Lancer EX Running Repairs and Maintenance

[Davy]

11 hours ago, Hyaenidae said:

 

 

That shine! ? Did the chrome side mirror covers come with the car? I doubt they did. 

8 hours ago, K.o.N.o.S said:

Ooh I had forgotten that yours had an Evo spoiler! Love how the wheels fill those arches - just the right amount of low. ?

I just noticed that the body coloured moulding that goes across the middle of the doors are missing in mine. Searched local classifieds and found out that none of the cars here have it. 

By the way @Hyaenidae, here's a DIY thread for you if you want to attempt it yourself. Note that a flushing liquid is used here, but you can skip that step.

I'm sure you can pull it off. I have lost count of the number of times I've done coolant changes myself - it's that easy. 

Edited June 28, 2020 by Davy
Added DIY thread link.

[trinity]

11 hours ago, Hyaenidae said:

 

 

It's like playing NFS MW back in the day... 2nd pic is buying an entry level car at the start of the game and 1st pic is the car after many visits to the tuning shop, ready to face Razor in his ill-gotten BMW  

Damn than color!! You really know how to keep the car pristine.. 

[trinity]

27 minutes ago, Davy said:

That shine! ? Did the chrome side mirror covers come with the car? I doubt they did. 

Ooh I had forgotten that yours had an Evo spoiler! Love how the wheels fill those arches - just the right amount of low. ?

I just noticed that the body coloured moulding that goes across the middle of the doors are missing in mine. Searched local classifieds and found out that none of the cars here have it. 

By the way @Hyaenidae, here's a DIY thread for you if you want to attempt it yourself. Note that a flushing liquid is used here, but you can skip that step.

I'm sure you can pull it off. I have lost count of the number of times I've done coolant changes myself - it's that easy. 

Now only I also noticed it. Maybe its just me, I kinda like your car without it. 

[trinity]

Ok gents, lest assume for a second that I'm going in the lowering direction. Here are my thoughts and I would love to hear your ideas as well.

As I said before, the main reason I want the car lowered is because of those hideous gaps in wheel wells, plus to me the car looks shorter due to this unusual height. What I gathered about lowering is this,

1. Need to find a lowering kit.(Do I need to change the shocks as well or can everything be raised?)

2. Have to change the wheels to 18. I'd love something stock came to this model or Evo X.

3. New set of tires.

If I get the above 3 right the car would somewhat look like a Lancer Ex GT. However, going further the ultimate mission would be to change the numbers (Front and rear) to RalliArt ones and fix side skirts plus spoiler.

Unlike CS, these parts are super rare to find here (Not that CS parts came easy). But its virtually impossible to find those RalliArt bumpers SL. If there are any, they are exorbitantly priced. 

So if I'm going to all these things, its gonna be a very very expensive affair. What I wanna know, especially from @K.o.N.o.S can you really drive the car in SL roads and places without having to worry about loosing the lower parts of the car. I mean yesterday I saw that a Lancer EX almost scrape front bumper at the Nawaloka Car part while moving between floors. It has somewhat steep slope though.

The other one I wanna know is the Ride comfort. Do you feel every grain of san on the road and even going over a small pot hole gives you a feeling that the car went over the Mariana Trench ??

If im gonna do this, I should do it now as my tires are all worn out. They should be changed in at least another 5,ooo kms. So I need to make up my mind soon.

On the other hand would a lowered are with the same stock wheels and tires look good?? 

 

[Hyaenidae]

54 minutes ago, Davy said:

That shine! ? Did the chrome side mirror covers come with the car? I doubt they did. 

 

Nope that's one of my additions, I liked how it looked from the front and decided to keep it, it kinda "goes" with the lights and the grille don't you think?

1 hour ago, Davy said:

 

I just noticed that the body coloured moulding that goes across the middle of the doors are missing in mine. Searched local classifieds and found out that none of the cars here have it. 

 

Maybe Mitsubishi decided Sri Lankans are not as considerate as Aussies about hitting other peoples' cars with their doors in car parks  never noticed it until you mentioned it though

1 hour ago, Davy said:

 

By the way @Hyaenidae, here's a DIY thread for you if you want to attempt it yourself. Note that a flushing liquid is used here, but you can skip that step.

I'm sure you can pull it off. I have lost count of the number of times I've done coolant changes myself - it's that easy. 

Is this how you do it? but he hasn't drained the engine block, only the radiator and the expansion tank

31 minutes ago, trinity said:

Damn than color!! You really know how to keep the car pristine.. 

Thank you! 

