Mitsubishi GTO - Buyers Guide & General Info

[Lets Drift]

How to tell the difference between the 3000GT and the GTO

There are lots of GTO's advertised as GT's, especially on e-bay and by some garages. The chassis number on an Jap [JDM] import will always start with Z16A or Z15A followed by numbers. On a 3000GT [U.K. Market] it will begin with a similar number to JMAMNZ16A followed by numbers.

All GTO/3000GT within the UK are V6 3.0 litre constant mesh 4 wheel drive.
Thel Mk 1 versions were fitted with pop-up headlights as standard. The Mk11s’ have twin headlights and other minor cosmetic changes. Not all versions were fitted with 4 wheel steering, this is not present on some MRs or some of the non turbos’. [note; in the case of imports from the U.S.A. the engine size/spec may differ]

3000GT - This is the U.K. version. It only comes as a Twin Turbo model, has full leather upholstery, 13g turbos’, larger brake discs, different nose cone for the Mk1 version [pop-up headlight variety], 5 or 6 speed manual transmission. The Mk 1's have five speed boxes as do some early Mk11's. The later models were fitted with the six speed gearbox. U.K. spec one's will have more chance of a full service history and are usually slightly cheaper to insure.

GTO Twin Turbo - The Japanese import. The trim varies, either full leather or cloth depending on how it left the factory. It will have the smaller 9b turbo's. However it will be the same as the UK spec regards all the gadgets etc. They do not often come with a full serivice history. Reason are often due to the following:
1) Due to it being in Japanese it has been lost/mislaid/destroyed.
2) It would reflect the true mileage of the vehicle and has again been lost/mislaid/destroyed take your pick as this is often done to cover the vehicles real history or in some cases, lack of it. Beware.

GTO N/A - The non turbo [naturally aspirated] version is an import / Jap Spec only. It comes with either a manual or automatic gearbox. There is no an Auto Twin Turbo variety. As with the above, the service history will likely to be non existance. It is not an unreasonably quick alternative. However the manual version has probably had an easier life than most Twins. The Auto's can suffer from dodgy gearboxes, mainly due to neglect in its past life. The auto-boxes need regular servicing with oil and filter changes. The oil cooler needs to be professionally flushed to keep the oil lines clear. There are after market oil coolers available but if it has been looked after the need for one is probably lessened.

If the car has been imported the maximum speed with be limited to 112mph as with any Jap import. You can ask the importer if the car has been delimited when buying a fresh import.

Non Fresh imports and UK spec
Check the V5 [vehicle log book] , make sure any relevant numbers match with the V.I.N [vehicle identification number] plate, this should be at the rear of the engine bay in the center and visible. Make sure the numbers have nott been tampered with or that the plate looks as though it might have been replaced.
Check the chassis number stamped into the bulkhead nearby. The car have an engine changed at some point however it will only ever have one chassis number. The engine number is located on the front of the block near the gearboxend, with the engine type number very close to it. Mitsubishi do not recognize engine numbers on their computer system only chassis numbers.

Ask for any MOT. documentation, when buying from a good dealer you will most likely receive a full 12 months MOT if not then ask for one. Do a HPI check This will only reveal any plate transfers, outstanding finance or write off declarations whilst the vehicle has been registered in the U.K. This does NOT tell you anything about the car's live in Japan if an import.

ENGINE

Always view from cold so you can check idle from cold to normal running temputer.

Open the bonnet, the lever is at the bottom right hand side of the drivers side dash. Check the bonnet opens smoothly. That both rams operate correctly and the bonnet stays open. Check all the fluid and oil levels, low levels of coolants and oils will mean either a leak or not a well maintain car. Don't forget to check the colour of the oil it doesn't want to be black that woud indicate it requires a oil change and possible a engine flush. It is recommended that oil changes occur every 4500 miles on turbo models and 7500 on non turbo versions. Brakd fluid levels should be as nearer he max level rather than min level and the colour should be clean and transparant. A low level may indicate worn pads and not been checked regularly. Dirty brake fluid will mean it's not been changed that often which will adversly effect braking. has probably not been changed for a long time or ever.

Ask the owner to start the engine rather than start it yourself as you will want to found out how owner has been treating the car. There if the owner starts it and revs the life out of it then it's best to walk away. Turbocharged engines should be started and allowed to run at modest revs for a couple of minutes[especially when cold] to allow the oil to circulate and get pumped around the turbo bearings, this will prolong their life. Whilst the engine is being started look at the exhaust emissions. There will probably be some initial vapour content, due to condensation in the massive exhaust system that's normal. However if you see dark or a blue smoke then it's going to be burning oil, probably from one of the following, piston rings, valve guides or the turbos’, in which casewalk away. If there is a white smoke that smells sweet and not condensation burning off then that means a coolant leak of some kind.
If no sweet smelling burning coolant or blue/black burning oil but a white grey colour which will disappear as soon as the engine warms up. Then that's a good indicator of a clean car. When starting from cold the emissions will probably only be evident from one side of the tail pipes, normally the left hand side. This is due to the system having one straight through pipe that splits into two rear silencers, the emissions will follow the easiest way out until revs are increased and the pressure will bring both sides into use. Although some care might have the upgraded so have only one exit pipe.

