[Harryvaneck]

Hi guys. Just joined forum today. Also just bought a 2000 Pajero IO and went through The Baviaans Kloof this last weekend. What an awesome experience!! It exceeded all my expectations. Just a question- when i engage difflock, the difflock display light keeps flashing no matter what I do. Is that normal? Does that mean difflock is not engaged? Should I disengage?

[Davidvan]

Hi Harry,

Welcome to the forum, not sure about the IO, but with most other Mistu brands the 4x4 lights including diff lock should be constant, a flashing light typically means an issue of some sort, and usually does not mean the difflock is engaged. The easiest way to test this is to drive on a dirt road and try and engage the difflock, when you make a tight turn you should hear the rear wheel (the inside wheel of the turn) would "skip" a bit as it will try and turn at the same speed as the outer wheel, as the difflock would typically mean locking the rear axle as s ingle unit.

Hope that helps

Cheers

David

[Gerrit Loubser]

David, the diff lock light that Harry is talking about is the center diff lock's; the iO does not have a rear diff lock. Nevertheless, the effect in a tight turn on dirt of a center diff that is locked is not that dissimilar to a rear diff that is locked, though slightly less dramatic. If the center diff is locked, some wheel somewhere is going to have to slip in a tight turn on gravel.

The iO engages the center diff lock manually, though, so if the lever is in the right position, the diff will be locked, regardless of what the indicator light says. I would assume that the detection switches or the wiring might be the culprit causing the flashing light.

[Davidvan]

Hi Gerrit,

Thanks for the update, if centre diff only on the Paj IO then you are 100% correct. Just curious why you say the centre diff will be engaged even with the flashing lights, I know it is possible on the Paj too.

David

[Harryvaneck]

Hi David and Gerrit.
Thx so much for your replies and yes Gerrit you correct. I have subsequently discovered a very helpful 4x4 centre here in East London. They have discovered that the wire from the switch in the transfer case is broken but that diff lock is engaging. So have to get a new switch. Thx once again for your response.

Harry

[Davidvan]

Hi Harry,

Glad it is getting sorted, and send some pics of the IO in action, always liked the IO's, nice and capable 4x4's.

Cheers

David

[4ePikanini]

Hi David and Gerrit.
Thx so much for your replies and yes Gerrit you correct. I have subsequently discovered a very helpful 4x4 centre here in East London. They have discovered that the wire from the switch in the transfer case is broken but that diff lock is engaging. So have to get a new switch. Thx once again for your response.

Harry

Welcome to the forum

I'm in East London as well. What workshop are you referring to?

[Gerrit Loubser]

Just curious why you say the centre diff will be engaged even with the flashing lights, I know it is possible on the Paj too.

David, on the older Super Select transfer case such as the one fitted to the Gen 2 and the iO, the transfer shift lever is a real mechanical lever that shifts the transfer case into its various modes (2H, 4H, 4HLc and 4LLc). If you are able to move the lever from the 4H position to the 4HLc position, then the center diff will be locked, even if there is some issue with the transfer case mode detection system that might cause some of the little indicator lights to flash and indicate an incomplete shift or other issue.

On the later Gen 3 and Gen 4 Pajeros with the Super Select II transfer case, the transfer shift lever is actually a cleverly disguised electrical switch; the transfer case is shifted into its various modes by an electrical actuator. This introduces another level of complexity and possible failure points into the system: if the lights are flashing, one does not know which mode has actually been selected (unless one conducts some physical tests), because the root cause of the flashing could be in the mode detection system or in the electrical actuator system (thankfully the latter is rare).

[Davidvan]

Thanks Gerrit, makes sense, and thanks for the detail. It is handy to know the other Paj setups too.