First of all, a big hi to everyone on the forum, this is my first post (after using the search button) and i hope its in the right section.

I recently purchased a 2007 380 Series III SE Mitsubishi recently, ex police car, i have recently found out that the service (done by the police) might not be sufficient if i ever want to make a warranty claim, with this in mind i was horrified that i have just driven from NSW to QLD, my first interstate journey, i got here fine but then we went shopping and bang, EML light came on and wont go off.

Long shot, is there a way for me to retrieve the stored ECU code(s) myself or do i need to take it to mitsi for a diagnostic, im currently in QLD, a long way from home and i dont even know if they are open tomorrow (SAT) yet.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers
Steve

interesting scenario. Did you purchase the car KNOWING that the factory drivetrain warranty is still valid?

interesting scenario. Did you purchase the car KNOWING that the factory drivetrain warranty is still valid?

Hi, no i purchased the vehicle from a dealer as sold with manufacture warranty, they say they mainly deal with ex police cars and have not had any problems with warranty, however Mitsubishi is not so convinced, i received a print out of a fax sent from the people who deal with servicing police cars and according to mitsi it has had basic oil changes 10k, 20k, 30k and 40k and 10k and 40k were overdue i got the car at 50k, the car should have had its first major service at 45k so i need to get this done as soon as i can afford $640.

manufacturers warranty should still be valid. Hopefully one of the mitsu employees on here can confirm this. EML like on a 2007 should by all rights be covered if it was transferred over to you

Hi and welcome to the Club,

The car and engine will be fine. If they have serviced it every 10k as you've explained, that's better than the standard 15k service interval normally recommended.
I very much doubt even being ex cop car, they could have done any damage to the drivetrain, be it manual or auto. The manual has a steel crank and a rev limitation in first gear and the auto is likewise configured electronically to look after itself and the engine first and performance second.

The ECL can be activated by changing fuels or a dodgy fuel batch so don't be too concerned.

Don't think Mitsubishi service are around today & if the car still drives ok it's probably a dodgy sensor or something.

If you're on the Northside of Bris I have a code scanner & can reset it for you, send me a PM if you require assistance or you could try an auto electrician.

Thanks for all the replies, true Mitsi have finished early today, i am in Oxenford, the car is still driving ok, doesn't seem to be in limp mode, ive checked all the normal stuff, most likely it is a sensor down / faulty, cruise control still works, it is an Automatic by the way (should have mentioned that).

Something else i should have mentioned is that it is a duel fuel car, runs fine on both but before driving up to QLD i filled the fuel tank with high octane unleaded (says i can use this in the manual) maybe this has triggered it off, i used 2 gas tanks getting here and only 1/4 petrol.

I wouldn't worry too much if that is the case. I had a faulty MAP sensor which bought up the CEL & other exhaust related lights due to my modifications. It was always drivable just had that annoying light on the dash but I'm pleased to say I have been CEL free for a long time now ...... might change once I fire up the supercharger but :badgrin:

Hi, welcome to the forums.
I think you're the first ex-cop 380 here thus far. I'm curious, are there any extra goodies/differences with the cop car?
I remember back in the day, Commodores cop cars were Executives with SS gear - so was wondering what the 380s have. What's yours, a VRX?

well considering all 380's were mechanically identical, dont think there was much to be done lol

Hi, welcome to the forums.
I think you're the first ex-cop 380 here thus far. I'm curious, are there any extra goodies/differences with the cop car?
I remember back in the day, Commodores cop cars were Executives with SS gear - so was wondering what the 380s have. What's yours, a VRX?

Hey Grubco, well it seems they removed anything they put on there that make it a cop car, i have noticed so far that the plastics behind the headlights have big holes cut out (probably to fit there blue lights in) and there is a badly cut hole in the glove compatment, apart form that it does not feel like it has any additional power or anything.

Yes i had a Vauxhall Omega before (from the UK) Called Commadore Omega here i think, great car, all GM, the ex cop versions of that were heavaly modified and left modified in these situations.

Had no luck with mitsi or any auto electronic today (being sat) so i will pop down to mitsi on monday and cross my fingers its nothing serious. Worried to drive it back to Sydney with the EML on.

Hey Grubco, well it seems they removed anything they put on there that make it a cop car, i have noticed so far that the plastics behind the headlights have big holes cut out (probably to fit there blue lights in) and there is a badly cut hole in the glove compatment, apart form that it does not feel like it has any additional power or anything.

