Well, the crank sensor ended up being my problem. I had the connector changed at a chyrsler dealership instead of the mitsubishi dealership because it was way closer. I had it changed cause neither my unlce nor I really felt comfortable doing that ourselves. I wanted to know positively whether it was my problem or not. I didn't want "Maybe I just screwed up" to be part of the equation if it didn't end up being the problem. Plus I was worried if I screwed it up I might fry the ecu and/or the sensor and be out even more money.

Regardless, they got the car to start, but I still have some minor issues to deal with. My uncle patched the crack in the radiator with jb weld and it seems to be holding up, so I can run the car enough to see what I need to do from here on out. When I get it going, the first thing I'll do is replace it with one that isn't patched cause I don't want to take any chances with the coolant system this time around.

The car does have a few issues, it popped in and out of drive and reverse when I drove it onto the trailer at the dealership, but it ended up being almost completely out of tranny fluid, so I'm pretty sure that's the problem, but I haven't driven it yet since then for sever reasons, so i'm not completely sure yet. I bought six bottles of ATF +4, so I should have more than enough. The brakes have seized, so I need to replace them. I've already replaced the driver's side front caliper and rotor, but I didnt' realize the passenger side caliper was no good either until I was able to use the brakes for the first time. The car smoked a little, but the gas in it is around a year and a half old, I'm pretty sure that's the issue, so i'm going to drain the tank, and the exhaust is unusually loud. My uncle noticed a small crack in the header, so I'm sure that's the culprit. Also, it sounds like it may have a slight miss, but I can't be sure until I get some decent gas in it. The plugs are brand new, I bought them when I was swapping the motor, and I had just replaced the wires maybe two weeks before the old engine blew. If it does have a miss, I guess the first place I should look at is having the ignition coil tested, correct? Then again, the old gas may have fould up an injector, IDK. When I get some money for gas I'll be able to check it for CEL's, maybe that will narrow it down.

So, so far I need new brakes, a new radiator, a new header, a new front bumper, and I may have a few possible other issues to sort out, but I gotta tell ya, the first time in a year and a half I heard my eclipse fire up, and it did so effortlessly at that, I nearly cried I was so happy. So, I'm frustrated cause I've already spent a lot of money getting it going, and I still have a lot more to go, but I'm really excited.

Ps, the smell I posted about before has reduced significantly. I gutted the interior and hosed down the seats and carpet with laundry detergent, bleached the floor pan and cargo area, covered it in baking soda, let it air out for several weeks, vaccumed it out, reinstalled the interior and sprayed it with a cleaning spray designed to get rid of animal odors, and now I spray ozium in it every time I get in, and reapply the odor spray. The only part of the car that really emits the odor anymore is the dashboard, which is the only part I haven't removed. I'll get around to cleaning it when I pull it out to paint it, or replace it with one that's already black if the local junk yard opens up anytime soon (they got shut down because of a bad permit, the reason I don't have a different radiator already). That will have to wait until I get everything else fixed though. Untill then though, the smell has been gradually dissipating more and more, so it may eventually fade away on its own.

But anyways, just thought I'd post an update. I want to thank everyone who's responded to any of my posts so far, and I'd appreciate any input any one has.

I went to my uncle's today to drop off some decent gas to put into the car to see if it would help any. He said that he had added the tranny fluid, and the car no longer pops in and out of gear, however it doesn't shift gears in drive, so something is probably stuck, looks like it's time to do some reading in the tranny forum....

I did find out that the car does not miss. In fact, it runs pretty good. My alternator, however, is no good. It's not recharging the batter, so car starts to lose spark when the battery runs out of power. My uncle said that when he hooked the battery up to his charger and ran it, the car ran like new. So I guess I can eliminate some of those worste case scenarios now. I did mention to him that sometimes our battery cables corrode on the inside, but he's pretty sure the alternator went bad from sitting for so long. I'll have to use the search to find a post about how to check the cables though, I don't want to waste any more money than I have to right now.

oh yeah, my uncle also sealed the crack in my radiator with jb weld, so it no longer leaks. So I can save my money till I get a used alternator and get the tranny straightened out. Then I'll probably buy a new radiator.

your alternator may be ok, check your cables.

don't trust that JB weld on the radiator crack too long. Coolant and JB don't mix well, it'll just peel off. either replace the radiator or buy a radiator repair kit at your local parts store. it's got some fiberglass cloth and a special resin that isn't affected by the coolant my friend has used this on his 240 for 3 years now and its still holding.

I don't trust the jb weld. The radiator is the first thing I'm replacing after I figure out if the tranny is any good or not.

About the wires, the connections are tight. The terminals are have very little corrosion. So I ordered a used alternator. I'd like to have been able to get a new one, but at this point I'm on a tight budget.

Update:

The transission shifts now, it just was a voltage issue with the alternator. The car runs smoothly and does not overheat, the rear main seal leaks when the engine gets warm though. So my uncle dropped the tranny to change it. He found another bad gasket on the tranny which causes a very small leak. If all goes well, the car should be ready to bring home by this weekend.

My uncle also test drove it before dropping the tranny, he said the brakes are noisy, but the car doesn't pull like it would if the caliper was locked up. Apparently the noise is coming from the side with the new caliper and rotor, so I might be able to get away with just changing the pads and possibly the other rotor.

Once I get the car back, I just got to fix the brakes and replace the radiator, two things that I have done before, so I can do myself now.

Also, it would appear that the smell is coming from my heater core. When we turned on the heater, you could hear this loud grinding noise and then the smell flew ot of the air vents, so I'm to assume that the mice that ruined my headliner nested in the heater core. So after I get everything fixed, I've got to pull the dash probably change the heater core. I really don't like mice right now...

in regards to that, I found a write up on pulling the dash a while ago, but I was wandering if there was anything other than removing the batter cables that I need to be careful of when removing the steering wheel. Air bags make me skiddish, and I don't want one goin off on me the next time I start the car. The glove box, and the lower dash panels have already been pulled from painting the interior, but the steering wheel and the actual dash are still in the car.

disconnect the battery cable for at least 30 min and stomp on the brakes to bleed off any residual charge in the system. I've never had airbags go off on me doing that process.

Thanks for the info Ronin, You wouldn't happen to know what kind of puller I need to get the steering wheel off without bending the shaft would you? It'll be a while before I can get to this, but I'd like to know as much as I can before, so I can be ready to go when I get the time.

All it said in the write up I found was to use the right kind, not what kind it is.

last time I did one I just rented the steering wheel puller kit from the local auto parts store

ok, thanks again.

One more though, how difficult is it to put the wheel back on? How do I make sure the wheel is positioned correctly?

I finally got the car home last night. I just gotta rip out the dash and get rid of the smell at the source. My heater makes this horrible grinding noise when it's on, so I think mice nested in the fan. I won't know for sure till i get the dash out.

Other than that I have to get it prepped for an inspection so I can get it put back on my insurance. I figure I've got about a month of minor details to figure out before it's 100% again, but for now it runs, drives, shifts and stops, I just can't take it anywhere.