Good Day, i just discovered this Forum and took the time to browse through the different posts. First off, i'm a Mitsubishi RVR owner for the past 4 or so years. Its a Mitsubishi RVR 1995 Model, Automatic Transmission 2.0L Non Turbo engine. In that time period, the Automatic Transmission broke down 3 times. Why did My parents choose the Mitsubishi rvr as their vehicle of choice while searching for a vehicle on the internet? My guess is as good as yours.

The Tell Tale signs of the Transmission problems are obvious. Occasional slipping of gears that becomes more frequent until driving is impossible. i noticed that the the transmission used to break down after long journeys across the country. Not just once but over a period of time. why? That i will explain in a bit.

I'm not an Auto Mechanic, but Common sense and research does alot.

The Problem? In my research, i've found out from a couple of webcites and RVR owners around the world, that the Automatic Gearbox made from 1993-1996 was defective. How? The Cooling Mechanism inside the Transmission didn't work/Right. Thus, the transmission fluid would not get sufficient cooling and would eventually loose value(Most fluids in Engines/Transmissions has to be changed regularly because of that). The RVR was a special case. because the Cooling was Minute, the oil would cook and cook,,,,and cook...until the value was so low that eventually the mechanisms inside the Gearbox would start going bad some faster than others..thus causing slippage of clutches etc.(i'm not familiar with all of the different parts inside the Tranny). In my case, the Transmission went bad faster. Why? I'm a motor sport entheusias. Thus, i love fast driving, coordinated driving, races etc. The RVR is Clearly NOT the suitable vehicle for all of that.

So what would happen, when i ran HARD for sometime without servicing the transmission(my fault), it would start giving problems, usually would overheat and start slipping but it would happen maybe after a long run that would get the transmission EXTRA hot. Thus i'd have to get the vehicle towed back home.

The Remedy? The first time the transmission went bad, my dad sent it overseas, got it rebuilt and it was sent back. it worked for about a year and a half then went bad again. This time after being off the road for 7 months,(source problems) i bought a used Transmission from a local used parts agent. worked like a dream for about a year den went bad AGAIN.(SIGH..)This time it stayed down for 8 Months and i used another vehicle to get around. Finally, after a long wait, a transmission repair kit i ordered came. Gave it to my Mechanic, he delayed a couple of months before fixing. I finally got the RVR a couple of Days ago. Works great. What caused the Transmission to give up this last time?

---->I had a small tear on my chassis so i took the vehicle in to a Nissan Suzuki Dealership(bad idea)..i worked there at the time. They had to take off the Engine and Transmission to weld the chassis properly(there's a bunch of novice young guys working as Techs there.). They did. after i was given delivery of the vehicle i had a whole bunch of problems. First, some wiring was done wrong so in driving when i was to DIP on the x, the vehicle would suddenly go into neutral or slip. That was fixed(mix up in wiring). Next, the engine was on a side and the heating mechanizm on the engine touched the radiator fan. i was told that i had a bad engine mount. so i payed no mind(couldn't get the mount at the time). 3 months after, on a long journey, i noticed that SUDDENLY the "A/T TEMP" warning light on the dashboard came on(my island is VERY mountainous). 10 minutes after, the transmission started slipping severly. i had to tow the vehicle back to my home(50 minutes away).

What caused the Transmission to suddenly go bad after just 3 months fresh out of the Nissan dealership?(they claimed they did not interfere with the transmission. they just took it off with the engine and placed it back) i found out TODAY after i did a journey. about 30 mins into the trip, the vehicle suddenly started smoking. i stopped, checked under the hood and saw some splatters of oil around the tranny/bottom pan area..so i just figured the oil got hot and steamed. A bit more driving and i looked in my rear view and saw a trail of smoke. I looked into my dash and there was that A/T TEMP warning light again!!!!!! What is going on!!!! Anyways i opened the hood, looked around it and guess what?? Neither of the 2 Radiator Cooling fans are spinning! BINGO! the Transmission had EVERY reason to overheat 8 months ago. I figure that was ANOTHER one of the problems from the dealership. the fans were not connected. Anyways at that point the gears were going hay-wire, so i think the ECU went into safe mode(happened to me once b4) i'm stuck in 3rd gear. I let it cool down and i finally made it home. (My mechanic should be coming a little lata to check on it)

There's my solition for now. Get the Fans fixed and flush the Transmission every couple months to keep it going. but i think i'm going to buy a Manual Transmission and end ALL of the worries. The RVR is a GREAT vehicle and i love it. Anyone who wants to buy one, they need to be aware of the Auto Transmission problem on the 1993-1996 models. Buying a Manual or even a Turbo is good. Stay away from the Auto Transmissions.

Oh...the solution to the engine being on a side? The NOVICE guys at the Dealership installed the engine mount UPSIDE DOWN 180 Degrees. so the two bolts for the engine was further forward, thus the reason the engine HAD to come forward to fit. They Rectified that problem yesterday.

