Auto not shifting out of 2nd (3rd)

LandoAWD · Aug 8, 2004

Alright, I ran through the 3 A/T pages here and 19 or so on Talk ( OMG

) so don't tell me to search.

My fiance and I went to look at an A/T 1991 AWD and the guy never shoed up...well, not on time at least. We called, and he said he drove the car back to his folk's house because it had no power off the line. His first thought was "torque converter", and since we are potential buyers, we didn't dispute this. This trans was replaced 3k ago.

Doug99RS drove the car and noticed that it drove fairly well...in 2nd ONLY (again, this may have been third). Called a local Mitsu tech, and he suggested that the trans is in limp mode due to a faulty TCU. We also notice the tranny fluid was WAY overfilled.

Now, what are the chances of this being a real internal issue (i.e. TC, or general tranny health)?

transdude.....???

transdude · Aug 11, 2004

LandoAWD said:
Alright, I ran through the 3 A/T pages here and 19 or so on Talk ( ) so don't tell me to search.

My fiance and I went to look at an A/T 1991 AWD and the guy never shoed up...well, not on time at least. We called, and he said he drove the car back to his folk's house because it had no power off the line. His first thought was "torque converter", and since we are potential buyers, we didn't dispute this. This trans was replaced 3k ago.

Doug99RS drove the car and noticed that it drove fairly well...in 2nd ONLY (again, this may have been third). Called a local Mitsu tech, and he suggested that the trans is in limp mode due to a faulty TCU. We also notice the tranny fluid was WAY overfilled.

Now, what are the chances of this being a real internal issue (i.e. TC, or general tranny health)?

transdude.....???

You will first need to check the TCU codes- the trans is almost certainly in limp- you need to find out why and then go from there.

-John

LandoAWD · Aug 11, 2004

transdude said:
You will first need to check the TCU codes- the trans is almost certainly in limp- you need to find out why and then go from there.

-John

Well, we bought her for 1100...lets hope it is a minor issue.

LandoAWD · Aug 20, 2004

Update...finally wedeged my fatass under the steering column, after I got no pulses whatsoever doing the test, and found a NASTY cap leak. As sson as I peeled back the carpeting, I could smell the thing.

Replacement TCU on the way, lets hope it is the cure.

transdude · Aug 20, 2004

LandoAWD said:
Update...finally wedeged my fatass under the steering column, after I got no pulses whatsoever doing the test, and found a NASTY cap leak. As sson as I peeled back the carpeting, I could smell the thing.

Replacement TCU on the way, lets hope it is the cure.

Good luck.

-John

saw wave analog · Aug 20, 2004

keep us updated

C130tech · Aug 20, 2004

One more posibility is that he might of improperly installed some of the wireing. I once crossed the two 6 pin connectors. That gave me a wicked combinasion of 4 or 5 different codes and the Trany was stuck in 3rd.

Like suggested; Check for error code(s).

You could also take the Car out for a drive and swap these two 6 pin Connectors.

Hope this helps.

Ghislain.

LandoAWD · Aug 20, 2004

LandoAWD said:
after I got no pulses whatsoever doing the test

C130tech said:
Like suggested; Check for error code(s).

.

transdude: Lemme know if you think I'm barking up the wrong tree.

dsmtrance · Aug 31, 2004

So where exactly is the TCU located?

LandoAWD · Aug 31, 2004

Thanks for reminding me about this...problem is solved.

dsmtrance, the TCU is mounted to the floor and the firewal directly behind the ECU in the center dash area. 3 bolts, and the platform it sits on comes out.

I pulled mine, and as soon as I tugged the carpet back to get back there, I smelled that "fishy" fried component smell. I popped the lid off, and noticed a cap that was leaking badly, and guessed that may be why I couldn't pull any codes. Swapped in a new ont I bought on the trader, and the car runs normally once again...until the smoking turbo dies.

dsmtrance · Aug 31, 2004

Lando, thanks for the reply. I must be blind or something though. I pulled the side carpeting off. I pulled the ECU itself and checked that. But I damn sure don't see anything else under there. How could I be missing it??? The ECU is ALL I SEE :confused:

FYI, it's a 91 Laser Turbo.

