2002 Mitsubishi Diamante LS from North America - Comments

OK Thanks. I hope you mean this one:

http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.ee9e75f/1315?@168.1IVjavoS5Jv@

When it gets a little warmer, I'll pick up where I left off. I guess I'll report sometime to let others know how it goes!

2002 Diamante with 65,000 miles. Replaced heater core and muffler on the same service call- $1,700. Muffler rusted on the top causing loud noise during operation. Antenna mast broken. ABS/ TCL lights are on. Same problems as everyone else. If you own this car it pays to know a reputable mechanic.

Same issues going on with me... 98K on my '02 Diamante LS & it is in the shop for a heater core and muffler... What a pain & Money pit this is becoming!

I've been looking into purchasing a 2004 Diamante with about 84,000 miles on it, but reading through these posts is making me a bit nervous. I didn't come across anyone with a 2004 that was having issues. Does anyone know if that is coincidence, or if the problems were corrected in the 2004 model? Any info would be greatly appreciated. You can send to lburton2@student.cccs.edu.

Thanks!

Well, I'm on to step 17. Finally got the evaporator out. It was really wedged in there. Actually chipped a piece of the plastic tab but I glued it back together. Shouldn't be a problem. Now I'm going under to look up and see where the next step takes me... so far, so good. I'm following the steps on the edumunds link.

Bravo in getting thru step 17, removing the evaporator. Getting it back in later is even more fun! Now onto removing the four small screws from of each of the two heater core pipes that run thru the firewall. As instruction says, you'll be able to remove the black plastic hose end once screws are removed, but the other metallic pipe hose end is in too tight to remove. I actually ended up breaking out part of the white plastic duct wall that connects to the evaporator, since it was blocking access to the heater core pipes screws. The area is so small, I had difficulty getting torx wrench in that space. After that, it was easy to remove and reattach the screws.

I glued the broken ducting piece back with two part epoxy good as new (nobody sees it anyway). Careful about reinstalling the screws. The aluminum plate they go into is very thin, so it's easy to strip out. Also highly recommend using loctite medium (blue) on the threads before installing. That will help hold everything together thru vibration, thermal expansion, etc. Don't want to have to do this again!

Good luck and keep us posted. You almost halfway done.

Well, I got the 8 Torx screws out (couple of them were loose). When I twisted the black hose up it came right out. You're right. The metal pipe is really tight. So, now that I can replace the bezel there on the lower pipe, what is actually the "o-ring?" Your instructions are spot on.

OK. With a pair of channelocks I was able to wiggle the metal pipe just enough to reach inside with my finger and pull out the o-ring. Now I understand where they both go. Bought 2 new ones from the dealer for $5.36. Going to get some lock-tite tomorrow and start the reassembly process.

If it wasn't for the evaporator this job would be a lot easier! I was able to replace the o-rings (with locktite) and tried to move on to the evaporator but simply ran out of patience. Gonna take a break and come back later...

Yes, the evaporator is bit more difficult getting back in than it was taking out, but it's doable. Just keep trying different angles. You may have to bend a bracket or even the plastic ducting out of the way. Don't worry about it, can't see anything in this area anyway when you get it all back together.

To make sure that you have sealed up the two heater hoses properly, you may want to reconnect the coolant lines on the engine side of firewall and run the car for a while before reinstalling evaporator. It's much easier now to fix it now than later.

Well done, it's a good feeling to have just saved $1000!

I have a 2003 Diamante LS, and from reading all these comments it seems to me that I have the very same heather core problem. My windows get fogged up and I smell antifreeze, I haven't noticed anything wet on the passenger side yet, but I haven't looked real hard either. I called a repair shop and they said $1,200 to fix it. I'm pretty handy, but I'm somewhat of a novice and I don't have a lot of tools, what tools would I require to do this job?

Go back to the Jan 17th dated message and you'll see reference to URL address. There you'll find step by instructions on how to repair the leaking heater core gaskets, the reason why smell antifreeze and have fogged windows. You may not find wet carpeting until you pull the carpet up under neath the passenger side. You'll probably find the foam backing wet under the carpet. The heater core leak is small and slow, so it just finds the lowest spot in the area. It's possible to do yourself if you'll willing to get it a shot and are reasonably handy. Don't need special tools, just the basics. The instructions at the address above are complete and work - I did it myself this past fall.

Good luck!

Hi, I have a 2003 Diamante with the same problem with the heater core leak and the flashing of the neutral and drive lights. I'm going to re-run the in and out hoses to the heater core so that it's completely by-passed. Summer is coming and I'll do it when I get some time. I'm probably going to need the ECM. Does anyone know where I can get a new one? Please email me back at crazie526@aol.com Please title it 2003 diamante. Thank you for any help.

I have a 2001 Diamante LS, and the TCL light won't go off, but when it's cold outside it won't come on until it's warm out.

Also my service engine light is on. Any suggestions?

The engine light may be due to ABS/TCL system fault being set, or it may be due to something totally unrelated. Suggest you go local shop that can scan engine and ABS system codes for your vehicle and have them tell you what the fault code number (s) and description (s) are. It's only speculation as to what the problem is and why the outside temp matters until you know what part of the system is setting fault code (s). My '02 Diamante had an intermittent TCL and engine light that came on, along with ABS motor actuation shudder when brake was applied. It turned out to the passenger side rear ABS sensor was bad - a simple fix once you can find an affordable one in a junk yard. As is the case most of time, too many middlemen drive replacement part prices out of this world. Report back here what the shop told you. I have Mit. Diamante shop manual and can confirm if they told you the truth, and the actions prescribed to take to further diagnose and remedy. Good luck!