My NT Platinum

[sharkcaver]

I won't mention suspension - I don't wish to jinx anything.

Nice to hear the mastens are going well. I really need to go down this route. You wont mention suspension, but I will. At a minimum, my left hand front has collapsed the top hat bushing again. This is their last chance

[old Jack]

Cooper St Maxx, Kumho MT51 and now Toyo MT, driven hard and heavy on your Gen 4 in the harshest conditions that Australia can provide, surely it is about time someone paid for or at least gave you a better deal on tyres. nothing beats real life testing and honest impartial feedback, maybe that is the reason why!

Looking forward to see how these tyres go with great interest, need to catchup for a beer sometime!

Regards, OJ.

[nj swb]

Cooper St Maxx, Kumho MT51 and now Toyo MT, driven hard and heavy on your Gen 4 in the harshest conditions that Australia can provide, surely it is about time someone paid for or at least gave you a better deal on tyres.

Yes, that would be nice.

Looking forward to see how these tyres go with great interest

Likewise. I've been interested in them for some time, but they've always been more expensive than alternatives, or out of stock. This time around, they ticked the box on price, and Web Suspension did a deal to get their hands on some for me.

need to catchup for a beer sometime!

I'll be sinking a few tomorrow night - do you have time for an over-nighter?

[nj swb]

As I posted somewhere else, I went through four aftermarket low beam globes in two years, probably in no small part because I often drive with my headlights on - so I decided I should invest in some DRLs.

I did some googling, and made a discreet enquiry about solutions to replace the headlights with something that incorporates a DRL element, but nothing came up.

My NT came with a TJM bull bar, which looks something like:


Before anybody comments, the oil leak from the left side of the front diff arrived later, and the seal was recently replaced - but still leaking.

Google suggested an aftermarket replacement for the TJM parker / indicator combo, but dimensions on the various websites didn't match the physical reality of my bar. So I started searching for more generic DRLs, with or without indicators, and still didn't find much of interest.

I did find a genuine Mitsubishi DRL kit from Eagle Auto Parts, but the factory housings designed to replace NW fog lights didn't look like they'd fit easily. But, not having any better options, I took a punt and bought a kit.

The LED DRLs were only screwed into the factory housing, so I removed them and designed some custom 3D printed housings to accept the DRLs and mount into my bull bar. I also needed some replacement indicators, and the size & shape of the DRLs dictated something in the slimline style - so I found some suitably sized motorcycle LED indicators to incorporate. As usual, the entire process took much longer than anticipated, but as of this afternoon, I'm ready to see how long it all lasts. A new front plate looked a little bland when it was all flat, so I put some "features" into it, but I'm not sure I'm finished with that.

Long story short, the front of my NT now looks like:


I also want some black screws rather than the stainless cap screws in the pic, but that can wait - and probably won't ever happen.

The DRLs are much whiter than they appear in this photograph, and much brighter - actually very bright to look at, which I'm hoping is because I finished up at dusk on an overcast day.


I found the Mitsubishi kit to be quite impressive - everything for the DRLs was plug & play, and it all broadly worked as expected. Except when I reached the step to "back out" a pin from a factory plug, and insert a pin on an adaptor harness. Easy when you say it quickly, disastrous for me. I couldn't get the damned pin to "back out", and broke the wire off in the process. After much and it's back together and functioning, but one of the plug and socket pairs is on my bench, and I have a soldered joint under my dash.

The DRLs dim when the parkers come on (the instructions state to remove the parker globes from the headlights, but I didn't):


The new indicators work, but they're not really bright.


In reality, I believe there are enough factory indicators elsewhere on the vehicle to flash when I remember to use them, so I don't intend to lose too much sleep over it. Worst case, if I ever get in trouble for it, I'll need to find a different indicator, and re-design to suit.

For completeness, a photo with lights and dimmed DRLs:


So there it is: DRLs on my NT, and a loose plan in my head to find some better low beam globes, now that I can expect them to last longer.

[geopaj]

Awesome and very neat!

I didn’t realise there was a genuine Mitsubishi plug and play option. Well done.

[dbdb]

That looks excellent. Do you have any images or dimensions for the actual lights please?

[nj swb]

That looks excellent. Do you have any images or dimensions for the actual lights please?

Sorry, I didn't think to take any photos of the lights while they were out.

