Hi Guys,

KJ Series 2. 5sp tip trans, 180k, trans flushed at 180k.

I've had a particular tranmission problem for a while now and i've had it looked at an mtisubishi dealer and they have said that it could it issues internally in the trans - meaning that i would have to replace the entire trans in the car.

first the constant problem is that the Engine and TCL OFF lights come on in the dash when it faults. when it faults and the time between the engine light comes on and then disappears, the gears upshifting is really quick, violent and jolted and not smooth gear changes. once the engine light goes off, which would be between 2-5 minutes the gears changes are then smooth again. and the TCL OFF light remains on for the entire drive (1 hour) and doesnt go away if you turn off and then on again the car.

The Dealer tested the Trans ECU and said it was fine and it was more of a internal issue in the trans. They did not tell me any of the fault codes that was in the computer, but I am going back to them wednesday morning to do a code check.

When they initally had the car for about 4 days going over it, they couldnt work out what the issue was even though they were able to fault it. so they did a trans flush and that helped for about 2-3 weeks and then it started again. it is now faulting pretty much every time i drive and regardless of whether the engine is hot or not.

When it faults, sometimes it changes gears erractically and sometime takes too long to change and out revs itself before changing.

Any ideas? Im really at a loss here - im probably going to be up for an entire trans

PM Madmagna and ask him to check it out. He may even have a replacement transmission available if it needs it.

Cheers

Sounds electrical to me. Get the codes and go from there. Does matter if the engine is hot or cold?
Had a nissan once that would go into limp mode randomly and also would affect the automatic adjustable suspension and cruise control.
Nissan could not find it several auto trans specialists also could not diagnose. Six years later the electronic speedo spat the dummy. Replaced that and had no more tranny problems. Speedo sends info to the trans ECU that was also linked to the other systems...........
Might take a while to track down if its electrical and random.Vee

I'm no trans expert by any means however, a trans when controlled by a computer can do some crazy shizzle as you've mentioned. However, when a trans is fundamentally stuffed, shifting gears or even taking off are no longer possible. If the car is perfectly fine for a period of time, tell me that its something to do with the electronics side of the transmission rather than internal gears, pumps, springs, clutch pieces etc. if you look on these forums, most that have had catastrophic failure, or wave springs go generally are left stranded and or the car doesn't move. I'd be more inclined to think its an electrical problem/computer problem etc before ripping out a trans.

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the info and help.

First off, it only use to do it after I drove for about 20-30 minutes driving to or from work. I then had the trans flushed and it didnt have the problem anymore. but this time the issue happens regardless of whether the engine is hot or cold.

I never really suspected that it was a mechanical issue and more of a electical or computer problem. I PMed Madmagna and he suggested because Im haveing issues with the TCL OFF light comming on it may be related to the TCL system. When it faults, it turns TCL OFF and I can't override it by turning it back on, so I'm thinking that the TCL ECU is sending rubbish commands to the trans ECU and the trans ECU is then going "i've recieved too much crap data from you, so Im turning you OFF."

This morning when I got into the car to drive to work, i immediately manually turned TCL OFF before it faulted, and I didnt have any issue what so ever. So i'm beginning to think that it is more of a TCL problem than trans.

Hi Guys, interesting to note.

I had the car Code Checked at Mitsubishi and they came up with that the fault was with the Air Flow Sensor (AFS) which affected the jolted gear changes and the TCL system. My car had completly stalled 2 nights ago and AFS would definitely explain that. I'm trying to organise to get the AFS replaced. genuine from mits is around 1000 and after market is 450, so ill probably be going after market. The AFS explains so much, because with a full tank, my trip computer says around 400ks (where as i should be getting around 650ks to a full tank), which would explain that my engine is running too rich because it isnt getting enough air.

FINALLY i know what the problem is now!!!!

Why not just grab one from a wreckers?

Why not just grab one from a wreckers?

I have 3rd party warranty on the car and the AFS is covered, so I get it for free.