Sup fellas,

I drive a 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse RST and I have ran into some overheat problems which has lead to oil and water mixing in my block. I have owned the car for a while now, and being that the car is strictly for show I never even get a chance to go and work or check on the car. I have a hahn Racecraft stage 2 turbo with a rebuilt 420a motor with forged pistons and rods. I was only running 6 psi but apparently something isnt running as it should since I have had an overheat problem since I turboed the vehicle and and me and a few mechanics have been unable to narrow it down. I was wondering if anyone knows of some competant shops or even someone who lives in the are would be willing to give me some advice/tips as to what to do next? I have a pretty decent sized budget, just really wanna get this car back on the road.

Thanks again guys.

You're kidding me right? Your mechanics can't see that you either have a bad headgasket (probably) or a cracked block (unlikely). Simple deduction from water/oil mix with overheat.

Well, you're welcome to ship it up to me and I'll guarantee you a fix.

Originally posted by bullettdsm
Well, you're welcome to ship it up to me and I'll guarantee you a fix.

i've always wanted to do that for some extreme complex problem. not just you, but, well, you know what i mean

Where exactly in LA are you? I'm in West Monroe but I occasionally make "business" trips as far as Natchez.

PM freelancefool. He's in Baton Rouge.

@ Bulletdsm -

Well, the problem isnt going about fixing the head - or the oil/water mixing, the problem is finding out why the damn thing is overheating in the first place - that is what my problem is. Before I turboed the damn thing it ran like a dream, had 180k on the motor and never had any type of mechanical problems. I have already spent over 6 grand in motor work and have little to show for it, I just dont want to get ripped off again. There is a local shop that will take a look at the car, but they are gonna change me 120 an hour whether they can fix the problem or not, so that is why I was hoping for some advice from you guys.

I have installed:
FAL Fans
Fluidyne Radiator
Gates Radiator Hoses
New Water Pump
Stage 2 Turbo system from Hahn Racecraft
Hahn Portfueler
Fuel pump which comes with the Hahn turbosystem - havent changed the in tank fuel pump yet


After I went turbo, I started running hot. I had 2 local "race" shops take a look at the vehicle and I still have a problem which has led to this. Sorry to say but I dont have the mechanical knowledge to do it by myself, nor the time. I really would like someone experienced in this job to give me some advice or prehaps help with the install, I don't mind paying for a job done right, i'm just screwed at the moment.

Ill drop him a line Darkone, I appreciate the reference. I have a few mechanics that want to pull the head and go after it but I really don't trust their work or their hand. And for my ability once a mechanic yanks the head I guess hes doing the job, and being that most of the guys down here are clowns, or never worked on an application like mine, I dont want to get burned again. I am in the subrubs of New Orleans in a city called Westwego. I guess i'll just take it one problem at a time, yank the head, get it decked if need be, and inspect the motor itself and see what i'm looking at. I mean this motor has literally just been put in like 2 years ago, and it might have 1k in miles on it, maybe. Just looking for a reccomendation or a shop anyone can advise, ill drive as far as 600 miles to get this problem resolved.

Yup, without too much background.......nah you know what, was the engine rebuilt? If so did they deck the head when they did it?

Whatever the background of the build, you need to pull the head regardless (with the mix of oil and water, I would also be leary of scored bearings. Depending on how long she was run mixed. You may want to pull the pan and check the rod bearings).

I would presume at $6k you have a built engine in there? Why don't you just live near me and then I'll fix 'er up for you, lol (I hate when incompetents work on a vehicle and then charge you. Its one thing if they work on it, its a whole 'nother thing if they charge you for it). Hit up Clay, hopefully he can help you out.

Oh yeah, you can try to contact Travis (Crab1092 on here). He's down that way and know's his shit (and a little bit about our cars too). Though he doesn't come on here too often, you can give it a shot (reference me. That may help get his attention)

Original motor had about 180k in miles, bolted on the hahn stage 2 kit at a local race shop, and I started to run into overheating problems from day 1. I figured it was a motor related issue, so then I ordered an entire built longblock from showdownmotorsports.com for like 3 grand plus shipping. Had the motor installed at a local shop, and still was having issues. Had about 4 mechanics work on the car trying to figure out what the issue was, none could get it right either. Went to a car show about a month ago and checked the oil, and apparently I had a blown head. It has a completely redone body and paint, and the sound alone is worth more than the entire vehicle. I still want to show it and enjoy it, preferabily get some fun out of it since I havent even gotten on the damn thing since I put it in over a year ago. Literally, the motor went in, and its been on and off trailers for the past year.

I guess from a standpoint, money really isnt the concern at this point, I just want the damn thing done right. I thought that by buying the good stuff and having it professionally done I would be in good shape, apparently I got screwed on the labor.

I know for certian the bottom end was build with forged rods and low compression pistons, I dont think we had head work done to the block.

hell, anyone know anything good about this shop I found that is supposed to be a reputable shop. site is called automodz.net ? I talked to the guy and he seemed to know his shit. He told me he has built 420a and 4g's for years.

hate to drop another 3 grand blindly you know?

Slow down there. Relax, breathe.

Ok, did you try to contact any of the people we mentioned? I know nothing of Automodz, but I find 0 information on the net about them. Usually if you have done a bit of work, or have been around for a bit, there's info out there. The only thing I find is that they are mentioned on Tampabay racing.

Let's see, I wonder if Dunedin Florida is by Dave (code4 on here). He may have some input on them. I believe that there are other Florida members.

As for the overheating, it is possible that you had other problems (i.e. thermostat, radiator cap, radiator clog, cooling system clog, air pocket). But it is also possible that you did indeed pop a headgasket on the 180k motor and you got another motor that was not built properly. All possibilities.

But if you get one of their engines, who is going to put it in?

And this part really "Grinds My Gears";

Originally posted by Eclipsedrivr2002
Had about 4 mechanics work on the car trying to figure out what the issue was, none could get it right either. .

I would put forth that they weren't really mechanics. I'm no mechanic (I'm an engine tech. Big difference), but there are some simple things to do to diagnose the problem.

Just throwing this out there, I had a Hahn sidemount and never had a problem, I put the Hahn FMIC on and the next day I had overheating problems. I got a Fluidyne and two pusher fans and installed them and the overheating is gone.

After a few weeks I finally calmed down, worked a couple extra shifts, and now have enough on-hand cash to consider fixing my issues. In regards to cooling:

1.) Is a low temp thermostat worth getting, or should I stick with my stocker for this application?

2.) In regards to the Hahn FMIC, I heard a similar answer from the techs at Hahn, Slo2g, if you dont mind me asking, what brand of fan did you go with to be pushers for our radiator, I know space is rather limited and I was also wondering if you had it wired off the factory harness and settings.


In regards to coatings -

Has anyone had any problems with coatings from JetHot in regards to Hahn Racecraft manifolds or manifolds in general cracking after being coated and heated? I wanted to do some definite coatings to the Valve Cover and the Manifold at least, if possible the turbo, but I was unsure as to what degree coating I would require.

Again thanks to Darkone eih the advice, definietely feel a bit better about this rebuild than where I was 3 weeks ago.