So my car (2003, 55k miles, aftermarket clutch) in 4th or 5th gear above 45mph pulsates and vibrates in a rhythmic sense. 5th is much harsher than 4th but I can feel it in either. I can push the clutch in and the vibrations go away, but then all dash gauges come on.

I have had this problem since I got the car and searched and searched, but never seem to find an answer to other peoples problems. Anyone have experience with this issue

 

You bought the car like that? Didn't you test drive it??

 

Do you feel it in the steering wheel or in your seat?

During.. deceleration, acceleration or cruising?

 

I got it really cheap!

I feel it seat, really though feels like the whole car and its during any of those as long as the clutch is engaged.

 

This is a defect in the early cars exported to the US and is said to be caused by a loose 5th gear but is most noticeable when combined with running tires with soft sidewalls. I suspect the mules used to develop the 8 were ran on the OEM tire (very stiff sidewalls) and this masked the problem.

What do you mean by "all the dash gauges come on", does the engine die?

 

That is very interesting barneyb. I never heard of this. Was there a TSB released about the subject? I don't remember seeing this one.


But if you feel it in the seat, it most likely coming from your drivetrain. And for the fact it can be manipulated through the engagement / disengagement of the clutch, I suspect the drivetrain even more..

 

Also barneyb caught something I didn't.. Does your car shut off or something? Is that what you mean by when all the "lights come on"? It would shut off momentarily?

 

No TSB that I know of. On the other hand, I remember Mitsubishi announcing in (I think) the second year of production for the USA that certain changes were made to the drivetrain. Since the parts are interchangeable throughout all the years of the 8 & 9, whatever changes that were made had to involve tolerances and other manufacturing processes.

 

Thanks for the information about the transmission. I will have to look into the engine cut out thing some more, it just has happened as I have been trouble shooting the vibration. when I push the clutch in at highway speeds almost feels like I lose power maybe I do, and the oil, srs, and those other indicators come on in the cluster.

Oh seems to be fine when I release the clutch again. As in have power back and the lights are gone.

 

Dude. Make sure your car is not shutting off intermittently, when you push the clutch in. It sounds like you are, then when you release the clutch (at cruise speed) it pops the car back on. You have something going on for sure.

 

you should not be loosing any power when engaging the clutch

 

engaged means connected as in the clutch pedal is out, pedal pushed in means dis-engaged.


fillis, this only happens in 4th and 5th gears even if you wind out 3rd to say 50 or 60? whats your tach do when you dis-engaged the clutch?

 

Just for the record I'd like to point out that the p0300 code problem, the car vibration problem, the loose 5th gear problem and transfer cases not shimmed correctly problem are all one big ball of string that Mitsubishi fixed on later cars while trying to draw as little attention to the problem as possible. I'm not complaining, my '03 Evo 8 has served me well. But, it all comes down to the same thing, in the early cars they built the drive train too loose.

 

Thanks for that Barneyb. I was completely unaware of that. But like you said, it probably wasn't a big deal, that why no TSB.

 

Okay so update, I tried to get it to misfire/lose power/dash lights come on whatever it has done a couple times since I owned it. Couldn't get it to do it. The vibrations do not exist in 3rd and is very feint in 4th, I tested 3,4, and 5 all at the same speed.

Barneyb - Did you Evo have this drivetrain issue, did you have it fixed? what fixed if you did and how long did you drive it that way before having it fixed?

Or is it not a big deal like BEKevo might be proposing?

Once again thanks everyone for the input!