LandoAWD · Aug 31, 2004

dsmtrance said:
Lando, thanks for the reply. I must be blind or something though. I pulled the side carpeting off. I pulled the ECU itself and checked that. But I damn sure don't see anything else under there. How could I be missing it??? The ECU is ALL I SEE
FYI, it's a 91 Laser Turbo.

Dude, if it is an A/T, it should be right up against the firewall directly behind the ECU. :confused:

dsmtrance · Aug 31, 2004

Lando, I'm not saying you're wrong

I just did NOT see it. Behind the ECU I only saw the ducting for the A/C/heat etc. Now maybe it's behind that? I just know that w/ the carpet removed, the only thing readily visible is the ECU. Damn these automatics :mad:

haha. First auto DSM I've ever owned. Actually first automatic period I've ever owned. AHHHH! I can change the clutch in these things in a few hours time. But this automatic tranny is kicking my ass! :cry:

awd4g63 · Sep 3, 2004

-sigh-

Would you like me to come over and find it for you?

dsmtrance · Sep 3, 2004

awd4g63 said:
-sigh-

Would you like me to come over and find it for you?

Knock yourself out. I haven't even bothered looking for it anymore considering it has yet to mess up since I started driving it again after letting it sit for 3-4 weeks. So I've just been taking it real easy on the car and so far so good. :confused:

Knock on wood. Whatever. I'm just glad I'm not having to drive the Eclipse every day

awd4g63 · Sep 4, 2004

That's cool, we can mess with it sometime if you want. I was just bustin' your balls, though. Good to hear it's not acting up. Maybe that tranny fluid eventually helped :confused:

Mike813 · Sep 9, 2004

i have the same exact problem on my recently purchased 96 gst... gets stuck at 2nd/3rd and revs in neutral... anyone know what might be a cause if its not the tcu *hope its not a tranny failure* or is there a way to reset the tcu to know if that might be the problem? thanks...

LandoAWD · Sep 10, 2004

Mike813 said:
or is there a way to reset the tcu to know if that might be the problem? thanks...

Pull the codes, or swap in a known good TCU.

Mike813 · Sep 10, 2004

LandoAWD said:
Pull the codes, or swap in a known good TCU.

i went to the shop today to change my tranny fluid just in case (just got the car 2 days ago) while i was driving back it threw a "VSS code and Transmission" thats what the code scanner said at autozone... after the code came on the car ran even more sluggish than before...

i called graveyard and they told me to try to drive it with the OD off, it started driving normally but seems to be stuck at 3rd gear only, but with OD on when it tries to hit 3rd it just rev's up like its in neutral...

my question is do you think my trannys going bad, or can a VSS do somethign that major? im new with mitsu's i was a honda owner and the VSS never did anything that bad to my car when it was trashed. i dont want to start throwing $ into little parts to see if thatll fix the problem ya know.. any help would be appreciated. thanks!

98TalonTSi · Sep 10, 2004

An ECU scan and pulling TCU codes are not the same thing. The ECU and TCU are separate.
Go to www.plymouthlaser.com and see for yourself how to properly pull AT codes for DSMs.
Mike

The Central Hub for DSM Community and Information

Auto not shifting out of 2nd (3rd)

LandoAWD

Retired

transdude

LandoAWD

Retired

LandoAWD

Retired

transdude

saw wave analog

C130tech

LandoAWD

Retired

dsmtrance

LandoAWD

Retired

dsmtrance

LandoAWD

Retired

dsmtrance

awd4g63

dsmtrance

awd4g63

Mike813

LandoAWD

Retired

Mike813

98TalonTSi

Similar threads

Latest posts

Build Thread Updates

Vendor Updates

Latest Classifieds