FTO AUSTRALIA

For about a month now my FTO makes a sorta coughing sound when it is cold, it is due to weak valve springs and bent or burnt valves, I've narrowed it down to the exhaust valves in the front bank but don't know which one, so insted of replacing 1 I'm going to replace the lot.

I think this started after I hit the speed limiter, but the main thing is I'm going to replace the valves, valve springs, valve stem seals, collets(I think thats how you spell it), and then theres the head gasket, headbolts and anything else that I forgot to add in.

I went to Mitsubishi today to buy that little plastic thingy that sits around the tappet, they didn't have it listed on there system, and then I asked for prices for the stuff above, they didn't have any of that listed except for the head gasket, I know RPW have got some of the stuff like the valve springs and that, would anyone know where to get parts like the collets and valve stem seals from.

try http://www.kempys.co.nz/

I went to Mitsubishi today to buy that little plastic thingy that sits around the tappet, they didn't have it listed on there system

Depends upon the dealer.........may pay to have a ring around.

I have no problems with genuine parts for the FTO through my local Mitsu dealer in Hobart. I have a copy of the workshop manual but don't need it as they are happy to look everything up.

Bought a whole heap of bits and pieces including my "plastic things" and a heaps of seals about 6 months ago when having some work done.

Cheers

Chris

If you've got the heads off, the complete head gasket kit comes with all the valve seals. The plastic collets (retainers) come from Nihon in QLD.

If you want to replace valves, springs & guides then as Dannyboy mentioned kempys is probably the best place to get replacements. Going to an ordinary wrecker could see you getting springs that are just as pounded as yours. As the springs get old & pounded they tend to loose their seat pressure (ie spring rate weakens.) So if you wanna upgrade then thats doable too. You'll just need the spring diametre, height & seat pressure you require & approach a company like Performance Springs (http://www.performancesprings.com.au/) in QLD & they will find you a suitable spring

Collets are the small metal lugs that lock the spring retainer onto the top of the spring & connect the whole assembly to the valve. Its not something that usually get all that worn. If it is worn, you'll find that being a soft metal, it 'elastically' deforms. In other words, if they looks outta shape, then they are probably shot.

Thanks for your help guys, I will start making some calls, I want to replace everything in the head so I won't have any problem in the near future.
I will do most of the work myself except getting the valves installed, I want them to be installed so that they seal properly and I will get it all pressure tested, I want my FTO to run smooth again.

have you done a compression test. ?

I would be very surprised if the springs need replacing, i would get them checked at a head reconditioning workshop.

they will have a spring compression tester.

Have you cooked the motor?

if there is a cylinder compression problem it would most likely be burn't out valve, which could be caused by not keeping the valve clearances correct or using cheap fuel whilst having a faulty O2 sensor

do you relise the cost of replacing everything you listed?

most of the items you listed should be ok

head bolts are a stretch bolt and you just need to check there length and if they are longer than the maximum length in the workshop manual then you replace them. If you are going to buy a new set of headbolts i would get ARP head studs. If you need head bolts i can sell you some at half the cost of new ones.

Yeah I know all the stuff I have listed is going to cost a lot, I have diagnosed that one of the exhaust on the front bank is faulty as in burnt or bent, I also hooked up a vacuume gauge to see if the intake valves and that are ok, they seem find, but if I do the lot I know I won't have to worry about any thing in the near future.

I can get most of these parts with a trade discount and I will do most of the work myself so that should keep the price down.

Also another thing is the little plastic thingy that sits around the tappet, I'm worried about it, my FTO still starts and sounds fine, doesn't make any weird noises, does anyone know if it is a major thing, I went to mitsubishi 2 days ago to get one, but they didn't have it listed on there system, and said they were going to contact me the next day to see what they were going to do, they haven't contacted me yet.

how did you diagnose that one of the exhaust valves on the front bank is faulty as in burnt or bent.

I am also curious as to how you checked the intake valves with a vacum gauge

well with the exhaust, when it was cold you could hear the poping sound from the faulty valve from the front bank only, I know sorta a rough diagnosis.

