are stealths plagued with problems???

I own an eclipse gsx and I am getting tired of fixing things. It is fast but it is plagued with problems. I have been giving serious thought to trading it in and buying a RT TT I think it was a '95. What is the reputation on these cars. Some people think they are great and others say they break easy... I would greatly appreciate if some of you would tell me good or bad things about the reliability of your car. Transmission, engine, drivetrain, accesories, etc. Thanks in advance

Nate

As with any used car is will depend on the previous owners.

their are issues with the transfercase, but have the recall work done and that should be fine. From there take care of the car, do the required maintenance and you should be fine.

check out:
www.stealth316.com
www.3si.org

both great sources of information.

I have never had an RT TT, but my friend had one about a year ago. That car gave him nothing but problems the entire time he owned it, but this can prob be accredited to the previous owners neglect to the car. However, i had a '91 "Base Model" Stealth many moons ago and owned it for about 2 years. The only thing i ever had to do is change the starter @150k miles and the clutch. Overall, it was one of the best cars i have ever owned.

They are average, it's not a honda, and its not a ford(haha, sorry I had to). They have a few problems that are somewhat common, but so does any other car. As was mentioned, the transfer cases had some recalls, but all that is free to get done. I have a 3000gt(same car more or less) and havn't had any problems with it that weren't caused by me. If the previous owner treated it well, you should be fine.

I have been nothing but pleged with problem and not cheap might I had if I get another car I would look at a focus instead. I am close to having a new car just because of almost replacing everything

The cars are like people- some have tempers, some don't. I bought an ES. I've had it for four years now. I put a grand total of 1500 miles on it; i'm looking at my second engine rebuild. (the bearings are absolute SHIT) some Stealths report 200,000+ miles with nothing but oil, gas, and filter changes. :(

Who's rebuilding your motor? If whoever rebuilt it only allowed it to last 1500 miles i would definitely be looking at a new mechanic!

synchros's are known to go bad, people you have to admit it is known to do this. besides that nothing has went rong that wasn't my fault from abuse :)

who rebuilt my motor? the local 5-star dodge dealer. They even have two techs that studied the Stealth under Mitsubishi for a few years, they know pretty much everything except the depth of the cup holders. My car is Hopeless...

I'm looking at buying a Crate rebuilt motor of the same specs (3.0L, DOHC, 24 valve) but they're fawking EXPENSIVE.

Maybe your not breaking the motor in properly, because if you had 2 motors rebuilt by "5-Star Dealer" mechanics, either (a) they dont know what they are doing (b) not breaking the motor in like its supposed to be or c) your totally abusing it!

Maybe your not breaking the motor in properly, because if you had 2 motors rebuilt by "5-Star Dealer" mechanics, either (a) they dont know what they are doing (b) not breaking the motor in like its supposed to be or c) your totally abusing it!

Here are the symptoms to give :
1. Problem is intermittent.
2. Sometimes will not start at all
3. Sometimes starts and runs 10-30 seconds and dies
4. If driving and it dies, the tachometer drops to zero as you coast to a stop. If driving and it dies, can hear popping through the intake.
*** I don't want someone to 'shotgun' the thing and start changing expensive sensors that we pay for but do not fix the problem *** the Check Engine light does not come on when it dies, or when it is running. It only comes on for a few seconds as a self-test when you first start it. So there is only a single problem and I am against paying for multiple sensors that they deem bad.

Maybe your not breaking the motor in properly, because if you had 2 motors rebuilt by "5-Star Dealer" mechanics, either (a) they dont know what they are doing (b) not breaking the motor in like its supposed to be or c) your totally abusing it!

Let's go over this point by point.

A) A five star dealer that doesn't know what they're doing. Possibly, but highly unlikely. Dodge doesn't just throw out five star affiliation.

B) The mechanics broke in the first 200 miles.

C) when I got it back, The tach never rose above 4000. Speeds never broke 70. there was no abuse.

