Starex, what model is a good buy

[Sorento3500]

As a former Starex 2000 Club owner, advise ko: stay away from the 4wd models. I have 2 friends who opted for the 4wd models and they had problems from the very start. Saka wala atang parts locally available incase your 4wd components give out.

I had a 2000 Club w/ ABS and double sunroof and had very little problems with it until 140,000kms when the shop advised me that the transmission needed overhauling.

For 2nd hand Starexs, look for low mileage -- at 70K palit ka na ng timing belts, at kelangan masigasig ka sa maintenance. In my experience, Korean cars drive great, but they can still improve on the durability department.

Hope my Sorento keeps on truckin til 300,000kms!

[mbt]

hindi ba pareho naman yung 4wd drivetrain ng starex 4wd sa gen2 pajero? if so, parts availability shouldn't be a problem

[MJs]

its not true that 4wd will be "mas malakas sa akyatan". kung sa pavement lang din, 4wd will not offer too much traction over RWD, unless the road is wet.

unless you'll be going up mountains in the rain, or will take your starex rock-hopping, it'd be more sensible to get RWD.

ahh ganun ba. di ko kasi alam eh. akala ko mas hindi hirap sa akyatan pag 4wd. taga baguio na kasi kami eh, bagong migrate. thanx

[tebs]

pag automatic, dapat alaga sa change oil pati ang transmission mo, para di ka gumastos sa overhaul.
ganun kasi madalas nangyayari sa mga matic, hindi pinapansin ang mga tranny. ayun, puro overhaul. e wala naman masyado marung gumawa ng matic sa pinas

[vinj]

why? normal ba sa starex yun?

With regard to the quirky tranny, unbder what conditions does it happen before? I noticed with the Starex of ours that the aux fans only run with the a/c... I tried running hard on 1st gear once (going uphill on a really hot day with a full load and kept the RPM at around 3.2K) and turned off the a/c then later i noticed the engine temp went up to 3/4 and the car went into safe/limp mode. I made the engine idle for a few minutes with the a/c on and everything went back to normal.

Verdict: It turns out the auto tranny is also cooled by the engine cooling system so when i ran it hard on first gear then turned off the a/c (which turned off the aux fan), it made everything heat up above normal, activating the "safe/limp mode".

[Hercules]

forgot to mention, our 1yr old a/t starex transmission at that time went into limp/safe mode 2 times, it wouldnt shift past 2nd gear. quirky a/t if u ask me.

With regard to the quirky tranny, unbder what conditions does it happen before? I noticed with the Starex of ours that the aux fans only run with the a/c... I tried running hard on 1st gear once (going uphill on a really hot day with a full load and kept the RPM at around 3.2K) and turned off the a/c then later i noticed the engine temp went up to 3/4 and the car went into safe/limp mode. I made the engine idle for a few minutes with the a/c on and everything went back to normal.

Verdict: It turns out the auto tranny is also cooled by the engine cooling system so when i ran it hard on first gear then turned off the a/c (which turned off the aux fan), it made everything heat up above normal, activating the "safe/limp mode".

I read this thread yesterday, trying to find a solution to the "safe/limp mode" of the A/T tranny of my '99 starex... Then this morning when I woke up, I popped up the hood then removed the inter-cooler to give way or make more working space and see what was under it.

I discovered a 3 wire plastic connector that was disconnected. I sprayed it with WD-40 before re-connecting it. Tested the van and it had power all the way. Everything went back to normal.

I believe that the connector plug was for the TCU (Transmission Control Unit). Last week i had the engine bay washed at a gas station, the TCU connetor plug must have disconnected after it was hit by the high pressure water wash.

Now all is ok. HTH others too.