Transmission temperature after installing ppe deep pan

[Steve l]

I put the ppe deep pan on the trans. The temp never goes over 195 even while outside temps are mid 90s. I'm not towing but driving in town with 60 mph stretches of 10 miles or so. Anyone have any experience with the pan and fluid temps?
It's a 2019......

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[Dr3wDrop]

What are you using to monitor trans temps? And did you start monitoring before the new ppe pan?

My assumption is from a gauge perspective you probably will never tell the difference. Perhaps from a long extrapolated graph you may see that more fluid = taking longer for it to get up to that peak temp and possibly a quicker cooldown.

 

[Steve l]

I'm using torque pro and didn't monitor them before the pan!

 

[ctechbob]

https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/some-before-and-after-ppe-shallow-pan-data-logs.25672/

What you will typically see is maximum temps will be about the same, but the trans will take longer to come up to those temps.

Don't fret though. The pan is shedding heat to the atmosphere instead of into the cooling stack of your truck, so it is helping, you just don't see it on the data log, so it is making things easier on the truck as a whole.

 

[Old Red Replacement]

Deep PPE pan 195F Fl 93 F towing, in traffic got to 205F a couple of times, I have Glowshift trans temp gauge installed, no issues, tow mode, 93 octane stock towing 4500 lb high profile trailer.
warms up slower, was 185F when it was cooler out not towing.

conclusion extra capacity PPE pan and cooling fins runs 10 F cooler.

 

[GManRanger]

‘23 XLT/FX4 with PPE std (oem) size pan. Monitored trans temp & many other variables before/after with plug-in OBD LinkMx+ bluetooth to CarScannerPro app on phone. The LinkMx+ stays plugged in all time (has a sleep mode so it has zero drain on batt.) I tried six diff OBD apps… Car Scanner Pro is easily my fav cuz it’s customizable, accurate & just works.

With oem pan, temps ran 197-209.
With PPE pan, temps 190-203.
Driving style, towing, 4x4, all make a diff but those numbers are my gen observation.
Note, I live in CO at ave elevation 8000ft… less air flowing across the pan.

 

[Jason B]

In situations like this, does anyone correlate trans temp to engine temp, since the fluid passes thru the radiator? If the pan cools the fluid, but then it runs thru the rad, wouldn't that heat it up to near engine temp?

 

[ctechbob]

In situations like this, does anyone correlate trans temp to engine temp, since the fluid passes thru the radiator? If the pan cools the fluid, but then it runs thru the rad, wouldn't that heat it up to near engine temp?

Not really.

Our trucks don't have a coolant temp sensor, they pick the temp up from a 'cylinder head temp' sensor which, as far as I can tell, is not immersed in the coolant. So until the radiator gets saturated with so much heat that it can't get rid of it all, you'll never see the 'coolant' temp rise. It does bounce around 5 degrees on either side of 200 a lot of the time, but that might be from the thermostat cycling open/closed more/less.

That being said, the coolant in the radiator, most of the time should be cooler (at the output at least) than the engine temp and the trans temp, so they should always be shedding some heat into the coolant.

 

[redone17]

I am about to install the shallow pan myself along with a new filter and everything that goes along with it. Waiting on a Fitzstick and still deciding on which oil to use....leaning towards Valvoline.

I have a pretty good relationship with my dealer - but, I bought it used with 28k on it and added the extended warranty. With all of the issues I am reading about - I figure as long as I have it well documented on what was done - there is no reason for them to deny coverage if the trans fails down the road. But, I guess I will do some preliminary work by informing them of my plans. I would really prefer to do this work myself - but, perhaps for warranty sake they might want to have it on record that they did the install? Anyone have any experience with this particular upgrade and a warranty claim? I guess it's too early for that.

I was getting excited about this upgrade and the protection it will add - but, I certainly don't want to be on the line for a replacement if it ever comes to that.

 

[Steve l]

Prob going to be dependant on the dealer. Some will cover it some will not. Lawyers might have to get involved which would prob be more expensive than the repair!

 

[RedlandRanger]

I am about to install the shallow pan myself along with a new filter and everything that goes along with it. Waiting on a Fitzstick and still deciding on which oil to use....leaning towards Valvoline.

I have a pretty good relationship with my dealer - but, I bought it used with 28k on it and added the extended warranty. With all of the issues I am reading about - I figure as long as I have it well documented on what was done - there is no reason for them to deny coverage if the trans fails down the road. But, I guess I will do some preliminary work by informing them of my plans. I would really prefer to do this work myself - but, perhaps for warranty sake they might want to have it on record that they did the install? Anyone have any experience with this particular upgrade and a warranty claim? I guess it's too early for that.

I was getting excited about this upgrade and the protection it will add - but, I certainly don't want to be on the line for a replacement if it ever comes to that.

Given how difficult it is to get the trans up to temp (per spec) to check the fluid levels, I'm not sure a deep pan is really necessary for this trans unless you are doing heavy towing on a regular basis. I'd also stick with the Motorcraft ULV fluid (which is hard to find - rockauto is a good source) as the trans is extremely particular about the fluid it seems. Fluid level seems really important, which is weird since it is so difficult to check it, especially with the stock setup.

Since getting the Fitzstick, I've been checking my fluid level and have added a quart - it might be a bit high now, but the trans seems happier and a bit smoother than it was before, even when cold.

I'm at 42k now and was thinking about doing a fluid/filter change, but given how clean the fluid is, I decided not to - just keeping the level correct.

 

[Rp930]

I just don’t think 10° or less is going to make any difference.

 

[Big Blue]

In situations like this, does anyone correlate trans temp to engine temp, since the fluid passes thru the radiator? If the pan cools the fluid, but then it runs thru the rad, wouldn't that heat it up to near engine temp?

Correction: our trucks do not pass the transmission fluid through the radiator as in the old days. There is a heat exchanger on the transmission that uses engine coolant to help warm the transmission up. I beleive the is some kind of thermostatic control on this heat exchanger. So, yes the fluid temp should never get higher than the coolant temp, but yes any cooling affect of the pan will keep it cooler than the engine coolant.

 

[Racket]

I just don’t think 10° or less is going to make any difference.

It may depend more on what those upper limits are and how consistent the averages are.

 

[redone17]

Given how difficult it is to get the trans up to temp (per spec) to check the fluid levels, I'm not sure a deep pan is really necessary for this trans unless you are doing heavy towing on a regular basis. I'd also stick with the Motorcraft ULV fluid (which is hard to find - rockauto is a good source) as the trans is extremely particular about the fluid it seems. Fluid level seems really important, which is weird since it is so difficult to check it, especially with the stock setup.

Since getting the Fitzstick, I've been checking my fluid level and have added a quart - it might be a bit high now, but the trans seems happier and a bit smoother than it was before, even when cold.

I'm at 42k now and was thinking about doing a fluid/filter change, but given how clean the fluid is, I decided not to - just keeping the level correct.

Thanks. I wasn’t planning on the deep pan. I agree - doesn’t seem necessary and I’d rather the ground clearance.

You’re the second vote for sticking with Motorcraft.

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