Not quite a first-generation Magna, I know.

The 4-door Eterna CS Hardtop was sold new in New Zealand from 1986 to 1988 and quite rare on our roads these days, so finding any information or part for them is becoming increasingly difficult. They were all powered by the 4G64 2351cc ECI-Multi engine and the majority were equipped with the 4-speed ELC automatic.

Mine's a 1986 automatic with just 97,000km.

The car is in very good condition and drives well, except for one issue...

The transmission changes gear and engages Drive and Reverse smoothly. However when in Drive and stopped, there is a reasonably rough vibration. The only way to relieve this is to shift to Park or Neutral. Not really ideal. Idle speed remains constant (~800rpm on the digital tachometer...).

Does anyone know what could cause the coarseness while stopped in Drive? I would imagine the transmission is the same as a first-generation Magna.

Any help or advice would be fantastic.

Hi there,Im not familiar with your exact model,but my TP Magna had the same issue,the engine mounts are usually the culprits. Plenty of guys here have fixed them up using sikaflex if new ones are expensive or no longer available. Cheers!

Thanks for that, I had considered the engine mounts being the culprit. Would this also cause excessive vibration in Park and Neutral as well as Drive? I was also wondering whether the torque converter could be causing the issue.

Here a photo of a near identical car:
http://www.automobile-catalog.com/img/picto28h/mitsubishi/mitsubishi-sapporo-5.jpg

Cheers

It is common for this issue to be blamed on broken engine mounts and certainly if the mounts are really bad they will contribute to it.

However, in my opinion, the most common cause of these symptoms is a broken, defective or badly adjusted accelerator pedal switch.

We recently had a discussion about this in the 2nd Gen forum. The thread degenerated into an argument because not all 2nd gen Magnas have the accelerator pedal switch that I'm referring to. All Aussie 1st gen Magna autos have it, whether carby or efi but in 2nd gen Magnas, only the carby autos had it. In efi 2nd gen autos, it was replaced by a switch incorporated in the TPS called the idle switch. Nevertheless, the same function is performed by either type of switch. Due to the year model of your Eterna, i expect you'll have the accelerator pedal switch but that's only a guess.

Here is an edited version of my post about it.

To quote from the factory service manual: "The accelerator switch is an on/off switch mounted on the accelerator pedal bracket. Its purpose is to signal the (transmission) control unit what position the pedal is in, i.e. released or depressed. The information signals the control unit to engage second gear with the vehicle stationary at idle, thus reducing idle vibrations and vehicle creep."

Many owners are unaware of the switch or its purpose, so it is usually neglected. The switch quite commonly fails with age. This is how I fixed mine:

I found it impossible to work on in the car so I disconnected the throttle cable, cut the wires to the switch and took out the whole assembly. As you can see in the first pic, the adjustable stop misses the switch altogether. I thought this was because the bracket had been broken off and welded back on. In fact, that is the factory weld and the switch is supposed to have a spring steel lever that extends past the microswitch. The stop presses the lever which then presses the microswitch when the accelerator pedal is at rest. The lever had broken off and you can see the remnants of it in the pic. The switch itself was Ok so I made up a lever using a leaf from a feeler gauge and attached it with a small bolt, nut and solder. As you can see in the second pic, this solved the problem.

http://users.tpg.com.au/acheson1/images/ThrottleSwitch1.jpg
http://users.tpg.com.au/acheson1/images/ThrottleSwitch2.jpg

The 4 cylinder autos will always vibrate more in drive than in neutral even if the switch (either type) is working and the tcu is selecting 2nd gear at idle. However it will vibrate less if it is working than if it isn't.

Thanks very much, coldamus. Some great help there, I would've been entirely unaware of the switch...

Would you think the switch and lever assembly is at all accessible while still mounted in the car? Would be good to be able to find out if the lever is actually still intact in my car.

I think the Eterna has has a fairly easy life, so am I correct to assume the engine mounts should be in decent shape?

Thanks for the help so far guys!

Would you think the switch and lever assembly is at all accessible while still mounted in the car? Would be good to be able to find out if the lever is actually still intact in my car.

From outside the car with the door open, you need to get down low and with a torch, look right up under the dash above the accelerator pedal. It is on the bracket just below where the throttle cable attaches. The slot where the cable attaches is at top left in my first pic. If the switch only needs adjustment, that can be done in the car. Just loosen the lock-nut and adjust the height of the bolt shown in the pics. Mine needed repairs that I found impossible while lying upside down in the footwell, so I took it out to work on it.

I don't even know whether the Eterna CS Hardtop has one or if it is a similar design but it is worth having a look. If it is not there, the switch may be incorporated in the tps. That is probably more reliable.


