524,000km Mitsubishi Mirage engine teardown

[@dadgarage7966]

The Mirage isn't popular but the people who do own them swear by them. Surprisingly, not just urban folks but more rural people who drive far and need an economical, reliable car.

[@jesuscarrillo4344]

I had a 2018 and was original owner. Transmission started over heating around 40k miles and kept over heating till I traded it in at 102k miles. I changed the fluid at the dealer every 40k miles. They even replaced components and it was still over heating and going into limp mode if you drove it on the highway for more than an hour. 78hp is dangerous too. I always felt uneasy going on the highway as it takes ages to get from 0 to 70. The only up side to this car is mpg and insurance cost. Outside of that, it's trash even fully equipped.

[@greggc8088]

I'm a Mitsu tech of 15 years and you wouldn't believe how many Mitsu dealers don't even know about the elusive cooler filters on this and all Mitsu CVT's. In the warmer weather on long trips, they start dropping like flies. Replace the cooler filter and they're good to go a few more miles. Depends on how aggressive the driver is, but the filters usually start blocking up anywhere from 30K miles to 70K. I replace my personal one every 40K. Mitsu reps always get angry when dealers replace a CVT unit under warranty and when disassembling the core back at the plant they find nothing wrong but a plugged cooler filter. @@jesuscarrillo4344

[@claxtoncurtis811]

@@jesuscarrillo4344was it an automatic?

[@turdpailsandtrails]

I used to have to argue with the parts desk at the dealer cause they refused to look up a filter and said they don't have one(or two). I didn't realise it was that common for them to clog up.

[@Oddman1980]

That's exactly why I bought one. Had to drive a looong distance to work. Has been a super dependable car.

[@ComputerCapone]

Im absolutely impressed. Driving a car 500k is hard in itself. Motor looks almost new. Honestly. That is called regular service. Pretty simple logic.

[@chriskonte1909]

But it's also a hit in the face to all the people that are like: 3-cylinder cars can't be reliable it's to much strain on the engine.. Bla bla bla. I live in Germany and the Mirage (funnily enough they call them Space Star over here) is a pretty popular car. Now the SUV/Crossover trend is doing it's thing on the streets here as well, but there still lots of people who like the Mirge/Space Star for it's fuel efficiency and just size. We don't have such big streets so a small subcompact car is always a blessing. Not much extras if you go for the "Basis"-trim ~14.650$ and you get yourself a brand new car with a 5 year warranty (they don't offer the 100.000miles/10 year warranty over here).

[@POVwithRC]

The secret to the longevity is that it doesn't make enough power to hurt itself.

[@robotech1990]

​​@@chriskonte1909well if you want an unreliable 3 cilinder car, try a Peugeot 208 or a Citroen with a 3 cilinder 1.2 liter PURETECH , with the infamous wet distribution belt. Those engines will make you cry.

[@dwadd7528]

i have one Mitsubishi and one KIA. Mitsubishi has 230,000 miles on it. zero issue the KIA blew up engine at 50,000 miles.

[@CreRay]

@@POVwithRC Would be nice if it was that easy.... low specific power makes it easier to design a reliable engine, but some engines with comparable power have pretty horrible reliability.

[@miketriesmotorsports6080]

It's fun when you realize you don't need an engine stand because you can lift the engine up. Cool little engine!

[@Carnold_YT]

I am amazed by how clean this engine is inside, goes to show what regular oil changes can do.

[@Stratos1988]

Word

[@WATWerner]

Und auch immer schön seine Kühlwassertemperatur hatte von 90° Celsius.

[@schizzlschnitzl]

​@@Stratos1988Excel

[@GrimesGarage]

This honestly is a testament to treating your machines well and the benefit of adhering to factory service intervals

[@summerforever6736]

To facto y 10k oil change for new cars ? No thanks

[@clok1966]

There are some truly bad engines, but most with care and no abuse will last a long time. Most of the "bad" stuff is the cheap stuff and most people who buy cheap stuff do it because they can't afford better which often includes regular maintenance etc.. So they are not cared for and have problems which relate to maintenance often.

[@dexietyy7922]

The factory service interval on my E46 is 15,000 miles I change my oil every 7000 miles it’s on 258k miles now 2.2 petrol

[@GrimesGarage]

@@dexietyy7922 my e46 is at 290k miles, 10k interval with OE filter/synthetic

[@joeb2588]

So true. Some people give Hyundia a lot of crap. I have 144k on my 18 elantra. Most reliable car I've ever owned. I take super good care of it. Synthetic oil every 3-4k. Check oil between changes and add when needed, and I have any maintenance done when I'm supposed to. Car is still running well.

[@jpqch7323]

I have a mirage with 480,000km and a checrolet spark 2013 with 502,000km both are taxis here in mexico, absolutely reliable just regular mantenaince on both.

[@Mudchucker]

Wow! Are they 5spds or cvt? I think the sparks handle better but are basically a rebadged Daewoo?.

[@jessebrook1688]

All of the cheap small cars: Nissan Micra (Canada only), Honda Fit, Nissan Versa/Versa Note, Chevy Spark are all 5-speed manual or CVT. The Ford Fiesta's 5-speed manual alternative is infamous.

[@jpqch7323]

@@Mudchucker spark 5 speed manual, the mirage os a cvt.

[@ufork]

@@jessebrook1688if you are talking about the first and 2nd gen fit, pretty sure they had a regular automatic transmission, not a cvt

[@turdpailsandtrails]

@@jessebrook1688I’m pretty sure the Micra had a conventional automagic, not a cvt. At least not the ones sold in Canada. The spark and versa used the same Jatco cvt.

[@jongonegone1262]

could you imagine anyone asking for more out of a $12,000 to $15,000 dollar car !!! back in the day this is what made honda toyota and nissan famous.

[@unclejoe6811]

They are 20k now

[@wt29]

Here in Australia, the 1.5L 4 cylinder Mirage(3 door) and Lancers have revered status as bulletproof runabouts. I bought one from a wrecking yard - it just needed a hood - and with some brakes, injector o-rings and roll bar bushings we got it registered for a new driver. He, naturally, ran up the arse of someone and bought something else but still mentions how reliable and simple to work on the Mitsi was.

[@anthonyrowland9072]

Everybody wants a 4 door truck or a SUV here then complains when gas goes up sometimes.

