just bought a 94 expo lrv.it has 95,000 miles and i don't know the history. i really like it and i'm on the road alot.thanks for any help...taz...

2.4 engine is an "interferance" engine (I am not sure about 1.8), which means that valves hit the pistons if your belt fails. If that happens, cost is around $1200-$1600 to repair.

Changing just the belt, should be around $200-$300. But it is often recommended to change other things (pulleys, tentioner and water pump). With those extra parts, cost can easily go up to $500.

Also, find a mechanic who knows about the "hidden" balance shaft (it is behind the oil pump) AND knows how to set it correctly...

thanks,i have alot to learn about this motor.i did order the service manuals....bill... :)

Hi, have a good look around under the hood, for a stick on label that says something to the effect timing belt serviced at 60,000 they are usually in a easy visable spot sometimes on the timing belt cover but I have seen them on the door jam. If you cant find any evidence of a sticker, and you wish to have peace of mind motoring, get the belt and other bits done soon.
Cheers Gerry

Actually, there a way to tell if it was done. Remove the top belt cover (very easy to do) and see it it Mitsu timing belt. If it isn't OEM, then it has been done. If it is OEM, it doesn't help you :).

But you can generaly see the condition of the belt. If it is bad, you definitely want to change it, ASAP!

thanks again everyone.i really like this car ,it "looks"will maintained ,but ....i will look for the sticker and/or pull the cover and look...bill... :beer:

just removed the timing belt top cover. the only markings i can see are "TB made in germany" . i hope that shows it has been replaced. ...tia...bill....(i did bump the engine around looking for markings)

OEM belts are made in Japan.

How did it look otherwise? It is trough to see where it really counts (on the teeth).

from what i could see, the belt "looked" good. no messed up teeth. hope it will be ok ,budget is kinda limited right now....thanks bill...

...Does this matter whether it is an 8-valve or a 16-valve 2.4L?? I just broke a timing belt on my trusty & revered 1992 Expo(8 valve 2.4L).

Tell me it isnt so.....

I am not sure about the 8 valve 2.4 engine :blush-anim-cl: . It is such a rare animal in my circles, that I forgot all about it! I will see what I can find out.

But try to avoid cranking it, all the same!

OK, I asked my friend (who is a Mitsu tech) and this is what he had to say:

"Technically it is (interferance engine),
BUT I have slapped belts on them after they have jumped time and I would say it fixed half of them, the other half bent valves.

If one of these motors jumps, it is definitely worth trying to slap a new belt on and see if you have compression."

You may have gotten lucky...

Thanks, man. I knew this forum would answer my question.

Alas, I decided to junk my Expo today. It had 130k miles on it, the steering rack was going bad, & the ball joints were worn too. I have also been leaking gasoline from the fuel pump access door on the top of the tank when I fill it, due to severe undercarriage rust(can only fill it 3/4 full). Ive also had rust problems with most brake lines & fuel lines over the years. Not good. Other than the severe rust, it has been a trooper of a vehicle.

Also, I wonder if the belt has EVER been changed? I bought it used from a dealership & was told that it was serviced regularly...who knows? Is it possible to go that many miles on an original belt? I didnt have a chance to look & see of it was an OEM belt. I wasnt going to even think about a new belt for another 30k miles or so..(80k being my "magic number" for timing belts). Ive seen original belts go over 100k on Japanese cars before.

It broke down on a country road, & I would have to pay to have it towed to a garage, & also pay for the timing belt installation, not knowing whether I actually bent valves or not. Its a shame really.....that motor was as tight as the day it was new & used NO oil between changes.

I will miss it dearly. This was my 4th Mitsubishi over the years(1972 Colt, 1986 Dodge Raider, 1989 Colt, 1992 Expo). I will have another for sure in the future.

Thanks again, friends.

Sorry to hear that, Hozo :(.

But I myself despise rust, so I can certainly understand your decision!

As for mileage, I have seen cars go over 100k on original timing belts. I have even seen timing belts reduced to just a bunch of strings and still somehow work! But since the consequences of it failing are so severe, it not recommended to let it go above 60k.

Hi i have just had the timming belts tensioner water pump etc replaced on my 96 2.0 Man RVR ( 77000ks ) i am particulary interested in the correct setting for the balance shaft as my mech said it was 180deg out?? i havnt noticed any extra or less engine vibes as a result. Also my RVR pinks a fair bit i am running BP Ultimate ( 98 octane ) at the moment, i have used a few tank fulls of shell V power, caltex vortex and whatever mobils 95 is but still it pinks !! ?any ideas? (If ive stuffed up on this post my opologies as im new to the site) Cheers

Welcome aboard, zooki!

Fist of, did you mean to say "ping"? :unsure: If your valve timing wasn’t set properly, you could end up with pinging due to improper valve and most importantly ignition timing (ignition timing is set to the cam shaft). Did this problem appear after the timing belt job?

If your hidden balance shaft is 180 deg off you get a very noticeable engine vibration around 2700-3300rpm. It gets better at lower or higher RPMs. I find it hard to believe that you drove the car prior to it being fixed and didn't notice it. But if you did, you must now think that your car is EXTREMELY smooth in that RPM range.

So, is it? If not, your car was OK and your mechanic ether made a mistake or wants to look like a hero :P .

But very few non-Mitsu mechanics know about this balance shaft’s idiosyncrasy. So it isn't uncommon to see it 180 degree out of phase. What saves most mechanics and prevents this from being a more widespread problem, is their instinct to set timing marks to TDC (on the marks) before they take the belt off. This way, they re-assemble it the same way it was before (for better or for worse ;)).

Cheers grndsm for the welcome nice !

The pinging sound was there before, i was hoping that when all the belts etc were done that would have been seen to. Maybe it needs a mitsi mech to check timing and ECU?

No probs with vibes before or after the job done so must have been ok, yeah if it was that bad would have shut it down there and then.

Thanks for your knowledge and time. :)

Zooki