Well, I noticed my clutch slipping(i'm pretty sure it is) recently and brought it to the dealership I bought my MR from. After trying to explain that it would suddenly rev while driving after hitting partial boost, they kept my car overnight in order to, i guess, examine it. I pick up my car the next day and receive a service order stating, "Customer states check clutch, feels as thought it's slipping. Test drove vehicle, customer has added a 'pop off valve ' for turbo charger, this will affect the performance of clutch. clutch is working correctly at this time, not slipping." Just out of curiousity, I replaced the stock bov aka "pop off valve" just to see if it would actually help my situation. Well, it didn't. I would like to fix the problem w/ my car; however, if Mitsu says that my clutch is perfectly fine, what do i fix? Any ideas?

 

Welcome to the Mitsu family.

They found a mod to blame your problem on, so they don't have to fix it. If your car were stock they would have blamed the nail in your tire.


Your clutch is probably slipping.

 

i figure my clutch is actually slipping, but they didnt even say anything was wrong w/ it. They said the bov was directly affecting the clutch would should mean going back to stock should solve the problem, though i know it won't.

 

I'm going to go out on a limb here, and take a shot at where the dealer is going with this. I'm guessing they are implying that with the non-stock BOV, you were probably running higher-than-stock boost levels. More boost = more power. More power = more drivetrain strain, in this case.... (wait for it) THE CLUTCH! (or <insert whatever part is acting up that may be even slightly connected to the drive train, excluding the floor mats).

"Your rear Mitsu emblem fell off? Well, that's probably due to that fancy pop-off valve you've got on there son. The extra boost puts more g's into acceleration and stresses the trim adhesive WAY BEYOND the anticipated limits..."

Just my guess.

 

the "pop off valve" will not effect clutch performance. To effect the clutch, you'd need to make more power, aka more boost. The "pop off valve" will not make more boost or more power. Now if you had a boost controller or other means to increase boost, then you'd be out of luck with the dealership.

Ask the dealer to explain to you how the "pop off valve" can effect clutch performance. They won't be able to. I see you are a newbie, is this your first turbo car? Make sure you have a good understanding of how a turbo works, and how it controls boost, and what role the pop off valve (most people call it a blow off valve actually, or even a diverter valve) plays in clutch performance. The only "pop off valve" I'm aware of, is in the CART racing series, and they call the valve that controls boost the "pop off valve". If your Mitsu dealer tells you that your "pop off valve" controls boost on the EVO, his head is so far up his a$$ it's funny.

You may already have a good understanding of how a turbo system works, but if you don't, there are plenty people here who will help you learn so you can ask the right questions and call B.S. if the dealer starts to pop off....

 

Do a search for mod friendly dealers. Also realize that like brakes and tires, clutches are a wear item and do not fall subject to the same warranties as hard parts do.

However, the Magnusson Moss Warranty Act states as a law that an aftermarket mod that has NO correlation between failure of a factory part and itself cannot be held liable just because its an aftermarket modification. You cant blame a burnt clutch on a BOV or a seized motor on an intercooler pipe or a clutch replacement. They dont relate to each other, just like a manual boost controller WOULD have an effect on a blown motor. See my point? All things equal, good luck.

 

Thats crazy that a "pop off valve" would do such a thing ! Anybody else have this problem yet?

 

I had mitsu void my warranty claim and the remainder of my powertrain warranty after a defective synchro gear just because of a turbo back exhaust. I'm still fighting that one. Welcome to their wonderful customer service.

Seriously they should just sell the car without a warranty!

 

dubbleugly01 is right - Sorry, the last 2 nights of bowl games have me so sleep-deprived I'm having mini hallucinations.

How about this one - a non-stock BOV might not open at the right pressure, and therefore send some shock down the drivetrain (when in reality it would put some stress on the turbo)? Again, I don't believe it, but I'm wondering if the dealer would be bold enough to try to go there.

Or perhaps they're trying to fend you off by testing your knowledge.

And feldguy is right about the clutch being a wear item. How many miles are on the slipping clutch? The lower the miles the stronger your case. Mine went at 16K, but I autocrossed w/ hard launches, so I declined my dealer's offer to examine it for a warranty replacement.

 

I lost my warrenty within the 1st 1,000 miles, so "F" Mitsu dealerships. You own their best car, and they constantly do not warrenty our cars even with the slightest modifications. It's a fact of life, so you got to deal with that issue. Just mod the crap out of the thing with upgraded parts, and don't worry about it. Atleast that's what I have done in the past 2+ years!!!!!!!!!!

 

white, I hear you on that....as for the syncro, save yourself the headache....shep has a great rebuild price for 800 bucks. Ive had my tranny built TWICE by Mitsu and they did a terrible job both times and once again equires building AGAIN. SO....the other thread shows I might not be the wisest financially, but I know what to do about Mitsu and their trannies....lol. PM me if you wanna hear the whole deal.

 

just to clarify on the "wear items"..... brake pads and clutch discs are warrantied for 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first. Or at least they are on the 03's per my warranty/service manual that came with the car.

 

In that case, replace the BOV with the stock unit, go to another dealer and I hope you have less than 12k miles. It should be that easy

 

I'm really not a newbie, but before i began arguing w/ the a$$holes over there, I was gonna get some more input from you guys. I have about 8000 miles on the car and have only had it less than 8 months. I'm just not quite sure what I would say if they started making up more BS. Also, after scratching my head at the "pop off valve" comment, I looked it up online. Saw several electronic pop off valves as well as those capable of handling up to 4000psi(used for huge water and sewage pumps as well as others).

 

Is that your only mod? Why even attempt to fix the problem yourself if you still have a warranty?

If it's not too much trouble, return to stock and let the dealership handle it. That's part of what you pay for.


Cabo