[@fujitsubo3323]

yep my first car was a Mirage with the 1.5 4G15 and i cant think of any car ive owned since that has been as painless maintiance and repairs wise as that simple little N/A eco "shitbox" Mitsubishi was. stick oil and filters in it every 10,000km and it would run forever i reckon as seen in this video.

[@Alabaster335]

My neighbour has a manual 5 speed mirage, he drives it like a taxi, just services it when it's needed and it just keeps on going.

[@tokyotopp]

Arse 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@bubbleman2002]

R.I.P. Mirage, may you be a part of someone's beer can, one day. He did not fight long, but he fought well, fearlessly, and with great fervor.

[@seanpatullo8919]

I’ve owned 5 Mitsubishi’s now and never really had a issue with any of them. Currently have a ASX/Outlander sport with 220k on it and still no issues

[@mustafagokhanoylek5626]

Mitsubishi never makes bad and unhealthy cars. Even though this situation almost bankrupts it, it does not give up its traditions. Those who do not like it should not forget that they bought a car according to their money. Good maintenance gives positive results for every car, but engineering quality determines the total quality. This is a nice video, thank you. 35 As someone who has only used Mitsubishi models for years, you showed me how right I was. In my country, Turkey, vehicles are very expensive and we take care of them.

[@e.s.5271]

Aynen. Losmangelesdayim. Ilk ogrenci aeabam 100 bin milde lancerdi. 210 bin milde sattim. Saraxan 13 sene gecti, gecen hafta outoander phev aldim..10 swne garanti veriyorlar motors. 100 bin mil. Bakalim kalitesi nasil.

[@makemoneyonline8793]

I agree 👍

[@Tryagain205]

This engine is used in light sport aircraft by a company called Viking aircraft engines. Used in kit aircraft like the zenith 701. Good to know how reliable they are. Zenith turbo charges them as well.

[@hardwaylearner]

I worked at a tiny mitsu dealer and i always enjoyed these cars for how fun and cheap and simple they were, especially with the stick shift. Good, BASIC transportation. especially if you get 300k+

[@imnotusingmyrealname4566]

It sucks that today these are going away. Here in Austria a Yaris starts at 21k USD with some rebates and 26k USD MSRP and it's only available as a hybrid. Meanwhile in Japan they can buy a Yaris with 1.5L 3-cylinder and 6-speed manual for 12k USD. The worst part is I can't really import one, I'd have to get a used one fron the auctions.

[@JemaKnight]

Especially when inflation adjusted, this is easily one of the best price:distance ratio cars I've ever heard of. Wow.

[@caleroby9483]

Solid for sure. Mitsubishi is underrated.

[@Cdmxforever]

300 000 + miles? That's awesome 👍🏻

[@g18886]

I imagine if you replaced the pistons and bearings you could get another 200K miles. Amazing engine.

[@worldhello1234]

Yes, if you revise the engine every 50,000 miles it is an "amazing" engines because it amazes people you haven't junked it earlier. 😜

[@earlscheib7754]

These cars are totaled easily, body panels are expensive but their engines are cheap.

[@johnnybagofdoughnuts4193]

@@worldhello1234 because we should take your word over that of the mechanic who made this video? who has provided actual proof to back up the claim that 200k miles is easily expected from this little 3 cylinder?

[@nodak81]

To be fair, replacing pistons and bearings would get you another 200k out of pretty much any engine.

[@johnnybagofdoughnuts4193]

@@nodak81 I know what you’re saying, but plenty of engines with this kind of mileage, revving high as these do because there’s only 3 cylinders, would have a lot more problems. Camshaft, valves, seals, timing chain guides and tensioners, main bearings on the rods, etc would all have more trouble. Especially when you can buy decent used replacement engines for less than 1000 bucks, this is an incredible value.

[@TheBlake1191]

I wish I kept my mirage, most reliable car I've ever owned. Just catches wind like a sail, so not too great for daily interstate travel.

[@turdpailsandtrails]

Yeah that’s one of the downsides of a 2000lb car🤣. It’s doable but can get old after a while.

[@Oddman1980]

I haven't noticed that much in my mirage, BUT I'm comparing it to my Samurai and that thing is just a rolling box kite.

[@bubbleman2002]

@@turdpailsandtrails What do you mean? It's like torque steer but it can surprise you! It makes commuting more exciting.

[@juki6377]

how is it on the freeway? besides catching wind, rain or trucks would seem a worry

[@rockets4kids]

@@turdpailsandtrails I've been awfully tempted to drop the engine from a Focus ST into the rear of one of these. 250+ HP at 2200 lb should be quite a bit of fun!

[@ericwhitehead6451]

For as hard as those engines have to work, there isn't much wear other than the piston skirts. Very impresive.

[@Phiyedough]

Yes, if it was mine it would get a rebore, oversize pistons, new shells and be back on the road.

[@crispyjokingtuna1495]

You call it one of the worst and yet it’s still running halfway decent after more miles than most engines see. Haters are silly people 😂😂

[@turdpailsandtrails]

If you're talking about the tumbnail, I was making a funny. A couple people didn't get it though. 🤣😂

[@TheGbeecher]

I miss my '18 Mirage ES manual...reliable, simple and dependable...fun to drive and fantastic gas mileage...loved that little car 😢❤

[@life_of_riley88]

That "Red Stuff" is probably anerobic sealer that squeezed out during assembly. Pretty harmless. Impressive little engines these things are!

[@jalee6587]

My 1999 mirage has 410k miles and still running great never had to rebuild anything . Original engine and trans.

[@caleroby9483]

I believe it. Solid vehicles. Little care and they go BIG miles/KMs.

[@lot6129]

Typical bulletproof Mitsubishi engineering, run and last forever

[@jimbooo1365]

Did. Im pretty sure a lot of the mitsi stuff coming out from about now is renault. I swear by mitsi up to this point.

[@lot6129]

Lucky for now the only rebrand that came to Australia was a Renault van, it failed in the ANCAP crash testing and was withdrawn, we wont get any Renaults because they dont seem to be built in RHD@@jimbooo1365

[@LaszloGaspar-s3x]

Looks new

[@jadeblack5586]

I still have my 2015 mitsubishi mirage. It now (Dec 2024) has 205,000 miles on it and I commute in and out of nyc. Best car I've ever owned, haven't replaced anything I didn't need to (breaks, wipers, ect.). I've been on top of the oil and taken care of the car, this baby has taken care of me! Best $12,000 I've ever spent.

