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Mitsubishi Diamante Brake Issues

greenstone48greenstone48 Member Posts: 1
I have been following some of the older discussions on the Diamante brakes but on one has had this question.

I have a 2001 ES with 70,000 miles on it. At 60,000 the car needed new brake pads on the rear. The dealer indicated that the disks should be turned as well. So the work was done. Then at 68,000 the ABS light started coming on when the car was started and staying on but it was intermittent. Sometimes light on, sometimes not. Had the dealer check it out ($80.00). Was told there was a bad sensor in one of the rear hubs. Question, could the brake job have caused this or do the sensors have an issue on the 2001? I ask because the hub needs to be rplaced to replace the sensor and this is going to be a $400.00 plus visit.

Comments

  • jerryterry22jerryterry22 Member Posts: 9
    My 2002 green diamante sedan, 3.5 liter engine with beige interior leather (60,000 miles)has the best brakes I have ever experienced in any vehicle.

    I did have the front rotors turned for grinding when braking. But this was a small price to pay for the return
    response!
  • ceejay2ceejay2 Member Posts: 1
    I have same car and I think same problem at aboout 66k miles, TCL light and ABS light came on and off intermittently and now all the time. how did your situation pan out? I thank you for your time in advance.

    CJ
  • mirtomirto Member Posts: 2
    Hi all, I am new to the D forum...I have a 2001 and I am experiencing the same problems with ABS and TCL lights staying on. I have 102K on mine and it started around 97K. It's on and off but more on than off. I also have a bad emergency brake cable and was told over $300 to replace. Has anyone ever had this done?
  • ttaylor5ttaylor5 Member Posts: 1
    Our 2001 Diamante has over 140,000 miles on it. The brakes make a horrible grinding noise, even though just replaced. Also, the emergency brake has not worked for awhile. The brakes have always make a weird noise...
  • jk59erjk59er Member Posts: 1
    Can anyone tell me how to remove the rear rotor on the Diamante? I have the caliper off but can't quite figure the rotor.
  • ewb4archewb4arch Member Posts: 1
    I just recently replaced the rear rotors on my 2002 Diamante. WHAT A PAIN IN THE A--! There is no screw or anything holding it on. The problem is the rust build up on the inside of the "drum" part of the rotor preventing it from sliding past the emergency brake shoe.

    The first thing to do is to remove the little rubber cap on rotor. That is the access port to the emergency brake tension adjuster. Aline the hole to about 11:00 and spin the gear looking thing with a standard screw driver to loosen the emergency brake tension. Sorry, don't remember which direction. I still had to take a large pry bar AND a gear puller to force it to slide off. I was real close to attempting to cut it off with an angle grinder, but thankfully the gear puller worked. Hope this helps.
  • turkey50turkey50 Member Posts: 2
    I am having problems with the braking system on my 2004 ford ranger. Need some ideas, Brake pedal goes from hard to soft. Is it possibly brake booster or master cylinder. And if you replace one should you replace them both. All fluid levels are fine. Brake pads are fine. Please give some advice.
    George
  • moberheidemoberheide Member Posts: 5
    I'd say that your rear ABS sensor has indeed failed, and it is not related to recent brake job. Same thing just happened on my '02 VR-X (85,000 mi), intermittent ABS / TCL light along with occassional ABS motor engaging during braking. I diagnosed problem myself with help of on line shop manual (eautorepair.net) and a multimeter. Turned out that right rear sensor failed both the ohm resistance (1.4-1.8 ohm) and output test (>50 AC millivolts). Dealer wanted $400 for new sensor, and national parts chains don't carry it. I got lucky and found import salvage yard with a '02 Diamante that hadn't been cannabilzed yet, and was able to secure rear hub assy w/sensor for $150. Removing sensor from this hub and re-installing on my vehicle was not difficult. It worked like a charm - no more ABS problems.

    Now I got to figure out fix for the infamous heater core issue! Any help out there with DIY procedure short of removing the entire instrument panel ?
  • turkey50turkey50 Member Posts: 2
    Thank you for your help, As it turned out the master cylinder was bad, and we replaced it, and bled the brakes completely. Now all is working just fine. :shades:
    Thanks to my son with the national guard. Who did the job for me. Husband is not happy he could not do it. hehehehe
  • 97diamante97diamante Member Posts: 11
    There were several inventive ideas posted on the former "diamanteforum" site. But the only one I saved (because it was in PDF) is this long one which is not a shortcut :-(

