Delica Canada | Mitsubishi Van Club

Posted: **Tue Jan 11, 2011 1:05 pm**

I am having trouble finding posts related to the use of the a/t switch in my l400. I imagine there has been some discussion around the topic in the past as to when to use each of these modes.

I have frustrated myself trying to find something and I wonder if someone can summarize when to use each of the modes, or what they do, or link to a previous post on this topic?

Thanks!

Posted: **Tue Jan 11, 2011 2:03 pm**

I can't answer as am L300, but I heard that this feature is only on the higher featured L400 model (called super exceed?) so many owners dont have it. Is the manual for L400 posted on the downloads page. Can you ask your dealer. Mardy or Butch will know. Regards, Christine.

Posted: **Tue Jan 11, 2011 2:32 pm**

Ace,

The pwr switch will cause the trany to rev to higher rmp before shifting, and I was told that the hold button is a "jake brake" (engine retarder) which is used to slow down the vehicle with out using the brakes (used mainly on steep hills or when hauling loads) same as with a semi truck.

Aaron

Posted: **Tue Jan 11, 2011 2:39 pm**

Select Hold to pull out in second gear. Good for slippery situations where first gear would cause wheel spin. PWR forces the tranny to shift later (higher rpm). You may also experience temporary feelings of superiority, elation, or the desire to take over a small country. Use with caution.

Posted: **Tue Jan 11, 2011 3:08 pm**

It's also standard on all L400's.

Posted: **Wed Jan 12, 2011 12:29 am**

I'm going to move this topic to L400 Technical and perhaps it won't be so hard to find it next time... smiles.

Falco.

Posted: **Wed Jan 12, 2011 11:44 am**

Great responses. Thanks very much.

Posted: **Sun Jan 23, 2011 6:03 am**

Just got back from a 3500km trip. In my opinion, PWR is useless, and HOLD is very useful.

If outside the city I use HOLD all the time, keeps the RPM's nice and low, takes advantage of the diesel torque, especially in hilly conditions. Inside the city, I use "auto" as I like the accelleration of having first gear, if you need it.

Steve

Posted: **Sun Jan 23, 2011 12:35 pm**

OP, when I first got my L400, it revved way too high in general driving. At the time, I thought this was normal - I too really liked the "HOLD" setting.

Turns out my TPS was out of whack. A quick asjustment and it shifts great now in normal mode. I only use HOLD in serious snow:

http://www.delica.ca/forum/better-l400- ... -6931.html

If you are having to feather the throttle to get it to shift at lowish RPMs or if your shifting is really jerky, give it a look-see.

Posted: **Sun Jan 23, 2011 12:41 pm**

BV1 wrote:Just got back from a 3500km trip. In my opinion, PWR is useless, and HOLD is very useful.

If outside the city I use HOLD all the time, keeps the RPM's nice and low, takes advantage of the diesel torque, especially in hilly conditions. Inside the city, I use "auto" as I like the accelleration of having first gear, if you need it.

Steve

HOLD (bypassing 1st gear) is meant to be used on slippery surfaces where starting in second gear allows for a smoother tire rotation at start.

Don't use HOLD on hilly areas. You'll burn out the transmission.

POWER is best used on hilly areas or when towing as it allows the RPM range to be extended which prevents kickdown into the next gear.

jfarsang wrote:I pulled it from mdocuk site.

http://www.mdocuk.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=18735

Delica L400 (Superselect) OD (overdrive) button - A/T swich and 4WD gear floor shift Control & Switches info, for new owners:

OVERDRIVE SWITCH
Overdrive device is operational when the selector lever is on D position

NORMAL DRIVE
Turn the switch ON. Changes gear from 1st to 4th automatically. Ensures economical driving performance.

HILLY DRIVE
Turn the switch OFF. Changes from 1st to 3rd automatically. Use when descending long slopes where engine braking is necessary.
NB: When the button is out it is off and an orange coloured dash warning light will state OD OFF:

The OD can be left on all the time, apart from when you need the extra braking assistance.

General tips to keep the fuel economy down includes having the right pressures for whatever tyre you are using. Have good quality clean oil in the engine, diffs (all 3 diffs) and Transmission. If you haven't done it yet then change them.

Here's a picture of AT Fluids so you can check how yours are.

Note: Do not confuse Dash warning light A/T with the A/T switch, they are not connected. That warning light indicates the Auto Transmission fluid is overheating.

