Auto- Mate for PB/PC Challenger.

[m_and_m]

Good to know that your gear changes are not too harsh, would be great to hear from other challenger owners with an Auto Mate.

‘Harsh’ is the wrong word. ‘Noticeable’ might be better, and even then only when there isn’t a van on the back. It’s all relative. The Pajero’s gear changes are better than Challenger, but it doesn’t mean Challenger is ‘bad’.
I’m currently doing Lockup-mate version for an MQ Triton, and it’s even better/smoother than Pajero! But only just.

[old Jack]

PB/PC Challenger “limp modes” occur when;
1. ATF over temp light 135C ON 115C OFF.
2. Check Engine Light ON at 115C Engne Coolant Temperature.
3. AT limp mode due to excessive torque converter slip under high loads for extended periods of time, “N” gear display flashes on dash, power is cut, Auto is locked into 2nd gear. We do not know what all the specific parameters are that are required to trigger this limp mode. What we do know is these limp modes have not occurred during development and testing of Lockup and Auto Mate, and no one has reported an excessive TC slip limp mode since fitting either of these 2 units.

Gear changes go from smooth but rubbery and a sense of disconnect between engine and auto trans, to noticeable and positive with the TC locked. As Marshal has indicated it is less noticeable when you are hauling a load.

OJ.

[m_and_m]

What we do know is these limp modes have not occurred during development and testing of Lockup and Auto Mate, and no one has reported an excessive TC slip limp mode since fitting either of these 2 units.
OJ.

Actually, I’ve had several customers call us just to say how happy they are that it’s fixed the pre limp issues with the Challenger when towing. It’s a very big issue for the people it affects.

[BruceandBobbi]

If the Challenger can't successfully tow it's rated capacity it sounds like it is not fit for purpose and should have been legally challenged years ago.

[old Jack]

If the Challenger can't successfully tow it's rated capacity it sounds like it is not fit for purpose and should have been legally challenged years ago.

I have once towed 3000kg with my Challenger, through the suburbs, up the SE Freeway which is very steep and long, used 3rd and 2nd gear, then windy hills drive. This was all pre Lockup and Auto Mate, sure it could tow 3000kg but it was working very, very hard and it is not something I would want to do for extended periods of time in a touring capacity or on a regular basis.

Agree with the limp mode without warning should have been a safety recall but system works as per manufacturers design but it is dangerous as it activates without warning.

OJ,

[Morville]

I recently purchased and installed an Automate in our NW.The install went quite smoothly except for getting under the dash with my creaky old neck. There was a small burr from a spot weld where the resistor goes which I removed with a die grinder. I also installed a flat piece of copper sheet about 60 X 40 mm under te resistor to help dissipate heat better than the painted surface.
Installing the plug near the gear shifter was a piece of cake, took about 5 seconds. I used a chopstick and taped a lump(small nut or similar) to it about 20 mm from the end to insert between the 4 wires on the plug which was easily pushed down and connected. The nut prevented the chopstick from going too far between the wires on the plug to push it down.
I have not changed from the default settings and we notice better fuel economy and lower ATF temperatures. I have not used it for towing yet but my wife has with her horse float through hilly country and prior to Automate usually used Sport mode. With Automate we are not sure if it is still best to use Sport mode or Drive with 5th locked out.
Using Automate and not towing there is a substantial clunk in Drive when changing from 4 to 5 particularly when the ATF is just warm enough for Automate to operate. I hope this clunk is not detrimental to the transmissiomn or driveline components. I have begun to anticipate the change to 5th and ease slightly on the accelerator which allows a smoother change.
Marshall, I am wondering if it is feasible to modify Automate to momentarily unlock the TCC when upchanges particularly to 5th take place to make the change smoother?
An excellent product and thank you Marshall for all your time and effort in developing and producing Automate.
Cheers
Peter

[m_and_m]

I recently purchased and installed an Automate in our NW.The install went quite smoothly except for getting under the dash with my creaky old neck. There was a small burr from a spot weld where the resistor goes which I removed with a die grinder. I also installed a flat piece of copper sheet about 60 X 40 mm under te resistor to help dissipate heat better than the painted surface.
Installing the plug near the gear shifter was a piece of cake, took about 5 seconds. I used a chopstick and taped a lump(small nut or similar) to it about 20 mm from the end to insert between the 4 wires on the plug which was easily pushed down and connected. The nut prevented the chopstick from going too far between the wires on the plug to push it down.
I have not changed from the default settings and we notice better fuel economy and lower ATF temperatures. I have not used it for towing yet but my wife has with her horse float through hilly country and prior to Automate usually used Sport mode. With Automate we are not sure if it is still best to use Sport mode or Drive with 5th locked out.
Using Automate and not towing there is a substantial clunk in Drive when changing from 4 to 5 particularly when the ATF is just warm enough for Automate to operate. I hope this clunk is not detrimental to the transmissiomn or driveline components. I have begun to anticipate the change to 5th and ease slightly on the accelerator which allows a smoother change.
Marshall, I am wondering if it is feasible to modify Automate to momentarily unlock the TCC when upchanges particularly to 5th take place to make the change smoother?
An excellent product and thank you Marshall for all your time and effort in developing and producing Automate.
Cheers
Peter

Hi Peter,
Thanks for the feedback. Good tips for the installation!
I haven't heard of any other Paj 'clunking' into 5th, nor any other gear. It may be an early indication of another problem.
For the Pajero, however, I have been toying with the idea of letting the transmission warm up longer before engaging auto-mate control. I'm starting to find (now it's cooler) that it's taking a long time to warm up the transmission to 50-60 degC, which is a more optimal operating temperature. auto-mate is a bit 'too good' at reducing the temperature

Currently the chosen temp for auto-mate to start control is an ATF of 30 degC in the Pajero (40 in Challenger).
The temp is a compromise between achieving fuel savings earlier vs getting to operating temperature faster (and smoothness of gear changes).