    ____________________________________________________________________
    The first thing you should do is have the air conditioning
    serviced by some one who has the equipment to remove the
    r134 properly.
    There are two ways of fixing leaking antifreeze from the heater
    core. One is to change the O-rings on the heater core only and
    the other is to change the heater core.
    I started out trying to change the O-rings only, when I looked at
    the O-rings I was not absolutely sure antifreeze was only leaking
    there so I decided the heater core may need to be changed.
    To Change the Heater Core the entire dashboard must come off
    so that the core can be removed.
    The first thing was removal of the r134 by a service station. I
    removed the antifreeze and disconnected both hoses from the
    firewall that go into the heater core. I disconnected the negative
    connection from the battery because I did not want the air bags
    to go off. Inside the car I took the glove box off first. Then remove
    the passenger side air bag it could be unclipped, handle
    with lots of care. The trim plate on the passenger floor left side
    must come off also.
    On the driver side the steering wheel must be removed and the
    plastic housing around the steering post. The blinker lever and
    light lever must be removed. Handle air bag with care when
    Removing to steering wheel off. You will need a steering wheel
    puller. I removed the trim collar around the instrument panel
    two Philips screws and it snaps out. Tip: it easier if you can push
    on any clip from the rear they will snap out easier. The instrument
    cluster has four philips screws and comes out easily. The
    bottom of the driver side dash must be removed.
    The center panels and radio must come out. Open the coin box
    and pull lightly on the rear of the wood grain, it unclips. Work
    your way up and unclip to the front of the wood grain then remove
    it. Next remove the ashtray, this can be pulled out with
    help from pushing on clips from behind. On top of the radio the
    air vents also unclip. There are four screws that hold in the radio
    and heater control box. The console will also have to be loosened
    and moved back about an inch to make way for the dash
    removal. There are six screws total, two front, two under coin
    box that needs to be removed and two under rear glove box
    console.
    The dashboard screws need to be removed all underneath. There
    are two screws up in front under the speakers, the speakers pop
    out and you will see the 10mm bolts. The dash should now be
    ready for removal. The metal chassis that you see in picture B
    does not have to come out but I loosened all 10mm bolts for
    room to take out heater housing. In Picture B you also see AC
    evaporator on floor after removal. After the dashboard is removed
    you can take out the fan blower and air conditioner
    evaporator box remove the 12mm bolts (Picture C). This white
    plastic is made up of 3 sections that need to be separated for access
    to heater core.
    See next page.
    Picture A This white box is the heater assembly
    that needs to come out to the right side for
    removal of Heater core. Black vent pops out
    pull up.
    Picture B Center chassis metal brackets
    Picture C Two sections come apart after 12mm bolts
    are removed and black plastic round buttons.
    Diamante 2001 LS 73,000 miles
    Heater Core Replacement
    This picture was taken with camera up against firewall. This heater box unit needs to
    slide out to the right so you can unscrew heater core from plastic section. Be careful
    when removing because antifreeze will leek out of pipes in car.
    Hope this helps because I spent a lot more time trying to think about the removal of this
    unit than actually doing it. I think some of these pictures and instruction would have
    saved me a lot of time.
    Mike D.
    Not an experienced mechanic just a guy who does not want to spend $1200 on this job.
    ____________________________________________________________________

    THAT'S THE DESCRIPTION BUT I COULDN'T GET THE PHOTOS TO COPY :(
  • 97diamante97diamante Member Posts: 11
    I replaced my front brake pads with ceramics. They made a "juddering/groaning" noise on each stop from about 5 MPH to full stop. The noise was awful and vibration could be felt thoughout the car.
    Replaced them with semi-metallics and all problems fixed.

    Any experience like this from others?
  • bill208bill208 Member Posts: 9
    I have the same vehicle with the same problem according to the dealer. 64K miles and they want $685 to fix it. They are telling me it typically need to be drilled out due to rust, grime etc. Doesn't sound as if you had that problem.Since there aren't many of these cars around what's the best way to locate a salvaged vehicle and how do you tell the one in the junked car is good before you by it. Assuming that happens do the ABS / TCL light automatically turn off or do they need to be turned off?
    Thanks for the help
  • 97diamante97diamante Member Posts: 11
    Find the ABS parts on

    http://ricartmitsubishiparts.com/
  • moberheidemoberheide Member Posts: 5
    To Mike D:

