Mine is pretty much orig. other than fuel filter, exhaust flex pipes, alternator and Valve cover gaskets and plug well seals. But plugs, cap, rotor are insprected annually! Plugs for the rear are a BUMMER to do!Darned manifold design for low hoodline!

 

Ok so I finally have an update, I got the car to run by outing a couple zip ties on the end of a worn out vacuum lone fitting, their ends the good news. Now for the bad news.
I assume I know the fix for this next issue but I want to make sure theirs not something else to check while I'm under it. I have not been able to replace the catalytic converter yet because the bolts are hard to reach and rounded off as well, this matters because the cat has a large hole in it. Second is the 02 sensors, the old sensors are seized in place and even with a torch they wouldn't break loose.
I plugged in the new 02 sensors into the harness but since i cant get the old sensor unscrewed i zip tied the new sensors up out of the way until I can finally replace the cat. believe these 2 issues are the combined are the cause of a severe loss of power and a very rich fuel mixture causing a flame to come out of the cat hole.

 

I feel like my last update wasn't clear at all, I'm trying to verify if the hole in the cat, combined with the o2 sensor being plugged in but not installed in the cat could cause the car to spit flame from the hole and have severely reduced power

 

Do you imagine that plugging in an oxygen sensor to the computer but NOT installing it in the exhaust stream would NOT cause problems of driveability? Are you serious?

 

I know it will cause into run rough, but I had to do the same to my old eclipse and never had a flame issue. If I leave them unplugged it wont start or idle at all though

 

Did your old Eclipse have a hole in the cat?

 

No it didn't but it also never had the flame issue, the old 02 sensors were frozen in so badly I couldn't get them out so I plugged in New sensors and zip ties them up outa the way, it ran rough but it did run, that's why I'm wondering if doing the same thing to the same while it does have the hole is possibly the cause of the flames

 

With the sensors not operating in the exhaust stream where they belong, it could be that the computer is thinking that the engine is running very lean and is pouring gasoline in there to the point that raw fuel is hitting the converter and who knows what is going on there. The system was never intended to run like that so anything might be going on. I don't understand how you would know that you didn't have a flame inside the cat on your eclipse if there was no hole to see inside.