1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse engine and engine cooling problems

“SQUEALING BELTS AT STARTUP, INCONSISTENT SMALL LEAKS OF COOLANT, HESITATION AT 2K RPM WERE ONLY PRE-CURSORS. OUT OF NOWHERE, WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY, I LOOKED AT GAUGES FOR NO PARTICULAR REASON....NOTICED THE TEMPERATURE WAS RISING, EVENTUALLY GOING AS FAR AS IT COULD ABOVE H. SO I LOOK FOR SMOKE IN REAR VIEW....NOTHING. I TURN DOWN THE RADIO TO LISTEN FOR NOISES......NOTHING. EVERYTHING SEEMS FINE. HOPING THAT AIR THROUGH THE RADIATOR WOULD COOL THE ENGINE......NOT WORKING. I DECIDED I BETTER PULL OVER.....THE SECOND I SAFELY STOPPED, HUGE PUFFS OF WHITE SMOKE BILLOWED OUT THE HOOD EDGES. I JUMPED OUT, OPENED THE HOOD......HUGE CLOUDS OF SMOKE AND SMELL OF BURNING RUBBER, I THOUGHT THE CAR WAS ON FIRE. ONCE THE SMOKE SETTLED, OIL COULD BE SEEN SPLATTERED ALL OVER THE ENGINE. TOW TRUCK COMES AND WHILE PUTTING ON FLATBED.....OIL DRAINED OUT LIKE A WATER FAUCET. FOUND OUT LATER FROM THE DEALER THAT OIL LINE BURST, CAUSING THE HEAD GASKETS TO BLOW AND MOST LIKELY DAMAGED TOTALED THE ENGINE. NEW ENGINE QUOTED AT $5000, USED 71,000 MILE ENGINE IN SOME SALVAGE YARD IN ALABAMA QUOTED AT $2-3000. NICE CHUNK OF MONEY AND THE ENGINE STILL NEEDS TO BE SHIPPED AND…”

“CAR FAILS MANDATORY OBD-II SMOG TEST DUE TO NON-CONTINUOUS READINESS MONITORS FAILING TO SET TO COMPLETE DURING NORMAL DRIVING. DEALER MUST USE MUT-II DIAGNOSTIC TOOL TO SET MONITORS TO READY STATE. WHEN DIAGNOSTIC MODE IS EXITED AND IGNITION TURNED OFF MONITORS REVERT TO NOT-READY STATE. PROBLEM COMMON TO 1997 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE GST ACCORDING TO DEALER. NO REMEDY AVAILABLE. CAR DOES NOT MEET FEDERAL EMISSION REQUIREMENTS.*JB”

“CONSUMER NOTICED OIL IN THE DRIVEWAY. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A MECHANIC TO DETECT WHERE THE OIL WAS LEAKING FROM. MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE HEAD GASKET BLEW OUT. HEAD GASKET HAS WAS REVISED TWICE BY THE MANUFACTURER BEFORE THEY HAD ONE THAT WORKED. DEFECTIVE HEAD GASKET WAS REPLACED WITH THE REVISED HEAD GASKET. HOWEVER, LEAK HASN'T RECURRED.*AK”