The body of the LED DRL assembly is 141 x 31. This body sits square to the vehicle, but the factory bumper is angled - so the lens of the DRL protrudes from the body, and has an angled front face, and the angle just happened to work well with the angle of my bull bar. The lens cross-section is 135 x 25, and (from memory) about 65mm longer on one side than the other.

I measured the cutout in the bull bar at 217 x 61, which is on the angle - the "projected width" is less than 217mm, but I don't think I ever measured / calculated that.

The indicator strip is parallel to the face of the bull bar rather than "square", and I forgot to take this change in angle into account when choosing the LED strip - I have room for a longer strip than I originally thought. The strip is physically 123mm long, with cable coming out the end, but the LEDs are less than 100mm from one end to the other.

FYI, the original round housings are huge - about 200mm diameter, if not more. I took one look and abandoned any thought of using them.

[letsgoplaces]

Well done
I have also been thinking how to fit drl’s.
Stedi have a drl replacement for the fog lights to suit the ARB bar but not the TJM.
There are drl’s on eBay to replace the Parker/indicator, but I am dubious as to how bright they will actually be.

[dbdb]

Thanks for the measurements, I'll have a look on the weekend at the spot I'm thinking of.

[dbdb]

Well done
I have also been thinking how to fit drl’s.
Stedi have a drl replacement for the fog lights to suit the ARB bar but not the TJM.
There are drl’s on eBay to replace the Parker/indicator, but I am dubious as to how bright they will actually be.

I had some, they were nice and bright, but to fit them to an arb deluxe bar was a pain, and I removed them when one failed.

[letsgoplaces]

I had some, they were nice and bright, but to fit them to an arb deluxe bar was a pain, and I removed them when one failed.

Thanks for that. I might give them a crack

[nj swb]

I posted the following in Electrical / Radios, as it might be of broader interest. Quoted here for for continuity of this thread.

Not long after I bought my NT I killed the Projecta dual battery isolator, and replaced it with a Redarc BCDC1220. At the time, I cobbled together a mount above the auxiliary battery, because this is where the Projecta had been installed by the previous owner:



Not a good idea. As can be attested by my long-suffering travel companions, in low range in hot weather the Redarc overheats and "de-tunes" its output. Low range hill climbs would see the battery voltage drop from above 14 V (bulk charging at 20A) to less than 13 V (slow charging - not what I bought a Redarc to do). Pop the bonnet, dribble some water over the Redarc to cool it down, and it would crank back up to full output.

So it needed to go somewhere cooler - either inside the cabin, in the air conditioning, or somewhere with better air flow, like behind the grille.



I used a couple of existing holes that mount a small plastic guard, and installed a couple of Rivnuts:



To that I mounted a custom designed 3D printed plate, and the Redarc is mounted to that.

So far, so good.

Too late, I realised that where I have mounted it won't work for the front mount intercooler I'm still hoping to fit, but there is room to redesign the mount to move it lower.



A job for another day.

At first glance, this mounting position appears to be behind a blanked-off section of the grille, but each section does have an opening to allow air flow. If I still have overheating problems I can cut these sections out.



If anybody is interested, the STL file (for the 3D printer) is attached (as a zip file).

Link to the other thread, for those who want it: https://www2.pajeroclub.com.au/forum...113#post624113

[nj swb]

P0961 transmission fault code

I've had a learning experience that I would like to share, and will post lots of details in case they help anybody who might suffer a similar misfortune.

The short version: if you enjoy challenging your Gen 4 Pajero off road, a transmission bash plate is an excellent idea. I didn't have one.

The medium length version: if you have fault code P0961 your transmission becomes two-speed - reverse and 4th. No 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 5th, no cruise control, no torque converter lockup. Not an ideal condition to be in.

Mitsubishi's diagnostic procedures for the fault refer to a Line Pressure Control Solenoid, but their spare parts system can't identify it. If the solenoid is faulty, Mitsubishi's service procedure is to replace the entire valve body.

The (very) long version:

First incident: one morning, in my drive, my Pajero shuddered and threw a transmission fault (check engine light & flashing "N" in Drive), and was struggling to drive up my driveway.

I checked for fault codes, and found P0961, which translates to Line Pressure Control Solenoid circuit out of range. Essentially, the ECU couldn't drive enough current through the solenoid. At the time that the fault appeared my Torque Pro app had also been playing up, so I wondered if it was simply a software / comms glitch.

