Sadly selling my 2g gsx, need help

[Dj-Ram17]

I love 2g eclipses so I'm sad to have to sell it. Bought the car about 5 months ago and it seemed like a steal( the cars in good shape, clean interior, good exterior with only a minor dent and scratch on back bumper, 151xxx miles), got it for $2500 at a dealer. Ran the car before i bought it and it was perfect, next day it started smoking bad(white smoke, got thicker as i revved). I have no idea what it is, people tell me its a head gasket but i don't have muddy-milky oil and no loss of power but i am losing coolant and oil fast. I would keep it but i cant afford to as I'm only 18 and insurance is extremely high for me($500 a month) plus i would have to fix the problem. Now I'm trying to sell it and some guy offers me $2000 i was hoping to at least get what i paid for it back, Should i just take the money or can i get more for it?

 

[Dj-Ram17]

I'm only 18 just got my license, the insurance is under my moms name tho and she has 3 cars seems extremely high tho. As for why i bought it was because like i said i love 2g eclipses and the fact that it was a gsx for cheap i thought it was a great deal(had no intentions of doing heavy mods tho). Anyways today my friend took it to his friends shop(hes worked with many eclipses before) and he says its definitely a head gasket. He also said it needs some work besides the head gasket. Needs new shocks and struts, needs brakes all around and a wheel alignment. Obviously i cant pick cars for my life, as for the guy he went up to $2300. I in no way can fix the car I'm no mechanic, barely know about cars and i cant afford too either.

 

[TallestHERETIC]

Judging from what your saying, you have other issues you really need to sort out first, namely financially. Recheck that insurance quote carefully, man! Thats is WAAAAY too high, especially for a '96!! I got a '99 and I pay $100 after taxes. And I'm only 24!

If your low on money, why would you even consider buying a GSX? I know about the love for DSM's, but you gotta do "needs" first then "wants". It's a sports car, so it gets a sports car price. It's only reasonable!

Use one of your mother's other cars and help pay for the insurance on it until you get enough dough to fix the GSX. Become way more responsible with cars, bro.

They WILL snatch every penny you got if you neglect them.

 

[GSLENK]

u give up too easy. its just a head gasket. pull the head put a gasket on. if you still hate it, sell it for the $500+ more in value you just created. and on top of that you learned a great deal... working on cars is not that hard. I started when i was 15 with a radio. Now i can swap transmissions, and work on engine internals with the engine in the car. Im sure I could do an engine swap, I just havent had the need to do it yet.

Working in a car is easy. all you have to do is:
-Think
-Turn Wrenches
-Think
-Lift/move/curse
-Think
-Check your work
-Think
-Turn Wrenches
-Think
-Turn Wrenches...
-Join a forum and ask questions if you cant THINK your way out. (Hint: you did this part already)

There is so much info on these DSMs that you dont even need to buy a haynes manual (but i do recommend it) all you need is on the www.

Do you know which way loosens a bolt? clockwise? or counter clockwise?
If you can answer this confidently, working on cars shouldnt be too hard to figure out

besides, dont be a pu$$. thats a bad habbit. when stuff gets tough, get tougher.

Oh and while you are thinking, google "BUDGET" and "CHEAPER INSURANCE RATES"
I totaled a car and had 11 points on my license before i turned 20. insurance was still about 1200 for half a year in a 1985 corvette. U are getting raped dude.

 

[mix3d_3motionz]

white smoke usually means your burning coolant which could range from PCV valve to head gasket...You would have to do some troubleshooting, worst thing is always replacing parts trying to find the solution. You could end up spending alot of money....or worse selling a car with a $50 fix because you thought it was something it wasnt. At any rate...does it only smoke at start up? or when hot? Did u just change the oil? overfilling can also cause white smoke, when oil dumps into the cylinders...You can also "smell" the smoke and might be able to detect if its oil or coolant..but dont do anything silly like trying to get "high"

 

[sbeck]

Your mom is likely making you get full coverage on the insurance. Get liability only in your name and it should be less than 100. All that maintenance stuff you mentioned can be done a little at a time. The main thing is just to fix the head gasket and if you shop around there are shops that will do them parts and labor for around 500-700 dollars. I only pay 28 dollars a month for liability from progressive for my gsx and I bet you can get pretty low too if you shop around. Any car you buy that is 10+ years old is likely going to need work and you mine as well keep a clean gsx as it will hold its value over time and is rare. You can buy a busted 92 civic hatch for the same price you got a gsx feel lucky and just get it fixed.

