The Automatic Transmission - talk shit thread

[desblaze]

I have an 07 GLX-R auto and its the first 4x4 I've owned so I'm not sure what to have expected. 2nd gear seems to be the best for powering on as it does hold in this gear longer but rev's out a littel more then the others. The one thing I hate is when your just cruising with a light throttle and you need to give it a boot to get out of a tricky situation. It hesitates. Drops 2 gears then rev's its guts out then changes up to the gear it should have gone to first. The wife gets up me all the time, but it doesn't seem to matter if you give it a little trottle or a lot to get it moving. It jumps down more gears then it should all the time.

[siwren]

Hi All,

Has anyone noticed the following with their MN 5spd Auto:

On Cruise Control the truck will be in 5th with the TC locked up and cruising at 2100ish rpm for 110kmh. Comes to a hill and the Auto will kick straight down into 4th instead of disengaging the TC lockup. Results in much higher RPM (3100rpm) for the effort needed in my opinion

Using the right foot and at 110kmh, you can get it to disengage the TC lockup up for the smaller hills and revs will rise to 2700rpm which is a much better outcome and far less jerky. HOWEVER, when overtaking try as I might I cannot get it to kick down to 4th even with my foot to floor. I have to switch to manual mode and select fourth.

Seems to be two completely different driving mode outcomes depending on whether you use cruise or not, of which I find it confusing. And quite scary on one occasion trying to overtake and I got stuck out on the wrong side of the road for longer than I would have liked as it tried to do it all in 5th.

Thoughts?

Cheers,

Si.

[Cowboy Dave]

Mine will kick down when I boot it and rarely changes down when in cruise control or at least not until long after I would have done it if I'd been driving - so much so that I tend to take over when there are large inclines to ensure adequate run up etc.

I reckon the sprint booster makes it kick down a little more readily but that could be more imagined than real.

[motoz]

Mine will kick down when I boot it and rarely changes down when in cruise control or at least not until long after I would have done it if I'd been driving - so much so that I tend to take over when there are large inclines to ensure adequate run up etc.

I reckon the sprint booster makes it kick down a little more readily but that could be more imagined than real.

Mine is the same. The chip really helps though as its got a lot more berries when you go to overtake at $1.10

[jab461]

Well I've just gone through all these posts.......
I've got a MN 5sp Auto. And one thing I hate is when going steep down hill sections in 1st 4WDL it'll change up into 2nd when the revs pick up a bit!!!!!
I've had the misses in the car in the snowies and had to get her to get out of the car as it was on a greasy hill and it was VERY DANGEROUS! !!
I'm just about to buy a Camper Trailer so is there anything you guys have done that fixes this and or gears the thing lower so it doesn't gly off downhill?

[Cowboy Dave]

Is this after you've selected 1st using the sportshift? That shouldn't happen. Mine is worse - my transfer sometimes jumps out of low range into neutral in similar circumstances. That can be very scary

[jab461]

Is this after you've selected 1st using the sportshift? That shouldn't happen. Mine is worse - my transfer sometimes jumps out of low range into neutral in similar circumstances. That can be very scary

Yeah Bloody Hell CD I read about your "Angle Gear"!......
Mine happens when "locked" in 1st. It only happens when going down steep hills and when the revs build up to around 2700rpm. I don't like the idea of relying on brakes specially when its greasy! My mates (in manuals) just seam to roll down without relying on there brakes. The Tritons auto seams geared too tall in my opinion.

[jab461]

[Cowboy Dave]

Yeah I hear you on the brakes but until mine is fixed I've gotten used to using 2nd and careful braking. Not easy on wet clay etc though. I still have a vivid recollection of coming down a long steep wet section and having to get out and have a rest half way down because my calf was cramping up. Ended up with rear locker on to keep me straight and once the brakes had cooled a bit some careful use of the handbrake to control things a bit. Was a big relief to get to the bottom in one piece I can tell you.

[dino35]

Back to my ML Transmission saga.

I was not happy with the changes and took it back to the Auto mob who did the work.
they found fault codes and said it could be something to do with that and they wer'nt prepared to do anything unless I fixed them up, well $650 later after Col Crawfords Mitsubishi said it was a can bus fault and that I deeded a new wiring loom, Well I got a second opinion from a very reputable auto electrician and found nothing wrong with the can bus.
So I sent it back to Auto Mob and said I don't want it back till its fixed.

So they had it for two weeks, they checked everything they could while it was still in the car to no avail, so they pulled it out, then the said the completely rebuilt it again checking all the components and put it back in, guess what , no change.
They then bought another box from a wreckers and rebuilt that and put it in and it now drives like a new truck.

Apparently the cause of the fault was finally traced down to a pressure leak somewhere in the oil galleries and the delay in change is caused by the delay in rebuilding the pressure when a gear change is required.
So my original transmission case is cracked or warped which post likely happened when it broke the first time and was just about impossible to check.

