Transmission cooler

[Frenchy]

So recently I was thinking of the possibility of adding an auxiliary transmission cooler to my tuck later on since I plan on adding a fair bit of weight to it and going offroad. As it sits with just a lift and 32 inch tires the hottest I have seen it get is 220°F. Already that is a bit and I have already seen where is seems like we dont have a cooler but we actually do it is just a better design then having ine in the radiator. I'm just curious how we are going to add one since the cooler is bolted to the side of the transmission. Any ideas?

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[VAMike]

So recently I was thinking of the possibility of adding an auxiliary transmission cooler to my tuck later on since I plan on adding a fair bit of weight to it and going offroad. As it sits with just a lift and 32 inch tires the hottest I have seen it get is 220°F. Already that is a bit and I have already seen where is seems like we dont have a cooler but we actually do it is just a better design then having ine in the radiator. I'm just curious how we are going to add one since the cooler is bolted to the side of the transmission. Any ideas?

Every Ford 10R80 has a cooler installed, and after several years of service in the F150 I haven't seen anything to suggest that something else is needed. If there was, Ford would sell an auxillary cooler for it in the F150 tow package, but they don't. I suspect that there's a very high chance of screwing up the 10R80 by trying to redesign it and a very low chance of making it perform better than the ford engineers have.

 

[Frenchy]

Every Ford 10R80 has a cooler installed, and after several years of service in the F150 I haven't seen anything to suggest that something else is needed. If there was, Ford would sell an auxillary cooler for it in the F150 tow package, but they don't. I suspect that there's a very high chance of screwing up the 10R80 by trying to redesign it and a very low chance of making it perform better than the ford engineers have.

As I have mentioned I would be adding about 1,700 lbs to the truck as it sits.with woth how my truck is now(just a lift from ARB with 32 inch tires) I have already seen the transmission temperature get to 220°F. Think about how high it may go when I have the added weight. This temperature is also off road in fairly light conditions. If the temperature wasn't going to 220°F as it is now then I wouldnt concern myself with it yet. That is why I'm looming at the possibility of an auxiliary cooler that can help keep transmission stay cool.

 

[VAMike]

As I have mentioned I would be adding about 1,700 lbs to the truck as it sits.with woth how my truck is now(just a lift from ARB with 32 inch tires) I have already seen the transmission temperature get to 220°F. Think about how high it may go when I have the added weight. This temperature is also off road in fairly light conditions. If the temperature wasn't going to 220°F as it is now then I wouldnt concern myself with it yet. That is why I'm looming at the possibility of an auxiliary cooler that can help keep transmission stay cool.

Why do you believe that it shouldn't be 220? They run hotter than they did way back when.

 

[Frenchy]

Why do you believe that it shouldn't be 220? They run hotter than they did way back when.

Its not that I dobt believe it shouldn't get to 220°F, more of I dont want it to get higher than that. Also once you pass 225°F on transmission temperature you start to cause problems. I am already aware that once I add the extra weight it will go up and I figure its best to plan ahead so I dont have to put forth money on a transmission rebuild as we all know that isnt cheap. Now yes the PCM does have a fail safe for when the transmission does overheat but it is still best to help prevent that from happening as once that does happen you might as well be too late since there is most likely damage done.

 

[I_smell_like_diesel]

You could see if the transmission cooler lines off of an F-150 with the 10r80 for work on this. But you will have to abandon the OEM cooler completely. Maybe you could retrofit an F-150 cooler onto it? It honestly does not look any larger the ours though. I would do some research and see what the do on the F-150 "Max Tow" package. If they are still relying on the same cooler and no aux cooler, I doubt you need one for a truck with the same transmission with with less power.

 

[GTGallop]

Unless you are getting a warning light or noticing the fluid turning darker faster than it should, I'd say you are doing a fine job of solving problems that don't exist.

Hook it up and run it without the cooler. If you don't get any problems then you got no problems. If yo do get a problem, just add a generic one from Jegs or AutoZone. There's no real "tech" in a transmission cooler.

 

[Frenchy]

has the consideration been made that there is a temp control of the transmission to run it at 220 with a thermostatic valve?

I'm sure it already has a thermostat if some sort to help control the cooler for only when it is needed at whatever predetermined temperature from Ford. Mind you I have been paying attention to the temp while going to work and back home. I pull steep grades and while monitoring it is doesnt even get to 200°F while on the get so clearly the off road is a much more severe condition compared to regular street driving. As mentioned before if I am to add the 1,700 lbs of weight that will not be a temporary thing but instead a constant weight then it most likely will be a great idea for the offroad as all the Auxiliary cooler would do is help with cooling as needed. As I am sure most everyone knows here you dont want your fluids to be too cold.

And to an unfortunate deal we cant just add a generic cooler since there are no lines to hook up to at this time. From what it looks like you would need a sandwich adapter plate to go in between the transmission and cooler.

 

[I_smell_like_diesel]

Crawled under our new F-550 with the new 7.3L gasser and HD 10 Speed..... No Aux cooler (just a smaller coolant/atf cooler mounted kinda like the F-150's). My assumption would be that Ford is relying more on the vast array of available gears and locking up the torque converter as much as possible.

As Ranger Pride mentioned.... there is actually a valve that controls the flow of coolant to the aft cooler (refer to wiring diagrams for the transmission). Switched ground from the PCM.

 

[Frenchy]

Crawled under our new F-550 with the new 7.3L gasser and HD 10 Speed..... No Aux cooler (just a smaller coolant/atf cooler mounted kinda like the F-150's). My assumption would be that Ford is relying more on the vast array of available gears and locking up the torque converter as much as possible.

As Ranger Pride mentioned.... there is actually a valve that controls the flow of coolant to the aft cooler (refer to wiring diagrams for the transmission). Switched ground from the PCM.

It is possible that locking up the converter in a bunch of gears may help as I did notice it takes a while for the transmission to warm up to 180°. For it to be an electric control for the cooler is quite interesting as I haven't seen that before. Also if I remember correctly I think the F-150 has its small cooler sit just infront of the transmission pan.

 

[Marshal.]

Sorry to revive an old thread, but what are you guys using to monitor trans temps? I’ve got a OBDII Gauge, But it doesn’t seem to pick up anything for the transmission

 

[cb4017]

Sorry to revive an old thread, but what are you guys using to monitor trans temps? I’ve got a OBDII Gauge, But it doesn’t seem to pick up anything for the transmission

Same thing I was going to ask. Trans temp is not on the XLT dash screens and not available on my Torque app. I would love to have that information when I tow my small travel trailer.

 

[Frenchy]

I use the my touch calibrator from Livernois to monitor transmission temps. I also monitor coolant temp, cylinder head temp, catalytic converter temp and MAP pressure with barometric pressure for boost calculations.

 

[AzScorpion]

I use the my touch calibrator from Livernois to monitor transmission temps. I also monitor coolant temp, cylinder head temp, catalytic converter temp and MAP pressure with barometric pressure for boost calculations.

It's been so hot here I haven't had a chance to mess around with mine. Is it right on the Mycal main screen?

 

[Frenchy]

It's been so hot here I haven't had a chance to mess around with mine. Is it right on the Mycal main screen?

Yes it is, go to dataloging then go to gauges. From there you can set up 6 things to monitor.

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