My TJ is now 12 years old and coming upto 200,000 km. So far it has been very reliable with only a few very minor problems (engine mount, fuel sender, small oil leaks etc), it is still in good condition (apart from some clear coat pealing).

How long do the third gen cars last in terms of years and kms? Would it be reasonable to expect this car to be reliable past 15 years and 250,000km? When do they start to give lots of problems?

The 3rd gen magnas tend not to die no matter what. The 6G74 engine is bulletproof (not literally) lasts around 400 000 km if you look after it and maintain it well. Expect a few issues from around 300 000 km but it varies by car.

Hope this helps!

I think a well maintained example can reach 400,000km
My friend had a TE that he abused and never serviced and it was scrapped at 370,000 km.
By this stage it was consuming quite a bit of oil and there was a stutter to it, but otherwise felt and ran reasonably well all things considering.

My KJ2 is approaching 200K itself and runs extremely wel

Expect valve stem seals to go around 300,000 and automatic gearboxes are known to start failing at this point. Vigorous servicing with high quality oils can prolong this by quite a bit though, there are many out there with 400,000+

How long do the third gen cars last in terms of years and kms? Would it be reasonable to expect this car to be reliable past 15 years and 250,000km? When do they start to give lots of problems?

Who knows? As a rule of thumb, older cars have more km and need more time/money spent on them to keep them in good order, compared to a younger car.

Then again, it may be involved in an accident tomorrow and get written off.

No guarantees.

Only one way to find out how long it lasts. Keep driving it.

Mine's done 445,000km on the original engine and transmission (including all ancillary components like the alternator, starter motor etc). It does about 140km a day, 4 days a week on a motorway with a short trip or two on the weekends, and is parked undercover in a multi-story parking station at work and garaged at home so the paint and interior are still very good. I've owned the car since April 2003 and from memory these are the maintenance items:

- 1 set of valve stem and rocker cover gasket seals (DIY)
- 1 set of plugs and leads (DIY)
- 3 sets of tyres and balances, rotations and alignments as required
- 1 new set of front and rear shocks (fronts DIY)
- 2 new sets of brake rotors and brake pads as required (DIY)
- 2 new windscreens
- 3 batteries (DIY)
- 2 fan blower motors (DIY)
- globes as required (DIY)
- small hole in exhaust fixed with muffler putty fixed to get through rego
- oil and filters bi-annually (DIY)

You can not say how long valve stem seals will last, how long anything will last without knowing the history of the car

Magna engines dont like some oils, I have customers with 150k where stem seals are shagged, have others with 400+ where they run like clockwork.

Reading above, oil and filters bi-annually, that scares the hell out of me, this is when you start getting issues. People have the mis conceived idea that "i dont drive much so......." Cars which do short trips need more maintenance than those always on the road, why do you think Taxi's often get 700+ km from 1 engine?

OP, you know your car, you have had a good run to date so I would say you look after it by the sounds of things, all being well there is no reason you would not get again what you have done (ie 400+k) Yes you will need to start thinking some suspension and other bits but weigh that up against another unknown car which may need those items done anyway

Reading above, oil and filters bi-annually, that scares the hell out of me


Does Billy Mason mean that he changes the oil twice a year, or once every two years?

Judging from the km done, he might mean 2 X a year.

Once a year, even if short trips and low km, is a must.

Yes, twice a year (April and Oct) with Valvoline Engine Armour 15w.

I would call the serving schedule of my old 440,000 TH altera as spasmodic at best ...... the trans and most other things were fine when the motor finally died.

Hi Prowler, how did your motor die?

Still some 1st generation Magnas out there and doing well.
Very unusual to get an alternator to do 400k plus without brushes. Might be worthwhile getting them checked so it does not let you down sometime soon. Vee

360,000km out of my TH 3.5 wagon, and the guy that bought it has it back on the road. Engine strong (but smoky), Auto gearbox A+, A/C fine, still had original struts and springs which were stuffed, roof lining falling down but otherwise interior still holding up ok.

