Outlander's Hot Engine Mystery: Damper or Something Else?

Hey there! I have some experience working on cars and had a similar issue with my 2015 Mitsubishi ASX a couple years back. The symptoms were pretty much identical to what you're describing. In my case, it turned out to be a damaged radiator shutter wiring harness behind the front bumper. Had to take it to my local mechanic, who spotted the worn wiring during inspection. Total repair came to about 215 Euro, and it fixed both the check engine light and the overheating issues. What's your mileage and have you noticed any other symptoms? Also, have you had any recent work done on the front end? This info would help me understand if you're dealing with the same problem I had. Hope this helps! Let me know if you need more specific details about the repair.

Thanks for sharing your experience! My mileage is at 114194 KM and I just had my regular service done last month. I haven't had any work done on the front end recently, but I'm noticing that the engine seems to struggle a bit more when accelerating, especially during highway merging. Could this be related to what you experienced with your ASX? I'm hoping it won't cost me too much to fix, but I'll definitely have it checked out by a mechanic asap.

Hey again! Interesting that you mention the struggling acceleration, that's actually exactly what I experienced with my ASX before getting it fixed! The combination of overheating, check engine light, and that sluggish acceleration really rings a bell. In my case, the damaged wiring harness was causing the radiator shutters to stay closed when they should've been open, which definitely impacted both the engine temperature and performance. The symptoms got worse gradually, especially during highway driving like you're describing. With your mileage being around 114K, it's right in the ballpark where these issues tend to pop up. Mine was at about 105K when I had the problem. Since you've just had your regular service, they might have missed this because it's not typically part of routine maintenance checks. Quick tip from my experience, when you take it to the mechanic, make sure they specifically check the wiring behind the front bumper. Sometimes they might jump straight to more expensive solutions, but in my case (and possibly yours), it was this relatively simple fix that did the trick. Let me know how it goes! Fingers crossed it's the same straightforward fix I had.

Thanks so much for all this detailed info! It's such a relief to hear that you dealt with the exact same issues and got them fixed without breaking the bank. I'll definitely make sure to mention the radiator shutter wiring harness to my mechanic when I take it in tomorrow. I've written down all the symptoms and what you've shared about your experience, this will really help them pinpoint the problem faster. I'll update the thread once I get it checked out, in case anyone else runs into similar issues with their Mitsubishi. Really appreciate you taking the time to help me out with this!