Every Mitsubishi car that is sold on the territory of the US has a unique vehicle identification number or the VIN code. It’s created and assigned to every model by the manufacturer. If you plan to buy a used car, knowing the code will allow you to secure the purchase with the help of Mitsubishi VIN decoder. Every symbol of the code represents a specific piece of information about the state and specs of the car. You can decipher it yourself or use the online decoder on this website.

Before you start deciphering or using the decoder, you should find the code. The first place to look at is the registration card. The next place is the dashboard under the windshield that can be seen only if you stand outside the car. You should take a look at the right bottom corner on the driver’s side. The code should be clearly visible without the need to open the hood. All Mitsubishi models have this code in this place. Another place where you can find the code is the driver’s side door.

Once you have located the code on the car and on the registration code, it’s time to compare them. One more thing you should do before you proceed to decode the VIN number. You have to make sure the surface of the code is smooth and clear. Car thieves often take the dashboard from one car and put it on another car in case they’re selling a stolen vehicle. If you see any signs that a piece of metal was replaced, we don’t advise you to buy this vehicle. If the surface of the dashboard is smooth and clean, you can decode the VIN.

Mitsubishi VIN Information

With the help of the Mitsubishi VIN decoder free service you can find out the following information:

• The country where the car was produced (USA, Canada, Japan, Australia, Brazil, France, etc.);
• The model year of the car (it’s not the year of production);
• The model of Mitsubishi vehicle;
• The engine specs including the number of cylinders, the fuel type, etc.;
• The type of transmission;
• The interior and exterior details (colour, material, equipment, etc.);
• The safety equipment (active belts, airbags, etc.);
• The body type of the car (sedan, coupe, hatchback, etc.);
• Other technical specs about the car provided for a specific model.

The information about the Mitsubishi car you’re interested in is reliable and true to life because the manufacturer generates the VIN code that responds to the rules provided in 1980. All the cars should have the universal algorithm of deciphering where the first three digits stand for the manufacturing company, the country of production and the model of the car.

The next five digits stand for vehicle attributes. The ninth symbol is the check digit, it informs the VIN decoder Mitsubishi if the code if valid or not. Even if one character has been changed, the code won’t be valid. The tenth and eleventh digits stand for the model year and the assembly plant. And the last six digits of the VIN are the sequential number of the car.

You can search the web to find what each symbol means for this very model of Mitsubishi car or you can use the online decoder for free. You will save your time and money as you have no limits for the number of tries. If you like ten cars, you can decode the VIN numbers and pick up the right vehicle which specs meet your needs and preferences.

Mitsubishi Sample VIN Number

• JA4AZ3A3XJZ016797 — 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander SEL AWD (2.4L L4 DOHC 16V), SPORT UTILITY 4-DR
• 4A4AJ3AU3DE603501 — 2013 Mitsubishi RVR SE 4WD (2.0L L4 DOHC 16V), SPORT UTILITY 4-DR
• JL6CCE1S8AK000407 — 2010 Mitsubishi Fuso FE85D 85D (4.9L L4 TURBO-AIR COOLED DIESEL), TILT CAB
• JA4MT31X17U012578 — 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander LS 4WD (3.0L V6 SOHC 24V), SPORT UTILITY 4-DR
• JA4LS41R83J014717 — 2003 Mitsubishi Montero Sport Limited 2WD (3.5L V6 SOHC 24V), SPORT UTILITY 4-DR

This is a list of engines produced by Mitsubishi Motors since 1964, and its predecessors prior to this.

• 2Configurations

Explanation of codes[edit]

Mitsubishi engines designed since 1970 use a four-digit naming convention:

• The first (digit) signifies the number of cylinders; '2' = straight-2, '3' = straight-3, '4' = straight-4, '6' = V6, '8' = V8.
• The second (letter) formerly referred to the fuel type; 'D' = diesel, 'G' = gasoline. However, since the 1980s, this has changed. Two engine families were introduced using the letter 'A' to denote that all the engines in the family had an alloycylinder head. Their latest engines, however, do not follow any previous conventions (e.g. 4M4, 3B2, etc.).
• The third (digit) previously denoted the engine family. Five of the '4G' straight-4 engine families had distinct names; '4G1' = Orion, '4G3' = Saturn, '4G4' = Neptune, '4G5' = Astron, and '4G6' = Sirius.
• The fourth (digit) is the specific engine model within the family. It is not a guide to its place within that family, nor is it a guide to the capacity of the engine.

There may also be supplementary letters after the initial four characters. 'T' can indicate that the engine is turbocharged (e.g. 4G63T), 'B' that this is the second version of the engine (e.g. 4G63B). Where engine codes are used which include the supplemental letters, the first digit denoting the number of cylinders may be omitted, so 4G63T may be seen as G63T.

Configurations[edit]

Single-cylinder[edit]

These were used in Mitsubishi's very first vehicles, motor scooters and three-wheelers.