Magna's seem to be the most abused cars in this country and seem to last the longest, I have friends with magnas who thrash them (TJ SII Exe & KJ GTV) and they're still going!

Hi Prowler, how did your motor die?

Driving one day I revved it hard and it then developed a knock, I nursed it from then on ..... the motor died about 10 minutes after I sold it apparently LoL. The new owner who knew about the knock rang to tell me he didn't make it home.

I've had my 02 TJ since new and it's done 273,000, I've just replaced the original exhaust and rear shocks 240th K"s and beside normal service items Brakes, cam seals, and timing stuff everything is original. My mechanic tell me it drives like a new car. We live in the country so it does a lot of distance driving at speed. Unless the car is garaged the paint wont last.

Change your oils and filters atleast every 3 months. Twice a year is a no no. Minor service every 3 months or 10000ks is common knowledge.

My TF done 305000km's. The auto is shagged and the a\c compressor needs changing due to bearings but still runs well.

My 1999 TH Magna has done 453,000 Kms and the engine runs sweet, burns no oil, no knocks or rattles.

Work done by Mal:

ABS fixed with 2nd hand replacement and wheel sensor.
Heater core replacement.

Other work (Over a 9 year period, I bought the car in 2005 with about 250,000 Kms on the clock).

Front wheel bearing.
New pads (2 x)
2 timing belts
2 x spark plug replacement
Relay to fix auto problem (caused by leaking heater core).
New hot dog on exhaust.
New starter motor
Replace alternator bushes.
Replaced interior with VRX supplied by Neo.
Full transmission flush X 2 plus filters.
Drivers side window motor assembly.
New windscreen
Replace rocker gaskets X 2

New gas converter. (not needed but mis-diagnosed by a rubbish installer in Geelong).


Most reliable car I ever owned. We call it "The Magnificent".

Always used Castrol Magnatec 10W/40 changed every 5,000 Kms. I know Mal will disagree but it works for me...

Most modern engines if maintained will last the life of the vehicle.. Taxi's are a good example, a friend of mine runs a wreckers and sells parts to the local cab drivers, the most common parts he's selling is the drivers seat and gearbox.. It's very rare that they will need a replacement engine, even with 400-600,000kms

Also there's alot of Magnas with well over 300,000kms.. Does anyone have one with 600,000kms or more? Original engine or not

Change your oils and filters atleast every 3 months. Twice a year is a no no. Minor service every 3 months or 10000ks is common knowledge.

I would disagree with this....services around the10000km mark is quite reasonable, but how many people will travel 10000km in 3 months?
Mitsu state services every 15000km or 12 months, I feel 15000km too much, but changine every 6 months is quite reasonable and anything more I consider excessive maintenance

At the end of the day you need to weight up servicing costs against the value of the vehicle to the person who owns it, no matter how well you service, or how often, the car will still eventually wear out, and it wouldnt be hard, over the life of an engine, with excessive maintence, to pay out enough cash over time to simply replace the engine

Bit hard to describe where im coming from in a forum.....but im sure you get the idea where im coming from

Agree totally. 6 months or 10,000kms whichever comes first has been my philosphy. Every 3 months is very frequent, and unless you do some very intense driving in tough conditions, I don't believe will make any difference to the overall life of the engine.

The factory recommended 15,000kms and 12 months is a little long but probably factors in the average life of a car and the economy of frequency of services on a modern engine (vs replacing it if the car lasts that long).



I would disagree with this....services around the10000km mark is quite reasonable, but how many people will travel 10000km in 3 months?
Mitsu state services every 15000km or 12 months, I feel 15000km too much, but changine every 6 months is quite reasonable and anything more I consider excessive maintenance

At the end of the day you need to weight up servicing costs against the value of the vehicle to the person who owns it, no matter how well you service, or how often, the car will still eventually wear out, and it wouldnt be hard, over the life of an engine, with excessive maintence, to pay out enough cash over time to simply replace the engine

Bit hard to describe where im coming from in a forum.....but im sure you get the idea where im coming from

With enough money, you can keep any car going forever..