    Once you removed the heater core, did it appear to be leaking from any other area besides the gasket connection? Curious if you thought all the trouble of removing instrument panel was worth it. I have to tackle same job soon, and wondering which route to take. Thanks.
  • moberheidemoberheide Member Posts: 5
    To bill208:
    You can remove ABD sensor from wheel hub by removing one mounting bolt, applying WD40 or other rust penetrant, and working around the edges of sensor mounting flange with a thin bladed screwdriver. It make take a while, but can certainly be done without drilling it out. Thats dealer talk to scare you off from doing it yourself. Regarding salvage yard, get out the yellow pages and pick up the phone - no other way to find one. Ask each yard, after they tell you they dont have one, who'd they recommend. I finally got lucky and was directed to a huge import only yard that had 8 late model Diamantes. There are simple tests to see if ABS sensor works while still on the vehicle (I'll explain in later posting), but more than likely you'll be ok with just paying the $150 for the wheel hub and being on your way. It's a lot cheaper than the other route and you'll feel good not paying the dealer. Once you replace the faulty sensor, the ABS / TCL light will not come back on.
    Indymarco
  • 97diamante97diamante Member Posts: 11
    As many of D owners have had pulsing brake problems I add my story.
    I, too, had pulsing starting at about 25000. I always use a torque wrench when tightening the wheel nuts. I installed a dial indicator and measured the disc runout and also 'miked' the thickness. My conclusion is that Mitsu doesn't "season" the discs properly before machining. There were hard spots causing thickness variations of as much as 0.003"and warpage as much as 0.005".
    Interestingly, only the front discs did this.
  • bill208bill208 Member Posts: 9
    Thanks. I'll look forward to your testing explanation. With the salvage yards these days will they let you go in and remove the parts or do they do it. If them and I ask for a right rear whell hub will the unhook the sensor cable or just cut it if I'm not specific.
  • tribe1tribe1 Member Posts: 2
    I recently replaced 2 of my o2 sensors due to check engine light codes p0155, and p0135, It worked well for about a week and a half, just long enough to get the damn thing inspected and now im coming up with a P0154 code that says it also has to do with the o2s. I also read something bout reprogramming for the diamante because of these errors... What should i do? and is it common for all these things to go wrong at one time? Could it be a more serious problem that is killing these parts?
  • moberheidemoberheide Member Posts: 5
    When you go to salvage yard to retrieve wheel hub w/ABS sensor, tell them that you want to go out with the yardman to remove the wheel hub. This is to make sure that he doesn't just rip the sensor wiring off the vehicle with the wheel hub, but carefully disconnects the pigtail harness and mounting clips. They may give a funny look, but persist anyway.

    Regarding testing all four ABS wheel sensor> There are two key tests: Check for opens and grounds, terminal resistance of each ABS wheel sensor circuit should be between 1.4 - 1.8 kilohms. Check for proper AC voltage output of sensor, voltage should be at 50 mV minimum when wheel is rotated at 1 turn per second.. These checks can be done most conveniently at the master ABS terminal block in engine compartment on passenger side next to firewall. If you're looking at ABS master terminal block, then I can tell you which wiring connector position goes to each of the four wheel sensors. You can also perform these checks at each wheel sensor after jacking up each side of car. If you need more explanation, let me know.
    Indymarco
  • harlycharlyharlycharly Member Posts: 2
    I have a '02 D Ls w/100,700 miles, I bought it used in '05 w/67,000 miles, brakes were fine when I bought it. I just changed the pads with the Duralast Gold ceramics in front and Duralast Gold for the rear, no noise or problems yet. I was a machinist for over 30 years and I do know about metals and manufacturing, I would like to point out that once you warp a rotor you cannot 'turn it' and expect it to be good again. Why is this? Because warping causes hard spots in the metal that will always be there, so when you re-cut the metal you will have thick and thin places on the rotor, even though it will be within the manufacturer's tolerance, it will not take long for the warping to return. So, once they're warped, they need to be replaced! Now as to why they warp, there are several possible causes - 1. Possibly defective materials or quality in manufacturing, possible, but highly unlikely. 2. If you did not have a problem before, and you started having a problem after a brake job, then they probably didn't lube all the pins and contact slide points, this can cause the caliper's and/or the pads to stick, causing uneven wear and over heating of rotors. 3. Is the way some people drive, driving fast and braking hard, what's your hurry? This is not a race car people! It's a mid price semi luxury car! Its excess heat that causes metal to warp and get hard spots, this is a result of bad driving habits most of the time. I've worked on cars and motorcycles most of my life, and this is not the only vehicle to have brake rotor warping. So if you have bad rotors, get NEW ones and change your driving habits! Less accidents TOO!
  • harlycharlyharlycharly Member Posts: 2
    This seems to be a very common problem with Mits D's, from defective seal on the heater core, probably more from a poor design than materials. But they continue to charge an arm and leg in labor, to replace less than $10.00 in parts! It's not the core that bad, only the seals, though they don't usually tell you this! There should have been a recall to replace this with a better designed part, but why when they can sell you a new heater core you don't need and charge you all that labor! Plus if it leaks and you don't do something immediatly, its going to ruin your ECU/ECM,(also know as the Engine Control Unit/Engine Computer Modual and/or several other terms, it controls pretty much everything on the Engine AND Transmission) which is under the heater core! This will cause all kinds of problems with your engine and transmission! Mine was leaking when I purchased it w/67,000 miles, I noticed it the first night, it was just a little fog on the windshield and the anti-freeze smell. I went straight to the auto parts store and bought radiator stop leak with the copper particles in it. Have not had a leak since, 3 1/2 years and 34,000 miles later. Anyone with a leak I suggest you do this a.s.a.p.! $10.00 is less than $1,000+ heater core and an ECU/ECM!
    Also note that if you have problems with the ECU/ECM, this can make your transmission go nuts!
    Good Luck to All!
    I still love my Diamante!
  • bill208bill208 Member Posts: 9
    Moberheide you have been alot of help with the ABS. I did have to buy a new one online for big bucks (how is it it that Mercedes is even less expensive) but it was and easy replacement. Can't believe the dealer wanted $685 for the part and labor.

