Auto Tranny pan temp

[410Fortune]

Wow with that setup it should not be runing that hot.
Sure you are not going through the coolers then into the rad? Cuz that can heat it back up.

Is your fan working? Might be time to clean out the ac condensor and radiator, the fins, bugs, dirt.......

 

[Maniak]

I know the fan works (you should hear that thing run.. it sounds like a blower)...

I will double check my lines.. it is possible I have them backwards (I need to look up which is the out and which is the in on a 700r4)..

~Mark

 

[CDW6212R]

On most Ford transmissions, the top line will be the inlet line.

Keep the radiator cooler, it is more effiecient than air/fluid coolers. Try to run anything over one auxilliary cooler in parallel. Adding more coolers in series adds restriction. Adding them in parallel cools just as well, but doesn't add restriction. Good luck.

 

[410Fortune]

on most the 4r70w is backwards from the AOD, go figure

 

[Maniak]

Do you mean try to run all 3 coolers, (2 aux and the radiator) in paralell or do you mean run the 2 aux coolers in paralell after it goes through the radiator?

Aparently the 700r4 top line is the inlet too..

~Mark

 

[CDW6212R]

Run trans lines to the radiator cooler, then split the flow to the other coolers. I plan to use an additional plate style(no fins) cooler next to my stock 99 aux. cooler. It will take two "y" fittings to plumb the extra cooler. My Explorer is for mail delivery, so trans reliability is a big issue for me. Good luck,

 

[Maniak]

I check and sure enough.. I had the cooler lines backwards.. It went from the tranny to a plate tube ( big b&m cooler) to a plate style to the radiator cooler to the tranny.

I swapped the lines around... I didn't get to do enough driving, but...

It was 104F yesterday and around town (not stop/go) it got to about 180.. It droped to 165 once things opened up some (TCC locked) and I was able to cruise at 45mph for a few miles..

It stayed at 165F when I was on the freeway, and then started to drop as the abient temp dropped (cooler near the house than in town)..

I hope to get some better numbers this week as it will be 105F+ all week.

~Mark

 

[410Fortune]

165 is fine IMO, its higher then you would like but if it doesnt climb further you should be good to go...

I am going to build a shroud for my trans cooler, it is about 5/8" away from the rad the way it is mounted now, I want to ensure the air is going through it and the rad instead of just around them...the max mine got this hot weekend, in the pan, towing the boat up hills was 160

I am still learning this 4r70w but I would say ambient outside temp has alot to do with the trans pan temp because before this last week it never saw 150.
Fluid is fine.

My coolant sits at 200-205, 195 thermostat so I know its not that effecting the pan temp.

 

[Maniak]

What do you think of my unlocked temps? 180F or so... I know my high stall isn't helping any (I am starting to consider changing it to a 2200 stall converter, but I like the acceleration I get with my 2700 stall).

From my readings, 195F pan temp is the max I want to see.. at 195 fluid is still good for 50k miles.

I will know better what my unlocked temps are today and tomorrow as I have to drive across town at about 4:00 p.m. which is when it will reach the 105F+ temps..

~Mark

 

[410Fortune]

synth fluids are good to like 250 before they begin to break down.
mercon III is less then that, but I dont consider 180 too hot, although it is hot for a pan temp!

My old A4LD ran at 180 continuous. fluid was okay and the unit still works! (rangerx is currently putting it in his wifes Ex)

I am guessing yours will cool better now, if mine gets any hotter and my shroud doesnt help I am considering running one of those fin style rail mounted coolers in series with my current setup......2 coolers in series (aside from rad cooler) is as many as I will go....

 

[CDW6212R]

Try adding the plate style cooler. They are less fragile, and cool better, for a given size. Try to get the 3/4" thick version, like comes on police cars. They are usually aroun 8x10" or larger. I have one left, but I don't know if it leaked. I have had them to leak at the fittings.

 

[Maniak]

I currently have a plate style as my first aux tranny cooler.. its roughly 12x15 or so.. It then goes into a flexalite tube/fin style.. that is 24x15 or so.. then back into the tranny...

If I can't get it any cooler this way, I"m going to try it with the radiator cooler bypassed.. If that does the trick, i'll add a valve that will keep the fluid out of the tranny cooler when the fluid is warmed up (> 160ish I guess)..

I really need to be able to keep the fluid cool, especially since I will be hitting the sand dunes..

~Mark

 

[410Fortune]

alot of desert guys run these:
http://www.bakerprecision.com/setrab.htm

 

[spindlecone]

wrap your pipes with header wrap, that are close to the tranny pan, in my case the Y-Pipe, you will see a big diff in at the pan temps.

 

[rookieshooter]

wrap your pipes with header wrap, that are close to the tranny pan, in my case the Y-Pipe, you will see a big diff in at the pan temps.

Ditto on wraping your pipes. No matter where your at in the universe, the third rock from the sun, or your tranny pan from your hot exhaust. Heat will always want to equalize. In other words from hot to cold. If your exhaust is in front of your tranny pan then the incoming air will act as a media to transfer the heat to your pan (convection). Even when there is no air to transfer the heat, you still have to deal with radiant transfer of heat. The coolers are working hard enough trying to dissapate the heat from the tranny to the ambiant temp, let alone try to cool the added heat from the exhaust. If you did not notice an improvment after wrapping your pipes, you would be the first to prove the Laws of thermal dynamics wrong. I think I need another beer

 

[Bronco638]

I checked and sure enough.. I had the cooler lines backwards.. It went from the tranny to a plate tube (big b&m cooler) to a plate style to the radiator cooler to the tranny.

I swapped the lines around... I didn't get to do enough driving, but...

It was 104F yesterday and around town (not stop/go) it got to about 180. It droped to 165 once things opened up some (TCC locked) and I was able to cruise at 45mph for a few miles..

It stayed at 165F when I was on the freeway, and then started to drop as the abient temp dropped (cooler near the house than in town)..

This pretty much confirms what Forum member Lee S. and I discussed a while ago. The radiator transfers heat from highest to lowest temperature fluid (in this case coolant to tranny fluid).

Mark, I'd be curious to know if bypassing the radiator all together won't help even more. It sounds like you're actually HEATING the fluid in the radiator and then losing that heat (and more) in your aux. coolers.

Dave.

 

[410Fortune]

I have heard both so many times I guess all you can do is try!
So many good mechanics have told me to leave it going thruogh the radiator.

A few have said you dont need the radiator cooler.

I guess the only thing is to try and make up your own mind

I have heat guards between the trans pan and exhaust pipes, I am weary of header wrap because of the corrosion from when the mag chloride and crap gets caught up in there......

 

[Maniak]

Welp.. I know part of my problem.. Its hot out here..

At 5:00 p.m. the fluid in the pan was 125F.. even before I started the truck. When I parked the truck at 7:30 a.m. it was 155F.. I gues hot blacktop will heat up the fluid..

I too have heard it both ways.. do and don't run it through the radiator.. I've also heard you want to run it through the radiator so it doesn't over cool..

I'll try it without the Radiator for a day or so (less if it makes things worse).. If it makes it better I'll see if I can set it up so it run through the radiator until the fluid gets warm, then have it only go through the coolers..

~Mark

 

[410Fortune]

over cool! hahahah yeah right, not on these trucks!

 

[CDW6212R]

Unless something abnormal is occurring, the transmission fluid will always be warmer than the engine coolant. The radiator should always be cooling the transmission fluid. It isn't a big change, but a liquid to liquid cooler transfers heat better than the other coolers.

Unless the engine coolant is running way too hot, the radiator will help the transmission fluid. Good luck,