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Evo 3

1K views 13 replies 10 participants last post by  youask 
#1 ·
Looking at a evo 3
Problems to look for please
Are parts still available
Engine reliability
Anything that may help
Ant 1s old car I believe
Thanks
 
#2 ·
Engine is strong and lot of parts from later cars like pistons etc can be fitted if needed, but the E1/2/3&4 can suffer crankwalk issues as the thrust bearing design is poor compared to later cars, when this wear the crank endlfoat goes out of spec and can destroy engine, although if caught early it can sometimes be sorted with just a bearing swap but all depends how far gone it is and condition of everything, some cars go many miles without issue as well.

Other potential issue is Gearbox as they have a weak 4th gear especially if tuned and can spit off a tooth which usually shoots out the bottom of box casing!, i did 3 of these when i had my Evo2 :(, casing can usually be repaired but problem is getting the new gears if they do break as im pretty sure discontinued now and while you used to be able to get in japan i would be surprised if any left now, there was a guy in europe doing a stronger straight cut 4th gear setup but not sure if still available.

Other than that great cars when everything is good and i prefer to drive to laters Evos, ive had a E5 and E9 as well as 2 x E2 in past and the early cars served me well over the years and many many miles, i would have another if gearbox parts were available easily, last gbox i had was full rebuild many new parts and lasted 40k+ miles before spitting 4th off again, that car was a 2.3 stroker motor with 400lbs of torque and driven hard though.
 
#6 ·
Yes same here if i could get a car cheap enough i would do it but price of the cars is silly now so makes it a hard pill to swallow, the later E5-9 engine/box swap isnt that involved if you have all right bits but there is some fab do to of course with engine and box being 180degree rotated, from memory looking at that one NR did notching the subframe to make space for transmission being main part of it.
 
#12 ·
Aside from everything mentioned above:

Check the firewall near the clutch master cylinder - really common for them to develop cracks in this area as the firewall flexes when used with a heavy clutch.

Rear subframes are prone to cracking near the mounts for the diff "moustache bar" on cars that are launched hard.

Roof rust. The number one issue with early Evo's. The sealant bonding the roof skin to the cross bars breaks down and the roof skin rusts from the inside out. If you can see bubbles on the outside it's stuffed, if you can't it's probably on it's way. Black cars are usually the worst (because heat accelerates the process) but they all do it eventually. The only solution is a brand new roof skin.
 
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