C/L light blinking and no green lights on 4x4

[red89notch]

Ok ive read up quite a bit on what can cause the c/l light to be blinking orange and the green lights not being on at all. heres what i have done

yesterday the top green lights where blinking and i trouble shooted it and found that the vaccum no return valve was stuck so i cleaned it and the lights stopped blinking and when i shifted into and out of 4wd (all 4 selections) it engaged and disengaged fine ( i even check the accuator up front and see and hear it moving)

while driving on the highway in regular 2wd the green lights went off and the orange c/l light started blinking and even turned car off and as soon as the drive system checks itself (4lights blink for a second) it immediately goes to blinking orange and the green lights turn off.

now when i try to shift into 4wd gears the i cannot hear or see the accuator move at all. Basically the car stays in 2wd and will not move to any 4wd operation

i changed the trans fluid (yes with mitsu fluid) and also the diff and tc with new fluid. i check the free wheel sensor and its is in range of the resitance.

i am thinking it might be one or more of the sensors on the tc that is causing this since from my understanding the signal goes from the 4wd shifter to the TC which then controls the vaccum solonoids which then controls the front accuator engaging 4wd. and im thinking that a sensor on the TC is causing this. if this is the case does anyone know what sensor on the TC would cause this.

also the car is in 2wd now, as it cannot go into 4wd because of this issue.


this is a mitsu montero 2001 non sport

also to pull the codes for the trans can i just ground pin 1 on the obd2 port and count the lights on the cl? and also how to i read the blinks correctly?

thanks for any help

i think i posted this in the wrong section earlier

[dolphin]

don,t worry about trying to read the ecu codes as there is no reading for t/c sensors etc . i would sugest you check each of the 5 x t/ case sensors plus inspect the plug / wiring to these . could be as simple as a dirty plug connection to the sensor / a damaged wire or a slightly seized sensor ball end. i must admit this is a bugger of a job unless you can put the vehicle up on a hoist as the very top 2 x sensors can,t be removed unless the transmission rear mount is un bolted and lowered for access.
i had you same issue a few weeks ago until i took the vehicle for a decent drive and now no more flashing center diff light, that was a real easy fix for me.

[red89notch]

well i threw some brake cleaner on the sensor connections that i could get to, i couldnt get the top 2 ones.

i am pretty sure its sensor issue, just wish i knew which one before pulling the TC out. i think im going to just pull the TC and replace the top 2 sensors and see if that works if not ill probably just replace the other 3 sensors.

do you know which 2 sensors are at the top? and know anywhere online i can order them from?

thanks

[psproule]

There are about 5 or 6 position sensors on top of the Super Select II transfer case and a couple of shaft speed sensors. When the case shifts it moves the shift rail forwards (towards front of vehicle) and the sensors appear to detect each stage forward. So at a rough guess, if it falters on the shift from 2H to 4H it will likely be the 2nd position sensor forwards. Although I am not sure what generation Pajero your US Montero is. Could it actually be an NL? Look on the build plate and tell us if it is a V70, V80 or similar.

You can check all the sensors with a Mitsubishi MUTT II diagnostic computer. They give quite a large amount of live data from the transfer ECU.

The common faults as you seem to know are either the front diff vac solenoids, the front diff actuator (snaps off a vac fitting or drops the pin from its shaft), the front diff sensor (prone to breaking a wire off), a loss of vacuum in the system, poor connections in the loom to the transfer case or sticky shift rail position sensors on top of the transfer case.

You can get at the top sensors if you lower the rear of the transmission. Just watch you dont pull on the looms. Cleaning / rotating them is supposed to work but several people end up replacing them.

Re parts : since you are in the US try this mob - mitsubishiparts.com.

Pat

[red89notch]

the reason that im leaning towards the TC sensors is the fact that there is vaccum in the lines going to the vaccum solenoids but the solenoids arent opening/closing so there not getting the OK to do anything.

the TC blinking light comes on as soon as the car is started, and blinks no matter what position the 4wd shifter is in.

from my understanding when you shift the 4wd shifter the signal goes from the TC to the the vacuum solenoids.

how can i test the free wheel switch? is it the sensor that is also the front diff drain plug? what should this sensor be reading?

also 2001 so i believe it is considered a 3rd gen

thanks for you help guys

[psproule]

Disconnect the battery for a bit and see if it will come out of fault mode. It will make it easier to diagnose the next step.

The front diff sensor is not the drain plug. It's a large plug like bolt though with two wires out the back. It is simply a switch.

The first step in engaging 4H is for the transfer to engage the front driveshaft and spin it up to speed (super select uses syncros to do this just like a manual transmission). At this stage the front wheel lights will flash. The second step is for the front diff to engage via the vacuum solenoids. Once the dog clutch goes in it will give solid front wheel lights as indicated by the front diff sensor.

