hi.
i just got my eclipse not to long ago. it has nearly 74k miles on it plus i have no idea how well it was taken care of by the previous owner. lately, the battery light has been coming on, the radio will just die on me at any random time, and ive been getting this whistling/rubbing sort of sound when im at cruising speeds, not accelerating or stopping. im taking it to be checked out next week, but i just was just wondering if i should consider rebuilding the engine, but first i have a few questions.

1. how well do rebuild kits work? is it like having a brand new engine? does the odometer reading become irrelevent?

2. whats a good kit to get? i searched and saw the name Howell the most. how much does this cost?

3. im planning on getting a turbo kit in the future, and will be installing this myself to help me learn about my car, but should i take the rebuild kit to be done by a professional mechanic to make sure its done right and prolong the life of my car, or are they relatively easy to use?

thanks in advance.

those problems you described won't go away with an engine rebuild.

the rebuild kits are easy for a master mechanic to install.. not the average joe. and it's like having a mostly new engine. odometer reading is still important cause you haven't changed anything besides the bottom end of the motor, so the drivetrain, suspension, valvetrain.. and various other things still have alot of miles on them.. but nothing to worry about.
Generally the way to tell if you even need a rebuild kit is to do a compression test. or if you are planning on running alot of boost.. you would need a rebuild kit and what not..

hope that hels out some.

I agree, do the compression test. rebuilding is a very complicated process. if you just got your ride get to know it, if youre a novice mechanic start out by doing the tune-ups and oil changes yourself, also change your plug wires immediately, especially if they still have the chysler emblem on them, get a chilton manual for your car and also refer to your owners manual if youre fortunate enough to have one. You also should do the 60000 mile diagnostics tune up, plan on changing belts and hoses, pvc valves, fuel filers and oxygen sensor. as for the battery light- you probably should replace the battery before it totally dies, if you have a stock stereo system you dont want to have the battery die and you don't have the code, Satan requires from 30 to 60 bucks to get the code for you, have the battery checked when you take it to trade it in for a new one to make sure it's not the alternator going out. Lastly refer to this sites home page for other good info, if youre going to change the timing belt do your homework, check the condition of the belt for now by removing the inspection cover, if it has cracks or frays on it change it soon before it breaks.

Good luck
96 GS
Still 100% stock for about another month

well turns out there was just a loose belt. 16 bucks to fix, running fine again, no more sound and battery isnt draining anymore.

so i guess ill do the compression test and go from there, thanks guys.