
. 
l-36 GENERALINFORMATIONAND MAINTENANCE 
Install the drain plug and tighten to 22 ft. Ibs. 
(304Nm) 
5. Refill the transaxle to the proper level, as 
shown in the Capacities chart, with the appropriate 
fluid. The oil level should be at the bottom of the oil 
filler hole. I 
6. When the oil reaches the orooer level, install 
the filler plug and tighten to 22 ft. Ibs. (30 Nm). 
FLUID RECOMMENDATIONS 
8957i565 Fig, 165 Oil, when at the proper level, will 
reach the lower edge of tC=+ frfr*r u*rn -non- 
ing Mitsubishi recommends the use of Mercon@auto- 
matic transmission fluid. 
LEVELCHECK 
Fig. 170 The fluid level is OK if it is within 
the between the HOT and ADD areas on the 
&&i& Do not overfill the transaxle or 
-.*".."... -- .*"- problems could o ccur 
1. Makesure the vehicle is oarked on a level sur- 
face. 
2. Remove the filler plug and make sure the oil 
level is up to the lower edge of the filler plug hole. 
3. Check to be sure that the transaxle oil is not 
noticeably dirty and that it has a suitable viscosity. u See Figures 168,169, and 170 
fluid is at normal operating temperature, drive the ve-  The transaxle dipstick is located behind the air in- 
hicle at least 10 miles.  let hose, towards the firewall. 
1. Park the vehicle on a level surface. 
2. The transaxle should be at normal operating 
temperature when checking fluid level. To ensure the 5. Pull the dipstick from its tube again. Holding it 
horizontally, road the fluid level. The fkrid should be 
between the MIN and MAX mark. If the fluid is below 
the MIN mark, add fluid through the dipstick tube. 
DRAIN & REFILL 
6. Insert the dipstick, and check the level again 
after adding any fluid. Be careful not to overfill the 
transaxle. 
3. With the selector lever in P and the parking 
DRAIN & REFILL u See Figures 166 and 167 
1. Make sure the vehicle is parked on a level sur- 
face. 
2. Raise and safely support the vehicle. Place a brake applied, start the engine. 
4. Open the hood and locate the transaxle fluid 
dipstick. Pull the dipstick from its tube, wipe it clean, 
and reinsert it. Make sure the dipstick is fully in- 
serted. 
suitable drain pan under the manual transaxle. 
3. Remove the filler plug and the drain plug and 
allow the oil to drain completely. 
Fig. 166 The automatic transaxle dipstick is 
typically located under the air cleaner inlet 
Fig. 166 Use a box-end wrench to loosen 
the manual transaxle drain plug . . . tube. Pull the dipstick up to remove it from 
the transaxle 
Fig. 169 Wipe the dipstick clean and Insert 
/fluid level reading .,  it mto the transaxle agam to get the correct 
j The fluid should be changed according to the 
schedule in the Maintenance Intervals chart. If the car 
is normally used in severe service, such as stop and 
start driving, trailer towing, or the like, the interval 
should be halved. If the car is driven under especially 
nasty conditions, such as in heavy city traffic where 
the temperature normally reaches 90°F (32%), or in 
very hilly or mountainous areas, or in police, taxi, or  b See Figures 171 thru 177 
1. Raise and support the vehicle safely. 
2. Place a suitable drain pan under the transaxle 
drain plug. 
3. Remove the transaxle pan drain plug. Let the 
fluid completely drain out of the transaxle. 
4. Install the drain plug and tighten it to 22-25 ft. 
lbs. (30-35 Nm). 
5. If equipped, remove the drain plug on the dif- 
ferential of the transaxle. 
6. Install the differential drain plug and tighten ft 
to 22-25 ft. Ibs. (30-35 Nm). 
7. Remove the drain pan. 
8. Lower the vehicle. 
9. Fill the transaxle through the dipstick to the 
proper level. 
10. Place the gear selector lever in P and start the 
engine. Run the engine at idle, engage the emergency 
brake and hold the brake pedal down. Move the gear 
selector lever through all transaxle ranges for approx- 
imately 5 minutes. 
11. Return the selector lever to P and leave the 
engine running at idle. 
12. Check the transaxle fluid level. The fluid level 
at normal operating temperature should read within 
the crosshatched area of the fluid level dipstick. 
13. If the fluid level reads below the crosshatched 
area, adjust the level by adding fluid in small incre- 
ments until the correct fluid level is obtained. 
