Mitsubishi Eclipse - 2005 and earlier

clipsed97 · April 2005

I recently purchased a 1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS for $6700. And let's just say my "friend" isn't my friend anymore. I've had to fix way too much stuff in my opinion and there seems to be an endless list of more things that need fixing...

I just finished replacing the timing belt, water pump, and power steering belt and a few other misc. things, which ran upwards of around $850.

Before I purchased it my friend got the bright idea to put low profiles on it, for whatever reason and I'm now finding out that you have to be really rich when you live in Nortern Indiana to afford low profiles since you have to replace them with on a monthly basis (wonderful potholes :mad: ). Anyways, after replacing all those flats and bent rims, I've spent roughly $500.

If I keep the car, what should I do? Purchase 16" rims with new tires? That seems to make sense to me (even though I'll be sacrificing how good my car looks with the existing 17" rims that are on it)...that's what a couple local places have recommended.

Also, my battery went dead one morning and I found out that you have to have the security code to the radio when this happens. Wa-hoooooo... so I figure I'll just go look in the manual. Guess what, I don't have the manual and my friend doesn't know where it is. So I call up the Mitsubishi dealer and they tell me for $50 + whatever else they can charge ya for, they'll give me the code. It's the factory 10 disc cd changer by the way; quite honestly I don't want to pay $50 for something I should already have (and not to mention, its not like the radio is even worth $50) so I'm guessing I should just buy a whole new system, but I'm just too cheap to fork over a couple hundred for a new setup!

Fine, alright, no security code--as far as the new setup goes, any recommendations for an in-dash cd player?

Also, when I took my car in to have it detailed, Armor All or something of the sort somehow got inbetween the dash and the gauges in my car, so now it doesn't look all that great when I of course look at my gauges (it looks as if someone blew smoke into the gauges and it just stuck there.) I've been told it would be very costly to remove/replace/correct this problem...however you want to say it. Any thoughts or ideas :confuse: ?

And as a side note, I got into an accident a few weeks back. It was a hit and run... the guy took off and I eventually lost him, but anyways it totally tore up the bottom part of my driver side door, well not really tore up, it just put a rather large dent in it. Now there is some paint that's beginning to chip off and I can see a small amount of rust developing for whatever reason... I'm guessing to fix this it will cost around $1000 more dollars?

Lastly, my eclipse has a little over 76,000 miles on it, is there anything else that will be going wrong with it :sick: , and if so, how much will it cost?

Thanks in advance!
-Brett

m1miata · April 2005

It is always a hard decision to hold on to a car that is giving you grief. My Corolla has more miles on her and has not had those problems. That said, I use to figure on American cars needing things like a battery, water pump, thermostat and maybe belts or hoses around 70K miles. It is around that many miles when some services are required. Brakes and all the usual stuff does wear out. Hope the radiator is OK. Has it been flushed and new coolant added? You may have covered most of the normal stuff in small repairs already. As long as the engine and tranny is sound, you may be OK for many more miles. As for the tires, you can go to the Tire Rack on the Internet, order tires and wheels as a package and they will balance them on a Hunter machine for free. You have it dropped shipped to your local dealer and they charge to up them on, which is a few bucks. Ask the dealer what they charge before you do your ordering. Low profile tires do lead to more problems on bad roads. As for the detail job gone bad, have you contacted the owner of the detail shop about this? Talk to the owner personally. At Mitsubishi see if you can talk to an owner there. Why do they charge for this service to get a code back? I have heard of this before, and still have no idea what the justification is on this practice. I guess you could get something new at BestBuy. As for the dent, you turn that in to the insurance company. Was your car moving at the time. Was this in a parking lot? Did you notify the Police dept? Hope you have better luck in the future, as it looks like you are getting the bad luck now in volumes. I owned the first Dodge Stealth sold here on the Central Coast of California and it was not trouble free. I would say the Mitsubishi products are not on the same level as the other Japanese makes, but they do have some character to them. Their sporty cars look cool and are fun to drive. The repairs needed can be anywhere from about the same rate as an American make in the same year, to slightly better than average. Here is another link for info. on your car:
http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/overview.aspx?modelid=2106&src=vip
And of course, Edmund's has loads of info. When you talk to say a Toyota or Honda loyalist, you may get the opinion that the Eclipse is just crap, but don't be swayed too much by that. It is not as bad as stated by some. Every individual car however has the potential of being a lemon, so you just have to keep that in mind too. If ya want to feel better, just look at the woes of many VW owners on their posting site. Oh my! Then you have someone that has not a problem one with their VW, so go figure???
:shades: Loren

