Automatic Transmission Lock Up Kit/valve body upgrade

[Pickle]

Well have been testing this for a few weeks now and the results are just about finalised.
Some of you might know that my vehicle was in Wholesale Automatics for developement on the lock up kit and valve body upgrade for the V4A51 transmission found in PA Challengers and ML/MN Tritons. These transmissions are basically the same as the V5A51 found in the NM/NP/NS models as well, except they are a four speed instead of a five speed as found in the Paj's. My vehicle was fitted with a lock up kit, auto temp guage and valve body upgrade and a full service on the auto using synthetic oil. For those that don't understand what the valve body upgrade does you will find a good explanation here.
As for the lock up kit another explanation is here. The temperature guage is also another great addition that lets you keep an eye on the auto temp when towing. Details here .

Well I have had a chance to test the upgrades around the suburbs and in the High Country recently and can tell you they are a fantastic upgrade for the auto. I felt my transmission changed a lot smoother and runs a lot cooler.
The lockup kit to me was the vital ingrediant that my vehicle needed. With running 32's on mine the gearing in lo range running downhill was terrible.
A flick of the lock up switch pulls me up even more on the downhill run. Certainly no where near crawler gears but a vast improvement over how it was. Also great for towing, although I am only towing a camper trailer of just over 1000 kgs it doesn't kick back to third at the slightest incline anymore.
The temp guage for the auto is a great addition as you can see exactly if your auto is doing it hard. I haven't seen my temp go over 50 C yet towing or around the suburbs so she runs pretty cool. I did get it up to 110 c in the High Country heading up Bulltown Spur on a 38 c day wich is totally understandable due to the long steep haul uphill.
All in all I think a great upgrade on my auto. I know I am not going to o/heat it towing or fanging around in the bush on hot days and a bit better in the downhill run on the steeper sections.
For this upgrade I paid around $1500, bit cheaper for me as mine was a developement vehicle
For more info see Wholesale Autos ad in our Commercial Advertisers section here.

A few pictures of the install


The Transmission Lockup switch. I didn't really have any place left to put it so it replaced where the Air Compressor switch went and that was re located elsewhere.


Here you can see I have added a red LED light that indicates when the lock up switch is on. Saves me looking down at the console and if it is accidently activated by something falling on it.


The temp guage fitted nicely out of the way but easy to read.



And I almost forgot....a shameless plug for Wholesale Automatics

Dave

[MichaelB]

Automatic Transmission Lock Up Kit/valve body upgrade

Dave,

Had the lockup kit amd transmission temp gauge fitted to my NT back in September by Wholesale Auto's. I tow a 19 ft off road van with a weight of 2600 kg + fully loaded. It is amazing the difference it makes to be able to monitor the transmission temp when under load and see the difference it makes to the oil temp when the lockup is engaged. I have seen the temp climbing to 110 degrees and as soon as the switch is flicked you can watch the temp drop at least 20 degrees. Makes you wonder what damage is being done unknowingly to vehicles without a transmission temp gauge and a means to control the transmission oil temp.

Michael

[Pickle]

Dave,

Had the lockup kit amd transmission temp gauge fitted to my NT back in September by Wholesale Auto's. I tow a 19 ft off road van with a weight of 2600 kg + fully loaded. It is amazing the difference it makes to be able to monitor the transmission temp when under load and see the difference it makes to the oil temp when the lockup is engaged. I have seen the temp climbing to 110 degrees and as soon as the switch is flicked you can watch the temp drop at least 20 degrees. Makes you wonder what damage is being done unknowingly to vehicles without a transmission temp gauge and a means to control the transmission oil temp.

Michael

Yep Micheal, a lot of people don't realise they can get the lock up kit for the NT. Great for towing duties.

Off his website

Our new "Nomad Series" V5AWF Mitsubishi NT Pajero Valve Bodies make all the difference. Often we hear owners complaining about the quality of their Mitsubishi NT Pajero?s Automatic Transmission when shifting through the gears, most come from everyday drivers who simply can't stand the slipping and flaring between the gears. We have had dozens of owners contact us about improving the transmission in some way to overcome the problem. We put together a development program and have come up with a cheap and easy way to turn your Mitsubishi NT Pajero Automatic Transmissions into a crisp shifting transmission without having to remove the transmission from the car. Simply remove the valve body and exchange it for one of our Heavy Duty Recalibrated "Nomad Series" V5AWF Valve Bodies.

The new valve body comes with easy to read instructions for the removal and refitting of the new valve body. The valve body has undergone a tremendous amount of testing and in every single case the customer has been quite overwhelmed about the difference the New Heavy Duty Valve Body made to the vehicle.

The transmission once fitted with the new Heavy Duty Valve Body can easily handle twice the power and torque while also greatly increases the cars towing capabilities. All this with nice crisp shift points even while towing. We simply couldn't fault the new Heavy Duty Recalibrated Valve Body no matter what we did to it.

[Bitsamissin]

Excellent upgrade Dave.
The guys on Trail Talk cracked this a while ago and raved about the results (offroad down hill gearing improvement) - this was for the Gen1 4 sp auto's.

Questions :-

- will the HD valve body also fit the V5A51 (Gen 3 5sp auto) and if so how much for this upgrade ?
- can the lock up kit be fitted without doing the HD valve body upgrade and of so how much just for that ?


Cheers, Frank.

[Pickle]

Excellent upgrade Dave.
The guys on Trail Talk cracked this a while ago and raved about the results (offroad down hill gearing improvement) - this was for the Gen1 4 sp auto's.

Questions :-

- will the HD valve body also fit the V5A51 (Gen 3 5sp auto) and if so how much for this upgrade ?
- can the lock up kit be fitted without doing the HD valve body upgrade and of so how much just for that ?


