What should i look or listen for when buying a 2g eclipse

[xcyanide87x]

im looking at an 1998 Eclipse gsx theres some rust on the strut towers and some general spot rust on the shroud over the heads and some on the other (what i consider non essential) components under the hood im going out to look at it hopefully monday or tuesday is there anything i should be looking or listenin for that would give me reason not to buy it the guy wants 5k for it from the pictures the few rust spots are the only visually unpleasing things about it so anything will be a tremendous help also i cant wait to join the dsm commuinty again my first car was a 96 eclipse rs so ill be super stoked if this gsx pans out thanks

 

[ericemery]

First I would say Leaks. DSM's leak everything. Oil, Coolant, Diff fluid...
Check for oil coming from the valve cover bolts, in the spark plug well, on the back of the turbo, and down by the oil filter housing. these are common areas that leak. If its losing oil, it might be a sign of how the car was maintained.

Coolant leaks aren't real common, but they are a fun issue to track down. I have seen coolant coming from the lines going into the bottom of the throttle body, leaking around the O-ring where the front water pipe connects to the block, and also from the thermostat housing. Also check the turbo water feed and return.

Check the rear diff for any wetness. It's usually as easy as scraping the old gasket material and putting new on. Besides, your going to want to change all the fluids you can when you get it. so this shouldn't be a deal breaker.


When your on your test drive. listen for ticking and knocking. See if you smell oil or coolant burning. Vibrations and shakes... you know, normal test drive stuff. See if the owner will let you do a compression test. I haven't met a seller yet who hasn't let me. You would be amazed by how many people dont know how to do a compression test. (If you need a good write up on how to do one, see this link. http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/articles-engine-fuel/338152-compression-leak-down-testing.html)


Good luck with your purchase!

 

[2slow4now]

Thats alot of good advice right there^^. Depending on how the strut tower rust looks (surface or internal) it is probably worse than it looks. Other things you might look for is how or if it has been modified. It may give you an indication of its health or if it has been rebuilt.

 

[newTSIguy]

Honestly rust on the strut towers is big deal, as they tend to rust from the inside out. Some of the other things I would be looking for would be, smoke from the tail pipe, any knocking noise in the engine, lifter tick is normal and not that serious but a knocking from the bottom end of the motor is bad, over all appearance of engine bay can tel you alot about how well the previous owner took care of his car, I.e. nothing jimmy rigged, check the condition of the timing belt and drive belts (no cracks or fraying), make sure there is no sputtering at high rpm, also make sure it had a nice smooth idle, about 8 or 900 rpm, check the oil levels before you test drive, if it is low out probably has a leak or is burning some oil.
make sure the alignment isn't off, honestly though for 5k I would expect no rust whatsoever, and fairly low miles, 5k is kinda high to me, post some pix if you get a chance.

 

[ericemery]

I forgot to mention to make sure the blow off valve is recirculated. unless its running a Maf translator and a GM maf.

 

[xcyanide87x]

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[newTSIguy]

Wow, she's a virgin, how many miles? You will defiantly want to get that rust taken care of asap, but otherwise looks like a good find from a visual standpoint.

 

[xcyanide87x]

oh also i was thinking of offering 4k for the car take the other 1k that i saved and have a full service dont on the car monday or tuesday ill check back in either way it works out im gettin another eclipse i love em

153,000 miles on it its kinda alot but honestly i dont plan on leaving anything under the hood stock so advice on what to do to it (till im not a probation member ) would be awsome if anyone could post it on this thread

 

[newTSIguy]

Also look for rust under the car. I'd pick it up for 4k if the rust situation isn't that bad, I would take the advice above though and do a compression test before purchase.

First mods should be intake and exhaust. Follow the upgrade path in the tech section.

 

[xcyanide87x]

ok sounds good about the strut towers how would i go about getting that fixed would it be just cutting out the spots forming welding grinding and painting in some new metal or is there more to it also its been a long time since iv had an import iv driven a truck for the past 3 years and i hate it now i need some excitment on the road is there any suggestions about an good exhaust and intake i had an aem on my old eclipse and (what most people call) a coffee can for an exhaust and i really appreciate all the advice iv already recieved

 

[newTSIguy]

It depends on how much the rust has penetrated, sometimes if its light you can just grind it away and re paint those areas, worst case scenario you would need to cut it out and patch it like you stated, as far as what exhaust and intake to get, it depends on your goals really, you can go 3" cat back for now , I think you can find a good used one in the classifieds, apexi is a good choice. And a hard intake pipe with a k/n filter would suffice for now, and get rid of that plastic piece of crap stock BOV (they leak), get a 1g stock bov and adapter and your good to go till you want to start upping the boost, then you can start looking a boost gauges mbc, and fuel mods and controllers.

