THE GLORY MITSUBISHI’S 4G63 ENGINE: SPECS, POWER & RELIABILITY

Popularly dubbed as the 2JZ of the 4-cylinder world, the 4G63 is a real hoot to have under the hood. The fact that it was built to meet the standards of the World Rally Championships explains why it can be tuned to make over 1000 hp.

History of Mitsubishi’s 4G63 Engine

The 4G63 engine was first introduced in the 1980 Mitsubishi Galant model as a replacement for the 4G52 engine. It’s part of the Mitsubishi Sirius 4G6 engine family; a series of inline-four high-performance engines that were produced by Mitsubishi in the late 70s.

In fact, when Mitsubishi sought to compete in the FIA World Rally Championship, it introduced the turbocharged version of the 4G63 engine in the Galant VR-4, Lancer Evolution, Lancer EX 2000 Turbo, and Carisma GT.

At the peak of its glory, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III fitted with a turbocharged 4G63 engine dominated the World Rally Championship by winning four consecutive titles.

4G63 Engine Specs

👉 Engine Code: 4G63

👉 Layout: Inline 4 I SOHC (2 valves per cylinder) I SOHC (4 valves) I DOHC (4 valves)

👉 Displacement: 2L (1997 cc)

👉 Fuel System: Electronic multi-point injection

👉 Cylinder Bore: 85.0 mm (3.35 in)

👉 Piston Stroke: 88.0 mm (3.46 in)

👉 Compression Ratio: 9.0, 9.8, 10.0, 10.5

👉 Power: 144 hp (96 kW) at 6,500 rpm

👉 Torque: 170 Nm (133 lb·ft) at 5,000 rpm

👉 Firing Order: 1-3-4-2

4G63 Engine Reliability

4G63 engines are very reliable and it’s not unusual if they exceed 200,000 to 250,000 miles with routine maintenance. What’s more, 4G63 engines are easy to fix and rebuild since the OEM parts are easily available.

Beyond that, a rough idle could be an indication that you need to clean or replace your fuel injectors, control valve, throttle, or ECT sensor.

But here is the silver lining; you’re less likely to experience the common problems we’ve mentioned with a stock 4G63 engine compared to its turbocharged version.

Obviously, by adding forced induction, it puts a lot of strain on the engine and triggers the common issues.

Modifying a 4G63 Engine

Since the 4G63 engine was engineered as a homologation for the FIA World Rally Championship, we’re not surprised that it can achieve over 1000 hp when modified.

Forced Induction Build

The last version of the factory turbocharged 4G63T engine that came with Lancer Evolution IX can deliver up to 287 hp and 289 lb·ft of torque. But that’s just Mitsubishi being moderate for legal and safety reasons.

Let’s just put it this way; if you add forced induction mods to a naturally aspirated 4G63 engine, you can unleash the beast and produce over 1000 hp. It all depends on how far you’re willing to go.

Conclusion

The Mitsubishi 4G63 is arguably one of the best performance 4-cylinder engines ever made. So good is the engine that the turbocharged version went on to win the FIA World Rally Championship 4 times consecutively.

If you’re planning to tune the 4G63 engine, you won’t be disappointed with how much power it can handle.