Sluggish and heavy car, need some answers.

[Stainbox12]

Hi, i have a 90 eclipse gsx. I have been on the forums searching and searching and i have not been able to get any straight answer to my problems. I decided to post in reference to my issues. First of all, i feel my car very sluggish, and what i mean by this, is i feel it being very heavy, and i dont even know where to start to troubleshoot. I feel im pulling the rear sometimes, and this along with a well known clunking noise. When i launch the car feels ok, it pulls ok, but i believe it can pull harder. I read that it could be the spider bearings in the driveshaft, driveshaft bushings, and the U joints. But ive been thinking also, in a blown center, rear or front diff. One of the tests i made was, that i got under the car and made a friend spin a tire, i saw the driveshaft turning and i decided to hold it, my friend was able to still turn the tire but with some more resistance. Now, i dont know if thats normal or not. I dont know what tests i can do besides draining the fluids, check for metal shavings etc, and i dont want to start replacing parts to finally someday solve the problem. I would appreciate some insight on things i can try or some troubleshooting methods. Thanks.

 

[rEclipserGST]

Hi, i have a 90 eclipse gsx. I have been on the forums searching and searching and i have not been able to get any straight answer to my problems. I decided to post in reference to my issues. First of all, i feel my car very sluggish, and what i mean by this, is i feel it being very heavy, and i dont even know where to start to troubleshoot. I feel im pulling the rear sometimes, and this along with a well known clunking noise. When i launch the car feels ok, it pulls ok, but i believe it can pull harder. I read that it could be the spider bearings in the driveshaft, driveshaft bushings, and the U joints. But ive been thinking also, in a blown center, rear or front diff. One of the tests i made was, that i got under the car and made a friend spin a tire, i saw the driveshaft turning and i decided to hold it, my friend was able to still turn the tire but with some more resistance. Now, i dont know if thats normal or not. I dont know what tests i can do besides draining the fluids, check for metal shavings etc, and i dont want to start replacing parts to finally someday solve the problem. I would appreciate some insight on things i can try or some troubleshooting methods. Thanks.

Ported 16g with no exhaust upgrade... how much boost are you running? That can make your car pull harder and feel less sluggish.

 

[4pistons]

I feel im pulling the rear sometimes

If you're turning the tires BY HAND then you're not "pulling" the rear end. At most you personally could generate about 1/2 a horsepower and you're turning the tires. Your sluggish' issues are elsewhere.

i dont even know where to start to troubleshoot

You just did. You just eliminated any drivetrain drag. Now keep going eliminating issues along the way until you find the ones that make a difference. Unfortunately there is no way you can just post here "My car is sluggish, what's the problem?" and get an answer. You need to go through your setup methodically and maximize it for your car.

Yes, it's alot of work and takes patience. Along the way you have to learn how all the systems work together and what to do to make them work better.

THAT'S what separates good tuners from wannabees.

Rick - '91 GSX

WOW!! I just saw you're in Panama!! Glad to the DSM community is far reaching!

Are DSM's common in Central America? What are the popular performance cars there?

Rick - '91 GSX

 

[Stainbox12]

The reason i say this, its because i have a friend who has a 91 dsm, bone stock no upgrades at all, and his car just drives fine, it feels a lot more responsive than mine, and im not talking about boost or anything like that, im talking about how heavy the car feels. Ive driven his car too and its a world of difference compared to mine, though mine is faster due to mods. Lets just say, cruising his car is a lot more lighter so lets forget about boost and racing.

So again the test i did, was jacking the car up, turn a rear tire or a front tire, hold the driveshaft while turning with my hands, and as a result the wheels were a little more harder to turn, to me it sounds like in an awd system, you should not be able to hold the driveshaft with your hands while turning the tires, that means it would be slipping somewhere, correct me if im wrong but on the road it would be the same, the driveshaft would be spinning but i guess with not enough force to provide good traction to the rears.

Yes, theres a pretty good community in central america of 4g63s most of them evos, of all kinds, 1-8, lots of evo 1,2,3. Dsms theres also a good amount too, but dissapearing slowly, due to the accesibility of parts and the age of it. besides that we have all kinds of cars, with some impressive numbers, as a matter of fact, i was a with a friend yesterday with an evo 7, with 500+ whp, it was hella fast, and tuned by american tuners that come down here and tune cars. 28 psi low boost with 95oct gas and 35 psi with VP. Let me just say, i was scared yesterday, the thing didnt even have lag and drove like an n/a.

Thanks for the answers so far.

 

[my dreamt dsm]

Compression test and a good tune. Are original parts okay. When I had my civic it was feeling slugish and weak. Did basic tune like plugs, wires, o2, water pump, oil, coolant, act clutch. It made a some what difference. But my real problem was compression. Did a compression test and was low in cylinder 4. Replaced the rings and rebuilt head. Boom. It... pulled... again!

 

[Stainbox12]

The problem is not the engine, im pretty sure its the drivetrain. I know my engine, i have rebuilt it myself, and its been done properly, so i know the difference. Thanks for the advice though.

 

[PieEyedPiper]

Consider the thought that you're comparing a lighter, FWD dsm with less drivetrain loss to an AWD dsm that is heavier and has twice the drivetrain loss. The AWD model should feel chunky and sluggish in comparison. I'm not saying you don't have a problem somewhere but I just think that you should take that into consideration when considering the symptoms, and their magnitude.

 

[Stainbox12]

I never said his car was FWD. Its the same model as mine, just 91. In other words, both are AWD.