 

[ericemery]

First things that should be done are maintenance. Oil changes, Timing belt if you arent sure when it was done... that type of stuff. DSM's get a bad rap for being unreliable. I have found that the better you maintain your car, the longer it lasts. Once you get all the leaks and fluids taken care of, then start with the fun stuff.

I would suggest getting a proper boost gauge and oil pressure gauge. (electric is fine. the debate rages on with that one though.) Ebay intakes are around 50 bucks. they may not be as smooth as an injen, but they are a step up from stock, thats for sure.

Before we give you too much advice... what are your goals for this car?

 

[xcyanide87x]

thank yall for all your help hopefully now i can make a better educated decision ill keep yall posted

honestly for now if i can make 275 whp and comparable torque id be finebut thats just for now later on down the road id like to have around 400+

 

[newTSIguy]

He had stated that he plans on doing a full survice to the car, other wise I would not have evan mentioned the word "modification"
if you want to make 275hp then you will need to start resurching, I would look into a evo3 16g setup with dsmlink for your goals, good luck my friend.

 

[GSX401]

Rust on the strut towers would be a deal breaker for me. I would offer 2500 to 3500.

 

[ericemery]

ahh crap. I missed the part about knocking a grand off. My bad.

I would follow the upgrade paths to hit those goals. The upgrade paths are tried and true, and have ALL the components necessary.

double check that timing belt though. I have bought a couple cars that "just had a rebuild" or "just did a timing belt" and ended up needing the exact work they said they did.

 

[SeaveeDSM]

These forums are an excellent and free resource. With that said you may want to consider picking up this book as well - its less than $20 and a tremedous reference material for anyone - novice or experienced - getting into DSM's:

Amazon.com: How to Build Max-Performance Mitsubishi 4G63t Engines (S-A Design) (Performance How-To) (9781932494624): Robert Bowen: Books

Good luck with your purchase.

 

[ericemery]

That book and a Chiltons manual were my first "mods."

I got mine used for 15 bucks, and it was in new condition. its a good read, and has a lot of great info. I especially like the history section of it. =)

 

[xcyanide87x]

awsome im so excited now i really hope this car is in decent shape the dsm community has been awsome already and i dont even have one yet ill deffinatley keep yall posted on the status if i get it i really want the gsx

 

[tominatortwo]

I hope it turns out to be a good solid unmolested car, also look at the undercarriage for signs of curb hopping and rust issues, look for dirt gobbed up by constant oil leaks.

150 K means the shocks and spring are history the suspension floats like a ocean liner , I have a set of original factory front, rear struts/springs and shocks with 17K on them if you desire to stay with stock parts and firm up the ride a bunch. PM me for price.
Good Luck with the DSM!

 

[xcyanide87x]

well unfortunatly no car today the loan process to sell my truck is takin a little longer than expected but hopefully if i can get up the cash and the GSX checks out ill have it by wed or thurs thats how i feel right now my baby is soooo close i so hope its not a junker

 

[xcyanide87x]

Im stoked i got my truck sold now its just a matter of going out and looking at this GSX and gettin the dude the cash woooooooooo im giddy (JK)

 

[PieEyedPiper]

Not trying to derail you, but I would not pay 4k for a car that needed strut tower surgery. I just don't have an easy or cheap way to perform a repair like that.

 

[xcyanide87x]

it could all just be cosmetic but if its not i probably wont buy it ill just have to settle for a GST but if its not bad then ill work to have my GSX

also i havent found to many GSX close to me it sucks but its kinda my only choice for the awd in the price range i wanna pay plus they just look so damn good

 

[PieEyedPiper]

It will be very hard to know if it's just cosmetic without taking out the fender liner and possibly even cutting into the metal. The thing is, it didn't start rusting from the top. It started rusting from the bottom and up 4 layers of metal to the top. When you see a golf ball sized chunk of rust on the top, you can expect a large grapefruit beneath it.

Search around on here, there's been blogs and threads about the repair and the work involved. You might also want to consult greengoblin since he has dismantled that section entirely. He actually drilled out every spot weld.