engine power increase

outlaw40 · Guru

RE: engine power increase

Bill B · Guru

Do you tow with the transmission in auto (D) or sports mode ?

JackoFJR · Senior Member

Jeez if you have been on the Mitsubishi forums why haven't you got the answer there , I would of thought if the problem is so common those blokes would have it sorted by now .

If you are so convinced more power will be the fix , why not talk to Steinbauer and try one or just get a Tune then come back and tell everyone how wrong we all were .

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

Change down manually . Fit a big or another big trans cooler !! Even a steel pipe infront of of radiator ? Maybe water injection to keep carbon away from EGR ? Cooler intake temps . Devels Own kit from US .

rockylizard · Guru

Ron-D wrote:
You're right it's definitely overheating the transmission, transmission cooler is stock on these cars, the temperature increase on the transmission is because the poor little diesel is working its backside off, climbing huge hills, limp mode is common with the small Triton engine towing under extreme conditions, it's all over the net, were not the only ones, what I was fishing for here is a response from someone that has done the mod, the scanguage makes a lot of sense but it needs more grunt that's the real answer....

Gday...

I have read through this thread and I am thoroughly confused - which is not an unusual outcome for me.

Am I correct in interpreting the problem that the vehicle 'struggles' up long, steep hills to the point that the vehicle enters 'limp mode'.?

If that is the case then the problem would seem to be that the transmission is overheating to the extent that the 'computers' put the vehicle in to 'safe mode' so that it will not cause damage and the driver is 'forced' to pull over and let it all cool down.

This the bit that is confusing me - if the transmission is overheating and causing 'limp mode' then how will EXTRA power to drive the vehicle HARDER up the long, steep hills stop it falling into 'limp mode'?

One would think that giving EXTRA grunt to the motor via an ECU or chip would put the transmission under MORE strain (ie heat) going up long steep hills and cause 'limp mode' to be arrived at earlier up the hill.

Given the comments that this vehicle already has a separate factory-fitted oil cooler for the transmission then it would seem the vehicle is being used beyond the maker's specified ability - or the maker has under-engineered the factory cooler.

I would suggest an extra-capacity oil cooler be installed in place of (or in additional to) the factory-fitted unit so that the heat being generated by the transmission can be dissipated more efficiently, and avoiding 'limp mode'.

Personally, I am not in favour of making modifications to motors to draw extra Kw and Nm above the manufacturer's original design unless for things such as competition when one expects that with the extra grunt one will forego some longevity and/or reliability - or greater maintenance attention.

Bottom line to my mind is that if the vehicle is having such difficulty towing the weights mentioned then I would invest in a more suitable vehicle.

Cheers - John

Ron-D · Guru

I think its time to end this I have been towing this van behind this car for six years now and Believe me as sure as night follows day I hnow how to drive to this problem,yep I have been all over other forums,yep its a common problem but happens rearilly ,what I wanted from this post was to see if anyone here had exactly the same car with the same problem,and have they had any success in solving it,please understand I dont need to be tutored on the basics of driving skills and oil coolers,thanks everyone for your replies I might of sounded aggressive with some of my replies but it was just frustration coming out...

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

I think youâll find the cooler is actually a heater as well ? I had one for work . On cold mornings I would hold foot on brake and while in drive . Hold rpm around 1200 on converter to heat engine . It would only take a minute before the light on dash came on . Saying trans is overheating. Yes donât do this to your own vehicle!! Mind you it has done 200,000 ks when sold . So the heat from engine comes into it also !! $80 ., Trans cooler end of trans heat issues .

Ron-D · Guru

I spoke to someone recently with the same car when the auto oil turns brown it needs replacing,he said most just change the oil in the pan,I used to in the old days with a new filter when I did my own,he seems to think most workshops still do,but the oil in the torque converter also needs to be changed ,and most workshops neglect to do this,he maybe right and this maybe part of the problem....

EJP · Senior Member

Ron-D, I have a 2.5 ltr Challenger and tow a 17 ft poptop, 1.6 ton. I have read about the 2.5 ltr Mitsubichi diesel auto going into limp mode when under load and as far as I can see the answer is to tow in sports mode, 4th gear, 2400 rpm at 90-95 mph and change down accordingly when climbing hills. My van is reasonably light and on the flat and low hills I am generaly in auto, and on long hills I change down manually to 2nd or 3rd depending on the climb. This locks the torque convertor and prevents overheating. This is basicaly what Mitsubichi recommend. I also use sports mode when decending, saves the brakes and gives me better control of the vehicle, obviously brakes have to be used at times when required. I do not have any problems, even when decending and ascending into and out of Adelaide, which can be a bit daunting. I do not see the need for an extra or larger cooler. This topic has been covered in depth on the Mitsubichi/Triton/Challenger forum. If your engine is underperforming in everyday life, ie no power, sluggish etc you may need to look at in inlet manifold clean. These engines can get clogged up if they are subject to continuous short trips, stop-start running etc. Disregard this if this is not the case.

Regards EJP

Farmhat · Senior Member

Ron-D's problem is inherent in vehicles of his model, and nothing to do with the way he drives it. Through the collective input of many on the related forums it has been concluded that there is no fix. Larger coolers have been fitted, yes even by the manufacturer to no avail. It appears it is a design fault unfortunately that one just has to live with. In fact many dealerships service departments lie and say they have never heard of the problem, knowing that they cannot correct it. This limp mode does not always even show up a code fault. It is very simple to take back out of the limp mode but that doesn't help with the frustration it causes. The model is not produced anymore so unlikely a real fix will ever be made.