    I also replaced the O2 sensor and did the battery disconnect. Started the car and the check engine light stayed on. Restarted and light was off and restarted again and the light came back on and has stayed on. Did the battery disconnect for ten minutes and restarted and the light stayed off but on restart it comes back on. When I bought the part online the guy assured me he was sending the correct part but it was for a 3.0 Eclipse and not a 3.5 Diamante-different part numbers. He said they did that all the time and it would work. Is that a parts error and my mistake for listening to that guy? Needless to say the time for returning the part is long gone. Any suggestions. By replacing one sensor could that cause others to show/go bad?(Car has 65,677 miles. Could it be time for just one of those annoying automatic check engine lights that come on just to get you to return to the dealer for some kind of service. I do oil changes myself and just had one done as a quick job at the local Jiffy Lube.)
    Thanks. Any help would be appreciated since these parts are so costly.
  • nv_iousnv_ious Member Posts: 1
    Hi I was just wondering if anyone else has had any issues with the ABS brakes on their Diamante or could help me out???

    I had a 1996 Diamante (Japanese import, right hand drive) & when I brought it a yellow cable that went from behind the right front tyre up along under the bonnet (I am unsure of where it went to) cut... As I the car was repossesed I figured it was the alarm for the car so left it... My Diamante was seen to by a couple of different mechanics as well as an automotive electrician & nothing was said to me about this cable...

    I was recently in an accident in my Diamante & my brakes failed... I am now sure that the cable that was cut was the ABS brake cable as the light never came on & whenever I used my brakes in an emergency the brake pedal would go to the floor & I would hear clunking of cables...

    Does anyone know for sure if the ABS brakes have a wire that goes from one of the front tyres up through the bonnet & down by the engine bay???
  • bellyake3bellyake3 Member Posts: 1
    Why is my brake and battery light coming on at the same time on my '98 diamante? :confuse:
  • jgiacchinojgiacchino Member Posts: 1
    Hello,

    I have been reading this post you did on the ABS of the Diamantes. I too have had the ABS and TCL lights on for awhile. The dealer wanted $1700+ to fix it. I had a shop check the sensors ands they said they could not see anything wrong, they said it was probably the computer chip that is bad. Problem is I cannot find anyone who will sell one to me. Do you have any suggestions?

    Thanks
  • autoelec7autoelec7 Member Posts: 2
    If your abs fails then the abs light will illuminate to show u problem. Does your ABS light self check? So when u turn key on and start vehicle it should go out, if this isso then the bulb is fine, as no 1 has removed the bul to hide a problem. Even if ABS has a fault ou still have standard brakes, like an older vehicle with no abs
  • autoelec7autoelec7 Member Posts: 2
    Hi , i have an issue with abs. Scanning the vehicle gave me a code 32= G sensor output signal trouble code and 63=control unit trouble code. Replaced g sensor and abs ecu, now have no trouble codes and light stil on. unsure if scanner is playing up, really wouldlike wiring diagram its a front wheel drive not 4wd, F31A. If anyone coulf shed any light on the situation it would be much appreciated thanx
  • gregsavetgregsavet Member Posts: 8
    On my 2001 Diamante I am getting a weird noise from the brakes when applying pressure to pedal. the rotors are in good shape to my eye. I am wondering if this happens to be from the pads wearing out there is slight vibration going on and i am wondering if there is something lose causing the clacking noise. Anyone have the same issue with there Diamante. I just purchased this 3000 miles ago and love the car. Also finding parts for this car is very difficult. And I am having issues finding them online also.
  • racewithmeracewithme Member Posts: 1
    Hello MR. Moberheide. I have a 2001 mitsubishi diamante LS 3.5L that has the abs light on and the tcl light switch that flashes on and off. can you please tell me how to test the abs-ecu.
  • drew88drew88 Member Posts: 1
    my 98 just did the same thing... ended up being the alternator. if you dont fix it soon the abs light will start coming on also and then all electric will fail in the car. i bought the alternator for 130 at advance auto
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