Mitsubishi Problems

This model Pajero is a bit notorious for having a crank-angle sensor that can fail over time. This is the part of the engine that tells the computer which cylinder needs to fire next, and precisely when, and if it starts to fail, that information is not conveyed and the engine will stall.

This sensor can fail gradually and intermittently too, producing the sort of hit and miss running you’re seeing now. It will often start to fail once the engine gets hot, and perhaps that’s why your car is stalling after running for a short time.

The bottom line is to not ignore it as it won’t fix itself and will eventually get worse until the car won’t start at all. At which point, you’re stranded where ever you happen to be. It shouldn’t cost too much to replace the sensor, but a mechanic should be able to tell you if, indeed, this is the problem.

It’s amazing where rainwater will get to under the influence of a pressure difference between the inside and outside of the car, not to mention a 100km/h gale trying to blow everything inside the car. As such, you only need a tiny tear or crease in a door rubber for water to enter the car. And if it enters somewhere near the driver’s seat, that’s where it will stay when it hits the carpet.

Check the rubber seal in the door opening for any signs of damage or a small chunk missing. Even a piece of leaf debris stuck to the rubber can allow a gap big enough for water to enter. Make sure, too, that the door itself is properly aligned on its hinges and is making contact with the whole of the door rubber when it’s shut.

This problem could be caused by any number of things to do with the fuel or ignition system, or even a sensor that is not giving the on-board computer the information it needs to light the fire. But since your car is now almost 20-years-old, there’s a very good chance that the problem is a fuel pump that has simply stopped working. These pumps have a finite lifespan, and when they stop, they often just quit on the spot, leaving you stranded.

The other possibility in a Pajero is that the crank-angle sensor has failed. Without this functioning, the computer cannot determine which cylinder it should be firing when, and that will also put a stop to play. It’s a relatively common Pajero thing.

This is another common question, but it’s one without a simple answer as the Triton’s transmission is not designed to have its fluid checked by the owner. As such, it has no dipstick, because Mitsubishi says the transmission is a sealed system and doesn’t need to have the level checked. Which is fine until the gearbox develops a leak and some fluid escapes. But that isn’t in the plan according to Mitsubishi.

The fluid is only supposed to be inspected when the transmission is serviced, which happens from underneath the vehicle. At that point, the transmission is drained of all its fluid and the specified amount replaced. Which is absolutely no help to you wishing to check the fluid level and condition as a (sensible) preventative maintenance measure.

Freezing the owner out of any potential home maintenance might be a great way to save money on the production line, but it doesn’t do much for those of us who like to keep an eye on our cars before niggles become problems.

Provided the blown head gasket is the engine’s only problem, then you can certainly squeeze plenty more kilometres from it by replacing a blown head gasket. It’s a pretty involved process, however, and requires removing the cylinder head, cleaning the surface, and fitting a new gasket. You also need to check the mating surfaces of the cylinder head and the engine block to make sure they’re straight and able to form the seal the engine requires. So, it’s pretty specialised work.

The wild card comes in the form of what else is wrong with the engine. If it’s worn internally and burning oil, for instance, it might not be worth spending the money to change the head gasket. In that case, a full rebuild or a replacement engine makes more sense.

From memory, the centre orange light on this vehicle indicates whether the locking centre differential is engaged or not. When the light is on, the diff in engaged. When it’s flashing, it’s in the process of engaging electronically. For this process to occur, the main transmission needs to be in neutral, so trying to get the vehicle to move and change gears while the diff is somewhere between engaged or disengaged, might be the problem.

I’ve also heard of problems with the sensor that detects whether the centre diff is engaged or not on this make and model. Sometimes the sensor can die, other times it’s just a wire that has fallen off, but it could mean that the vehicle is confused about what to do and the transmission is stranded in neutral as result.

Try rolling the car forward a few metres (if possible and safe) to see if that small amount of movement allows the diff to engage and normal operation to be restored.

The Mitsubishi 4N15 engine in your Pajero Sport has a timing chain rather than a toothed rubber belt. As such, the chain should be good for the life of the vehicle rather than requiring periodic replacement as a timing belt does. However, this does not make the valve-train maintenance-free, as this engine requires valve clearance adjustments every 60,000km.

It definitely could be the transmission’s main pump. Without this pump working properly, it can’t create the pressure necessary to select gears via the valve-body or indeed, produce enough drive force to actually get the car to move.

But, you could also be looking at a broken valve body, faulty selector cable from the cabin to the transmission, a broken torque converter or a complete, catastrophic internal failure of the gearbox. Instead of guessing, take it to a transmission specialist who is very likely to have seen this very problem many times before.

Squeaking when a car’s suspension moves up and down is usually down to a couple of things. Either there’s wear in a ball-joint or suspension bush, or the bushes and joints are full of dry dust. Have you driven the Triton off-road in sand or dust recently? You might find that some dust has managed to work its way into the rubber bushings and is causing the noise.

At worst, you may have damage to something in the suspension that is placing a load where it shouldn’t or perhaps even rubbing where it shouldn’t. With the vehicle securely parked, you can climb underneath and have a friend use their body weight to bounce the vehicle on the spot. If you’re lucky, you might be able to pin-point the source of the squeak.