Hey all.

My 98 TF V6 3.0lt 4sp Auto is dieing... Have had it to Mitsu and have been told the Clutch Plate Pack for 3rd gear is going and is only going to get worse...

But what makes me confused is all the different reports and possible problems that "could" be causing the problem I have. The problem being a rev flare between 2nd and 3rd gear and a harsh change into 3rd.

The reports range from what Mitsu said to bad battery voltage, lazy solenoids etc. The problem has persisted for 12 months now and getting worse. I have also started to notice when checking the oil for the transmission, apart from the oil being a red-ish brown (needs a service), a grey/silver buildup on the rag.

Mitsu said that it was metal filings from the clutch plates. another auto place said "its normal to have metal filings in your oil." :nuts:. Another one said the slippage could be a TCU problem and get Mitsu to check it... You can see why this is confusing for someone that doesnt know much about engine's and mechanical things...

3 Questions.

1: What can I do, to "nurse" the car for as long as possible, as a $2500 re-build is not going to happen anytime soon...
2: Can i just replace what needs replacing, thus saving money, or would it be better to re-build the lot?
3: Would it be better and/or similar in price to change to a 5sp Manual box, and would i get more reliability from the 5sp manual?

Hope you can give me some good news, cause I love my magna and dont want to get rid of it because of its auto problems...

i am concerned that mitsu who are supposed to know give you little information

its not an old car and an auto prob at this point seems a little strange

have they given you a written report on fault codes oil pressure and did they take the pan off .if they took the pan off to find the metal did they replace the filter for you ?

the fault codes will confirm if all the electrical parts are working oil pressure test that the oil pump and torque converter work that way they cant say they needed to replace more than the quote they give you

if mitsu rebuild the box or replace the parts what warranty will they give you

as the box has to be removed to be fixed . get a firm quote to do the minimum work required to fix the box
the 3rd gear should have clutch plates and metal plates much like a motorcycle clutch
a full rebuild will not be required as you have all the other gears
if the fault codes show no other problems then mitsh should not replace a working part

so 3rd gear clutch gaskets and oil filter and (the labour ..the real expense )
if thats all the box requires do that

I only explained the problem to the guy at Mitsu. I got halfway through explaining it when he cut me off and finished describing the problem to me... The car never went in and got fully checked out. Needless to say, he sounded like he had a fair bit of experience with this problem as he described the problem to me exactly how its happening, enough to go and get a set of clutch plates and do a demonstration. The car has done 170 000 k's.

The fault codes came up with nothing present and every auto place I have taken my car to has explained that they cannot drop the pan, just that there is only a drain plug and an external oil filter. They said to fully know what's going on and to give a firm quote, the gearbox has to come out of the car. We (my father and i) never persued that option just on the thought of labour alone on getting the gearbox out to start with.

Mitsu also noted that the gearbox is unlikely to trip into safety mode from the slippage because the gear involved is 3rd gear, and will more than likely lose drive altogether.

P.S. Thats the problem I am having with the auto places... Short of pulling the gearbox out, no one seems to know what the problem is, however Mitsu's advice seems to be the only thing that comes very close to what the problem is.

i would recomend carring out a power flush and then replacing the filter and see how it comes up some metal in the box is normal however alot means something is on its way out or has already gone.

Just out of curiosity how hard do you drive your car?

it TF i drive has 225000km on it and never had a trans problem.

i would recomend carring out a power flush and then replacing the filter and see how it comes up some metal in the box is normal however alot means something is on its way out or has already gone.

Just out of curiosity how hard do you drive your car?

it TF i drive has 225000km on it and never had a trans problem.

When I originally purchased the car, it had Damper Clutch problems... as well as its current problem. I had a full flush done then, which fixed the damper clutch but not the slipping. granted though, a service and flush would prolong my gearbox life, but why not put the $200 for that towards getting it fixed, especially if there is enough filings in the oil to leave sludge on the rag when checking the oil levels...

I dont belive that i drive my car too harshly, for the most part gear changes are betweek 2 and 3000 rev's. I take care to not push it too much when it's cold. as an example of my driving habits, am 19 years old and still havent had a speeding ticket lol