I was on the highway earlier and was driving very aggressively. I'm not gonna lie, I was up there in speed, and I felt the car buck for a split second. Then the Auto mode felt like it was almost stuck in a certain gear. I also noticed that it had lost a significant amount of power. I turned around, came home, and turned it off then on again. The engine sounded normal again and had its power back, buck the "Check Engine" light is still on, and in neutral it won't rev past 4k rpms. Did I do something to the tranny, or does it just need to be reflashed because it went into a safe or "limp" mode?

 

i have the same car and happened to me once when i was racing my friend in his 09 gts. it happened for a second then went away. i would take to the dealer to let them see it before it can get worst. my engine light didn't come on so i didn't really panic.

powered by your MOM!
Mitsubishi's Outperforming Motors

 

Same has happened to me on autox courses wether i am in auto mode or sport mode. I think that as the fluid temp for the CVT gets too hot, the car will "shift" to minimize damage to the tranny. As I have become a harder and faster autox driver, it has really become enough of a problem to justify trading it for something else.

 

Thanks for the help! I have let it sit for a while and everything sounds ok, but the light is still on. I'm gonna bring it to the dealer tomorrow...I just hope it's nothing serious. I have some aftermarket parts in my engine, and I'm afraid if it's serious, the warranty will be voided.

 

how hard do you autox? I am planning on setting mine up for autox in the spring, and don't want to risk blowing up my cvt tranny. Hopefully it holds up...

 

^ lol blowing your tranny will be pretty hard..these things are so complex theres many ways the tranny adjusts to avoid that. the car will literally tell you to slow down

 

what parts do you have installed? You could always return everything to stock before you bring it in. Or you could find someone near you that has a scan tool to pull the CEL code and see what it is for yourself.

 

I think this is the part where someone says "Should've gotten a manual".
But in all seriousness, I understand if a transmission cannot handle the power after turbocharging the car etc. but not being able to handle the stock power level is just pathetic.

 

if there is a problem, its not likely to be with your CVT, but your engine, likely triggered a fault. Your CVT never really fully engages in gear with a full lock up. It will let it float a bit to take the stress way from hard pulls. this and anti vibration program are what makes you lose about 5%-7% power compared to a 5 speed manual.

The CVT can handle boost just not too much, also upgraded CVT fluid is a must. ENEOS CVT fluid for sure.

With the right reprogramming, the CVT is way more fun to drive. Mitsubishi just has to drop it back down to a 5 speed CVT program

 

Yeah, the CVT is tougher than most seem to think. I've yet to hear of anyone actually breaking one that wasn't running more than 280ish whp through it.

 

any word from folks in japan working on some type of reprogram for the CVT? i can see it coming sooner or later.

 

All is good! After I posted last, went out to my car, and the light was gone. Apparently it just turned the safe mode on for a bit to safe the tranny. Now I know how hard I can punch it!!! Until I get some new fluid in there, and possibly a CVT cooling system from RRM, guess I will have to keep it under 120mph!

 

u already have a CVT cooling system O_o. the stock fluid that is in there should be good.

i wouldnt change out the cvt cooler as it could and pobably will void your warranty on your cvt if you ever have a problem with it.

 

repost.

 

Well if you regularly autox then you know you are typically (manual tranny) running 1st, 2nd, or 3rd. I typically run in 2nd in sport mode but the problem is that occasionally i'll jump above the rev limit. This has only happened twice but both times the tranny switched back to D mode right at the apex were you need low end torque the most. running in D mode on an autox course is at least 1 to 1-1/2 seconds slower. Check your fluid regularly but your biggest problem will be in the summer. Pop the hood between laps and leave the engine running to cool the fluid. Depends on where you run though. We run 8 timed laps per event and by the 4th, the car will start to bogg down. CVT cooler will put you in Street Mod Class and even with a turbo you will not beat whatever the local SM guys are drivin. Street Mod = 300-400hp and 2.1k-2.7klbs to be competative. And remember 1st rule of autox:

"Gas is on the right, and it goes to the floor!"

So learn left foot braking and adjust your tire pressures to get the car to oversteer slightly around the turns. PM me if you have any questions.