Anyway this was all done under warrantee and they where left severely out of pocket with this job.

They would not pick up the bills for the electrical checks but I thought oh well It could have been a lot worst if they didn't honour their warranty.

So good luck Snowman.

[snowman]

Back to my ML Transmission saga.

I was not happy with the changes and took it back to the Auto mob who did the work.
they found fault codes and said it could be something to do with that and they wer'nt prepared to do anything unless I fixed them up, well $650 later after Col Crawfords Mitsubishi said it was a can bus fault and that I deeded a new wiring loom, Well I got a second opinion from a very reputable auto electrician and found nothing wrong with the can bus.
So I sent it back to Auto Mob and said I don't want it back till its fixed.

So they had it for two weeks, they checked everything they could while it was still in the car to no avail, so they pulled it out, then the said the completely rebuilt it again checking all the components and put it back in, guess what , no change.
They then bought another box from a wreckers and rebuilt that and put it in and it now drives like a new truck.

Apparently the cause of the fault was finally traced down to a pressure leak somewhere in the oil galleries and the delay in change is caused by the delay in rebuilding the pressure when a gear change is required.
So my original transmission case is cracked or warped which post likely happened when it broke the first time and was just about impossible to check.

Anyway this was all done under warrantee and they where left severely out of pocket with this job.

They would not pick up the bills for the electrical checks but I thought oh well It could have been a lot worst if they didn't honour their warranty.

So good luck Snowman.

Dino,

thanks for the post. Based on the dealer it seems you are Sydney based? Who are you using for the auto work?
also can you confirm the 'oil gallery' is part of the valve body assembly?
i can't post too much yet as my car is still in Melbourne and the first attempt at repair failed and i had to leave it there for another week to two weeks.

there is a lot of head scratching going on though.

just for the record mine is currently suffering two issues. one is the 'flaring' between 2nd and 3rd which is what they are looking to fix. the other is a very 'lazy' torque convertor that slips excessively in my opinion (compared to other Tritons - although there are others as bad) which they are not looking to repair. i am considering a TC replacement - that reminds me i need to ask Lee what one of those is worth.......

one other question Dino is 'how did it drive' when it was broken - was it poor changes?

thanks again for the post Dino

[Storm Trooper]

Hey snowie, mine is suffering from two issues which are that it overheats for what I would consider a standard drive, not towing anything and empty on the highway will see her get to 100 degrees... the other is that at 110km/h the torque converter locks 4 outta 5 times... I'm thinking of moving the trans cooler to a position where their is air flow and see what happens... The boys in Melbourne told me to use the lock up switch to solve the other issue

[snowman]

don't use the lockup in anything except 3rd and overdrive. OR if towing up a hill pull it back manually to second and then lock it in. dont let it change up whilst locked.

i recently got 100 degrees doing back streets unloaded and not towing . never been too hot before but the damn thing slips and slips in the stop start stuff.

doesn't run too hot on the open road. had the bullbar since day one.

my cooler WAS relocated for the winch installation.

CCM has a larger tranny cooler and reckons it is good.

[dino35]

Giday Snowman

Well mine was really snatchy from 2nd -3rd, it would thump into 3rd then drive OK, first was pain as it would jump in and out of first if you didn't plant it and at the change point it would just hang and hang and then finally change up.
Not sure what the valve body is really I am only going on what they told me but credit to them the nutted it out in the end.
The company I used is ATC Australian Transmission Company in North Parramatta
Tel. 02-96308833 My contact there was a guy called Joe.
I pretty sure he will know which truck your asking about.
Black ML The fast one !!!
They all drive Toyota Utes and where pretty blown away how much grunt mine had.
Hope this helps.

Dino

[rodeddy]

Hi,
looking to see if others have a 'slight shudder/vibration ' as i do with my 2013 MN Auto 5 speed.
At slow speeds, say around 50 km/h and then lightly accelerate, putting load on the engine, i will get a slight shudder in the car just before it changes down a gear.
Its like when you are driving in a 'too tall'. Its the same shudder/vibration you get in a manual car when you are in say 5th gear trying to go around a corner when you should have been in 3rd.
Only at that low speed, other than that i have zero shudder anywhere or anytime..
Its annoying
Car has only 7000km on it. Before taking it back to Dealer would like a heads up if other have had it also..
cheers, Rod
ps perhaps changing oil to a much better grade oil might be worth a go?

[GLRkenny]

Rod, my 4speed has that annoying vibration when it can't decide between holding the current gear and kicking down, one thing I found that helped was the installation of a K&N air filter, changing the oil most likely wont make a difference at 7000kms old.