AT switch

Normal Mode: - Central position, no warning light showing on dash - Used for a normal, economical, quiet and smooth drive.

Power Mode: - PWR showing on dash (usually off) - Used for faster acceleration, by forcing the engine into a higher RPM mode before gears are changed up.

Hold Mode: - Hold showing on dash (usually off) - For use when moving off, from stationary, on snow or slippery road surfaces. When the gear selector is placed in 'D' position, the vehicle is forced to take off in 2nd gear rather than 1st, to make starting easier, then go into normal mode. This saves having to have the gear selector in 2 then move into D after you get going. It also restrict the maximum revs of the engine to 3000rpm (approx). Note: The Delica Manual states:- "low revs, when under high load will generate more heat in the gearbox. You can flip the A/T switch to any mode whilst driving without taking the vehicle out of gear.

4WD Floor Lever - Super select models
When pulled back to the rearmost setting the Deli will be in two wheel drive mode (2WD). Two green lights on dash unit will indicate rear wheels only are being driven.

One position forward is four wheel drive mode (4WD), this actually gives you more control and road holding on corners. Two additional green dash lights will indicate front wheels are being driven. You can drive in 2WD or 4WD on roads or off road with no problems.

The Superselect L400 also allows the vehicle to move into or out of 4WD whilst moving at speeds up to 60mph (100Kmh), as stated in the Mitsubishi Manual.

The next position forward is the difflock. Used to assist when in more difficult offroad terrain, the orange difflock light will come on. Difflock is not used on the roads. Theoretically it can also be engaged whilst moving on slippery surfaces, according to the manual, but I prefer to stop before doing so.

The last position that the floor lever goes into requires you to press the lever downwards on itself, then move it to the right and forward. That engages the low gear range, for use offroad in particularly difficult terrain as required. Do not use it on the road you will damage the system.

Flashing green or orange lights indicates the transition phase between 4WD / Diffloclk / 2WD gear selections. Sometimes these continue flashing, requiring you to reverse for 30-40 yards to disengage the switch sensor. This is often due to lack of use of the 4WD system. Continued flashing lights indicate a faulty switch/sensor, or a problem in the vacuum servo air lines, such as an air leak. Note though; that provided you have taken the floor gear selector lever back to 2WD the 4WD system and Difflock will not be engaged. It will be safe to drive, but have the system checked.

To check if the Difflock is working or not:-

1. Jack up the front with both wheels off the ground. Keep the Column Gear Selector Lever in 'P'
2. With the ignition off and the vehicle in 2WD try turning a front wheel. Only that wheel should move.
3. Put it into 4WD and repeat the test. The wheel should turn whilst the other goes in the opposite direction.
4. Move the floor lever forward once notch to engage Difflock. The same as the last test should happen.
5. Turn on the ignition and repeat the last test. The wheel should not move!
6. DO NOT TAKE THE COLUMN GEAR LEVER OUT OF PARK AT ANY TIME, WHILST THE IGNITION IS ON
7. If you do - don't blame me for what happens. Confused

Posted: **Mon Jan 24, 2011 4:43 am**

I don't really find pushing diesel engine to higher rpms to be useful, it have almost no power when it pushed past 3,500 rpms. I guess PWR is good for gasser when high torque/power comes late in high rpm before transmission shift to next gear and lose the momentum.

I barely touch Hold because I prefers to shift to AWD to have a sure-foot traction on wet road on any speed. But I did use HOLD once when treading the muddy trail, staying on one gear to control the speed of wheel rotation is something I can do with automatic transmission.

Cheers!

Posted: **Mon Jan 24, 2011 9:22 am**

tonydca wrote:OP, when I first got my L400, it revved way too high in general driving. At the time, I thought this was normal - I too really liked the "HOLD" setting.

Turns out my TPS was out of whack. A quick asjustment and it shifts great now in normal mode. I only use HOLD in serious snow:

http://www.delica.ca/forum/better-l400- ... -6931.html

If you are having to feather the throttle to get it to shift at lowish RPMs or if your shifting is really jerky, give it a look-see.

