# Clutch overheat warning light



## Alexinphuket (Jan 25, 2012)

This is a funny 1, car has done 25k, Litchy stage 4. 

Was going back to the office earlier, and after 10 minutes of very steady motorway driving, pulled off to the trading estate and needed to give way to a wagon. 

Conditions were greasy but no rain, suspension settings, diff and traction control were all set to R (RED) mode. 

Set off in manual , throttled hard on and the wheels started to spin, so grabbed the upshift into second.

Immediately, warning light on dash came on saying that 4wd clutch overheat and to stop until the light had gone off, which i did.

2 minutes later, light went out and carried on journey, very confused, anyone had experience of this?

Haven't had this happen once even with all the wet track days i have done, cadwell, nuremburgerburgering and Donnington (yesterday)


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## andrew186 (May 3, 2010)

has happened to me a couple of times

i think the warning comes on to prevent a clutch problem / overheat rather than to tell you it has overheated

ive had it when launching the car with traction control on R... it cuts out when there is too much wheelspin and revs building to prevent you breaking the clutch

might be wrong but ive never had any problems


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## charles charlie (May 3, 2008)

I believe this warning can come on when excess slip is detected on a single wheel.


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## KaizerMotor (Jan 14, 2010)

andrew186 said:


> has happened to me a couple of times
> 
> i think the warning comes on to prevent a clutch problem / overheat rather than to tell you it has overheated


Spot on Andrew. This warning is comes on when the 4WD system has to high load on the clutch and the oil temperature is likely to increase rapidly. If it's ignored, clutch maybe damaged.


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## saucyboy (Nov 1, 2009)

Alex mate, I've had this once before in exactly the same circumstances as you. 

I'd just dropped someone off and had been sat still for about a minute. Then pulled away (rolled slowly initially) before booting it. She span up and I grabbed 2nd, she span again and at this point the light flashed on. I came to a stop and she sorted herself within a minute. Never happened since. Forgot to mention the road was very very greasy and was soaking wet.

Quite unnerving at the time especially as it was not being thrashed. But having read above makes sense with the computer seeing a steep/sharp increase in temp so flagging it up.

Glad my daily doesn't have that safe guard as that does get a kickin at times lol.


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## Alexinphuket (Jan 25, 2012)

Good to know! was worried, esp with the mileage the car has, was mentally totting up the cost of uprating the clutch. Having said that, maybe a worthwhile upgrade if i ever go to stage 5. Better start asking a few more mod relevant questions!


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## Wheels (Aug 15, 2009)

got this on monday at bruntinthorpe on a limit handling day with Don Palmer...too much drifting etc caused the same message...parked up and left car for a few mins and hey presto...fine.


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## Takamo (Oct 18, 2005)

Yup also had it come on a couple of times it normally happens if you give it some and the traction kicks in and you carry on pedal down and dont back off, if you buy the ecuteck cable from licho you can clear all the fault memories


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## alloy (Apr 29, 2005)

I get this with the LC5 BOTL VDC off launchs


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## ACspeedtech (Aug 25, 2011)

This used to be a common problem with remaps when the theoretical pulse width was too high and/or people didn't do the calculations properly in the software to reduce it.
If you get a torque spike, usually when you suddenly get grip after slippage it could trigger the same issue on a stock car, it's an 'overtorque' not an 'overheat' as it says, it should reset if you cycle the ignition, but still might need to clear the code.


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## ACspeedtech (Aug 25, 2011)

and to add, is quite common when dyno-ing GTR's if they snatch up on the straps too hard when they come on boost.


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## willgts (Jul 17, 2004)

I have also had this after a launch in damp conditions and when on a trackday in the wet with the TC off.


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