[Davy]

6 minutes ago, trinity said:

1. Need to find a lowering kit.(Do I need to change the shocks as well or can everything be raised?)

2. Have to change the wheels to 18. I'd love something stock came to this model or Evo X.

3. New set of tires.

1. You can keep your existing shock struts and just swap out the springs. This is the cheapest option. If the gap is all you care about, this would be the way to go. Obviously you won't get the adjustable height and rebound/stiffness settings that you get with a set of coilovers, but this is a good way to lose some height. 

2. Agree 18" is the way to go. And the wheels @K.o.N.o.S has on his EX are the stock RalliArt rims which are 18" 7JJ wide and +46 offset, wrapped in 225/40 R18. You will feel a difference in comfort as soon as you go for the bigger wheel with narrower sidewall, but the car will handle much much better. Especially after being lowered. The compromise in comfort isn't much. I hope @K.o.N.o.S will agree. My setup is much more aggressive, but she's a weekender, so I don't mind. 

3. Tyre size mentioned above. 

31 minutes ago, trinity said:

Now only I also noticed it. Maybe its just me, I kinda like your car without it.

I like the cleaner look without it too. 

[Hyaenidae]

18 minutes ago, trinity said:

 

If I get the above 3 right the car would somewhat look like a Lancer Ex GT. However, going further the ultimate mission would be to change the numbers (Front and rear) to RalliArt ones and fix side skirts plus spoiler.

Unlike CS, these parts are super rare to find here (Not that CS parts came easy). But its virtually impossible to find those RalliArt bumpers SL. If there are any, they are exorbitantly priced. 

 

 

Those "RainbowPen" guys who are specialized in Lancer bodykits and additions in many countries (USA, PH, China, SL) had OEM Ralliart kits

Try contacting RainbowPen Sri Lanka and ask them if they can get down a Ralliart kit and how much it would cost... they have some fancy kits in their inventory too (Varis, FQ400 etc)

[Davy]

6 minutes ago, Hyaenidae said:

Nope that's one of my additions, I liked how it looked from the front and decided to keep it, it kinda "goes" with the lights and the grille don't you think?

I'm a fan of body coloured mirrors and less chrome on cars that have a sporty look. But that's just me. It looks alright. ?

7 minutes ago, Hyaenidae said:

Is this how you do it? but he hasn't drained the engine block, only the radiator and the expansion tank

More or less. But since I don't use the flushing chemical, I don't do most of what's mentioned in step 2 and 3 (leaving the engine running with the hose running water into the radiator). 

As I mentioned earlier, there's no specific way to drain the engine block. When you drain coolant from the radiator, most if not all coolant in the engine block will flow to the radiator under gravity and exit the system. So you are draining the engine block as well. 

In summary, this is what I do:

1. While the engine is cool, remove the radiator cap and expansion tank cap. Remove the drain plug and let all the coolant drain out. Prior to doing this, it's good to have left the car idle with heater on so that the coolant goes through the core and the thermostat opens. But do not open the radiator cap until the engine is reasonably cool. Use an old rag to open the cap if it's warm, incrementally opening it to vent the pressure. And be careful. 

2. Plug the drain and fill the radiator with water. Drain again. Repeat until you see clear water draining out. One or two repeats would do. 

3. Empty the expansion tank and rinse well with water. On the EX, the expansion tank can't be taken out easily, so removing the rubber hose at the bottom of the expansion tank is how you'd drain it. Keep the hose off while you rinse with water.

4. Once done, connect all hoses, plug the radiator drain and fill the radiator with coolant. Fill the expansion tank halfway in between the min and max markers. 

5. With the radiator cap off, start the car. Let it idle for 20 minutes with the heater on. This will bleed the air out. 

6. You're done. Keep an eye on the temperature gauge and expansion tank coolant level for the next 20 - 50km. 

[Hyaenidae]

32 minutes ago, Davy said:

 

In summary, this is what I do:

1. While the engine is cool, remove the radiator cap and expansion tank cap. Remove the drain plug and let all the coolant drain out. Prior to doing this, it's good to have left the car idle with heater on so that the coolant goes through the core and the thermostat opens. But do not open the radiator cap until the engine is reasonably cool. Use an old rag to open the cap if it's warm, incrementally opening it to vent the pressure. And be careful. 

2. Plug the drain and fill the radiator with water. Drain again. Repeat until you see clear water draining out. One or two repeats would do. 

3. Empty the expansion tank and rinse well with water. On the EX, the expansion tank can't be taken out easily, so removing the rubber hose at the bottom of the expansion tank is how you'd drain it. Keep the hose off while you rinse with water.

4. Once done, connect all hoses, plug the radiator drain and fill the radiator with coolant. Fill the expansion tank halfway in between the min and max markers. 

5. With the radiator cap off, start the car. Let it idle for 20 minutes with the heater on. This will bleed the air out. 

6. You're done. Keep an eye on the temperature gauge and expansion tank coolant level for the next 20 - 50km. 

Thanks! I'll avoid draining the engine block then.

