djsoarer

how can i tell if there is something wrong with my pi torque converter or that it wasn't installed correctly? i don't really feel any off the line performance and the little more power that i do feel thru out the powerband i would credit it to my tune up. yes i have searched and the only thing that i really found was to powerbrake and the rpms should go up to the set stall speed but when i do that it only goes to about 2k and my stall speed is 2800. i have also reset my ecu and for a little while that seemed to help but about and hour after drivin with my ecu reset and drivin the car aggressivley my trac off and check engine light came on. i read that when the trac light and check engine light come on its your o2 sensor but they never said anything the trac off and check engine light. any help would be appreciated. thanks

Vegassc400

I'd call PI directly. Doesn't sound like an install issue. Sounds like it wasn't programmed with the correct stall speed.

gadgetSC

Not trying to add fuel to the fire, But....
I have been reading some questionable things about PI in the past few months over on Supra forums.
Last week I went ahead and tried to order one from SoundPerformance and the word was that they didnt deal with PI anymore . I didnt get anymore information than that. I ended up with there stage 2 converter.
It does sound like they got it wrong. Sounds like it would be a pain to find out. Good luck.





gadgetSC-t

TurboB6

I had a trans. failure after installing my PI converter 2 months ago I believe it was.

Hermosa

Hi,

What tranny cooler did you use? Did you bypass the stock one as well?

Hameed

Reading this type of feedback is what makes me hesitate to do this mod on my GS400........

TurboB6

I have a 16row trans cooler on the car. Stock one is long gone, lol, Aftermarket Rad too.

Hameed: Having a converter helped big time on the street/track imo. Just I haven't had much luck. I was about to try different converter company but I've changed transmission setups all together.

SC400-V8

iTrader: (1)

I feel the exact same way... instead of spending thousands of dollars on my 92 I think it would be better just to upgrade to a more powerful 98+ SC400 in a year or two.

BoostCrazy

I have had my old PI 3800 converter fail as well, although this was at 500whp+ power levels. My new PI 4000 is holding up well so far. Stock cooler + B&M race unit. Soon to add another cooler w/ fan and temp gauge to keep an eye on things. I think heat killed the old converter and trans.

TurboB6

I've had two 4K stall ones so far. First one failed to heat, the unit actually froze to the pump bushing. Second one caused a transmission failure. Apparently, Marko's built autos don't like the PI converters.

BoostCrazy

It was my stock tranny that ate the PI converter. I'm running an SP gen II now with no issues so far. Only about 300 miles on it so far though along with 3 track passes and about 20+ dyno pulls...

djsoarer

i wish i heard about all these issues before i bought it . the weird thing about my trac off light and check engine light coming on is that they only come on when i come to a complete stop .

verylost

You can't really blame the PI torque converter for the tranny failures. It could be that the tranny couldn't take the extra stress or was already in the process of failing. The torque converter just expedited the failure. I also don't think TurboB6 and Boost are making stock power either.

I have had my PI torque converter installed going on 2 years now and I haven't had a problem with my transmission. Only problem I've had is smoking my tires a little too often

Anytime you do a performance mod, you are adding extra stress to the system. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't.

BoostCrazy

Very well said. I'm hoping my current setup will last for time to come! MAKE SURE you install one or TWO large trans coolers with the converter install. The extra heat generated by the slipping of the converter is probably what causes most failures. Just my .02.

928owner

My 2 cents.... with REAL WORLD experience,

I have had the purple dragon in my car for two years now with about 100 miles a day. It has been rock solid. I would be carefull about over zealous claims of increased performance, but is is definetely quicker of the line.... the guy in the 740il I smoked (off the line) found that out You need real HP gains to realize any mid-to top end gains, but the converter was still a good investment. Just avoid any "inflated marketing claims " and you will be happy, as I have been.

I did have initial problems with it, but the guys at PI fixed everything and explained that there had been some clearance issues on the early Dragons which could destroy the front oil seal... which is what happede to me.. but they made good on it, and I am happy with the results... for a car this heavy.

928