1. Switch on the engine, no flashing lights.
2. Put in to Drive, no flashing lights.
3. Put in reverse, no flashing lights.
4. Put into step-tronic, shift to second gear, no flashing lights.
5. Drive in second gear for 3-4 miles, NEUTRAL FLASHES, Gear shifts from second to third., without moving the Step-Tronic.

Cheers.
Rxr.

 

These were the codes...

P0765 Shift Solenoid D Malfunction
P0760 Shift Solenoid C Malfunction
P0770 Shift Solenoid E Malfunction
P0755 Shift Solenoid B Malfunction

2518 - not sure what this one is !

Any inputs ? thanks.

 

unfortunatly, its very likely they did NOT cause the problem.

it is quite possible (and ive seen it happen many, many times) that something does fail like that at a random time. Just because someone had the hood open doesnt mean they had anything to do with the failure. You may as well blame the person parked next to you.

Montero trannies rarely fail, but if they do its almost always a catastrophic mechanical failure... usually one of the planetary gearsets. It is NOT common, but it does happen. rarely.

 

Interesting, you can be so sure ! , thanks though, its is definitely unfortunate!

A perfect running car, goes to the "authorized dealer" for preventive maintenance and fails to work after 50 miles of driving., with 70k miles. I also wanted them to do a speed test, at 60 mph, during braking, the front end shudders, they said they did all that !!

With all the OBD -codes listed, everybody i am talking to is suggesting that it is a electrical issue and the tranny is in Fail-Safe mode, it did not fail, as the dealer was suggesting.

 

Check Conditions, Judgment Criteria
• Failure signal of the underdrive solenoid or 1st gear incorrect ratio or 2nd gear incorrect ratio or 3rd gear incorrect ratio is input to the engine control CPU from the transmission control CPU.

TROUBLESHOOTING HINTS (The most likely causes for this code to be set are

•Underdrive solenoid failed.
•Open or shorted underdrive solenoid circuit, or loose connector.
•PCM failed.

( the results are the same for all the other codes, just the Solenoid names are different )
P0765 Shift Solenoid D Malfunction
P0760 Shift Solenoid C Malfunction
P0770 Shift Solenoid E Malfunction
P0755 Shift Solenoid B Malfunction

 

Any inputs on this ?

In 2WD.

Put the car in Neutral, move the driver side rear wheel, and the passenger side rotates in the opposite direction, same behaviour in the Reverse Mode.

Doubting something's wrong in the transfer case ! , any inputs on this pls ?
Does the Fail-Safe mode of the transmission doing this? or is this not an electrical problem anymore at all ?

Thanks

 

rxr:

Sorry you're in this situation. I'm over my head when it comes to transmission error codes, etc. And my '99 does not have the same set up anyway.

But from a big picture standpoint here's what I think I'd do if I were you:

Obviously your (now) former dealer has washed their hands of the situation. At least you now know you won't be rewarding them with more business fixing the tranny.

Unless you can live with it as is, you're going to have to get it fixed. The other dealers in the area are the best bet. Just make sure the one you choose is not owned by the same auto group. Arch rivals with your old dealer would be perfect.

Until they remove, tear-down or fix it we're all just conjecturing as to whether the T-belt project was the culprit - as logical as that seems to some of us.

After it's fixed you and the new mechanics should have a good handle on whether or not the actual faulure mode could have been caused by anything having to do with fluid and/or cooling.

If it looks like is was (or even if it "might" have been), you have nothing to lose (except the $20 filing fee) in going after the old dealer in small claims ct. They, on the other hand will know that they have a lot to lose going up against a well-prepared consumer with documentation.

Those last two are key. Starting today get a journal and religiously document what happend from the start and every contact with the old dealer including phone calls not returned and exactly who and when told you it was not their problem. Do the same with the new shop and make sure they give you all the old parts and provide a written explanation of all possible causes. (Again, if they find that it's an unfortuntate conincidence with something electrical, you can forget all this) Also keep track of your time and other expenses. Write everything down because it will be months from now when you need it and you'll forget.

Once (if) you have the "proof" that the first dealer could have caused the damage. Put together a letter with pertinent attachments and send it registered mail to the owner or GM of the old dealer. Politely but firmly explain the situation and ask for reimbursement. (the court will expect/require that you have submitted a "demand" for restitution before resorting to the court.) Make sure in the letter that you specify a reasonable but short deadline for payment, after which you will be forced to seek other legal remedies, or some such veiled threat. My advice would be to not to go nuculear on them in the letter - just state the facts and make it clear you are serious about getting a resolution.

Assuming they deny you or don't answer, file in Small Claims and be prepared to be the very reasonable and well-prepared consumer/victim who just wants to get back the several thousand dollars of damages caused by the dealer.

If the "proof" shows that the old dealer was possibly at fault, they will hopefully see the light once the suit is filed and possibly offer to negotiate something with you.

So in summary, best case it's something electrical and not expensive to fix. Next best case is that it will be obvious that it was the original dealer's fault and you'll eventually get some or all of your money back.

Final disclaimer, I'm not a lawyer and my free legal advice is worth less than the digital text it's written in. The above is mostly an overview of what I'd do if I were you.

Good luck - keep us up to date.

Ron

 

I believe this is normal when your engine is not turning the driveshaft and the wheels are off of the ground.

 

Thanks jrmdir, I will consider your inputs, at this point am really interested in getting the truck running for now , its the wife's !!

For anybody reading this thread in the future,

Here's how Mitsu in the USA works,

Call 1-888-648-7820, Option 1, Option5 - Talk to a customer support agent.
Explain the situation, and they create a Case# for you and assign a Case Manager.
Case Manager is the only escalation process associated with a customer grievance such as this.

Before you call have the VIN# handy, the last 8 digits.
For those Montero lovers,

Reman Tranny is : 1800 Onwards to 3600.
ReBuilt is : 1200 to 1800.
Brand New from Mitsu : 7500.00.
Used Ones : 1250 to 1800.00
Installation : 400 to 800.00

Labor : About 500 to 2000.00.

More info about the tranny:
Aisin Warner - manufactures this tranny, Toyota owns it !, they are the biggest tranny manufacturer, just a note 911 Porsche's trannies are also made by these guys.
- you have a good tranny..

Cheers
Rxr.

 

Mitsubishi generated a case# for my issue with the dealer and here's what Mitsubishi's case manager suggested,

1. This issue is strictly between you and the dealer, we can't tell them how to run their business.

2. If there's a quality of work issue, we can only note that in the system, but cannot do anything about it.

3. We don't control how they hire or fire their technicians.

4. If this vehicle was under warranty, we can do "something" about it.

5. Your options are really , Better Business Bureau, Legal Counsel , along those lines.

6. You cannot escalate this any further within Mitsu, there's no process for it and also Mitsu will not pursue this any further.

7. After warranty, we only suggest you to take your car to an authorized dealer, but really you can take it anybody.

Loosing the luv for the mitsu's ! , hope that's temporary !

Montero's with another mitsu authorized shop now, for a second opinion diagnostics.
Crossing the fingers, to hope its not a tranny swap !

Cheers
Rxr.