I second having your Throttle Position Sensor looked at and adjusted properly.. I think most owners use the hold function often because their TPS is out of whack and causing the transmission to down-shift prematurely. This causes to gears to jump around a bit when you're climbing a grade not holding it long enough. (having to feather the throttle like you said) All that switch does it disable 1st gear, and then drop the voltage on the TPS. Its really easy to adjust and takes about five minutes once you know how. (in the pajero anyways, might be harder to get at in the L400? Im sure its in the L400 tech section)

I adjusted it a year and a half ago when the truck was new to me, and then again this christmas, and it was out by .4 volts again. I noticed an immediate 15-20% decrease in fuel consumption. It literally went from 360ish KMS per fill from gas light to about 480 kms.. So from 14L/100kms to about 11L/100kms. (I run 33's, stock tires used to get 9.5L/100kms if I drove nicely)

IMHO I'd also suggest not to leave it on hold all the time in the city. It will eventually cause more wear and tear regardless if you're on a hill or not. Imagine driving a standard and having to start in second all the time, thats alot of clutching. Way more money to repair an auto's torque converter than a manuals clutch I'd imagine.. just my few cents

Posted: **Mon Feb 14, 2011 7:31 pm**

jfarsang wrote:Don't use HOLD on hilly areas. You'll burn out the transmission.

I understand your concern, and genuinely appreciate your feedback, but just want to share. Many offshore Delicas actually hardwire a switch in that forces the Torque Converter to lock, which is essentially what is happened anytime over 80 km/hr with hold on. OD engaged, TC locks.

http://www.mdocuk.co.uk/forums/viewtopi ... fae4d18ee5

In my experience, the transmission is more efficient when the torque converter is locked, being that there is less loss to heat. Its the heat, and the slipping clutches that cause wear in the transmission. When the OD clutches are solid, and the TC is locked, the transmission is at its most efficient. Many of the Mitsu's powertrains I have owned have had issues with OD clutches and bad TC's, evident when doing my product research, and what I have learned is the less time they spend slipping the longer they last, my 95 Eagle TSI comes to mind.

I believe the most damage is actually caused when the most slipping and most force is happening, in otherwords, the starting in 2nd gear, forcing the torque converter to work harder to live up to its name, or when at WOT during gear changes in the auto. If we take out the slipping, we remove some of the danger of more force generatating "excess" heat.

I believe Mitsus warning note is indirectly focused on users trying to start out in 2nd gear when loading the transmission, or towing, or uphill etc. In that case significant heat would be generated, however in the locked up example, the tranmission can not be both more efficient and generate more heat at the same.

In summary, when the transmission is at its most efficient, the least amount of energy goes into wearing down the replacable parts, and generating heat, and more energy goes towards the wheels. You can see this happen with a transmission temperatue gauge as well.

Just my personal opinion/experience, I know what the official thinking is, and the reasoning behind it, just offering more insight into why I use hold when I want to avoid needless up shifting, I believe this is the purpose of the button.

Also, I'm talking within reason as well, not talking about 10%+ grades here, just gradual hills that would normally needlessly up shift, when there is more the enough torque available to climb the hill efficiently, as lugging/loading the engine needlessly will also generate too much heat and negate any benefits of a more efficient transmission.

Steve

Posted: **Sat Mar 05, 2011 12:46 am**

Hmmm, I'm well confused about precisely what HOLD does. The UK link suggests that the ONLY thing it does it make you start off in 2nd gear (which could be achieved equally well by simply selecting 2nd on the shifter). And perhaps keeps the engine revs below 3000 by limiting downshifting? Does it have any effect on TC lockup? Unclear.

If it prevents your tranny from downshifting that I suppose that *could* increase tranny temps on big hills, because lower RPM = more heat from the torque converter. But 3000 rpm is fairly high, and I can't see going up a hill at 3000 rpm over-heating a tranny.

I'm going to have to do a whole bunch of driving with HOLD engaged and see if I can figure out if it does anything apart from start you out in 2nd.

BV1...I don't think there's any way to force TC lockup on the L400, the only input to the transmission is the OD solenoid which controls OD, not lockup. Turning OD off can prevent TC lockup, but I don't think there's any way to force it on. Wish there was, I'd love a manual TC over-ride to force TC lockup in any gear.

Posted: **Sun Mar 06, 2011 4:15 pm**

jcolvin wrote:The UK link suggests that the ONLY thing it does it make you start off in 2nd gear (which could be achieved equally well by simply selecting 2nd on the shifter).

Only with a manual transmission. By selecting 2 on an auto you still pull out in 1st.

Delica Canada | Mitsubishi Van Club

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