WHAT IT'S LIKE TO OWN AND DAILY DRIVE A MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE GSX

This week I reminisce about my very first tuner car, the Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX. This was my introduction into the tuner world. I have a love/hate relationship with the DSM. I love it because it was my first tuner car and the car I learned how to me a mechanic on. I hate it because it has to be one of the worst engineered cars I've ever owned. Literally everything broke on the car, but that is how I learned how to wrench. That's also the reason the car was so fast, every time something broke, my philosophy was, "if I have to do the work, might as well up grade it." Consequentially this was a very good quarter mile car. I ran at Portland International Raceway (PIR) quite a few times. In this video I discuss my experiences with car, both good and bad. If you're looking to buy one I hope this video helps. For those of you who don't know what a DSM is, it refers to the Mitsubishi Eclipse, Eagle Talon and Dodge Laser. They're all the same car.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
If you are interested in supporting the channel check out the JD Archer Shop for apparel like what I wear in the videos.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________
If you want to purchase any of the equipment used in this episode click the links below.

Video Gear
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Links to Similar and Related Videos:

WHAT IT'S LIKE TO OWN AND DAILY DRIVE A TURBO MKIV TOYOTA SUPRA

WHAT ITS LIKE TO OWN AND DAILY DRIVE A FD3 MAZDA RX7

WHAT IT'S LIKE OWNING AND DRIVING A R32 NISSAN SKYLINE GT-R IN THE US AND HOW TO GET ONE!

You can follow me on:
Instagram: j_d_archer
Twitter: @jd_archer

______________________________________________________________________________________________
I have now become an affiliate of Chemical Guys. If you want to support the channel as well as get some great products for cleaning you car, please click the link below.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
I have been a wrench head for years. I started off with building a 69 Camaro, then moved on to Miatas, followed by my first turbo car a 97 Eclipse GSX. After than I moved on to a Honda S2000, then my first MKIV Supra, then a 2010 Camaro, FD RX-7, R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R and my second Supra. I am now the owner of a 2013 Nissan GT-R Black Edition. I love JDM cars and would like to share that enthusiasm with all of you. I will be do car reviews, how to videos and opinions based on personal experience with those legendary JDM tuner cars. I tend to do almost all of the work on the car my self. This comes from a budgetary need as well as a lack of trust of mechanics in general. Working on cars are not has hard as people think, and I hope to show you that you can do it as well, regardless of your experience.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Shot on the GoPro 8 Black with Media Mod
Sound recorded with Rode Wireless Go
______________________________________________________________________________________________
#MITSUBISHI #ECLIPSE #DSM

[Gucci_Peralta]

Tips to buy an eclipse:
1)Try to buy GSX version
2)Get it in Manuel transmission
3)Check for rust in strut towers
4)Maintenance is a must! For reliability
5)Money will be spent in parts
I’m a proud Gsx owner so I know what I’m talking about

[John-mdld]

If you aren't a mechanic, you're gonna be a good one after owning a gst or gsx. In all honesty they are fairly dependable at stock hp levels, but take alot of maintence. Many people throw shade at DSM's for being unreliable, but the truth if the owners aren't reliable. Btw I've owned 6 dsm's all gst's and one gsx.

[jdxnc]

A lot of misinformation in this video. As far as the difference between the 6 bolt and 7 bolt engines, the pistons and rods are actually the same composition, just different designs, 1g rods are a little thicker and heavier than 7 bolt rods. 2g pistons are actually superior to the 6 bolt pistons, this is why a lot of people used to bore the pin holes on the 6 bolt rods to fit 2g pistons for more reliability and higher compression. The 2g 7 bolt rods are exactly the same as the rods in the Evo 8 4G63 and you don't see people complaining about their strength.

Now the dreaded crankwalk myth....people seriously need to get over this. Less than 1% of 7 bolts ever walked and it was usually attributed to owners who installed a really heavy pressure plate. I've seen 4g63s that have walked, both 6 and 7 bolt, but I've also seen 2jzs, LS, 350 small blocks etc, every engine can walk and MOST of the time its due to the owner or used as a scapegoat for lack of maintenance. This is what happens when a sports car comes down to a price point where a kid with zero experience can own one.

The difference in orientation of the engine/transmission between the Evo and DSM was due to better weight distribution, nothing more.

The lash adjusters - the "3g" ones don't come from the 3rd gen Eclipse, they are just the 3rd revision.

The balance shafts can be problematic but mostly because they spin at 2x the engine revolution so if the engine has any sort of low oil pressure, they are the first thing to suffer and the fact that Mitsu didn't put a real oil pressure gauge that's worth a damn is the main culprit and not the engine design itself.