• NE/NE1 — First introduced as the 112 cc side-valve, air-cooled 1.5 hp NE10 for the famous Silver Pigeon scooter. Later iterations included the NE7, the enlarged 192 cc NE9, and the OHV 125 cc NE8 and 175 cc NE13.
• ME20 — This 309 cc water-cooled OHV engine served in the three-wheeled Leo.

Two-cylinder[edit]

Mitsubishi's smallest powerplants, most commonly found in their earliest models in the 1960s:

• 1960-? — NE19A — 0.5 L — The air-cooled 493 cc OHV twin-cylinder engine in the Mitsubishi 500, the first passenger car built by the company after the Second World War. Bore and stroke were 70.0 x 64.0 mm
• 1961-? — NE35A — 0.6 L — a 594 cc iteration of the NE series, 72.0 x 73.0 mm. This engine was used in the Mitsubishi 500 Super DeLuxe and Mitsubishi Colt 600.
• 1961-1972 — ME21/24 — 0.36 L — This air-cooledtwo-stroke first served in the Mitsubishi 360 but was used in various Minicas and Minicabs until at least late 1972.
• 1968-1976 — 2G1 — 0.36 L — First introduced in late first generation Minicas in October 1968 to gradually replace the air-cooledME24 powerplant. The water-cooled 2G10 was a two-stroke engine like its predecessor.
• 1972-? — 2G2 'Vulcan' — 0.36-0.8 L — a new four-strokeOHC design introduced in 1972 to succeed the 2G1, fitted to Minicas and Minicabs. 359 cc, 471 cc, 546 cc, 644 cc and 783 cc versions were produced.

Three cylinder[edit]

• 1987-present — 3G8 — 0.55-0.8 L
• 2005-? — 3B2 — 0.66-1.0 L
• 2003-present — 3A9 — 1.0-1.2 L

Four-cylinder[edit]

Gasoline:

• 1963-1975 — KE4 — 1.0-2.0 L
• 1969-1999 — 4G3 — 1.2-1.8 L — nick name 'Saturn'
• 1971-1979 — 4G4 — 1.2-1.4 L — nick name 'Neptune'
• 1972-? — 4G5 — 1.8-2.6 L — nick name 'Astron'
• 1978-? — 4G1 — 1.2-1.6 L — nick name 'Orion'
• 1980-2006 — 4G6 — 1.6-2.4 L — nick name 'Sirius'
• late 1980s — 4G8 — 1.1 L
• 1991-2007 — 4G9 — 1.5-2.0 L
• 1993-? — 4A3 — 0,66-1.1 L
• 2003-present — 4A9 — 1.3-1.6 L
• 2007-present — 4B1 — 1.8-2.4 L — nick name 'GEMA engine'
• 2013-present — 4J1 — 1.8-2.4 L
• 2017-present — 4B4 — 1.5 L

Diesels:

• 1963-? — KE4 — 2.0 L
• ?-? — 4DR — 2,7 L

Two 2659 cc straight-4 normally aspirated and turbodiesels, 4DR5 and 4DR6, fitted to some Canter light trucks, and also fitted to the company's Jeep which it built under licence from Willys between 1953 and 1998.
The indirect injected 4DR5 produced from naturally aspirated 75 to 80 PS (55 to 59 kW), while the turbocharged and intercooled versions produced a torque of 22.5 kg/m (220.65 Nm) at 2000 RPM and had a compression ratio of 21.5:1, with a maximum power of 100 PS (74 kW) at 3,300 rpm.
The direct injected 4DR6 has a lower compression ratio of 17.5 producing a torque of 21.0 kgm (205.94 Nm) at 2000 rpm with a maximum power of 94 PS (69 kW) at 3,500 rpm [1]

• 1980-present — 4D5 — 2.3-2.5 L — diesel versions of the 'Astron' engine
• 1983-2008 — 4D6 — 1.8-2.0 L — diesel versions of the 'Sirius' engine
• 1991-2000 — 4M4 — 2.8-3.2 L
• 2010-present — 4N1 — 1.8-2.4 L

Six-cylinder[edit]

Mitsubishi has three families of V6 engines, which have seen use in its midsize lines, coupés and compacts.

• 1963-1970 — KE6 — 2.0-3.5 L — A straight-6 as gasoline or diesel engines.
• 1970-1976 — 6G3 — 2.0 L — 'Saturn 6'straight-6
• 1986-? — 6G7 — 2.0-3.5 L — 'Cyclone V6'
• 1992-? — 6A1 — 1.6-2.5 L
• 2005-present — 6B3 — 3.0 L

Eight-cylinder[edit]

• 1999-2008 — 8A8 — 4.5 L — For its Japan-only Proudia and Dignity models, Mitsubishi built an alloy-headed 4.5 L V8 with GDI. The vehicles proved unsuccessful, and were quickly discontinued. However, the range had been developed in conjunction with the Hyundai Motor Company, whose Hyundai Equus fared much better.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

• 'Engine Epic Part 8 - Mitsubishi Engines', Michael Knowling, Autospeed, issue 48, 21 September 1999