Thinking about doing the service myself this time. Ive never done a service myself before but as im a very hands-on/practical sorta person I would rather spend the money I would have spent on labour, on getting better quality parts (Oil, air filter etc).

The timing belt was done last service, so only a basic service is needed (Plus a gearbox flush, but this was done not that long ago so im not gonna do it this time)

Will be going into town later today to buy the following:
-Genuine Oil filter (Read that the ryco's arent great)
-Penrite HPR10-50 (Their new 'extra ten' stuff)
-Nulon engine flush
-New air filter??

Anyway, the engine was supposed to be serviced a few weeks back (Done like 4000k's more than it was supposed to :redface: and I still havent got around to booking it to a mechanic, (but anyway since decided to do the service myself)) The engine has developed the ticking noise (Tappets?), no doubt from the dirty oil as it looks veryyy dirty. So im going to use the nulon flush which will hopefully help...

So just wanting to know if anybody has any pointers/advice for me?

Also, just a few small q's:
Does the oil filter need a special tool to get off (like some mits filters)?
Where should I get a new air filter from? (Or a k&n filter?) Supercheap Auto?

Thanks :)

Ryco oil filters are fine mate. You don't need genuine. There's a heap of different tools you can use to remove the oil filter, most can be picked up for around $10.

Tips: Take your time, have all the correct tools, always use the correct tool for the job at hand.

Don't use Nulon engine flush. It can cause oil leaks, trust me. You are better off changing the oil more often, like every 5,000 Km. And Ryco filters are fine. 5,000 km changes with filter change every second oil change.

Large pair of multigrips is good for getting the filter off, as for the K&N try Ripco, don't waste $50 a service on a paper filter...

Don't use Nulon engine flush. It can cause oil leaks, trust me. You are better off changing the oil more often, like every 5,000 Km. And Ryco filters are fine. 5,000 km changes with filter change every second oil change.
WTF?! Don't listen to this guy... Those leaks are ALREADY THERE, but bad oil clogs them up, you want to know if you have leaks. Also make sure NOT TO LEAVE IT IN!

If you have been good with the service history, you dont actually need to put your engine through an oil flush as all modern oils have detergents. Build ups of deposits and varnishing only become imminent when you are consistently overdue for service. and quite frankly, i would rather not see the oil leaks. it would just mean more money getting the leaks fixed or it stains your driveway.

Your choice, just going by personal experience. Before Nulon, my cars engine leaked slightly, after Nulon it was much worse, to the point where I could no longer ignore it. Like Life says, don't leave it in, read and follow the instructions. In my case, varnish was probably holding the oil in. lol

basic advice , before dropping oil run the engine untill operating temperature is reached, it helps the oil flow ,just dont touch the shiz, and the heat will also help in the removal of the oil filter and depending on how long since your last change will determine the condition of your sump plug o-ring so check it before putting oil in..

Thanks guys! :)
Didnt end up going to the shops today as I figured I would do a little more research on what I will need for the service. Will definately invest in a oil filter tool, and will buy a few o-rings as well as they couldnt be more than a few bucks right? ....Better safe then sorry! So where do I actually buy the o-rings from? lol

Also had a look at some fully synthetic penrite (SIN 10), but I see the viscosity is now 10w-70! Isnt this a bit thick??? Ive heard this can make the car a little less happy to rev and also chew more fuel??? Any truth to this? Will prob just go with the HPR stuff though....

Make sure the oil filter tool you buy will remove the Mitsu filter from below - I've got 4 different types and only one can remove it - it's a 3 arm job that clamps on the filter to unscrew. For the correct sized "O" ring you'd probably need to go to the Mitsu agents as they will know the size, however if the old one wasn't leaking it should be OK. Maybe someone on this forum can give you the exact size so you can buy one fora fraction of the cost from SuperCheap/Repco.
10w-70 oil will be as thin as 10 when cold but as thick as 70 when hot in simple terms but it's best you GOOGLE it.
You've probably thought of it, but you will also need a pan to accept 4 litres of very hot dirty oil....plus many rags...maybe rubber gloves to keep the oil off your skin...and a funnel to make it easy to get the new oil in.

Definitely do the service yourself. It’s easy and you save plenty of money for other mods.

O-ring: you can buy a small plastic packet of mixed sized o-rings off the nuts/screws/bolt/washer stand at any Autobarn/SuperCheap/Repco. About $4.

Oil: there are too many different opinions on this topic. Apparently fully synthetic is the way to go because the additives have a longer life than those in the mineral based oils. Saying that, I’ve used Castrol Magnatec with no problems. Fully synthetic is more expensive though.

Nulon: I have always avoided using these “flush” type products due to a lot of bad press, but I finally tried it on my last oil change and have not noticed any problems ... yet. Different mechanics have different opinions on this too. Your call on this one.

