Evo III - What to look for..

[colt16v]

Hey..

At first, this is my first post here, so if its in the wrong section, let me know and i will make up for it.

Im on the lookouts for a 1995 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III, and as a daily Mitsubishi driver, i know the general faults/errors, but the evo is a bit different to my 1995 Colt/Mirage 1.8 GTi

I know that Mitsubishi in general have problems with the transmission, the manual gearbox for the most part. Are they also weak on the Evo? Im thinking both the syncros and bearings. And how does the transmission respond to performance increase? The car is a huge investment for me due to silly taxes, so im thinking about 350-400hp, or what ever is possible without opening the engine.

But other than that, are there anything else i need to look out for? Ive heard about rust in the roof, due to some glue, but i dont know if its true.

Thanks

 

[Liberoz]

I know that Mitsubishi in general have problems with the transmission, the manual gearbox for the most part.

Thats a big generalisation. :roll: We are specifically talking the CE9A EIII here aren't we?

Are they also weak on the Evo? Im thinking both the syncros and bearings.

The EIII has a strong box with double syncros Also depends on the drivers ability to treat the box with respect for any gearbox to last!

so im thinking about 350-400hp, or what ever is possible without opening the engine.

:lol: Good luck with your quest you'll definately need it without opening the engine (RE: Target about 350-400hp)

But other than that, are there anything else i need to look out for? Ive heard about rust in the roof, due to some glue, but i dont know if its true.

Roof Rust due to dodgy panel sealant doesnt apply to models after 94 when the sealant was stopped being used on the production line.

And welcome to T4G

 

[tUfRiCe]

look out for general wear an tear as ure buying a car that is 15yrs old so suspension....gearbox's.....engine....turbo....bushes....diff's.... try ensure they are in good health not impossible check for previous crash repair just be smart its alot of money an for what they go for have u considered a 6?

 

[progkamol]

For the EVOs, the gearbox is the strongest part (in my opinion & as well as many others) ... the standard box will handle heap of HP unlike the S15 box that often shat itself when goes over 350HP :lol:

 

[colt16v]

look out for general wear an tear as ure buying a car that is 15yrs old so suspension....gearbox's.....engine....turbo....bushes....diff's.... try ensure they are in good health not impossible check for previous crash repair just be smart its alot of money an for what they go for have u considered a 6?

It is indeed alot of money, and to this comes the answer to why i am not buying a Evo 6. In short, i pay 180% in tax when registrering a new car in my country, so even though a Evo 6 is not much more expensive to buy, paying the tax is. I expect the evo 3 to cost me around 23-25.000 USD, and a Evo 6 would be around 50.000 USD. A shame really, because i actually prefer the Evo 6.

Anyway @ Liberoz, im sorry to generalise, but Mitsubishi are known for their rather weak transmissions in normal street- and offroad vehicles, and i have heard that the Evo transmissions were no exceptions, but as i can understand, this is not the case

What i am surprised to hear, is that people think the engine wont handle 350-400hp on stock internals. Ive been told that the 4G63 will handle safely up to 400hp on stock conrods.

Are the engine in the Evo 3, 6 or 7 bolt?

 

[Liberoz]

I expect the evo 3 to cost me around 23-25.000 USD, and a Evo 6 would be around 50.000 USD. A shame really, because i actually prefer the Evo 6.

Now I know why they are becoming few and far between here in aust when they can sell them to countries like yours for almost triple the price.

i have heard that the Evo transmissions were no exceptions, but as i can understand, this is not the case

What i am surprised to hear, is that people think the engine wont handle 350-400hp on stock internals. Ive been told that the 4G63 will handle safely up to 400hp on stock conrods.

You are confusing the EvoIII engine (second generation) to the Galant VR4 engine (first gen)

Are the engine in the Evo 3, 6 or 7 bolt?

Evo1-3 = 7bolt
VR4= 6 bolt

 

[colt16v]

Well, the car itself doesnt cost that much, around 7-8.000 USD. Its the taxes and general expenses that makes it this high..

Is it possible to swap the Evo 3 head and other parts to a VR4 6 bolt block, if i got a hold of one?



Thanks for your replies everyone, its helping me alot :lol:

 

[marinetowing]

Is it possible to swap the Evo 3 head and other parts to a VR4 6 bolt block, if i got a hold of one?

yes http://4gtuner.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=9304&highlight=vr4+head

 

[Liberoz]

Yes but why would you as it will cost alot more and I thought you were on a tight budget.
Money would be better spent on forged internals for the EIII engine which would hold tons more than a stock VR4 block rods & pistons anyways.(unless you can get a very cheap VR4 block with low KMs that doesnt require a rebuild anyways)

 

[colt16v]

Well, my budget is not that tight, and things are gonna happen over time. I just got the impression from the DSM forums that crankwalk would happen, even if you did forge the internals..

Sorry if im causing trouble, im just trying to get the pieces together, as one says this and another says that..

 

[fr0st]

I haven't heard of an Evo I-III having problems with crankwalk...

I believe it was the 2g eclipse/talons that had that problem... but then again I could be wrong and I haven't owned one, but really any car can get crank walk its just the 2g eclipse are REALLY bad for it.

 

[DOUGMO]

well my evo 2 4g63(which is a 7 bolt like all evos)or 2g if you like had massive crank walk, so its not just american cars at all.

there are many different thoughts on why it happens but i can confirm it does

 

[fr0st]

I'm not saying that evo's aren't immune to crankwalk... just that some are more prone then others

 

[tentacles]

Here's the thing - Due to a American safety standards quirk, DSMs had a clutch ignition lock. i.e. you had to clutch-in in order to start the car. If the fundamental cause of crank walk that most people subscribe to is correct (oil starvation at the crank bearings) then doing this (cranking the engine with clutch in before the engine is properly oiled) is a very bad thing. That's the only significant difference AFAIK between the DSM engine and rest-of-the-world cars. I suspect that's the reason why DSMs had so many more problems with crankwalk than everyone else.

DSMs were getting crankwalk after 2 or 3 years at 60,000kms. Have you ever heard of an Evo crankwalking at 2 or 3 years old? All the cases I've seen involve rebuilt engines, aftermarket clutches, or other modifications.

 

[Liberoz]

Definitely after market heavy duty clutches and prolonged time with the clutch depress ie. like sitting at the lights ect.

A mate of mine has a E4 replica and it suffered from massive crank walk so much so that it had worn the crank so much that when at its furthermost crank walk it had actually shredded the lower timing belt cover. & it had a twin plate race clutch and heavy duty pressure plate so it can happen with the pull type clutches also.

 

[Liberoz]

I'll try and find the pic's as its pretty horrific