Comments: 1-15, 16-22
Transmission went, oil pump went and blew engine, needed to replace brakes, struts, shocks, upper and lower control arms.
This car is the biggest piece of junk I have owned. It is a nice riding car when it runs. I don't know if it's just bad luck, but I spent thousands on the car within four months.
The old Diamantes are so much better than the new. More powerful engine, lighter, plus if you didn't beat the crap out of the car or knew how to take care of it, maybe it would last.
Our 1992 Diamante is also a piece of junk. It started smoking after 70k miles and the transmission went at 100k. Even GM cars last longer than this. I have also noticed almost every Mitsubishi I see now smokes. Does anyone know if there is a class action suit I can join against Mitsubishi. Ours has been well taken care of with regular service. Driven carefully by my mother...
I have to disagree. All cars performance is a reflection of the owners care.
I have a 94 LS with 125K on it and it runs fantastic. Every button, guage, lock etc works like new. I've taken this car across the country 2x and it's never failed me - even when hauling trailers.
You could have bought a lemon - it's possible. Buy my experience has been outstanding with this vehicle.
Hope you have better luck with your next vehicle.
Two of my friends and I all have owned Diamantes mine was a white 1992, one of my friend's was a green 1993 ES, and my other friend's was a silver 1994 LS (which was maticulously maintained by her mom who was the previous owner then my friend babied it too).
All three of these Diamantes engines have gone out!! Mine (1992) gave up the ghost at 130k miles (the Mitsubishi mechanic said it was caused by a "lifters" problem and that it was common in early model diamantes), my friend with the 1993 ES just had his engine rebuilt by the Mitsubishi dealer because it was way underpowered and was smoking terribly (like smoke screen on spy hunter). It has 101k miles. The 1994 threw its timing belt last month at 82k miles, even though it had had its timing belt changed at 60k and all regular maintenance had been maticulously done!!
The 1994 is now just junk even though it's in perfect condition, she's not going to fix it because it's $2,700 to rebuild or put a new engine in it.
I sold my 1992 because over the year that I had it I has sooooo may problems with it, it was insane!
My friend with the 93 is looking to get rid of his because the car is falling apart around him and my friend with the 94 has gotten a new car and the Diamante is just sitting in her driveway with a dead engine...
ALSO, in the past my sister owned a 1993 Eclipse GS and before I had the Diamante I had a 1991 Galant. The Eclipse's engine needed a re-build at 120k and the engine in my Galant went out at 98k!! Through this experience I have come to the conclusion that early 90's Diamantes and Mitsubishis in general are nice cars and give a good ride, BUT if you want to buy one... get one with low miles, take care of it, and get rid of it before it gets too high a mileage because Mitsubishis fall apart when they get high mileage!!
I'd have to disagree.
I have a 1993 Diamate ES with 125000 miles on the engine, with only idle motor problems. Although I bought the car used, the owner had trouble giving it away because of his love for the car.
I've heard things about the valve stems, and I plan to get them inspected, I don't want an expensive repair, but the Diamante is a great investment if you know how to take care of it.
Own a 94 Diamante ES. Great Car for highway cruising. Meter is reading 140K and am just about to replace the struts. There are some weird sounds I hear coming from the wheels, dashboard that annoys me a lot. Hope I can get that fixed some day. Other than that, I had no trouble with the car. I remember having trouble with breaks (brake pads going out) and that was because it wasn't the right pad for the car. I'm noticing roll when turning, maybe due to the struts. Will find out after replacing them. Other major parts replaced: steering rack (due to busted boot), left and right front control arms due to damaged bushing. Oil leak caused that due to a bad gasket. Hope to see more trouble free miles.
I own a 1992 Mitsubishi Diamante 1992 LS and it has 130K on it. I bought it used. Everything was in perfect working condition, inside and out, then two weeks after buying it and I haven't even made the first payment and had to replace timing belt. After replaced, I started to drive it and it threw timing belt again. I take it in again and they are telling me that it now needs cylinder heads, or something like that, so we are checking into a new motor, or a rebuilt/re-manufactured rather. Some of the prices on these motors, to get a decently lower mileage motor, cost as much as I paid for the dang car! It is crazy. I just luckily came across one, with under 45k miles on it and with shipping, $1000.00, with six months, unlimited miles warranty, if not mistaken. So, I plan to check this out. Thank goodness I decided to purchase a small warranty on this car, as it will cover the cost of most of it. I had to use some of it to fix the timing belt. I am not so sure that I will keep this car long once fixed. I think they aren't all they are cracked up to be, to be honest. Maybe with the newer engine, etc... it will be better.
Hi to all in the US
Your Mitsubishi Diamante is Under the name of Verada here in Australia.
I read with interest as to how much problems some of you have had with these cars.
Apart from the timing chain which is a known fault and problem with most earlier Mitsubishis we don't seem to have any problems at all with them.
Maybe and I don't think so, but Mitsubishi might use different components for Australia compared with the US.
Hello All.
I own a 92 Diamante 3.0 DOHC with Euro suspension. I have had similar problems as described by others on this and other numerous boards.
I bought the car used with 45K miles on it in 95. The car has been meticulously maintained by the Mitsubishi dealer ($$$$) and me.
