Jumbo's Transmission thread

jumbosrule said:
Chinke did a TC core swap - he and I talked about this before my mods. I had my TC modified at a local transmission shop here - subbed out by Unleashed Autosports. I think I actually listed the transmission shop in a link earlier in this thread. Labor was about $450 for the mods to my TC.
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why would modifying my stock TC be better then just bying a new one.....outter that it might be cheaper....??
Thing is shippingcosts to the US along with the whole trouble witch export customs and the long time my TC is away make me lean towards just buying a new one.......jeezzz sometimes i just wish i lived in the states........
 
Yes, I guess that's true if there is no place local to modify import TCs! TCs are heavy - making shipping more expensive. If you can't get it done locally, shipping a new TC one way might be the most efficient. And I know how the Dutch like efficiency!

I think the best thing to do would be to call one of the vendors to discuss your application - get him to suggest a TC option based on what you want (and DON'T want). B&M, Level 10, GTM - just use the search to find the most common TC upgrades on IS. There are not that many. I think Chinke's is the first one I have heard is being removed because the owner didn't like the feel. Everybody else seems to be happy with whatever they did.
 
jumbosrule said:
The trans-cooler is a pretty simple and common thing. I used a local shop to do the work and had them pick the cooler. I had done a little research and found that there are two types of coolers: Bar & plate vs tube & fin. The tube/fin style is the most common and not as efficient as the bar/plate. Using a bar/plate allows you to go smaller on the cooler, and I wanted one with a thermostat and electric fan, so I just gave the shop this info and they picked one that fit the bill.
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Jumbo, correct me if i'm wrong but as i understand it right you would prefer the BAR Cooler but went for the Fin cooler....?? Why was that.....cause it didn't matter tou you as long as you got one....?? Or maybe just what your "Guy" could deliver....??

I looked at the Level 10 website and they offer a bar plate cooler. See pic.....is this the one..??
 
Actually, that picture is a transmission pan, not a cooler.

I did get the bar/plate design, although the B&M website refers to it as, "Fin & plate", which is confusing because of how I used the words. But it is the better design I was talking about.

http://www.bmracing.com/PRODUCTS/Hi...Cooling-System-10x7-1-2x4-with-7-diameter-fan

Hi-Tek Automatic Transmission Cooling System 10"x7-1/2"x4" with 7" diameter fan

* Fin and plate cooler construction
* Includes 12 volt high flow fan
* Pressure tested to 200psi
* Units include 1/2 NPT fittings & thermal switch
* Easily adaptable to steel braided lines (which I did)

The newest addition to B&M's line of SuperCooler fluid coolers is the Hi-Tek cooling system. Fitted with a high quality 12 volt electric fan and built-in mounting brackets, these coolers handle tough cooling jobs. They include a thermal switch to activate the fan when the fluid temperature reaches 175 degrees F. Can be used for racing, RV and street performance vehicles. Suitable for all fluid cooling needs including: automatic transmission fluid, engine oil, differential fluid, power steering and tubrocharger oil in circle track, road racing, off-road, tractor pulling and monster truck applications.

Seems like it fits the bill... :tonguey:
 
Great thread with lots of useful info!

How is the tranny working out now?


I want to do some sort of modification to my tranny to make it shift faster. I'll be staying N/A, what do you recommend?
 
herostar said:
Great thread with lots of useful info!

How is the tranny working out now?


I want to do some sort of modification to my tranny to make it shift faster. I'll be staying N/A, what do you recommend?
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Valve body upgrade will reduce the shifting delay for the tranny. Torque converter upgrade and reinforce gears will ensure your tranny can handle more power.
 
herostar said:
Great thread with lots of useful info!
How is the tranny working out now? I want to do some sort of modification to my tranny to make it shift faster. I'll be staying N/A, what do you recommend?
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Honestly the Valve Body upgrade is the right answer, but that's not what I did. I did a shift kit (TransGo). That gives you MOST of the VB upgrade benefit, at a fraction of the cost. What it does not give you is the aftermarket transmission valve body ECU. I did that on purpose - I wanted to keep the "feel" of the FX. Since I have never compared my mods to somebody who did do the VB upgrade, I can't tell you how successful I was. But I can absolutely tell you my transmission shifts much faster than it did before the mods.

I also upgraded the internals (Level 10) which pretty much means the internal clutch plates are brand new and they grab very quickly. There are also a few more clutch plates in the kit as compared to stock, so again - it makes them grab and lock more quickly.

These two mods together will give you everything you want for about $1000, plus labor. The shift kit by itself is only about $250, and can stand alone. It actually improves the life of your transmission because the shifts are faster and there is stress on the transmission for less time during the shift.

The other two mods I did (TC mod & cooling) were because of my future plans for FI. If you are staying NA, go for the shift kit as a minimum ($), the valve body upgrade as the second option ($$) and the shift kit/VB upgrade + internals as the final option ($$$).

My experience so far has been great. No problems - other than a random check transmission light that came on one day. I pulled the car over and restarted. The light stayed off and hasn't come back. In terms of performance, I'm pretty sure I can take any other NA FX out there that hasn't had transmission work done. It's a noticeable difference.
 
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Ok bringing this thread up again for a question.

I purchased the PWR 56mm radiator as this was a performance radiator with a build in transmission cooler as our OEM one has too.

Was talking to a drag racing guy and he still suggested to add another Tranny cooler as he wasn't really sure it would work out best for me.