Fingers crossed.

Joe

Edit. EJP It seems you are one of the lucky ones and I wonder if that may just be that your van is so light. Do you do many k's? I just had a Steinbauer fitted and took a much heavier van on yet another 5,500 klm drive and had this limp mode happen just once. Previous similar trips with out the Steinbauer saw the limp mode happen much more often.

Just my observations on this problem.

Joe

-- Edited by Farmhat on Wednesday 11th of July 2018 07:42:44 PM

-- Edited by Farmhat on Wednesday 11th of July 2018 07:45:58 PM

rockylizard · Guru

Farmhat wrote:
Ron-D's problem is inherent in vehicles of his model, and nothing to do with the way he drives it. Through the collective input of many on the related forums it has been concluded that there is no fix. ~~~SNIP
Joe

Gday...

And therein seems to be the solution - the vehicle is not suitable for the duty Ron-d (and any other owner) uses it.

The "fix" is to invest in a replacement vehicle. Given it is suggested the problem is model specific, then even just a different model of the same vehicle.

Cheers - John

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

Yes I have 6.5 turbo diesel 7 ton . These small engines vehicles is most cases beat us up most hills if they can pass . But we just ease back . In our case itâs fuel consumption, economy ., 1800 rpm at 100kph on flat is fine . 40 kph Mt Victoria. Thatâs the speed limit anyway for this vehicle . Besides we look at it as being in a mobile picture theatre! Just taking it ALL in . Retired LIFE !!

Ron-D · Guru

rockylizard wrote:
Farmhat wrote:
Ron-D's problem is inherent in vehicles of his model, and nothing to do with the way he drives it. Through the collective input of many on the related forums it has been concluded that there is no fix. ~~~SNIP
Joe
Gday...
And therein seems to be the solution - the vehicle is not suitable for the duty Ron-d (and any other owner) uses it.
The "fix" is to invest in a replacement vehicle. Given it is suggested the problem is model specific, then even just a different model of the same vehicle.
Cheers - John

Joe is a fellow owner that like me has a problem that happens rarely ,I have been away now for three months the car has gone into limp mode once on this trip John ,your solution is to spend fifty K on a new car get nothing for mine ,pay for all the new wiring,new tow bar ect.unless your full of Money to waste in my opinion thats not on.what is on is to make a few changes to a the car .others have like Joe has and thats what Iam going to do...

Ron-D · Guru

EJP wrote:
Ron-D, I have a 2.5 ltr Challenger and tow a 17 ft poptop, 1.6 ton. I have read about the 2.5 ltr Mitsubichi diesel auto going into limp mode when under load and as far as I can see the answer is to tow in sports mode, 4th gear, 2400 rpm at 90-95 mph and change down accordingly when climbing hills. My van is reasonably light and on the flat and low hills I am generaly in auto, and on long hills I change down manually to 2nd or 3rd depending on the climb. This locks the torque convertor and prevents overheating. This is basicaly what Mitsubichi recommend. I also use sports mode when decending, saves the brakes and gives me better control of the vehicle, obviously brakes have to be used at times when required. I do not have any problems, even when decending and ascending into and out of Adelaide, which can be a bit daunting. I do not see the need for an extra or larger cooler. This topic has been covered in depth on the Mitsubichi/Triton/Challenger forum. If your engine is underperforming in everyday life, ie no power, sluggish etc you may need to look at in inlet manifold clean. These engines can get clogged up if they are subject to continuous short trips, stop-start running etc. Disregard this if this is not the case.

Regards EJP

EJP believe me as sure as night follows day after towing many many thousands of Ks over the Iast seven years I have driven it in sports an auto and it still goes into limp mode,it did not happen the first couple of years,we did not travell as much then and towed a much lighter van,the car is a great tow vehicle but this problem happens rarely,only when were climbing massively steep terrain the sort that never seems to end,90 percent of the time we dont come across that sort of territory but it is annoying,and if I can do a few mods that will virtually eliminate the problem,and keep what is mostly a good car,and not transfer many many thousands of dollars to the stealers on a new vehicle,even though I can easily afford it,to me that would be a stupid waste of money .I came across a guy towing a 3 ton van his used to go into limp mode as it would towing that thing,bu t he has had a performance chip added to it,a auto temp gauge fitted,and drives it in a certain rev range rev range depending on torque I wish I had of written it down now.....

-- Edited by Ron-D on Thursday 12th of July 2018 03:37:20 PM

EJP · Senior Member

Ron-D, sorry I can't help you with your problem. My Challenger is reasonably new, 3 years old and have not experienced this problem, maybe it is due to the reasonably light van I tow. You have obviously explored all avenues. I did read on the Challenger section of the Pajero Forum that there was someone working on a mod. to solve the limp mode problem with the 2.5 ltr Triton/Challenger but have not heard anything for some time. Whether it was successful, I don't know. Maybe a search on that forum will reveal something. Good luck with whatever you come up with.

Regards EJP

Ron-D · Guru

EJP its no big deal good luck with yours hopefully you wont have the problem...