Pajero occasional noise and vibration

[rroker]

So I visited Al Habtoor today, explained the situation to them. They did a complete inspection (test drive, OBD, etc.) and suggested that the differential is the root cause. They also ruled out wheel bearings as a cause and told me that those would make a consistent noise.

Suggested repairs by them includes replacement of solenoid valve, free wheel switch and hoses. If that does not fix the problem then the actuator and all 4x4 switches need replacement.

The leak in differential was a false alarm, it was some leftover WD40 from the timing belt replacement job 😅.

My personal experience with Al Habtoor was a good one. They were professional and quite helpful. Have to give credit where it's due.

My Pajero is still under Al Futtaim warranty (Automall purchase), so I will be visiting them to get the fixes done. I have already visited Al Futtaim Auto Care Centre twice in the past for this particular issue, both times they said "we cannot fix what we cannot observe". So I am under immense pressure of recreating the noise during test drive when I will visit them again. If the noise does not occur during test drive then I will insist on the video being proof of the problem (already tried in the past) and of course diagnosis from the official Mitsubishi Service Center Al Habtoor.

@Marek @Frederic I found a post on an off-roading forum about this exact issue where people have (over) analysed this issue. I am pasting the technical explanation from that post to shed some more light on this issue:

Quote

"Front axle mechanism trying to engage due to a faulty sensor, solenoid, vacuum line or actuator causes the gears to clash. As the default state for the front axle is engaged, any fault would cause it to try to engage. If the transfer lever is in 2H the front drive shaft would not be turning causing the gear clash in the front axle and as you stop the click you hear is the gears engaging."

BTW while driving today I was able to turn off the noise again by switching from 2H to 4H.

I will do some more research as well as tinkering and hopefully get the car to make the noise on command. That would make my life much easier when trying to explain this fault at the service centre. Would appreciate any tips to recreate this sound when I want for demonstration purposes.

I will keep you guys updated. Thank you!

[rroker]

Found an old Carnity post about a similar problem, suggested solution was replacement of solenoid valves:

 

Edited April 25, 2024 by rroker

[Frederic]

13 hours ago, rroker said:

Found an old Carnity post about a similar problem, suggested solution was replacement of solenoid valves:

 

The bliss and value of Carnity archives !  

[Saji Thomas]

On 4/24/2024 at 12:56 AM, rroker said:

Hello friends,

My Mitsubishi Pajero 3.5, LWB, 2017 makes an occasional noise and vibration which usually starts at lower speed, increases when I slow down and completely stops with a shudder when I brake. The sound is like the racing of a high speed car or motorcycle.

You can hear the sound in this recorded video:

https://youtu.be/a8v9BJ-X8eY?si=mrLyw4T7mBbBf-K3

I intentionally did not come to a complete stop while recording this video so that I can have a longer recording of the noise. At the end of the video, I come to a complete stop and the noise stops. (1:20)

I have been to 3 garages including Al Habtoor but all of them ask me to recreate the sound during a test drive which is impossible to do as I have been unable to establish any correlation between the sound and any specific usage of the car.

Yesterday I got my timing belt replaced by Al Habtoor and they had told me that maybe the sound would go away after that but lo and behold it occurred within 5 minutes of me taking the car out of their workshop.

The following jobs were done on the car as a part of maintenance or service which did not fix the noise:

• All Disc skimming
• Front brake pad replacement
• Engine oil, filter replacement
• Steering column boot lubrication
• Brake cleaning
• All 4 tyres replaced (HT to AT)
• Wheel balancing and alignment

These jobs were done over period of few months. None of these jobs fixed the noise problem. Also I have been on 3 newbie offroad drives but the problem has never occurred during off-roading.

Apologies for the long post, I had to make sure I provide all the details because I am at my wit's end here. I will be going back to Al Habtoor but it would great if an experienced Carnity member can guide me in the right direction of what this noise could be.

Thank you!

I am also facing the same problem. I would like to know if you resolved it, and if so, please let me know exactly what needs to be fixed.

Saji Thomas 

+974 33474597

[rroker]

It has been 2 months since I got the solenoid valve replaced and I can confirm that the problem has been resolved.

Thank you everyone for helping me out with this issue!

[Saji Thomas]

I am not an expert, so I want to reconfirm that it's the Front Differential Solenoid Valve that needs to be replaced. Your response highly appreciated 

[rroker]

22 hours ago, Saji Thomas said:

I am not an expert, so I want to reconfirm that it's the Front Differential Solenoid Valve that needs to be replaced. Your response highly appreciated 

Yes, you are right.

You can find it easily right in front of the air filter. I have taken a photo for your reference.