Better Transmission Cooling Idea

[international]

I was doing some daydreaming on my drive around town this morning and thought of a better way to cool my transmission. I have a frame mount air tank for air on big trucks. Could I plumb that in line with my coolers to add more fluid to the system? I don't know exactly how big it is but I would guess around 5 gallons or so. I figured that a bigger pan helps so why not just add a tank to the system? What do you guys think?

 

[SparkandFire]

I would think it would be tough to regulate the pan oil level if you had an external reserve tank mounted anywhere above the level of the transmission.

Any AT is sensitive to fluid level. You would have to get the tank mounted exactly level to the pan, and even then you could probably only keep it half full, otherwise it would flood the valve body.

 

[international]

Well, I guess I never thought with the tank I would be overfilling the system.... darn, I guess I'll have to use the tank for on board air then.

What about the check valve on the return side? If the tank was plumbed in between the cooler and trans would that keep the fluid in the tank and not flood the trans?

 

[sassyrel]

I would think it would be tough to regulate the pan oil level if you had an external reserve tank mounted anywhere above the level of the transmission.

Any AT is sensitive to fluid level. You would have to get the tank mounted exactly level to the pan, and even then you could probably only keep it half full, otherwise it would flood the valve body.

flood the valve body?????

 

[6.9poweredscout]

How come a larger trans cooler doesn't effect anything?

-Jon

 

[SparkandFire]

flood the valve body?????

It would fill the transmission above the level of the valve body... When the various valves open there would be fluid on the other side (where there would normally not be fluid)

If you've ever overfilled a transmission you will notice it shifts very funky, I've been told this happens because the valve body is "flooded" meaning it is submerged in places it's supposed to be dry. When the valves open the fluid can not escape quickly enough and it causes slippage.

 

[SparkandFire]

How come a larger trans cooler doesn't effect anything?

-Jon

A big tranny cooler would most likely not hold 5 gallons of fluid, more like 1 to 2 quarts extra... 5 gallons is alot of fluid.

 

[SparkandFire]

For what it's worth- I used to work on Mitsubishi 250 kW wind turbines. There were 2 different versions of hydraulic systems in use. One type had a large (50 gallon) reservoir with a pump mounted on top. The only cooling that system had was what ever air blew around the sides of the tank, there was no radiator plumbed into the system. The second hydro station had a smaller reservoir (20 gallons) and a good sized radiator plumbed into the suction line off the pump. The machines that used the large tank with no radiator needed fluid changes at least twice a year, that crap would be burnt and dark in no time. The radiator seemed to make a HUGE difference, the systems that had the radiator would usually go at least two years between oil changes...

 

[6.9poweredscout]

A big tranny cooler would most likely not hold 5 gallons of fluid, more like 1 to 2 quarts extra... 5 gallons is alot of fluid.

Ah, makes sense.

 

[icanfixall]

I'm running a Mag Hitech trans pan. It hold an extra 2 gallons of tran fluid. My BTS E4OD never gets past 190 degrees. I don't use the radiator cooling loop either. Just a 28,000 lb tube cooler in front of the ac condenser. It will be expensive when I change the fluid....

 

[87crewdually]

I'm running a Mag Hitech trans pan. It hold an extra 2 gallons of tran fluid. My BTS E4OD never gets past 190 degrees. I don't use the radiator cooling loop either. Just a 28,000 lb tube cooler in front of the ac condenser. It will be expensive when I change the fluid....

Are u sure it's 2 GALLONS larger or 2 quarts? A 2 gal pan would put it alot closer to the ground on my truck. I'd like to see a picture of it, no luck with a search here.

 

[6.9poweredscout]

I'm running a Mag Hitech trans pan. It hold an extra 2 gallons of tran fluid. My BTS E4OD never gets past 190 degrees. I don't use the radiator cooling loop either. Just a 28,000 lb tube cooler in front of the ac condenser. It will be expensive when I change the fluid....

That's a whole lotta pan!! Do you have a picture of it??

-Jon

 

[papastruck]

Are u sure it's 2 GALLONS larger or 2 quarts? A 2 gal pan would put it alot closer to the ground on my truck. I'd like to see a picture of it, no luck with a search here.

http://www.mag-hytec.com/store/inde...s_id=5&zenid=fc631a8ee551684a36b321743348cb2d

 

[SparkandFire]

A larger pan would increase the amount of oil stored below the valve body, and would not affect shifting.

 

[icanfixall]

Yes... Its really does hold an 2 extra gallons as you can see in the above posting. True.. It hangs down some but its not so low that an animal being driven over will cause any damage. It has the cooler sender plug in the back of it too. Being finned aluminum it cools down fast when I shut down the rig. Really a nice setup too. I paid just around $100.00 for it from a psd owner here in my home town.... Another deal I couldn't pass up......