1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS-T review from North America

The clutch engagement was inconsistent when I initially bought the car. I thought a simple clutch adjustment would fix the problem, so I purchased my 1997 Eclipse GS-T with approximately 30,000 miles.

After numerous adjustments, and the replacement of the master cylinder, slave cylinder, clutch, pressure plate, and throw out bearing, the clutch engagement/disengagement was still inconsistent.

The cause was eventually found to be worn crankshaft thrust bearings. The wear pattern on the thrust bearings shows a slightly warped or incorrectly machined block, along with a lubrication problem. Needless to say, this vehicle is well over the warranty period after the source of the problem was found, even though it was an existing condition when I purchased the car.

Periodic thrust bearing replacements have kept the engine running. This thrust bearing wear is a common problem with the second generation 2.0 liter turbo engines and is referred to as "crankwalk" by the Diamond Star Motors community. I am a Mitsubishi crank-walk victim.

The transmission is very notchy and grinds going into first, third, and sometimes fifth gears. You cannot engage first gear when the car has been sitting long enough for the transmission fluid to cool without engaging second gear prior to shifting to first gear.

The driver's side door closed switch no longer works.

Many of the plastic interior pieces have cracks in them or have broken. Mainly the center console, rear hatch lever, and passenger door trim that goes around the interior door handle.

The front brakes vibrate and pulse badly. I do not have the antilock braking system. The rotors are warped.

The 10 disk compact disk changer skips when a bump in the road is hit.

This is the most comfortable vehicle I have ever sat in. That was the main reason I bought this car.

I was pleased to find the performance well above average. This car can hold its own with most performance cars on the market.

This car does not seem to be built very well for the power it is capable of producing. The transmission doesn't feel up to the task of the engine's output.

The maintenance routine must be followed exactly and with quality parts.

I have also found that the average garage, and some Mitsubishi dealerships have difficulty working on this engine with tasks such as timing belt changes. An incorrectly installed timing belt will result in the pistons and valves being introduced to each other resulting in thousands of dollars of repair bills, and many weeks with no vehicle.

The turbo is great even though it is too small for this engine.