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Is Mitsubishi a Pain for Parts or am I Just Unlucky Today?

Discussion in 'Mitsubishi Minicab' started by Dave in Japan, Apr 8, 2014.

  1. Dave in Japan

    Dave in Japan Member

    Ho there! All you Mitsubishi Mini Cab Guys!

    Put my beloved 1993 Mitsubishi Minica Dangan into the shop recently for Shaken and to get the transmission overhauled.

    First and second synchros are quite worn and the others are beginning to show signs of going. The little pocket rocket has nearly 240,000kms on it and I just don’t want to give it up. It’s the best, most fun and practical road car I’ve ever had.

    But now we are struggling to get synchros. Mitsubishi has none in stock and my mechanic is kind of saying that Mitsubishi is not as supportive as Toyota or Nissan in supplying parts for older vehicles.

    Do you Mini Cab drivers find this to be true? Are there any parts that are a real pain to get? Has anybody recently overhauled or rebuilt their transmissions? How did it go on the parts side?

    I am looking now at what other Mitsubishi FF cars had the same gear ratios and I’m going to have to gamble that the synchos are the same if the gear ratios are the same.

    Am I taking a bad gamble on this?

    Aaaaah. Frustration! I just love this car, but if I can’t get parts to keep it going, what to do, what to do!??!!?

    Cheers,

    Frustrated Dave

    My blog about great Japanese cars: http://amoderngoldenera.wordpress.com/

    Our old inspected mini trucks for sale page: http://www.japancardirect.com/jdm-vehicles/mini-trucks-for-sale

    My blog about life and laughs in Japan and elsewhere: http://pricelanguage.at.webry.info/
     
  2. TRAX and HORNS

    TRAX and HORNS Well-Known Member

    Being in Japan I would think a salvage yard would be plentiful.
    Or try Yokohama motors in Japan.
     
  3. Dave in Japan

    Dave in Japan Member

    Thanks Trax and Horns.

    Problem with the Dangan is that, as far as the hot and fast mini cars go, it sold in limited numbers, compared, say, to a Suzuki Alto Works. Wreckers don’t stock bits for it since they think there is no big market. (Which is kind of true, I guess.) I came across one guy that had one in his yard but he wanted to just sell me the whole car for parts, not take any bits off it for me. (It was cheap, at least, at JPY5,000 but I would have to go and pick it up.)

    I’m relieved to say that our gamble on the syncros being the same worked out: they all fit from the later transmission.

    But now, in taking it apart, we found that first and second gear snap rings are broken. A piece came off of each. Where the heck that piece went in the transmission, I hate to think as we have never found it. I guess it was poured out with the old trans oil.

    We’re waiting now on snap rings and output shaft end bearings, which seem to be available.

    I guess I was being too hard on Mitsubishi. It’s turning out that we are able to find parts.

    Thanks for letting me know about Yokohama Motors. I did not know about them before. They look great!

    Dave

    My blog about great Japanese cars: http://amoderngoldenera.wordpress.com/

    Our old inspected mini trucks for sale page: http://www.japancardirect.com/jdm-vehicles/mini-trucks-for-sale

    My blog about life and laughs in Japan and elsewhere: http://pricelanguage.at.webry.info/
     

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