Somebody please "splain" to me if this really works and how?????

[Mopar1973Man]

Now remember for folks in the frozen north. The last thing you want to do is add extra cooling capacity and coolers to a transmission that will be operated in the subzero range. Like myself I'm going to have winter temperatures of -20*F ot -30*F on average for the coldest temperatures. Just like @Haggar said the colder fluid is more vicious and adds lod to the engine so consider all weather conditions before just jumping into the cooler idea. I got almost 3 months I won't see the trans temp gauge even move off 100*F. Even my normal 100-110*F summer I rare even see 170*F trans temp so coolers are not a requirement at all at least for me. Now considering that I ditched the big tires and increased my gear ratio to 3.69 with the 245's has drop the trans temp even more than a cooler... Something to think about...

[AH64ID]

I know with my Mag Hytec diff cover that my axles take a long time to warm up in the winter, even without a temp gauge. 

 

I can see the increased engine load from 45 mph for 20-30 miles or more depending on temp. 

[LiveOak]

Hey guys.  Just wanted to follow up on this.  These pto covers and transmission oil coolers really DO work.  Today I got my March 2019 Volume 15, No.3 version of Diesel Power Magazine in the mail today.  To my surprise and reading pleasure, there is a really interesting article starting on pg. 92 about adding a transmission oil cooler to a G-56 transmission using a Flex-a-lite fan driven cooler, a pump and some other wiring items.  

 

Here is a link to the article on line:

 

http://www.trucktrend.com/how-to/transmission-drivetrain/1811-custom-oil-cooler-cures-hot-g56-transmissions/

 

Seems a small bit complicated as far as reliability might be considered but if one fabricated the plumbing with steel braided lines and proper fittings and fabrication, this could be a REALLY nice upgrade, especially for folks who tow, run heavy, or hot shot.  

[NIsaacs]

Do you have before and after temp numbers? If so, what is the difference? Did you use the same fluid, before and after?

[Mopar1973Man]

3 hours ago, NIsaacs said:

Do you have before and after temp numbers? If so, what is the difference? Did you use the same fluid, before and after?

 

Very good questions...

 

Like myself, I'm not convinced that these actually cool the transmission as well as many claim.

 

Remember factory NV4500 with no coolers. Being I run all winter long and never reach 100*F with temp gun it more like 70 to 90*F. Most normal summer temps are between 140 and 160*F. I've only pushed it to 225*F towing but too slow, but now I understand the mechanics of transmission temperature and how to control it. I still to this day double checking with IR temp gun for temperature and still the run close together. Optimally you want to tow in direct (4th in NV4500 and 5th in NV5600).

 

Even my automatic 46RE on the half-ton runs the same temperatures just about as the manual. It even got a full oil cooler and never tows much of anything now. Still, I can see 190*F in summertime traffic in Boise or Ontario. This is due to the amount of fluid thrashing the torque converter can do going light to light without lockup.

 

The other problem most stick the temp probe at the bottom and this is the coldest place being heat rises. This gives a false feeling of cooling the transmission. When the probe is at the top of the fluid where the heat is. Like I found if you reach in with a probe style thermometer and get near the gear teeth this is the absolute hottest place. Then also being away from the gears this makes a false cooler number. I get the same measure with my IR gun shotting the bottom of the PTO cover. which is typically cooler than the top by the fill hole. 

 

Another factor is tires. Like myself I'm running the 245's this reduces a huge amount of stress off the gear teeth where LiveOak is running 315's on 3.55 gear which is HUGE torque stress on gears. Basically, his final ratio is 3.25:1 ratio to the ground adding a huge amount of stress on the transmission. Where I'm 3.69:1 ratio to the ground reducing the stress and cooling the transmission without coolers. Goes back to proper setup and gear that does way more than improper gearing and adding coolers to compensate. If he changed to 4.10 gears in the axles and kept the 315's he would be really close to 3.73 ratio and be much cooler on the transmission.

 

Edited January 23, 2019 by Mopar1973Man

[LiveOak]

The article did not do any testing yet but did mention that it is expected that a 20 - 25 degree temperature drop is expected with the cooler.  

[trreed]

I’m not sure how much the fast coolers do. I just have one on the driver’s side because of the exhaust, and the probe should be right where the gear flings the oil to the passenger side....

 

Saw 235 when towing at a consistent 75 mph for 7-8 hours.  Just changed the fluid and didn’t think about it. 

Edited January 23, 2019 by trreed

[NIsaacs]

1 hour ago, LiveOak said:

The article did not do any testing yet but did mention that it is expected that a 20 - 25 degree temperature drop is expected with the cooler.  

 

I wasn't asking about this setup, I was asking about yours, you said this:  "These pto covers and transmission oil coolers really DO work." Just wondering what prompted this report. Thanks

[LiveOak]

14 minutes ago, NIsaacs said:

 

I wasn't asking about this setup, I was asking about yours, you said this:  "These pto covers and transmission oil coolers really DO work." Just wondering what prompted this report. Thanks

 

Yes.  Meaning and intending to imply that there actually is a setup or kit to make the concept work.  I don't have this on my truck.  At the time I had the pto covers installed, I did not know about this kit.  If I DID, I would have installed these pto covers which I have a pair in hand but figured, I would never bother to do all of the fabricating and locating the parts so I went with the other pto covers that just have the elevated fill hole.  I don't tow much so this would probably not be at the top of my list of mods.  The other set of pto covers that I ended up having installed seem to be doing their job.  The oil fill level is much higher and I have in my opinion a better gear box lubricant fill. 

 

Go back and read my post, what prompted this report was that the latest edition Diesel Power Magazine has an article on this very thing that caught my eye.  I didn't think anyone would bother to assemble an oil cooler kit like this unless they had some special and particular purpose for it.  

[Towrigdually]

Have fast coolers and installed in my truck from a trade deal. Have the filter also, might be awhile but when I pull the cover to change fluid I'll let ya know how the filter looks. And if it's even done anything. 

 

But it I will say since I've started running it the trans isn't as stiff to shift into 3rd, was getting kinda rough due to worn synchros

Edited January 24, 2019 by Towrigdually

[Dieselfuture]

5 hours ago, Towrigdually said:

But it I will say since I've started running it the trans isn't as stiff to shift into 3rd, was getting kinda rough due to worn synchros

That's what I've noticed too, since I installed my filter. And I'm also anxious to see what the filter caught if anything,  but have no reason to take it out just yet