Overheating MN Triton

[Bellend]

This sounds just like my experience with my local dealer. After the 5th time taking it in they finally stripped it and found the head gasket blown. It's a well known problem with the 4D56 engine.

[arternune]

My car is at the dealer AGAIN. This time they are stripping down the engine to inspect the head gasket. It has overheated twice after less than 10 km driving in 9 degrees and rain. I bought this car for outback touring. What a joke!

[killa]

My car is at the dealer AGAIN. This time they are stripping down the engine to inspect the head gasket. It has overheated twice after less than 10 km driving in 9 degrees and rain. I bought this car for outback touring. What a joke!

That is actually good news. Mine has been 100% since fitting the replacement gasket kit. Hope yours works out the same when you get it back although it will take a while for the trust to come back.

[arternune]

Thanks Killa.
My car will be away for all of next week at this stage. I will let you know the results. The dealer told me that they are currently replacing the engine in another one with the same problems as mine.

[arternune]

As an update. The head gasket has been inspected and found to be faulty. They have also said that the bottom engine block has "corrosive damage" and also needs to be replaced. I have a time frame of two weeks at this stage.

[Cowboy Dave]

Wow. Well at least you have a diagnosis and hopefully a cure (transplant) now.

[gaspode]

I use my 2011 MN Triton GLX-R for work, it always has a near full load of tools and have had 70000k's of trouble free driving. That being said, my Triton has over heated on me 6 times over the last 2000k's.

After it boiled the 5th time and I was close to a dealer I booked it in and they had it for two days. The dealer cleaned the crap from out from between the condenser and the radiator (two boxes of grass seeds) and replaced the thermostat. So I then took it for a drive over some ranges. The first being along the Buckets Way NSW, with some city driving as well, no issues. The next day I was traveling home along the Bells Line Of Road and made it to Clarence, when it boiled again.

As I type, it is being looked at by my mechanic (not a dealer) who has been unable to find any issue so far. He has given it a boot full over the hills around Bathurst for no result. He will be taking it out again for another run soon, and I hope he finds a issue as we are all scratching our heads.

[gaspode]

Just an update...

The Triton overheated again today after a climb up a mountain. It's currently at the Dealer in Bathurst. After explaining the facts to the service manager, he dropped a bomb... Slotting between cylinder's 1 and 2 as their is currently a Triton sitting in there yard waiting for a new engine with exactly the same issues as I had reported. Fingers crossed it's not that and just the thermo fan as a the new engine for the the one on the dealer's lot wont be delivered till November.

By the way, mine is an 03/11 Triton.

[macca002]

Thermo fan only works efficiently at pulling air through the radiator at low speeds - how slow were you going up the hill?

[gaspode]

Hi Macca,

Not that slow, I was traveling on the F3 at the time and my speed was 110. It's a long climb up the Berowra Bank from the Hawksbury River Bridge.

[gaspode]

Another update...

Just off the phone with the dealer. Blown head gasket at this stage, awaiting permission from MMA to strip the engine down to prove it/find more trouble. Will find out more on Monday now.

Funny thing is, my mechanic did a full pressure test on the 15th July and found no fault with the head gasket then.

[Froggy]

Another update...

Just off the phone with the dealer. Blown head gasket at this stage, awaiting permission from MMA to strip the engine down to prove it/find more trouble. Will find out more on Monday now.

Funny thing is, my mechanic did a full pressure test on the 15th July and found no fault with the head gasket then.

I don't find it funny. Seems to be the norm with these - I'm pretty sure all those who have blown head gaskets so far have been fine on a pressure test!

[killa]

Another update...

Just off the phone with the dealer. Blown head gasket at this stage, awaiting permission from MMA to strip the engine down to prove it/find more trouble. Will find out more on Monday now.

Funny thing is, my mechanic did a full pressure test on the 15th July and found no fault with the head gasket then.

I don't find it funny. Seems to be the norm with these - I'm pretty sure all those who have blown head gaskets so far have been fine on a pressure test!

Mine was fine for 7 or 8 pressure tests , had to hijack the technician for them to believe me

[hvac guy]

I take it the cap for the radiator is 15psi which is probably what they pressure test too
The biggest problem will be that turbo makes 20 psi at full load then you have combustion pressure as well
So U end up with a big difference between the gasket allowing gas into the cooling system.

So when they pressure test the gasket won't leak same with driving around without load
Or high boost.

the best test would be screw a glow plug out, put in compressed air too the same pressure in the combustion
Chamber at 20psi and fit a pressure guage to the cooling system and see if it rises.
U could do cylinder by cylinder and pin point the problem.

[gaspode]

Thanks for all the info guys.

Dealer reckons he'll be taking photo's to send through to MMAL on Monday. With a bit of luck, I might be able to score them as well. But I won't know more until then, when I visit them to grab my tools.