Return to the engine bay the hydraulic cam followers[tappets] can be a bit noisey initial start on up, not all GTOs’ suffer from this but some do. Recommend a good engine flush with Tappet Cleaner. As long as it not really bad and doesn't go away after the engine has reached the correct engine temp.

Check the turbo's are not making any noises. Turbos can be overhauled from about £200 each and upwards depending on the damage to them.
http://www.turbotechnics.com/index.htm

There is a Y pipe, normally dark grey plastic that attaches to the throttle body housing, this has two inlet ports which are attached to rubber intercooler hoses by jubilee clips, this can tell you lots about the engine. Dis-connect each of the two hoses and look/feel inside them. If there is oil present this an indicator of worn seals within the turbo's. Looking from the front of the engine bay, the left hand pipe runs from the intercooler that supplies the front turbo and the right hand pipe runs from the rear turbo intercooler, this will tell you which, if any or either turbo is worn.

The Y pipes are sometimes updated with an aftermarket version in stainless steel and the hoses are sometimes replaced with a coloured version.

Listen for any squeals from the cam belt area, possibly indicating a worn bearing in either an idler wheel, alternator, power steering pump or even a worn cam belt. These can all be rectified at a price, a cam belt change will cost you about £200 ish but do allow for every component to be changed in the cam-belt system. This price only includes the renewal and fitting of the cam belt itself. The whole recommended job includes the water pump, the cam-belt tensioner, cam-belt idler pulley and the cam-belt tensioner pulley. These components along with a cam-belt will cost anything between £250 to £300 or more plus labour. It is also advisable to have a new thermostat fitted at the same time. The alternator / air con belt idler wheel costs approx £70 and these tend to give a high pitched squeal when worn, it takes anywhere between 30 minutes to one hour to change one of these.

An engine compression check would reveal more but as the front bank of pistons only is accessible this may be difficult, to access the rear bank involves removing the fuel plenum chamber, about an hours work. So not practical when looking at a test drive.
For information purposes the compressions pressures should be as follows;
Non Turbo 185psi minimum of 139psi
Twin Turbo 156psi minimum of 115psi
Maximum variation of not more than 14psi. in cylinders.

Also listen for any other out of place noises that could indicate wear or damage in the engine. In the center of the dash console are three gauges, the left hand one is oil pressure, check this one and keep an eye on it during the test drive, on tick over it will be around the ¼ mark, whilst driving it should be around the half way mark,certainly not lower with the engine under load. The center gauge is the turbo boost gauge, though not an exact reading of what’s going on, it could give you an insight into what’s happening with the turbos. If this rises from just above zero to max in a split second be aware, it could be just a sticky wastegate but it could be worse depending on what mods if any have been fitted, or there could be a simple explanation such as a split hose or one that has been dislodged. The next gauge beside this is the Temperature level. With the engine at normal operating temperature [1/2 way] increase the revs a bit at a time and listen for any unwanted or strange noises from the engine. This may also be a good time to listen for any exhaust leaks, but they should be prominent at idle. Make sure that you check as much of the exhaust system as you physically can, check for repairs or corrosion and leaks, leaking exhaust gases will show up as black sooty stains.
For the non turbo models the same checks apply except anything to do with the Turbo-charging system.

BODYWORK

Give the body work a thorough inspection. Corrosion is not a major problem with GTOs’ so any rust may be as a result from an accident. The paint on the plastic panels may be a bit faded unless it has been regularly polished, especially wing mirrors and the rear spoiler. Colour magic is excellent for keeping this in check.

Make sure the doors open and close properly and shut true to the body.Check the door does not drop when you open it. Make sure the bonnet aligns correctly and does not foul the wing panels and has an equal gap running down both sides.
Do a similar check with the tailgate, as with the bonnet make sure both support stays operate smoothly and it opens and shuts smoothly with equal gaps at both sides.
Inside the car operate the lighting switch and if it is fitted with “ pop-ups”, make sure that they both operate properly in rising and retracting, also see if they are fouling on the paintwork or the side lights[Jap-spec]. Make sure they also work on “flash”. At this point do a normal all round lighting check including horn and wipers and any auxiliary lighting, make sure that there is a rear fog light fitted and that it works. On some models there are also lights for the mirrors on the sun visors, lower them and check that they work.