lngtonge18 · April 2005

The detailer used auto glass cleaner on the gauge cover. This should NOT be used on plexiglass, especially those that have been subjected to years of deterioration from heat. They cloud up immediately when sprayed with these cleaners and are ruined. You can sometimes use auto glass cleaner safely, but only by spraying a small amount on a cloth instead of directly on the glass. But to be safe, I would only use a dry cloth or one dampened with a water/soap mix.

Go visit a junk yard and see if you can find a gauge cover in good condition. It isn't an easy thing to replace, but you could probably do it yourself. Most cars allow you to open up the gauge cluster area with about 6 screws without tearing into the rest of the dash.

markeclipse · April 2005

Heres the deal on the radio. They charge you 50 bucks to remove the radio to get the serial number. If you do this yourself, and call them with the info, they will give you the code for free. It happens whenever you jumpstart or otherwise disconnect battery cables to the car. Get the code, write it down in a safe place and be done with it.

Its not that hard to remove the radio, i did it while waiting for my wife to get off work.. in the parking lot

Also, you should learn to do some repairs yourself. Tools arent that hard to use.. go to a junkyard, get a replacement door, unbolt the sucker and have it painted the same color as your car [this is hard and sometimes have to paint whole car so it matches].

clipsed97 · May 2005

How would I go about removing the radio, or rather, is there a site or some material that does a darn good job of explaining it?

Thanks again!

Brett

gsx1 · May 2005

Hi Their,

I was reading through the emails and saw yours. I am having a problem with the idle being erratic, replaced the Idle control valve after reading the CODE that the problem was in the throatle body, this did not take care of the problem. Very interested in knowing how you fixed yours, sounds the same problem. When you say Idle screw, where is the o-ring located ???? This could be the problem I am having.
Regards GSX1

gsxgurl · May 2005

I have a 95 Mitsu Eclipse GSX. I have had so many problems with this car it's not funny. For the past two weeks I have not been able to get the car to start. So today we (my dad and I) finally got it to start by tapping on the fuel pump relay switch. Once it started it was fine. I could shut it off and turn back on without a problem.

BUT THEN i drove for about 3 minutes and when i went to stop a stoplight it died. By the time I got it home it would start for a second and then die. After the motor cooled back down it would start right back up and idle fine. The only way for me to drive it is to turn the idle up. Please Help

lngtonge18 · May 2005

I would start by replacing the obviously malfunctioning fuel pump relay. If this relay clicks off when its not supposed to, your car will stall since the fuel pump quits running. Relays are very finicky and can work intermittently. If replacing this doesn't fix your problem, then come back and we will try to help you further.

junior3783 · May 2005

Does anybody have a car manual for a 95 eclipse? Would really appreciate the help!!

Sylvia · May 2005

If you look on the left at the eBay ad - click the last link "view all #### items on eBay" - once you are there type in "mitsubishi eclipse owners manual 1995" in their search. Currently there is one for sale/auction.

junior3783 · May 2005

thanks for your response sylvia. but i am unable to get into ebay. and i can only use my work computer because mine does not work. so i was hoping that somebody would have one. thank you for your help though!

junior3783 · May 2005

or does anybody know where i can download one? :confuse:

junior3783 · May 2005

Yo man do you know where i can download an owners manual for my 95 gs eclipse? I would really appreciate any help you can give me!

ericlee21 · May 2005

im thinking of buying an eclipse 97 model wat can i do to it to get the maximum amount of power out of it. wats the biggest engine i can put in it.

dmunden · May 2005

:confuse: I have a '91 Eclipse w/ turbo 2.0 that has been having a hard time starting recently. The other day, it quit completely. I noticed a buzzing when the car was off and traced it to a relay that sits right next to the ECU......I believe it is the MFI relay. I bought a new relay, plugged it in, and it immediately started buzzing too :sick: . I checked the MFI fuse, at the battery, and it seems fine. My experience is a buzzing relay is due to improper ground or not enough power......... Any thoughts from anyone.....has anyone else had this problem......how did you fix it?

