Mitsubishi Problems

The drive belts on the engines might be new, but what about the pulleys they run in? A pulley with a worn bearing can start to squeal when under load, such as when you start to accelerate and the belt has to speed up. Also, any coolant or oil on the belt can make it screech, too. When the belts had just been replaced, they were nice and clean, but after a few kilometres have passed and contaminants have been able to build up, you might be back to square one again with a screaming rubber belt.

Check the belts for coolant or oil (or anything else) on them as well as the pulleys and tensioners to make sure a small leak in the engine is not being spread all over the place by the belt. Check the belts for correct tension, too, as this can vary over time and is a classic cause of noisy operation. It does seem odd that both cars have started to make the noise in unison, but stranger things have happened.

Your problem may be related to a relay, but the usual cause of flickering DRLs and dashboard lighting (the LED type) is a faulty capacitor within the vehicle’s wiring loom. A faulty capacitor will deliver an unstable (fluctuating rather than steady) voltage to the LEDs and that’s what causes them to flicker.

Some owners choose to add an aftermarket section of wiring loom with a capacitor within it, but I’d first try to find the offending component in the car’s existing wiring and tackle the problem that way.

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.

This type of problem can have any number of causes. The best option is to have the car scanned electronically to see what fault codes have been logged by the on-board computer.

You could be looking at a fuel issue, something purely mechanical (like the idle-speed set too low) a blocked air-filter, a computer issue or any number of sensors that are not playing ball. But until you interpret the fault codes, you’ll be flying blind and potentially replacing things that aren’t the cause of the stalling problem.

I’d certainly be taking the vehicle back to the workshop that serviced it and pointing out that the problem only occurred after they'd 'fixed' it.

The 4B11 (official code-name) engine in your ASX used a timing chain rather than a toothed, rubber timing belt. That means the chain should be good for the life of the engine, rather than requiring periodic replacement as a timing belt does. While the timing chain in this engine seems to be of a good design and hasn’t caused widespread problems, the accessory drive belt (which drives the water pump and power-steering pump, has been known to jump off its pulleys, leaving the car with no power-steering and no pump to operate the cooling system. At least it’s obvious when it happens (so the car can be shut down with no further damage) and the fix is an easy one.

The Mitsubishi Pajero is actually regarded as a very reliable vehicle, so your experience is not typical. There are several potential causes for this, but the thing I’d check first would be the air filter. Is it possible this was overlooked during the recent service? A blocked or dirty air filter will certainly make an engine blow smoke and operate poorly.

I’m assuming your vehicle is a diesel, so it would be worth checking the suction-control valve on the back of the fuel pump, too. Also, a stuck injector that is pouring fuel into the engine can also potentially create these symptoms. I’ve also heard of the Pajero diesel suffering from a build-up of black gunk inside the intake system that can also cause symptoms like the ones you’ve described.

I spoke to Mitsubishi Australia who told me that paint fade is not a common complaint among their customers. There is the possibility that your car could be covered by warranty, but that will all depend on the circumstances of that individual vehicle. That’s not as simple as it having been exposed to high temperatures or UV radiation on a regular basis, either; the car’s entire history will be taken into account including whether it has ever been treated with an aftermarket paint treatment or has had body repairs at any stage.

Mitsubishi’s advice, then, is to take the vehicle to your nearest dealership and have the car examined to assess what the situation is. If that doesn’t satisfy you, you can also contact Mitsubishi Australia’s customer service division to discuss the issue.

For the record, shades of red are historically the worst offenders when it comes to fading and paint degradation. Paint technology has come a long way, but it remains that red pigments do not appreciate Australian levels of heat and UV radiation. In some cases, the original colour of the vehicle can be restored without resorting to repainting and this process can take many forms.

The MQ Triton doesn’t seem any better or worse than its rivals in this department. But, like other makes and models, there’s a healthy aftermarket supply of replacement intercoolers and the pipework that feeds them, so it’s definitely not an unknown problem.

But your experience is exceptional. Were all five vehicles bought brand-new at the same time? If so, they’re all likely to be from the same production run which could explain a faulty batch of hoses.

If the engine runs when you apply some throttle but won’t idle, I’d be drawn to the idle stepper-motor which is a small electronic actuator that is designed to keep the engine at a stable, steady idle when no throttle is applied. It’s a pretty simple fix, but I’d also check things such as fuel delivery pressure and ensure that the ignition system is in good condition, also. Don’t forget air and fuel filters, either, they’re simple things but critical to how an engine behaves. Low battery voltage can also make an engine like the Challenger’s play up at idle, too. Also, have the throttle-position sensor checked. If this fails, it can leave the computer guessing about what the accelerator pedal is trying to tell it.

When you say the suspension has been upgraded, did that, by any chance, involve raising the ride height? Problems centring around shuddering and vibrations, vague steering and the vehicle generally having a mind of its own are very common among owners who have paid good money to have the suspension hiked by anything from two to six inches.

Aside from the legal and insurance implications of this, raising these vehicles can throw the wheel-alignment settings (particularly the caster angle) out of whack and lead to the problems you’re experiencing. There are fixes including eccentric suspension bushes to return the angles back to normal, but it’s a specialist job.

Beyond that, a vibration at a particular speed can often be traced back to wheel balancing. The wheel and tyre combination on these vehicles is quite heavy, so making sure all the balance-weights are where they should be is critical.