My 02 shook in spite of multiple wheel balances and alignments. It turned out to be the aftermarket wheels. Once I put the factory wheels on with new tires everything smoothed out.

All I'm saying is don't ignore the wheels, even if they have been 'balanced', it's not always enough.

 

I own a 2004 Limited since July 2010, after few weeks i fellt the same vibration, then i took it to service and they check the 4x4 transmition fluid and they told me that it was overlevel, drawnout and since 2010 and dont have this vibration problem.....

 

Transmission fluid or transfer case fluid? Because the transfer case is just a side hole and that would be hard to overfill accidently....

BTW mvious, glad your sorted it out. How many times does a problem turn out to be caused by something relatively simple that was simply overlooked?

The answer is lots.

 

I am also experiencing problems with a Montero vibrating violently between 40 MPH and 50 MPH. It feels exactly the same as driving on the rumble strip on the side of the load. It starts suddenly and stops just as suddenly with violent vibration. Usually lasts 5-15 seconds. Only when cruising at constant speed. If you speed up, slow down or change into 4th it stops. It has auto and manual. It does this in auto or manual 5th gear but not in 4th gear at the same speed or RPM. I grabbed my shaft and moved it back and forth and sideways like he said and didn't feel anything special happen A mechanic tried the same and was also disappointed with the results. He jiggled everything including checking wheel bearings with the wheels off the ground. Couldn't find anything wrong.

 

Mitsubishi dealer says it is caused by a lockup valve in the torque converter which locks it up at a certain speed. He thought changing transmission oil might fix it, but it didn't work. So, I took it to a driveshaft specialist who says a drive shaft problem wouldn't stop and start like that and thinks it is a transmission problem. He sent me to a transmission specialist who independently came up with the idea that it is the torque converter. I asked about the lockup valve and he said it would not lock and unlock that fast but oscillations can occur in the fluid inside the converter. He will take it for a test drive before ordering parts and gave me a quote less than half of what the dealer offered.

 

I just had my 2003 80k mile Montero 20th checked again at dealership, They said according to Mitsu Region, these vibrations @2200 rpm is normal.. Tried to sell it last week and the prospect backed out due to the vibration. Don't know, I have a one year old Torque converter, just changed brake and power steering fluids today. Changed transmission fluid last year. All at Mitsu. Decided to keep my Mitsu til 200k and sell my 2011 Highlander Hybrid instead :-) my kids are growing lol

 

My 2003 montero limited started the vibration w/ 130,000 miles (quite noticeable) and then just dissappears until its decides to do it again. Had wheel balance and rotate today and problem persist. same air pressure in all tires. please help

jaguar xk8
montero limited

 

I had vibration like driving on the rumble strip on the edge of the road in my Mitsubishi Montero 2002 at 100,000 miles. It turned out to be a worn out "lock-up" clutch plate in the torque converter. Overhaul the torque converter. See my previous posts. In the end it started jumping from one gear to another and I had to overhaul the whole transmission with a final bill of $3000. This vibration starts suddenly at a fixed road speed which is when the clutch engages to prevent the torque converter from slipping (to save fuel). A damaged drive shaft does not behave like that. Now I am having to overhaul my son's Mitsubishi Endeavor 2005 transmission at 163,000 miles.

 

I'm in the same boat with my 2003 Montero (full sized). The rumble strip description hits the nail on the head (evan-e-cent). It happens under steady speeds/rpm at 2000. I'm going to trans fluid route to see if that fixes it and then the overhaul torque converter. We'll see.

Thanks all!

 

Glad it was of some help. The auto transmission has a stack of thin metal disks coated in clutch plate friction material. Gears change by compressing the plates together with a hydraulic piston controlled by 5 relays/solenoid valves which direct the fluid to the piston. These are controlled by the computer so it can be difficult to tell whether the computer is causing a problem or the transmission.

When they took it apart they found that this fiber coating had come off the transmission clutches and distributed through all the oil channels and clogged them up. This includes the torque converter and really messed everything up.

My son's Mitsubishi Endeavor did exactly the same thing a few months later. But they thought it was a computer fault. $1600 for a new computer. Then $2500 for the transmission overhaul it really needed. I took the computer apart and it had moisture on the circuit board which might have affected the transmission.

Then my wife's BMW transmission light came on! Panic! Turned out to be a fault in the ignition switch. Sigh of relief!