reliability of the 2g n/t

[totaleklipse97]

yea i really need to update my profile... hahaha. the complete mod list is on the DSMregistry i got the link~DSM REGISTRY MOD LIST~ i wouldn't say i even had mods if all i had was CAI and a muffler. oh and even that list is lacking a few things

 

[JRaptor2000]

hmmm...a friend of mine has an Eclipse GS and has had nothing but trouble with it. It doesn't even have 50,000 miles and he's had to replace the transmission a couple months after he first bought it, slave cylinder and master cylinder just the other day, and now a syncronizer ring has just gone bad so we're tearing his tranny down this weekend to replace that. he says i shouldnt buy a GSX because i'm gonna have the same problems as him...oh well, i still want one.

 

[homie_budy_dude]

you could have problems with a Honda civic too tho.....I'm sorry but I wouldn't listen to you friend somedays I wake up look at my car and curse it up and down other days I stare at it and say what a beautiful mechine. that's life things will break and go wrong it's not the cars fault.

Maintenance is the best thing for any car a DSM is no different.

my DSM is almost my longest running car I've owned coming up on one year now!!
I hope to own it forever (unless I find a 99 GSX manual for a good price )
even then I'd still try and have both the only thing better than one DSM is 2

 

[GSGoinFast]

i dont curse at it... i more or less look at it like a mother looking at there sick child... oh my poor baby, whats wrong with you? please get better!

 

[JRaptor2000]

I love the Eclipse. I wanna get a GSX as soon as I can, but I really dislike all the problems he's been having. He treats his car like a God and it's not helping. Maybe he just got a bad DSM.

 

[GSGoinFast]

I love the Eclipse. I wanna get a GSX as soon as I can, but I really dislike all the problems he's been having. He treats his car like a God and it's not helping. Maybe he just got a bad DSM.

not a bad dsm, a normal dsm. ya you could have that bad luck with any car, ours just seem to be more prone to it

 

[JRaptor2000]

see, i need a good reliable car thats fast and cool looking. the eclipse fits everything but reliable....i mean, if i get one with 80k miles on it what things should i definately replace before i could have a problem with em?

 

[dogpoop]

see, i need a good reliable car thats fast and cool looking. the eclipse fits everything but reliable....i mean, if i get one with 80k miles on it what things should i definately replace before i could have a problem with em?

As long as you don't beat the poop out of it, an Eclipse can be a very reliable car. I've owned a couple of Toyotas and a Porsche -- the eclipse I have has been the most reliable by far!

If you get one with 80K or so miles on it, make sure the timing belt has been changed -- don't even think about not changing it unless the person you buy it from can prove that it has already been replaced.

Besides the timing belt, check the usual stuff -- tires, brakes, struts, tranny, condition of plugs, blah, blah, blah.....

 

[philipkrotch]

well..its probably more reliable that a turbo dsm..

 

[ldstang50]

reliable motors from what i know so long as you maintain them

 

[kingoftheroses]

Also, if you do plan on "beating the poop out of it" PREPARE the car for that kind of abuse. My GS was owned by a poser and thought an aftermarket muffler made the car dragable at every stoplight. Don't be like that. A stock 2gnt is meant to be a sheep in wolf's clothing. If you beat on it and don't prepare it, you're gonna have lamb chops. Also, remember that this is an AMERICAN car so treat it as such and don't be surprised when stuff starts to break.

 

[EclpzLvr97]

"sheep in wolf's clothing"....nicely said. I like.

 

[ldstang50]

otherwise known as 'all show and no go'

 

[EclpzLvr97]

 

[Doug99RS]

If you don't know what you're doing with any car and act like you do then of course you're going to be fixing it alot. I've NEVER been left on the side of the road with my RS, I've driven to Wyoming and back in 5 days, driven to Ocean City, MD from Raleigh NC, Myrtle Beach a couple of times, ANYWHERE, ANYTIME. I beleive in preventative maintenance, well beyond what the owners manual and service manuals call for but it has NEVER let me down. It's not just about going fast, it's about getting home too.
Doug

 

[JRaptor2000]

yea...my friend drives his GS like a freak. he definately didn't prepare the car for it either. there's so much stuff i'd replace as soon as i got the car just so i wouldn't have problems...the first would be a tranny rebuild cuz it seems like almost every dsm that is being sold has an issue with the tranny somewhere whether it's a syncro or gear itself...

