Automatic gearbox failure

[MGV6]

I've read about it many times, seen it on here many times,

why does it happen to Galant? It is meant to be a Japanese car so its kinda suprising to hear such common mechanical failure which shouldn't really supposed to happen on Japanese vehicles.

Or was it only on the earlier models? i.e. 1997-1999?

The newer ones 2000-2003 range, are they prone to auto gearbox failures as well?

[Paul Beazer]

I think its a problem that sounds more common than it is.

I think a lot of the failures concern VR4s and lack of regular complete fluid changes. The VR4 is naturally harder on the fluid and if poor quality fluid is used it doesnt last long.
Use of a top quality ATF like from amsoil should help, but regular chaging of the fluid and flushing out the old stuff goes a long way in preserving the gearbox.

[Nick Mann]

Failures are not often complete. The major failures are the torque converter splines, or shuddering on drive. The shuddering issue is almost always caused by lack of correct servicing, and/or incorrect oil. The splines issue I don't know so much about, so can't say how much of it is a design problem.

The only other regular issue is a leaky oil seal on the input shaft, which is a cheap seal, but an expensive position!! (It takes a day to remove the gearbox to swap the seal!)

Can anybody say that they have had an automatic gearbox failure that hasn't been poor maintenance? Lets see how many this thread finds...

[Brunty]

1999 Saloon - suspect lack of correct maintenance for two years prior to my ownership.

[richy rich]

1999 Saloon - suspect lack of correct maintenance for two years prior to my ownership.
and your gear box is still nice and shiny

[Kieran]

I've read about it many times, seen it on here many times,

why does it happen to Galant? It is meant to be a Japanese car so its kinda suprising to hear such common mechanical failure which shouldn't really supposed to happen on Japanese vehicles.

Thing is though, it's only like the 'Blinky Dash' problem that affects the Toyota Soarer... It's just a known point where these cars let the side down. I daresay it stands out more on cars like the Galant because everything else doesn't break *cough* French Cars *Cough*- and as already stated, certainly on the VR-4, it's more a maintenance thing I think.

As for the V6, well..... All the cars I've heard of where the torque convertor has gone bang have been 1996-1999 pre-facelifts. Not heard of it on the later cars.

[I-S]

The mitsubishi dealers themselves don't use the right fluid nor replace it in the right way. I think that accounts for a significant number of the torque converter/flashing N failures in VR4s and non-VR4s alike. My car was over-revving between shifts and generally behaving badly, even after the dealer changed the fluid. After Kieran did it properly with proper fluid it's been perfect.

As for output splines... I think the cause of failure there is towing. Looking solely at FWD cars, the F4A42 is the gearbox used. In normal use I doubt that there's a problem, but the V6 auto (mainly estates) were quite a popular tow car from 97-99. Towing a big caravan will put a huge stress on the gearbox, and the galant v6 is about the largest and heaviest car to use the F4A42 (which is also found in the colt, carisma, space star, etc) and the most powerful. I think that, like the original 256mm front brake discs, it wasn't quite up to the job.

[Kieran]

As for output splines... I think the cause of failure there is towing. Looking solely at FWD cars, the F4A42 is the gearbox used. In normal use I doubt that there's a problem, but the V6 auto (mainly estates) were quite a popular tow car from 97-99.

Quite.... I have a reprint of an article from the September 1997 'Caravan Magazine' in my archives here. It's one of those articles that Mitsubishi purchased the rights to so that they could reprint it as a 'Brag' article. It states that the Galant V6 is the best towing car they've reviewed in the past 12 months.

[bradc]

but it's fwd, how can it be a good towing car? Still isn't that the same magazine that said that diesel sack of poo was a good towing car that ended up on top gear?

[wazzo]

as far as the failure of the TC splines is concerned, i took mine apart and found that only half of the splines are used.

why is this???!?!?!

so out of 1" of spline only 1/2 is used, dont get it, areal design fault if you ask me, dont know if this is the case with them all but was with mine

[(mick)]

I have read several reviews of failures as low as 40K with cars having full dealer servicing (no towing) to the correct schedule. What I am not sure about is does this only apply to ealier models. Does anyone out there know if the fault was fixed on later cars 2000 onwards????