[@davidducovny1367]

the cleanest engine i have ever seen for this kind of mileage

[@a8f235]

I'm more impressed by someone driving a little matchbox car close to 60.000km a year than the condition of the engine lol. That's quite a human achievement. 😅

[@turdpailsandtrails]

And without cruise control. 🙃

[@space_cowboy007]

@@turdpailsandtrails how's the noise on highway?

[@turdpailsandtrails]

​ @space_cowboy007 I don't drive them too often on the highway, I have one as a daily and maintain a fleet of them at work. It's bearable to me but not to a lot of other people I guess. My Mirage is much quieter on the highway than a my Dodge diesel and a V6 Delica.

[@piotrcurious1131]

it's actually far less of a chore to drive a small car. It's lighter so it does not throw you around when driving though bumps. It's smaller so it easily fits everywhere and You always have a margin. It's easier to go in and out, especially in crowded parking lots. Tires are cheap so if you feel they are getting old you just change them without needing a loan. Windows are big and the hood is small so visibility is great.

[@a8f235]

@@piotrcurious1131 Driving 60.000km a year continuosly is far *_more_* of a chore in a small car because then you have to do long distance runs often. It's not just skipping about between shops in the city that will make all that in a year.

[@Charger1908]

Mitsubishi has been around a very long time remember the “zero”? Plus your maintenance regime is top notch. I’ve been in engines with 70 thousand miles that looked a hundred times worse. Great job😊

[@GalenlevyPhoto]

I can see one of the reason why it lasted so long. The engine block isn’t open deck, it’s closed deck. Those are less prone to warping.

[@JohnEvans-ct6mz]

Amazing how clean the inside of an engine is when it DOESN’T have direct fuel injection. Most pistons get skirt wear on one side. The firing event happens more on one side of the piston than the other, causing the piston to tilt slightly and forcing it harder in to the cylinder wall on one side.

[@joakoc.6235]

I have a Peugeot 206 1.9D from 2007 since new, it has 880.000km and still rocking like new, with 10w40 Shell semisynthetic oil changed every 8000-9000km with oil filter, the manufacturer recommends oil changes every 15.000km, around 2/3 of the km were done in highway, foot to the floor at 140kph, its top speed at 4k RPMs, since I work on the city I mostly use this car to do 800km every weekend to visit my family, and not a single problem inside the engine. The only reason my engine was opened at 560.000km was to fix oil leaks changing all the seals (that i will need to do it again next year, is starting to leak again). In all this time it had gone through 3 alternators, 10 distribution kits and coolant changes (every 80.000km), in the fist distribution kit change i also deleted the EGR, that ruins your engine when it gets old, 3 sets of coolant hoses just to be safe and don't risk and overheat due to a hose breaking, steering pump rebuild due to bearing noise at 630.000km, one injection pump rebuild due to diesel leaks at 530.000km, a set of new injectors in this same service, 18 diesel solenoids (yeah those are a piece of junk, I always take all the tools to change it with me, you never know when it will die). Conclusion: if you want your engine to last a large amount of km, just change your oil every half the time your manufacturer recommends and nothing will wear inside of the engine, manufacturers want you to buy new cars, so "recommended" oil change intervals are way distended, so your engine doesn't last long, all the owners of this same car that I know had to rebuild their engines with pistons and crack bearings worn out between 300.000-450.000km, I have done over twice that without problems, just changing the oil with good quality one more frequently, and still don't have a single noise in the engine.

[@robbalinski1606]

I wish we got alot of the diesel cars europe and japan got here in canada. I'm surprised your engines still going with 15,000km oil changes that's insanely long intervals, I'd call that bad maintenance practice really.

[@JohnDoe-ef3wo]

New rings, bearings, chain and tensioners. Back on the road 😎👍

[@kristianhermann5971]

Cool teardown, thanks for sharing - the greater cylinder wear on the firewall side is normal - all piston engines have a major thrust side caused by the piston pressing harder on one cylinder wall side during the power stroke, which causes more wear - the opposite side is the minor thrust side

[@doctorunicorn5550]

not only is it normal, engineers often design around it. the pistons in the 2zr-fae (the newest 2zr variant used in the 2020 corolla and a 1.8L NA four banger) for example are offset either 0.8cm or 0.8mm from the crankshaft. this is done to improve fuel economy by reducing force and thus friction between the pistons and the major thrust side, but as a side effect it makes the engine a bit more durable.

[@kristianhermann5971]

@@doctorunicorn5550Indeed - offset piston pins/cranks aren't new though - Toyota introduced an offset crank in the 1NZ-FE 25 yrs ago - many engines don't use offset to balance power, noise, and low friction - while offsetting towards the major thrust side lowers piston slap, noise, and friction it costs mechanical advantage and power, which is why some race engines have offset towards the minor thrust side instead - offset also creates greater imbalance

[@BIGBOICOMBO]

For the bearings that's not a spec of dirt , that's a spot caused by acids accumulating in the engine oil due to it not getting above 100 degrees C (212 F) , the acids remain there and eats the bearing surface , it's caused by short drives and not letting the oil warm up so that it can evaporate those acids and vent them through the crankcase breather

[@19jacobob93]

The scored piston skirts also tell of short trips in cold, or being driven a bit too hard before warmed up. The majority of the mileage must have been highway overall though!

[@Confessingjesuschrist]

Had my 2014 since new. Only 95k miles. Never a problem. I change oil every 5 thousand miles. The car has been a blessing

[@radjrjbd97]

Just purchased my 2023 Mitsubishi Mirage, and I love it. It averages 46.9 miles to the gallon overall.

[@MacCready_]

Regular oil changes make a big difference. What a concept!

[@BeingMe23]

Yes but as more people use synthetic oil 500,000+ miles won't be uncommon.

[@LowEnd31st]

@@BeingMe23not likely

And coolant changes.

[@ewanmcdonagh2827]

Had one of these on holiday once, only had around 10k kilometres but the thing pulled to the left under acceleration and right under braking. Poor thing had been abused but I can absolutely see why people love them, cheap, cheerful and reliable motoring.

[@turdpailsandtrails]

Wow, sounds like you rented a major turd. They're not normally that bad to drive.