Whilst checking the outside have a good look at the brake discs, they should be evenly worn and smooth, not pitted or scored with grooves, also depending on which wheels are fitted have a look at the pads. The rear disc covers are terrible for masking wear on the rear disc inner faces, these are often corroded beyond use so then dangerous. The rear discs house the handbrake system, due to the extra machining involved in the manufacture of these discs they are normally more expensive than the front discs harder to fit

Have a good check of the wheels and their rims for damage, standard wheels can be replaced but if it has an after market set it may be very difficult to get the odd replacement. Scratches and marks in the rims can be polished out at a cost. Tyres are expensive at these sizes make sure there’s plenty of tread, have a good look at the inner edges as wear here may not be visible due to their width. Any tyre wear can be a result of either poor tracking, worn suspension components or bad suspension geometry, incorrectly inflated tyres or just age/mileage.

On the later models, Mk11 and Mk111 there were significant changes all round. The pop-up headlights were replaced with enclosed headlights, the earlier ones have a tendency to condensate, this was rectified later on. The body lines remained just as smooth but were changed cosmetically. The main improvements were installing a six speed and stronger transmission and a slightly more powerful and better designed engine with larger turbos’. The engines were fitted with what is known as the four bolt mains. This is indication that the crankshaft has two securing bolts either side of each main bearing, earlier models had only one bolt either side. However, some later Mk 1 models were fitted with the four bolt main bottom end. A fairly good guide to which engine is installed is whether there are wires coming from the cam belt cover front face, there should be two multi block connectors, this would indicate the stronger four bolt main engine. However, there are no problems associated with the earlier two bolt main version anthis shouldn’t be a point for concern or bargaining.

ACTIVE AERO'S

If the vehicle has these there will be a switch in the center console just forward of the gear stick. Turn the ignition to stage one [one click] and press the Aero button, the rear spoiler will flip up. Look under thefront panel, the front spoiler should have dropped, and dropped evenly, this may be distinguished by an Active Aero sticker or what’s left of it in the center. The front aero is not always easily visible and you may have to bend down to see it. Turn the Aeros’ off and make sure they retract. When in the ‘auto’ mode the aeros will activate at 50 m.p.h. and retract at 30 m.p.h.


INSIDE

There is a choice of leather or cloth trims. If it has leather and it’s a bit tatty it will cost up to about a grand to replace it, unless you can either D.I.Y or have contacts in that business, even then it will not be cheap.

The drivers seat is the electric with side and lumbar adjustment.

There is the “Check Engine” light. This is at the bottom left hand side of the instrument cluster, with the ignition turned on all the lights will illuminate, apart from the ignition and handbrake lights these should all cancel after a few seconds. Obviously the ignition will cancel on start up and handbrake when released. Check the central heating [air conditioning/climate control] works through all ranges and the screen illuminates on the in dash unit. In the front left windscreen corner air vent there should be a small circular disc, this is a sensor for your climate control system which works with the air con. This also works in unison with a sensor which is in the centre of the headlining panel. These vents do not seem to be very durable and on most older cars they have cracked or distorted a bit. Replacing them will cost about £25 per side plus labour.
Check that both windows operate smoothly and also the passenger side can be operated from the passenger side switch. Check there are no clunks in the operation of the window. The pulley that the winder operates on can break and they are expensive to replace. If electric retracting mirrors are fitted make sure they work, the switch is forward of the gear stick, between the “active aero” switch and the mirror adjustment control. These were not fitted to some early models and also only an optional extra on U.K. spec models.
The carpet is quite good quality and tends to wear well. The individual carpets though seem to be varied, the originals have either been lost or worn out in most cases. There are companies who can make these with varying options.
Whilst seated check the handbrake free-play, these are easy enough to do quick adjustment on but if the handbrake is worn it means a rear brake strip down to replace the shoes. They are housed within the rear discs. To adjust the handbrake properly it must be adjusted at the brake shoes which are within the rear discs, tightening of the cable only will just stretch the cable.
On the dash there will be an E.C.S. [electronic controlled suspension] button. This has two mode settings Sports or Tour, it will change accordingly when the button is pressed, it will also illuminate in green in the dash panel. When working there will be a distinct difference in the ride between the two settings, the Sport mode will be firmer, it also incorporates an anti dive system and anti squat.