Because I was in a hurry, I cleared fault codes, the light went away and I went about my day. No dramas.

Second incident: the next morning, in my drive, same sequence - shudder, lights, no power. This time, no Torque Pro shenanigans, but the fault cleared first attempt and away I went.

When I returned home again I did a little research into the fault code. I checked this forum, and found no threads where anybody reported this code, but other sources indicated the starting point was to check for dodgy electrical connections. So I climbed under the Paj, found the main connector on the side of the transmission and disconnected it. It looked as clean as a whistle, no obvious signs of trouble, so I put it back together. The fault didn't re-occur the next morning, and I thought no more about it.

Third incident: a group of us went to Bendleby Ranges for the June long weekend. On the Friday I drove there with no dramas, stopped at the office and checked in etc. When I climbed back into my Paj to drive to our camp site it was shudder, lights, no power. The fault cleared and I drove to camp.

Fourth incident: Saturday morning we headed off to the Hungry Ranges on our way to Billy Goat. We stopped at the first lookout, enjoyed the view, then resumed our drive. Driving down the hill from the lookout I used my paddles to enter 1st gear / Sports mode, and the transmission almost instantly switched back to D. Pickle had recently reported a similar problem in the High Country, which we thought was easily overcome by simply putting the stick in the Sports position - so that's what I did. When my transmission again switched back to D, with the stick still in the Sports position, I jumped on the radio to ask m_and_m if he had any idea what might be going on. Then I received a check engine light and a flashing N, on a narrow, lumpy steep down hill track that was dropping into a gully, with no Sports mode for engine braking. On the brakes to the bottom of the hill, and a reasonable place to get out of the convoy's way.

This time, the code would not clear. Multiple attempts, using Torque Pro and an iCarsoft scan tool, the code would not clear. I climbed underneath to check the connector again, tried spraying both sides with RP7, the code still would not clear. Knowing some of the steep descents ahead, I chose to bug out back to camp rather than attempt what was ahead. Ticky volunteered to accompany me while the rest of the convoy went on to have the awesome day that I had been looking forward to. Thanks Steve.

On the way back to camp I discovered that the lack of power I had previously noticed was gearing. I only had two gears - reverse and 4th. No 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 5th. Even in low range with my reduction gears some of the obstacles were a struggle, and I had to bump over some rocks that the vehicle would not crawl over.

Back at camp I tried multiple times to clear the fault code, without success. I worked my way through some diagnostic procedures and found the solenoid circuit was genuinely high resistance. The specified range is 5 - 5.6 Ohms, I measured the circuit from the trans ECU and found 21 Ohms. Seeing into the connector on the transmission to probe the right pins was too hard for my limited abilities, so the best I could do was to measure the cables with the connector disconnected, and there was no indication of a wiring problem. Open circuit with the connector disconnected, 21 Ohms with it connected. The consistent 21 Ohms confirmed that it wasn't an intermittent / dodgy connection in that plug. The high resistance explained why the ECU was unable to drive enough current into the solenoid. Any further testing / attempts at a repair would require dropping the transmission pan, not something to be attempted in a dusty campground.

Late that afternoon, because I didn't have a lot else to do in camp, I had another attempt at clearing the code, and it cleared. I concluded the high resistance was somewhere near the threshold for throwing the code, and as the transmission cooled down the resistance dropped back into the acceptable range.

On Sunday, I decided to go for a drive on some easy tracks to charge batteries, to see how far I could get before the problem came back. It didn't. When I got back to camp the transmission pan temp was still only about 55 degrees, apparently not hot enough for the circuit resistance to exceed limits.

Monday morning the rest of the group decided to enjoy Billy Goat one more time, and I rode with twisted32 - and confirmed that I much prefer the driver's seat. Great day, great people, great views, a great time. But I don't want to ride shotgun again.

Tuesday morning was time to pack up & head for home. I drove to Bendleby's office and back without problem, then we headed for home. We stopped in Orroroo for some tyre inflation, then set our sights on Jamestown for lunch. On restart, the lights were back, and the fault would not clear.

As there is a Mitsubishi dealership in Jamestown we decided to head that way, during which time I considered my options. The Paj drove quite well at 100km/h in 4th, with lockup-mate keeping temperatures down. With the fault code I had no cruise control, and without lockup-mate the factory ECU would not lock the torque converter.

