Mitsubishi Motors engines

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

Explanation of codes

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 alloy cylinder 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

Single-cylinder

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

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-cooled two-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-cooled ME24 powerplant. The water-cooled 2G10 was a two-stroke engine like its predecessor.
• 1972-? — 2G2 "Vulcan" — 0.36-0.8 L — a new four-stroke OHC 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

• 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

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- 1.5 and 1.6 (2010-present) 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
• 1970-? — 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. Also used in some larger forklift trucks.

4DR5: Bore x stroke 92.0mm x 100.0mm. Capacity 2659cc. Compression ratio 20.0:1. Naturally aspirated power output 80PS @ 3,800rpm. Torque output 18.0kg/m @ 2,200rpm
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

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

• 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

• List of Mitsubishi Fuso engines

References

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