SUSPENSION -STEERING

If the light flashes between the two settings [ sport/tour] it may be a broken sensor wire They are on top of the struts under black plastic three bolt hoods and are simple to repair. Other faults here may be within the E.C.S. system or its’ motor or a worn shock absorber. The E.C.S. shocks are only available from Mitsubishi and again are expensive, fronts are in the region of £300 each and rears are about £200 each. If the light on the dash doesn’t work it may be just a blown bulb but it is more than likely to be due to a fault. What happens is that when a fault occurs the lights will flash between sport / tour and some unscrupulous sellers remove the bulbs so that a buyer is not aware of a fault. The other possibility is that the suspension has been replaced with an upgraded or after market set up. There are variations for this but none of them include the E.C.S. option. H.K.S. now manufacture an after market adjustable electronic suspension set up.
Something else worth checking is the steering racks, both of them front and rear, if they are leaking they will need overhauling, this costs about £200 ish per rack plus labour for removal/refitting. Check there are no signs of power steering fluid around the steering rack gaitors or that they are ballooning due to being overfull of power steering fluid. There should not be any fluid inside the boots at all. The steering system runs at pressures in excess of 1000 p.s.i.

AUTO GEARBOX TRANSMISSION

Check the Fluid level- This is critical and if low/high indicates neglect and you should walk away. Auto boxes do not respond well to incorrect fluid level.
The fluid level is checked with the gearbox hot (take it for a run).
Ensure the car is on a level surface.
With the engine running put the gearlever through all the gears (Including reverse). Don’t forget to put your foot on the brake!
Check using the dipstick (gearbox in neutral). The level should be at the top on the HOT mark.
It should be a nice golden colour - Anything darker indicates neglect-walk away. [ There is an alternative for this, where red oil is used [Dexron 11] but it should not be dis-coloured. M.S.]

History- Service history should reflect gearbox fluid changes every two years-be aware that you can only change half the fluid at a time so skipped intervals are not good.

Gear Selection The car should go into each gear selected smoothly and not ”clunk” Poor gear selection is a sure sign that the gearbox will need attention soon. Don’t forget to check Low (L) and 2nd(2)

Kick down- The transmission computer will kick down the gearbox upon varying applications of throttle. Make sure it works. Also the Pwr/Hold button should alter when the kick down occurs-It will kick down with less throttle in Pwr than Hold.

Overdrive- The switch on the selection lever is for switching the Overdrive On/Off.
Flush is Over Drive on whie Proud is Over Driveoff. When switched off the car will not go into top gear but will hold in 3rd. Also if you are driving along above approx 40mph and switch the Over Drive off the gearbox will change into a lower gear than with it on. Make sure it works as described.

Points of Note.
All the GTOs’ from Japan are 4WD including the Auto’s. (American Spec Auto’s are 2WD)
You cannot buy a UK Spec car with Auto-They never made any.
There are no Twin Turbo Auto’s. If you find one it can only be a converted N/A. This is not good, as the gearbox cannot handle the power.
Some people fit extra oil coolers to the gearbox. Good idea. This will help preserve the life of the box, as heat is the killer of Auto boxes.

MANUAL TRANSMISSION
There are a few early Mk1s with the six speed fitted, this was not a factory option but more of a mod made by owners after the failure of the five speed box. Both versions of the manual transmission are strong enough to cope with everyday life. They do have probems with the output shafts and can be expensive to replace. Parts are available, at a cost, $575 including a seal set from the U.S.A. plus shipping. Fitment can cost anything from £200 ish and upwards. It can be done with the gearbox in situ but the transfer box will have to be removed. Gear changes should be smooth, however the older GTOs have been around for a while now and some tolerance should be made for a little bit of play, the synchros will wear with high mileage.

ROAD TEST

These carsare fitted with 4 wheel steer which is active from 31mph and permanent 4 wheel drive Therefore oversteer is very easy until you get used to the set up. That it for a reasonable test drive incorporating different road layouts , inorder to get a better impression of how the whole system works. You can check the handling and how it sits on the road. Check the brakes and that they pull up firmly and evenly. Brake judder may be as simple as a bit of wheel balancing required, but it could also be down to worn or damaged brake or suspension components. Don't worry if the car has modified brake disc that are grooved you will get a bit of shudder then under hard braking this is nothing to worry about.

Keep an eye on the following, oil pressure, engine temperature and the boost gauge.
In the rear view mirror you will be able to see the rear aero and when it’s working, if there is a fault with this system an “ aero” light will illuminate in the bottom right hand side of the instrument panel. As with testing any motor check the clutch action, Drive off slowly whilst listening for any rattles or vibrations from the engine and gear box area. The transmission on the five speed earlier models is not as strong as the later six speed versions so check it out thoroughly and make sure that all gear changes up and down the box are smooth in action, not notchy.
With a bit of heavy right foot acceleration should be responsive and rather rapid, if there is any lack of response here it may be down to one of several reasons the most expensive being turbo problems. But could as easily be a vaccum line loose or split or even air fuel ratio, o2 sensor not working properly.
On completion of a test drive and for future ownership, allow the engine to idle for a couple of minutes, this is to allow the turbos’ to come back to nominal engine pressure. They run at extremely high speeds and if the engine is cut straight away it will stop oil flow to their bearings and lessen their life span. The way around this problem is to fit a turbo timer.