Transmission Temperature - Page 7

Greg In Austin · 05-29-2009, 06:47 PM

OK...so is 250 the number I need to watch out for? I am pretty certain we have never hit 250, and I am pretty certain we have never hot 230....

Maybe we have hit 215 or 220.

John and Dana · 05-29-2009, 07:05 PM

Greg,

From everyone I've talked with if you are at 250 you are definitely in the red zone.

Tom

Foil makes a surprisingly good insulator my concern would be that the first trip down a road with brush growing in the center and I would have to re-apply.

Not to ghetto, my rig already has plumbers tape (the metal strapping used to hang pipe) riveted to the inner fender wells to pull them out of the way so my tires don't rub.

John

Skywagon · 05-29-2009, 07:14 PM

John-
re: drive it and forget it. Hopefully, my documenting it now will make it somewhat of an ongoing problem. And, at least I can say (when it burns up), "Neener, neener, I told you about this problem @ 13,000 miles". Yeah, yeah, I know, that's when they say; "Tough titties, it's your problem because you have 36,ooo.5 miles and it's over the warranty".
Bill

80 deg. in W. Seattle today? The end of the earth is nigh!!

**daveb** · 05-29-2009, 08:49 PM

I have used Kevlar header wrap on exhaust pipes close to critical areas but would rather use heat plaiting or pliable aluminum around the lines so air flow can cool the hot fluid in the lines as well as be shielded against high heat. I still like the idea of a cooler with a fan. Seems like a post about shielding is somewhere on the site.

**BroncoHauler** · 05-29-2009, 11:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John & Dana

... Not to ghetto, my rig already has plumbers tape (the metal strapping used to hang pipe) riveted to the inner fender wells to pull them out of the way so my tires don't rub.

John

Plumber's tape: OK
Plumber's butt: NOT OK

Herb

John and Dana · 06-27-2009, 08:02 PM

I have my new transmission cooler installed and I am happy to report my transmission is running cool

.

I ordered the B&M Racing Hitek 10"x7" cooler with an electric fan for about $215 and installed in on the passenger side of the grill where it would not block air flow to the radiator or existing transmission cooler. I fabricated brackets from 1/8" x 1" aluminum flat stock by heating it with a torch and bending it in a vice to the desired shape. I routed the hoses so the oil goes to the stock cooler first then to the new cooler then back to the transmission. This way the fan will run as little as possible to prolong its life. I pulled power from the existing fuse block under the dash that was added by SMB West so it is keyed to turn on with the ignition switch. Less chance of a short killing my battery this way. The hardest part of the entire installation was routing the wire through the firewall, I was lucky enough to be able to slip it though the split loom for the wiring to my front Hella light. I also had to relocate the horn to the passenger side.

My first trip after installing it was to tow a 5000+ lbs trailer (this years demo derby car) to Goldendale in Eastern Washington. A trip of 230 miles one way that crosses 3 mountain passes in 80 degree weather. The highest temperature the transmission reached was 205 on a prolonged steep grade with the outside air temp at 80 degrees. This was running at about 50 mph. Before the installation without a trailer I would have been pushing 220+ up a grade like this. On the return trip home I didn't see a temp. over 190 and most of the time it was running around 160-170.

John

Skywagon · 06-27-2009, 08:29 PM

OK JOHN!!!!!
It looks like I'll be stopping by on the way south for your guidance in installing a trans cooler.
Bill

Veg Hed · 06-28-2009, 11:51 AM

John,

That looks really, really good. Nicely done. I recently purchased a Scangauge to monitor trans. temp. So far I am pleased with this new gadget. I also had my trans. flushed and the fluid replaced with Amsoil stuff and did a complete Amsoil oil and filter change and removed the restrictor valve as per Jim's instructions. Van is running and shifting great!

My first trip with the scangauge was up the switchbacks toward the tunnel in Zion National Park to see how hot my trans. would get. It got up to 220 degrees with the outside temp. being around 90. On the way down it leveled off to around 208. Driving around town it was around 175.

I know you have the 6.0 but one thing I am interested in is how you T-ed into the existing trans. cooler; the fittings and clamps you used, routing of the hoses, etc. If you posted some pics of this that would be great.

Also, If anybody else with the 7.3 could chime in with their transmission temps. that would help me gauge what to look for when I'm on some steep grades. Thanks.

Steve_382 · 06-28-2009, 02:06 PM

Just thought I would throw my transmission temps into the conversation. We were driving through Kansas with outside air temp at 101 and showed transmission temp at 196 with water temp at 197. We were driving about 75mph at the time. We'll be heading into the mountains soon and will check them then.

John and Dana · 07-02-2009, 02:34 PM

Bill,

Give me a call on your way back through Seattle and I would be happy to walk you through what I did on the installation.

Veg Head

Running the hoses was very straight forward. You have a different engine and transmission but it should all be fairly similar. You will have hard metal lines coming from the transmission up under the engine to the front of the van. Probably somewhere under you radiator or just behind it they will terminated and rubber hoses are used to run the fluid up to the radiator and transmission cooler.

One line coming from the transmission will be connected to the bottom of the radiator. This should be the supply (hot) line from the transmission. The oil then flows out of the radiator to the stock transmission cooler through rubber tubing. There is another length of rubber tubing connecting the stock cooler to one of the hard lines running to the transmission. This is you return (cooled) line. I disconnected this section from the hard line and routed it to the input port on my new transmission cooler. I then used a new length of rubber tubing to connect the new transmission cooler back to the hard return line to the transmission.

The flow of oil now goes from the transmission through the radiator to the stock cooler then the new cooler and back to the transmission. I purchased the length of rubber tubing at Napa. They had to order it because it was 1/2" diameter and they didn't carry it in the store. I was a little expensive but not to bad. All the connections are made with hose barbs and hose clamps. When I was done I wrapped all of the rubber hose in split loom (the kind used to protect wiring) to keep it from chafing and secured it with zip ties.

Sorry no pictures all of it is behind the grill now and I don't really want to tear it apart just to shoot pictures.

Let me know if you have any questions.

John