I think the Eterna has has a fairly easy life, so am I correct to assume the engine mounts should be in decent shape?

They can also deteriorate due to age, so I wouldn't rule them out but I think you'd notice vibration when taking off and similar symptoms.

Fantastic, thanks very much again.

I'll try to have look this weekend and report back here with my findings.

Cheers!

Well I managed to find the source of vibration.

I took it to a Mitsubishi dealer for some advice and had the foreman have a look at the car. He'd worked with Mitsubishis since the early 1980s so he'd had a lot of experience with rear-drive Sigmas and front-drive Sigmas, Eternas, Magnas and V3000s.

In the end, we found the source of the vibration to be a perished, split, rear roll-stop engine mount. This caused the engine to roll back on the remaining engine mountings and when this happened, the pulley that drives the A/C compressor hits the chassis. I'm in the process of finding reasonably-priced engine and transmission mounts, probably a good idea to replace all four at the same time.

Should help smooth the car out...

If you get stuck and need to get it together try the" Sikaflex" fix on the mounts......from what I've read here some guys have had good results. I'm putting my beast together now and did it to my mounts for added insurance,but they were all decent ones anyway. Cheers

There are usually engine mounts for the 1st gen on ebay. Seldom get them on TradeMe though i'm afraid.
Its is possible to get the insert only for the front mount if you dont have luck with the complete assembly.They are a pissweek component!!
"Sikaflex" would if found fail a WOF i think from memory....... Vee

Over the past few days I've priced engine mounts from Andrew Simms Mitsubishi in Newmarket, their quote was ~NZ$860 for four mounts ex-Japan with a two-week wait. Very helpful staff, they had the exact parts catalog for my car so we could be sure we were on the right track.

Immediately headed out to a Mitsubishi wrecker and located a front mount in good condition for NZ$50. Drove over to Pick-A-Part and found a rear roll-stop mount in a 1987 GZ Sigma GLX, but after much effort and CRC the mount was even more split and perished than in my Eterna...

Upon Googling the Mitsubishi part number, I found a US-based website http://www.fcpimport.com/ with the correct part (I hope) for US$13.95 plus US$43.00(!) shipping. It's on its way.

Another question. I may have to remove the inlet manifold to get easier access to the rear roll-stop mount. Would it be a good idea to have a replacement inlet manifold gasket on hand? The injection system looks identical to the TN/TP Magnas with ECI-Multi.

Cheers!

IF you do remove the intake,the gasket will definitely need replacing,it seals water and oil as well,it gets hot and will be brittle.........essentially it will be buggered! I've never replaced a mount with the engine in the car,but can you get to it from underneath? Also,on the early efi magna,removing the air filter housing and hoses in the area could possibly give you access to the mount?

I'm not sure how similar your 4G64 engine mounts are to those on our 4G54 Magnas. I replaced the rear mount on my Magna TM sedan without much trouble, working entirely from underneath the car (not on a hoist, just a jack and stands). However I had a couple of attempts at replacing the rear mount on my efi TP Magna wagon and was unsuccessful. I didn't remove the inlet manifold but I don't think that would have made a difference. I got the mount bolts and through bolt undone working mainly from the top of the engine bay with a long extension bar, universal joint and socket. However I couldn't jack up the engine enough to manoeuvre the mount out of its bracket. After lifting the engine an inch or so, the gearbox hit the chassis and prevented further upward movement. Working on a hoist, it might be possible to take the bracket off the side of the engine but I couldn't get at the bracket bolts to do that. Mine doesn't matter now because the car is off the road for other reasons.

The rear mount on our Magnas looks like this: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Mitsubishi-Magna-Galant-Engine-Mount-Rear-TM-TP-HG-HH-/271218707394?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3f25e50bc2

Thanks guys, all good information.

I'll definitely get a new inlet manifold gasket just in case. They're reasonably cheap.

I may be able to get to the mount from underneath to an extent actually, I'm hoping the transmission will clear the chassis if the engine requires further jacking as you found, coldamus.

The mount looks identical to the Ebay link, the Mitsubishi mechanic thought the mount could be the same as in Galants and Magna and this appears to be the case.

Looking forward to the rear mount I ordered from the States turning up soon so I can crack on with the job...

Over the last weekend, I finally had time to change the front and rear engine mounts on the Eterna.

The front was easy enough, however the rear was more of a struggle. Fortunately, I had the help of a mate who has a hoist at his work and after raising the whole car we were able to jack the engine up further, eventually wrestling the rear mount free. It all appeared similar to what coldamus' experience. Luckily, removal of the inlet manifold and associated multitude of wiring wasn't required...

So now the car idles smoothly in Drive and no more unusual noises while accelerating. Next jobs are a transmission fluid change then AC regas.