1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS-T from North America - Comments

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.

I have driven and owned a Mitsubishi Eclipse GS-T. I have had no such problems with cam walk or grinding gears when shifting. I have noticed that first gear is hard to obtain when coming from a parked position. I fixed the problem by learning to be a little more gentle with the gearshift. I would have recommended looking for factory recalls in such cases as a warped or mis-manufactured block. That is not a dealership responsibility. The only mechanics that would not be able to work on the motor properly are inept and inexperienced. I am a mechanic myself and I never had any problems.

I own a 97 gs-t eclipse and first gear grinds in my car as well. Everything that can go wrong has gone wrong with this car. I have had to replace the motor in it and take it back to the dealer due to recalls on it. It would be a great car if it was built with quality and not quantity.

I have a '99 turbo spyder and I too find 1st gear hard to shift into as well as 3rd. I believe the problem is that the master or slave clutch cylinders are going. I find the car to be a fairly well built car. The engine is very strong and has never given me a problem. I agree that the transmission should have been 'beefed up' a little to handle the HP and torque produced by the engine/turbo. As far as the turbo being too small I find that it gives the car a very distinct advantage over other turbo cars. Because of its small size it is able to windup very quickly making the car extremely fast off the line. While it doesn't help a whole lot top when driving over 75 or 80 mph It's fine with me. It's a small nimble car that is much more fun to speed on windy back roads than on large highways.

I have a 97 gst. it is the best car I ever owned. I do grind going into 2nd gear though. but like any car, that is just a little problem that can be fixed. the pure joy you get out of driving this car is well worth the little fix ups. easily upgraded for very resonable prices, it is an awsome buy. I installed a Blitz DD super sound blow of valve, injen air intake with steel tubing, and the greddy evo exhaust system. and I have only had it for a month. car is a real head turner. and the feeling you get when passing in front of a store and let that BOV go, and people stop and stare at you, well, you would have to have one to know that feeling!!

I drive a 97 gs-t turbo sypder eclipse. I got it off carmax. I have had no problems, but the top leaks. Carmax fixed it for free. I have no problems grinding gears into 1 or 3 or 5. You know you maybe it's a driver error??? heh. The clutch is your friend!

My 97 GST is a total dream! It has 146k miles on the engine and tranny, and 70k on the turbo. I haven't had any major problems with it. The one thing I can see becoming a problem are the seal on the block. It is starting to leak a little bit of oil, but it leaks and burns less than half a quart per 3k miles.

In general, this car is very affordable to mod and not hard to maintain. It isn't as hardy as a Honda when it comes to maintenance, so keep on top of it and you won't have any major problems with it. If you are gonna bring it above 290-310 hp, the block will start to rock... best bet is to look for a higher threshold block. (check out "front-clips" from Japan... save time and money on the engine swap by buying the entire front end.)

All in all, the car is a ton of fun and highly recommended for those that take great care of their cars.

I don't know all that much about my gs-t, but I was looking under the front left tire and I see a big sidewall drenched in liquid..I'm not sure what it is.. maybe just water?? the car doesn't leak at all tho.. so maybe I'm OK.

I own a 95 GS-T, it has a new engine with 60k miles, I grind going into second gear, and my repairs needed are as follows, New slave and master cylinder, new belt, new seals, new brakes due to warped rotors, but overall the car puts out great power for its 2.0L, I am pleased with the performance it puts out, just need to make minor repairs and should be in good shape, for it being over ten years old not much to complain about with this car.

Easy way to get rid of crankwalk is to replace your stock 6-bolt crank with a 7 bolt crank. If you have the $$$ to replace your stock crank on your 4G63 motor (they come in the GS-T and the GSX models), then definitely, DEFINITELY replace your crank with a 7 bolt before it's too late. If you want more information please go to www.DSMtuners.com, they have everything you need to know about your Eclipse needs.

Easy way to get rid of crankwalk is to replace your stock 6-bolt crank with a 7 bolt crank. If you have the $$$ to replace your stock crank on your 4G63 motor (they come in the GS-T and the GSX models), then definitely, DEFINITELY replace your crank with a 7 bolt before it's too late. If you want more information please go to www.DSMtuners.com, they have everything you need to know about your Eclipse needs.

I have a 97 gs-t spyder and it has about 82,000 miles on it. I've replaced the turbo, clutch, spark plug wires, slave cylinder. My car is really slow to speed up from 2nd to 3rd gear when I wanna pick up speed. I have an injen air intake, that might be the problem. The top leaks like crazy. The gears grind in 2nd and 3rd gear. This was my dream car until I had to start replacing almost everything. I didn't think I would have to replace the turbo so soon, the oil seals were leaking and smoke was coming from the back of my car. BUT... I do love this car. It's a fun car when it is working right.