Yes i had a Vauxhall Omega before (from the UK) Called Commadore Omega here i think, great car, all GM, the ex cop versions of that were heavaly modified and left modified in these situations.

Had no luck with mitsi or any auto electronic today (being sat) so i will pop down to mitsi on monday and cross my fingers its nothing serious. Worried to drive it back to Sydney with the EML on.

1994-2003 Vauxhall Omega was not sold in any form in australia. It was based upon the VT+ floorpan i believe, but thats where the similarities ended. Engines were an handful of 4 cyl petrol and diesel, and also a few variants of v6's from 2.5 to 3.2. Also a straight 6 was offered. In terms of upgrades for cop cars, they received heavy duty springs and shocks to cope with high speed stability. AFAIK, none of them were given engine upgrades.

There was also the Lotus Carlton, and coming from experience as a passenger, this was an EXTREMELY fast car indeed! One of the fastest i have been in. Quite easily faster than the M5 and E55 at the time it was released. This is the euro version, the Lotus Omega
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/OpelopelvauxhomegaAlotus.JPG

Warranty should not be a issue.

When I had my ex qld police TW VRX I never had any problem with warranty issues. All of the cars servicing was done by the police (at the police workshops in Brisbane).

Traded for a 2007 380 VRX in Jan - hope it's as good

Hi,
Welcome,we have an ex QLP Police VRX,its a black car and we just had issues with the paint,the guy from Brisbane Regional Office to a look at it and approved the respray no problems.
Ours has intake mods and a norgren type lsd,its my wifes car,i only get to drive it under supervision,warranty is no problem.

Hi,
Welcome,we have an ex QLP Police VRX,its a black car and we just had issues with the paint,the guy from Brisbane Regional Office to a look at it and approved the respray no problems.
Ours has intake mods and a norgren type lsd,its my wifes car,i only get to drive it under supervision,warranty is no problem.
I noticed you have an auto, what's this norgren type lsd you mentioned? I have enquired about LSD's for an auto & you can't get one that will go straight in.

I dont now because i havent pulled it apart yet (id love too).
An interesting problem has started,if it was a TP id say damper clutch problem,im waiting to see the outcome,should the box be faulty and require replacement,a standard assembly would no be acceptable.
Its early days yet i will post the necesarry info as it unfolds.
The trans oil becomes very dirty and requires changing before the normal 45k,this is supposedly something related to the lsd and the clutch material.
I am only telling you what i have been told!!!!!!
Note my Vrx is "different" to drive than this one,its like theyre the same but totally different.

LSD into an auto :confused:

Who told you it had an LSD? I'd be very surprised if the coppers had paid some random mystery person/company to put an unheard of LSD into the 380's they purchased. :confused:

LSD ? this has gone way over my head, i have LPG installed (is this the same thing) ? or does it make the paintwork psychedelic at night time lol

LSD ? this has gone way over my head, i have LPG installed (is this the same thing) ? or does it make the paintwork psychedelic at night time lol
Yeah its drugs lol

Nah LSD - Limited Slip Diff

Yeah its drugs lol

Nah LSD - Limited Slip Diff

AH ha, that makes more sence, gonna go see mitsi tomorrow, does anyone know if the diagnostics are covered by warranty or how much would you normally have to pay?

Another thing, i've noticed i don't have any measuring stick on the coolant filler tank cap, there is a hole in the middle of the cap (maybe it had a stick in there before) is this normal ? i have no way of measuring the coolant, except for when its cold from the radiator!

try disconnect the battery for 1minute. should erase any fault codes. if the light comes back on theres definetly a problem may not be a major problem.

had my manifold off today and my mum tried to start it, with it off. shes lucky shes still alive(me killing her that is:rant: ) when i fitted the manifold and started it the light was on so i turned the car off and disconnected the battery for a minute, reconnected the battery started the car and no light. works on almost every car.

try disconnect the battery for 1minute. should erase any fault codes. if the light comes back on theres definetly a problem may not be a major problem.

had my manifold off today and my mum tried to start it, with it off. shes lucky shes still alive(me killing her that is:rant: ) when i fitted the manifold and started it the light was on so i turned the car off and disconnected the battery for a minute, reconnected the battery started the car and no light. works on almost every car.

I did think about this but the user manual (dont laugh) says if i do that it will take mitsi longer to find what could be a simple fault.

My last car, Vauxhall Omega had a Simtec 56.5 ECU and you could not clear codes that way, instead it will test so many clean starts and when it was satisfied the error had gone it would remove the light.

lol, i bet it made a nice noise when she started it up

AH ha, that makes more sence, gonna go see mitsi tomorrow, does anyone know if the diagnostics are covered by warranty or how much would you normally have to pay?