I would disagree with this....services around the10000km mark is quite reasonable, but how many people will travel 10000km in 3 months?

I agree. I do mine every 8,000-10,000km, which considering I drive ~30,000km annually means the oil is changed at two-to-three times a year minimum anyway. If I wasn't travelling so much, six-monthly changes would suffice.
10,000km and six months is well within the service life of a quality synthetic oil, with average use.

As a point of reference, my TJ1 sedan has 266k with partial service history prior to my ownership; and my TJ2 wagon has 218k with service history from 2005.

I was given ("pay the rego and it's yours") a TJ Advance with 295k on the clock - spent a grand or so on a rust repair, and some minor issues to pass the roadworthy, and it was a damned good car. Motor and trans were great, car was still nice and tight, no rattles or squeaks, interior in fine shape, etc.

I'd always had a fondness for third-gens, and owning this car just cemented it. If they've been well looked after, they'll go forever...

I happily recommend third-gens to anyone who's looking for inexpensive, near-bulletproof transport.

Have had mine from 170,000 to just short of 200,000. My car doesnt have it easy and its only had the engine mount, TPS and clutch go on me. I have seen a lot of Falcon and Commodores around the same age and the Kms really really show, from suspension to the driveline... If I drove my car without knowing the Kms, Id be guessing low 100s. Got to be one of the best budget cars around!

My 99 TH solara wagon is at 630000 :)

Service to the needs I'd say, If you do 50,000Km a year you could probably do 15,000k between services as the engine is often warm so the detergents in the oil have less work to do, if you do 1,000km a year mostly down to the shops you do need to change every 6 months, as the short heat cycles make for lots of carbon deposits, and lots of "breathing" ie: the engine heats up - ejects air, cools down - draws in air (and water), and all that run rich fuel at cold start will mix into the oil.. Also factor in your driving style - if you hit the key - roar out into traffic, and flog it in and out of traffic to get to work - you need a really good oil changed regularly, if you start the car - let it idle a bit for temp, cruise out into traffic and only hit the loud pedal to put some of those Dunnydoor wantabees into their place - you can use a good standard oil and replace it 6 months or 10,000km ok

I've got a 03 TJ that I got in 2007 and its done over 300,000km. Still runs fine but has some oil leaks. It's a ex-rental car so I've had to replace the gear box in 2008. Done rocker covers in 2012(needs doing again). Both drive shafts in 2013. Middle and rear exhurst have been welded and last month was the first time I replace the front brake disks. The roof lining has dropped so need to fix that and the front splinter has broke. They are good cars for long trips. It got me from Central Coast, Nsw to Tas and back again and then for the move from central coast, Nsw to Kalgoorlie, wa. Excellent car and can't wait to get it back on the road

Good to know about the longevity of the third gen Magna. I am about to buy a '00 TJ Magna Exec. Its done 252,000km. Its at the mechanic getting Road Worthy done. Exterior its not in a good nick. All the electricals are working(importantly AC is!!) and the car looks good in the engine bay. Just the power steering pump is leaking which is getting replaced now. Brake rotors are in good condition and so is the suspension.

Buying this car for a $2550/- including road worthy and 10 months rego. Looking at the good words here I am hoping this car will last another 2 years and around 30,000km.

Cheers.

My KH has 525,000kms on her.
There is a bit of a story behind it.

