tranny trouble

[Andrey]

Hello gang !

Got weired stuff going on Friday. First turn signals fuse went - replaced it ..same result... along with turn nsignals rear light is gone as well as dashboard indicator of gear number. Besides shifting from second to third gear I've got bang noise in the tranny (only second to third) and jerky-yank feeling... wow... isn't it TOO MUCH for one day ?
Is that a possibility that a switcher in the gearbox went and somehow shortened the line that is shared by dash gear indicator as well as turn signals ?
Can Power On button being on all the time cause any of the above ?

I am taking it to Peter's in Nashua, NH on Tuesday... sigh......

Thanks for the input !

[Tone]

If the dash gear indicator is out, it usually is caused by the Mode Selector blowing on the tranny - hard shifting usually accompanies this as well. Dealer trip time - part out of warranty is about $200 plus labor to install. Myself and at least one other have had the wiring harness inside the driver’s side fender rub and short out to cause this - they put over 8 Mode Selectors in mine before finding the problem.

[Anita]

Andrey,

That is EXACTLY what happened to me. Have your mechanics check the wiring harness in the engine compartment directly behind and below your driver side headlight. Rubbing against a metal bracket over time caused wires to fray and ground out, blowing fuses.

Immediately after that the tranny went crazy in shifting. Needed a new mode switch.

Good luck!

[Andrey]

Thanks Anita and Tone for prompt suggestions - I apreciate that !
Just checked the fuses again to find another one blown - Hazard is no longer alive...

Will give your suggestions to technician tommorow AM. I mean if I can isolate the short myself I will not take the car to the dealer, but the noise in the tranny yet another thing and I am not sure if thats related.

This forum RULES !

[Andrey]

Originally posted by Tone
If the dash gear indicator is out, it usually is caused by the Mode Selector blowing on the tranny - hard shifting usually accompanies this as well. Dealer trip time - part out of warranty is about $200 plus labor to install. Myself and at least one other have had the wiring harness inside the driver’s side fender rub and short out to cause this - they put over 8 Mode Selectors in mine before finding the problem.

Tone, thanks... no hard shifting at the moment. I mean I am an aggresive driver (not a moron on the road but fast :) so I usually shift manually when I wanna go fast and my "Power Drive" is on after I've read here that it saves gas (HONESTLY I WILL SECOND THIS STATEMENT - it does !) I have bumper to bumper extended warranty so I hope they will take care of the car.

Thanks again !

[Andrey]

Thanks Tone and Anita,

You were right ! The problem was exactly where you pointed out - driver side wire snake got short going into fender (?) so Peter's Isuzu (New Hapmshire) took care of it and charged $75 for one hour of labour and $2.25 for shop supplies (read : wire ):D
What was interesting I was blowing the 15 amp fuse by turning to the left only. Turning to the right did not cause an problems (makes sence - since left side was shortened). After the fuse will blow all gearbox lights will go and gearbox mode switch will start acting - loud bang and yank going from the second to the third gear. Ofcource all that had dissapeared since electrical problem went away. My extended warranty company (WarrantyByNet) said that they will reimburse me for the full amount of repair. Well I guess we will see when this will happen.

Again, thanks to everybody who jumped in with good advice !

Long live VechiCross.info ! :p

[kpv]

I took a look where you guys mentioned. I removed the airbox and looked very closely at the harness behind the driver's side headlight. I saw a few connectors but did not see any fraying. For good measure, I pulled the harness away from the body in this area.

Can someone post a picture showing me exactly where the fraying is prone to occurring???

I also looked at all of my fuses and found the rear defroster fuse blown. I replaced the fuse.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!!

[SilverBullet75]

I'm taking mine in to Carmax to fix this weekend. But, I want them to read these threads and be convinced that the mode selector is the problem.

I second the request for pics of the wiring problem area... I couldn't find it on mine either.
Also:
If there is no fraying in the harness, what else can cause the transmission mode selector to go bad?


Thanks!

[kpv]

I have since replaced my mode switch and it completely solved the problem. I actually was charged and sent two mode switches by mistake. The other one is brand new, unopened in the shipping box from the dealer. I have procrastinated returning it to them. If you are interested in it, let me know by emailing me at kvolpe@thekpvgroup.com.

[SilverBullet75]

Hi Ken,
I received the mode selector on Saturday and installed it within 10 minutes. (very easy!).. Car drives like new now, and fixed the problem!
Thank You!!!

One question though.. (Input from anyone appreciated)...

There is a little bit of adjustment available by rotating the unit a few degrees. Will this make much difference? Should I take the time to play with this adjustment?
Thanks! ---JIM---

[SilverBullet75]

Tone,
you are widely known as a guru of VXs... (May I call you Gandalf?) Would you happen to know about this issue? You have answered previous questions about the trans interceptor...

Thanks!

[GoIsuzu]

This probably isn't related to the original poster's problem but there is a Technical Service Bulletin for the VehiCROSS that includes hard shifting as a symptom. The cause? Installing a remote start kit. :)

[SGT.BATGUANO]

Usually these type of things have an alignment hole that a pin goes through to hold it in the correct position when you mount it. After mounting you pull the pin, or if it's a breakaway pin, after mounting , it will breakaway the first time you shift.

How much play is at the mount?

[Tone]

Shifting between 3rd and D (really Over Drive) can safely be done at any reasonable speed but you can hear the engine overreving if left in 3 too long - I'd say highway speed would be a good time to shift out of it unless you are pulling a trailer or going up a steep hill where the tranny would be shifting in and out of D by itself.

[Heraclid]

(May I call you Gandalf?)

Interesting that you should say that - check out my new avatar. :-)

EDIT: Changed the avatar already... I'm so fickle...

[SilverBullet75]

Here is a VERY rough drawing of the mode selector. The arrows show the slotted holes where the bolts go. There is approximately 5-10 degrees of rotation available here. Does this affect shift timing? Or anything at all?

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/873Trans_Mode_Selector_Drawing.jpg

[SGT.BATGUANO]

I've got a mode switch laying around somewhere and I'll try digging out my paper set of manuals this weekend, to see if there's any mention of adjustment proceedure.

[SilverBullet75]

Thank you for your help!

[SGT.BATGUANO]

procedure 1

a. Place selector lever in neutral
b. Remove selector lever from the mode switch
c. Remove the mode switch cover
d. Loosen the two 10mm screws
e. Rotate the mode switch until the slot in the mode switch
housing aligns with the selector shaft bushing, and
insert a 3/32 inch (2.4mm) drill bit or punch (1) into
The slot
f. Tighten the screws to 13Nm (113 in/lb.)
g. After completing adjustment, snap the mode switch cover
into place
h. Reinstall the selector lever

procedure 2

a. Place selector lever in neutral
b. Disconnect transmissiom harness connector from mode switch connector
c. Remove mode switch connector with bracket from the
transmission case
d. Connect multimeter (resistance mode) to terminals 1(E)
and 4(H) on mode switch connector
e. Loosen two mounting screws
f. Rotate mode switch in both directions to determine the
range (approx. 5 degrees) of electrical contact
g. Position mode switch in middle of contact range
h. Tighten two mounting screws
i. Remove multimeter and install mode switch harness connector with bracket to the transmission case
j. Connect transmission harness connector to mode switch connector


the illustrations:

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/149mode_sw1-med.JPG

You can find enlarged images in my gallery.

[SilverBullet75]

Thanks Sarge! That is a great help! I knew there had to be something adjustable with the unit. I'm going to print out your instructions and do the adjustment this weekend. Many thanks again!
---JIM---

[SGT.BATGUANO]

I updated my post above with the illustrations.