It's a Lemon. :banghead:

Look, i dont want to start an argument but as far as "5-Star affiliation", thats something Dodge named for themselves. You dont see chevy or ford saying "5-Star" service although they have just as qualified or "under" qualified mechanics working for them. So dont get hung on the fact that they say they have 5-star service. Secondly, i find it REALLY HARD to believe that you had a car for 4 years and only put 1500 miles on it, that's less than 1 mile per day. And if thats the case, THERES YOUR REASON, you never drove it. Lastly, i have one question for you, before these 2 engine rebuilds how many miles did the motor last? On your profile it says you own a '92 stealth. Which means if you have had it for 4 years now, you bought it in 2000, so my question is, is the original motor that came with the car in it or has the motor been replaced? If it has been replaced this could explain alot as too the fact that the last people who swapped motors in it prob. didn't know what they were doing, if it is original, did it get rebuilt before you bought it? It conclusion it all comes down to this, a motor is a motor is a motor. If it was properly maintained, installed correctly, and broken in appropriately the motor should run fine. It's not going to give you problems on the simple fact that it might be a lemon. If it were to be a lemon, it wouldn't have lasted over 12 years!

keep your head together, and we won't have any problems. resort to "Dude, you suck that's why your car blew up," and you'll just get ignored. soooooo......I don't think you have to worry about Arguments.

About the Stealth- yes, I bought it in 2000, shortly after I graduated from High School. The car was advertised as having a rebuilt engine. The gaskets looked new, as did several other things, so we believe the engine really was rebuilt. However, the man who did it was in over his head (and didn't realize it). When he reassembled the bottom of the engine, he did not put a thrust washer(?) in. The crankshaft moved back and forth, causing cylinder damage and eating away almost a 1/4 inch of the block. The bottom half of the engine was ruined. That prompted Rebuild number 1. The engine was taken to a mechanic who seemed to know what he was doing. He had an impressive track record, including a history of work at various reputable dealers and being a crew cheif at a local race track. The man did a good job, as far as I could tell, he certainly didn't act like he was trying to screw us (He repaired my clutch slave cylinder for free, and that didn't have any problems) Unfortunately, I guess he just wasn't able to keep this car together. About a month later, there was a deep ticking, and a rough/low idle. The car would sometimes die. I took it to the five star dealer, they rebuilt the top half of the engine, replacing gaskets, lifters, some of the valves, and two injectors. they claimed the lifters were responsible for the ticking. that's when they did the break in period. The car seemed fine, and I took it back. I drove it for another few months without problems, and then, quite suddenly, the ticking (higher pitched, this time) rough idle, and dying was back. I took the car back to the dealer and they said they could repair it under warranty, but it was "Their opinion that the car is not mechanically sound, so any repairs we make will not carry a warranty"

They went on to say that if I bought a new engine, (the Crate) they would install it and give me a warranty on workmanship, but not on the engine itself. Currently, the car is sitting by my dad's barn under a tarp awaiting a Crate rebuilt engine.

There you have it.

And now to acknowledge your post, point by point.

....as far as "5-Star affiliation", thats something Dodge named for themselves....
I realize this; but Ford and Chevy have their own "preferred service" dealers too, IIRC. Blue Oval for Ford, I'm not sure for Chevy.

Secondly, i find it REALLY HARD to believe that you had a car for 4 years and only put 1500 miles on it, that's less than 1 mile per day. And if thats the case, THERES YOUR REASON, you never drove it.
Right. I never drove it cause the car had very little "up"time. The engine was weak.

Lastly, i have one question for you, before these 2 engine rebuilds how many miles did the motor last....is the original motor still in it.....prob. didn't know what they were doing...
I bought the car when it had 120,000 miles on it.
AFAIK, most of it is the original motor. The engine block was replaced in the second rebuild, and the first rebuild was performed by someone who didn't know what he was doing.

a motor is a motor is a motor.
Dodge Stealth ES- 3.0L 24 valve, DOHC V6
Ford Taurus- 3.0L 24 valve, DOHC V6.
Yeah, there are tuning/part/performance differences. yeah, they are two different motors. in most cases, your statement is true. But from the stories I hear, ALL the DSM's (not just stealths) were very tempermental cars. they either worked or they didn't.


If it was properly maintained, installed correctly, and broken in appropriately the motor should run fine.
No one wishes that were true more than me. We did everything by the book, via practiced and accepted methods. The engine broke anyway.