In Jamestown I rang Wholesale Automatics (I have one of their Nomad valve bodies) and asked if they had any ideas. Jono was very helpful, but confirmed that it was most likely that the solenoid needed to be replaced. The Mitsubishi dealer was friendly enough, but couldn't help. No spare solenoid (which was always a long shot), not even a transmission pan gasket - they have very little experience with these transmissions because they don't give trouble.

When it was time to leave town the code cleared, but I still couldn't get Sports mode. But I had more gears, so that was an improvement - for a few seconds. Before I could get out of the car park the light returned, and most of my forward gears disappeared.

So. What to do?

Out on the flats, cruising at highway speeds, I wasn't having any real problems but I was concerned about what would happen when I hit Adelaide. I was concerned about more stop-start in 4th gear, I wouldn't be able to lock the torque converter as often, and I live in the foot hills, so had some climbs to complete no matter which way I went.

So I had it fixed.

James, from the Off Road Shop agreed to take on the job that afternoon. Multiple phone calls confirmed that South Australia, being such a small back-water part of the country, has no replacement solenoids, and there were only two pan gaskets in the state - in country towns. But fortunately, I have two spare transmissions, at the Off Road Shop, which is on the flats on the north edge of Adelaide, so very easy for me to reach in my partially disabled Pajero.

We disassembled my NT's original transmission first, confirmed we'd be able to reuse the pan gasket, then found the solenoid and figured out how to remove it. On the bench, it measured 5.6 Ohm, right on spec.

Time to tackle the one in the Paj. I had 1 litre of Penrite ATF FS fluid, as that's what is in the transmission, James had 5 litres that had become superfluous to his needs, and we saved the oil we drained. Refilling the transmission shouldn't present a problem. Disassembly went well, we removed the solenoid and that's when the unexpected began.

The solenoid resistance was fine, but one pin was slightly bent and burnt, as was the electrical socket - that's where the extra resistance had been hiding. The solenoid was the right resistance, but we couldn't re-use that socket - so we needed to strip the transmission wiring harness from my old transmission.

That's when I remembered that m_and_m mentioned that he had bought some transmission wiring harnesses for the Toyota A750F (Toyota's version of the Pajero V5AWF), but decided not to proceed with his plan for them. Phone call, photos, that's what we need! And Marshall offered to bring one to us, because he wanted to see inside the bottom of the transmission with the pan removed.

It all came together. The solenoid from my old transmission went into the Paj, with a nice, straight, undented transmission pan (which had a better looking gasket).

The cleaned / straightened solenoid went back into my spare transmission, with the dented transmission pan that had been on the Paj. That's when we discovered the final piece of the puzzle - the dent was the root cause.

I didn't think the size of the dent looked too significant, but the pan would not seat on the transmission. And the damaged solenoid was right inside the interference point. My dent had been pushing on the solenoid connection, and it appears that had caused the bent pin, leading to poor contact, leading to electrical arcing and increased resistance. An induced failure.

Big lesson: there's not that much space inside the transmission pan, so dents are bad! The way I use my Pajero I need a transmission bash plate. When I travel, my Pajero is already too heavy, and weight is why it doesn't already have one, but I need to have one. A job for another day.

Finishing the job, filling the transmission, was relatively straight forward. It took several heart-stopping on/off cycles of the engine before the fault would clear, but clear it did.

Everything appears to be back to normal. The drive home from the Off Road Shop was uneventful, there's no sign of oil leaks on the floor of my garage, and another drive today was also without issues.

Massive thanks to James from the Off Road Shop. About 8 hours after I first called him with my problem, I drove away with it fixed - all on my way home from a trip. We didn't have new replacement parts for the solenoid or pan gasket, the bits that we thought we would need to replace, but we were able to obtain a new genuine replacement for the part that we couldn't re-use. Thanks Marshall!

Even without a fully functioning Pajero I had a great time camping at Bendleby Ranges with a great bunch of people, the fault was fixed on my way home, and we know the root cause of the problem.

I'm very lucky to have such good friends.

[old Jack]

Thanks for the update NJ, at least you know the root cause and have shared it with all of us. Glad it is all fixed and obviously a transmission guard is on the mod list before anymore offroad exploits.
Thanks also for organising a great weekend away and the invite.

OJ.

[vladguan]

Buhskinz now have 6mm alloy bash plates that are half the weight of the 4mm steel ones if you want to save weight.