02 Mitsubishi Montero Transmission Shudder

[spk2000]

I have been dealing with a transmission shudder on my 02 Montero. I put red Lubegard in and it pretty much went away. This made me decide to do a transmission flush and the shudder came back. I added another bottle of red Lubegard and it took about 1,000 miles but went away. It slowly came back over time so I added another bottle. A local reputable transmission shop says about $6,000 to rebuild this which includes a new driveshaft that is in bad shape accoding to them. This is an 02 with around 165,000 miles on it. There are some other alignment issues that cannot be easily remedied as well. I can buy tires cheaper than a new vehicle. I have considered just replacing the torque converter or a used transmission as a gamble to help make this vehicle last longer. I was hoping some of you here might have some suggestions.
Thanks.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

What are you using for transmission fluid? I believe those use a version of the Toyota A340 transmission - 165K (especially behind a v6) should be nothing for that transmission.

That transmission was super popular ... $6K for a rebuild seems a bit crazy.

 

[Rand]

That probably used diamond SP-III fluid?

Maybe a flush with that to see if it helps?

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Originally Posted By: Rand
That probably used diamond SP-III fluid?


Pretty much every other vehicle that used the transmission (Toyota, Volvo, Honda/Isuzu, Jeep) recommended DexIII fluid. Probably did use Diamond SP-III in the Mitsubishi.

I've heard of this transmission shuddering in Jeep Cherokees when ATF+4 fluid is used.

 

[JC1]

Originally Posted By: spk2000
I have been dealing with a transmission shudder on my 02 Montero. I put red Lubegard in and it pretty much went away. This made me decide to do a transmission flush and the shudder came back. I added another bottle of red Lubegard and it took about 1,000 miles but went away. It slowly came back over time so I added another bottle. A local reputable transmission shop says about $6,000 to rebuild this which includes a new driveshaft that is in bad shape accoding to them. This is an 02 with around 165,000 miles on it. There are some other alignment issues that cannot be easily remedied as well. I can buy tires cheaper than a new vehicle. I have considered just replacing the torque converter or a used transmission as a gamble to help make this vehicle last longer. I was hoping some of you here might have some suggestions.
Thanks.


Sounds like it's a car that you put as little money into it until it dies IMO.

Regards, JC.

 

[Pajero]

I have a Gen 2 SR. Dex 3 is not the same as sp3, according to Mitsu. Strongly recommend trying OEM Diamond SP3 first with a flush or several drain and fills. Also, try changing the driveshaft with OEM parts.

Read the archives in the 4x4wire and expedition portal for Monteros........Good luck

Our transmissions are heavy duty.....good luck

 

[cptbarkey]

go for a junkyard transmission for 2 grand or so. 6 grand is just paying their mortgage for several extra months.

 

[spk2000]

It was flushed with the SP Mitsubishi fluid at the dealer. Dealer had records showing that the previous owner did it every 30,000 miles as they recommend.

 

[spk2000]

It was the SP III Diamond fluid that I have heard is very similar to Chrysler fluid but not certain on that.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Have you tried a complete flush with DexIII - the cheap stuff from Walmart? Pretty much every other application of the transmission specified DexIII.

The later Toyota models that used it (Tacoma) use T-IV, you might also be able to try that.

 

[01rangerxl]

If it were mine, I would use something like Valvoline Import Multi Vehicle, which is a synthetic, or Castrol Import Multi Vehicle. They meet a wide range of specs used by Japanese brands, including SP-III. SP-III is nothing great. Any parts store should have them or be able to get them.

On the Montero Sports, the carrier bearing seems to be a fairly common item, but is sold separate of the driveshaft. I don't know about full size Monteros, they are pretty rare in general.

 

[Falcon_LS]

Before you do anything, can you find a shop with an MUT-III scan tool near you?

 

[01rangerxl]

Looking at the driveshaft diagrams for the Montero, there is no carrier bearing, but there is something that looks like a damper on it. So it is plausible that it does need a driveshaft, and that does in part explain why their quote was so high.

Depending on if it's a four or five speed transmission (both autos), that driveshaft is $812-936 for a Mitsubishi OEM replacement at full MSRP. The one for the four speed is the more expensive one, and right now it has no availability. It is not coming up as an obsolete part, but no dealers have it and Mitsubishi does not have it in their US distribution centers. The driveshaft for the five speed automatic is available, but in small quantities.

An A1 Cardone is around $300 after the core is taken off, so I'd want to know for sure what they are wanting to put in at that price.

I think the price they quoted you is the "know it's fixed" price. They don't want to put a transmission in it, and have it come back because it's still shuddering from the driveshaft. They don't want to put a driveshaft in and have it come back because in reality the transmission is going out. They may have also been cautious estimating prices just in case you approved the job because parts availability for the Montero and other Mitsubishis can be iffy, and some shops don't like working on Mitsubishis for this reason. They might be hoping you won't bring it back and are giving a high estimate to cover themselves if you do.

 

[spk2000]

Got the fluid changed today and put in Wolfhead synthetic that is not real common but came highly recommended by the local Goodyear. They have always done great work for me so I did some research on the product and had limited but positive reviews. I had them flush and put this in my Grand Marquis last summer and the shudder went away and it worked great. I don't have alot of miles on the Montero yet but the shudder is gone for now and shifting seems smoother. Before it was jerking a bit and there was a slight hesitation when shifting in addition to the shudder that felt like rumble strips on the side of the road. So far so god. I will report back later when I am sure how well it continues to do or if it fails.