With the vacuum gauge the needle will bounce if one of the intake valves are faulty, the pressure of the gases being compressed in the combustion chamber will leak back into the inlet manifold making the needle bounce, mine didn't bounce.

The vacuum gauge can tell a lot more aswell...it can tell if you have weak valve springs aswell, at idle the needle will slightly move up and down occationally meaning you have weak valve springs, or something along those lines.

Get another opinion, if the car is running strongly at high revs then I doubt it's a bent valve. A weak spring is also going to show up at high RPM much worse then at idle.

Also how did you bend a valve by hitting the speed limiter it only cuts the fuel, so on a really bad day you might melt a piston, but bend a valve?

Also get an endoscope and have a look at the piston crowns if you have a weak velve spring then you will get valve float and you should see the marks on the piston from where the valve hits it.

Or it could be just a bent rocker or a badly adjusted valve clearence????

BobZ

This is only happening when the engine is cold, when it has warmed up, it disappears...I'm not sure if it is a bent or burnt valve, I don't think it would be the tappet, I check that a week and a half ago.

A Endoscope sounds like a good Idea, but I don't have one and I don't think we have one at work, I'm not even sure that this was caused but me hitting the speed limiter, I only hit it once, it was the last thing that I did when I noticed the noise a day later.

before you start replacing parts of your head you should do a compression test first
If there is more than 20% variation between your highest pressure and lowest pressure then there might be a problem in the combustion chamber that needs further investigation.
then do a cylinder leakage test to determine if it is ehaustvalve, inlet valve or rings that are leaking.

Are you a qualified mechanic?

I suggest you consult with one if your not or you could waste a lot of money for nothing.

it could be something as simple as a leaking inlet manifold gasket or a faulty O2 sensor. have the fault codes been checked with a MUTII

I'm only a apprentice mechanic, I know this job is going to cost a lot, it disappears when the engine has warmed up.
If this is going to cost me too much I might aswell get a halfcut of a galant or a legnum and drop in a 6a13, I always wanted it turbo'd, I have seen a few legnum haftcuts for around $3,500, but it feels like a waste as my car has only done 53,000km and there is still heaps of life in the motor.

talk with some of the senior mechanics where you work. with the low ks i don't think you will need to replace valve springs. I think it is more likely something else. Burnt valve wont dissapear when it gets hot. There are so many things that can cause problems.

could be stepper motor or a faulty sensor,

hook up a mut II and check your fault codes

Mut II - is that the mitsubishi diagnostic computer, at work we only go Tech 1 and Tech 2 which is the holden diagnostic computer, I guess I will have to book my car in at mitsubishi to see if there are any fault codes stores in the ECU.

I hope it doesn't get any worse as it only happens when it is cold, but thanks for all your help guys.

i highly doubt its the valves!

Do a full service first! I reckon it could be as basic as the spark plugs! I dont see hitting the rev limiter once could pose such a problem!

If its a bet valve then you'll have problems all the time! It could be a faulty sensor, blocked cat etc!

it won't be the spark plugs because I replaced them with platimun tip ones when I did my tappets, I think it was a bit silly changing them all to platimun as they were $21 each, but I guess I won't have to change them for a long time...I still got to get it booked in to see if there are any fault codes stored, that will tell me if there is a dead sensor.

does hitting the speed limiter does that much damage (like bending the valves and melting the pistons and sh*t)
man is that ahy i cooked my gasket? i went to woolongong and on ma way back went to 180 kms/hr a few times. once stayed there for about 3 to 4 mins. Man now why did i do that???

First thing, edit your post so you don't have anything that's incriminating in it.

I can't remember if the limiter is a spark cut or a fuel cut (I think it's a fuel cut). But it shouldn't affect anything mechanical (I say shouldn't because there could be something else external that could be triggered)

I'm not saying that me hitting the speed limiter caused my engine to pop and cough when it is cold but it was the last thing that I done since I noice it started doing this.
But the thing is my enigine runs smooth and quiet once it has warmed up, ever since I got the exhaust done people say it sounds like a Porsche.