i have a 99 Mitsubishi Eclipse that i like to call the bitch why? because i have nothing more to describe it…i bought my car back in 2007 it was a fine tuned machine back then it had been a professional racing car in fact it had won 3 of 5 races at the infamous Nurburgring in Germany (none by me) and i thought it was appropriate to pay 7,300 for it in fact it was tuned beyond belief and extremely fun but over the years i haven’t had the time to tune the carburetor every time the engine hiccups and sometimes it would take me a while to finally change the oil and over the years she just…well…now shes just a pile… every time i start it i hear the horrible squealing i promised no car of mine car would ever make, it wines because somethings wrong with my power steering and if i drive under 30 miles an hour i can hear 3 belts wining and squealing in unison while my tailpipe lets out nasty plumes of white smoke but if i go over 30 the smoke is gone and the belts don’t squeal as much and yes i have tightened the belts and replaced them numerous times they just always loosen up in a matter of days…so last week i was angry at my car and after much consideration i decided to drive it from Hammond Indiana to Portage Wisconsin (about 350 miles) i knew my car wouldn’t make it and i figured it would be the last journey i take it on before its demise…well5 hours into 6 hour trip my car shuts off completely at 60 MPH i try to start it up a couple times and it finally does but when it does it makes this weird sound then it starts slowing down and shaking violently and making even weirder and more horrible noises…mind you this car was from California and had all of the extra sensors California requires by law yet none of these sensors stopped my car from driving after i lost half of my camshaft so after i checked it all out i decided to drive it until i reached portage (i was staying with family i have not seen in 3 years) well it made it miraculously on only 3 cylinders and being in 6th gear just to get it up to 60 MPH and then after about 3 days spent in portage i decided to go home and see how far my car would make it…it went all 350 miles cussing wining and shaking the whole way there in 6th gear (my cars a 6 cylinder and when my camshaft broke i only had 3 cylinders which with an uneven amount of cylinders shook the whole engine let alone the car)…so finally i decided if this car is going to make it that far on half its cylinders im going to save it from the junkyard and try to either replace the engine or give it a major overhaul what do you guys think would be better
This is baffling, the 2nd gen DSM’s never had a V6 option, nor did they have 6 speed transmission available nor, did they have carbs. What engine does this car have exactly? Futhermore, if this car has a carb, it wouldn’t pass CA smog for the 1999 model year anyway.
Get another car to abuse and let this one go to an owner who cares or to the crusher.
sorry i failed to state above my this car had a Mitsubishi Galant 2.5 L 6a13tt V6 twin turbo engine in it that had been massively tuned big thing to miss sorry about that it also had a reinforced frame to carry the extra weight of the new engine i beleive the transmission came from the same car as the engine and perhaps the carb to because i would have to tune it at times for it to run cleanly
Sounds like time to find a new car rather than putting money into an abused car over 13 years old.
Using public transportation might be an even better idea…
I’d get a new engine. The one you have may be fine, but it was clearly designed for racing, and is apparently more finicky than your average consumer engine. A stock engine will likely put up with neglect a bit better (though you really should take better care of it anyway-it is a multithousand dollar purchase after all).
Junk the car and move on; assuming this story even rings true.
The Galant never came with a 2.5 V-6. There was a 2.4 I-4, a 3.0L V-6, and so on and I fail to see how in the world the state of California smog police would ever approve of a highly modified and/or carbureted '99 anything no matter how large the truckload of sensors involved.
Bringing up the V-6 business again, I also fail to see how a timing belt would remain intact when a camshaft breaks as one belt drives both banks anyway and you state one bank is dead.
I decided to take a closer look and found a reference to a 2.5 V-6 but the car was not referred to as a Galant.
That still begs the question of how in the world someone would get something like that past the CA smog people and the rebuild costs comment still stands. To do it right would cost a ton.
I disagree with my cohorts. This car is obviously purpose built, and if it was races at Nurimburgh it’s probably euro spec. I say eBay it the way it sit and move one. I’m sure this car is being looked for by someone who will pay for it. This car is going to be difficult to fix as it is so unique. It’s going to take time and money and I’m guessing your short on both. Let it go to someone who has the skill set to bring her back to life.
I just sold my beloved '03 Eclipse in September. It wasn't tuned, and everything was stock for the most part. The difference between us is that I cared for my car, and regularly maintained and kept records of what I had done. When I sold it, I was able to get $2,400 in spite of it having 200,000 miles because I could show where it had a new head gasket, clutch, etc. and allowed them to drive the car HARD during the test drive to feel the solidity of the car.
If you sell your car, you'll have to hope they make it through a test drive, and you'll have to explain that you've neglected the car in nearly every way. If you don't, you'll open yourself up to either a REALLY bad deal, or a lawsuit based on a Consumer Protection Act for misrepresenting the car and its history.
I'm not being harsh, just realistic. Sell it for scrap value or part it out and you MAY get $1,000.Sorry, but you asked what I think- maybe public transportation is your best option...
Sell it advertised as being for “parts or repair only” so this way the future buyer won’t expect it to only need a minor fix to get it running well. It sounds like somewhat of a collectable car so some might be willing to pay a decent price for what would otherwise be a scrap car. Ebay is the way to go.
How the heck did someone manage to get a euro-built race-modified Mitsu into the country and modified to meet California emissions requirements?
I get the feeling that when you bought the car in 2007 someone told you a wonderully tall tale. If what you were told is true, than you have a one-off beast not designed ir built for the avarage mechanic to maintain. And you have not done it any favors by driving it broken until it died.
As to replacing the engine, no car built for racing that won sanctioned professional races in Europe is going to have a stock drivetrain…so even if you did get a new engine I seriously doubt if it would mate to the existing drivetrain or if the differential gearing, shift linkage, or anything else would mate to it.
I’d suggest advertising it with full disclosure and hopefully someone looking for a weekend racecar will scoop it up. But do not expect much for it. It is NOT a race car, even if it once was. At best it’s a 14 year old car of unknown configuration and history that’s been beat up, abused, and neglected. If you’re really lucky you’ll get $500.