Ok, so just how fragile are the auto transmissions?

Link to original post by conrad here.

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As people have mentioned, there could be a reliability issue with Tiptronic equipped VR4's.

1) On average what exactly goes wrong? is it usually electrics, does it shift erratically or always slip into neutral, is it just a case of giving up the anty when given a harder life.

2) If it's a worse case scenario, has anyone done some basic research into how much a second hand transmission could be landed here for, or what sort of outlay it would be for an overhaul or repair?

3) Could anyone who's read else where or been advised of proven solutions to increase the longevity of the auto, ie oil coolers etc. list up possible safe measures. Is an aftermarket transmission cooler an expensive affair to purchase and setup? Stall convertors are they any help?

Hopefully the NZ and UK troops will know a lot of these issues and there are some methods and knowledge to safe guard your auto.



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1 - they tend to overheat and various gears, bands or the torque converter fails.

2 - they are frequently available over here for less than NZ$1000, no idea about how good they are going to be though.

3 - do a full flush of the correct trans oil (about 10 litres) regularly and install a transmission cooler. A partial flush of 4 litres of the wrong oil every 80000km's will mean you've got about a 50% chance of getting through to the next service

 

The other thing to do is add an aftermarket transmission cooler. We fit thes to most auto model mitsubishi's and it always extends the life of the transmission, oil and makes the car more consistant on its shifting especially in hotter weather.

They are not expensive and if it saves you a tranmission rebuild its worth it.

p.s sorry I just saw that the above post said the same thing - but for those interested RPW does stock these all the time.

 

whats are the cost involved in buying one of these and getting it fitted?

And where do they go?

 

they are on average around $200.00 fitted and fit a small baby radiator assy in the front bumper usually in front of the radiator.

 

Quite a few people have fitted them to their Legnums and have reported much smoother changes, especially in traffic or when towing boats and things. Definately recommended.

 

David, do you have any pictures to show the guys what they look like?

 

If i had an auto i would get one, for the price, it is a hell of a lot cheaper then a S/H box

 

http://www.rpw.com.au/shop/index.ph...facturer_id=0&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=31

Check the above for a photo of the kit we use.

 

definately something ill be buying as soon as my legnum arrives. How long does it take to install one? (not something i would try at home)

 

Does any one know of someone in SA who will be able to fit these...? Or maybe a DIY guide..?

 

Don't they come with a tranny cooler standard ?

 

Thes take around 1 hour to fit on most cars and most workshops can do it very easily.
Most factory units where fitted are very small units, this is usually double the size of a factory unit for much better heat dispation.

 

So it replaces the old tranny cooler then...?

 

I have one on my Magna. Made a big difference i thought.
It sits up the top left hand side of the Radiator

 

booked in with Mitsubishi to get the Trans Oil Flushed ... Its $188 here in Perth ... Then in a couple of weeks I will have the Trans Oil Cooler fitted. I will keep people posted on prices and how things feel with the car ...

 

make sure they are using SPIII

 

Love your work Paul

 

Ok will do ... but wats the SPIII stand for ?

 

it's mitsi's auto trans fluid. if they want to put dexron in there, smack them over the head with something very large!

 

Just out of interest, I was researching the tiptronic transmission of the legnum VR4 and it is a W5A51. Noted That this is the same transmission MMAL fitted into the local AWD magna and verada range(KJ-KW and TJ - TW).

ref: http://magna.trynsave.net/index.php?title=Transaxle_List