 

[GSGoinFast]

If you don't know what you're doing with any car and act like you do then of course you're going to be fixing it alot. I've NEVER been left on the side of the road with my RS, I've driven to Wyoming and back in 5 days, driven to Ocean City, MD from Raleigh NC, Myrtle Beach a couple of times, ANYWHERE, ANYTIME. I beleive in preventative maintenance, well beyond what the owners manual and service manuals call for but it has NEVER let me down. It's not just about going fast, it's about getting home too.
Doug

well i dont drive mine to death, it just keeps having freak break downs. bad wire, tensioner pulley cutting the powersteering line, dead battery, all freak things i couldnt have predicted or prevented with routine maitnence.

 

[Doug99RS]

Disputing here... Not in your face arguement type... but just playing devil's advocate here....

A dead battery happens to every brand of vehicle out there and I've really never seen a good one that worked one day absolutely perfect and failed to crank the next. The ONLY time that happens is when something gets left on. Even then it is jump started, driven around and parked with no further issues once the original drain is remedied. Most people do not pay attention to the way the starter sounds, engine turns over or other indications that would lead a more aware person to investigate. Good batteries don't just die in one day. They tend to crank the engine over slower and slower and maybe towards the end of their life simply fade right out and are trully "dead"

Next point to debate here is.... if you do the maintenance then you replace belts. If you replace belts do you not inspect them prior to replacing them to determine that they are needed? And if so... do you not look at components directly around it? There were no recalls, TSB's or frequent repairs related to p/s hoses being mis-routed straight from the factory. Could it be possible that someone did a repair and caused this hose/component to be put in jeopardy?

And what kind of wiring are you referring to? A plug wire or wiring harness?
Doug

 

[dogpoop]

Disputing here... Not in your face arguement type... but just playing devil's advocate here....

A dead battery happens to every brand of vehicle out there and I've really never seen a good one that worked one day absolutely perfect and failed to crank the next.

From personal experience and various posts I've read, the OE battery in 2G N/T Eclipses
are substandard. They usually last for only about 30K (which mine did). Not very impressive. Still, I've found my vehicle to be remarkably dependable and trouble free.

 

[GSGoinFast]

Disputing here... Not in your face arguement type... but just playing devil's advocate here....

A dead battery happens to every brand of vehicle out there and I've really never seen a good one that worked one day absolutely perfect and failed to crank the next. The ONLY time that happens is when something gets left on. Even then it is jump started, driven around and parked with no further issues once the original drain is remedied. Most people do not pay attention to the way the starter sounds, engine turns over or other indications that would lead a more aware person to investigate. Good batteries don't just die in one day. They tend to crank the engine over slower and slower and maybe towards the end of their life simply fade right out and are trully "dead"

Next point to debate here is.... if you do the maintenance then you replace belts. If you replace belts do you not inspect them prior to replacing them to determine that they are needed? And if so... do you not look at components directly around it? There were no recalls, TSB's or frequent repairs related to p/s hoses being mis-routed straight from the factory. Could it be possible that someone did a repair and caused this hose/component to be put in jeopardy?