At least the Service Manager believed me when I told him my story and suggested straight away an issue with the block. Not a good thing, but not a bad thing either.

[gaspode]

Another update...

New Engine under warranty. Still waiting for some additional details and pictures, but it's looking like 2011 isn't a good vintage for Tritons.

[MarkUnit]

G'day guys, new to the forum and having some overheating issues myself. The temp gauge (don't have EGT yet) has started to read hot after only 5-10 k's, but the radiator/coolant overflow aren't boiling, and engine doesn't seem to be particularly hot at all. I spoke to NATRAD here in CBR today for some advice & was told it's not unusual for modified 4by's to have this problem. Especially one's with lots of electrical work done. Mine just had dual battery & monitor, DP chip (ruled it out today), UHF & brake controller fitted, so kinda fits the theory.

Have read through this topic (plenty of great info for a non-tech like me) but couldn't find the exact same symptoms as mine. Am interested in what others here think about the advice above & whether radiator/cooling specialists like NATRAD have been used to help diagnose other heating problems mentioned in previous posts?

Mark

[gaspode]

V-Man, I have possibly solved my problem with temp gauge rising. I have moved the earth for the spotlights from a spot on the body below the battery, near the main earth wire, and now its not overheating. This was suggested by a local auto electrician, who said they get all sorts of strange things happening with these new elctronic controlled injection vehicles, if any accessories are earthed to the body. I would presume the electrical interferance was influencing the fuel injection or timing, to cause it to overheat with a slight increase in load. I have not let it lose any coolant yet, but I have had to get out of the cab to stop my leg getting burnt from the exhaust temp coming through the floor. The floor mats must have just about melted.

I would not rule out the thermostatic fan, but I would certainly be looking a your electronic brake controllers earthing.

The earth I had on the spotlights was not dirty or poorly connected, but was near the main earth wire off the battery.

From what you describe, this might be a likely solution.

[MarkUnit]

A quick update on my overheating situation. An auto sparky checked it this morning and found a bad earth from the dual battery. Fixed and test driven - all good again! Thank goodness it was something minor & an easy fix.

Mark

[gaspode]

Glad to hear that mate.

[macca002]

A quick update on my overheating situation. An auto sparky checked it this morning and found a bad earth from the dual battery. Fixed and test driven - all good again! Thank goodness it was something minor & an easy fix.

Mark

THAT IS UNBELIEVABLE

Something so minor as a bad earth could potentially cook your 4x4.

WOW - luckily you got on to it, and hopefully that is the only fix you needed to sort it out.

[Cowboy Dave]

Yeah but is it cooking it or giving you a higher reading than you really have in your coolant?

I'm pleased to see that forum members gave you a spot on diagnosis so quickly.

[MarkUnit]

The vehicle wasn't actually overheating, just giving a false read on the temp gauge. The theory is the bad earth was causing interference, but buggered if I know how. A big thanks to all who provided advice - the faulty earth was the first thing checked and worked a treat. Took it for another run this arvo, all good. Warm up time was back to normal and it stayed steady reading just under half.

Thanks again.

Mark

[DanMac]

Hey guys going thought a similar problem. My vehicle is a 11/12 model with 55000 ks on the clock. Last week noticed the smell of coolant and discovered it had sprayed everywhere. Straight back to the deal. Told they had done pressure test etc and there was nothing wrong and given the vehicle back. One hour drive down the coast and it did it again. Again str back to the deal with the same results. Again a one hour drive to Sydney and happened again. After reading this forum and a couple of others back to the dealer, long conversation with their head mechanic mentioning what I had read on here. Stated he has never heard of any problems like this before. That was on monday. Spoke to them today, they replaced the rad cap and thermo and they realised it was still happen. So they contacted hq and received information that hq is seeing a regular problem with excess pitting in the engine block above the cylinders that is cause excess gas in the coolant. So as of today they have started to strip the engine down.
I am not much of a mechanic so hope that all makes sense.

[gaspode]

Hi Dan,

When you say that coolant had sprayed everywhere, do you mean from the overflow bottle or from a hose? If it was from the overflow bottle, then your engine has overheated and what your describing, it sounds very similar to what my problem was, a defective block casting. There was a grove in the engine block between cylinders 1 and 2 or 3 and 4 that was allowing coolant into the combustion chamber. The coolant returns to the cooling system super heated and boils. This is why everything would have seemed normal and then all of a sudden coolant is boiling. This problem only becomes apparent when your driving on long trips.

If that is the case, then odds on your getting a new engine. Provided your vehicle has been log book serviced (it does not have to be from a Mitsubishi service center) you should be fine. I would suggest that you request copies of all reports / photo's that they take during their investigation phase. This helps to keep them honest, and if you feel that they are pulling your leg allows you to get a second opinion.

Cheers,

Daniel