thinking of buying 2001 Spyder

[crzyCollegeKid]

hey guys, i'm thinking about buying a 2001 Mitsu Eclipse Spyder Convertible. i'm going to go check it out tomorrow, and i wanted to know what were some known issues so that i could check them out when i got there. any help would be greatly appreciated. i already ran a carfax report on it and it came out clean.

[Sleepr awd]

**if its a 5 speed, listen for a rattling noise at idle, that's TOB rattle and you don't want that (if its a 5 speed marked **)

make sure the foglights work

make sure the sunroof doesn't shudder

uhhhhhhhhh, just standard stuff otherwise

**o0o make sure there isn't a warped flywheel/pressure plate, or get a written warranty for that, if someone before has revved it up and dropped the clutch the flywheel is WARPED and you will most certainly want a new one

------symptoms of a warped flywheel are shuddering after cold start, but only when clutch is partially engaged
vibration during shifting gears and hanging onto the clutch

trust me it sux to have that thing warped ^^

if its a sportronic trans, make sure that it is what you want it to be, the sportronic won't have the same effect as your "WEEEE-tec"

scrapes under bumper

curb rash on wheels

tread on tires...

standard stuff

take it to a mechanic and have it checkd out too, never a bad thing to do that

[crzyCollegeKid]

thx mate
yea, i know how much a fucked up clutch/flywheel assembly can be. the clutch on my prelude started scraping the inside of the flywheel and had to be replaced. $500 for the parts and another $400 for the damn job. but anyways, you didn't mention anything towards convertibles...what should i look for there?

[eclipsed4utoo]

just make sure the convertible doesn't leak.

[Sleepr awd]

actually a little leak is damn near unavoidable, make sure its not really bad though, my dad's 97 spyder had a leak on the passenger side and he bought it brand new

[crzyCollegeKid]

damn guys...i bought a 2003 Eclipse GTS today and on the test drive it didn't rattle at all. The sunroof shuddered a lil when opening, but closed fine.

Then when i drove it off the lot and i was driving it around, i heard it, the rattling, which goes away when i push the clutch in. i bought a 2 year warranty on it, bumper to bumper and i have 3 days to return it, i'm already in love with it, don't know what to do, are the tranny and sunroof problems fixable?

[cficare68]

That is probably the clutch pressure plate rattling. Mine does that as well. I think that it is a common problem with all the 3g eclipse. Not a major problem and doesn't affect anything else

[crzyCollegeKid]

yea...it might not be something serious...but it is a car i just purchased and that sound is very annoying and embarrasing, can it be fixed?

[Sleepr awd]

it can be fixed, all stock style TOB's need to be replaced w/ aftermarket ones or they will rattle, i just replaced my clutch w/ a factory like one, and it STILL RATTLES everyonce in a while, it only gets louder and more annoying, but a Spec stage 2 or any other higher performance aftermarket clutch will not make the noise, so if your modding it, you'll be cool<< when you do replace the clutch, i recommend the spec alum. flywheel too, its awesome

as for the sunroof, it only gets worse, there is a factory replacement of a newer design (you'd have to ask for it) , if you can get it, the older style rails will always shudder, so get them to replace that while you can!!!!

i dont' think there is anything else, but those GTS spyders are AWESOME!!!

[eclipsed4utoo]

good luck with getting the TOB replaced. i can guarantee you that they will tell you there is nothing wrong and they won't fix it.

[crzyCollegeKid]

TOB = throw out bearing?

[cficare68]

My sunroof is horrible now. I have to push up on it for it to even go back

[Thruster]

Originally Posted by cficare68

My sunroof is horrible now. I have to push up on it for it to even go back

same. mine comes off the tracks a lot too.

[crzyCollegeKid]

just made a bad discovery...i floored the car and was taking it all the way up the tach, and before it even hit the redline, i heard a very weird sound like if the clutch seperated from the flywheel and the motor kept revving up...makes me think its the pressure plate thats fucked too...

[Sleepr awd]

uhhh oh, if it was a new clutch you have to break it in or it will slip



get teh sunroof rails replaced NOW!! did you get it from a mitsu dealership or otherwise? mine hasn't shuddered or juddered or whatever ever since i got it replaced its a beautiful thing