I just bought a 96 Eclipse (one of the base models..not sure). got it for $1100. Seems to work fine sounds good (shows you how much i know about engines). Its got 116K on it. Thats pretty much all i know as of right now.

I know it needs work and i am on a tight budget so i need so advice on where should i look for problems and things that need to be fixed. I am going to take it to a Mitsubishi dealership to get a system scan, i know they will make a big deal out of it and try to sell me a newer car but i just got it and i am committed to making it work.

I am not looking to sup it up, i just want it to work good. I will be more that satisfied with that.

So any suggestions are welcome and thank you in advance!

First you need to find out what model you have. RS/GS is the 420a motor and GST/GSX is the 4g63 motor (this section of 2gnt). You can do that by looking for a sticker in the engine bay that list the motor in it or the 4g63 motor looks like http://members.shaw.ca/dsm.1000q/Engineprimer/2G/visual-index.htm and the 420a looks like .

If you have a 420a you should be posting in the 2gnt Technical section. Do not take your car to Mits. to get it scanned especially if you are on a tight budget. If you have cel light on (common for 2gnt's) then take it to autozone and they will scan it for free. Otherwise post what is wrong with us and we can help out. I didn't know anything about these cars or how to work on cars, but after reading through this site I'm never afraid to work on it now.

Thanks Eric,
I looked at the engine and its a 420a. So i guess i will post in the other section. Also there is nothing wrong with the car yet, but i dont want to wait till something goes wrong for me to fix it. I am really interested in finding out the usual life span of the engine (approx) and the things that need to be looked at once it starts to get old.

Once again thanks for your help and i will post as soon as i get more details on what needs work.

THANKS

I'll move this to the proper forum. Welcome to the site and good luck with your new toy. :thumbsup

thank you!

Welcome Bob :cheers

If you want to do some basic maintenance, start off with a new air filter, fuel filter, spark plugs, do a compression test. Try and find out when the last time the timing belt was changed on the car. If it's never been done, DO IT. It should be done every 60k. While you're at it, it would be a good time to change the alternator and ps/accessory belt too. All of this can be easily done (minus the timing belt) by anyone who reads for a few minutes on this site and who is not completely retarded with basic hand tools.

If you have a check engine light (CEL) on, drop into your local Autozone and ask them to scan it for you there. It's free. Otherwise, be sure the timing belt has less than 60k on it, replace your spark plugs, change the oil, make sure your coolant, power steering, clutch, and brake fluids are up to snuff, and enjoy your car for a couple days before we have you excited about the ten thousand dollars you're going to end up dumping into that thing. :P

Originally posted by Bobsterpk
I just bought a 96 Eclipse (one of the base models..not sure). got it for $1100. Seems to work fine sounds good (shows you how much i know about engines). Its got 116K on it. Thats pretty much all i know as of right now. I know it needs work and i am on a tight budget so i need so advice on where should i look for problems and things that need to be fixed. I am going to take it to a Mitsubishi dealership to get a system scan, i know they will make a big deal out of it and try to sell me a newer car but i just got it and i am committed to making it work. I am not looking to sup it up, i just want it to work good. I will be more that satisfied with that. So any suggestions are welcome and thank you in advance!

Let's not forget about the waterpump or Thermostat. Have Autozone/advanceauto Test your alternator and starter while you're there, free. To test your Thermostat, Have your car sit park let it idle to come up to temp. and turn your Heater up on full put switch to the red. If yopu're getting in between or cold your thermostat is out.

Form experience, I bought my 97 GS odom was 102k just turn over and I'm the 3rd owner not bad for a 10yr old DSM. First that went was my water pump and Timing, so I had both Replaced. Sure my Dmer ran good for a few days then that Happend? To be safe flush/ fill your Radiator check your Hoses too also the Radiator itself.

I think the first to go out in your 96 is your waterpump, parts are cheap for the timing and water pump, my estimated gues is around 150 all together. If you know how or know who's experiance changing the timing and waterpump, have that person do it. Because the shop will charge you 600 to change both 300 for labor and 300 for parts.

Now I would buy the parts myself then have the shop put them on, they'll charge a small fee.

I do this, all the time and they would either say oh cool great or give me a dumb look when I bring them parts to put on, but its all good.

Have tons of fun, good luck with your plans for it later on

Thanks guys. I went to a shop to see what they thought and the guy gave me an estimate for th timing belt and the water pump to be about $900. I dont know why he needs 9 hrs of labor. Also he mentioned that i would need a timing belt kit, not just the belt itself, so i guess that costs a little more.
I asked him to look at the car and he said that there is no way to tell if the timing belt has worn out. He says it could look perfectly normal and then suddenly snap. He said that there was no sign of the belt ever been replaced. With 116,000 miles on the car, i am a little scared to drive it around.
And one last thing, do i really need an expert to put in a timing belt, cause i think i can save on labor expense if i go to a smaller shop. I need to figure this out soon cause i cant enjoy driving with this in my mind all the time (lol).

Also thanks for all your advice it has helped me out a lot!!!

Bobsterpk

IMO, $900 seems a little steep. Sure changing the belt is a pain in the ass, but not a $900 pain. 600-650 is more like it. And if he isn't including The timing belt and tensioner in that? Personally I would shop around a bit.

There are tons of writeups about changing the timing belt in our cars. If your willing to learn and research you could just do it yourself. I did mine myself because I think it is a load of crap to charge that much just because of a PITA motor mount and a stubborn pulley. However if you dont have the right tools, it's not worth attempting yourself. It is something you do not want to get wrong, that only makes things worse.

I would look around for a better price though. Just ask the right questions and be educated about what it takes to change the belt. You should be able to tell if a shop is capable.

Thanks for your help guys, but looks like i am not done yet. I am curious, is there any way that an eclipse's original timing belt can last 116,000 miles. Because this guy was trying to tell me that the engine has never been pulled out and he also says that there is no way to tell how used the timing belt is, he says that it can look ok and then break the next day.
So here is my peoblem, i dont know if the timing belt was ever changed and the car has 116,000 miles. right now i dont think i can afford to change the belt ( will be a couple of weeks, atleast). And from what i know the belt wont last more than 90,000 miles so i think there is a chance that the belt has been changed.
So if anyone has any suggestions, they would really help!!!
THANKS IN ADVANCE
Bobsterpk

I've seen belts last unusually long on cars with a large ammount of highway mileage, old belts definitely show signs of wear, usually a glazed outer surface. considering the age and mileage of your car, you probably don't have a highway car. $900 is stupid, get a second quote (mitsu down the street is only $700 IIRC) parts you're only looking at a couple hundred and a few hours labor. at 116k you're definitely getting due anyways. it's really not that hard if you have any tools and a little mechanical know-how.

^^^True^^^

Also, look at it this way:
Even if the timing belt was changed at 60,000 like it should have been, there has been another 56,000 miles put on the car. Alot of us are on our second replacement belts already.

It is quite possible the original belt has lasted this long. Just every mile adds to the chances it will break at anytime. But you should be able to see wear on the belt. This mechanic is just trying to convince you to spend 900 right now! or your car will be destroyed. You do realize you don't have to pull the entire engine out to change it right? It is easier sure, but not required.