SST overheat + 4wd system service required after 5 minutes of snow drifting, is this normal? I went snow drifting in a parking lot for fun and since I'm new to the car I didnt realize how to turn the traction control system off (now I do), tossed the car around for like 5 minutes then got the warning message. After the 5 minute drive home and car sitting for a while, I turned it back on and all the error messages were gone and didnt come back. Would this have happend if I turned traction off? Do these trannys really over heat that easily? Car has 22k miles on it. Light mods.

 

Well, hot SST and "service required" are two different things.

For the former, yes, the SST cooler is small to begin with... and relies on airflow to operate at all. Punting it around a carpark (presumably sideways) would generate very little in the way of airflow through the small foglamp grille, through the cooler and out into the wheel well. Despite the cold ambient temps, the cooler would be stewing in its cavity full of hot, still air.

Can't comment on the TCL/service-required stuff - not from first-hand experience, anyway, as I've not driven hard with TCL on (and have not seen service warnings).

Rich

 

I think the only question is... Why were you beating the crap of the car? I'm sure the 5 min is being dumbed down... it was prolly quite longer...

There was another person on these forums who said the same thing about just some snow drifting...... ended up frying the whole tranny... and the pics of the clutches and steels were burned to a crisp.

I would highly recommend you change your filter and fluid ASAP.

 

I didnt feel like this was beating the car at all, it was literally 5 minutes, maybe even less. So, are there preffered bigger trans coolers that people are using to keep this trans cooled down?

 

I just stuck a temp-controlled fan on mine.

Rich

 

Not a bad idea.

 

Did the car allow much slipping at all since you had stability control on? I would have expected it to cut torque severely that the SST wouldn't have gotten that much heat.

 

SSP makes a supplemental trans cooler and i know there are other brands too but can't think of any of them off the top of my head. also, if you have fog lights, i'd recommend getting the delete kit from mitsubishiparts if you plan on driving the car intensively. granted none of these things will help at all if there isn't airflow...

 

I dont plan on driving the car intensely, i just wanted to see what the car did in a snow covered lot one time. otherwise its a spirted daily driver with occasional drag race track time.

 

i guess for dragging it'd probably depend on the amount of time between runs to give the trans enough time to at least partially cool off... idk, i'd rather be safe than sorry just because the tranny is so damn expensive. you could *probably* get away just fine without aftermarket trans cooler.

 

You shouldn't need an extra cooler for that.

 

I also went snow drifting (ralliart) for about 10mins, but only 30 sec at a time and I take breaks. I had the service reminder off. I hope that doesn't turn off the tranny warming.....

 

It's like anything else in moderation. If it was a stick & you kept dumping the clutch, it would be worse.
Any excessive wheelspin will kill any trans ic you beat it past the point of normal.
Even dyno runs are like 20-30 seconds then a ten/fifteens note cool down. I'd get the cooler anyway, it will extend engine life even if you don't beat on it.
It's going to be one of my first mods, maybe we can do a group buy.
I know it's expensive but what can you do.
My last car would hit limp mode if driven hard in high temps.
After I did the oil cooler temps were down 30 degrees

 

Only 5 minutes of snow drifting caused the tranny to over heat? That's not good.

Also the "service required message" could possible be due to something related to the ACD pump.

Not sure how doing some drifting in the snow constitutes as beating the crap out of your car, either.... That is literally nothing.

There has been times where I've snow drifted in a parking lot for 45 minutes in my STI, and the car ran absolutely perfect the entire time. Even at that, I don't consider that beating on it. I wasn't redlining it or anything.

 

If its an auto sst, that thing gets hot. You really did snow drifting for 45 mins straight in your sti, i call bs.
Sorry no one rips it up for. 45 mins at wot, because snow drifting Is just that. Please don't compare a manual tek the sst, it needs a cooler what's the big deal?