Hi folks I'm new around here.

We have a '97 3.0l TF Magna sedan that I never drive. My wife drives it and never says much about anything, just puts petrol in it really. Last few days I have been driving it and noticed that around corners, if there is a mid corner bump, the rear jumps sideways slightly. It seems worse taking a left. It has original suspension and standard tyre size. The tyres are Pirelli Dragons 20k old running 30PSI.

Any ideas?

Thanks

Have the shocks been replacedd.? Sound like theres no control in the suspension. give it the bounce test,, push hard on each corner of the car, like bounce it a few time and then stop, it it keeps bouncing or takes a few strokes to settle ur shocks a screwed..

Try a few more PSI in ur tyres like 34-36 psi cold.

First off, Welcome and enjoy your time with AMC.
To me it def sounds like your shocks are shot and sounds like that there original shocks and springs as well. So its also fair to say that the springs may also be tired as well.
For safety sake I would be inclined to change them ASAP, cause the last thing you want is either yourself or worse your wife to have the suspension fail and cause an accident.
Worn shocks also affect your braking performance and steering by putting additional stress and force on the front which will lead to premature failure of the front end.
Trust me you DON'T want that to happen.

It's got original shocks and springs and 165k on the clock. I'll give it the bounce test and see how I go.

Cheers

Hi Grelise, I type too slow.

That was going to be my next question regarding changing the springs as well. I'll ring around in the morning for some prices.

Cheers

Also hi and welcome.... didnt see u were a newbie....lol

Thanks mate.;)

While not posting I have sussed this site out every now and then for info. A couple of major ones being the ISC motor and the heater core. Car runs much better now with the new ISC and doing the heater core myself saved me $1080 which is what Nundah Mitsubishi quoted me.:shock:

The two leaking seals cost me $1.40 each.

Also have a look at the key suspension bushes.

Have a drive in the car and see if it tramlines.
I.e. pick up longitudinal ruts in the road surface and wants to follow them.

I suspect as your car is 11 years old that the Inner bushes in the rear suspension are worn, also it is quite likely that the big bush on each of the front suspension arms are worn as well.

Gerry

if its still on original shocks at 165k they are rooted, most shocks have a nominal life of 60-80k (unless you run lowered or uprated springs).

Howdy folks

I'm getting KYB struts, installed plus an alignment for $900. Does this sound reasonable?

I was suprised as the guy mentioned that all the other suspension gear was in good shape. He said that the springs were still well within limits and showed virtually no sag compared to factory specs.

Howdy folks

I'm getting KYB struts, installed plus an alignment for $900. Does this sound reasonable?

I was suprised as the guy mentioned that all the other suspension gear was in good shape. He said that the springs were still well within limits and showed virtually no sag compared to factory specs.

is he supplying springs with that as well? If not then thats pretty extreme, shocks are around 400 from any auto shop (supercheap,autorice,bursons etc) fronts off the top of my head are around 110 a pop and backs around 90, labour should be around the 100-200 (again depends on who you go to) and full 4 wheel alignment is 45-60 (again depends on who you go to). id get a couple of more qoutes on that price imho, id pick small mechanics shops over larger ones as they can tend to be a bit cheaper labour wise and are usually honest.

Howdy folks
I'm getting KYB struts, installed plus an alignment for $900. Does this sound reasonable?


..yeah, it's reasonable if it includes springs. :badgrin:

Shop around mate,get a few prices.

So I need new rear shockers...... to fix my jittery rear end?

Thanks folks.

Rang around this morning and found KYB's front $260 a pair and rears $200 a pair. Looks like another arvo in the garage having a few coldies.

So I need new rear shockers...... to fix my jittery rear end?
Aaah hmm a a not sure.:cool:

Age of your cars certainly suggests worn shocks.
However. Jack each side up in turn and then try to pull each rear wheel from horizontall and then vertically.
If any bushes are worn you will feel the wheel move.

Otherwise, splash out the money for a Pedders "suspension check"
If they claim something is not OK then say please show me and explain.
This should keep the bastards honest.

Gerry.

Your car is turning into a Rear Wheel Drive?? ....:D

how fast are you taking the corner.

Age of your cars certainly suggests worn shocks.
However. Jack each side up in turn and then try to pull each rear wheel from horizontall and then vertically.
If any bushes are worn you will feel the wheel move.

