mattyhfd

i go on the beach all the time. 2x that ive gone on, my jeeps OIL TEMP warning light has gone on. 1st time i didnt air down in loose sand (i have 32" BFG KMs) but second time i was aired down to 20. it happens in 4high in loose sand with my RPMs at about 2grand....... Is it my motor oil or tranny oil? my engine temp gauge reads totally normal. is that normal? i never knew of anyone who owned a 4x4 vehicle or JK for that matter and had this issue!!!!! PLEASE HELP!!!!

remark

The HOT OIL warning is for the auto transmission fluid.

And it happens to some of us. Shift into 1st or 2nd instead of just D when in 4 wheel. It seems to help control it.

Oh yeah, you can also install an aux cooler. There are several threads on here about it. Or you can get a aeroforce interceptor or other guage to watch the temp more closely.

coastie kyle

hahahahahahahahahahahahaha

remark

Yeah I had the 4hi thing pointed out to me, so I use 4 low when I am questioning my trans temp.

Widewing

As others have said, you are over-heating the tranny. Put it neutral and let it idle for a few minutes until the idiot light goes out.

You can avoid this by doing a few things....

First, always air down. You want to float on the sand, not push through it. Pushing through will generate a lot more heat. I suggest no more than 15 PSI for current south shore conditions. Next, put the gear lever in 2 before driving out on the beach.

Turn off the traction control/ESP if you want to run 4 high (it switches off automatically if you shift into 4 low).

Currently, sand on Long Island beaches is extremely dry and soft due to the mini-drought and heatwave. You may want to drop down to low range. Moreover, the sand temperature is extremely high right now, and that will contribute to the problem by radiating the heat upward onto the underside of your Jeep.

Finally, you can always invest in an aux cooler, although if you prep correctly, you really don't need one for beach driving.

mattyhfd

alright so a couple of questions then........
-We are sure that this is for my tranny oil, not motor oil?
-If its tranny oil, isn there a better type of tranny fluid i could you? like for higher temps?
-In 4low, at 10-15mph is like 3-3.5RPMs. my issue in 4high is happening at 2RPMs. how will 4low help that?
-how much do treanny coolers cost, and how hard are they to install?

rubiRI77

trans fluid. I just got a recall notice from Chrysler the other day about this same issue. The only thing is, it says it can happen in some 2008 jk's. Mine is a 2007

But either way, I have yet to have that light up on mine. Anyone else know about the recall?

mattyhfd

so im guessing that theres no recall for the 2009s

Widewing

No... Your warning light (digital display) works. 2007 and 2008 have sensors, they simply were not reporting the temperature due to the computer programming. The recall fixed that oversight.

remark

I have an 09 and I have gotten the HOT OIL light. The dealership just reflashed my jeep this week saying that it was for a recall for the auto trans warning. So I don't know if it was a repetitive thing or a new recall because I never received a recall letter.