2005 montero limited 4x4 system issues
 

Hi, first time Montero owner. I bought it knowing it needed a couple things, but its in good shape overall. Beside planning my timing belt replacement, I need to figure out the 4x4 system. I did a bunch of reading on this site and learned a lot.

Here is what I've got. when you start the car, the 4x4 indicator lights come on. The rears are lit, and the fronts are blinking. I believe this means the system is attempting to shift into 2wd. After a few minutes driving the lights all go out and the center red light comes on.

Also, within a few minutes the traction control lights both come on.

I tried shifting into 4h which causes the front wheel lights to stay on and you can drive for a long time and it stays that way, the center red light does not come on. However, the traction control lights still come on after a couple minutes.

What does this combination of details mean to you experienced guys?

What do you think would be my first things to check?

Thanks!

Joe

Welcome to the Montero forum. Your description of the problem is very good and it I hope we can figure what the issue is with some additional info. First thing you need to do is to pull the Error Codes from the transmission/transfer case. Unfortunately, you can not do it with the standard OBD2 code reader since it is not an engine error code.

To get the codes, you need to jump to ground Pin1 from the diagnostic connector. When you turn ignition on, the CD (center differential) light will start flashing in sequence of long and short blinks. The long flashes are 10s and the short ones are 1s. The combination will give you a two digit Transfer Case error code. You can then look up the code and find out what needs to be checked. Here is the link to a website that has Mitsubishi service manual pages for transmission/transfer case:

http://www.pajero4x4.ru/piii/GR00006200-23Ab.pdf

Scroll down to page 23Ab-44 to get to the part that talks about getting the codes out using the CD light. Word of advice - do not fall into temptation of swapping parts. Do a thorough diagnostics first and only then replace what is needed. The OEM Mitsubishi parts are expensive to just "throw" them at the car and many aftermarket cheapo parts are not as good.

Thanks HunterD, for the link to the manual. Once I get my timing belt job done I'll run the diagnostics outlined in the manual. I'll let you know what I find.

Try to read the transfer case / transmission codes before you do the timing belt. I believe when you disconnect the battery for long time you will loose those codes (just like the engine codes get lost under those conditions).

Thanks, that makes sense, but I felt confident I could get the error codes back and I did!

Following the book instructions, I grounded Term 1 of the transmission terminal.

I got error Code 32. transfer position switch system. transfer shift mechanism malfunction/actuator malfunction. Reference page 23AC-315.

unfortunatly, not as straight forward as on might like. They give the directions on diagnosing but the first step requires a real scan tool...
I may just try to do the checks I can and hope I find something.

Any Ideas what it might be, Is there one part that typically goes bad?

Good job getting the codes out. You do not need the scan tool. Having it makes it easier, but that is not how 99% of the world does it :). Skip the scan tool diagnostics and go to page 23Ac-318. Test the shifter operation and proper pin output and ressistance through all ranges. Then you going to have to crawl under the truck and check/test each of the switches and harness side connectors on the transfer case. Some of them are hard to get to (tight quarters) but you should be able to disconnect each harness connection and test it for continuity and proper voltage output under different shift conditions. Put a little dab of dielectric grease on the contacts when you plug everything back together. The best case scenario - you have a bad connection on one of the switches or one of them is bad.