 

[vr4scott]

That liquid head gasket fix and oil stop leak almost always specifically says not to use it on turbocharged vehicles.

 

[mix3d_3motionz]

Your mom is likely making you get full coverage on the insurance. Get liability only in your name and it should be less than 100. All that maintenance stuff you mentioned can be done a little at a time. The main thing is just to fix the head gasket and if you shop around there are shops that will do them parts and labor for around 500-700 dollars. I only pay 28 dollars a month for liability from progressive for my gsx and I bet you can get pretty low too if you shop around. Any car you buy that is 10+ years old is likely going to need work and you mine as well keep a clean gsx as it will hold its value over time and is rare. You can buy a busted 92 civic hatch for the same price you got a gsx feel lucky and just get it fixed.

ungrateful #$#% , but true you could have a ghonda with a itty bitty rat running a wheel under the hood.

 

[sbeck]

ungrateful #$#% , but true you could have a ghonda with a itty bitty rat running a wheel under the hood.

I know from experience because when I was 16 when I was going car shopping I found a nice twin turbo 300zx that I had already looked at that my mom agreed to get if I paid her for it in payments. The night before I got caught out drinking with my friends and she was so mad she made me wait and ended up getting me a daewoo. Be happy with what you have and don't bail on it just fix it. A gsx at 18 is a pretty decent ride to get you through college.

 

[Dj-Ram17]

Okay well if i decide to fix it, what parts would i need and how much for everything? I heard you need to change the timing belt and water pump when you change the head gasket, also would it be possible for me to do it alone with no experience at all?

 

[DearestNameless]

I'm 20 and own a Black 99 Eclipse Spyder GST insurance with State Farm on my own policy, 48$ a month. I also have more then just the state minimum and I have uninsured motorist. You must be paying all your mother's insurance.

 

[awddarrell]

go to oriley's or autozone, or take it to someone who is near you get a compression test and leak down test done to rule out the head gasket, that is a very clean looking car. I know they are expensive, if the turbo ends up being the bad part let me know, pm i have a 14b in perfect shape, and a t25 in perfect shape, I am not the only one lots of ppl on here have them, for dirt cheap. a clean 96 gsx like yours is worth keeping.

 

[6bolt4g63]

You gotta see what your goals are. Did you buy the DSM cause it was a good deal and dont really care about cars, or do you really want to get into modding it? $2300 is pretty close to what you paid for it so if your not ready you can sell it, chill out and prepare yourself for what you want to do. Remeber just because your getting a good deal on a car doesnt meen you should just jump on it, be prepared for it and its problems.

To do a headgasket the RIGHT way you would alteast need, Head gasket, new head studs, valve seals, valve cover gasket, maybe trip to machine shop to freshen up the head, (if tbelt service hasnt been done then, Tbelt bbelt, all 3 tensioners, idler pulley, front cover oil seals, cam seals, water pump), water outlet O ring, maybe some misc gaskets im forgetting.

If you never turned a wrench before, i wouldnt perform... unless you have a true heart and passion for DSM's.

It IS hard to find one clean and in stock form, but they still pop up if you keep your eyes open.

 

[FLASH1970]

Timing Belt VFAQ

How to do a Compression Test

Leak Down Test VFAQ

I can't find a headgasket link but I'm sure if you search, you'll find a write up. It's not that hard to do. If you get the timing belt off, then it's just a matter of disconnecting sensors (and marking them with tape and taking pictures), disconnect and remove the battery and brackets, disconnect the upper IC pipe... it's really not that hard. As big as the DSM community is, I'm sure someone in the area will be willing to help you for a lot less than a shop would charge you. I've done transmission swaps, cylinder heads, timing belts, brakes... with a basic ratchet and wrench set, some extensions, pliers, a jack, ratchet extensions, and a few specialty tools like a torque wrench and a couple others. I say keep the car, get other quotes for insurance, and fix the car.

