Hello,

My 4WD indicator is now blinking when the car is in 2H. At the same this started, the ABS warning light went on.

I tried to shift it to 4H and to my surprise the 4WD indicator went off and the ABS warning light continues on.

Can someone help me figure out what problem this may be??? Is this only electrical or anything more serious going on???

I have a Mistubishi Montero 99 XLS 3.0 4WD automatic transmission - 99K miles.

Thanks a lot.

VN

Funny, my Exploder's ABS light went on last week....is this something we shadetreer's can fix? <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

Hello VPN:
well, its been my experience, and I'm not a expert, but my 95 Montero has a vacuum assist to help it engage the hubs in 4WD. I think if vacuum is low, or not much vacuum at all, the indicator, flashes. I see this when its very cold, here in Virginia, like 15? Fahrenheit. After the engine gets a little oil worked up in it, if you tap the accelerator just a bit to race the engine up to 2000 RPM and drop it quickly,that deceleration with the butterfly valve closing in the throttle body, will cause the motor to draw a vacuum, and your indicator should go out. IF you have good vacuum hoses and no leaks. There is a little 'can' lack of a better name, down there near the front axel, that has a little vacuum line running to it, I suspect its a vacuum reservoir. make sure there is not a rusted hole in the can, and the line is still connected to it. If you have your oil changed at a dealer or quicklube, check the 'can' reservoir to make sure the line is still there connected and the monkeys didn't knock it off.
When its cold, I have noticed mine flash for a 12 or 15 seconds in the mornings, especially if I haven't started it for a few days. But when vacuum is created it goes away.
ABS, I don't know. I need a IAC motor for my Montero. Rock auto was sold out last week. I would keep your Montero if I were you. They don't make'em like this anymore.
hope this helps
Rob

try to check the fuses first under the drivers side dash. if those turns out fine. check the boxes behind the radio in the center console. the 4wd controller box is the black on that is directly accesible after removing the radio. this has a connector which only has 10 wires. check if the blue wire with yellow strip has 12v to it and the baclk wire is grounded to chassis.(use multimeter or VOM). the ABS box is just underneath that. aluminum colored with white/yellow sticker and a yellow connector. try to just remopve and reinsert the connector. if this doesnt solve the prob. check under the hood. its in the right inner fender/tire well. try to check if there is 12v on the blue/yellow wire on the vacuum solenoids connected for the 4wd. you can also test the solenoids by directly feeding 12volts to them and see if it clicks like a relay, if one fails to click, then it might be damaged.incidentally the ABS is also just beside the solenoid. just check the connectors on it.

btw also check all the vacuum lines for leaks.

This question is going to become more and more common with the cold/foul weather coming after a warm summer of 4wd inactivity.
During the warm season, there are detection switches in the transfer case and front axle that may stick due to lack of use. They need to "jive" with each other for the ABS ecu to know what mode to set itself into. If they don't jive for any reason, the indicator light will flash in the dash and if the right switch is tripped, it may also cause the ABS light to come on.
Just because they're stuck doesn't exactly mean they need to be replaced. Try shifting in and out of 4wd to free them up. Do this AFTER a long drive where the gear oil has been warmed. Allow a few blocks of driving in each mode especially if it doesn't switch over right away. Some may free up right away, others may take longer- BE PATIENT! Anticipate having to do this in the fall and winter months or prevent this with occasional switching over the summer. If your ABS light is on, continue to cycle through both modes until you feel you've made an improvment. To check, you'll need to shut off the engine in 2wd, start it back up so that the ABS light is off, then shift back into 4WD to see if the ABS lights comes on again.


Joel, CA

This morning I had this problem.

1. The Brake Warning light was on.
2. The A/T Mode light was on.
3. Notice the Voltmeter for the Battery was around 12V.

Is this the same type of problem you was talking about?

Dwg