If it were to be a lemon, it wouldn't have lasted over 12 years!
I have no idea how well the car performed before I bought it. there were no reports about it on Carfax. The car might have sucked long before I bought it. Supposedly, it had a tick before I even bought it, which is what prompted rebuild number one. I assumed the problem was fixed when the guy rebuilt it- it wasn't.

There is one rather easy answer to this perplexing riddle-
God hates me. God hates me hard core.

This is merely an explanatory post. just trying to answer your questions.

Yeah, there are tuning/part/performance differences. yeah, they are two different motors. in most cases, your statement is true. But from the stories I hear, ALL the DSM's (not just stealths) were very tempermental cars. they either worked or they didn't.

If i remember correctly, stealths aren't DSM's they were made by Mitsubishi, using mitsubishi parts, that dodge helped design.

There is one rather easy answer to this perplexing riddle-
God hates me. God hates me hard core.

LOL, i'm pretty sure thats not it but, it sounds like the car has been having problems for a very long time, the owners that had it before the mechanic who didn't know what he was doing probally screwed it up, add in a mechanic that doesn't know what he's doing and there you have it. A POS car, unfortunately you are stuck with it now. Have you tried to locate any of the previous owners? Maybe they can give you some insight as to how the car was maintained or performed for them. Try going to the dealer and see if they keep a record of the previous owners, they should have a list or a way to look them up just incase there was a recall on any part, they could be notified.

I don't mind being stuck with it. it's only a matter of time before i drop so much money into it it's literally impossible for it to break. until that day; it's a DAMN fine yard ornament.

I must agree if the car lasted that long then it isn't a lemon but mine is now (1994 Stealth RT). Update after my car still didn't start and we are talking two-trans jobs in 3 mnths we replaced three capacitors on the computer it started for fifteen seconds. Then we took an oscilloscopes and checked the cam & crank sensors they passed that is the way to bypass the computer. Here though I set still looking for answers. My main thinking know is the ECM a different component we believe. If, anyone would like to expand on this be my guess.

I must agree if the car lasted that long then it isn't a lemon but mine is now (1994 Stealth RT).

So when My car works fine for 8 years, then starts breaking down commonly, it's my fault, but the same conditions on your car make it a lemon?

would you like a cup of antigravitrons with that logic?

:)

just messing with you. I believe all of us together have answered this topics question well enough. Some stealths have a lot of problems. some don't.

So when My car works fine for 8 years, then starts breaking down commonly, it's my fault, but the same conditions on your car make it a lemon?

would you like a cup of antigravitrons with that logic?

:)

just messing with you. I believe all of us together have answered this topics question well enough. Some stealths have a lot of problems. some don't.

I believe it has to do more with product induced failure after you've made your last payment's and got a few years. Then when the problem starts you wonder when they end?

Drink more milk !

Dustin,

What I found with my problem is the ECU and it's a ticking time bomb problem for me after changing the capacitors I bought another ECU except it was for California emissions and not the fed version so, even doing the best to maintain your car doesn't mean it's your fault. It has to do more with the engineering of this part then it does the owner. PERIOD

I have been nothing but pleged with problem and not cheap might I had if I get another car I would look at a focus instead. I am close to having a new car just because of almost replacing everything

hahahaha! he said he'd rather have a fuckus, im sorry focus than a stealth. Your car probably breaks because somebody didn't take care of it. If you buy a focus then it will just break anyways. So what's the difference?

hey lowmonte- is that your girlfriend?

huh? what? yes?

DADDY!!! YOU FINALLY CAME BACK!

the thread started said he wants a TT. how many turbo cars out there of any make and model dont have there share of problems??? dsm's have there known problems and so do stealths and 3kgt's. my advice would be find a good condition low mile tt or vr4 and get rid of the dsm. if your going to have problems with a car u might as well have a good looking car with problems :D

Well said.
Nice car by the way

I got iggied....:(

way to not respond to the bait, LM. anyway, Whitey is right. I've got the best-damn looking Yard ornament in the tricounty area.

Thanks for answering my question. As for now I plan on sticking with the eclipse. It has been more reliable lately and with my luck I will just buy another pos. As far as the looks... I just made several purchases and I will need a couple months to do some of the body modifications I have planned. I think most of you will like the result. When I am finished I will post pics.

Thanks,
Nate