general maintenance help???

ok, so i got my gst with 47.5K, and i'm at 49K right now. so i need to know what type of maintenance is in the near future...

first, what's the general mileage rule for timing belt changes, and what else should be changed at that time?

second, what is a good oil weight to use? how many quarts? should i go with synthetic, synthetic blend, or conventional oil?

also, when would be a good time to consider a clutch replacement? i'm not feeling any type of wear on it now, but just so i can prepare for the future.
i have a 2 year warranty that covers pretty much everything except the clutch replacement that i got from my bank. it covers everything else, including a turbo rebuild.
so i have to figure out where to go to get the timing and a tune-up done. i'm a little apprehensive since i just came over from the honda camp. i'm just worried since this is a forced-induction car...and i'm not all that sure about taking it to the mitsu dealer here in austin.
thanks!

ok, first off you should dive in to this site: http://www.vfaq.com many of your questions can be answered and you will learn tons of info on our cars. and welcome to the DSM world.


first, what's the general mileage rule for timing belt changes, and what else should be changed at that time?

60k is the standard to change the t-belt and the front balance shaft belt. it costs a bit more than the usual car.

second, what is a good oil weight to use? how many quarts? should i go with synthetic, synthetic blend, or conventional oil?

i use only Mobil 1 10w-30 synthetic and would highly recomend it. as you get more and more into DSM's you will start to see more about crankwalk. it is very rare, but any engine can CW if the oil system is messed up, so proper oil care is essential. also you are dealing with a high performance engine capable of 450hp on stock internals, so you probly want the best oil anyway. i'm sure more peeps will get into this later.

also, when would be a good time to consider a clutch replacement? i'm not feeling any type of wear on it now, but just so i can prepare for the future.

when your clutch goes it will go. and considering you just got into this car it will probably go pretty quick. when i first got my ride i got about 5k miles out of it before i fried it.

hope that helps out in a small way, check the sticky at the top of this forum about the DSM sites.

water pump generallly gets changed at 60k too.. Since youre already down there..

I use Mobile 1 10w-30 also... Amsoil is damn good too... with a Mitsubishi oil filter...


Change your sparkplugs and wires, fuel filter, grab 3 quarts of Syncromesh or syncroshift for your tranny.. Coolent flush if youve never done...

Be very careful if you take your car to dealerships for oil changes... i change my own oil, but i know 3 separate incidents where the person took their car to HELL for an oil change... burned up the engine cause the dealership FORGOT to put oil in... then blamed them and voided their warrenty because the car was "modified" Do it yourself.. .youre never sure if theyre putting the right stuff in, or even changing the oil filter...