PAN &FILTER SERVICE 
b See Figures 178 thru 184  

t 
1-38 GENERALINFORMATIONAND MAINTENANCE 
11 I Add the recommended automatic transaxle 
fluid to the transaxle through the dipstick tube. You 
will need a long necked funnel, or a funnel and tube 
to do this. A quick check of the capacities chart later 
in this Section will reveal the capacity of the transaxle 
in your vehicle. On a first fill after removing the pan 
and filter, this number should be cut into a ‘hand 
checked on the dipstick before refilling. 
12. With the transaxle in P, put on the parking 
brake, block the front wheels, start the engine and let 
it idle. DO NOT RACE THE ENGINE. DO NOT MOVE 
THE LEVER THROUGH ITS RANGES. 
13. With the lever in Park, check the fluid level. If 
it’s OK, take the car out for a short drive, park on a 
level surface, and check the level again, as outlined 
earlier in this section. Add more fluid if necessary. Be 
careful not to overfill, which will cause foaming and 
w fluid loss. n of the transfer case filler 
3. Remove the filler and the drain plug and allow 
the oil to drain into the drain pan. 
4. After the fluid has drained completely, install 
the drain plug and tighten to 24 ft. Ibs. (32 Nm). 
5. Refill the transfer case to the proper level with 
Fig. 184 . . . 
the transaxle case before in- 
stalling the gasket 
and pan onto the case FLUID RECOMMENDATIONS Hypoid gear oil SAE 75W-85W/75W-9OW conform- 
ing to API specifications GL-4 or higher. The oil level 
-‘-,*I’ -nnnh +‘* “%om edge of the oil filler hole. 
nxfer raw filler nlm and tinhtm When adding fluid or refilling the transfer case, 
use Hypoid gear oil SAE 75W-85W or 75W-9OW 
conforming to API specifications 61-4 or higher. 
LEVELCHECK 6. Install the tra .._._. ____ .._. T.-J _.._ .lJ . .._.. 
to 24 ft. lbs. (32 Nm). 
7. Carefully lower the vehicle. 
u See Figure 185 
,  1 FLUID RECOMMENDATIONS 
delivery service, the fluid should be changed accord- 
ing to the severe service schedule. 
The fluid must be hot before it is drained; a 20 u See Figure 187 
Since fluid viscosity range may 
vary depending on 
specific temperature range of operation, please refer 
~~ 
tne transaxle case. 
You’ll be very sorry later if you do. bottom edge of the transfer case filler 1 1 Fig. 187 Rear axle lubricant application I 
*If the drained fluld is discolored (brown or 
1 plug hole chart black), thick, or pmmll~ hmmt nnrinmm I transaxle trouble .llln3llU ““III., url,““P s, probably due to overheat- 
,r..rr,rA “#.a.- rrdr 
trig, should be susp~~lr;u. lvUl vLlr J 
transaxle should be inspected by a reliable 
transaxle specialist to determine the prob- 
lem. 
5. Remove the pan and gasket. 
6. Clean the pan with solvent and allow it to air 
dry. If you use a rag to wipe out the pan, you risk 
leaving bits of lint behind, which will clog the dinky 
hydraulic passages in the bansaxle. 
7. Remove the filter retaining bolts and remove 
the filter from the valve bodv. lnsoect each component for leaking. Check the oil 
he filler plug. If the oil is contami- 
ry to replace it with new oil. 
if% nn IPVPI z11rf2r~ 
level by removing t 
nated, it is necessa 
1. Park the vehi,., -.. ,-.“, __. ,“-_. 
2. Remove the filler plug and make sure the oil 
level reaches the lower edge of the filler plug hole. 
3. Check to be sure that the oil is not noticeably 
dirty and that it has the proper viscosity. 
4. If necessary, add oil through the filler hole until 
is runs out of the hole. to the accompanying chart for the proper fluid for 
your vehicle. 
LEVEL CHECK 
1. Make sure the vehicle is parked on level 
ground. 
2. Remove the oil fill plug to check the oil level. 
3. The oil level is sufficient if it reaches the lower 
portion of the filler plug hole. If the fluid is low, add 
as required through the filler plug. 
To install: . 
8. Install a new filter, then install the retaining 
bolts and tighten them to 5 ft. Ibs. (7 Nm). 
9. Position the gasket on the pan, then install 
the pan. Tighten the bolts evenly and in rotation to 
8-9ft. Ibs. (10-12 Nm.). Do not overtighten. 
IO. Lower the vehicle. DRAIN & REFILL 
I8 DRAIN & REFILL 
u See Figure 188  ) See Figure- 14 
1. Raise and safely support the vehicle, for access 
to the transfer case. 
2. Place a suitable drain pan under the transfer 
case fluid drain plug. 1. Position the vehicle on a flat surface or raise 
and safely support the vehicle in a level position. 
2. Place a suitable drain pan under the rear axle.