I also got the bigger Tranny pan from level10 as there upgraded oil pump. Any suggestions on what to do.

Bradd any pictures of your cooler set-up.......location behind the grill.........where did you connect it to the transmission....??
 
My cooler is located in front of the radiator behind the grill on the passenger side (pretty much on the top left corner of the radiator. I have a matching oil cooler on the driver's side (top right corner).

We used the OEM transmission cooling connections, just re-routed to the new cooler.

We did talk about using both the OEM cooler AND the aftermarket cooler in series (one in line just after the other) but decided we would wait and see how the aftermarket cooler handled things alone.

When I went to the Koyo rad, there was no transmission cooler built in, so I have been happy with the single aftermarket cooling setup.
 
jumbosrule said:
My cooler is located in front of the radiator behind the grill on the passenger side (pretty much on the top left corner of the radiator. I have a matching oil cooler on the driver's side (top right corner).

We used the OEM transmission cooling connections, just re-routed to the new cooler.

We did talk about using both the OEM cooler AND the aftermarket cooler in series (one in line just after the other) but decided we would wait and see how the aftermarket cooler handled things alone.

When I went to the Koyo rad, there was no transmission cooler built in, so I have been happy with the single aftermarket cooling setup.
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What would you suggest in my set-up bud...??
 
Honestly I think I would do BOTH just to be unique - use the OEM connections for your PWR rad tranny cooler, then you could also tap the new tranny pan for an additional aftermarket cooler. Maybe Level 10 already provides bungs/taps on the pan? Don't know much about it.

You might want to start with just the PWR cooler and see what tranny temperatures do before adding in an aftermarket cooler. That way you have something in place to begin with and you can upgrade later on if you really need to. Monitoring trans oil temp would be required to know if the PWR cooler is doing it's job or if it needs help.
 
If possible, I'd use both. On my old car, I used both the OEM cooler in the radiator and an aftermarket and adding the aftermarket one in conjuction to the factory one did make a difference. I couldn't see a downside to doing it so I just used both.

raymond said:
Ok bringing this thread up again for a question.

I purchased the PWR 56mm radiator as this was a performance radiator with a build in transmission cooler as our OEM one has too.

Was talking to a drag racing guy and he still suggested to add another Tranny cooler as he wasn't really sure it would work out best for me.

I also got the bigger Tranny pan from level10 as there upgraded oil pump. Any suggestions on what to do.

Bradd any pictures of your cooler set-up.......location behind the grill.........where did you connect it to the transmission....??
Click to expand...
 
to use both you need to plumb them in series & you really should identify the direction of flow so you can make sure that the radiator is FIRST in the loop, with the aftermarket cooler being after... reason being the radiator can only cool the fluid to the point of coolant temp, so the rad may bring the fluid down to ~200, then the aftermarket can bring it down a bit further... if they were the other way around then it could be likely in some situations that the aft cooler may cool it below coolant temp & then the rad cooler could bring it back up before returning to the tranny...

determining this is EZ, just start the car for 1/2 a second with the tranny lines disconnected to see which one pisses fluid... that would be the feed & the line that should go to the rad first, the other line is the return & should come from the aftermarket cooler... obviously the output from the rad cooler goes to the inlet of the aftmkt cooler to complete the circuit... no need for extra taps or anything, they just go in series

also keep in mind that there is such a thing as too cool when it comes to tranny fluid, high stress loads at much cooler than 175*f can cause damage to the tranny as much as overheating it can, so to really do it right look into tranny line thermostats, this will allow the fluid to bypass the cooler when it's below operating temperature, this allows it to come up to operating temp faster as well...
 
Think of the bottom of the radiator as a reservoir. It's not like it gets much air flow down there, the compartment is not finned so not much cooling properties in there.

Passenger side hose into radiator is the discharge, driver side is the return.
 
Ok there my bad english again. Discharge means input right....??

John when putting it all in line like you say......how can you by pass the aftermarket cooler then.
I understand what you are saying i have the GTM oil black with build in thermostat in it but where in the system can i do that with the oil. As you need to disconnect the "Line" somewhere at the front and not the the tranny. Or do you mean temporarly disconnecting the complete cooling system of the tranny cooler by using a different thermostate and then when it opens the complete line will open.
Are there any of those thermostates....??
 
yeah, some high end coolers have a thermostat built in too, truth is the majority of your worries are all going to stem from overheating more than anything else so the thermostat is not critical or absolutely necessary, but without it especially I'd say to get a trans temp gauge & def don't beat on it till it's warmed up to temp, no full throttle runs till she's at least at 155-160*f, ideal operating temp is ~180*f, anything under 150*f or over 220*f is cause for concern...
 
Thanks guys i have seen these things but always thought they were used in relocations kit only.
So if 180 is the best temp, what thermostate would you take. 180 also or 200.....a little bit higher.
The B&M oilcooler i have wich i will want to use for the tranny as well also has a thermotstate for the fan wich it has. That fan will activate at 175 degrees.
 
raymond said:
Thanks guys i have seen these things but always thought they were used in relocations kit only.
So if 180 is the best temp, what thermostate would you take. 180 also or 200.....a little bit higher.
The B&M oilcooler i have wich i will want to use for the tranny as well also has a thermotstate for the fan wich it has. That fan will activate at 175 degrees.
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Just for info - the B&W cooler I am using also had a thermostat & fan but we removed both of those. The cooler sits in front of the radiator and works without a fan.
 
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