Mitsubishi Problems

In many cases like this, the clutch is the culprit. The problem appears as though it’s the gearbox at fault, but the reality is that it’s the clutch not releasing properly that is preventing you shifting gears cleanly and easily. When the clutch is either worn or out of adjustment, it can remain partly engaged even when your foot is fully on the clutch pedal. When that happens, the gears can be very difficult to select.

Try this: The next time a gear becomes hard to select, turn the engine off and try it again. If the gear suddenly slips into place easily, then you’re probably looking at a worn clutch or one that is out of adjustment. Poor adjustment can be the result of low clutch fluid levels (in a vehicle with a hydraulic clutch) or a cable or linkage that is poorly adjusted. Your vehicle has a hydraulic clutch, so a leak from either the master cylinder, slave cylinder or any of the plumbing could have allowed the fluid level to drop to the point where the clutch is no longer disengaging fully. This is precisely where I’d start looking in your case.

Remember, however, that while a worn clutch might be the most likely cause, that doesn’t rule out a problem with the transmission internally or a problem in the gear selector mechanism.

The first thing to do is to ascertain whether the suspension has sagged or not. This can be measured quite simply and the results will tell you if the springs have lost tension or not. A canopy fitted to the Triton shouldn’t really make any appreciable difference to its ride height, nor should the world’s biggest dog, but it must be factored in. Neither should towing a box trailer have any long-term effect on a vehicle rated to tow anything up to 3100kg.

If the springs have sagged, then it’s back to Mitsubishi as you have a legitimate warranty claim.

If they’re within specification and you want more rear spring, there are plenty of aftermarket companies that can supply a spring that will lift the vehicle to the height you require. Be aware, though, that there are different limits on how high you can lift a vehicle depending on what state or territory you’re in, and major modification in this department may require an engineer to sign off on the changes.

Mitsubishi’s L300 Express was available as a four-wheel-drive model way back in the 1980s (83 to 86) and was a very popular van to convert for camping thanks to that all-wheel-drive grip that allowed it to tackle rough roads with little problem. After 1986, a few of the later model Express 4WD vans (often badged Delica) made it into Australia as private imports, and there are a few of them around now to choose from.

The requirement to be able to stand up inside the vehicle will limit your choices a little, but popular vans like the Toyota HiAce, Ford Transit and Mercedes-Benz Vito were available in a high-roof configuration. Even though they lacked all-wheel-drive, generally rugged construction means they should cope with dirt roads pretty well. They just won’t have the grip for off-road work.

As with any second-hand commercial vehicle, try to find out what it did in its previous life. A van that has been used for hard labour might well be worn out. And don’t forget, nobody bought these things new for anything other than a working life.

If, on the other hand, you’re shipping for a brand-new van, there are plenty of options from Ford, Mercedes, Peugeot, Fiat, Toyota and more. The vast majority of them use a turbo-diesel engine so will be quite economical and many also offer an automatic transmission for ease of driving. Choose the one that suits your intended layout best in terms of side and rear doors and the ability to climb from the front seat into the van area without leaving the vehicle (some have cargo barriers that will prevent this).

Rather than concentrate on a particular brand, the best advice is to find a vehicle with a full service history and signs that it has lived an easy life. Too often, commercial vehicles like vans are bought by their first owner and used and abused. They’re nearly always purchased with a job in mind, and that job can often wreck them or at least shorten their lives.

Sometimes, the down-time associated with proper servicing means that maintenance is skipped, other times the sheer weight of the cargo being carried puts a lot of strain on mechanical components. A van that has been used by, say, a pool chemical company might have been exposed to highly corrosive chemicals every day of its life and could be hiding lots of rust. Even a florist’s van might have every nook and cranny filled with potting mix, waiting to become damp and start the rusting process.

Another good idea is to buy a van that has already been converted to a camper. This conversion is not an inexpensive process, so letting the previous owner spend the money is a terrific concept. Keep an eye on the classifieds for a van that has done a tour of duty with a grey nomad or van-lifer, and is now up for sale as the owner moves on to something new.

This sounds like a classic case of worn synchromesh rings inside the gearbox. These rings are designed to make smooth, easy shifts between gears but as they wear (or even break) they lose that ability and the gears become difficult to change. It’s also common for this problem to be worse on downshifts compared with upshifts which is why you can shift all the way up to fifth, but have trouble coming back down through the gears.

My money is on third-gear synchromesh being your problem. By shifting from fourth back to second and then third, you’re effectively `borrowing’ the second-gear synchromesh to soften the shift into third.