Cheers, Frank.

Hi Frank
As you would know my box and yours are pretty much the same just yours has an extra cog (Invecs 2). So tipping it would be the same but Rodney allways like to check as shift points and ECUs come in to play.
As for costs....well not sure as I said mine was a development job so costing was a bit cheaper.
Better off ringing Rodney (see ad here)
Rodney is very easy to deal with.
DFave

[Wrex]

I just purchased a lock up kit for my NS. Will report on it when it arrives and is fitted.

[Onslow]

I just purchased a lock up kit for my NS. Will report on it when it arrives and is fitted.

I also purchased one today. It will be delivered on Monday and as soon as I've fitted it and given it a trial I'll post the results. By all reports it's exactly what we need if we're running larger tyres with the auto transmission.

[Pickle]

I just purchased a lock up kit for my NS. Will report on it when it arrives and is fitted.

Any movement on this
Hasn't happened?
Dave

[4ePikanini]

can you shift with the tiptronic mode while the TC is locked?

[Pickle]

Can certainly kicks back a cog whilst in lock up when putting the foot down. Mine doesn't have Triptronic but believe it would work.
Dave

[4ePikanini]

Can certainly kicks back a cog whilst in lock up when putting the foot down. Mine doesn't have Triptronic but believe it would work.
Dave

Is it very jerky?

I'd like to study the wiring of the Gen3 and make my own override switch (I doubt the company you used will send me the schematic of their switch)

[marquis]

Not sure what they are doing on the NT

According to NT Service Manual the lockup solenoid is supplied with a PWM signal typically 20% to 80%

Maybe they are swapping PWM among three solenoid values (all PWM)

[Wrex]

I've just returned home from working away so will get an Auto Sparky to fit it within the week.

The missus said it arrived within 3 days of order. Good service.

[Wholesale Automatic Transmissions]

Hi it's Rodney here from Wholesale Automatics,

Yes we have a lock-up kit to suit all the Pajero's, Tritons and Challengers now. We also have the temp gauge kit to suit all and Nomad Valve body to suit most.

Yes you can operate the tip tronic while the lock-up is on for those who have tip tronic but I would like you to look at the following reccomended use information so you can get a better understanding on when you should be using the lock-up both on and off road.

Lock-Up Manual Control - Recommended Use
Off Road:
1/ The Lock-Up Manual Control can be used to gain 100% engine braking, eliminating all torque convertor runaway completely for steep downhill descent?s in ?both? low or high range.

2/ The Lock-Up Manual Control can also be used for prolonged Beach work where you have settled into a gear but are not going fast enough to have reached a speed that the factory lock-up would normally work. Using your lock-up control under these circumstances would keep your transmissions temperature right down and help with fuel.

3/ Perfect for the never-ending corrugated roads where once again you cannot maintain enough speed for the factory lock-up to be maintained. Using your Lock-Up Manual Control under these circumstances would once again prove to be the best way of keeping your transmission temperature down and make a big difference in minimising your fuel consumption.

*Do not use the lock-up control for crawling over rough terrain or uphill as an unlocked torque convertor is required to produce the torque required in these circumstances. The unlocked torque convertor is also far more forgiving on the drive train over the manual transmission as it acts as a giant shock absorber for the drive train eliminating constant driveline shock. How often do you see a 4X4 fitted with an automatic transmission with a broken diff, axle, drive shaft, transfercase or CV joint etc? It is a very rare thing to see this happen to any drive train component fitted
up alongside the automatic. We do not want to lose this advantage over the manual transmission (use your lock-up wisely and you will have the best of both worlds).

*When the Lock-Up Manual Control is Deactivated the original factory lock-up functions are instantly restored.

*Remember that if you come to a complete stop without turning the lock-up control off it will try to stall the engine.
Your Lock-Up Manual Control must be turned off before coming to a complete stop!

On Road:
1/ For Towing Only, If you are not towing then you will simply not need to use the Lock-Up Manual Control.

2/ Perfect for Towing where you cannot maintain enough speed for the factory lock-up to be maintained or the extra weight has a side effect of blocking the lock-up function completely. Using your Lock-Up Manual Control under these circumstances would improve your fuel economy and keep the transmission temperature under control.

3/ While towing heavy weights the Lock-Up Manual Control can be used as an aid to improve engine braking down steep descent?s while changing down through the gears manually.

*When the Lock-Up Manual Control is Deactivated the original factory lock-up functions are instantly restored.

*Remember that if you come to a complete stop without turning the lock-up control off it will try to stall the engine. Your Lock-Up Manual Control must be turned off before coming to a complete stop!

Please Contact Us:
As every situation is unique we cannot account for every circumstance you may come up with without obtaining more information from you. If you have any inquiries or wish to discuss specific circumstances the lock-up kit maybe useful for, please do not hesitate to contact Wholesale Automatics on 03-97628004.

Factory Vehicle Warranty:
If you have any questions about how this kit will impact any factory warranty you may have please contact the vehicle manufacturer.

[Wrex]

I had my Lock-up kit fitted yesterday by a Auto Sparky.

The instructions are very good including colour pictures. The instructions show the computer on the drivers side next to the steering column. This must be an NT placement because the auto sparky said my computer is on the passenger side for my NS. For someone who is confident enough to cut a main transmission computer wire and splice into it could do the install themselves. I wasn't!

The triptronic works as per usual with gear changes at the same shift points.
The actual gear changes are a little firmer than normal but are a very positive change. A little like when you don't quite match the revs properly on a manual car and the clutch grabs. With the lockup on and foot off the accelerator instead of the revs dropping back down to almost idle it will stay at the revs you were at when accelerating. It gives me the sensation as if my car was a manual.

Time will tell if fuel economy is helped when I start towing the Camper.