Hi All,

Just wondering if anyone has had any experience with getting the valve clearance's checked on the 4n14 engine. As per the owners manual the clearance's are to be checked at 45,000km (just short of 30,000mi), unfortunately my local mechanic did not have the shims to check and the nearest dealer is 2 hours away. I've spoken to the dealer and they suggested that it would be fine to wait until the 60,000 km service. Has anyone experienced anything similar?

Cheers

Simon

 

So I have a completely different engine that has the MIVEC setup

Intake valves, set lash every 30-40,000 miles
Exhaust valves, hydraulic adjusting and never need gapping

Due to the plenum being located over the rear three cylinders and a dealer that seemed mystified at performing the procedure, I went to 110,000 miles before doing them (had to do the spark plugs so took the valve cover off and checked the lash. At 10 years old and 100k on the odometer, they were still set correctly, so I'd say if they're easy to get to on your engine, maybe give it a shot, but if you aren't losing any gas mileage and don't see any increase in emissions, then why break what isn't broken? Now I also say that because the procedure is a serious pain in the butt, usually requiring an adjustment of some sort.

Good luck

 

I have same engine as binzd, have yet to check mine....still have great performance.

 

Thanks for the feedback guys,

Between what I've found on other threads and with your info it sounds like its not a major issue so ill wait till I can get to the dealer to get it sorted.

Much appreciated

Simon

 

Hi skp1000,

Thanks for the post. I have a similar query, but mines more about the checking procedure.

I've been quoted $2400 (Australian Dollars) for a 90,000km service and aparently the "valve clearance check" is the big ticket item.

Is the check really necessary? Why is the 4N14 engine different to any other modern engine in this regard?

Surely off spec valve clearances would be noisy?

 

or if they were tight they would be quiet. Tight valves do more damage so i would advise getting done at schedule.

$2400 AU seems very expensive for a 90000km You do replace trans oil at that service, as well as fuel filter and air filter. I would be getting a quote from another dealer

 

ok, I've been in there because I bent my intake valves with a misaligned belt, it's not an easy procedure, the entire top of the engine has to come off to adjust the rear bank, unless your arms have been broken in six spots to contort to the right angles

yes it makes an awful racket with the wrong lash, guess what, I had to take it all apart again and relash 1 valve and clear the codes it set, I went to automotive school and hate setting valve lash, it's just not a very precise procedure, did I push the feeler gauge in hard enough, did it try to bend even though it fits, can you hold the screw in position while tightening the nut, can you torque the nut correctly and not move the screw

do yourself a favor, leave well enough alone, Mitsubishi does a good job in their build quality and sourcing decent parts (compared to previous cars I've owned) I have not touched the front bank valves and they're just as quiet as the rear bank at 130k miles

 

Thanks Binz,

My Outlander is still in it's 7 year warranty period, so I'm reluctant to skip what's required on the scheduled servicing.

I reckon it's a huge rip-off by the dealer and as you suggest, they shouldn't need adjusting anyway. I'm going to buy the parts (some gaskets) and have a look at what's involved;

 

Thanks DibbyDibbyDJ,

I'm not looking forward to it, but I'm stuffed if I'm paying a Mitsubishi tech almost $2000 to do the job (that's only meant to take a day (that's even if the actually carry out the adjustment). I'm guessing they don't and they keep the $2000 as insurance in case they have to do it when I complain about a noisy valve-train.

Was yours the DiD 1N14 motor? Can you remember the valve clearance settings?

Cheers,

Dave

 

Thanks for the input; most appreciated.

Yep, I agree, too small a valve clearance would be worse, but why would the gap close up? Do valves in a diesel engine recede into the head?

Parts for the 90,000km service are Aus$650 (not including fluids), so it's about Aus$1500 in labour.