Thanks everyone.....

heroftime · May 2005

I have a 97 eclipse gs-t. The guy I bought it from has put many aftermarket parts on it. Whenever I let the turbo kick in my dipstick pops out and oil shoots out. If i tape the dipstick on then oil comes out of the bolts on the valve cover. Does anyone have any idea what the problem may be? I thought maybe it has something to do with the BOV, is that a possibilty. It has a Blitz BOV. I would appreciate any comments.

moecurlythanu · May 2005

I have a '99 Eclipse GS 2.0 DOHC that won't start. Battery's fine. When fuel was manually put into the fuel line it burned what we put in, but would not draw more fuel. So the problem is likely the fuel pump or relay switch. Does anyone know for certain the location of the fuel pump & the relay switch? I've found 3 modules which look like they could be the fuel pump relay switch: 2 are on the right side, mounted on the firewall next to the brake fluid reservoir. The other one is on the left side, mounted on an oddly shaped black box with a pulley type mechanism inside. (You can tell I'm a real mechanic, huh?)
Please tell me the fuel pump is not inside the gas tank. Any help is appreciated. My next move, if I don't hear something definite, is to pull all 3 relay modules and take them to the dealer's service desk and hope for a knowledgeable attendant.

poohman · May 2005

We have owned one for three years or so. It is the funnest thing to drive. We have on that has had no poblems. Our is loaded with everthing and only has 51,000 miles on it. We are expecting our first baby here any day, so unfortunatly, we have to move up to a four door. We are curently selling ours. If you haven't bought yours, email me and I will send you some pictures. It is silver with black leather interior.... it is smooth. We are asking $10,200, but I will talk a little.

Email me: donnyhollis@comcast.net

mtsgt · May 2005

Good day,
I have a Mitsubishi Ecplisce 2000, GT. I recently paid it off about 5months. It has 133k. I kept regular maint. on car. Since I have new battery, starter, altenator.
Problem: When in drive at stop light my rpm drops (about 500) but comes back up (about 700)but car is still not as quiet seemly. I have not had tune-up since 65k could this be problem with drop in rpm and rise.
Car is not quiet when sitting still. Where should I be sitting still in rpm I'm about at 700rpm.
Could this also be a sensor? Which ones do I have?
At 133k could this be the problem; will the tune up help with silence my car?
I've never had a problem with my car and love it. Just seems I have to replace parts after paying off

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Please help ,
mtsgt

mtsgt · May 2005

Three (3) plugs are visible to get to. Are the other three (3) plugs accessible and how. Is the only way to get to the other (3) by turning down the manifold

. Is this a job for the dealer and if so, what do you this is a reasonalbe price to do this job.

Thanks
mtsgt

mtsgt · May 2005

Sarav,
I live in Balto. Md. Pruchased a 2000 GT in 1999. It's paid off now, I have 133k on it and never had any problems out of it. I only had the regular maintenace on it. I did pay 21k for it in 1999, new model off the show room floor. Its still running well, of course after 133k you can look to replace parts for it (starter, batteries, alternators) those things that would wear out after 5 years of driving on them never having a problem from them. Yes this car only designed to take premium gas and gas price are pretty steep here too, about 1.20 - 1.40 a gal. I did hear the ABS is not a good feature to have although the insurance aspect might save you some money. I expect after doing a few other things after 133k this car will run another 130k if maintained. I did have problems with the radio (no display but sound) the car was under warranty at the time and it was replaced.
Good luck
mtsgt

lngtonge18 · May 2005

The only way to change the other 3 plugs is to remove the intake manifold. This is best left to a mechanic. I'd say the job could cost anywhere from $400-800. I'm not sure if that will help your idle problem though. Since you are mentioning the car doesn't sound as quiet, maybe you have an exhaust leak which could cause the idle to vary. A sensor could be starting to go or maybe even your idle control motor.

mtsgt · May 2005

Thank you this information does help.

