VR4 auto gearbox issues

[Marcel]

Hi.

my gearbox is acting strangely lately- when car is in P and changing to D it takes 2-3 seconds when it really finds a gear and then it violently selects the 1st and car tries to jump forward! During that 2-3 secs i can even floor the gas pedal and nothing happens it just revs the engine. Also gearchanges during driving are violent and when the next gear is in it kind of jumps forward for a moment.
What can be the problem?

We do not have a dealer in Estonia who has dealed with VR4, so i´m on my own at the moment.

Thanks for any info,

Markel

[thecustomer]

is your gearbox fluid clean & red, or brown sludge?

[Marcel]

its clean and fully flushed twice already!

[bradc]

have you reset the ecu, and what oil have you put into it?

[Marcel]

i have set the ecu many times, but i use the Mitsubishi original fluid, do not know the mark exactly, but maybe you can suggest a best fluid to use?

[Rambaud]

Amsoil?

That's what is going in mine next.

[Wodjno]

i have set the ecu many times, but i use the Mitsubishi original fluid, do not know the mark exactly, but maybe you can suggest a best fluid to use?

If you have got the right oil in it .. You may have air in the system :thinking: Or it maybe overfilled ?

[bradc]

The Mitsi SPIII oil is very good and won't cause the sort of issues you're having, so I doubt that is the problem. Does it change when the car gets warmer or from cold starts?

[Marcel]

The Mitsi SPIII oil is very good and won't cause the sort of issues you're having, so I doubt that is the problem. Does it change when the car gets warmer or from cold starts?

It gets a little bit better when its warmed up, but the changes stay still violent.
when it warms up it selects the first gear better, but still quite violently.

there was a write-up somewhere how to correctly make the gearbox oil change but i cant find it now? maybe someone has it and can mail me?

markel@baltifiltrid.ee

Markel

[Nick Mann]

It is the level that is important. I have had those issues with a gearbox that had too little oil in it.

As Brad says, the mitsubishi ATF should be absolutely okay, but the other stuff to try is Amsoil.

[amsoil]

It does for all the world sound like the box is suffering because its got the wrong fluid, Mitzi SPII/III should not cause an issue but is this whats been used? It needs to be sorted now as violent changes and slipage cause wear neither of which leads to the gearbox surviving for very long. The question is have your dealers really used SPII/III ? as in the UK its not so easy to find.

[Subaru ETA]

to me sounds like fluid level is not correct

[Davezj]

There are a few different ATF oils available from AMSoil may be don could tell us which one is the right one. i hope he says the universal ATF which he sells, otherwise i have put the wrong stuff in my box over the weekend. It is the only one on the performance oils website that quotes it being a direct replacement for mitsi SPII/III.

[amsoil]

The ATF universal ATF is the recommended one although the ATD Torque drive still exceeds the SPII/III spec; but it is aimed at lorries and the like. The ART racing ATF is just that, for track and strip, it gives precious little slip and enables a high coefficient of friction on the plates/ bands. You will change gear faster but with a jerk forward.
Trust that answers the question

[eonymc]

you think thats bad i think iv goosed my box altogeather wont sellect a gear at all the garage just called to say i had no fluid so filled it but thinks damage already done wont even look into it my guy not back tell monday

[bradc]

yeah if there was no oil in it, then it will be screwed! It will either need to be rebuilt or you will need to find a new gearbox

[eonymc]

is there a difference between the vr4 auto box and the standard v6 box

[Kieran]

is there a difference between the vr4 auto box and the standard v6 box

Yes, quite a lot! I don't think you can easily change the two over. Main issue I think would be that the 4WD transfer box is bolted to the output side of the gearbox on the VR-4, so the driveshafts will be different lengths and probably fittings too.

[amsoil]

you think thats bad i think iv goosed my box altogeather wont sellect a gear at all the garage just called to say i had no fluid so filled it but thinks damage already done wont even look into it my guy not back tell monday

Without fluid it cannot select a gear as the hydraulics can't work. Its worth getting a couple of gallons of the cheapest nastiest ATF you can find and putting it in there to see if there is then any sign of life. If there is then get some of the propper stuff quick and flush it through. We have even Honda dealers using our ATF to rejuvenate 'terminal' auto boxes as pronounced by auto box experts.
No quarantees but got to be woth a try. The other question is ..... why no fluid?

[Beastlee]

Mine shifts nicely but can be aggressive when shifting in and out of D and Reverse. Don't remember the old car being like that and the new one has just had a new TC seal and fluid flush/replace. Is it common or should I be investigating?