[@tysone1254]

I remember when Doug DeMuro made a video on this car simply dissing it acting like its a completely throwaway car that would only last like 100k miles 😂 maintenance does a lot for an engine!

[@turdpailsandtrails]

That video convinced a lot of people to buy one 😂

[@jnordne2]

@@turdpailsandtrailsReviews like yours are what led me to buy my 2019 G4 5 speed a year and a half ago. I think the difference is terminology. Is the Mirage a *nice* car? Hell no. But is it a *good* car? All the personal/consumer reviews say that they are. Simple, easy to maintain, no major design/mechanical issues, excellent mpgs. They're just slow. I think in 15-20 years these will have a cult following like the Geo Metro since they are similar in design philosophy. Let the haters hate.

[@jugobetrugo7213]

Who the fuck takes Doug DeMuro serious?🤣 He has no clue about Cars whatsoever...

[@bartlevenson7851]

I( remember this vidio. what oes DeMuro know about anything?

[@1marcelfilms]

Yeah and he has a big nose.... CONSOOM EXPENSIVE CARS

[@johnmurphy9688]

Wow, that little mitsy engine still looks in phenomenal shape. 👍👍

[@poptartmcjelly7054]

Looks like a perfectly good and reliable engine, i'm impressed.

[@babaganoosh555]

Kudos to your maintenance regime! That's cleaner than some 80,000km engines I've seen!

[@alexbaerhold7239]

I currently work for Mitsubishi, well a dealer. I work on these all the time and they are brilliant little cars. I personally own a 23 outlander sport SE 4wd. We had a lady that drives for Uber and Lyft as her occupation, she had a 2019 outlander sport and she traded it in with a little over 300k miles. The car ran perfect and had no issues. She did all of her maintenance. If I had the spare money I would have given her cash and used it as a beater lol. It makes me happy to see all the love for the Mirage because a lot of the time all i hear are negative things, people act like its a luxury car when in reality its a cheap economy car meant for reliable transportation. I'm a bigger guy so I would have gotten one but obviously its a bit too small for me so i went with the Outlander sport. I will always support Mitsubishi but a heads up to anyone wanting or thinking about getting a new Mitsubishi, do it sooner rather than later if you want an actual Mitsubishi not some Nissan/Renault/Mitsubishi hybrid monstrosity. most of the new models coming out (like the current generation DG Outlander (2022+) are going to be alliance vehicles with Nissan powertrains or some mix of them all.

[@802Garage]

Can instantly tell it was well maintained when that valve cover comes off. Not even golden brown varnish built up. Impressive! Simple little engine. Not highly stressed. Should go a long while with proper maintenance. Really not much wrong inside there. Looks like only real issue is pistons and hurting cylinders. If designed for durability, not fuel economy, would last even longer. I'd expect some brands to go much further with the same maintenance. Of course, other brands will be dead long before this.

[@danburby7936]

my daily driver is an 87 lancer.its 37 yrs old and runs like a swiss watch,only been apart once to replace head gasket and timing belt,nothing else,except water pump,valves and cam were fine,also replaced valve seals..great car

[@needlemiejer143]

I got a 2001 ford focus wagon with 490k original engine tranny 20k oil changes with wallmart 10w30 synthetic oil,got a 2006 ford focus zxw with 440k on it but with THIS wagon i had to change the tranny at 350k cause the parking pawl broke...i used that wagon to pull a 14 foot single axle trailer with my 60 zero turn on it...bought the tranny at pick n pull on a memorial day sale for $38 bucks...oil change sticker on the windshield said 120k...whats nice about the 06 is it has a metal timing chain,still the oridg one...i use em to make deliveries

[@turdpailsandtrails]

Wow!

[@needlemiejer143]

@turdpailsandtrails yeah another thing nice about the 06 is it's got updated teflon oil seals....so no erl leaks other than the valve cover every 4-5 years

[@sjion]

Incredible. So clean! Shows you what good oil at regular intervals can do!

[@HONDATECH93]

My wife and I just bought a 17 mirage with 90K amd it drives really good. We plan on keeping it.

[@thom_lapatate4842]

I worked at the dealership for a while and we did replace these engines from time to time simply due to piston slap. You could simply replace the pistons and go for a while longer but at the dealer it wasnt worth the labor for the customers so we replaced the engines instead Interesting teardown!

[@turdpailsandtrails]

I had a 2014 with 30,000miles that I took in and had the engine replaced under recall or warranty because of this same noise. It seems to be pretty hit or miss. We have a 2015 here with almost 350,000miles/560,000km and it still runs great.

[@thom_lapatate4842]

@turdpailsandtrails since the skirts aren't quite long enough, it causes excessive slap and over time, that noise If all the wear components like the block and bearings are still in usable shape it might be worth changing the pistons to get at least another 200k km out of the chassis

@@thom_lapatate4842 These cars don't have a chassis. You'll still need to replace worn out suspension components and tires etc.

[@thom_lapatate4842]

You are right but everything is pretty cheap on these including the 14 inch tires. Point is it could last a lot longer with love and with the milage this one has its hard to say someone didn't love that thing

[@pokedude104]

Oil changes, Oil changes, Oil changes! If there's one thing to be anal about with your cars maintenance its regular oil changes. The manual for my car says 15,000 KM But I don't really like the idea of going that far between changes so I do 8,000 instead. I don't drive all that far so it only ends up being twice a year I change the oil.

[@Phiyedough]

Have you ever had a head gasket failure on any of these engines?

[@turdpailsandtrails]

No, never saw one of these with a head gasket failure. I know someone that bought a Mirage that was wrecked from Copart(hit in the front) and after they repaired it discovered it had no compression(and wouldn't start), it was likely run without coolant for quite a while. They just replaced the engine cause the head was likely warped.

[@ThatGuyWhoComments1]

Was about to buy one as I was amazed how it drove for such a small car and engine. Good tech as well. Built well enough to go across the country and with very good fuel efficiency. As someone who is single and travels alone a lot, this is a good vehicle.

[@AnthonyChhan]

I think the fact that the engine was on it's way out before that cvt transmission is probably the most impressive part.

[@99domini99]

CVTs aren’t inherently unreliable, they’ve been in small cars for decades. It’s just that some manufacturers couldn’t be arsed to actually make a decent one.

[@rodolfobaliga7577]

I got owned a 2017 model mirage hatchback, this little car is invincible a very good small car until now not even a single problem brought this car to me, a fast and durable car that I had.

[@Jamouse200]

By the look of this, I’m going to die before my mirage. I bought mine in 2014 at 30. Now I’m 40 and the car doesn’t have 90k. So another 40 years of duty for her I guess 😅

[@qwerty86381]

it will definitely rust through before engine gives any sort of problem ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@runner3033]

You've got a family heirloom!

[@Soh90]

Lol yeah the little Mitsu is definitely gonna give you a run for your money. I remember back in the early 90’s my mom bought a Toyota Corolla that she swore she would keep until it died. She said she would NOT buy another car until the Corolla was done. In 2005 she flat out give the Corolla away with 250,000 miles on it. Me being the cheeky bastard that I am was like “mom I thought you were gonna keep it till it died? 🤣” She says “no I got tired of waiting for that thing to die. No one should have to drive a 1990 Corolla for as long as I’ve been driving that car” lol. She bought a brand new 2005 Camry SE that she drives till this day.

[@bubbleman2002]

@@Soh90 Toyotas are awesome just because of how many owners they can go through without becoming a piece of shit. A lot of cars are designed with only the first owner's experience in mind, but Toyota's interiors, drive trains, and chassis', are all engineered to go through several owners while still feeling as good as the day they rolled off the dealership lot, provided they are properly maintained. Many other brands, even when well maintained mechanically, have disintegrating seats around where the thigh meets the chair, melting steering wheels, and a rut worn in the carpet or floor mat right where you pivot your foot on its heel from the brake to the gas, but very few Toyotas, even extremely high mileage ones, I've seen these kinds of traditional wear patterns in. For contrast, my place of work has a Nissan Frontier with less than 30,000 miles, which is used as a company vehicle. There is a literal HOLE in the carpet where the driver rests their foot that is deep enough it catches the heel of your shoe if you try to adjust the angle of your foot to the pedal.

[@jnordne2]

I bought a 2019 G4 5 speed a year and a half ago. I bought it with only 10,600 miles on it, now it has 20,500. At ~8k miles/year, I think mine will last a long time.

[@neverendingmods]

That's 3x's the mileage of a Ford focus, Ford Fiesta, all little Chevy cars, etc. Mitsubishi doesn't have many dealers because their vehicles never need dealer servicing. Just oil, brakes, air filters, battery and gas.

[@13bfc]

Mitsubishi doesn't have many dealers cause people aren't buying them, not because their cars don't need dealer service.

[@joefell7845]

​@@13bfcThey are everywhere up here in Maine.

[@m3chan1zr]

And everyone always hated on them for not making the Evo and 3000GT but even when those were in production, they were niche vehicles. I’m glad they’re making good, reliable products.

@@joefell7845 Never see them in AZ.

[@ronaldderooij1774]

My 2015 (almost 9 years old) Mirage CVT has 80.000 miles on it and I had zero defects. Zero oil consumption (yes, it is possible!). I only drive below 60 mph (= speed limit here) on highways. 60 mpg on average. What was replaced? 16 wipers, 2 front brakes (discs and pads), 4 tyres, oil every 10.000 miles, 1 oil change for CVT, a dynamo belt (not a defect, just screaming at cold start), 2 times an alignment (and due again, it is a weak point apparently), a top off of the airco refrigerant, and a small leakage at the roof (just some kit applied). No rust visible, no rattles anywhere. As new.

[@EqyanSaeed701]

you should change your engine oil at 5000 miles not 10K

[@ronaldderooij1774]

@@EqyanSaeed701 I don't see the need. I have driven 6 cars in my life. They all eventually "died" of various causes, but never engine wear related. I had one engine that used oil, because of hardened rubber valve seals. Also not engine oil life related, just old age.

[@EqyanSaeed701]

@@ronaldderooij1774 I'm just driving a Mirage for 8 years (almost 9 years)

[@Scr3amer42]

Stumbled randomly upon this video. I am not a car guy, I don't even own one but I really enjoyed it !! Learnt a bunch of stuff :)) ! Pretty cool content !

[@Camsimsy2k]

I'm impressed by this little engine

[@WorivpuqloDMogh]

Looks well maintained. The skirts is a shame but well, 524.000 kms, it is really cool. That for a 3 cylinder and on top a gasoline one is impressive to say the least

[@PatricioGarcia1973]

if you do regular oil changes it will last forever. I drive a 2015 Toyota Tacoma 4 cyl, currently has 280k miles. Still runs as good as original, also have a BMW 325i from 1989, 472k Km so far

[@JongJande]

Would be interesting to see an EV with a battery after 524.000 km ..... :)

[@combustion1476]

Keep doing the videos the way you are doing them, technical and informative.,well done, new subscribtion added. A great little engine indeed !

[@Oddman1980]

I bought a 2017 G4 with a 5 speed brand new, and the only issue I've had with it is having to replace the oil pan because the ham-fisted teenager doing oil changes at the dealer damaged mine. The entire car seems to be built so that a normal person can take it all the way apart with socket wrenches.

[@roger__100]

Nice video, thanks for sharing. It would be nice to see the engine assembled and working again.

[@ChiefOL78]

I'm still in shock at how amazing those rod bearings look after all that time. Good design + good maintenance gets you that I guess.

[@MattyClivingthedream]

Anything Mitsubishi that was designed and built from the mid 90's on is builtproof if the servicing is kept up. Late G series engines, and all of B, K and J series are as good as any Toyota in terms of reliability.

[@eb6522]

One of the best cars I've had as reliable as it gets, and this just proves how good they are. Their cars are well designed and well built , always.

[@warrenbuchanan8602]

i think one reason a lot of smaller engines last a long time compared with many larger engines with everything else being equal (like quality of bearings, quality of assembly,for instance), is that they hold more crankcase oil, in proportion to their size/displacement than the typical larger engine does. for example a ford 302 or small block chevrolet holds 5 quarts i think with the filter (this is the older models i am talking about, like the 60's and 70's ones, i don't know much about the later versions), yet for example i have a factory service manual for the toyota 20R engine and it says the oil capacity is 3.9 quarts for the pickup, and 4.1 for the corona, if i remember right. so , you have a 2.2 liter engine as opposed to a 5 or 5.7 liter engine, less than half the displacement , but it has much more than half of the amount of crankcase oil to circulate and lube everything. half as many pistons, half as many rings, the same amount of main bearings as most V-8's but they are probably smaller/less surface on the toyota, less camshaft bearings, and half as many camshaft lobes and half as many rod bearings. surely the oil stays cleaner in the smaller engine with everything else being the same such as amount of blowby the engine has (which contaminates the oil faster), and the frequency of oil and filter changes

[@christopherswanson1628]

Mainly, it comes down to less moving parts and low horsepower. Horsepower and torque increase wear on the engine and transmission.

