I was thinking a bit more on this, when audio guys put a major system in, sometimes they'll put a capacitor in to take some of the load off of a battery/alternator when the speakers hit hard. Same thing is happening with the fan. I don't know how to size it, but I'm willing to bet a capacitor could be wired into the circuit to keep the lights from dimming.

 

its normal, people... stop making a problem where there isnt one.


voltages fluctuate. Amperage loads fluctuate. noticing it does not a problem make.

 

while it may not be a problem, it is bothering some people. The aftermarket industry is out there for consumers to modify their cars to suit them. If people want to try to correct their issues, that's their business. It is one thing to say it is normal, it is another thing to say it is normal and stop pursuing a resolution.

 

Manybrews, your attitude is typical of the condescending, apathetic unprofessional bs I have had to deal with at the Mitsubishi dealers I took the car too.

You have a little rhyme stuck in your head and you won't listen to the customers or read what they wrote.
Try to understand the following:
1 whatever the car does at idle, is NOT the issue here.
2 what it does at highway speeds, is the issue.
3 my car's headlights dim under the following conditions:
3.1 highway speeds (55-75) with cruise-control set (RPM way above idle obviously)
3.2 any road condition, level, incline, downhill
3.2 headlights on dim ( with or without fog-lights on)
3.3 A/C OFF - fan only at ANY speed
3.4 radio OFF or on doesn't matter

The cars headlights dim under the above listed conditions. This is neither normal, nor acceptable. And if you say it is, you're full of it. It is distracting to the driver, and apart from detracting from the enjoyment of driving the vehicle, it's also a safety issue.

No other car I have ever owned, or my family, or any of my friends has EVER dimmed the headlights under these conditions as listed above. Not BMW, no Mercedes Benz, not Fiat, not Alfa Romeo, not Mini ( an old one), not Peugoet , not Ford, not VW.

It is absolutely pathetic that Mitsubishi will produce and sell a vehicle that does this, and ever worse that they, and you, say we as the customers of your business and consumers and users of your product, should shut up and be happy with what is quite obviously an inferior product.

You should rather say:" ok, we think it's normal, but you are not happy, so let's try and fix this for you "

But no. More customers unhappy. More market share lost. Well done. Keep it up.

 

It is somehow anoying to have the lights dimming.

It has to do with the pressure sensor in the A/C system.

People living at high sea levels have the problem of having the vents turn on every 30 seconds on and off. Lights dim every 30 seconds.

At sea level the vents dont turn this way.

An interesting behaivor is when you have a hot day, and turn on the engine that is cold the vents dont turn on unitl engine is hot. ( software related )

The vents that are turning on and off are at high speed and not low speed.

I did some test at sea level with hot days and the vents turn on at high speed after a while and stay on for long time of perior.

Same hot day ( same temp as other test ) at higher sea levels the vents turn on and of in cycles of 30 seconds.

Asking A/C specialist told me that I could try changing the pressure sensor of the A/C line either for higher pressure or lower pressuer to avoid that.

The vents turn on because of this sensor and its related to internal pressure vs external presure.

At sea level I dont have any complain on how the system is working.

 

and youre attitude is that of a "know it all" consumer, that refuses to believe that not everything in life is exactly how you want it.
right.. youve never been in a car that had voltage fluctuations. you must have magic cars.
theres NOTHING TO FIX. should I call the local power company when my home lights dim momentarily as high amperage loads caused by my homes HVAC system cause a momentary fluctuation? or should i realize that its NORMAL?

jesus, people like you are the reason that its impossible to make a living doing this. you always think you're right, when you clearly aren't.

by the way, ive owned 45 cars. driven over 15000. and trust me, this is very normal situation. you dont like it? thats a shame, but its not hurting anything having a light dim lightly for a split second.
maybe someone will "fix" it due to excessive whining.. but since charging/starting/battery systems rarely fail on any mitsu (or any car), its likely up to you to accept a characteristic of the car. just because you dont "like" it doesnt make it an issue. you just want to make a stink because it sounds like you need constant attention.
maybe you outta think about another situation... maybe the software is designed for slow reaction. a quick load applied to the engine forces production of a slightly higher emission level.. whereas a slow build to that load does not. even if its .001% lower hydrocarbons, it adds up. this isnt the first time (nor only company) that does simple tricks like that to "clean up" tailpipe emissions. The japanese engineers probably didnt assume anyone would complain about a split-second voltage drop that isnt noticed by 99 out of 100 people.