Litany of problems:
- First thing with went out at 60K was front passenger side wheel bearing.
- The next thing to fail at 65K was the front driver side air suspension strut.
- The water pump failed at 73K. Had to replace the water pump with timing belt.
- After that is started emitting blue smoke at about 105K miles.
- I put in used engine from reliable whole seller. He told me he buys engines from Japan and makes sure they are in running and good condition. Never trust used engines/dealers.
- The car ran for about 15K on used engine and then the timing belt slipped. I had the head job done on it and now there is a rattling noise when engine runs. My car is just sitting in garage for last 3 months.
Summary:
The ride of this car is great when it runs, but surely is an unreliable car on own. The car has marvelous electronics in it, but the engine is piece of junk from the reliability perspective.
I would never buy a Mitsubishi again and would tell my friends/relatives/acquaintances to stay away from this car manufacturer.
Mitsubishi also has great targeted and appealing TV ads, but very poor products!
Regards.
Danish.
I need info bad... my head gaskets blow and I had to replace them with my crankshaft cost like 130o...in less than three weeks my oil pump and rod blew. am wondering if that is how it goes or if the mechanic did not acce. it right please reply here any info would be helpful am so stressedout
I have a 1993 Diamante Wagon with 200,000 miles on it and it is just now needing a new transmission. If there is anyone who has a 93 or a 94, who would love to sell for parts, let me know, since this car is going to a million miles. It is simply the best car anyone could have ever bought and it has lasted so well. I am extremely hard on cars, (40K per year)...but this car is a keeper for me. let me know at cqdream.com.
I have a 95 Mitsubishi Diamante, I have never had a single problem with it and I love the car so much that I have spent over $20,000 in performance and engine modifications. It is currently being built to produce about 600 horsepower at the wheels. The 6G72 is one of the greatest Japanese engines.
Some people just don't know how to take care of an engine.
Here is my list of modifications if anyone is interested:
Multiple throttle body setup (6 individual)
full 3.15 inch (80mm) custom JIC titanium exhaust
RPW jet hot finished headers and downpipe (extractors)
RPW custom NA+nitrous stage 2 cams and cam gears
ported and polished heads with HUGE "super flo" racing valves
RPW valve springs
3.7 liter custom stroker kit which includes 11:1 compression forged pistons, billet crankshaft, and custom billet rods
bored cylinders
total seal gapless piston rings
ARP head studs
metal head gasket
high temp internal coating on combustion chamber + valve faces + pistons
lightweight crank pulley with gator back belts
solid motor mounts
RPW adjustable fuel pressure regulator
RC Engineering fuel injectors
255 Walbro fuel pump
bored fuel rails
steel braided fuel lines
Electromotive stand alone fuel management
Electromotive direct fire ignition with custom crank trigger kit
colder range high performance spark plugs
high performance radiator
ground wire system
optima battery
Level 10 performance transmission with raybestos clutches, high stall torque converter, and modified valve body and capable of handling 700HP
balanced flexplate
electronic manual shift control
transmission cooler
oil cooler
direct port nitrous injection 0-300 shot.
Purge valves
bottle heater
C16 race gas
removed air conditioning
gutted interior and trunk
no door panels
no back seats
removed gas tank replaced with 8 gallon fuel cell
lightweight 17 X 8 inch wheels
BF Goodrich drag radials
JIC fully adjustable coilover suspension
strut bar
rear strut bar
front sway bar
rear sway bar
bradi cross drilled and slotted rotors
high performance brake pads
steel braided brake lines
motul synthetic brake fluid
custom functional hood scoop
custom functional hood vents
custom grill
custom head lights
custom lip modifications - splitters + canards
racing seats
air/fuel ratio gauge
EGT gauge
transmission fluid gauge
oil pressure gauge
fuel pressure gauge
nitrous gauge.
I am in the process of buying a 94 diamante with 195k miles, and would be curious to know how much rebuilding the engine would cost.
I have just purchased a 94' Diamante used. It has 157,000 on it, and I got it for $2000. The engine is in good condition, and the guy promised me I could get a good few more miles out of it. I just wanted anyone else's opinion on this. Thanks!
Have a 94 ES Diamante. Bad oil leaks in the engine since purchased, but have just kept an eye on the oil level. Purchased used at 128k and now has 185k running strong. About to put new struts and seal the engine. Only maintenence performed was a timing belt upon purchase and brakes at about 140k. Me and my fiancee have gotten our $$$ worth!
I beleive folks are confused with engine problems and proper upkeep. oil changes every 3,000 miles is a must and an oil LEAK is not an indication of a failing engine. Bad seals or gaskets could cause this or even the wrong grade of oil can cause an engine to leak. A strong indication of a "bad" engine with problems is billowing blue smoke from the tail pipe. A timing belt needing changed twice in a month sounds like a bad mechanic, as does a rebuilt engine failing just weeks after being dropped back in.
Any car approaching or over the 100k mark is going to recquire a watchful eye on oil levels. if your engine is leaking or burning a lot of oil you cannot ignore the oil levels or your engine will explode. just because the car rides smooth doesn't mean it has enough oil in the block!!!