The workshop manual calls for draining the engine block via the "cylinder block drain plug", that's why I was contemplating if it should be done (step 2)

 

 

 

Edited June 28, 2020 by Hyaenidae

[Davy]

1 hour ago, Hyaenidae said:

Thanks! I'll avoid draining the engine block then.

The workshop manual calls for draining the engine block via the "cylinder block drain plug", that's why I was contemplating if it should be done (step 2)

 

 

 

Oh I see. I don't remember seeing this in the workshop manual. Good to know. 

Yeah you should be fine draining just the radiator. I don't think even the agent drains the block. 

[K.o.N.o.S]

On 6/27/2020 at 8:41 AM, Hyaenidae said:

Please post a DIY thread or post an update here when you do it

@Hyaenidae this guide was given to me by @ELNINO when he sold the car to me.I think this is much more relevant to us as the person who has written this has done it on a 2008 lancer ex.Believe we can use this along with what @Davy has mentioned above.

[K.o.N.o.S]

8 hours ago, trinity said:

The other one I wanna know is the Ride comfort. Do you feel every grain of san on the road and even going over a small pot hole gives you a feeling that the car went over the Mariana Trench ??

In my experience the comfort level is on par with what I had with my previous car. However this is my 1st sedan and I do not have anything to compare with.I consider myself as an amateur to vehicles. But you guys are pros who have been using cars for a long time and your perception on comfort aspect might be different.

7 hours ago, Davy said:

Agree 18" is the way to go. And the wheels @K.o.N.o.S has on his EX are the stock RalliArt rims which are 18" 7JJ wide and +46 offset, wrapped in 225/40 R18. You will feel a difference in comfort as soon as you go for the bigger wheel with narrower sidewall, but the car will handle much much better. Especially after being lowered. The compromise in comfort isn't much. I hope @K.o.N.o.S will agree. My setup is much more aggressive, but she's a weekender, so I don't mind

Absolutely. I think what I can do right now is give @trinity a test run on my car. So that he can ascertain whether he likes the setup or not.

[Hyaenidae]

21 minutes ago, K.o.N.o.S said:

@Hyaenidae this guide was given to me by @ELNINO when he sold the car to me.I think this is much more relevant to us as the person who has written this has done it on a 2008 lancer ex.Believe we can use this along with what @Davy has mentioned above.

Wow. Thank you for sharing @K.o.N.o.S

Has @E L N I N O got hard copies of the entirety of https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/lancer-how-tos-installations-204/ ?

[trinity]

54 minutes ago, K.o.N.o.S said:

In my experience the comfort level is on par with what I had with my previous car. However this is my 1st sedan and I do not have anything to compare with.I consider myself as an amateur to vehicles. But you guys are pros who have been using cars for a long time and your perception on comfort aspect might be different.

Absolutely. I think what I can do right now is give @trinity a test run on my car. So that he can ascertain whether he likes the setup or not.

This is a good idea. Lets meet when your car is in colombo (if time permits)

[Hyaenidae]

What is this little bit on the coolant reservoir tank cap? Is it an air vent? does it help bleed the system of possible air pockets?

 

 

If it is why doesn't every car have one?

[Hyaenidae]

Coolant change: Done!

Things learned:

Multi-meter test of the coolant is helpful to find how degraded coolant is. Before the coolant change the highest voltage recorded was 0.1V, after the change it's 0.02V.

They don't touch the engine block drain plug at the agent, only the radiator and the expansion tank gets drained so if you're going the DIY route it's quite easy and uncomplicated work just like @Davy said.

The bit on the coolant cap is indeed an air vent.

There are 2 rubber washers inside said coolant cap, the one I have highlighted tends to fall off whenever you take the radiator expansion tank cap off. Make sure it's there and is seated properly before re-tightening the cap.

Coolant used:

Part No. MZ341015EX 

Mitsubishi 50% concentration pre-mixed super long life coolant premium

Total cost: Rs. 4872.00

Labour - 552.00

Coolant - 5.5l - 4320.00 (about 1-1.5l of coolant was left over and I'm supposed to top the radiator and the expansion tank up over several heating and cooling cycles with it). They did run the engine with the heater on to bleed the system, but still advised to do it.

 

Questions:

The engine bay is a bit of a mess after the coolant change. I haven't cleaned the engine bay since first 2 routine services and wary to do it after seeing them using pressurized water to do it, could crusted coolant on plastic and metal parts of the engine bay be harmful in some way?

