1989 Mitsubishi Triton Pricing and Specs

The 2.5-litre turbo-diesel engine fitted to the 2010 Triton uses a toothed rubber timing-belt which requires periodic replacement. Most mechanics reckon the belt should be changed every 100,000km and because of the design of the engine, the belt that drives the engine’s balance shafts should also be replaced at the same time.

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.

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.