“I HAVE OWNED MY CARE FOR 3 YEARS. IN THAT TIME I HAVE HAD A LEAKING SUNROOF, BROKEN PASSENGER REAR VIEW MIRROR, BROKEN PASSENGER WINDOW "WONT ROLL UP", NUMEROUS TIRE CHANGES, BAD VIBRATION, HORRIBLE NOISES WHEN TURNING WHEEL, HAVE REPLACED 2 TRANSMISSIONS, BOTH TIE ROD ENDS, 1 LOWER BALL JOINT AND CONTROL ARM SUSPENSION BAR"MORE INFO ON THIS BELOW", ALTERNATOR, BOTH HEADLIGHTS, 4 DIFFERANT SEATS OF BREAKS, 2 SEATS CONSTINTLY RUNNING LOW ON OIL, REPLACED THE FUEL FILTER, SEAT BELTS DON'T STOP, BATTERY CABLES KEEP CARODING, REPLACE SPARK PLUGS ATLEAST 3 TO 4 TIMES A YEAR, VIBRATES WHEN GOING DOWN ROAD. THOSE ARE JUST THE THINGS OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD THAT I HAVE DONE TO THIS CAR. NOW TO THE ACCIDENT. AFTER I GOT OFF WORK I WAS ON MY WAY HOME WHEN I DECIDED TO GO TO MY FRIENDS SO WHILE DRIVING TO HER HOUSE I HEAR A LOUD POP AND THE NEXT THING I KNOW MY CAR IS CONTROLING ITSELF AND I CAN'T STEER IT. THIS WAS ALL DO TO MY LOWER BALL JOINT SHATTERING AND MY WHEEL ALMOST COMPLETLY DETACHING FROM MY CAR. NOW THE OTHER SIDE IS STARTING TO MAKE THAT HORRIBLE NOISE. THE CONTROL ARM SWUNG ON THE BOTTUM OF MY CAR AFTER IT BROKE DURING THIS AND TORE OUT MY OIL FILTER, OIL…”

“MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE SUCK! I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY WHEN MY ENGINE SHUT OFF! LUCKLY, I WAS GOING DOWN HILL AND WAS ABLE TO COAST OFF TO THE LEFT, AFTER ALMOST GETTING HIT A COUPLE OF TIMES. MY MECHANIC (BROTHER) TOOK A LOOK AT IT AND SAID IT WAS THE CRANK SHAFT, SO I GOOGLED IT AND GUESS WHAT???? IM NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS PROBLEM... TAKE A LOOK HTTP://WWW.ROADRACEENGINEERING.COM/WALKINGCRANKSHAFT.HTM. *AK”

“OCTOBER 20, 2003 I PURCHASED A 1997 ECLIPSE GST FROM CITY LIMIT AUTO IN JOHNSTON, RI. MARCH 14, 2004 I WAS DRIVING HOME WHEN A SMALL CLICK FORMED IN 1ST AND 2ND GEAR AFTER REACHING 3,500 RPMS. WITH-IN MINUTES THE CLICK DEVELOPED INTO WHAT SOUNDED LIKE A SMALL HOLE IN THE EXHAUST, PROBABLY THE CAT. NOT WANTING TO RISK IT I PULLED OFF THE NEXT EXIT TO BRING THE CAR TO MY FRIEND'S HOUSE AND HAVE IT TOWED. A STREET AWAY FROM HIS HOUSE (DOING 10MPH IN 1ST GEAR), THE NOISE GREW INTO A LOUD CONSTANT ELECTRICAL BUZZING OR CLICKING NOISE, NO HIGH OIL PRESUE ON THE DASH LIGHT OR GAUGE AND NO OVERHEATING ACCORDING TO GAUGE, WITH-IN 5 SECONDS THE OIL PAN BLEW, WHITE BILLOWS OF SMOKE PUFFED OUT AND THE ENGINE SEIZED. I TRIED TO TURN THE CAR OVER, BUT ALL IT DID WAS CLINK, AND WHEN I GOT OUT I FOUND A LARGE OIL PUDDLE UNDER MY CAR. I WENT BACK TO THE DEALER, BUT HE REFUSES TO FIX IT. I DON'T KNOW THE EXACT REASON THE ENGINE BLEW, FOR LACK OF MONEY, BUT AFTER READING SOME WEBSITES I HAVE CONCLUDED IT WAS EITHER THE FUEL PUMP, OIL PUMP, OR CRANKWALK. E-MAIL [email protected] WITH ANY INFO. FOR FULL STORY GO TO HTTP://WWW.VPSTREET.ORG/INDEX.PHP?PAGE=CITY THANK YOU.*AK”