 

Edited July 6, 2020 by Hyaenidae

[Davy]

6 hours ago, Hyaenidae said:

The engine bay is a bit of a mess after the coolant change. I haven't cleaned the engine bay since first 2 routine services and wary to do it after seeing them using pressurized water to do it, could crusted coolant on plastic and metal parts of the engine bay be harmful in some way?

Nope, it shouldn't degrade plastic or metal parts.

I don't understand how they can mess up the engine bay though. I mean the coolant is drained from the bottom. And if they used a funnel to fill it in, there really shouldn't be any spillage. 

[Hyaenidae]

3 hours ago, Davy said:

Nope, it shouldn't degrade plastic or metal parts.

I don't understand how they can mess up the engine bay though. I mean the coolant is drained from the bottom. And if they used a funnel to fill it in, there really shouldn't be any spillage. 

They didn't remove the entire under-guard, (Edit: actually they didn't remove the under-guard at all, just unfastened it a little bit) so a hand could be put in and take out the petcock so the under-guard got a coolant bath ? and then they filled the radiator to the brim, fired up the engine, kept the radiator cap off and waited till the engine warmed up until the thermostat opened resulting the coolant to spill whenever a big air bubble came out.

Edited July 7, 2020 by Hyaenidae

[Davy]

1 hour ago, Hyaenidae said:

They didn't remove the entire under-guard, (Edit: actually they didn't remove the under-guard at all, just unfastened it a little bit) so a hand could be put in and take out the petcock so the under-guard got a coolant bath ? and then they filled the radiator to the brim, fired up the engine, kept the radiator cap off and waited till the engine warmed up until the thermostat opened resulting the coolant to spill whenever a big air bubble came out.

Gosh, sounds like they've made a bit of a mess. They should have just rinsed that part then and there. 

The thing with this gen Lancer is that the intake is at the front, so quite a bit of sensors close to the radiator compared to older generations where the exhaust was at the front, and you could be a bit more careless with water splash, and even wash the radiator area. 

[Hyaenidae]

7 minutes ago, Davy said:

Gosh, sounds like they've made a bit of a mess. They should have just rinsed that part then and there. 

 

They did want to do an engine bay wash but I refused as usual, if dried coolant won't degrade anything I'm perfectly fine with having coolant stains inside the engine bay. 

[trinity]

5 hours ago, Hyaenidae said:

They did want to do an engine bay wash but I refused as usual, if dried coolant won't degrade anything I'm perfectly fine with having coolant stains inside the engine bay. 

How about using a foam cleaning agent?

[Hyaenidae]

1 hour ago, trinity said:

How about using a foam cleaning agent?

Guess that would be fine with the electricals, but do we really need to keep the engine bay clean? It's understandable if our roads are being salted as its corrosive but afaik we don't have corrosive materials on our roads that could end up in the engine bay, so apart from fluid leaks being easily visible I don't see the point of cleaning the engine bay ?‍♂️

Edited July 7, 2020 by Hyaenidae

[trinity]

5 hours ago, Hyaenidae said:

Guess that would be fine with the electricals, but do we really need to keep the engine bay clean? It's understandable if our roads are being salted as its corrosive but afaik we don't have corrosive materials on our roads that could end up in the engine bay, so apart from fluid leaks being easily visible I don't see the point of cleaning the engine bay ?‍♂️

True to a certain extent, but we don’t need a shiny car with an engine bay completely covered with layers of dust now do we? Besides, with dust there’s a chance of moisture accumulation which could lead to unwanted issues in the long run. Especially for a car like mine, as it’s run on the coastal line every day. 

So what I do is use a foam engine degreasing agent every other service to clean the engine compartment. My service intervals are very short (like 2 to 2.5 months max). 

What i discontinued doing is high pressure washing of undercarriage during the service. That’s a useless thing.

 

[K.o.N.o.S]

1 hour ago, trinity said:

True to a certain extent, but we don’t need a shiny car with an engine bay completely covered with layers of dust now do we? Besides, with dust there’s a chance of moisture accumulation which could lead to unwanted issues in the long run. Especially for a car like mine, as it’s run on the coastal line every day. 

So what I do is use a foam engine degreasing agent every other service to clean the engine compartment. My service intervals are very short (like 2 to 2.5 months max). 

What i discontinued doing is high pressure washing of undercarriage during the service. That’s a useless thing.

 

during my last service they used an engine degreasing agent to clean the bay. I guess using a degreaser is totally fine. As for the under carriage wash hmmm I guess it would be okay to clean undercarriage at least once in a year right? IMO it’s not regularly required.

[trinity]

5 hours ago, K.o.N.o.S said:

during my last service they used an engine degreasing agent to clean the bay. I guess using a degreaser is totally fine. As for the under carriage wash hmmm I guess it would be okay to clean undercarriage at least once in a year right? IMO it’s not regularly required.

Yup. That would be more than enough I think.