Oil Change: Warm the engine up before you drop the old oil out (note the filer and sump plug will be hot too) because he oil will be thinner and will be easier to drain out. Also take off the oil re-filler cap on the tappet cover to help the old oil run out (ie no air lock). Don’t over tighten the sump plug/nut – it’s pretty easy to rip the thread. Check the plug is still firmly in place again after a few days of driving to make sure it hasn’t come loose. Use a funnel to help pour the new stuff in. You can buy disposable cardboard ones for a few bucks when you buy the oil.

Filter Remover: Because the oil filter is so small, and there isn’t much room to swing the handle under the car, I found the best (and coincidentally the cheapest) was the one which had a fully enclosed metal strap that you slip over the end of the oil filter and tighten up with a nut that slides up and down the handle. The other ratchet-style ones were way too big and couldn’t grip the filter. $10 at Supercheap.

you might not need the filter removal tool mate, i've done plenty of oil changes on different cars and never needed one...

save your money on the filter tool, if your strong enuff use your hands, if not hammer a screwdriver through the side wall of the filter.

Great feedback MTH cheers!

Always remember to put a smear of fresh oil on the face of the new oil filter too - itl help the next time you want to get the filter off.

sump bolt is 24mm IIRC

the O rings for the sump plug bolt, cost like 24cents - or something stupidly small like that.
I purchased a whole heap of them for 5bucks - though I think I got a WHOLE lot more than I should have done...

The sump O rings - are just black rubber O Rings - nothing overly special about them, shouldnt be too hard to substitute for whatever you have lying around your shed if a new one is required.

Thanks guys for all the help!! :)
Will be doing the service on sunday now I think. Will buy all the stuff tommorrow though!

This may be a stupid question, but do I need to know the part numbers for the oil filter and air filter when I go to buy them? Or can I just go in and say " I would like blah blah for a mitsubishi magna blah blah" ?

Thanks guys for all the help!! :)
Will be doing the service on sunday now I think. Will buy all the stuff tommorrow though!

This may be a stupid question, but do I need to know the part numbers for the oil filter and air filter when I go to buy them? Or can I just go in and say " I would like blah blah for a mitsubishi magna blah blah" ?

There will be a cross-reference catalog in the isle of any SuperCheap/Repco etc where the filters are sold - just look up your make, model, year, engine size etc and it will list the appropriate part number for the air, oil & fuel filters. If in doubt, just ask any of the drones that work there.

There will be a cross-reference catalog in the isle of any SuperCheap/Repco etc where the filters are sold - just look up your make, model, year, engine size etc and it will list the appropriate part number for the air, oil & fuel filters. If in doubt, just ask any of the drones that work there.

Thanks mate, went into supercheap last night and had a look in the book. Apparently I need the ryco z456 oil filter, which they sell for $19!! Isnt that a bit much for an oil filter?? Anyway my mate thought he could get me one today at his work, but looks like he cant so I think I will be going back and paying the $19 unless you guys know of somewhere cheaper?

Did my basic service yesterday! Went well, managed to get the oil filter from malz for $13 (Same ryco one as supercheap, just $6 cheaper...). Engine seems to be running alot better. Also flushed the clutch so gear changes are much smoother too. So thanks guys for the help :)

Anyway, one thing we noticed, the bottom of the car had loads of oil over it (Was dripping...). Which after a bit of studying, looks like the front rocker cover gasket is leaking.... I had this replaced less than 10,000k's ago.......
Also noticed the oil filter had old oil all over it?? Was the filter not put back on properly??! (The oil was not from the rocker gasket as it had clearly leaked fom the top of the filter) ......:(

Did my basic service yesterday! Went well, managed to get the oil filter from malz for $13 (Same ryco one as supercheap, just $6 cheaper...). Engine seems to be running alot better. Also flushed the clutch so gear changes are much smoother too. So thanks guys for the help :)

Anyway, one thing we noticed, the bottom of the car had loads of oil over it (Was dripping...). Which after a bit of studying, looks like the front rocker cover gasket is leaking.... I had this replaced less than 10,000k's ago.......
Also noticed the oil filter had old oil all over it?? Was the filter not put back on properly??! (The oil was not from the rocker gasket as it had clearly leaked fom the top of the filter) ......:(

Rocker cover gaskets can leak again after being replaced - it's quite common. Take it back to where you had it done and have them have a look at it. Sometimes it just needs a tighten or a simple re-align.

The oil on the filter may have just been from when it was changed last time. Unless you were really low on oil there's not much to worry about.

Edit: What do you mean, flushed the clutch now gear changes are smoother?

Rocker cover gaskets can leak again after being replaced - it's quite common. Take it back to where you had it done and have them have a look at it. Sometimes it just needs a tighten or a simple re-align.

The oil on the filter may have just been from when it was changed last time. Unless you were really low on oil there's not much to worry about.

Edit: What do you mean, flushed the clutch now gear changes are smoother?

Will do, cheers!
The clutch seemed to make a little crunch when changing gears (plus a litle jolt on every gear change), so we flushed the clutch fluid and its all good now! :D