Another thing, i've noticed i don't have any measuring stick on the coolant filler tank cap, there is a hole in the middle of the cap (maybe it had a stick in there before) is this normal ? i have no way of measuring the coolant, except for when its cold from the radiator!
Yep it will be under warranty shouldn't cost you a cent.

My coolant tank has a dipstick & no hole in the cap, sounds like someone has broke it off & made the hole as the dipstick is attached to the centre of the cap.

I wouldn't reset the CEL & would let Mitsubishi have a look incase it is something you should know about. Otherwise you may be part the way back home down south & it'll come up again & who knows what it is or the consequences if you keep driving.

I did think about this but the user manual (dont laugh) says if i do that it will take mitsi longer to find what could be a simple fault.

My last car, Vauxhall Omega had a Simtec 56.5 ECU and you could not clear codes that way, instead it will test so many clean starts and when it was satisfied the error had gone it would remove the light.


yeah it would make it harder. the lights on because somethings not right. if youd left a plug disconnected on the engine and it came on well we would know what it is but in your case it might be safer getting mitsi to check it. just to be on the safe side.

Yeah guys it would be my luck that its a cam or crank sensor that's actually working right, well the wait is nearly over i hope, will go see them tomorrow and report back, did not expect see this light for some years yet

In the future, if its cost effective and there is no flash test we can do on these ECU's i would like to get a compatible ECU scanner, does anyone know the type to get.

~Thanks for all the posts.

There are plenty available, just need to be OBD2 & CAN compliant to work with the 380.

Here's a link to the one I got, I got it off ebay. http://www.actron.com/product_detail.php?pid=16318 You can get a cheaper one I just liked the idea of the code description beiing displayed on the LCD & you can use it as a data logger too to monitor all the engines vitals.

There are plenty available, just need to be OBD2 & CAN compliant to work with the 380.

Here's a link to the one I got, I got it off ebay. http://www.actron.com/product_detail.php?pid=16318 You can get a cheaper one I just liked the idea of the code description beiing displayed on the LCD & you can use it as a data logger too to monitor all the engines vitals.

Brilliant...

Hi everyone,

well i have made it back to Sydney <phew> with a somewhat strange story, i went to see Mitsi in QLD and great no problems, saw me straight away, plugged her into the diag computer and found the EML was on because of the Vehicle Speed Sensor, he also said he had seen a few 380's with the same problem and resetting it has always cured the problem, hmm, well he reset it and the EML went out.

However, on the way back after about 400km the light came on again, so i drove straight to the local misti dealer here and they cant see me until Tuesday, need to leave the car for half a day, said i should not believe a word the other mitsi mech said (as the error re-occurred) and that as the cops had not filled in the warranty book correctly i will need to get a record of service from the several service centres that the cops used to service the car before they will honour any warranty claim.

He also added that the cops don't service there cars correctly and there has been no major service done and the 45k major service should have been carried out, the roadside assistance is void because they have not filled the oil changes into the warranty book, another dealer said when i got the car i asked (they are aware the cops do things this way) and as long as i service the car at 60k it will fall into alignment with the warranty, he then added it also doesn't help that although the cops did the basic service every 10k 2 of the services were overdue, and finally on the printout of the service history (apparently this is what you get from the fleet company that the cops use) none of the services were archived.

I am going to go and see another misti dealer and see if they say the same thing when ive got some sleep, hopefully this dealer is just winding me up.

:hmm: I had a faulty wheel speed sensor on my front passenger side ages ago & the CEL didn't come up but the ABS & TCL OFF lights did.

Yeah try another Mitsubishi dealer, that one sounds like a pain in the ****.

:hmm: I had a faulty wheel speed sensor on my front passenger side ages ago & the CEL didn't come up but the ABS & TCL OFF lights did.

Yeah try another Mitsubishi dealer, that one sounds like a pain in the ****.

Hey Foozrcool, I assumed the error was relating to the speed sensor on the transmission or engine, i think the ecu would get signals from both and compare. Yeah im gonna try and find another dealer today.

Hi Guys, just an small update, i went to another mitsi dealer and they saw me the next day, they diagnosed my car for over 2 hours and found the fault related to the cam sensor, they reprogrammed it and sent me on my way, so fingers crossed the EML will stay off but i guess i wont really know until i go for a long 400k + drive but so far so good.

Thanks to all for your help.