| Subject: | service engine soon |
| Question: | I know that this is
not your area of expertise but maybe you can help me, and if
not then maybe some suggestions. I have a 99' Mitsubishi Diamante.
One day I started driving my car and my "service engine
soon" light came on. Also, when i shift from (P)park down
to (D)drive the (D)drive and the (3)third gear both light up
and wont go into gear(its like neutral), unless I shift agian
down to 2nd or 1st gear. The only way i can get (D)drive to work
is if i shift all the way down and then back up to it, and even
then it wont shift pass 3rd gear. Weird i know! I ended up disconnecting
my battery for an hour to see if maybe it was a computer glytch
and might reset itself and it worked anmd has been working fine
for about 24hrs. now. Just wondering if ya have any thoughts
other than take it to a dealership which i may end up doing if
i cant find out anymore info. Thanx, and cant wait for a reply! PS/ Also, no repairs have been done |
| Answer: | Sam, There are a few things I can think of that could cause this problem. Here are my thoughts on the possible cause: 1. Malfunction of the valve body Because you mentioned that you detached your battery cable and that "fixed" the problem, I would lean to believe you have an electrical problem above all else. So, the TPS or the TCM may be the problem. The automatic transmission on the Diamantes are VERY complex. You may want to check to see if your warranty still covers transmission work. I believe your car came with a 5 year/60,000 mile Drivetrain warranty from the dealership. If you haven't exceeded the 60k mile mark, you may be able to get this fixed for free. Also, you should get your transmission fluid changed every 30k-45k miles. That fluid is EXTREMELY important and should checked and changed regularly. If this problem persists, than your only alternative may just
be to have the dealership check this out. Definitly do not
take your car to a regular mechanic. Some specialy transmission
shops may be able to help, but just make sure they can handle
advanced Japanese transmissions. But if you want to save
some headaches, take you car to a Mitsubishi dealership and
have it checked out. If it turns out to only be a problem
with the TPS or TCM, your expenses should not be too high. |