Pajero Mk2 SWB MIVEC Build

[CharlieNorth]

Ho Humm, just another ************ day in paradise.
Project is progressing well, allot more wiring getting done. I found I had only gotten through about half of the wires on the transfer case, there are a few on these Gen 3 Tcases. That is fine, it took me better part of four days for my mind to get this system back and up to speed with what has to be done. Yesterday I was back to generating good progress.
As I progress I test systems, obviously logical. Most recently checking the indicators in the instrument cluster for the drive system, I was getting close but the electric shift was not done yet. The transmission indicator showed me PRN but not drive. Drive on a Tiptronic shift really does not exist since it intends to call out 1-5. But I find how to get what I need since the G2 cluster does not utilize a CanBus system for annunciation of what gear is in use. I did figure out how to get D though, so a test wire that.
Not a problem rears it's head. This transmission shows both R & D at the same time. I know there are issues but now they are real. Some dweeb in a shop broke off the end of the shift shaft on the side of the transmission, so he welded the arm back on the shaft. Back early in the year I bought a switch, the arm and shaft. I removed the sump from the transmission but discover the valve body needs to be removed to get to the shaft, Fin but with the transmission in the chassis the accumulators will fall out and I doubt I can reinstall them. So I decided to not do that task.

But now, this is a processor shifted transmission and the system will not function if it thinks it is in neutral as well as drive.
Decision time, I do not want to take the time to properly go through this transmission, My mind is leaning towards buying a young used one and swap it in.

Or another option, Buy a Manual trans ECU, build another engine harness and swap over to the 6 speed manual I have sitting here.

 

[oldsmoky]

Ahh the power of a ************** with wrench. I once poured 3 gallons of motor oil on a trip across America after a inspired genius wrecked the new valve cover gasket he was supposed to install and just smeared a bunch of RTV on the valve cover That is a bugger having to remove the valve body, almost not worth it I agree. Myself I always shy away from the mystical nature of a slush box if I can. Now I do Like the idea of a paddle shifted auto tranny but a good old fashioned gear box would be my choice.

 

[CharlieNorth]

My wife and I are old school and grew up with manuals. Yah there have been years an automatic was a godsend. Mid '70s I had a very bad leg injury , my foot got trapped when I was moving at speed and it ruptured my Achilles tendon. One and half years on crutches, crutches had ice spikes. In time I could double any mans speed over ground . Drove my big ol Plymouth sitting sideways, left foot on the pedals. Started dating my wife then. Now an automatic is of use to me since I tow trailers, boat launches are where I place value in the auto. Some trail driving the automatic make things easier. Otherwise we prefer a stick.
The pictures above are a Toyota transmission mated to a Montero bellhousing and Mitsu SR transfer case. I have plans for an all independent suspension Gen 2. That would be where the 6 speed is intended to go. But I have another car that might proceed it, an AWD station wagon.

 

[CharlieNorth]

Putting thought to where I am at, I am going to buy a used 5sp auto and Tcase from out of the Northeast. I want the chance at clean parts to move forward with this. I could have gone with the 6 speed from the beginning but I chose to spend MANY hundreds of hours figuring out the wiring to get where I am any with maybe 20ish hours more wiring to go it is crazy to buy another harness and ECU to start over. So another thousand dollars and move on. Presuming this transmission is actually good, once I spend the time to fix the hack work done to it, it can go into my Gen3 that only drives in reverse and locks up in forward. Seems the flipper I bought it from topped up the trans with Dextron. So in a few hours I should have an order in to a yard in Ohio where they do not salt roads.

 

[CharlieNorth]

Being it is above freezing with some sun out this is not a shop day for me but I so look forward to closing this out.

I am kind of tired of the smell of solder and heatshrink in the morning.

 

[Toasty]

Wow, that's a mess. I feel your pain

 

[CharlieNorth]

I just came up from the shop, frustrated. I have been outdoors, under my SR that the fuel pump quit when pulling in my driveway. The new pump has been here a few weeks but I can not get the pressure hose unthreaded from the pump assembly. It is a dry warm day out but reaching up to the fuel line with two wrenches past the panhard bar is no longer possible with just one fully usable arm.
So back into the shop, trying to get unused wires to release from the connector shells, Not happening, might see if my wife can help later on or I will just leave the wires tucked away.
Call it frustration. I think I am down to less than dozen wires to spice in around the shifters.
The new to me transmission/tcase is going on a pallet today. Should have it next week. Part of me thinks I should roll the Pajero outside and pull the driveline out today. But it is really to late to start that.
Looks like we have a foot of snow coming tomorrow and below freezing for the next week.

 

[CharlieNorth]

Today, not allot of progress. Temps climbed into the 40s and was sunny out. I tried to get the fuel pump on my SR swapped out, Even got my wife to try her slim arms to reach up from underneath to get the fuel line from the pump disconnected, no joy. So with sadness we Towed my wonderful 3.8 SR and put it out to pasture. Maybe I will cut the hose and then try to get the front fitting to release and get the new pump installed. We will see. Till then,

 

[CharlieNorth]

I chose to take a break from the wires, cause well I was getting wired.
Years back I bought a rear step for my Montero, but for some reason the factory mounts these centered on the rear, essentially under the spare tire and being centered prevents the use of a trailer hitch. That will not work for me since my primary use is hauling trailers.
So back most of a year ago when I was building my receiver hitch I had this step in mind. A few months ago I figured out how I wanted to approach the step and made my first cuts. I liked my idea but needed to bend the factory tube which I just did without the company of my camera. The bend was the right thing. I need to make an outer mount to the frame but here is what I will have.

Now I can have my hitch and climb up easier too. I think

I am going to like this.