[@timothykeith1367]

The smallest enginees are substantially oil cooled, although none has an external oil cooler.

[@cruiser6260]

​@@christopherswanson1628bearing surface area, quality of metal and oil pressure are the main culprits in long life engines also. You saw the large surface area of the main bearings and oil squiting holes in the vid. Older Volvo 4 cyl B21 and B23 and Toyota A family 1988-2002 have the same.and well known for doing 500'000 km

[@rotaxtwin]

Damn, it's pristine inside. When you popped that valve cover off I couldn't believe it. I'm used to (and it's been a long time) pulling apart greasy carbureted engines that have been rather neglected and leak oil everywhere. This was like something under a jewelry counter. Old smogger carb'd junk was alwasy so incredibly coked and and just plain done. This could go back together with just new pistons and the bores cleaned up. Thanks to your frequent maintenance.

[@michaelw6277]

I’m really happy to see that these cars can go the distance. It’s great that such affordable cars like this still exist.

[@yxmichaelxyyxmichaelxy3074]

Not any more. Discontinued.

[@Anthik]

@@yxmichaelxyyxmichaelxy3074 depends on the country, just bought one new in italy

[@yxmichaelxyyxmichaelxy3074]

@@Anthik The Mitsubishi is in its last year of production.

[@Anthik]

@@yxmichaelxyyxmichaelxy3074 sad

[@ВГаража]

Send this to Doug Demuro. I agree that the car is basic and cheap, but the amount of kilometres gained and the condition of the engine is pretty remarkable.

[@timothykeith1367]

Demuro have the Mirage a poor review

[@strawboss59]

I ran a Diesel version of this engine in a Smart 4-2 & the engine was the only system in that car that was bullet proof, so when I moved on to a newer car all I did was look for a new car with the same block as the 4-2.....voila, the Mirage! If the 4-2's running gear/transmission was as reliable as the Mirage's I would still be driving it.

[@regan44017]

The Smart Fortwo diesel is a Mercedes OM660. It is only the second-generation petrol onwards that run the Mitsubishi 3B21 - entirely different block to the 3A90/3A92 in the Mirage.

[@ouch9326]

they had carbon fiber structure for crash saftey on one fo them, mercedes was saying theirs is just as safe os their s class they crashed it into. if it could keep its low end height up in the moment of a crash sort of like audi a 8 suspension precrash geomtry change , itd maybe be the saftest car ever too . but thats like 30k for a compact 4 seater whos competition is around 15k-20k

[@r0ast5_61]

Got one for a longer term rental, i carry 60 lbs of equipment in my car and im 230lbs. It was super slow but sipped fuel and ran like a watch. I dailied a kia Rio which was way faster but engine codes galore at the time. decided to split the different with a honda fit. 200k miles and it runs like new

[@rollymignacca4821]

Goes to show that maintenance is key. Thank you Sir for the video.

[@mummohacker]

Not only that, but shows how well engine is designed. Try to push too much torque or power and it dies faster

[@Thomas63r2]

Unless the oil pressure was low from bearing wear, the noise was most likely just a needed valve lash adjustment with different shims in the lifter buckets. Lots of life was still in both of these engines.

[@zef1097]

I heard these engines can get piston slap, so it might have been that. I hope he properly diagnosed the engine before replacing it or scrapped the car.

[@ianrobertson3419]

Piston slap, cylinder scoring and wear. It was running but power and efficiency would be reduced. Valve lash would make noise but it's the easiest thing to check before even removing the engine.

[@Thomas63r2]

@@ianrobertson3419 The thrust side piston skirt wear shown in the video is mild, especially considering the miles. He said that it was running and drove fine and was in daily use, just that it was noisy for the last year or so. The bucket shim valve lash is a very robust design and often never needs adjustment for the life of the vehicle - but at this mileage would not be an unexpected service. I was especially impressed with how nice the camshafts looked.

[@ianrobertson3419]

@@Thomas63r2 the pistons are worn on the skirts and scored the cylinder. The rings are no doubt worn too. When those things happen it'll still run but it will make noise and produce less power. A simple compression check would show how much.

[@Thomas63r2]

@@ianrobertson3419 I've seen so much worse on engines with a fraction of the mileage compared to this engine, He said it was running and driving just fine, I don't believe there were any oil consumption issues and they had already been driving it for ~ a year with it being noisier. I think its likely that because of the mileage that after the engine was noisier the decision was made to be on the hunt for a low mileage salvage engine as being a less expensive fix than an overhaul. They just kept driving it until the right engine became available.

[@Jamouse200]

Could you make a video about your recommendation for maintaining the mirage. Intervals and what to check. Thanks in advance

[@XX-sl2ir]

Still better than a Hyundai Theta engine 😂

[@glock18supercharger]

Yeap

[@DGTelevsionNetwork]

A bicycle is better than a Kia/Hyundai product.

[@EdmundSampson-pd7vi]

The older Hyundai Exels engine was suprisingly durable. There was Turbo kit that sold that could be pretty much bolt on pretty much ready to go, so they could even handle a little boost

[@jessebrook1688]

Is that what went onto the Scoupe? Those engines are basically Mitsubishis, and the good Mitsubishis, too: 4G15s are durable engines.

[@crown674]

​@@jessebrook1688 It was the Sirius (licensed 4G15) and Alpha. Theta appeared in 2004.

[@tikiman48]

Man if those pistons had cooling jets this motor would last a lifetime

[@MetaView7]

Why did you break it up? This engine could do another 300k. Noisy? Maybe it needs a timing chain and lifters?

[@turdpailsandtrails]

Probably could have kept it going but it was low on power and noisy af. It was easier, quicker and cheaper to just replace the engine with one of the dozen I had sitting in the shelf than try to scab the old one.

