Whats going on!! New to the forum and will be asking many questions. I have a 1999 F250 7.3 LTR that I love and I have a four gauge pillar and a power pup tuner. I would just like to ask everyone what kind of tranny temps they get in hot weather pulling up steep california grades. preferably out towards Glamis on the 8E. I also would like to ask if anyone has any good tips on hauling? I have a 2002 weekend warrior 26ft toy hauler. I have pulled many things before but not up steep grades nor as heavy as the toy hauler full loaded with water and fuel and toys. Just looking for some feed back. thanks

 

I run a 22 foot Weekend Warrior with ATV, Dirt Bike, 110 gallons of fresh water, along with more junk than three families need. It's only about 9k lbs but on a 90 degree day my tranny temps were on the higher end of 200 degrees-F. Last year I pulled the stock cooler and put in a 6.0 cooler (almost 3 times larger). The stock cooler was only slightly bigger than my power steering cooler...I couldn't believe it.

Anyway, I pulled my trailer on a 90 Plus day (with A/C running for the wife) and the warmest temperature I saw was 130 to 137 degrees-F. Granted, I wasn't on a big hill but there was an upward grade for a long pull. The extra cooling made a huge difference.

 

I thought the trans was supposed to run @ around 195° fully warmed up? I read that it wasn't good for the trans to run too cool either. I have a 6.0 cooler ready to install on mine but haven't seen temps over 160° yet so I haven't yet.

 

Hey Shane772...

Here is what I have gleaned from others that appear to be experts in the field. Certainly, Mark Kovalsky (whom I refer to here) is highly talked about in regards to his knowledge of Ford transmissions. He refers to a bypass on the transmission, offers his opinion on installing a 6.0 cooler, and he has a brief discussion on cold temperatures.

From Mark Kovalsky (taken from the Ford-trucks.com forum)…

And anther post from Mr. Kovalsky…IMHO, I do believe the replacement of my stock tranny cooler with the 6.0 cooler in my 7.3 Super Duty was the right thing to do. When pulling at speeds where the Torque Converter is NOT locked up, the extra cooling is a huge comfort. This includes those times where it may take awhile to back into that perfect camping spot (after having to drive awhile with the TC unlocked and making heat).

To address your specific question, I don't think the bigger cooler is hurting my transmission when it is cold outside. I do, however, take some precautions. It can get horribly cold in the winter where I live so I plug in when I can. When I can't plug in, I let my truck warm up on idle for an extended period of time to make sure everything more closely approximates "normal operating temperatures". This mostly seems to help my 7.3 injectors, which can be quite grumpy and loud when it is real cold. Still, even with a long warm up, I don't immediately jump on the throttle as I pull out of the parking lot. I think this also allows the tranny to adjust to the cold. In my experience, which is somewhat limited compared to the many experts out there, I have not noticed anything abnormal with the transmission in the deep cold with the newly added cooler.

Good luck...

 

Well maybe I should go ahead and install the 6.0 cooler. I've hesitated simply because mine doesn't get "hot" even while towing our 5th wheel. I installed my trans temp gauge when the weather started cooling off so I don't know what the temps will be when it gets hot outside. Towing it through NW Arkansas the temps got up to around 140-150℉ (ambient 65-70℉), which I thought was pretty cool while towing. I hate that I have it and haven't installed it so I'll probably just do it and not worry about the cool temps. I think my trans may have been rebuilt in the past as it shifts like it has a "kit" in it. Thought that may have some impact on temps but not sure.

 

Shane772...

I went back and looked at our conversations and neither of us listed the type of transmission. I have a 4R100 Transmission in my rig.

In any case, where you think your unit has been rebuilt and it has a shift kit, you may want to delay installing the cooler until you get a good set of temps this summer. It didn't take me too long to install it so if you find your temps are running a bit high, you could take a day and get the new cooler in without interrupting too much of your camping.

On the other hand, you could ask around and find a reputable transmission shop and talk your situation over with them before deciding. My diesel guy recommeded an area transmission expert that has a great reputation and knowledge. I grabbed a few minutes of his time, told him what I was intending to do, and got his "buy off" that the 6.0 cooler was a good mod to do on my truck with my transmission.

Good luck..