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2G Shifting into neutral at transmission

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2GOwner

Probationary Member
3
0
Jul 28, 2015
Mankato, Minnesota
After a week of unsuccessfully searching through various Eclipse/Mitsubishi forums and eventually any automotive forum I could find, I've decided to post my question in the hope that someone may be able to assist.

I am trying to shift the transmission into neutral to be able to turn the crankshaft by hand, so that the engine to transmission bolts (part# MD713228) can be removed in order to take the transmission out of the vehicle.

Having found this thread http://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/shifting-to-neutral-on-trans-levers.452551/, the instructions were followed as given by TechTherrien in post #6, but whether going two clicks from all the way forward or back, in essence being sure the lever is in one of the two middle positions, the crankshaft will not turn by hand; thus leading me to believe that the transmission has not moved into neutral. I am quite sure that the pistons have not seized up considering that the vehicle has not been sitting for very long since the last time I was able to turn the crankshaft by hand. Just before disconnecting everything from the transmission, per the factory service manual (pages 23A-100 and 23A-101, including pre-removal operations), the engine was effortlessly turned by hand using a 1/2 inch drive breaker bar in the crank pulley; to shift the transmission into neutral I used the selector as it was still connected at this point.

Now after disconnecting the gearshift cable (part# MB910542) from the transmission, the next move was to alter where the transmission was situated to a location more forward in the engine compartment since I was unable to make the rear of the transmission clear the sub-frame. As a consequence of moving the transmission to the anterior of the engine compartment I am now unable to make use of the gearshift to provide a means of transferring the parking pawl to the disengaged position. The cable connecting the shift lever on the transmission to the gearshift in the car cannot be routed and attached as it should be without the transmission being relocated exactly to its original place. However I may try, it is now to my finding, onerous to perform said relocation as the transmission will not maneuver correctly without getting stuck on the sub-frame. If only the transmission had been left in neutral before completing ninety-five percent of the steps needed to detach the transmission, we would be without this bewilderment and without this problem. Sadly after turning the engine by hand while the selector was still connected to the transmission, I shifted after, into park, not quite realizing the obligatory setting of the selector knob, necessary to access the bolts needing to be separated from the flex plate in the process of removing the transmission from the car.

In all my wandering and examining I have found there is a certainty of three things. First, the transmission can be shifted using the lever on the transmission, typically connected to the gearshift in the passenger compartment this lever is moved mechanically by the selector knob and acts to change the state of the transmission in direct relation to the corresponding position of the selector knob, in so being it then follows that the lever can be used independently of the gearshift to change the state of the transmission. Second, the transmission requires repair. The reason I am removing the transmission is that some time ago while driving, the transaxle oil cooler hose became detached from the oil cooler, greatly decreasing the amount of fluid in the transmission, and severely reducing the fluid pressure in the transmission. As a result of this, when the transmission shifts from first up through the gears it is rather rough, often there is the feel of slipping before it gets into the next gear, and it will not go into the overdrive gear at all. Another sign of possible internal damage is that it might take up to four seconds to shift when going from being in park to reverse or drive, as well as that the engine at times will cease in operation when drawing near to a halt while the gearshift is in drive. All of these observations were made after replacing the lines going to and from the oil cooler, subsequent to replacing the automatic transmission fluid, for what fluid was not lost was rather brown in color as one would expect it to be from the reaction to being burnt. My searching through the transmission inspection procedures in the factory service manual (pages 23A-32 through 23A-46) has led me to conclude that the tribulation is most likely from some damage to the clutches, or malfunction thereof. Using the scan tool according to the instructions just antecedent in the factory service manual to the pages mentioned above, relinquished no error codes from the transmission. Third, the automobile in question has no aftermarket performance modifications, though it has some aftermarket parts built to original equipment manufacturer specifications. One of the steering knuckles looks brand-new while the other has a moderately high amount of rust on it, one may have been replaced or it may be the effect of one being curbside. There is a new engine in the vehicle which replaced one with many times more miles on it, there was damage to the one it replaced from a very incorrectly set idle, but it has been resolved and doesn't seem to have adversely affected anything else.

So, now on to my questions.

1. Is there any way to tell if the transmission has shifted into neutral besides attempting to turn it by hand?

2. Is neutral two clicks from all the way forward, or two clicks from all the way back?

3. Is there any way to release the parking pawl from inside the transmission without first unbolting the transmission from the engine?

4. Is it possible to separate the transmission and engine enough to get clearance to remove the engine to transmission bolts without being able to rotate the engine?

5. Will grease of some sort work to prevent the axle and hub from rusting together? A twenty ton press wasn't enough so I had to take them to a shop to be cut apart with oxy/acetylene, they said that they hadn't seen grease help, but I was wondering if anyone has had success with it.

6. Is there any sort of factory assembly manual for the second generation Eclipse or is there just the factory service manual?

7. Is it the parking pawl that stops the engine from turning by hand with the transmission in park? If not then what does? If so then why doesn't it impede the starter motor? Not really Mitsubishi specific but I haven't been able to find the answer anywhere else.
 
1. the easiest way to tell is raise atleast one front wheel off and see if it spins.
2. it is 2 clicks back. P R N D 2 and L
3. the parking pawl doesn't lock the transmission. just restricts the output shaft from letting the car move. its bad not to set the parking brake from premature wear on the parking pawl.
4. take the motor mount off the tranny and if it'll slide it wont be very much. better to pull engine and tranny out at the same time. should be able to take the flywheel cover off to access the torque converter bolts. use a flywheel tool or turn the crank to get to the bolts.
5. anti
seize is a good product to use. its very messy but works good
6. theres a haynes and chiltons book for these cars with tons of info
7. The parking pawl only prevents the engine from putting power to the wheels. thats why you can idle in park and not move. its like disengaging the clutch. it does hold the car and is the reason the car rolls forward an inch or so on an incline. this isn't
recommended to only use the parking gear. the parking brake should be used to hold the car still. if the parking pawl breaks it won't hold the car anymore, and then you'll have 2 neutral positions.
Hope this helped you out
 
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