Good weekend, everyone! I am in search of a little advice. Everyone has an opinion, right? My daughter wrecked her 2003 Mitsubishi Outlander as COVID became daily vocabulary for us all. It was a really nice car, and I’ve been working to get it back up to speed for her. It hasn’t been driven…so it sat for a while. The suspension has been rebuilt, and it has fresh paint and CV Axles. Engine compression is great with no leaks. New tires—I thought we were in great shape.

We have always kept the transmission fluid fresh—every 30,000 miles it gets changed. It was a Friday night when I committed to the axle replacement…and I lost a lot of fluid. Of course, there is no Mitsubishi dealership parts department open here on the weekends. I settled for Valvoline Max from the local auto parts place and I flushed the system like I always do. I also noted a bend I didn’t like in the cooler’s hose line, and I replaced that while I was at it.

Now the stumbling (pun intended) block I have before I can give her the keys—there is this notable lurch in reverse—only reverse. When out into reverse, the car slowly moves in reverse, then around 2,000 rpm or so there is a slam/jerk, and reverse suddenly has all of the power that it should have. No codes are triggered. I did notice that the passenger motor mount needs to be replaced, but I don’t believe that can account for all of this jarring effect.

I’ve checked the fluid level even though I drained 95% of the old and added 8 quarts and some change of Mr. Valvoline—the levels are good when we are at operating temperature. I removed 24 oz and added Lucas conditioner and drove it for about 10 miles…no notable change. I have checked the resistance of the reverse solenoid…it is within tolerance. After it was in reverse (after the jolt), I turned on the emergency brake, chocked up, and let it sit in reverse for a while to let the Lucas condition the solenoids.

Question—Is it worth going to the dealership on Monday to buy a dozen quarts of the DIAMOND ATF SP III and flush again? Can it really make that much of a difference? That’s what I’ve always used…but availability is a big deal sometimes. I guess my option is SPIII, replacing the solenoid anyway, and/or taking it to the big shop and getting on their 1.5 month waiting list (a transmission build is likely beyond me). I appreciate your time and opinion. So close, yet so far!!

Scott

 

I've changed AT oil myself a few years ago, used LIQUI MOLY Top Tec ATF III, 1200 3681.
So far so good, I have not noticed any difference.

 

FWIW, I drained the Dextron VI and replaced it with Diamond SP III. I was only able to drain 5.5, so I flushed three more.

Very small subjective change. It’s going to need some transmission work soon.

I also changed the passenger side motor mount. That was a bigger bang for the buck. Errr…maybe I shouldn’t say bang since it was actually the opposite, but you know what I mean.