Unfortunately, the fix is a gearbox rebuild. But before that, it would be worth changing the oil in the gearbox and checking out a gearbox additive that helps with shifting feel and smoothness. If that makes a difference, great, but you may still ultimately be looking at a new or rebuilt transmission.

The other thing to know is whether the gearbox is reluctant to select reverse gear with the engine running. If it is, you might instead be dealing with a worn clutch which is much cheaper to replace.

Perhaps the clue here is that the problem only occurs when the fuel level reaches one-quarter or less. That suggests that there’s a problem with the fuel pick-up in the bottom section of the tank. Typically, this will involve a split in the fuel pick-up line.

When the tank is full of fuel, fuel covers the split, allowing the pump to pick up fuel normally. As the level falls, the split is exposed and suddenly the pump is sucking air instead of fuel.

Alternatively, your problem could be bleed-back of the fuel pressure when the car is parked, but that would potentially affect things regardless of how much fuel was in the tank at the time. Unless the bleed-back is being caused by the split we’re talking about, in which case you’re back to square one. Either way, it would be wise to check pump pressure and delivery rate (litres per minute) to see that the pump itself is working properly and at correct capacity. Don’t rule out something like a blocked fuel filter, either, which can seriously reduce the flow of the fuel to the engine; critical in any cold-start situation.

Sludge build-up in oil is definitely an engine killer. But with a full and correct service history, this really shouldn’t happen. That it does, is possibly down to long service intervals (driven by consumer demand for less maintenance and down time) and possibly even the way the vehicle is used. If it’s worked hard (towing, for instance) in high ambient or dusty temperatures, then sludge can build up as a natural result. The way a modern turbo-diesel recirculates some of its exhaust gasses also mean soot can combine with oil vapours from the crankcase to cause a build-up of black gunge, and that’s not good either.

I’d be keen to see what the oil analysis shows. If the oil was lacking some of the additives it needs to keep a diesel engine clean, then that may show up.

If you can prove the service history to Mitsubishi’s satisfaction, I’d be asking for some kind of help in the cost of repairs. Whether or not the company plays ball is debatable, but it would definitely be worth a try with low mileage like this and documentation of correct servicing for all of its (short) life. If the vehicle is still under the factory warranty and you have a full service record for it, then it’s pretty clear you have a valid warranty claim, barring any negligence or mis-use on your part.

The 4A9 engine fitted to your Colt has a timing chain rather than a toothed, rubber timing belt. As such, the timing chain should be fine for the life of the car, provided the necessary servicing has been carried out.

Interestingly, the Colt Plus was never officially sold in Australia by Mitsubishi, so your car must be a private import from, say, Japan or even New Zealand.

It’s a bit hard to go past an older Holden Commodore or Ford Falcon for this brief. That said, your towing requirement means you’d be best looking at something like an AU (1998 to 2003) Falcon Ute (assuming you only need to move one other person).

These are strong, simple cars that any mechanic can deal with and parts are plentiful and relatively cheap. There are other options (older Japanese dual-cabs) but nothing really gets close to the Aussie stuff for durability and running costs. An elderly Nissan Navara, for instance, might do the job but is likely to become fragile as it ages. A two-wheel-drive Toyota HiLux is another possibility, but you’d probably be right at the limit of your towing capacity with one of those. The Falcon ute, meanwhile, can legally tow 2300kg. It’s not glamorous or sexy, but it’ll do the job and stay on target price-wise.

The other obvious contender would be an early Mitsubishi Pajero with a V6 engine. These had a towing capacity of 2500kg and are around now for very little money, certainly within your budget. They also double as a very handy off-roader should you wish.

Before you even start replacing bits and pieces on a hunch, have the car electronically scanned. That will often tell you precisely what’s wrong with the car, and you can go from there, replacing only the non-functioning parts rather than a heap of components that are still working fine.

Beyond that, start with the basics. The most likely cause of an intermittent miss like the one you’ve described is a problem with the ignition system. Sometimes, something as simple as a change of spark plugs will fix the problem, and that’s especially so because that electronic scan we were talking about often won’t detect a dead spark plug.

From there, work your way through to the ignition leads and coils (a coil with a small crack in its plastic body can lead to a miss like this one). If all that checks out, you then need to start looking at the fuel delivery in terms of filters and pump pressure. This is all first-principle stuff for mechanics, but a modern car’s onboard diagnostics are so good, that a scan is definitely the first place to start.