Need Help, Can't figure this out Options

[dstock22]

Here is a little backround info:

I drive a 1990 Eclipse GSX 5-speed with barely over 80,000 miles on it and it is bone stock except for free mods. I just bought this about a month ago and it sat at the mitsu service dept. for about the past three weeks. It was miss-fireing horribly at about 3,500-4000 RPMS so I brought it to them and they thought it was the plugs and wires since the wires were falling apart when they took them off. So they went ahead and replaced the plugs and wires with OEM ones, didn't fix the problem. The next step was the power transistor. Took a little while for that part to come in but once it did, it fixed the problem. So I just got my car back 2 days ago and I took it to an exhaust shop to have a new flex tube put on since it was leaking and made my car sound horrible.

So last night I take the car to the place where all the nice cars go cruise, hang out, race, etc. It is about 30 minutes from where I live so I head on over there, the car is running better than ever and I am so happy that I bought it and I am thinking that it is worth every penny. So I cruise the strip for about and hour or two, giving a little BOV salute to some nice cars. Of course I got on it from time to time at the red lights but I never launched it or anything. A couple times I had noticed that when I dropped it from 5th to 4th, I would hear a little squeek, sounded like a belt slipping to me. Other than that it never gave me a problem until about half way home on the highway.

All the sudden it just didn't want to go above 65, it would like start shaking and kind of felt like something was binding up a little bit. Really, just the whole ride from that point on felt a little big different. Kind of like the car was stuttering a little bit. Then, when I hit the off ramp and came to a stop the car starting squeeling horrible. Sounded to me like a belt slipping bad so I pulled over and it stopped. Get going again all seems to be well squeeling wise, but the car still doesn't feel the same accelerating, it still seems as if it is suttering and something is holding it back a little. As I pulled into town and have to stop again, the squeeling come back. I just drove it the rest of the little way to my house and parked it, shut it off, and hoped that all would be well in the morning and the car was just throwing a fit or something.

So, here this morning/afternoon comes. I go out and start up the car and it is squeeling just as bad as the night before. Except now it only does it for about 10-15 secs after start up, and then it goes away. If you pull the throttle a little bit lets off a squeek aswell. So I figure, what the hell I'll take it for a little drive and see if it still doing the same things in motion that it was doing last night, and it is. I can hear a squeel from the engine when I drop it down a gear for a turn almost every time aswell, I'm going to assume its a belt slipping.

I've checked the alt/water pump belt and the ps belt to see if they were loose at all and they seem to be very tight. I am not very proficient with working on the car at all since I am just entering the dsm scene, so any advice or help would be greatly appreciated. Sorry for this novel I just wrote up, but I figured the more detail and backround of the problem, the better for you all the diagnose it.

Thanks in advance,
Dylan

[dstock22]

I don't get much slack out of the belt at all. I'd quess maybe quater or an inch to half and inch at best.

[dstock22]

They have not. The belt squeeking isn't even my big worry. It is how the car acts under boost now that is worrying me. It just doesn't want to go, it stutters, somewhat of a hesitation, I think some peaple refer to it as "bucking". Guess I'm just gonna have to take it back to the Mitsu dealer on Monday unless by miracle one of you lives remotly close to me and can take a look at it.

[mitsu90]

I had a berreta that dis somthing like that once. it turned out to be the cat. it took my 1 1/2 hours to get from peoria to pekin. I could be way off but it's worth a look.

[Kazz5]

... the belt could be glazed as well I'd think ... ?

Good luck!

[haunter]

When it squeals on start up, make me think its either battery, or alternator related. IF you dont have the juice to make the spark, its going to run like total but. Id have the alternator and battery checked out.

I'm with spy on this one

[dstock22]

Where can I go to get them both tested?

[turbohcar]

Autozone, Advance Auto Parts, Napa....just to name a few

[dstock22]

I just took some videos of what it is doing with my digital camera but they are kind of big files and in quicktime format (.mov). If somebody could either host them, about 24 megs, 4 vids in total, or if you would like to IM me at: MSN: dstock22@hotmail.com, AIM: dylstock22, Yahoo: dstock22. There is one video from a warm startup where you can clearly tell that the sound seems to be coming from the alt. but I am not 100% positive. I also have some videos that show what the car is doing in motion, it sputters a lot now when you try and give it gas as if it is backfiring rapidly or something and it also shakes quite a lot. Such an annoying problem, I just wish I could get this thing to run 100% again because it made me the happiest man for a whole 2 days so far.

Thanks,
Dylan

[SCCA Stang]

Just a thought to have checked out. If one of the accessories (alt., ps., wp) are seizing up the belt could be slipping on the appropriate pulley and also the sluggish accessory could be causing the heavier draw on the motor... Good luck

[dstock22]

If I can have my car in the on position, yet not have the motor running, and turn on the a/c without getting any squeeking, would make it seem like it almost has to be the alternator? A buddy was trying to tell me this but I'm not sure if that is true.

[SCCA Stang]

If I can have my car in the on position, yet not have the motor running, and turn on the a/c without getting any squeeking, would make it seem like it almost has to be the alternator? A buddy was trying to tell me this but I'm not sure if that is true.

not so because the a/c compressor is driven off of the belt.

with out the motor running, nothing will squeel.

if you take the alternator to Auto Zone or Advance Auto they can test it for you.

I used to work at Advance and have seen alternators that would spin freely by hand and bog down the machine when hooked up.

so don't just spin it by hand and figure that it is ok.

[black92_tsi_awd]

Have you tried checking the charging voltage with a voltmeter?
It won't tell you if the alternator is seizing but at least it will tell you if it's not putting out enough charging voltage.

Couldn't you remove the compressor belt to help narrow down the squealing.

[turbohcar]

I would have to agree with gsxracer. My brothers Neon (not that Neons and DSM's are related) had a similar problem. It would squeal and moan, die, the whole bit. I took the alternator off two weeks ago and spun it with my hand and surprisingly there was no audible grind nor could I feel it grinding when I spun the pulley. Put the new alternator on with a new belt and it runs great with a good charge and no squealing.

[dstock22]

UPDATE: Ok, the squeeling was coming from the alt. belt becaause it was just a little loose so I had a local shop owned just tighten it up real quick and now that problem is solved. However, the car shaking horribly is still around. I took the shop owner for a quick little drive and he asked me when the last time the plugs and wires were done, and I told him very recently. He said he thinks it is something with the ignition, but since Mitsu just worked on it I should take it back to them before he touches anything. I can't get into Mitsu until Tuesday morning... They also told me that they think it is something like my driveshaft since they just put in a bunch of new ignition components and it isn't throwing me a check engine light... If anybody has some suggestions on what could cause my car to shake horribly under acceleration and just plain not drive the same as it used to, please let me know. (I know could probably be 10000000000000 things, but suggestions are always helpful)

[turbohcar]

You are running 92+ octane premium fuel and not 87 octane Caseys gas right?

[black92_tsi_awd]

That is an awesom sig.

Hows the car going?

Clutch is fixed...brakes and tie rods are finally fixed!

Waiting on another trip to the drag strip!!!

[dstock22]

You are running 92+ octane premium fuel and not 87 octane Caseys gas right?

I always fill up with Premium 93 octane.

[dstock22]

Well, I feel stupid. It was actually an injector. It wasn't hooked up, it had shook itself loose because none of them have clips on them apparantly..... So I was running on 3 cylinders which was causing my shaking. Time to try and make some clips out of paper clips....