I bought it off the original owner, who stopped performing any work on it past oil and filter changes for the engine about 325,000 kms ago. This was because the dealer offered him $2k trade in on his new car, so he kept the KH and decided to run it into the ground. It has been running LPG (mixed use, not straight LPG) for the last 400,000kms or so.
I bought it at 500,000kms for $500 and when I got it a few things didnt work. The drivers window cable had snapped. the heater and air con dont work (and will never work again at this rate) the internal brake light and rear view mirror has fallen off, and the drivers side mirror has failed (the chromatic goo is leaking out)

The only major issues are that the rocker cover seals leak like sieves and the trans hasent been serviced in about 350,000 kms so she flares a bit between shifts and likes to hold first gear to about 3k rpm.
Minor issues include the ICV not working right, so sometimes it stalls on gas (usually when slowing from freeway speeds as you take an exit). The top drivers side engine mount has gone and the traction control doesnt work half the time. The high tension leads are shot, so on REALLY muggy days they short out a bit and you end up running on a random number of cylinders (only happened to me once so far, and some duct tape and cardboard got me home) oh, and my thermostat has jammed open.

As far as I know the timing belt has only been changed twice, so the one thats in there is over 300,000kms old. All the suspension is factory (and all the bushes are still fairly good, as are the struts/shocks) I think the plugs are still original, unless they got changed during some factory servicing inside the first 200,000kms.

I'll sum it up like this. Keep the oil and filter changes up to them, and they will go forever.

My KH has 525,000kms on her.
There is a bit of a story behind it.

I bought it off the original owner, who stopped performing any work on it past oil and filter changes for the engine about 325,000 kms ago. This was because the dealer offered him $2k trade in on his new car, so he kept the KH and decided to run it into the ground. It has been running LPG (mixed use, not straight LPG) for the last 400,000kms or so.
I bought it at 500,000kms for $500 and when I got it a few things didnt work. The drivers window cable had snapped. the heater and air con dont work (and will never work again at this rate) the internal brake light and rear view mirror has fallen off, and the drivers side mirror has failed (the chromatic goo is leaking out)

The only major issues are that the rocker cover seals leak like sieves and the trans hasent been serviced in about 350,000 kms so she flares a bit between shifts and likes to hold first gear to about 3k rpm.
Minor issues include the ICV not working right, so sometimes it stalls on gas (usually when slowing from freeway speeds as you take an exit). The top drivers side engine mount has gone and the traction control doesnt work half the time. The high tension leads are shot, so on REALLY muggy days they short out a bit and you end up running on a random number of cylinders (only happened to me once so far, and some duct tape and cardboard got me home) oh, and my thermostat has jammed open.

As far as I know the timing belt has only been changed twice, so the one thats in there is over 300,000kms old. All the suspension is factory (and all the bushes are still fairly good, as are the struts/shocks) I think the plugs are still original, unless they got changed during some factory servicing inside the first 200,000kms.

I'll sum it up like this. Keep the oil and filter changes up to them, and they will go forever.

My KH holds first gear too 3k rpm too and my cars done 276,000, think its a fault with them.

My KH holds first gear too 3k rpm too and my cars done 276,000, think its a fault with them.

A wild guess: May be it requires transmission relearn exercise.

A wild guess: May be it requires transmission relearn exercise.

tried that countless times, does nothing, had the TPS checked by auto electrician all ok. I have a 3 litre TF and it changes gears better, changes up at about 2200 rpm from first into second, my KH hold gears way too long under normal throttle. I know its suppose to adapt to how you drive but it doesn't.

I've not looked at F or H TCU configurations but expect them to be similar to J/L/W TCU control to the extent that the fundamental shift decisions are based on vehicle speed and TPS input. A variety of other factors are taken into account (such as rate changes in speed and TPS etc) which affect the chosen shift point to some degree. In TCL equipped J/L/W series cars, the TPS input is actually read from the accelerator position sensor (the 2nd TPS device on the throttle body), however I don't think any F series car had TCL and I'm unsure whether any H series cars had TCL so this might not be a factor.

Unfortunately a MUT system seems to be the only way to log the TCU function easily to gain info about its operation, as I've had no joy so far attempting to use Evoscan (which does contain some support for some Mitsubishi TCUs).

There is a fluid temperature sensor in the gearbox and fluid temperature does affect gearbox behaviour. I haven't been able to find any reference to a fluid pressure sensor though, so at this stage I'm unsure how some functions related to actual shift control could "learn" as is claimed.