Cheers!!

Mick

[Zaid]

I have fall in love with Galants in 2004, and ever since then I have been keeping an eye on them (had 2 so far). I have never come accross a faulty gearbox for models 2000 onwards. Whats engine size is yours? To be honest I have hardly seen a 2.0 litre Galant with gearbox problems, most of these problems are on the V6 ones models 96-99.

[(mick)]

The reason I am asking is that I am just about to buy a 2002 tiptronic 2.5 when I saw some posts about failures so thought I would enquire to be on the safe side. Appreciate all and any feedback. Thanks!!!

[MGV6]

I have read several reviews of failures as low as 40K with cars having full dealer servicing (no towing) to the correct schedule. What I am not sure about is does this only apply to ealier models. Does anyone out there know if the fault was fixed on later cars 2000 onwards????

Cheers!!

Mick

I've seen one with 2000 plate that had its gearbox fail and it was fitted with an aftermarket one. However, it was the old face lifted version, I haven't seen or heard about gearbox fail on the newer facelifted ones.

[mpau009]

I had my 1997 STR (2.5V6 N/A) gearbox and transfer case give up on me. In line with the above, i am convinced it is 100% an oil level and quality issue, combined with making sure the fluid is properly flushed not just the sump emptied at service time.

That said, it was a financial disaster for me since i was only 20 at the time, and it was rediculously expensive to fix, seeing i had no skills to do it myself.

I am sure if you have a car that has been looked after, and you continue to do so, it will hold up just fine - especially since you have found your way to CVR4 before it broke ...how i ended up here...:baby:

An auto trans cooler is always a good idea, as much for piece of mind i guess.

That said, the experience was so bad that i went out and bought a 5 speed manual VR4 18 months back, and you'd never (EVER) see me in a Tiptronic again/rally

[Subaru ETA]

my str started shuddering...being a mechanic and knowing how much it was going to cost and how time consuming the whole thing was going to be a traded her in and got the vr4 manual.

id say it was due to not being mainatined correctly in jap land. i did a full trans flush with mitsi oil using a proper trans flush machine. fixed it for awhile but came back...

the thing is in jap land they dont keep cars for very long so expensvie maintanence items are over looked..

[Eurospec]

Heres 2p worth for you. I doubt it will be a popular 2p, so appologies in advance!

Loads and loads of FTO's are tips (auto). We get the 'my gearbox piled in' quite a bit.

Failures are:-

Torque converter splines. Its designed to strip the splines out of the troque converter rather than strip the main input shaft to the gearbox. Easy to replace a torque converter relative to a total gearbox strip to do the input shaft.

Speed sensors. Very often the cause of the magical flashing N stuck in 3rd type thing. Not cheap but an easy fix and worth a go. Loads of times people book cars for a replacement gearbox, when you can fix it with two sensors!

TCU's. In the early car the TCU is a seperate unit to the ECU's. I suspect in the VR4 its like a facelift FTO and its in the main ecu unit. When the TCU capacitors leak, then you get the stuck in third, flashing N, real nasty bang into drive going on. ECU doc cant fix TCU's, so its a preventative type thing to do the caps.

Split gear oil cooler. If the rad is old, the gear oil cooler in the bottom of it can split. When it does so water from the cooling system enters the gearbox and nackers the clutch packs. A good sign of the clutch packs being dead is it drives when its cold, but as soon as it warms up it wont. If this happens, i always think gearbox = dead. You can get them rebuilt, but it costs a mint.

Clutch packs fried. As above, as to possible causes, poor gear oil cooling, contamination in the gearbox, excess wear from whatever cause (ie never changing the oil!) etc.

Dopey stuff. A short on another curcuit which feeds back into an ECU or TCU circuit or earth will give you a stuck in third type thing.

Solenoid packs. There is a bunch of solenoids in the box (behind the sumpy type thing) which move the valves to shift the gears. These can stick or fail. Pulling codes out of the TCU/ECU will tell you this. You can get new ones from JPAT.

Hope thats useful and not too depressing!

Cheers,

Ben.

[Kieran]

Have some rep Ben - Brilliant post.

Oh, the TCU is a separate box if you've got an auto.:scholar: