The Mitsubishi Pajero Owners Club®

colinlee497 · Newbie Joined: 20 Aug 2014 Posts: 3 Location: Doncaster

Hello All, I have a flashing A/T light, i have done a search on this but couldn't find anyone with the same symptoms which my Paj has.
Background - i had some issues with lights and bulbs on my dash, the H/Brake light would dim but not go out, i replaced lots of bulbs but didn't fix, turns out it was a dodgy multi plug, and is now sorted, however i noticed the high beam bulb holder and bulb missing along with the A/T bulb holder and bulb, so nicked the ones from L and 2 on the gear selector lights, the high beam works fine now, now we get to the symptom -

The A/T light will begin to flash after approx 1Km of driving, but this is the part i havn't been able to find on other threads, i suffer no loss of gears or O/D and the light only flashes when my foot is removed from the accelerator completely, if i just touch the pedal the most minute amount the light stops flashing, by a minute amount i mean it hardly even moves the revs, i would say maybe 25 to 50 rpm more than idle if that !!!

The light begins to flash after vehicle has started and driven a km or so, and ONLY if my foot is totally removed from the pedal, i suffer no loss of gears or O/D and all functions with the A/T seem normal.
The slightest touch on the pedal stops the light flashing....

Any help or advice will be greatly welcome...
Col.

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peteinchad · Posted: Wed Oct 29, 2014 19:25 Post subject:

Check the level of your AT Fluid.

With engine and gearbox at running temperature - move the gear selector through all the gears and then put in N.

Pull out the AT dipstick and the level should be on the top mark - not higher than the top mark though.

Also - check that the ATF is cherry red and doesn't smell burnt.

jimmybond · Posted: Thu Oct 30, 2014 9:22 Post subject:

If I pull heavy items with mine, mainly that are stuck, ie a trailer in a boggy field etc, if seen this twice where my light flashes.
Each time its due to going backwards and forwards to get unstuck so gearbox is working hard as trailer full and bogs out up to the axles in places.
the light flashes to tell you the gearbox fluid is hot as working to hard.
id say your sensor is faulty.

if it was a gearbox fault it would flash straight away.

venn105 · Posted: Thu Oct 30, 2014 11:02 Post subject:

As said do the checks 1st as low fluid or fluid that is over due,the viscosity changes when warm so basics done first.

If its on constant its over heated
If it constantly flashes it is a fault
If intermittent sounds electrical/connector as mentioned,possible change in humidity etc could be cause of it............

colinlee497 · Newbie Joined: 20 Aug 2014 Posts: 3 Location: Doncaster

Many thanks for the replies, fluid level is fine, unsure of when last changed though so will go get that sorted and see what that does, but like I say the flashing light only comes on when fully off the throttle, the second I touch it it stops....
Will post how its fixed when and if I get it fixed, in the mean time how many sensors are there directly related to gear box and locations?
Col

jimmybond · Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2014 9:09 Post subject:

Ven on mine, ive seen it flash.
its only happened twice.
each time ive tried to pull something out of mud and once a van out of a ditch.
Both times it would nudge it forwards like half a foot at a time so I kept reversing up as I was making tracks losing traction myself as ground soft.
when I get van out, I drove home straight away.
the light then flashed as soon as I pulled away, it flashed for a whole hour, I tried key off and on but no joy.
when home tried key again but no joy.
next morning I put my diagnostic machine on it.
could not get into gearbox.
light was out by the way.
I have to trailers for moving our horse poo, one a wessex very large with avon ride tyres, about the with of a normal car tyre, the other trailer has skinny tyres.
This sinks on any wet ground.
I got this upto the axles again could only move a foot or so at a time.
same thing happened again.
maybe the later edc gearbox has a different gearbox ecu and that flashes when hot.

venn105 · Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2014 9:30 Post subject:

When hot it stays on permanent to indicate that,had it a couple of times and advised to leave running on tick over to aid cooling.

A/T fluid makes a difference if towing regular and off road,spIII is the newer better choice that is used in the mk3.

This fluid has better properties regarding heat dissipation and handles heavy loads better. When i changed to spIII I never seen the A/T light stay on after.

I also found using low ratio helped bring the A/T light on quicker (was on steep climbs both times)

Flickering is electrical,possible plug or wire etc,blinking constant is fault ...........thats pretty much what the pajero manual says.

jimmybond · Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2014 9:46 Post subject:

O yep both times I been in low as needed all the traction I could get.
I would of thought less chance of overheating as less work for gearbox.

I see sometime ago another guy had same prob as me, another chap said where I went wrong on plugging in is that I didnt turn key off and back on as soon as its connecting.
thats correct I didnt do that.
ive been saying when I need to plug in again I will try gearbox to confirm this.
so far touch wood,,,,,,, actually im just gonna end this sentence before I curse myself!

venn105 · Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2014 13:19 Post subject:

jimmybond · Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2014 11:00 Post subject:

It makes sense but my cooler is in the rad.
I thought it was overheat or the fact ive gone in reverse and forward so many times.
I dont know.
I guess only plugging in will have the answer.

venn105 · Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2014 12:37 Post subject:

Good A/T fluid really does help,dex2 you can get away with as with dex3 but Under heavy loads,towing,off road use then newer more advanced atf which is compatible. The gearbox is...........well on mine 23yrs young,lots change,look at brake fluid as one,dot2,dot3,dot4 etc

The climb iirc is bamford(could be wrong as useless with names steve Razz

) and one 2.8 over heated going up it and water/steam etc out of exp bottle.The head had not gone,just to much revving etc and not enough air through. The systems are designed overkill,but still on a hot day under load the risk is there,after all 2t+ and + heavy loads or steep hills asks a lot of any vehicle..........

ATF the same,advances and its what mitsi use anyway now with the newer shoguns,backwards compatible and worth trying if not already spIII.

jimmybond · Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2014 8:18 Post subject:

Ive been wanting to change my atf and rear diff oil for the last year or so lol.
it runs so well and you wouldnt notice it change gear unless you look at the rev counter or hit 65mph.
it is strange about the temp on engine and box as youd expect the viscous to take care off it.
maybe the guys on the climb was faulty.
I had a part blocked rad a while ago.
now on a 32mm rad and its a bummer on hills when towing on a hot day.
I recently put a new adl viscous hub.
it looks like it has sorted it.
last time with caravan I went to drayton manor.
sat at 60 65mph.
havent done that for a longtime as engine temp would just of said no.
my old viscous was ok, just wanted piece of mind especially as im getting hot with this new nissens 32mm rad that does not seem to shift the heat.

venn105 · Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2014 11:41 Post subject:

Is the viscous doing its job,as normal conditions you would not know,under load,steep long climbs it will show............just thoughts as over time the oil in the viscous can deteriorate/drop

Options of removing fan and replacing the oil,on here with a google what oil and ml required........

jimmybond · Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2014 12:01 Post subject:

I did my oil in mine 2 or 3 years ago.
only replaced hub as my blade was cracking all over with like stress marks in the centre where the hub bolts.
luckily for me I was about to buy a genuine blade but see a guy on here who claimed the 2.5 was the same.
I knew hub was wrong so assumed blade was wrong.
I have no end of dead l200 hundreds engines at workshop, from 2001 to a 2008.
I have lots of fans on shelf, I found the cleanest looking fan, it was like new, took blade off, bought new hub and sure as hell perfect fit.
the part number was near on the same except the end had a / then diff last digit.
I think its like turbos, the last number is its updated version.
since the fan and hub which I changed for piece of mind I seem to be ok.
yet on the 42mm rad I never had no bother ever until I added the head gasket sealent to buy sometime as my other business was going crazy just for biomass burners.
I was down south alot, bristol and Exeter.
No time to repair paj.
I basically gave up with it, tried to replace it with a landcruiser, wanted about a 2007 way.
I was totally blown away with there price tag.
my budget was 10k, that would buy you 1999 model!
I ended up getting a 2007 shogun to stop the wife nagging!!!!
When other business got quieter I sorted paj out, now its the slave.
Does all the towing for both businesses and our horses as got kumho road venture tyres.
I decided its time for it to prove its self again or its time up.
I said I spending no more yet I still bought rad then fan.
its bloody dead clean.
oh and I also gave it a birthday last year.
a very painter guy started up a new business in town, took paj in for a dent and he told me he got no work so he do good deal and make it showroom condition.
Did a bloody good job.

muggur · Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2014 22:01 Post subject:

Hi
I agree with all the comments about checking the ATF fluid etc. However my 3.0 v24 had very similar symptoms as you are rpeorting. The A/T light would flash, not always but sometimes when I took my foot of the gas. Then my crank pully snapped a few weeks later. After it was replaced this flashing AT light has not shown its ugly face again.

Now my crank pulley did not tear the rubber but rather the pin between the crank pulley and the time-belt pulley snapped and then the crank pulley would occasionally not spin at the same speed as the time-crank. This started happen more frequently as time passed and in the end the crank pulley was so worn that it snapped. So it may be that your altenator is not getting enough of a spin. This in turn may be taken as a altenator failure and you get a blinking A/T light.

This is just a thought and it should be fairly easy for you to check if there is a play in the crank pulley.

All the best and sorry for the English, I am not a native English speaker.

Cheers
Muggur