Mitsubishi Lancer Engine Problems

All you have is your gut feeling; you need to have something more concrete than that if you hope to make any progress with the dealer. They clearly haven’t been able to find anything wrong with it when they have checked it. I would start by checking the fuel consumption. Measure it; if it’s substantially higher than it should be (7.2 L/100 km average, 5.7 L/100 km country, 9.8 K/100 km city) then that tells you there is something wrong. Then I would find a flat section of road where you could safely measure your car’s 0-100 km acceleration time, which should be around 9.5 seconds. If it takes significantly longer than that it’s also an indicator that something is amiss. With that info you can decide for yourself if there is a problem or not, and if the numbers suggest there is you have something to show the dealer.

A thermatic fan is designed to run only when it’s needed. As the name suggests, it should switch on when the engine attains a pre-set temperature and then turn off below that temperature. It’s a way of having the engine run at a more constant temperature as well as saving the power normally used to run a fan that isn’t needed the whole time. Sometimes, a second electric fan will cut in when you turn the air-conditioning on, but the short answer is no, a thematic fan should not run all the time.

Your Lancer uses a timing belt which is made from a rubber compound and drives the camshaft. This makes for a cheaper engine to build and potentially quieter running, but it also means that the belt has to be changed periodically to prevent it snapping in service.

Mitsubishi recommends a belt-change interval of 100,000km. The advice of most mechanics it to replace the water pump at the same time since this part of the engine will be apart to change the belt anyway. It’s a lot cheaper to do both things at once, rather than open the engine a second time to change a water pump at a later date.

It has a timing chain, so there's no need to change it.

You should have the recall work done; your car is unsafe and dangerous with the old airbag. Make sure they understand your concerns when you take the car in, and check it closely when you get it back.

I’m guessing they made a mistake when replacing the airbag the last time, I would hope they won’t make the same mistake again.

Regardless of the engine work, the Viva is not a good car. For similar money, in a small wagon, I'd go every time for a Mitsubishi Lancer.

It’s unlikely, more likely it’s a problem with the throttle body. Have it cleaned out and the idle reset if needed.

It would be wise. Belts are usually changed either by reaching a specified mileage, or at a specified time limit. Your car hasn't yet reached the mileage, but it has passed the time limit. It's not worth taking a risk on the belt and potentially suffering major engine damage.

Changing the starter motor on this model is a bit tricky as the transverse engine locates the starter on the side of the engine, down low and sandwiched between the engine and firewall. You may need to remove some other brackets, wiring and plumbing to gain proper access, but the starter can be removed with the manifolds in place. It just takes some fiddling and patience.

Replacement is the opposite of removal (as they say in the best workshop manuals) but it’s critical to make sure the wiring goes back in the right order or you’ll fry the new starter. Taking a photo of the starter’s location and wiring before you start to pull it all apart is often a wise move as you can use the image for reference later on.

This is typically not a difficult job, but due to the cramped engine bay of this make and model, maybe it’s not a great first project for the home mechanic.

No, it has a chain instead of a belt and there's no need to change it as there is with a belt.