Mitsubishi 6G75

The largest of Mitsubishi's 6G7 V6s at 3.8 litres, in the Eclipse, Endeavor, Galant and the later Pajero. Its siblings are the 6G72 3.0, 6G73 2.5 and 6G74 3.5.

It is belt-driven and it is an interference design, which is the family's defining service fact: a snapped timing belt bends valves. The interval is a date rather than a suggestion, and on a vehicle this age and value an unknown belt should be treated as due.

The water pump is driven by the timing belt, so the two are replaced together as a matter of course — and a pump changed on its own means the belt was disturbed and not renewed, which is worth asking about.

Beyond the belt it is a conventional and durable engine. What arrives with age is the rocker arm and lash adjuster noise the family is known for, loudest cold, and crankcase ventilation that blocks and pushes oil past the seals.