I hope some of the info i gave will be meaningful to any of you guys who own RVR's and those contemplating buying.

Peace out

Shreddaz.

thought i'd post here for my first post,

i've been looking into the RVR for a while now here in Australia, my GF has a 1992 RVR sportsgear, non turbo auto.
The auto died about 3 months ago and i've spent that time trying to find a replacement.
No luck getting the correct model but was offered another box that would fit with some modification. at the price they wanted i thought i'd ask around about getting the trans re-built.
first place i went to the bloke told me what had happened to the transmission before i mentioned anything to him, turns out the RVR trans is not the best and he was forever having to re-build them back in New Zealand.
one thing he mentioned to me was the torque converter lets go and puts all the crap into the fluid which then travels into the trans cooler below the radiator and starts to block the cooler, what makes it through the cooler then goes into the trans and blocks up stuff in there.
he said one of the best things you can do is add a new trans oil cooler, bypass the factor one and fit a new one, it will increase the life of your trans and if the torque convertor does go again its a lot cheaper to clean out the cooler than replace the radiator.

Guys,


Can I ask some pictures of your engine? also what ecu number you have for your car? I bought an engine... and people have mixed idea if my engine came from a 6th gen galant (GTI) or from RVR... plus i dont have the right ECU...

all i can say is try. EVOCREW.COM they might be able to help! :57:

Hi Folks.

I have a 1995 RVR Sportsgear auto Turbo model. Reading the various posts regarding problems with the automatic gearbox I think now may be a good time to change the transmission fluid and filter. As I dont have a workshop manual could anybody tell me if
there is a drain plug for draining the fluid and the location of the transmission filter.

Many thanks for your help.

i live in north cyprus,and i too had auto tranny problem,had gearbox rebiult out here,but due to weather temp here,i change engine oil,and keep a close check on tranmission oil,i do thou have two lottle neons on dash to tell me when fans are on,allso i have a gel filled battery as hot weather damages the acid type,optima batterys are great.

Thanks for the long post on RVR auto's. My mother-in laws is starting to act up and I plan to flush the trany fluid soon. It is not worked hard or driven long distances so its not too bad at this stage. Can I ask about what fluid you recommend and if you also flushed the tranny when changing the fluid?

Also I've read about replacing the tranny filter. If it has a filter why does the cooler get blocked with debis?

Jim

Well I just got myself a tidy little 94 RVR, 130,000KM on the clock, all the regular jazz and it was running like a dream...
until yesterday.

I did a good 600km drive yesterday hoping to test it out and see if I could find any noticeable faults in the car for a service I had planned to give it on Sunday..

I'm about 3km from home and I'm cruising @ 3000rpm on the highway @ 100km and the gears start to slip, whilst doing 100... I got a little worried and then it down changed a gear like i had turned Over-Drive Off... but needless to say it was still on... I pulled off the turn-off and crept it home @ 60km (luckily I was really close). I pulled up and noticed a lack of AT Fluid so I got a friend to run me down the road to get some more AT Fluid. I gave it a top up, let it sit, kicked it over, let it run for 10 minutes in park to warm up, then put it into revere, Heard an almighty BANG and then sure enough, the car wouldn't move.

not only will it not dis-engage from park, I can move the lever, but it's locked in park. I can't even slip it to neutral to get it off my angled drive-way. Needless to say I think the auto-trans may have got a bit warm from the drive, and I'm thinking its cooked, I've got insurance on the parts through the dealer I bought it through, but I'm hoping it's not too expensive, or I'll have to find another RVR :(.

Besides a separated cooling line for the auto, is there any other suggestions?
I'm considering a conversion to manual as the next option, but would prefer the auto as I do a bit of city driving with my job, and this is the perfect car for what I do.

Any help would be appreciated,

Thanks

-Matt

Here's my 2 cents on rvr, expo auto trannies. Specifically the KM177-8's and F4A23-2's that are in the U.S. 2.4L 16valve single cam expos. These are 2wd trannies. I've had four of these vehicles and have done tranny work on all of them. It's true that when your mileage goes over 100,000 you'd better be expecting to repair or replace it. I've got one original tranny with 140,000 on it but I've had to change the overdrive clutch pack on it. Here's the deal. These trannies are not a bad design. They were the top of the line tranny in their day. They have four clutch packs inside. The low-reverse pack has the most clutches and steels and is the largest in diameter. It's the biggest clutch. This clutch is stationary and does not turn. However the 2nd and 3rd gear clutches have only three friction clutch discs each. The steels are thick to absorb and transfer heat but the friction plates are thin. If you are lead footed and your tranny shifts frequently through these gears under heavy load or you tow something heavy with your car they are going to heat and warp. The overdrive clutch pack is also prone to warpage. Alto makes an overdrive clutch pack with thicker clutch plates and you should be able to replace this without removing the transmission from the vehicle. I can rebuild one of these transmissions for around 200.00 US. in parts including a reman torque converter. That's what the guy in the shop is paying plus labor to rebuild your tranny. I paid 1500.00US the first time for an overhaul and then tore into the next one and everyone after that myself. It's also important to inspect the bushings that the main shaft turns in because they can wear too and can lead to failure if not replaced. Also avoid spinning your wheels as this is hard on the planetary gearsets and differential. If you want to race your car. Install an aftermarket trans cooler. Use ATF+4 trans oil, preferably synthetic. And if you're racing, I'd drop the pan and replace the filter every 15,000 miles or so. That's pretty frequent but while you have the pan off you can check the magnets in the pan for signs of metal and the general condition of the fluid for burning or contamination. If you have the AWD version keep an eye on your transfer case oil level too. Automatics do more and require more than manuals. You've got to pay to play!