In 14 years of owning mine I've never had timing issues, balance shaft issues, crankwalk or any other of the stereotypical #4g63problems, this all on a car that I've owned from bone stock to deep in the 9 seconds on the 1/4 mile. I attribute my success to not buying cheap parts, using oem where ever possible and doing proper upkeep and tuning on the car.

As with any car, CHEAP | FAST | RELIABLE, you can only pick 2 of them and the DSM is no different. How reliable your DSM is lies 99% on the owner.

[robbsclassics]

I daily drove a 97 Eclipse for years and never had a problem, but I always replaced the timing and balance belts. Usually people don't do both belts and break them, that's why the engines blow.

[StreetDrivenDaily]

Had 96 GS-T auto and 95 GSX 6spd. Never had any major issues. I remember when they came out, I really wanted 97 as it was more refined. so 2 DSMS and 3 Evos later.

[Nayr]

I think DSM reliability varies a lot based on maintenance and how they're used. Most people that buy these cars seem to do the cheapest mods, skimp on routine maintenance, and run them really hard. I've had my 99 GSX for almost 20 years and other than stupid things I did to it I never had any issues because I consistently took care of it and didn't abuse it. Also people really exaggerate the crankwalk issue. It only really affected a couple model years anyway.

[mitsubishikid]

At 3:43 your wrong the 1st generation eclipse did not come with eagle forged pistons and rods, eagle does not make forged pistons, the early 90-92 eclipse talon laser 6 bolt engines had thicker rods then the mid 92-99 7 bolt engines, and they were less prone to crank walk, also mid 92-94 1st gens had 7 bolt engines, most cases of crank walk have been found to be in cars running heavy clutches that were not set properly, also 3rd gen eclipses do not have better lifters, however the 3rd revision of the 4g63t where they rotated the head 180* or evos 8-9 have the lifters your looking for.

[rji]

Great video! Keep it going. My cousin had a gst he used to joke that he got to drive it when the mechanic would loan it to him

[kylecallick]

Have 96' manual gsx is sitting a while though. Spun rod bearing on the crank. Thanks to k&n oil filter backing off (common?). Still want to fix it.

[TemkaUwU]

what if want to have a pure stock eclipse would i need to worry about engine failure?

[jacobneuharth]

What color is this one? I’m looking at a red gsx down in Salem today!!

[xwhsky]

Man I swear I love watching your videos, especially that I now own an R35, keep up the good work and I can’t wait to see your channel grow even more 👏🏼❤️

[cadechiron]

I am just a teen out looking for my first car and I've been eyeballing Eclipses my whole life since my Childhood, then I noticed that Eclipses are very cheap here in the Philippines, your video made me think twice on buying a Eclipse now cause like you said "reliability issue"

Ps: I want my first car to be a 2nd hand cause its cheap and you don't have to be always on high alert on your car being damaged whatsoever.

[AxCE]

So, I don't get something, if s the same engine as in an evo or not? Because I heard about evo's that are reliable and very tuneble

[madbrickz]

bruh, i'm living in oregon and so far I have seen no gsx's for sale here on a lot of websites. what app is the best to look for one?

[JubeeHS]

My son has a gs and that thing always has some kind of issue. He wants a gst or gsx but I told him to get a reliable daily and have the eclipse as a weekend thing.

[Ayoo-fdcl]

It’s not horrible engineered .
U just didn’t maintain it . Prior to those 3 engines.
I Never had. Balance shaft issue.
Actually deleted it.
Never had a timing issue.
Beat the crap out of it and still runs 100%
And never had crank walk.
That’s a myth for the most part.
Or poorly maintain.

[lordrubio]

I found a 1st gen rust free 55, 000 miles should I buy it and daily it or is that the worst decision ever if I’m trying to build a 240 aswell

[robbalinski]

lmao!! the first gen dsm engines didn't come with eagle roads and wisco pistons! all of your blow ups were poor maintenance, jumping time is you not keeping up with the timing belt change interval. The 4g63 is legendary because of how beefy and tough it
The crank and rods in the 6 bolt/ first gen 4g63's were beefier then the 7 bolt 4g63's, but mitsu later revised the 97+ engines which solved the crank walk issues. Crank walks been largely found to be caused by clutching riding as it side loaded the rotating assembly. I've only had 1 of 30 4g63's crank walk and 2 spin balance shaft bearings (both engines were in car's i'd never run, so unknown maintenance history).

[governorrifleman]

Is the Mitsubishi still a good idea in 2023 ?