 

[tkrPerformance]

Keep it and fix it it is a really clean looking car.

I am with everyone elce find your on car ins. When I bought my 98 spyder new I was paying 150.00 a month for full covrage and I was 19 at the time. Your are really getting screwed over

 

[sbeck]

How much of the extra stuff to change when doing a head gasket is up to you. If the timing belt looks like its cracking you should change it but you by no means MUST change all the idler, tensioner, and water pump. Just go to rockauto.com and go under engine and then head gasket. The head sets are like 75 dollars and does not include new head bolts or turbo gaskets like it says but parts will not be that much money. When you get the head off take the head to a machine shop and have it decked which is usually less than forty dollars. Look online and buy or get a factory service manual as they are better than the chilton or haynes. Take your time and if you ever are stuck on something or unsure you said you have a friend that works at a shop so you should just ask him to show you or explain it.

PS: If you do decide to tackle the head gasket a very good tip for big jobs when you haven't done them before is to separate all the bolts and nuts as they come off in labeled plastic bags or tupperware by component. Another good tip is to use a camera and film or take lots of pictures at each step so that you can remember exactly where everything goes. It should take you about 10-20 hours since you have never done anything like it before so don't feel rushed and just because someone else can do it in a few hours doesn't mean you need to.

PPS: You can get the head off without taking the timing belt off. You need to use zipties and the big stationery clamp things to keep the timing belt tight on the cam gears and just take the cams off from the cam gears and use bungees to hold the cam gears up and tight. Then all you need to do to essentially to remove the head is to take the turbo, intake manifold, cams, and remove the head bolts and any other misc in your way and pull the head off. Use a longboard to sand the block surface clean and take the head to get it decked. Reassemble.

 

[Dj-Ram17]

Okay so let me just make sure i have everything i need to do the head gasket. I need the head gasket set, the head bolts, the turbo gasket to just change the head gasket right? Also does it matter which head gasket i buy?

 

[sbeck]

Fel-pro is decent and not so expensive.

 

[ed1380]

If this is a dd you can reuse the headbolts, but if you're going to be doing any mods I would go straight for arp. You can get a set for $50 on the forums.

A felpro composite would be a great hg for you. No need to have the block decked and can handle 30psi if you ever go crazy. And depending on the condition of the exhaust gaskets you can reuse them if you coat them with copper spray. ~$5


Back to the headgasket. I would have the head checked for straightness while its off

 

[dsmspick]

I have an SR22 with liability on my 95 GSX and I'm 22, I only pay 70 bucks a month... Don't give up on your car man. Take this as an opportunity to learn about your car and to grow in knowledge and love. You can do it man!! See if there are some local DSM lovers in your area.

 

[PotatoFlakeSTi]

That's more than I paid on my Lotus' insurance... Something isn't right.

 

[joe sobo]

first, i call bullcrap on 500 a month on insurance. i grew up in hunting park, pa. i know pa insurance is the one of the highest states, but you are blowing smoke, or your mom is making you pay for her cars too !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

onto the h/g. i would not replace anything except for the h/g. it is not the safest or smartest, but since the car is bone stock, i would reuse the studs and all. the only thing i would buy is a cheap 35 dollar t-belt from advance, and a felpo h/g. it will cost you like under 100.00 also, someone with a vise can carfully push the timing tensener back in for you. to change out the belt and h/g should take no more than a few hours. you will also need a allen socket for the head bolts!

 

[Dj-Ram17]

Okay well guess I'm really doing this, wish me luck. I'll post up any questions if I'm stuck and try and post pics

 

[sbeck]

The best advice I can give is to take your time and do not get frustrated if you get stuck. Always start all the bolts by hand and never force anything. Since you are not going to have "the feel" yet it is also smart to torque everything with a torque wrench to help you get a feel for how tight certain things should be. Also post a pic of the head gasket once you get the head off because you should be able to see where the gasket was blown. If the gasket is not blown you might have a different problem.