I admit I have never personally dealt with Mitsu intake butterflies but it's just two different runner lengths, right? one low RPM runner, one high RPM runner? Can't you just remove the butterflies, hammer a plug into each of the low RPM runners and suffer a couple fewer pounds of torque at low RPM? I know turning those big tires you need every pound of twist you can get but not if it means a risk of engine destruction.

Is there an intake manifold from like 3000GT's or something that doesn't have the dual runner length, where you could extend the throttle body out a little to bring torque peak down a few RPM?

You can remove the butterfly assembly, including the bushings the shaft rides on and plug the hole in the front of the plenum where the shaft comes through and you don't really have to do anything with the runners. The intake air will just go through the high speed/short runner length.

Or you can rebuild a plenum better than it was built by the factory, as I've said before. Bronze-aluminum alloy bushings are what I used, but Delrin might work better, loc-tite and knurl the screws that hold the butterfly valves to the shaft and they aren't going anywhere. You're in for the cost of the bushings and three gaskets. I have a spare plenum if anybody wants me to make another one. A heluva lot cheaper than a new one from Mitsu.

Lloyd, you might be thinking of Jasper engines, in which case you are correct. I don't know of anybody who has purchased a rebuilt Mitsu engine from them where everything was perfect. JDM engines would be the way I would go if I was you. You can tell a lot without starting it with a compression tester.

John B.

JDM has another container coming Wednesday, going to check then.

IMO JDM is a mistake. Hard to find parts, accessories, belts, and such.

IF IT WERE ME. I would put a 2003ish LSX vortec motor, 4l60E, and NP241 in there. You're prob looking at 5-6 k worth of parts to do it RIGHT, and have a NICE solid build. A pull out drive train is like $1500-1700 bucks. ECU re flash 200, drive shafts 1k... I have no idea how much labor would cost for something like this, BUT As I've said all along during all of your trials and tribulations.. DIY trumps everything. No mechanics to screw things up if you do it yourself.

400ish ftlbs of torque, 3:1 low range, 4:1 1st gear (ALL STOCK OEM) Easy to keep cool, Easy to work on, Get parts CHEAP, and anywhere. Non complicated. Non exotic. Not trying to squeeze tons of HP out of a v6... Just tire smoking power with very little trouble.


IF you are wanting a Trail / Road worth expedition vehicle, then you need something common, simple, and easy to repair. As you are coming to realize, rebuilt 3.5's don't fit that bill.

lloyd can do repairs but i think a project like that would be more than he could take on LR.

Way beyond my time and skill sets. To pay a shop for something like that....5K to start I would guess...

That's why I was thinking maybe a (RWD) Lambda motor from Kia/Hyundai might be a candidate, as well as a bunch of Chrysler motors.

I know that the Chrysler (non-Mitsu) 3.3 and 3.8 will mount to a Mitsu 6G7 bell housing, they were selling Voyager minivans with both motors on the same transmission for a while and I read a write-up a few years ago about a guy who put a 3.8 Chrysler on his 5-speed Mitsu 3.0 equipped minivan (sorry I don't have a link anymore)

So if the 3.3 and 3.8 Chrysler interchange with the 3.0 Mitsu, and the 3.0 interchanges with the 3.5 Mitsu, that opens you up to digging 3.8's out of minivans and Wranglers through 2011... and maybe 3.6 pentastars? That's a rev happy, variable valve timing motor with a pile of torque, like 250 lbs at 1500rpm..

Time I can understand.

Skills can be learned. None of us came out with wrenches, and welders.

Even with paying someone. A PREMO Gen 2.5 bought with a blown up motor, and then swapping in a lsx drive train is going to be cheaper and better than anything you can buy from just about ANY manufacturer.

Put 200K+ on both the 95 3.5 DOHC's I had no issues with the butterflys on either, because I pull the plug from the actuator before I drive it and leave it that way. The longer runners are better for low end torque anyway. I would not trust any butterfly assembly new or not...since this problem reared its ugly head when these rigs were new...(un) set it and forget it! is my motto with those.Is that the "right way" probably not, but sucking metal into the combustion chamber aint right either and a bit expensive. Dont take the gamble, you will lose. If they don't move, they dont wear out. De-fuse the time bomb. You Should have started with the gen 2.5 platform probably and swapped in 4.90's. No butterflys and two less cams spining. After working on my SOHC 3.5 I kinda like the simplicity ans space savings under the hood.

Ditto what Justice said. After owning both a 95 SR and a couple of 98's the difference in power & torque is negligible compared to the complexity of the DOHC motor.
2 good examples: a one owner 98 w/ 124K orig. miles $3400. A second one owner rig w/ 135K miles $3200. Add tires, rock sliders, and a few bits and your still under 5K. Build a bulletproof trail rig, and you can spend untold $$$, but starting with a well maintained, relatively low mileage example is usually key...