 

[MummifiedCircuitry]

Keep it up Charlie, good idea taking on little jobs like the step and forget about the wiring and fuel pump for a bit. Is the line not easier to get to from the access hole in the cargo area? That's where I pulled that line off last week in a 94 LS from. Also, is that Galant in the background a GSX or VR4?

 

[CharlieNorth]

The fuel line at the pump is easy reach but the nut will not spin on the hose. Therefore I was going at the front fitting to the tube. The tube was replaced in 2015 along with the hose and pump assy. I used antisize but that has done no good for the nut to spin on the hose. Frustrating crap mostly due to the Northeast now using a liquid deicer which is worse than driving in the ocean.
That Galant is an 89 GSX, all the adjustable suspension in it's Glory. I have 4 VR4 in the yard one being the '92 which is my wife's car. One VR4 was a rusty thing that donated some of it's guts for my AWD '93 Mirage coupe. The coupe has an Evo 3 rear suspension as fits in Mirage/Lancers. Real cool car and is rather stupid to drive due to how light and fast it is. Crazy close ratio gears in it too.
The Diamante Wagon has a DOHC 5 speed from a 3K SL in it with allot of suspension work, super driving car but the 235K engine started a knock. Last time I moved it in the yard it did not knock, that is what I get for running Wallmart oil to long. I am thinking it will get a VR4 6 Spd, Toyota pickup rear axle and either a 320HP TT engine or the 3.8 DOHC out of my 95 SR. That is next summer though, lord knows what I will build next being that I set aside a plane I am building to do this Pajero.

 

[CharlieNorth]

Keep it up Charlie, good idea taking on little jobs like the step and forget about the wiring

Ahh, back to the wires today, no longer warm outside, back into the teens for the high. Couldn't even get my Gen 1 snow plow to come up on power, I expect it has moisture in the fuel system still. Ran fine when above freezing, today we threw in the towel and hired a local contractor to plow snow. Been 50 years I have been clearing my parents and my own drives, frustrating. Done with carburetors in the cold.
But it was an indoor day, no need to play in the snow and we will be close to 0F in the morning. So I play in the shop.
Today I ran jumper wires and ran the T case shift motor, nice to hear it run. Spent a bunch of time retracing circuits and got the proper connections to the back of the instrument cluster, the real wheel indicators came to life. Moving the Tcase shifter I even herd it cycle the shift motor on it's own, might have shifted into low range.
Found it interesting the rear wheel indicators do not remain on, I presume a Gen3 thing that they expect the engine to be running, You wouldn't think I own two Gen 3s since I know next to nothing about them. The TVs in the headrests are neat though.
But it is hard to think this is almost neat now, 54 of the wires to the cluster all needed to be changed, glad when this area is complete.

 

[MummifiedCircuitry]

That Galant is an 89 GSX, all the adjustable suspension in it's Glory. I have 4 VR4 in the yard one being the '92 which is my wife's car. One VR4 was a rusty thing that donated some of it's guts for my AWD '93 Mirage coupe. The coupe has an Evo 3 rear suspension as fits in Mirage/Lancers. Real cool car and is rather stupid to drive due to how light and fast it is. Crazy close ratio gears in it too.

I'm trying to buy a 90 Galant GSX from a local guy, it's just been sitting out in a field for awhile. These cars are so hard to find nowadays, Seems like the GSX's are even rarer than the VR4's, I heard only 1500 were imported total, not sure the accuracy of that though. Have you noticed a big difference having LSD in the rear on the mirage with evo rear? Still setup with 50:50 split?

 

[CharlieNorth]

I had only seen one other GSX previously and that was on a dealer's lot when new, that was back when one would drive to a dealer to get parts which I was doing in my '87 Starion which is the only car I have bought new, and still own, well along with a half dozen other ones. I had bought a Rabbit in '74 to replace my Opal Kadett, had the wabbit almost 20 days till the dealer took it back since you could never get a second gear shift without the engine intermittently stalling, They were carbureted back then. Heck at that time I test drove a new '74 Colt, nice but I bought a used '72 Colt which I still drive to this day. Well not that one, I was hit head on by a drunk in a Chevy pickup in '78.

The GSX suspension is neat, controllable ride height and shock damping that really makes a difference. You can be on soft with high ride height, mid turn with growing front tire squeal, press a button and the car sets down and rotates cleanly. I am sure there are better suspensions today, but that was 30 years ago. That car gave up a few body panels and doors for a burner '92 VR4 I bought at auction and is my wife's current driver. The GSX engine was in a '73 Colt for a short time but now sits in a '59 Elva Courier. Look them up.

The Mirage, that car is nuts, might have said that already. You can rotate that car into a turn, open the throttle and get all four spinning and simply drive the car, well if you are awake enough. It is a hoot. For my first decade with it the front plate type diff was too tight to drive the car in snow without having to toss the car in a turn. I mean 55 in traffic on a hilly road and you had to give a throttle blip to free the front diff otherwise you just went straight, talk about palpitations. It also did it's best to go straight on dry pavement, it would hitch around till it took a set. Once I got enough hours on the car as well as track and hillclimb events the diffs bedded in and the car became Semi Docile, Semi that is. That car is nuts.
If you consider what I am building now to be a step beyond normal, I will start with the fuel tank in the Mirage, keep in mind this is the first car I bought on EBAY and was $26 20 years ago.
Gas tank, About 28 Gal and you can run it to the last quart or so,

The tank forms essentially a flat bottom,

Under the hood,

And where it is the happiest, this was on a gocart track we used to lease in NYS on the St Lawrence river.

 

[CharlieNorth]

Too dang tired to write, to tired to clean up the area, sitting with my black cat while sipping my Makers Mark.