So I'm looking at an early 80's Lebaron, and have some questions about that I4 engine.
1) Is there a significant difference in power between the 2.2 liter inline 4 from Chrysler and the 2.6 liter Mistubishi? Would I notice the difference in power?
2) Is one more reliable than the other?
3) If the majority of my driving is pretty mellow city street driving with the occasional highway excurison will I be cursing myself for not looking for the extra power the later turbos offered? It seems like if I'm doing mostly drives around town which moves slow the turbo wouldn't really even have a chance to kick in...or am I wrong about how the turbo works?
4) Is the turbo 4 cylinder significanly more complicated, as in, am I likely to have more mechanical troubles with the turbo over the 2.2 or 2.6 liter I4 engines?
5) When I have an inspection on the car done, what issues should I have the mechanic/inspector look for with the I4 engines (i.e are they known for timing belt issues)?

Thanks for any help/advice you may have.

 

The 2.2/2.5 motor went threw a lot of changes threw the years. You can read about them here. I have three turbo cars but never drove the V6. Compare the hp #'s that should answer you question. 60K is when you need to change the timing belt if my memory servers me. Head gaskets fail and were not the best quality from the factory. My 88 Lebaron had 60K on it when i bought it. The turbo stated to leak oil and you would have a smoke screen behind the car when you got on it. Turbo was replaced but you can get rebuild kits now(pre internet days were rough). The turbo cars you were supposed to let the motor idle for a bit to let the turbo cool off before you shut it off. I doubt that many ever did this. Drive the car and look for leaks/issues. If it has one it will probably be noticed. As with any old car you have to expect issues, Get them addressed and enjoy it!

 

The 2.2 is NOT an interference engine so if the timing belt slips or breaks, it doesn't grenade the engine. A lot of the Mitsu engines ARE interference engines and will hammer the valves, at least, if the belt breaks. The turbo has more power yes, but turbos were problematic as people didn't know hopw to run them back then. Today, synthetic oil is used but in the 1980's, synthetic was around, but not common.

The issue with turbos back then is; You're running down the road at highway speed. Fuel is getting low and you pull into a fuel station and shut off the engine to fill up. You run into the store to pay, get snacks, use the bathroom and so on. All the time your car is sitting there, that REALLY hot turbo is cooking the oil and coking up. You get back in the car and head down the road. Over time, this causes issues in the engine as all that coked oil is getting in the bearings, lifters and so on.

I personally rarely drive turbos. They are more reliable now but I only buy used and I can't be sure the previous owner knew how to drive a turbo. The trick on a turbo, and even today it's a good idea, is to let the engine idle for a minute or so to allow the oil circulation into the turbo to cool it down a bit. When you drive a truck, that's not a problem. Regular people want to just shut it off, run inside to drain their fluids before putting more into the cars tank and then go. Technology has gotten better but even newer cars have turbo issues. Three of my neighbors bought turbo charged Chevy Equinox's and all had a turbo failure around 60,000 miles. This was in the space of a couple of years.

When you look at a car, see when the timing belt was changed, how has the coolant been kept up and general over all condition of the car. Mid 80's did have problems with fuel supply at times but the warlier ones were fairly simple and reliable cars. The styling was a love it or hate it, but they did sell pretty well.

 

Ol Grouch, thank you so much for taking the time to reply and answer my questions. I have zero mechanical knowledge (I'm really good at things that have no practical use).
Okay to sum up what you said (and make sure I'm understanding it correctly.)
1) The 2.2 has less of a chance of blowing up if the timing belt breaks than the Mitsu engines, but if I get the timing belt replaced I should be safe for at least 70K miles. Right? Outside of interference issue (which is not minor), is there any advantage one engine has
over the other? For instsance, durability, power, etc?
2) As I expected Turbos can be problmatic especially if they were not taken care of properly, so the easier solution is just the straight i4.

Roughly how expensive is it to get a timing belt replaced and when you do that what other maintenance items do you reccomend dealing with? For instance do you swap out the water pump, timing belt tensioners, pulleys, other belts, seals, thermostat?

Thanks again for leading the blind through this maze.

 

Also, keep in mind, the turbo really doesn't start doing anything until around 3K RPM..... and if all you are doing is around town cruising, you'll rarely see that.

 

That's sort of what I thought...thanks for the reply, really appreciate it.

 

When I get a new, to me, vehicle, I always replace the oil and filter along with the coolant. I usually replace the thermostat while I'm at it. That way, I know when oit was done last. The timing belt on the little 4's is fairly easy to replace.

You go through the right front wheel well and take the cover off. You'll need to pull the belts fpor power steering and such so I'd put new ones back on. Once the cover is off, there is a tensioner to remove the belt. Then it just pops out. Now, one caveat here, that tensioner can pull the belt out of time. It might take a couple of try's to get the belt timed with the marks and the tensioner tight. Once it's timed, put everything back together and you're done.

 

Again, thanks for all the information. I wish I had your technical knowledge and experience, I can barely change a tire...on a bicycle. You make it sound easy, but it would be a complete disaster for me to even attempt.

Honestly I wish I could find someone here locally who I would pay to do the work with the caveat that they have to let me be their assistant. Funny, now that I finally to have the time and money and I want to learn how to do this stuff, I have no idea where to go to learn it.

Anyway, exlcuding the interference thing is the 2.6 Mistubishi engine more reliable than the 2.2? Does one have any advantage over the other?

Thanks again.

 

I started working on cars when I was 5. I actually managed to fix one when I was 10. As for bicycles, I find working on cars easier than changing bicycle tires. One thing I do at times is visit the U of Y. (Youtube)

On the Mitsu engine, there's no replacement for displacement. I've had two Miata drivers tell me that if I ever wreck my Mazda CX-5, buy it back and one will give me $300 over buy back and the other $500. With all the computers and harnesses, they can put the 2.5 in my CX-5 in their MX-5. In short, 25% more displacement.

However, ask your self, do you REALLY want to go fast or just enjoy the car?


Just for giggles, I dropped by the U of Y and found this.


It details what you need to do to change it.

 

Ol' grouch beat me to it! Today everything has a how to video somewhere.
Fast acceleration and listening to the turbo spool up is hard to beat. Free HP. If I remember correctly you can get the turbo to spool pretty much right off idle under load. Didn't have to get to 3K. With my Daytona I was lucky enough to find a mopar performance PCM witch you get more boost compared to the stock one. Talk about hen's teeth!