regardless, sorry you dont like it. sell it and buy something else. then maybe you can make a problem for someone else when something on that car isnt "how you like it"... maybe the leather on the steering wheel will be too slippery or something.
jeez. why make a mountain of of a molehill?

and if you truely think you have "an inferior product", you really need to spend more time doing what I do. I stopped working for mitsu 2 months ago and went to BMW. Guess what? BMW has FAR, FAR more problems with their cars than mitsubishi ever has. 80 percent software based.

 

My 07 has 46k miles now, it has done this from day one.

It was annoying initially, but it hasnt caused a problem and im used to it now.

When the compressor and fan engage, the lights temporarily dim, the alternator is signaled and generates more juice to fix the problem.

Put the headlights on a seperate battery with a toggle switch in the cabin if you want to fix it, easy enough.

 

manybrews, If I never had to take this car to any dealer, apart from the regular scheduled service, I would be ecstatic. As for me being a "know it all" consumer and " needing constant attention", ha ha ha. Far from it.

The less attention I get, the happier I am. There are many things I know a great deal about. And many more things I know nothing about.

I am sure all of the cars I have owned and driven before have had voltage fluctuations. In none of them it had been visible though.

What I do know, is that it is neither normal, nor acceptable, that my car's headlights dim to the extent it is very noticeable, annoying and a safety hazard, under normal usage (highway driving) conditions.

There are many characteristics of this vehicle I absolutely love and frequently brag about to colleagues and friends. Like the cavernous cargo capacity. Its awesome. The roadholding, handling and performance is very impressive. Lots of storage space, nice. Very stylish design, cool.The nav system and sound system are pretty good too. Then there's the rear seats and their adjustability; very usefull.

But there are also things I don't like about it. Like the noisy fan, and the dimming lights. I also know that as a consumer and owner of a vehicle, with a sticker price of near thirty thousand dollars, that I pay my hard earned cash for every month, it is my prerogative and my right to criticize any and all parts of it that I don't like or am disappointed in.

So did you get tired of fixing Outlander's with dimming lights, or were you asked to leave because of your crappy attitude towards your customers?

I'm done with this thread. Gonna go look for another forum where I can act like a know-it-all and get some more attention.

Good luck with your new gig. Dont p1ss off the BMW owners too!

 

Many, with this post, I'm not trying to argue. I'm asking to look at it from another perspective. As a mechanic, at least to my viewpoint for a dealership mechanic, you repair back to OEM specs. That's fine.

But wouldn't it be great if some of these issues were alleviated? How much extra thought might go into these to alleviate such an issue. Am I a mechanic? Nope. But I do enjoy reading about different products and ways to apply add-ons.

So I acknowledge that dimming of lights occurs. Does it in my Ranger. Does it in my Outlander. It does happen. It is how it came from the factory. But it is still annoying. Can we agree on that?

Once we aknowledge a similar problem, is there any way to smooth out the irritation? 2g has come up with adding a 2nd battery to run the lights. I've come up with adding a capacitor, unfortunately I only know the application of capacitors, not how to size them. Mitsubishi will not provide a flawless vehicle. There has to be cost cutting that won't irritate 90% of the buyers. The other 10% may notice it, but will deal with it for other features.

I'm sure this forum is irritating in some regards. All of us will never see eye to eye on all subjects, but I'm asking you to provide some sort of positive method of correcting something that may not be technically wrong, but can be improved. Damn, if no one improved things, we'd be running around on steam power.

 

ccernst, if there is indeed a workable fix that a Mitsu tech or aftermarket tech like at Cartoys or somebody else can apply to fix this issue. That would be great.

I am dealing with the issue, and though I still find it extremely annoying, I live with it. Firstly, because I cant trade this car in and not loose money, and secondly, because I do like my car.

so...thats it for the lights, what about htat annoying tick coming from the front right wheel?