side. You never know when it will go. My old (stock) engine had crankwalk within 45mins of buying the car....get the idea? So, with the new engine in, now I can work on the old engine, or if someone was interested, possibly sell it to buy new parts for the current engine. Besides that, welcome and enjoy!

 

[90YellowTSI]

I would say rebuild, if your new to the dsm world play around with the 2.0 platform for a while. i wouldn't just jump straight into a stroker

 

[Mackadoches]

Crankwalk crankwalk crankwalk.....geez. I've known personally at least 4 people with 7 bolt cars not including myself who have never had the mysterious "Crankwalk" issue. Don't read a few posts and assume you need to hop into the 6 bolt platform....unless you really want to.

 

[timsturbotalon]

welcome to the dsm world. im pretty sure they revised the 98-99 7 bolt motors so they wouldnt have crank walk. correct me if i wrong on that. But do you maintance first. maintance is the heart of the car.

 

[jambro]

I also have heard the 99s have a split thrust bearing to correct the crankwalk issue but not fully prevents it

 

[raiderrodney]

Welcome to the DSM world and the board. There is a staggering amount of info on this site so dig in and enjoy!

And yes...the crank walk issue is a non-issue for you with a 98

 

[LandoAWD]

Crankwalk can happen on any car. (something like 9% of all DSMs ever saw it, though...minute amount)

 

[raiderrodney]

Crankwalk can happen on any car. (something like 9% of all DSMs ever saw it, though...minute amount)

True...but if the updated numbers of around 3% of all dsms had it occur, the 98-99 models with the revision are probably well below 1% aren't they?

 

[jay1892]

Your car has over 150xxx crank walk is your last worry. 7 bolts can hold up to 400 on stock internals. How much power are you looking for.