Mitsubishi Galant: common faults & what to check

Can't confirm for this car

The 4G63/4G64 four-cylinder and 6A13 V6 engines in the 8th-gen Galant/Legnum are all belt-driven interference designs. A snapped or skipped timing belt lets pistons strike open valves, causing bent valves and catastrophic internal damage. On ~20-year-old imports the belt is often overdue or of unknown age.

Where to look: Front of engine behind the plastic timing cover (crankshaft, camshaft and water pump pulleys)

Parts involved: Timing belt.

Can't confirm for this car

Unconfirmed. This entry does not match our record of which engines and years this model was sold with, and is awaiting review. Confirm it against the car before acting on it.

At high mileage above 100,000 km, the wet clutch disc friction material in the SST twin-clutch unit wears below minimum thickness, causing clutch slip under hard acceleration and high-load upshifts. The SST uses two separate clutch packs for odd and even gear sets. Clutch pack 1 covering 1st, 3rd, and 5th gears typically wears first due to the cumulative load from launches and low-speed engagement cycles. Symptoms include rpm flare without corresponding vehicle acceleration under hard throttle. The TCU can partially mask slip by advancing clutch engagement timing, delaying owner awareness until wear is severe enough to require full clutch pack replacement.

Where to look: SST transmission clutch pack 1 and pack 2 assemblies inside transaxle unit

Parts involved: Clutch.

Can't confirm for this car

Unconfirmed. This entry does not match our record of which engines and years this model was sold with, and is awaiting review. Confirm it against the car before acting on it.

The Sport Shift Transmission twin-clutch unit fitted to the CZ4A Galant Fortis Sport and Ralliart exhibits pronounced shudder and jerky low-speed engagement when operated cold. The wet clutch packs require Mitsubishi-specific SST fluid and deteriorate rapidly when contaminated with conventional ATF or when overheated by aggressive low-speed manoeuvring. Incorrect fluid causes clutch slip at low speed, shuddering on take-off, and rough 1-2 upshifts persisting until the transmission reaches full operating temperature. TCU clutch adaptation gradually compensates for early deterioration, masking the underlying wear.

Where to look: Twin-clutch transmission transaxle unit, clutch pack assemblies 1 and 2

Parts involved: Clutch.

Can't confirm for this car

Unconfirmed. This entry does not match our record of which engines and years this model was sold with, and is awaiting review. Confirm it against the car before acting on it.

The hydraulic timing chain tensioner on the 4B11 2.0 MIVEC engine loses oil pressure retention after extended cold soaks at high mileage, typically above 120,000 km. On cold start, the slack chain produces a characteristic metallic rattle for 2 to 5 seconds until oil pressure builds. Worn tensioner ratchet teeth and chain elongation cause progressive timing retard, triggering P0340 or P0345 camshaft position sensor faults. Left unaddressed, the chain can jump a tooth causing catastrophic valve-to-piston contact and bent valves.

Example of the part — not this vehicle

Where to look: Front of engine at timing chain cover, upper hydraulic chain tensioner and guide rail

Parts involved: Timing chain.

Can't confirm for this car

The 6A12 2.0L DOHC V6 has a documented weakness in the rear cylinder bank head gasket, specifically at the fire ring between cylinders 4 and 5. The rear bank runs at higher thermal load than the front bank due to restricted coolant flow through the longer coolant galleries in the V arrangement, and the narrow bridge of gasket material between the adjacent bores is the point of minimum sealing area. Thermal cycling fatigue causes micro-cracking of the multi-layer steel fire ring, initially allowing combustion pressure to bleed into the coolant circuit (detectable by combustion gas testing) before progressing to coolant loss, white exhaust smoke, and eventual cross-contamination of oil and coolant. The 6A12 also exhibits internal coolant passage corrosion that reduces gasket clamping uniformity, accelerating the failure progression. Engines with any history of overheating are at significantly elevated risk.

Example of the part — not this vehicle

Where to look: Rear bank of the 6A12 V6 — the cylinder bank facing the firewall, at the mating surface between the rear cylinder head and block between the two rearmost cylinders

Parts involved: Head gasket.

Can't confirm for this car

The Galant EA VR-4 and AWD variants use a front differential integrated into the transfer case assembly that distributes drive torque to the front axles via constant velocity joints. The differential's side and pinion bearings are subject to combined loading from drive torque and lateral cornering forces simultaneously, which accelerates wear compared to a rear differential. As bearings wear — most commonly from contaminated or low differential oil resulting from missed service intervals on imported vehicles — a distinctive load-dependent humming or droning develops. The noise pitch changes as the vehicle turns left or right, shifting the lateral bearing load between the two sides. The front differential is difficult to access independently and differential oil is routinely omitted from service schedules, meaning this failure is directly linked to maintenance neglect on NZ/AU imports.

Where to look: Front of the drivetrain — front differential housing integrated with the AWD transfer case, driver-side of the engine bay behind the front differential output shafts

Parts involved: Differential.

Can't confirm for this car

The factory radiator uses plastic end tanks that become brittle with age and heat cycling, and the top tank commonly cracks and weeps coolant on the 8th-gen Galant/Legnum. Owners widely report the failure and replace the unit with an all-aluminium radiator as a durable fix, particularly important on the turbo VR-4.

Where to look: Radiator top tank (plastic end tank) at the front of the engine bay

Parts involved: Radiator.

Can't confirm for this car

The front lower control arms wear out on these cars, and the ball joint is integral to the arm so the whole arm must be replaced as a unit rather than just the joint. Owners report creaking, squeaking and knocking over bumps as bushings and the ball joint deteriorate with age and kilometres.

Example of the part — not this vehicle

Where to look: Front suspension, lower control arm on each side (ball joint at the outer end)

Parts involved: Ball joint.

Can't confirm for this car

The front lower control arm ball joints on the EA/EC Galant wear prematurely, particularly on high-mileage JDM imports common in the NZ used market. Age-hardened boots crack and allow water ingress, accelerating joint wear. Some variants require full arm replacement as the ball joint cannot be pressed out independently. Failure causes steering wander, clunking, and potential loss of wheel alignment geometry.

Example of the part — not this vehicle

Where to look: Front suspension, lower control arms on both sides

Parts involved: Ball joint.

Can't confirm for this car

The hydraulic power steering rack on the Galant develops internal and external seal leaks with age, causing gradual fluid loss and increasingly heavy or jerky steering. Rack seals harden and crack over time, and leaks are often slow enough to go unnoticed until fluid level is critically low. Full rack replacement is the typical repair at NZ workshop rates as rack rebuilding is rarely cost-effective.

Where to look: Steering rack mounted across the front subframe behind the engine

Parts involved: Steering rack.