Again thank you

bypasskid · June 2005

I have a question,
I got 60K miles on my eclipse spyder,
recently, every time I roll to a stop, the oil light comes up, and goes away as soon as I press the accelarator, most of the time the light sort of blinks, is it just a sensor, or something more serious.
thanks

bypasskid · June 2005

I have a question,
I got 60K miles on my eclipse spyder,
recently, every time I roll to a stop, the oil light comes up, and goes away as soon as I press the accelarator, most of the time the light sort of blinks, is it just a sensor, or something more serious.
thanks

frogsternow · June 2005

I HAVE A 1996 2.0 DOHC ECLIPSE. I REPLACE HEAD GASKET AND WHILE REINSTALLING CAM BEARING CAPS, THE BOLTS STRIPPED OUT. QUESTION, CAN AN OVERSIZE BOLT BE PUT IN OR IS ANYTHING OUT THERE TO REPAIR THIS. I CAN'T BE THE ONLY ONE THIS HAS HAPPENED TO.

lngtonge18 · June 2005

If your oil level is fine, then it's either a screwy sensor or your oil pump isn't putting out enough pressure when idling. You might want this looked at because if the oil pump is the problem, your engine may not be getting the oil pressure it needs to keep it properly cooled and lubricated at idle.

bypasskid · June 2005

oh, one more thing, if the engine is not being properly cooled, would it show up as the increased temp on the engine gage on the dashboard?
thanks

lngtonge18 · June 2005

Most likely it won't. The temp gauge reads the water temp not the oil temp. The oil would have to be hot for awhile in order to affect the water temp and by that time, your engine will probably be in serious trouble. Those things are notoriously inaccurate anyway, especially if your coolant leaks out.

bypasskid · June 2005

hi, thanks. I don't notive anything leaking out, but I guess it's still possible,
I'll have it looked at ASAP. thanks again

moecurlythanu · June 2005

Didn't get a reply on this, but I'll answer my own question in case anyone ends up googling this subject. The fuel pump relay switch is on the right side of the engine compartment, attached to the firewall. It is next to the brake fluid reservoir, and is housed in a 2 module bracket. The fuel pump relay switch is the module on the left.

moecurlythanu · June 2005

You said:

Heres the deal on the radio. They charge you 50 bucks to remove the radio to get the serial number. If you do this yourself, and call them with the info, they will give you the code for free. It happens whenever you jumpstart or otherwise disconnect battery cables to the car. Get the code, write it down in a safe place and be done with it.

Its not that hard to remove the radio, i did it while waiting for my wife to get off work.. in the parking lot

Also, you should learn to do some repairs yourself. Tools arent that hard to use.. go to a junkyard, get a replacement door, unbolt the sucker and have it painted the same color as your car [this is hard and sometimes have to paint whole car so it matches].
----------------------

As I recently installed a new battery, my radio is obviously looking for a code. I can see no screws or anything on the face of the radio, to make removal simple. Care to share how you removed it so easily? Thanks for any help.

lngtonge18 · June 2005

You have to remove the center console trim piece that surrounds the radio and HVAC controls before you will see the screws holding the radio in place. This trim piece is normally held on with a few screws and a bunch of snaps. I would look for screws around the bottom of the piece, usually in the ashtray area. Then you just carefully pry it off with a flat screwdriver. You probably will have to remove the HVAC knobs as well; those should just pull off. Good luck.

tiflyer2 · June 2005

My 96 Eclipse RS, has this problem i can't figure out. When ever i slow down to stop, mostly when it is shifting from second gear to first, it jerks forward. I think it is the trany but i am not sure. The jerking gets worse during the winter and lately when it is hot outside i have noticed it doesn's do it as much as the winter times. Has anybody encountered this problem?

lngtonge18 · June 2005

This probably is normal depending on the severity of the jerk. My 04 Lancer automatic has a noticeable shift down to 1st gear; nothing harsh but you do feel the kick down and it moves forward a little. Temperature can effect the performance of the tranny fluid, causing it to jerk more when its cold out. Have you changed the fluid at the recommended 30k intervals? There is a possibility that your car's accelerometer sensor is malfunctioning (if it has one). My 93 Diamante had one and it could cause nasty jerks from the tranny when slowing down. I'm talking a loud bang is heard and it would harshly jerk into 1st gear. On that car, the sensor was located on the gas pedal assembly. I can't say for sure your car has one and if it would be located in the same place, but Mitsu generally uses the same auto tranny design throughout all of its cars so there is a good chance its there and may be causing your problem.

tiflyer2 · June 2005

Thanks

miket3 · June 2005

heli coil

markmerg · June 2005

I decided to clean the engine compartment since I was think of selling this vehicle. I guess I used to much pressure to blow off the cleaning foam. The car will not shift out of gear. Does this sound like a vacuum line problem, I'm thinking i may have accidently blown or pulled one loose. Or could I have damaged the electrical and Blown a fuse.
Also my check engine light is on now.