[@jungleexplor]

Thank you for making these awesome videos!! ❤❤

[@hajileserpud9539]

The Mitsubishi Mirage is a great Econobox automobile !!! People hate on these cars acting like its a BMW or Ford Focus, its a cheap car with a small engine that gives great gas mileage. Just buy some extra padding for the drivers seat and you will be ok😅

[@platec4798]

I have a manual trans Mirage and I maintain it very well and drive it like a rally car at times. Best little car I have ever owned. Very reliable and easy on fuel. Never once has it let me down. Far more reliable than some more expensive vehicles that I have owned in the past and currently own as well. Note sure what the stuff is on the oil pickup tube. I am wondering if its glue pieces from oil filters. Some filters have glue holding them together. I think the clatter sound is from the crown of the piston tapping the side of the block and the piston goes up and down. Let its clatter on and keep driving. When it grenades itself on my car, I will take my snow brush and plate off the car, leave it in the intersection blocking traffic and take an Uber for the rest of the way home. LOL I enjoyed your tear down. I have always wondered what the inside of one of these engines look like. Plate C

[@turdpailsandtrails]

My personal beater 2014 Mirage is the lowest cost of ownership car I've owned. I bought it used a couple years ago with around 300k for $1000 and a wonky cvt. Drove it 6 month then spun a rod bearing! I was thinking of scraping it but found a used engine and cvt with under 10k kms for $1200 from LKQ. It should be good til it rots away or someone crashes into me. I don't have theft insurance on it cause I can't even program a key for it with my scan tool like I can with other mfg so chances are low that it's getting stolen. And it's a Mirage so that itself is a theft deterrent. The 5spds You might be right about the oil filter glue. There's nothing in these engines that's red like that. I've only used oem mitsu and wix filters in these cars. And I think that noise is piston slap too. It could have kept going a lot longer, it just sounded like a diesel and nobody wanted to drive it cause they were afraid it was going to blow up.

[@pietmahli282]

My friend bought one in 2017 n still driving it, it never had problems, what a car 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

[@super_slav91]

My nissan Pulsar had 498,000km before I sold it and still did not burn a drop and I serviced it every 10,000km with semi synthetic, was an SR20DE manual 5 speed 1998 n15 Pulsar. My dads Fiat Qubo has 400,000 on it only glow plug replaced once, Renault Megane 750,000 before rust was an issue, Peugeot 407 wagon 780,000. And now the most I have seen my Uncles w124 Mercedes 5 cylinder non turbo diesel, 1.4 million, zero issues aside from some old vacuum lines replaced once. 0-100 times on a calender though and 5 speed manual.

[@alessandroserrao9422]

My Honda Jazz 2005 at 204000km has had all kind of problems, including exploded bearings into the gearbox at 110000km, rear main seal leaking, alternator overcharging at 200000km, water leak into the car (all seam on the body panels is crackng because of age). Tell about japanese quality...

[@super_slav91]

@@alessandroserrao9422 My dad's jazz was an early build, 2002 or 2003, absolute shit box, AC dead at 50k, burning oil 1l per 1000km by 230,000km, power steering dead 2 times during ownership water pump dead 3 times, oil leaks, water leaks inside, electrical gremlins needed new head and piston rings he sold it before the rings were fixed at 230k. it was an absolute dog of a car and it was gutless, you needed to redline it to get anywhere. Plus side its gearbox was good, you needed it to be because a fast shift was needed if you lost momentum you would stall up the slightest incline, his 3 pot daewoo spark was more reliable albeit built like a childs toy.

[@alessandroserrao9422]

@@super_slav91I absolutely agree. Alternator that overcharges the battery (that lasts 2years if you're lucky) and make all the light flicker, the Takata scandal (they swapper two airbags inflator for that), rust everywhere due to the seam sealant cracking everywhere in the body, I had to throw away all the carpet underside, because some smarties at Honda made them of sponge. It was all wet for years of leakage. Rear tyrewell full of water because of this very same problem (the gutters on the roof were all cracked). The engine misfire al lot (known problem of the coils going bad). The gearbox failure at an early stage, all documented by TSBs by Honda (it's not bad luck). Never again a japanese car.

[@super_slav91]

@@alessandroserrao9422 And they are hard to work on, people give me crap for saying VW's are hard to work on, they are pretty straight forward, the front light bulb is hard to get too in the Jazz, I had to take the wheel off and arch lining. Alternator overcharge damn I have never heard of that happening but then again Honda, My Skoda had the airbag replaced, VAG paid for it, they accept warranty claims unlike Honda and Toyota at least in Australia.

[@alessandroserrao9422]

@@super_slav91Hondas in particular are bad enginereed to work on. I had to remove the front bumper and light assembly to replace the fucking bulbs. Evil. Imagine to be force to do it on an highway at night... Ahahahahah... The flickering problem is common.

[@wildbill6366]

That's amazing but that kind of mileage!!! Good maintenance and good engineering❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉

[@u.e.u.e.]

OMG! The camshafts look almost brand new! 🤩👍 Does the engine have port injection? How about having a look if the valves are dirty and probably causing the noise?

[@owenconnolly3041]

Excellent Tear down Video Man !!

[@sepg5084]

The fact that this economy car lived to half a million kilometers is an achievement.

[@Komputar]

*Still alive when dismembered* was making noise only

[@turdpailsandtrails]

@Komputar it was down on power but still useable, just sounded like crap.

[@lungduan240]

great video, thanks, but what about transmission? how many transmission have you gone through? and what other troubles with that car? such as starter, water pump, etc. please let us know. thanks

[@rider9187]

Kudos to Mitsubishi for still making cheap and reliable cars for people.

[@MrIMCP]

Don't ever let you engine components become wear items, keep that oil fresh and full!!!!

[@antipathous]

Simple cars like this are great. Nothing fancy to break. As long as the engine is reliable, the car goes forever and is cheap to keep going. I don't think people realize how getting such a simple car can reduce their expenses and hassles so much and they're all convinced that they need to tick the 'yes' box to as many features that they can afford.

There are plenty things to go wrong other than the engine!

[@tomc8157]

Sometimes the worst car is the best car. I have a 2004 Neon RT, just hit 300k and runs awesome. Original drive train and almost everything else.

