[koen]

Just sealed the deal on this 01 GT manual. SUPER excited to get her spiffy and span with a new wrap job and fixed tint. Shes in dire need of paint or wrapping, but apart from that she runs and drives great. Got an cold intake in her and some aftermarket speakers and stereo. This is my first step into car-modding, what would y'all recommend?

Unfortunately someone backed into it in a parking lot, so the front bumper needs pulled out and fixed, but luckily Ive got a carbon fiber hood to throw on there so ultimately wont be super hard to clean up.

 

[jelazar]

Congrats and welcome to the group! I always recommend people begin with maintenance before mods. Too many of these cars have been beat on and abused, and the powerplant, steering, and suspension are in need of some TLC. How does yours run? Any check engine lights?

 

[koen]

It ran pretty well, shifted smoothly, clutch is in great shape. The two issues that are present is an 02 sensor and the car needs a new gasket on the engine.

 

[Bitter]

If you're in a salted area closely inspect the front and rear strut towers for perforation.

 

[koen]

Oh i did, they were in perfect condition. It took me months to find a seller with a car that was taken care of but i did!

 

[Bitter]

That's a rare sight! Glad it's a clean one. I know a lot of people like how the GTS upper intake manifold drives better than the GT manifold. There's a lot of information here about the swap, as well as it's pros and cons. Mild tuning is also fairly simple these days and worth looking into for getting the most out of the stock engine. And finally if you're more adventurous there's a couple different V6 engines with more displacement and power that swap in, one a lot easier than the other.

 

[koen]

right now my main focus is replacing what needs done - valve cover gasket, 02 sensor, maybe some fuses here and there, trunk shockers, and replacing all fluids. Priority number 2 after valve cover and 02 sensor is getting a wrap job done, because boy does this thing need it.

 

[Bitter]

Well if you're pulling the upper intake to do valve cover gaskets....

Don't over torque the valve covers, you'll warp them and they'll never seal again. Do the timing belt, pulleys, and water pump.

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[WhiteSpyder]

I would address the O2 sensor straight off. If allowed to run with a defective O2 sensor you can ruin the catalytic converter in a short time, and that would be expensive. A note on O2 sensors for these cars. Be careful about buying a "generic" O2 sensor because they are cheap. I have, after owning 3 Mitsubishi's found you want to use a name brand sensor, and make sure the mfg. application chart lists your specific vehicle under that part number. You can have some real issues using a cheap O2 sensor. If you do not already have one, you will definitely need something like this to work on these cars. ...J.D.

 

[koen]

I plan on getting them as well as the valve cover gasket ASAP. Do you have a link to a specific model 02 i should look for?

 

[Bitter]

Denso or NTK, but just assume anything from eBay or Amazon is fake. Stick to retail or RockAuto.

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[WhiteSpyder]

I have been using Bosch O2 sensors. It depends on what is available in your area. Whatever. Just make sure the part # is compatible with your car, not generic. ...J.D.

 

[koen]

im not super familiar with searching through car number compatibility, is this what you are referencing? Bosch 15730 Oxygen Sensor; Universal Version; Four Wire; Heated | 0015400417 36532RGLA11 AJ55188619U FSC618861A9U this website claims the sensor is compatible with my car.

 

[Bitter]

I'd prefer a sensor with a complete connector on it, not a universal one.

2000 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE 3.0L V6 Oxygen (O2) Sensor | RockAuto

RockAuto ships auto parts and body parts from over 300 manufacturers to customers' doors worldwide, all at warehouse prices. Easy to use parts catalog.

www.rockauto.com

 

[WhiteSpyder]

Anytime you see the word "universal" it means they try to make you think it will fit anything. Not true. Get the correct part. I have TWICE had this problem. Once with my 97' 2g RS and again with my current 2001 3g V-6. I finally learned my lesson. Not only is there sometimes a problem with the plug not fitting, but more seriously, I got into running problems with generic O2 sensors. They were not compatible ELECTRONICALLY with the ECU. If you cannot find what you need, I can recommend going to a NAPA auto parts store. They have an excellent parts cross referencing database and a huge parts warehouse. They will get you the right part for your application. Not always the cheapest, but you want it to work correctly. ...J.D.

 

[Sisyphus58]

Denso or Bosch with prewired connectors…
The two downstream O2s are the same part number, but the two upstream ones are different part numbers due to wire length.

 

[WhiteSpyder]

There is more to sensors than making them fit. I did some engineering of computer based systems for automation. Any sensor has to have a protocol that it is built to, and that protocol has to match the I/O port it is connected to. The range of the device could be, for example, 4-20ma, or 0-5vdc, or a simple on/off [0-1]. It also has to have the right "action". R/A= reverse acting [as the control signal goes up, the output goes down]. Of course D/A has to opposite action. Make sure you put in the right stuff. This gets very hard to troublshoot if you get it wrong. ...J.D.