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If you are the owner of a Mitsubishi Triton or Pajero with a 3.2 litre diesel engine (engine series 4M41) you will find the following information very interesting and it could save you a lot of money.

Mitsubishi Timing Chain failure – what’s the issue?

This particular engine incorporates a timing chain guide at the top of the timing chain in the cylinder head. The guide is so designed to dampen the noise from the timing chain when the engine is running. Over time the hard plastic portion of the guide that the timing chain rubs against wears very thin and breaks away. In some cases these broken pieces of guide get caught in the engine timing chain set causing the chain to jump and put the engine components out of time. This results in a massive engine failure and a very hefty repair bill.

If you own one of these vehicles and notice the engine develops a rattling sound, have it inspected immediately and best not to drive the vehicle until you have done so.

At Andrews High Tech, part of our maintenance plan for these vehicles is to replace this chain guide at 90,000 kilometre intervals whilst performing a valve clearance check and adjustment. The guide is quite inexpensive at around $ 25.00 and there is no labour element when replaced it at the time of a valve adjustment.

Mitsubishi Timing Chain failureView of Mitsubishi diesel engine with rocker cover removed.

Mitsubishi Timing Chain failure - rocker cover removedAbove – View of the top chain guide prone to failure. Note the chain rubbing against the yellow insulator which is the part of the guide that fails.

Mitsubishi Timing Chain failure - side view of timing chain guideAbove – Side view of the top timing chain guide.