[@no-damn-alias]

Don't know why everybody hated the Mirage. It's a good car. Exceptional value and good reliability. Of course you need to change the oil regularly which was the case with this engine

[@802Garage]

Value, yes. Reliability likely average. Safety minimal. They are good basic transportation for the lowest price. You might call them a minimum viable product.

[@no-damn-alias]

@@802Garage Reliability is definetly above everything that European and American car brands build. Don't try to tell me that the Chevy Equinox is as reliable. Probably average for Japanese cars which is exceptional in my opinion. A/C, automatic transmission, radio, electric windows, central locking etc. definetly make it more than a minimum viable product. Of course that car is not made to eat miles on the highway.

[@802Garage]

@@no-damn-alias I guess my standard is usually based on Japanese cars, hahaha. There are some American engines I'd trust for several hundred thousand miles, but rarely the rest of the vehicle. Euro there are some engines that can go forever, often with a bit more expensive expected maintenance, and at least the chassis are well made. I pretty much stick with Japanese brands though and personally own something like 10 cars with 200-350k miles on them. Mostly Subaru, despite what internet memes will tell you. Family has owned tens of 200,000+ mile Subarus in the last couple decades. The reason the Mirage is reliably largely has to do with how little there is to go wrong and how small and light it is. That's why I say likely average reliability. It kinda depends on what lens you're using. Are the individual components actually reliable and well made, or is the car just simple and not hard on its parts? Two sides of the same coin I guess. Definitely cheap to own all said and done! Mitsubish tends to fight for last place in Japanese reliability with Nissan. At least the Mirage was really cheap. Overall, I agree with what you're saying.

[@no-damn-alias]

@@802Garage well American engines tend to have little power for their size and to not be the most economical. Well Subaru is another horse. Mostly reliable but again in my eyes not very fuel efficient. That might be not as important over in the US where fuel is very cheap. Yes some Euro cars are fine and worthwile buying in Europe as parts are very very cheap for them over here and readily available. Problem are luxury euro cars where a lot of stuff is just a pain to change or maintain

[@gingernutpreacher]

In "Europe" it was there handling was not on par with vw up. peg 106 ect

[@canuckfixit7722]

This clearly demonstrates how frequent oil changes extend the life of any engine, even cheap little 3-cylinder mills like this one. Real clean inside and good bearings.

[@cruiser6260]

It did 400'000 on the regular service interval and only the last 125'000 on shorter schedule

[@gregpadberg1402]

Is that a cam phaser for VVT that I noticed? Those were a problem for Fords in the Triton engines. Does the car also have CVT? I'm also a bit leery of the CVT issues that some manufacturers have. I'm wondering what the your typical driving is like, to put so many km on the car(s). Also what other vehicles may be in the fleet.

[@turdpailsandtrails]

Yeah the on cam is variable. I just read about some 4cyl mits engines having phaser issues too. I tore it open the other day. I should have included that in this video. I’ll try for the next one. There’s a pile of these mirages in the fleet. I maintain 30-40 of them 2015-2023’s. All are cvts. I replaced the cvt in this car at 300k km, I had a few others fail around the same mileage. I started changing fluid more often(try for 50k km/30k miles) and they seem to last much longer now. I haven’t had one fail in a couple years now, iirc. The highest mileage mirage cvt in the fleet is a 2017 with over 530k kms. There are some Nissans with different Jatco cvts that are holding up great(shocking) and some chevy/daewoo trash. As for driving, this 524k car was used mostly on the highway for the first 400k. Did 12,000km a month by one person. Then the last 125k were mainly in town/city. Used by multiple people.

[@Carnold_YT]

If I may ask, in what fleet were these cars used? Delivery or something?

[@leegnichols7501]

Wow, this video is impressive. I had a 1987 Hyundai Excel, essentially a clone of the Mitsubishi Mirage. When it hit 10 years and 60,000 miles I wasn't inclined to keep it, but the Hyundai dealer convinced me to do the 60K service @$1,500. "It will run to 100,000 miles"he promised. But the engine was dying a year later @63,000😱a reputable mechanic convinced me to ditch it,"everything on this car is cheap, don't repair it"🙁so i donated it to a charity, very disappointed 🙁since then, I've sworn never again to own a Hyundai or Mitsubishi...but, have to admit, your Mirage is a minor miracle! Congratulations ❗

[@turdpailsandtrails]

I maintained a fleet of these things that were used as delivery cars for the last 10 years. There was almost 40 at one time. I have 2 of my own too. They easy to work on. I had an 86 excel too. It was an oil burning turd with a slipping clutch. Reverse opening hood. It didn’t share any parts with the Mirage that I’m aware of. The Dodge Colt was a rebadged Mitsubishi.

[@leegnichols7501]

@turdpailsandtrails thank you...sorry your Excel was a lemon too... I can see you know much more than me , but everything I read says the 86 Excel had the drivetrain and similar body of the 83 Mirage in Japan that was rebadged Mitsubishi Precis!?

[@jugobetrugo7213]

Pistons & Cylinders are done. Everything else looks okay-ish for 500k+ km

[@MyWatchIsEnded]

The part that surprises me about Mitsubishi's reputation is the fact that people are unaware that Mitsubishi owns Mitsubishi heavy industries for electronics and hydraulics and general commercial goods which transfers into their own product lineup with some of the best electronics and wiring you can find on any vehicle. I had a 2008 Mitsubishi outlander that have been crashed repeatedly and owned by a crackhead who then abandoned it and it was slept in by a homeless person for like a year. We changed the battery and I changed the valve cover gaskets and the spark plugs and it ran like it was brand new. If that is in the testimony to the quality of the components I don't think anything will.

[@Blair62]

The cams looked absolutely pristine. Did you ever experiment with any other viscosity oil? Or do they all get 0w-20 for their entire lives?

[@turdpailsandtrails]

Ran 0w20 right from new. I might have dumped some 5w30 synthetic-blend in it for the last few oil changes to see if it would quiet down. It didn’t.

[@gkauto1959]

ever figure out just what made the clacking noise at Idle? Im thinking it was from excess valve clearance? Like if you were to rebuild that cylinder head, you would have to replace each cup somewhat thicker to take up the excess slack and noise?@@turdpailsandtrails

[@williambeck6364]

154,000 miles on my 2018 Mirage SE $13,790 OUT-THE-DOOR with the automatic and all the goodies. Compared to other folks, I feel like I'm almost driving for free. I expect to get another 100,000 miles out of it!