[red89notch]

at the end of the front wheel actuater there is what looks like a plug with 2 wires coming out of it, i am assuming this is the front diff sensor, i was thinking it might be the drain plug as if you unscrew it it will drains fluid, lol

just to give you a better idea of what is happening is that there are no green lights on at all, just the blinking CL light

I tried disconnecting battery to reset it.

when you first start the car up all the green lights go on, then after a few seconds the green lights go off and the orange CL light starts blinking.

moving the 4wd shift lever doesnt change any lights at all.

[psproule]

Yes, that's the sensor.

It sounds to me like maybe the shift rail is stuck is a strange position and the 4WD ECU isn't happy if it is faulting that quick. You could try unbolting the shift servo off the back of the transfer (big black roundish unit) and pull the shaft back. towards the 2WD position, then reinstall the servo. You might need to jack a rear wheel and rock the tailshaft to get the rail to move.

It could also be a loom fault. All I can tell you is that I think the error is with the transfer and not the front diff. Again, a Mitsu MUTT II would help here as I think you really need to get into the ECU and see what is going on.

Pat

[carler]

Hi Red
Check your reversing lights.
If the fuse is gone nothing will happen on the 4WD system except test sequence and then flashing center diff.
Fuse is in the cab.

[red89notch]

ill check the fuse.

ill also check that servo out and let you guys know.

i have been thinking the problem lies in the TC somewhere, electrically

ill let you guys know

thanks again for the help so far

[ajduenas1]

fixed mine

I turned key to without starting of course it turns all the light right away it goes back to blinking cl light did not turn on and i switched to 4hl and switched down to 4h then 2h and thats it stopped blinking and switches fine now ? weird hopefully this helps u

[psproule]

Sounds like the shift rail was stuck.

Some mechanics have said to me in the past to exercise them regularly - shift through all the modes every so often as it will ensure that they are free and running the transfer chain will likely throw plenty of oil around the internals. Not sure if that is true, but there does seem to be some correlation between these faults occurring on vehicles people have just bought that have "never been off-road or in 4WD".

Pat

[DANJERO]

Are they called sensors or tranfer case switches?

Either way I need to find some for my Pajero and can't find anything regarding a source. The bloke I bought my abused Paj from had his neighbours change the clutch and they broke the cables to just about everyone one of the switches/sensors that I can see. Found this out when we've dropped it out of the car for "troubleshooting". I can see how they've done it, as the cables are quite stiff and brittle.

So does anyone have some that they'd like t onsell or a place where I can find them from? - Also this is for a GEN 2, but same issue.

Cheers, Dan.

[KenM]

& again Centre diff light flashing & no green lights on

Hi all, hope you can assist me.

Just joined up on this forum as I have the dreaded flashing light come on on my Pajero, (2005 NP Exceed -3.2DiD auto).

Vehicle had just been started & idling in my garage(still cold)- I shifted the lever from 2h to 4h & through to 4llc & back again a couple of times.Thats when it happened, all green lights stayed off & the CD orange light began to flash. Went for a drive & tried it again & nothing changed. diconnected the battery to resent the ECU - still the same.

I have now been on the internet & found some good info about the super select system most certainly helps to understand the system & its components.

What I have found is the the vehicle is in 4H, the front diff actuator has engaged. There is vacuum to the hose (with a blue DOT) which pulls out the actuating lever & selects the front diff. I checked the x2 solenoids had 38.8 ohms (acceptable). The other side of the actuator has the vacuum line (with yellow DOT) which pushes the shaft in & diengages the from diff. There is NO vacuum to this side. These solenoids get there power supply from the ECU which in turn receives the signal from the transfer case switches mounted on top (not happy with this) - its going to be a bit of a misson, have to lower back end of the t/f case to gain access.

Can any one verify if I can disconnect each of the switches in turn at a plug or joiner & test the continuity of the switch to earth prior to trying to remove them. I would rather do this before getting involved with lowering the t/f case.

Rgs KenM

[koala2]

Centre Diff flashing

Hi, I am actually sorting this problem at the moment. Vehicle is 04 NP DID. I was about 100ks west of Milparinka NSW when this occured and returned to Broken Hill. The Mit. diagnosis MUTT showed a code 33, which is sensor no2 on top of the transmisson. This is the 2wd/4wd sensor. Due to the 7+ days supply I have returned home to NE Vic. The part was ordered last Monday at Mit. dealer in Benalla. I am still waiting!! If any of Mitsubishi management ever read these threads they should hang their heads in shame at such a poor parts supply. These sensors are quite a regular problem and should be available o/nite!!
I will give an update when I get the part!
Michael