And what kind of wiring are you referring to? A plug wire or wiring harness?
Doug

well it beats the hell out of me, but nothing was left on, i am very very cautious of that, i always check. i came out one day after school, the battery had worked fine earlier, i went to start the car and it didnt even crank... i thought, hmm weird. so i pulled the key out, and opened my door and the door ajar light came on... and then it went out after 2 seconds... weirder, so i tried to start it again, and it cranked over not even a half a time, and died. it did that couple times, and then i tried jumping it, that did nothing at all. after i replaced the battery it ran fine.

the belt... well my car was at the shop for a bunch of routine maitnence about 2 weeks before, O2 sensor, new rotors, pads, VC gasket, spark plug tube seal... it goes on and on.. but the guy did replace the serp belt. then after 2 weeks that incident happened. the fluid sprayed all over the radiator and smelled like $hit! but i think he might have messed it up some how. but he had a tow truck tow my car out to his shop, and he paid for everything including the tow.

im talking plug wire. one night i was driving and i noticed in 2nd and 3rd gear there was a slight almost unnoticable jerk, but i noticed it. i told my dad, wasnt sure if my clutch was slipping or what. then the next day i was driving to school, and it was jerking even worse, then it started misfiring. the CEL popped on, as if i didnt notice the loud popping , then it started flashing at me thats never good. so i replaced the plugs, and then the wires. it was the #1 wire, cause that plug was destroyed.

well those are my freak things...

 

[Doug99RS]

So basically someone working on the car damaged the car causing one of your freak accidents. That rules out the car as being at fault and that point is not a fair evaulation of the car's dependability when fixed properly. Not bashing you and since your mechanic stood behind his work and fixed it... sounds like he's a keeper too. But it wasn't the cars fault.

With the plug wires, how many miles were on the car before you replaced them? The wires are dated and are normally replaced anywhere from 40-60K miles. Is it possible that they should have been replaced and weren't? And what kind of wires were they? Had they already been replaced but with a generic parts store brand? Alot of wire issues result from poor fitment of aftermarket wires. The wire itself can carry the electrical load sufficiently but because of the boot design, it frequently doesn't stay clipped on the coil pack or spark plug.

The battery.... Mine started going for the first time as I was in the process of gathering parts for the battery relocation kit. This was 60K+. I Do know though that alot of factory installed batteries don't last much past warranty. But there's also the problems at the terminals themselves. The terminal has a small metal insert that frequently gets lost or is over-tightened. This over-tightened causes the terminals to actually loosen up. The bolt is tight as can be but the terminal won't hold.

But that battery of yours is long gone so there's really no way of knowing if there was any saving it. Probably not but who knows.
D

 

[GSGoinFast]

So basically someone working on the car damaged the car causing one of your freak accidents. That rules out the car as being at fault and that point is not a fair evaulation of the car's dependability when fixed properly. Not bashing you and since your mechanic stood behind his work and fixed it... sounds like he's a keeper too. But it wasn't the cars fault.

With the plug wires, how many miles were on the car before you replaced them? The wires are dated and are normally replaced anywhere from 40-60K miles. Is it possible that they should have been replaced and weren't? And what kind of wires were they? Had they already been replaced but with a generic parts store brand? Alot of wire issues result from poor fitment of aftermarket wires. The wire itself can carry the electrical load sufficiently but because of the boot design, it frequently doesn't stay clipped on the coil pack or spark plug.

The battery.... Mine started going for the first time as I was in the process of gathering parts for the battery relocation kit. This was 60K+. I Do know though that alot of factory installed batteries don't last much past warranty. But there's also the problems at the terminals themselves. The terminal has a small metal insert that frequently gets lost or is over-tightened. This over-tightened causes the terminals to actually loosen up. The bolt is tight as can be but the terminal won't hold.

But that battery of yours is long gone so there's really no way of knowing if there was any saving it. Probably not but who knows.
D

im not too sure about the wire, this happened when i first got the car, a little after my 1 month warranty expired(59k miles). i dunno when they were replaced or what type they were. i was still a really big noob back then.

hey you wrote the door handle thing right?

got a q. i was the one that sent you that pm thanking you for the tech article. well i think the key cylinder locking clip slipped out because the key cylinder is pushed about a centimeter back in the hole. is there any way to fix it without taking out the whole handle?
thanks

sorry a little off subject