Thanks

bluneon · June 2005

I am the current owner of 98 Eclipse RS... I love the car but there is one problem about that is just driving me up the wall. I've looke at it and looked at it but i still can't figure out what is wrong. The electric sunroof on it is loose and it rattles like no other. And when it is closed and i go to shut my doors the sunroof actually pops up slightly from the pressure. And also when the sunroof is shut i can take me hand and lightly push up on it and it moves. Its like it is not latching tight enough or something.

If anyone knows what to do please reply, cause i'm stumped.
Thanks.

jsnowman · July 2005

I have a 1992 A/T eclipse turbo. The car has sat for about a year and wasn't started. Now it won't start. my first suspision was that it was the coil pack or the transistor unit. I was wrong. after some trouble shooting i have jumpered a power source to the camshaft/crankshaft position sensor from the battery and the car starts. take the jumpered source away and the vcar dies. Sometthing is preventing that sensor from getting power. I have the chiltons manulal with the wiring diagrams which help but they don't label anything right and don't give locations on the units/modules. after looking at the book it is telling me the MPI relay is the common ground between all the unpowered components preventing starting. Where is that located ?

gsxdad · July 2005

I just bought a 91 GSX, I have dims but no brights. I am going out to get a haynes manual but the owners manual said something about a head light relay. Is there a headlight relay switch that could be causing this? I hope it's not the multi switch in the column. Any ideas?

mssunshine23 · July 2005

Does anyone know about how many miles you can get out of an eclipse? Ex: A nissan maxima can go for about 350,0000- 400,000 miles. :confuse:

efraser007 · July 2005

I have a 95 Eclipse GSX. I recently installed an aftermarket stereo (including 2 amps) as well as an alarm. Since it was installed, the battery will die if the car is left idle for relatively short periods of time. Normally it takes a 3-5 days of idle time, however the battery was dead this morning even though I have driven the car every day over the last week for normal commuting to and from work.

I had the alternator and battery replaced around 12 months ago and a couple of weeks ago had the dealer check the power drain for the stereo/alarm and test the alternator and battery and they didn't find anything wrong.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to over come this?

hotscot311 · July 2005

Is the 420A engine a Dodge or a Mitsubishi engine? I have a 95 Avenger with supposedly the 420A engine, And, am thinking about supeing it up. :shades:

Or, maybe doing an engine swap with an eclipse. I was told they can be interchanged.

Any thoughts or ideas would be Greatly Appreciated!!!

lngtonge18 · July 2005

If the 420A is a four banger, then its a Dodge Neon engine. Your engine is interchangeable with RS and GS versions of the Eclipse, but shares nothing with the sweet turbo engine.

meinhartstock · July 2005

I have a Yellow Trouble light to the right of the Check Engine Light that looks like a birdcage/trash can and/or the Jefferson Memorial. I don't have a manual and I need to know what it means. I think it might be an O2 Sensor light, but can't confirm that.

Thanks for any Help,
Mark

oakleyicon · July 2005

I have a 2003 Eclipse and the rear part of the sunroof shade has come off. They want to charge me $200 to fix it and I can't afford it. Is it easy to fix without takeing the whole sunroof appart?

Thanks

chinwa4c · July 2005

Try installing capacitors to your amps.

qrs · July 2005

The hatch on my GT (with the spoiler) is annoyingly difficult to open. In cool or cold weather (I live in the northeast), it can be impossible to open without holding the key to open while lifting the hatch door. (This is usually not convenient, for example, when the temp is below freezing and it's necessary to warm the engine--with the key in the ignition--while loading the trunk! The remote latch really should be usable in all seasons.)

I've been told by the dealer that the hydraulics were not created to be strong enough to support the weight of the spoiler, but there is no recall. Apparently the 2001 model was redesigned to solve this problem. Since Mitsu wouldn't replace it when under warranty, does anyone have suggestions on how/where to repair it? I haul a lot of stuff in that trunk so this glitch is really making me crazy and has me looking at new cars.

fongy · July 2005

I've tried taking off the fuel filter off of a '91 Eclipse but it won't come off; does anyone know of a way?

Mitsubishi Eclipse - 2005 and earlier

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