Flashing light or a rough-running Lancer?
Slow down, find a safe spot and switch off. A flashing engine light, a red light, a hot engine or heavy shaking all rule out pressing on to get home. If you can't get off a busy road, use your hazard lights, move everyone well away from the traffic and call roadside assistance if you have it. If anyone is hurt or in danger, call 000.
Reading the light on a Lancer
A steady orange light is usually a job for the next few days, not a reason to panic. The code narrows it down: sensors, ignition, fuel mix and exhaust parts are the usual groups. A Lancer can be well over a decade old now, and production ended in August 2017 outside Taiwan, so age-related faults are normal.
Tell the mechanic about anything else the car's been doing. CarsGuide linked stalling on a 2000 Lancer to the throttle body, which can often be cleaned, with the idle reset if needed. On a 2005 Lancer it said the thermatic fan (the electric radiator fan) shouldn't run all the time, so a fan that never stops is worth mentioning too.
Mitsubishi Lancer timing belt or chain?
| Drive | What to do | |
|---|---|---|
| CG and CH with the 2.0, 2002 to 2007 | Rubber belt | Mitsubishi recommends changing it every 100,000 km |
| ES with the 2.4, from the 2005 facelift | Rubber belt | CarsGuide says commonly every 90,000 km or six years, whichever comes first |
| CJ and CF, 2.0 or 2.4, from October 2007 | Chain | No scheduled change |
A 2007 Lancer can be either series, because the CJ arrived that October, so check the build date and the badge rather than the year alone. If the car has a belt, time counts too. CarsGuide told a 2004 Lancer owner to replace the belt once it passed its time limit, even though it hadn't reached the kilometres.
Mechanics usually do the water pump at the same time, and often the pulleys and tensioners, so the engine doesn't get opened up twice. The estimate should list each one. If nobody can show you when the belt was last done, we'd treat it as due. More in our guide to timing belts and chains.
Lancer recalls to check
- CE Lancers sold from July 1996 to July 2001: possible Takata driver airbag inflators. Owners were told in 2020 to stop driving and contact Mitsubishi
- Later Lancers: a separate Takata inflator recall, with the inflator replaced by a dealer at no charge
- Five-speed manual Lancers built in May and June 2014: gear selector faults affecting reverse and fifth
If a manual Lancer jumps out of gear, even one outside that window, have it checked, because that can happen at speed. The VIN goes into vehiclerecalls.gov.au, and it's on your rego papers.
Servicing an older Lancer
Follow the schedule in the car's book. As a general rule, RACV says a minor service every 10,000 km to 15,000 km or 12 months, whichever comes first. An old small car still needs its oil and coolant done on time, because that's what keeps the engine going. For Lancers built from 2002 on, independent mechanics can buy the same service and repair information as dealers.
Tell us the year, the series and what the light's doing. A local mechanic who specialises in your car.
Where we'd start with a Lancer
Get the code read and keep a copy. Then find out what drives the camshafts on your car, and if it's a belt, ask for the date it was last done. On an old Lancer, a known belt date and a clean recall check are worth more than any cosmetic spend.