It's been excatly 10 years since my family purchased the TE and it has done just under 200000 k's. There have been no major problems with the TE, whch is a rather (and surprisingly) reliable family car. Plenty of space inside, low road noise, so i dont see any reason to get rid of it, BUT there has been a couple of issues:

1. tends to run a bit hot without the air cond switched on. the needle goes just under 2 graduations from the hottest....this i am a bit concerned. i had the water pump replaced 2 years ago, may be a dodgy water pump? i dont know.

2. fuel economy. horrible. a full tank lasts about 390-420km's. time to switch to gas?

3. gear box. it's an auto and feels sloppy at 1st and 2nd years i.e it car jerks a bit, especially when shiftin down. there's a slight delay in shifting too.

please feel free to post your 200,000km car problems here, and maybe we can all work out what to do to keep our magna's "alive" for a very long time.

It's been excatly 10 years since my family purchased the TE and it has done just under 200000 k's. There have been no major problems with the TE, whch is a rather (and surprisingly) reliable family car. Plenty of space inside, low road noise, so i dont see any reason to get rid of it, BUT there has been a couple of issues:

1. tends to run a bit hot without the air cond switched on. the needle goes just under 2 graduations from the hottest....this i am a bit concerned. i had the water pump replaced 2 years ago, may be a dodgy water pump? i dont know.

2. fuel economy. horrible. a full tank lasts about 390-420km's. time to switch to gas?

3. gear box. it's an auto and feels sloppy at 1st and 2nd years i.e it car jerks a bit, especially when shiftin down. there's a slight delay in shifting too.

please feel free to post your 200,000km car problems here, and maybe we can all work out what to do to keep our magna's "alive" for a very long time.


way i see it mate..if you try sell it.they wont give you nothing 4 it.so id just keep her going till she wont go no more.iv got a 2000 TJ and im in the same boat.cant get anything 4 it.

"2. fuel economy. horrible. a full tank lasts about 390-420km's. time to switch to gas?"

There are 2 temp sensors on the alloy thermostat housing near where the top radiator hose goes into the engine. Replace the LARGER one - its about $50 from Mitsu or a bit less from the likes of Repco. This sensor controls your fans and also the ECU uses it to regulate fuel mixture - word of mouth from the Mitsu Parts guy at Phill Gilbert Lidcombe is that these sensors start to act up at around the 100k mark - leading to heat issues and high fuel consumption. So yeah replace that - its probably the single best thing you can do on an old V6.

(BTW the small sensor only controls your temp gauge - no need to change that if the gauge is working normally - they're expensive - about $150)

My KE is the same, 10 years old, done 220,000.

Gears are sloppy aswell, give a Tranny cooler a go, also check ur drivers side top engine mount, these greatly helped my KE change smoother.

As for temp, get a new thermostat and flush the cooling system.

Fuel econony - try resetting the ECU, also check O2 sensor as this can lead to high fuel usage, never know the problem may go away when you sort out your cooling system.

For my KE I give an oil and filter change every 5,000, gearbox every 15,000-20,000 (depending on how the gear changes are), coolant/thermostat once yearly.

Havent had a single major issue with th car yet.

I have similar problems with my gear box on my TE. It always benefits from a tranny service ... mmmm silky smooth changes.
I do a tranny service every year ... seems to nip the rough changes in the bud just as they start to appear.

390-420km per tank - mmmmm perhaps a little too much for around town.
Just rememner that approaching 200K is the major major service time. A decent major major service and you'll have your car running like new again.
Just make sure they replace your plugs and your water pump at the service. I think Mitsis like to do the major work over 2 services ... do it all in one big hit. Timing belt, water pump, plugs, leads, gaskets, thermostat, all fluids etc. Just do it. Not much change out of $1K though.

Is the water pump a must change? I dont see anything wrong with it but timing belt yes I know the importance for it.

Is the water pump a must change? I dont see anything wrong with it but timing belt yes I know the importance for it.

you do it more as a precautionary service. These days Jap made aftermarket pumps are about $130 (mitsu genuines are around $200 I think) so its a snap to fit while the belts etc are off, wheras should it fail at some other time, labour is a big additional cost issue as all the belts have to come off again etc.

BTW to be avoided are Taiwan made copies - I've heard of those only lasting 8,000klms - refer above re labour costs!

you do it more as a precautionary service. These days Jap made aftermarket pumps are about $130 (mitsu genuines are around $200 I think) so its a snap to fit while the belts etc are off, wheras should it fail at some other time, labour is a big additional cost issue as all the belts have to come off again etc.

BTW to be avoided are Taiwan made copies - I've heard of those only lasting 8,000klms - refer above re labour costs!

I also have a starwagon with the 4g63 in it and at the 100k service I only replaced the belts. At 120k it had started to leak oil from the seals, which then got onto the belts, which then caused the balancer belt to break (I was lucky that it didn't take out the cam belt) and very shortly the water pump had started to leak, all before I had got to 170k. Motto- replace all seals, water pump and tensioner pulleys at the same time and you should never have any problems before the next time it is due to be changed....

Motto- replace all seals, water pump and tensioner pulleys at the same time and you should never have any problems before the next time it is due to be changed....

or do as i do and take every possable peice apart and clean/grind/file/slap with tuna, runs like a new engine again and if u know what u'r doin should only take a night to do.

i just had my 200k service done, labour for timing belt and water pump replacement was $250. Not bad i say, couldn't be bothered f*%&ing around with it all, coz i've already done all the plugs and leads etc. Now she's runing like a dream.:D

the TE has now 230,000km's on the clock. havent had a major service for a couple of years now, the issues are:

-rough gear changes (as per original post). Just want to ask: where in Melbourne is a reliable tranny servicer?
-the car seems to get hot when the air-cond is off. the needle hits about 3/4 from coldest without the air cond switched on. when A/C is switched on, the needle returns to about half way-strange aye. i cant find the issue with it.

-the car seems to get hot when the air-cond is off. the needle hits about 3/4 from coldest without the air cond switched on. when A/C is switched on, the needle returns to about half way-strange aye. i cant find the issue with it.

Maybe the turning on the A/C raises the temp. further which automatically kicks the fan/s bringing the temp. down?

Can you hear the fans once few secs/mins after the A/C gets turned on or just before the temp. needle starts dropping?

the TE has now 230,000km's on the clock. havent had a major service for a couple of years now, the issues are:

-rough gear changes (as per original post). Just want to ask: where in Melbourne is a reliable tranny servicer?

Transtyles on Hallam Rd, Hallam.

We've sent our old LTD, our CB Lancer and 2000 Pathfinder there. The guys there are very professional and know what they're doing. My dad's had a good experience with them.

cheers,
-ian

When was the last time you reset the trans ECU? My wifes trans was the same, the shifts were awfull, I disconnected the battery and then reconnected it after a few minutes. Then start the engine and let the idle settle down after a few minutes, then run the shifter from park to neutral to drive to neutral to reverse to neutral, and repeat 3-4 times leaving it in each position for 3-4 seconds. I was told this is a factory reset of the TE trans and over the next few days you will notice the shifts get better and better. My Wifes TE shifts better than it ever has and its more responsive on down shifts and dosent "Hunt" for gears going uphill anymore.

my th has just hit 197k the only problem i have is a weep on the rear bank camseal, slight wheel bearing noise on n/s/f. mine has a full service history