Hi Guys,
1stly, Thanks JBaden88, that site was one of the ones I found too.
As it turns out, I ordered through Mitsubishi, and parts arrived (even from Japan) relatively quickly, about 1 week after the 1 part arrived from JHB.
That said, these are these are the 2 parts.
2 left pics, are the stay cover, that fit on the lever assembly, and the 2 right side pics are the arm cover that fit on the arm assembly.
So, On my last day of work, all of a sudden (even with my 'screwdriver' I really struggled with actual gear shifts...the 'hooking' I was experiencing shifting through / past reverse, was much more pronounced, I drove home, parked my Pajero, and left it.
When these parts arrived (I was already suspecting that the bushes weren't the underlying problem, be that as it may, I fitted the parts, and tried to get my Pajero into drive, whereby it got stuck at Neutral, wouldn't shift from Neutral to drive, then tried to get it back to park, where it got stuck in reverse and wouldn't budge, and proceeded to break both parts whilst trying to force the selector.
(That action alone gave me insight as to why the parts had broken in the 1st place, as at this point, no amount of torque would have moved the gear past reverse.
And so, my testing process began (As now, all of a sudden, because I could not shift into park, I could not remove my key (no idea how I got it right previously.)
Test A) Uncouple the transmission control cable assembly from the gear selector. (This can just be shimmied off with a flat screwdriver) - Then ran the selector through all the gears, ensuring parking lock still engages/disengages etc. Result: NO problem with the gear selector at all (except for the 2 broken bushes, no rattling, everything very smooth, and tight, no play on anything. Good news.
Test B) Uncouple the transmission control cable bottom end from the inhibitor switch, and check the Inhibitor switch. (this is also a good time to make sure the switch is still 100% aligned. I aligned mine in an earlier step, and now, with the cable uncoupled (with someone in the cab to check the dash, run the arm on the inhibitor switch through all the positions.
(front and bottom, are all the drive gears, upward and backward go through neutral, reverse and park. Run them back and forth slowly, and listen carefully, ensuring you can hear it physically slot into each position (you will also hear the solenoids activating). Should feel very smooth, tight and easy, with no rattles (when listening to it fall into each position.
Once again, take it to neutral, and make sure the hole on the arm is 100% aligned with the hole on the body. Test B result: Good sound, good feel, 100% alignment. - Yay.
This for me was the most important, it told me there was nothing wrong with my selector assembly (+/- R14k for a new one) and more importantly, nothing wrong with the inhibitor switch, and ultimately the gearbox (minimum R45k)...the problem was obviously with the Transmission control cable assembly pictured below.
Test C: Remove, inspect and test Transmission Control cable assembly.
Step 1a) Theres two universal joints (nylon) (at either end of the assembly held in brackets with 2 flanges that can be pushed in, to it can be pulled out of the bracket, this can actually be done by hand, pushing in 1 side, pushing that side forward, then the other side...these come loose very easily.
Step 1b) Where the cable goes through the body, theres a plate, thats attached with 3 bolts from the underside (thus, no need to remove the centre floor consol, OR the centre consol (which we did, as we had no 'how to' as of yet) Those 3 bolts, and the plate are situated about 3/4 of the way back, above the transmission box, on the drivers side (just off the edge). Once you get these bolts off (size 10, or 12, I think, I'll go back and look, and edit accordingly, but you can at least see these), just pry the plate loose with a flat screwdriver, being careful not to damage the rubber gasket. Easy enough to do.
Steb 1c) (this is the trickiest part, and took as quite a while, Theres a single bracket, that holds the cable in place, by a single bolt, JUST as the cable runs over to the passenger side.
You will need to follow the cable with your hand, til you find this....(its located exactly inline with the front edge of the front door opening, and about 3/4 of the way on the passengers side (above the transmission) - You cannot see it, or the bracket, at all. This is a size 12 bolt...Best tool would be an inline/ring spanner, with a ratchet function. A normal ring spanner will not work, because the ring has an offset, which, as you loosen, the other end of the spanner will jam up against the top of the transmission box, and you wont be able to get the ring-spanner off, for further loosening. Its relatively easy, once you KNOW what needs to be done. (In the 1 manual I found, the only advice offered, was just a tip....using a transmission jack, loosening the transmission cross member mounting bolts, and lowering the transmission to be able to work easier. My opinion, I've proved it can be done, easy enough (once you know how) without messing with the transmission, or its mounts in any way, so why even go there.
At this point, you can pull the entire assembly through, from the top down. and pull it out.
Step 2) Inspection. - Theres only 2 functions that this cable enables....twisting....twist the loop on the one end, and see how easy it twists on the other end. The universal joints, allow for this, and at the same time, also allow in/out movement through the joints.
This is a prime example of Mitsubishi 'unnecessarily over-engineering', this is a simple push / pull cable, there is absolutely no need for the cable to be able to twist, as both ends are attached in fixed positions, and can even be handled...for removal / replacement without having to twist either end.
In my case, the bottom universal joint was faulty:
This is not mine, but using it (Thanks John) to illustrate.
