Talon TSi AWD

This was my 1990 Eagle Talon, one of the saddest car stories I have. In 5/98, the car just would not start.

I had done some searching on the internet and it sounded like my symptoms indicated a bad ECU computer (very common with this model car). The ONLY place that has the capability to test the computer is the dealership, so I took it to Stohlman Mistubishi in Tysons Corner VA. I asked them specifically to check if the computer was ok. They told me my engine head would need replacing and that the compression was bad. I told them that I found it very odd that a car with no performance issues at all just stops working one day due to compression. If it was the head it should progressively get more difficult to start. They assured me it was the engine head. I asked them if they checked the computer and they assured me they did. So I spent $2000 on the engine head and the car still did not start. Stohlman then advised me that compression was still low and that I should spend ANOTHER $2000 to rebuild the lower half of the engine. By this time, I found a fellow Eclipse owner who suggested he come over and try his computer in my car - so I towed my car home and we tried this and it WORKED. I took this information back to Stohlman Mitsubishi and talked with the service manager telling him I was lied to that the computer was checked and it clearly was not. The manager showed me a printout which showed that compression was indeed low and therefore they were not at fault for recommending or charging me $2000 for a new engine head, despite my repeated requests to check the computer. So I spent $2000 for work I didn't need and they didn't care.

Because the car sat for such a long time (I didn't have $2000 and needed to save for several months and get rides to work) the syncros dried out. I found a DSM technical service bulletin which recommended putting something called friction modifier in the speedometer gear cable hole to remedy the problem. This friction modifier is only available at the dealership. I called them up to ask to buy some, and was rudely told by the service person that you never put anything in a transmission other than transmission fluid and nothing ever goes in the gear cable hole. They recommended an $800 synchro rebuild. I asked him to refer to his service bulletins and asked him to read TSB 92-22-002 to me. He read word-for-word, 'when shifting becomes sticky, it is advised to add 2oz of friction modifier to the transmission through the speedometer gear cable hole". I at this point I told him he was an idiot, hung up and never dealt with Stohlman again, not even to buy a $5 bottle of friction modifier.

Nothing but the most incompetent people I have ever met in my life.

The scarriest thing is this. The computer problems with the Talon/Eclipse is common. How many people have Stohlman Mistubishi ripped off with this, I dont know. If I didnt know about the TSB, would I have been a further $800 in the hole because they're rip off artists? I feel sorry for those people that just don't know any better, and dont have access to the resources I did.

Here are the specifics on the car:

Exterior Pictures

Interior Pictures

The stereo that is in the car.

Subwoofer Pictures

These are the pictures of the subwoofer install. What I had done (due to the extreme lack of space in the rear of the AWD's),is I flipped the spare tire over, found a bolt that matched the pattern of the one that held the tire down (except longer) and bolted the tire through one of the holes in the outside edge of the rim (see yellow circle). This pushed the tire to the far right side of the hatch, with the right side of the tire resting on the fiber-board floor, and the left side resting on the 'hump' in the center. Then I removed the fiber-board floor on the left side of the hatch and the metal rails that it sat on. That gave me enough room to put a rather sizeable 10" sub box, while keeping the spare tire.

I also devised a set up where there is a chain that is wrapped around a metal bar behind the plastic panels in the hatch. This is then padlocked to a link of chain attached to the metal in the actual hatch lid. This forms a metal-to-chain-to-padlock-to-chain-to-metal lockdown set up in my hatch. Combined with the fact that the subwoofer is bolted securley to the floor in multiple places, but mostly in the back, makes it IMPOSSIBLE to remove with out the padlock. This may seem extreme, but after having 2 stereos stolen, this has worked out VERY well.

trying to remember exactly how I did that set up with the chain.

1. get a bit of chain about 1.5 feet long (look at the pic).
2. get 2 clampable links. they'll look like the letter C with a bit that slides up and down and is threaded and when closed then looks like an O.
3. remove the inside passenger-side tail-light panel.
4. wrap the end of the chain around the metal bar inside that panel opening, and secure the chain to itself using a C link. or you can use a padlock (more secure yet)
5. remove the plastic trim on the hatchback. on the passenger side, there should be somewhere to attach the other C link, provided you got one big enough. or you may have to drill a hole, I dont recall. plan on drilling.
6. attach the C link to the hatch. you can re-attach the plastic trim piece if you make a hole for the C link to come through.
7. when you shut the hatch, you now have to climb through the back seats and reach in and lock the chain to the upper C link.
8. you will want to wrap all the chain and the padlock in electrical tape, or the rattling chain will be noisy.