Send me an email via my web-site 'contact us' and I'll chat about what we can do. - or give me a call.

[jas81]

A or L mate may rarely throw a code in Pajeros, but not on Challenger.
Generally a code occurs in the first couple of weeks until the adaptive learning settles in.
Only a handful of people get this.

I recommend either:
1. the Ultra-gauge MX1.3 if you want a dedicated display with lots of features. (See the Pajero auto-mate utube video on my web site to see one in use) link in my signature.
2. Cheap $10 eBay ELM327 OBD2 Bluetooth device and the Torque Pro app for your android phone.

Even if you don’t want to get an auto-mate and you tow I strongly recommend you monitor your trans temps.

As OJ said, the warning light comes on at extremes (147degC) on Pajero, and at this temp the oil is ‘cooked’
Mitsubishi set it this high to avoid people bringing cars in under warranty because of concerns. Same with engine coolant- notice that it stays on half and doesn’t move until it’s getting really hot?. btw: I was told all this by a former Mitsubishi engineer here in Adelaide

Ok, you guys have convinced me to buy, just going to speak to an Auto Electrician on Monday to get a cost estimate for installation first.

For the Ultra-gauge which would you recommend for a MY14 challenger? they seem to all be for specific cars and I can't find a Mitsubishi version. https://www.preciseauto.com.au/ultra...ragauge-mx1.3/

Fantastic forum members on here thanks to all, for all the information.

[m_and_m]

Ok, you guys have convinced me to buy, just going to speak to an Auto Electrician on Monday to get a cost estimate for installation first.

For the Ultra-gauge which would you recommend for a MY14 challenger? they seem to all be for specific cars and I can't find a Mitsubishi version. https://www.preciseauto.com.au/ultra...ragauge-mx1.3/

Fantastic forum members on here thanks to all, for all the information.

jas81,
Good on you. You won't regret it.
To help out with quoting, based on our customer's feedback, a lockup-mate takes 1.5, hours and auto-mate 2-3 hours. Charges have ranged between $150 and $350.
One of our objectives was DIY - ie the total cost of product plus installation is the lowest.
We save many customers money by providing a very detailed DIY installation manual. If you can solder or crimp wires together, use a screw driver, and have the confidence to remove trim, it's very DIY.
The installation manuals are 20-30 pages long with detailed photos specific to each vehicle. In comparison, a lockup kit from another very reputable transmission company provides just a 1 page circuit digram. However I do understand that for many various reasons including time, their ability and health issues, people prefer to have it installed by an auto elec.

[m_and_m]

Forgot to mention about the ultra-gauge. Just buy any MX1.3 setup. There’s plenty of detail on the forum to help you set it up for your model.

[Ian H]

You'll find the Ultra Gauge cheaper on this site and shipping is fast.

https://ultra-gauge.com/ZC/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=57

The Toyota/Tacoma/Tundra model seems to be the best suited, although you need to program some features yourself. The horizontal dash mount lets it sit nicely on the dash near the door pillar.

[dreamerman]

You'll find the Ultra Gauge cheaper on this site and shipping is fast.

https://ultra-gauge.com/ZC/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=57

The Toyota/Tacoma/Tundra model seems to be the best suited, although you need to program some features yourself. The horizontal dash mount lets it sit nicely on the dash near the door pillar.

Not trying to hijack this thread but I will be buying an Ultra Gauge MX soon and happy to do leg work if anyone wants to group-buy. So the way it goes is I buy a few and shipped to me. I then ship on to you. Local postage is probably $10. This way we save on international shipping. Discounts from seller only apply to 50 units or more. See my post below.

https://www2.pajeroclub.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=64016

[bmurray2250]

Auto-mate installed and drives well.
The instructions are very good and make the installation a breeze.

[m_and_m]

auto-mate for Challenger just got better

OJ's challenger has been at MM4x4 HQ for the last week receiving some improvements to lockup-mate and auto-mate.
We're constantly tweaking and improving auto-mate as we receive feedback.

The latest improvements to auto-mate (Challenger) are:

. adjustable shift pattern This feature available on the Pajero is now available for the Challenger too. Allowable settings of 1-10 (default is 3). Why adjust the shift pattern? With larger tyres, you can now achieve 10% better fuel economy around town (compared with current auto-mate) by just tweaking the shift pattern. If your car feel like it labours a bit, select a higher shift setting.

. Ultra low power in standby (ignition off): Just 13m A, which is 50-75% less power than a typical ELM327 OBD2 bluetooth device

. Saves LED night override setting to EEPROM. When touring in the daytime with headlights on, I found it annoying to manually override it after each rest stop. Now saves the setting between engine starts

. Pedal Controllers: Better operation if you have a pedal controller [iDrive, torque etc].

. LED in 4LLC: In 4LLc, the LED now shows you if the TCC is locked or not.

. reliability and stability improvements - automatically recovers if problems are encountered (e.g. a sw freeze caused by corrupted data from a poor OBD2 connection)

. Bug Fix: In 4LLC, using a paddle to change into SPORT mode did not lock the TCC. Only worked if shift lever was used.

I'll release details of how to obtain a software update soon.

[PeePee]

That’s sounds great mate, looking forward to software update.