I rang up a transmission place today to get a price on a power flush because the transmission oil in my TF is almost black and it flares between gears 2 and 3. The guy told me that the external filter near the dipstick is only an auxilary filter, and that the main filter is located inside the transmission unit itself and the whole thing needs to be pulled out to have it changed and a power flush would not be a good idea because it would clog the main filter inside. I wasn't aware at all of a filter inside the unit, is this true or are they just trying to get some cash out of me?

i have never been aware of an internal filter, and i did the flush myself, i bought 10L of genuine fluid, and yeah, it worked a treat.
EDIT: i also changed the filter, (easier to get to than the oil filter)

same here, i though it only had the filter on top, i did the same a lowrider with my dads car + i replaced the filter

They do as far as I know. At least the TH has both. I am not aware of anyone who has replaced the internal one though. If your oil is black it might be worth it. It is a sign of worn clutch packs.

when was your fluid last compleatley replaced? usally when it goes in for a service they only drain the sump, which only contains about 1L, the rest is stored in the torque converter and the box itself about 8L from memory, i could be wrong. if it has been a long time/never been done then its reasonsable to have black fluid, however if it has been a recent change and it is black, then somthing may be wrong

They do as far as I know. At least the TH has both. I am not aware of anyone who has replaced the internal one though. If your oil is black it might be worth it. It is a sign of worn clutch packs.

doesnt the TH have the same 4spd as the TF? it wasnt untill the TJ that the 5spd came out, mabey that one has the internal filter aswell? do any TJ owners want to confirm this?

anycase your internal shouldnt be too hard to replace, it should be located under the sump pan, unbolt it and it sould be there, if it does have one, just remember to replace the gasket when placing the sump back on

Just a quite question about the flaring between 2nd and 3rd, mine does this too and I just had the auto oil changed. It's still doing it, is an ATF change something that should help correct this problem? A full ATF flush?

Just a quite question about the flaring between 2nd and 3rd, mine does this too and I just had the auto oil changed. It's still doing it, is an ATF change something that should help correct this problem? A full ATF flush?

i had the occassionally flaring between gears (either 1st & 2nd or 2nd and 3rd can't remember) in the TF, but thats only when cold or after a decent stop but engine is still warm. i only get them in those conditions if i'm a little hard on the throttle, it will only happen once on that trip and no more until i stop on a break of some sort.

here's a piture of a TF auto with the sump cover removed, as you can see there is no internal filter. If there was it would be located here.

http://img212.imageshack.us/img212/8243/p1200071ap3.jpg

http://img212.imageshack.us/img212/7701/p1200072jv8.jpg

one model of the mitsubishi autos has an internal filter
that is changed at rebuild only
check by the serial numbers in a factory manual

clean oil is a must in that auto
I would recommend extra auto oil changes
when the oil changes colour
and you intend to keep the car

My understanding was that the internal transmission filter was able to be cleaned (flushed) and re-used?

doesnt the TH have the same 4spd as the TF? it wasnt untill the TJ that the 5spd came out, mabey that one has the internal filter aswell? do any TJ owners want to confirm this?

anycase your internal shouldnt be too hard to replace, it should be located under the sump pan, unbolt it and it sould be there, if it does have one, just remember to replace the gasket when placing the sump back on

I didnt think the autos changed

this attachment is from the manual showing an internal filter (31)

take it to mitsubishi, for 200 they do a complete flush and change all the filters

take it to mitsubishi, for 200 they do a complete flush and change all the filters

sheesh thats expensive i got mine done for 154.60, and they used 18.2 litres of fluid. Wasnt badly priced at all i thought.

I didnt think the autos changed

this attachment is from the manual showing an internal filter (31)

That's interesting, so the guy I spoke to was right then! Would the transmission it'self need to be taken out to have this filter changed though? Or can it be done easily whilst the car is up on a hoist?