adicus8

I went out to the sand dunes in my jeep today. I had been doing some moderately aggressive driving for about 45 min when i got the HOTOIL notification along with a very annoying pinging. I drove it to a good spot to park to let it cool down and about 45 minutes. Then i went back out. I drove for maybe 30 min and it went on again. My jeep was in 4wd with the tires aired down a bit to around 22psi. My engine temp was just past the half way mark on the gauge, so not too hot at all. My question is which oil do you think was getting too hot, and is there any way to make my jeep last longer without getting hot oil?
Thanks in advance for your help

Pauly_jk

Trans fluid.....From what I underatand, if it's an automatic. Stay in 4lo with over drive off. That way t he trans will lock out and not keep shiftin

adicus8

Awsome! thanks for your help. I will try that next time

jsears

Yep. It's the oil for the transmission. Be sure to check your transmission fluid to see if it smells/looks burnt. If it does I would suggest transmission service on your Jeep. It's better to be safe than sorry, and a transmission rebuild is expensive (mine was just rebuilt).

Also, look into adding an additional transmission cooler; it's cheap safe insurance.

Transmission Fluid Color/Smell Guide:
hxxp://www.atra.com/articles/transmission_service/automatic_transmission_fluid_color_and_smell_what_ does_it_mean

jeeeep

x2 on checking trans fluid and getting trans cooler, may be safer to just change fluid if it triggered hot oil warning.

Check your trans fluid dip stick, make sure none came out or that there are no other leaks. it is flammable and if it's leaking out it will catch fire if it hits the wrong hot parts.

Trans cooler is cheap and easy to install.

915RUBICON

And depending on tire size and how soft the sand is, site down a bit more.....22 might be a little too high... I go to about 15 psi.... I know some who drop down to 10. Play with it alittle. And do some research on it. Helps your jeep not work so hard in the sand. oh and IMHO a tranny cooler is a must.

NDN_GREEN

I had got the same light on when on a trip this year. Mine was just from driving up a long moderate steep fire road. I was told to turn over drive off and leave in in 1st gear or 2nd gear, and it never came on again. Fluid was fine but had it change anyways. Because fluid breaks down when it gets hot, and didn't want to take the risk. Over drive off is must, especially on the freeway.

aero1

trans cooler here too. went with orw they make a nice set up.happened to me in the north carolina mnts on a step grade, and calling chrysler is useless.

Freewill

I'm all for the tranny cooler, but gun shy to put one on my JK while its under warranty - unless I can get the OK in writing from the dealer or factory.

Soooo - I'm looking for other options.

There is already a half-assed tranny cooler in the radiator. Wonder if it would help a bit to use a tuner to lower the fan-on temp?

Jeep guru Moses Ludel says an electric fan won't provide enough cooling for off roading; an engine driven fan is the only answer. Would take some sheet metal work and the fan itself. Could be another warranty issue however. A bigger/better electric fan might help, but the power control module would hafta handle the extra power.

Also - the tranny makes WAY more heat when the converter is unlocked. If the tranny makes less heat, then less cooling is needed. The converter MUST unlock at low engine speeds whether in hi or lo range. I'm pretty sure the converter stays locked at higher engine speeds, maybe around 2500 - 2800 RPM?

The ECU uses a lot of inputs to decide shift and lockup points. Does the converter stay locked more of the time in lo range? Does anyone know when and why the converter locks and unlocks?

mabar

That is definitely your overheated auto transmission oil (fluid). The 2007 through 2011 JK Wranglers have an undersized auto transmission cooler, that is built into the A/C evaporator. Jeep finally changed to a larger, separate auto transmission fluid cooler on the 2012 models, which should take care of the hot oil problem.

When the hot oil light comes on, immediately stop and put the transmission in neutral, and idle the engine at a fast idle for a few minutes, until the light goes off. Many times, once the hot oil light comes on, the trans fluid is already excessively burned, and should be changed.

If you search many Jeep Forums, you will find that the B&M SuperCooler (#70268) Automatic Transmission Cooler is a very popular add-on to 07-11 Wranglers.

Installation write-up here:

B&M SuperCooler Install on JK Wrangler

Mabar