On this, the shroud is crimped permanently over the U/J end (Its never meant to come off), on mine however, although the crimp isnt broken, its off, so I could pull the shroud back, to inspect. Underneath...years of rust, but not near the u/j itself...as where the cable enters the u/j, its coated in plastic, but the u/j is somewhat open to the environment.
Both u/js still twist perfectly, but the bottom one, will not allow ANY in/out movement whatsoever, beyond 1 - 2mm....John tested his for me, and his allows good in/out movement, as they should. Last year early, Mitsubishi (still with Mercedes) apparently opened the u/j up, and cleaned it for me, saying they could do that, as the part would cost (cant remember, but way too much) hence my opting for the cleaning. They also did not mention it was the Transmission control cable assembly. The idiot referred to 'the part that goes through, into the transmission box'....had he, back then, mentioned the correct part...Even if he just called it the bloody 'gearbox cable' I would have sorted this out AGES ago, had way less stress...(One tends to stress alot when you think your transmission box is on its way out).
So, Test 3 Prognosis: Transmission Controller Cable Assembly failure. Outcome: 2 choices....
1) according to Mitso then (Mercedes) Theres a company in Cape Town, that can replace certain parts of the cable (somehow they can get the separate parts)
2) Order new Genuine Mitso part, as per pic below: Part Number: 24906 (with Mitso, Mazda) along with the two bushes I broke again, since all 3 are non stock (not prone to break in vehicles lifetime) parts, and have to be brought in from Japan, at +/- 21 working days.
I will go this route, because (obviously, I need the 2 bushes again as well. But also because, its better to stay genuine parts, especially if the price isnt too bad.
Im this case, R1,887.11 ex vat for the controller cable assembly, and R86.67 ex vat for each of the 2 bushes)
Hoping between John and myself, that we remember which screws go where, and what plugs into what, when the time comes to re-install.
I hope my breakdown is insightful to all of you, as it would have been sooo helpful to know what I do now (and would have turned 4 hours of really sukkling, into a quick 1 hour job.
For everyone here who sparked my report, due to their own transmission shifting problems, I would suggest a very quick maintenance check.
If you're ever having selector problems.
4 short steps: with the following requirements:
2 people, 1 Phillips Nr 2 screwdriver, a 1/4 or 1/2 inch socket (quarter was much easier to work with here) with extension and a universal joint, and size10, 12, and 14, or 15 socket (cant remember the size), a cloth with some cleaning oil, and a size 5 (very short drillbit (to line up the holes) otherwise if too long, the propshaft is in the way...max 4 - 5cm. Total time 30 - 40 minutes.
1) remove your selector cover plate., Running your selector through the gears...Check that the detent spring, is sitting properly in place with every position (part 5 reflected on 2nd diagram in this thread), also check the condition of the arm cover, and the stay cover (parts 10 and 14 on same diagram.) If any of these are slightly damaged...or the spring doesn't want to stay firmly seated in each slot, it points to possible wear or damage on the control cable.
2) Slip the end loop of the control cable assy (nylon) off its bush on the front of the arm assembly (part 8 on said diagram) - recheck selector assembly for movements through all gears, for rigidity, smoothness, and ease of shift. (this confirms that any issues you may have felt in step 2, are now eliminated, thereby eliminating a problem with the selector assembly.
3) Remove bottom loop of the control cable ass from Transmission range ( the inhibitor switch) by loosening the adjusting nut,,,pictured here:
and check the transmission range selection (inhibitor switch), by moving the manual control lever lower forward and back...is I mentioned in Test 3 further up. This is to preclude inhibitor switch, or actual transmission box as possible issues.
Remember to align the hole on the lower control lever to the hole in the flange behind it (this must only be done while in Neutral, as arm needs to be over the right hole (there are 3 holes in the flange, 1 for Neutral, 1 for reverse, 1 for park. You'd only ever do alignment in the Neutral position. Instructions on how to do this in the image just above.
4) twist the loops (either end, of the transmission control cable assembly) whilst having someone on the other end, making sure its turning freely....you should feel very little resistance...but just a slight springiness....if its not allowing you to continuously turn in 1 direction for a couple of turns, there's an issue. Likewise, the cable should be able to be pushed in and out through the cable housing...with a decent amount of travel (not sure how much, but would be at least 1cm each way, probably more like 2)...if its not, then there's a problem.
Lastly, use some oil, to gently clean the shrouds leading to both universal joints, then inspect for cracks / breaks, also make sure both shrouds are securely clamped / crimped in place on the universal joint housings (these are also nylon). If there are cracks, yo need to take whatever measures you can to keep them in tact, if there are breaks, you may have problems...as water / dist ingress could at any point create enough wear on the universal joint to cause failure. If there IS a tear, just keep this in mind, keep all these things in mind, and perform inspections every few months, if you'd rather wait, before replacing.
This whole job / process shouldn't take you more than 40 minutes.
FINALLY, I will once again post my final results, once I have my new parts, and have installed them.
Best regards, and I sincerely hope that what Ive written today, sheds real light on a lot of the transmission issues you guys have.