Otherwise, splash out the money for a Pedders "suspension check"
If they claim something is not OK then say please show me and explain.
This should keep the bastards honest.

Gerry.

The pedders Suspension checks are pretty good from my experience. They also provide charts, to show how your shocks are doing.

The pedders Suspension checks are pretty good from my experience. They also provide charts, to show how your shocks are doing.


NOTE TO ALL!!!!!!

I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THESE TESTS ARE NO GOOD FOR THE MAGNA/VERADA RANGE, THE SUSPENSION SETUP WILL ALWAYS SHOW A PROBLEM, EVEN NEW FROM FACTORY!!!!

Easy for then to get more dollars...Even when nothing is wrong!

Source Pedders @ penrith they wouldnt bother putting my car on the machine.

Interesting.

I know when my car went on that machine, all four shocks were fine, with the rears wearing out a bit quicker than the front. Which is excatly what i was expecting for my car.

Hi Guys

The N/A cars have a similar problem where the rear ends got wiggly...

The problem is wear with something known over here as the pillow bushings. Apparently wear with them is quite common. Originally the only repair was to full replacement of the rear knuckles to the tune of ~$600 US/side. However, Mother Mitsu reengineered the knuckles a couple of years ago into a serviceable form where the bushing can now be removed and a new one pressed in. Mitsu issued a Technical Service Bulletin on this for North America.

If the backend of your car is getting unstable I'd might check into failure of those bushings.

Cheers

Yeah Paul, I believe there is definitely something more than the shocks playing up here. I have been driving the car almost every day since I noticed it because I reckon it's dangerous. Today I hit a decent resurface area on the road, the ones where they dig across for a cable then plonk on about half a meter too much ashphalt to fill it so it's like a speed bump, well I hit it straight and the rear still jumped sideways:confused: I might have to get it on a Pedders test bed thingo. It's got more movement than a brothel on payday.

A week or so ago I noticed that the tyres on the car looked well worn for only 17000K. I took it back to Bob Jane who knows us as regulars and he called the Pirelli rep. They came and looked at the tyres and said that something was definitely wrong. They arranged for new tyres, pro rata deal and on driving it back home with new tyres the problem seems to have gone???

I have yet to take it for a good run but I am a bit bamboozled that the tyres could have caused the handling issues that I had.

Anyway I'll see what happens.

i had the same propbelm with my rear end,

only difference is mine has 20 inch rims with low profile tyres, dropped about 3 inches at the back, and has new shocks also..

mine was simply a camber issue.. fixed it with a few spacers and some longer bots, otherwise known as a whiteline anti-camber kit..

i'm only mentioning this as you have said you have excessive wear on tyres..

but it seems that you have sorted it..

my jittery rear was simply a camber problem.. oddley enough though my rear tyres (only fitted the kit a few months ago) after 28 000km's still look brand new.. i'm replacing the fronts next week.. but the rears even with the huge camber it had.. are fine!? i know there a very front end heavy car hence the usual life for the fronts.. but i was worried about the back due to the massive camber it had until now..

I've still got to believe that the problems with the rear knuckles we were experiencing over here is not unique to N/A cars (i.e., Diamantes). Someone should check with Mitsu-Oz and see if the same service bulletin that was issued over here exists over your way.

Oh, I just found something that I stored away from the old Diamante Owners List:

Pillow Bushing Wear Problem:

Areho asked me to pass on that he was seeing feathering on his rear tires (with only 7k miles) and finding the same on 2000-2003 D's he was working on.

He's identified tech-talk #100 from Mits that may be of interest to others. It seems the rear knuckle assembly bushings get worn due to water entry which then causes toe and camber changes. An alignment will not fix the problem and the knuckle assemblies must be replaced and the car realigned. He's not sure if the new assemblies are improved but will pass this on when he gets them.

I have done some research and have the answers:

The Mitsubishi part number of the replacement bushing is 4110A033 and is will cost about $22 each. You need two, one for each side. I hope the replacement bushing is more durable than the original.

The Mitsubishi part number of the bushing replacement tool is MB992107-01 and it is available from Mitsubishi SPX Tools by calling 1-800-533-5338. Current cost is $58.36, plus shipping.

If the alignment was correct before the bushing wore out, and you replace the bushing and restore the original condition, it stands to reason that the alignment would be returned to normal. To be sure, you can have the alignment checked after you replace the bushings, or use one of the DIY methods with string to check toe and thrust angle.