[rodeddy]

Hi,
thats interesting that the air filter helped .. I suppose what I'm trying to find is whether it is quite common or just on mine....
thanks

Rod, my 4speed has that annoying vibration when it can't decide between holding the current gear and kicking down, one thing I found that helped was the installation of a K&N air filter, changing the oil most likely wont make a difference at 7000kms old.

[Cowboy Dave]

I don't think I've ever had that with my 5 spd. By changing the oil do you mean the transmission fluid? If so you are pretty limited with your options. They take a Mitsy SP3 fluid from memory. I was only able to identify two compatible (non genuine) fluids that I could buy that met the SP3 requirements. One was the Valvoline Dex/Merc (red container) and even then you have to read the label to find the SP3 bit. That one is a full synthetic fluid. The other was a castrol product from memory but as I was never able to find it in an actual shop I never bought any. It is the castrol one that wholesale transmissions use after their transmission upgrades as I understand it. This is also a synthetic fluid. Expect to pay a bit for these fluids too.

Can you drive around the problem by using the sportshift thing?

Wonder if the shudder is a torque converter issue? See for example this stuff http://www.automatictransmission.com.au/release.asp?NewsId=38412

[snowman]

Hi,
looking to see if others have a 'slight shudder/vibration ' as i do with my 2013 MN Auto 5 speed.
At slow speeds, say around 50 km/h and then lightly accelerate, putting load on the engine, i will get a slight shudder in the car just before it changes down a gear.
Its like when you are driving in a 'too tall'. Its the same shudder/vibration you get in a manual car when you are in say 5th gear trying to go around a corner when you should have been in 3rd.
Only at that low speed, other than that i have zero shudder anywhere or anytime..
Its annoying
Car has only 7000km on it. Before taking it back to Dealer would like a heads up if other have had it also..
cheers, Rod
ps perhaps changing oil to a much better grade oil might be worth a go?

when i test drove the MN auto briefly i did notice this on light throttle in higher gears. without doubt it is the TC staying locked at far lower RPM than the ML does. I know this because i get a similar feel in my ML with the manual TC locked in.

Embrace it. it is what is giving you better economy in the later model auto.

do as CD says and 'drive around it'. either manually select the lower gear or a slightly harder throttle (albeit briefly) to incur a change down.

[snowman]

not to remove any impact from CD's post i do want to highlight the 'slight acceleration' as noted in the original post by rodeddy

[rodeddy]

.

[rodeddy]

[quote="rodeddy"]hi guys...
thanks guys for your input. re the TC lockup .. it mentions the issue with the earlier model...could this still be evident in the current 2013 model?
re can i can around it with the sport shift mode - yes, i actually do that sometimes.
In fact, if you go back years ago, a lot of auto transmissions used to be able to just run through their 3/4 speeds and a switch on the gear lever could be on/off to activate overdrive. If it had this, it would solve the issue so the current gearbox i have would not select 5th gear TC lockup in low speeds / revs. It would stay in 4th.
It could simply run through 1-4 gears with revs being slightly higher and not having this 'labouring' feeling (by labouring feeling i mean the shudder when when slightly accelerating under load ) ...... and then when required switch overdrive on...
Yes re transmissions oil - i thought maybe changing to a good full synthetic auto oil may help?
looks like im stuck with it but for a 2103 model vehicle it is really not acceptable , perhaps i shall try a oil change..
thanks for your input guys and hopefully someone has had this..... and has a remedy....
cheers, rod

[snowman]

the ML 4 speed auto does have the overdrive button. didn't realise it was dropped for the 5 speed.

[rodeddy]

hi,
that's interesting. So you can drive around as if its a three speed auto and if required push the button and will then utilize the 4th gear...?
I wish this had the same as it would solve the issue. Being a 5 speed box, just utilizing the 4 speeds and when required push the overdrive button to got into 5th...
The fact that the gearbox constantly wants to select the tallest gear and lock up TC, and doing this at low revs whilst driving in slow traffic, then accelerating from low revs in tallest gear, causing it to need drop back, is creating this slight shudder... If i was driving a manual gearbox, i certainly would not be in 5th gear with such low revs trying to accelerate - if i did, it would create this shudder feeling also.
now the trick is, how to resolve it??
My other question still remains, do other MN 5 speed auto s have the same issue or is it localised to just mine??
Can members with a a MN 5 speed auto please let me know what they experience please?
cheers and thanks, Rod

the ML 4 speed auto does have the overdrive button. didn't realise it was dropped for the 5 speed.

[Cowboy Dave]

I don't think I've had it with my 5 spd. That said I do run the sprint booster on red full time and I am convinced that makes it change down a bit quicker as the revs seem to come up a bit quicker under acceleration if that makes sense? It does seem to prefer to sit in 3rd offroad though which tends to get old pretty fast. Definitely lugs in that gear when doing slow climbs.