Thanks again for some usefull info. I still haven't changed my mother-in-laws fluid as the car is been sitting over the winter period. This thread gave me a timely reminder to do so before summer arrives. Will probably flush system and change transfer fluid as well.

Jim

It has been my experience with automatic trannies is that you ether maintain them religiously or very little! Doing a flush on a 10 year transmission, which hasn't been properly maintained all along, othen does MORE DAMAGE!

If you haven't been changing fluid/filter/flushing all along, I would just make sure that fluid is all there and perhaps change the fluid/filter, but do not flush it!

Intresting comments.

From experience with my Pajero triptronic tranny, flushing is essential to remove all the fluid, particles and clear the oil cooler. Without flushing most of the contaminates remain trapped in the valve body, torque converter and cooler. This was done at 75k km's and at 10 yrs old. Never run better or smoother.

The RVR has an unknown service history and is 13 years old with 105kms on the clock. It has always had tranny fluid but to my knowledge never been changed. Given my comments and suggestions from others in this thread would you still not flush?

Jim

I will be the first to admit having very little experience with automatic transmissions! It is limited to servicing and researching transmission issues on my ’98 Dodge Durango, which I owned for 4 years (it was a tow vehicle for my race car). But I have read about numerous instances where transmissions failed shortly after (with-in 1-6 months) transmission “flush”.

I have since spoken to several of my “normal” mechanic friends and most of them agree that if a trannie wasn’t flushed regularly throughout car’s life, it shouldn’t be done at a high(er) mileage.

This is their rationale: flushing does take out the particles, but it also dislodges particles which would otherwise remain in their “hidden crevices” and not bother anyone…

So this procedure carries a risk on older cars and none of these Mitsus are spring chickens ;).

Hi Jim, I don't have an opinion on Flushing, hadn't heard of it untill recently. I just changed the tran'y oil and filter on my RVR using a service kit from Supercheap auto, cost about $45.00+oil. Went for a ride to Alexandra the next day (to see my family 500 klms round trip) and all is well.
I would just give your mothers car a oil and filter change,(gearbox) it probably hasn't had a hard life.
Cheers Gerry

Thanks for that Gerry. Actually, my wife is taking the car to Oamaru (I'm in Alex) for a run this week as it hasn't left town in a awhile. I will get her to ask our mechanic about flushing when she gets a WOF tomorrow. They have been doing tranny flushes over several years as they have the only gear around to do it. They definetly recommended it on my 5 speed triptonic but the 3 speed RVR may be different. To be honest before reading this thread I didn't even realise that the RVR had a tranny filter.

Jim

In the shop today getting a flush. filter and fluid change. Let you know the results after we put some miles on it. Will cost approx $200 to do but I don't have the time right now to mess with it.

This post has been edited by Benckj: Sep 15 2008, 06:56 PM

I thought I might update a few people with my story.

Turns out the planetary set had been abused by the previous owner, and was just destroyed and my long drive didn't help the situation.

Not only are these boxes tough, but you need to know how to maintain them, a cooler is something I would consider as essential on this car, but I found out the bearing under the sun gear wears easy and would always benefit from a change, I've heard of 3 boxes so far with the same issue where the sun gear bearing goes and caused the box to "grenade" itself spreading shrapnel all throughout the box causing it to die VERY fast. For those with an auto, there are several things you can do to prevent problems, most listed here.

The thing I heard from someone was that if you're running high performance engines with this box, that you can get the bands changed and a tougher planetary set put in, and the box will withstand a beating. Rumour has it of a 9 Second 4G63T running a W4A32 with a stronger planetary and different bands, with no other modifications besides a cooler. End of the day, taking care of your auto is a big thing, but having owned an RVR auto now, I wouldn't say I would jump to buy one, I always prefer manuals I know how to treat the car well. If you're running a W4M33 (RVR SSG/HSG) then you've got a pretty tough transmission there, so don't worry too much, again a cooler is always advised.

Thanks to those who have input some info on this forum, it's been useful!

Thanks for taking the time to update this old thread. It is always good to get the feedback from the initial problem.

Jim