What a PITA! We know some Mirage heat exhanger cores have already become fouled-up with gooey gunk, and we know it comes from chemical reactions from parts reacting with coolant. Expensive repairs follow. Similar problems can potentially happen inside the engine, or any other part immersed in coolant. This is entirely forseeable and preventable.
The easy, cheap and perfectly safe solution is to simply monitor the PH level of the coolant! Any chemical reaction in the coolant is mirrored by the PH value.
The PH level should be around PH 7.5 to PH 9. If PH runs off to other levels, its time to replace the coolant.
Its that simple. I check it once yearly.
BTW, all you need for testing is a pack of "Universal indicator paper" which may cost less than €2 ($2) incl. postage. A possible source is at the bottom of this post.
Below shows a test with fresh coolant. If chemical reactions change PH level, coolant should be exhanged asap! Remember, the PH scale is a logarithmic value, a small difference in number means a big difference in chemical properties.
Edit: The picture above was taken with fresh coolant. My coolant is now 3 years old and slowly approaching PH9. I asked the world's largest coolant maker if I needed to worry. They replied, PH9 is still OK, but it should be exhanged if it rises any more than PH9.
A word of advice:
Use whatever coolant you want, provided the coolant manufacturer expressly says it is the right stuff for the Mirage! If in doubt, contact the manufacturer before buying! If they don't expressly say its good for Mirage, do not buy it!
Most coolants claimed "good for Mitsubishi" are not for Mirage! NB: Mirage needs a different coolant than other Mitsubishi!
Flushing out the old coolant requires opening both the drain plug on the bottom of the radiator, and the other plug (Hex key) under the water pump.
2014 Mitsubishi Space Star (Mirage) 1.0L
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