Ditching the factory ATF cooler and going only aftermarket

[Donkay]

I actually had run this setup but with the standard radiator, nonetheless the old transmission still gave way

And also, Brad, u mentioned about warming car up in neutral, i dont know if thats a good or bad, but what i do know is if ur checking up on the transmission fluid it should be in P not N

 

[Guest]

Well.. I successfully datalogged the transmission's internal temperature probe tonight. It was 8c outside and with constant normal driving around it took 30 mins to reach operating temperature and stabilise. That obviously leaves a lot of room for improvement!

The built in probe is attached to the valve body near the bottom of the transmission, and is immediately after the ATF has been sucked up from the sump via the internal filter.

 

[Guest]

After looking at various options, I've come to the conclusion that we need a thermostatic bypass valve for our transmissions.

Think of it as being like the thermostat the engine has. On startup, the thermostat would recirculate ATF back into the transmission bypassing the transmission cooling system. And, it would also stop any over cooling happening too by doing its thing if temperatures drop out of the optimal range.

It looks like many modern automatic transmissions have this feature, and some even have oil warmers too. So no wonder our autos take so long to reach operating temperature compared to newer cars.

As luck would have it, there are a few companies that manufacturer these thermostats for aftermarket applications, making it a relatively easy process to add one in yourself. The one I'm looking at is from Derale, and it would be mounted directly in front of the transmission where the two short lengths of hose run between the transmission itself and the cooling hard pipes that rise up behind the headlight. The price seems to be about USD$55, not sure of local pricing just yet.

Derale Fluid Control Thermostat Kit w/ 3/8" NPT Ports

Warm your engine faster with this thermostatic bypass system. At temperatures below 180F/82C degrees, an inner valve opens, allowing 90 percent of the oil to bypass the cooler, thus heating faster. Great for cold climates!

Full details here:

http://www.etrailer.com/Engine-Oil-Coolers/Derale/D13011.html

And also on page 45 of Derale's PDF catalog:

http://inet.derale.com/clientdocs/Derale-Catalog-2009.pdf

 

[Nitephyre]

That looks like a simple and smart fix the the splodamatic crew

 

[Guest]

I got a quote including shipping from the US of $107.34 USD, which works out at about $122 AUD at the moment. It looks like the shipping is by FedEx, which is usually quite steep but quick. If you want to purchase one, click on the link below. Only credit card is accepted for international orders.

http://www.jegs.com/i/Derale/259/13011/10002/-1?parentProductId=1335929

I'm also still on the hunt for a local distributor, but no luck as of yet.

 

[Guest]

Alrighty.. I've had a reply from the Derale distributors in Australia and they currently do not import the thermostat kit but may do so in the future. I did more hunting around and found a few local and overseas options, all were equal or more expensive than the link I posted above taking into account that you would have to purchase the hose barbs extra. So I will be going ahead and purchasing the complete kit from Jegs, I'll let you know how I get on!

 

[Guest]

Some further progress on this, the thermostats have arrived and one has already been fitted to a HiLux with good reports. The others have all been allocated and will be distributed soon, all to be fitted to VR-4s.

The HiLux has previously had a PWR aftermarket cooler fitted (the same as we have been commonly fitting to our cars) and when we installed the thermostat we removed the factory radiator-based cooler from the loop.

And the temperature logging functionality has been wired into my car. This picture is showing voltage, not degrees. I will cross-reference it later to calibrate it, but it is showing roughly 20 degrees C after not being driven for a while.

 

[godzilla]

Freak.

 

[tommy86]

I agree that something like this would be a good idea, but i'm wondering if 180 deg F/ 82ish deg C is too high. Anyone got operating temp data for SP III?

 

[Guest]

Sure, yes. This project is based on the operating temperature data for the W5A51 transmission, and SPIII is what Mitsubishi requires you to run it it.

Sections referenced below are from the Japanese workshop manual.

Operating temp range is 70 - 90c (sec #23-6, #23-40) typically > 80c when on the move. Although the manual mentions at least 70 - 80c (sec #23-50, #23-52) for when checking the fluid levels.

Also the temp probe check procedure specs give values for 0c, 25c, 80c and 100c. (sec #23-2, #23-43, #23-57)

Running through the radiator-based cooler it will also encounter coolant at > 80c (when eventually properly warmed up!).

 

[Dr_Josh001]

The engine operating temp is between 90 & 110. The original setup had the cooler line through the bottom rad tank. So in theory the tranny is either warmed to 90deg+ or cooled to under 110deg. I think if atf III couldn't handle 82deg then we'd have a lot more blown up autos.

 

[Guest]

Yes the engine coolant thermostat begins to open at 82c and is fully open at 95c. So coolant does not flow from the engine into the radiator until the coolant temp is above 82c.

 

[legnum600]

Yeah keen on the thermostat idea

 

[Guest]

I upgraded my copy of EvoScan to the 2.7 beta, and notice that there is now the ability to connect to and log the TCU directly. However, it says that it's still under development, none of the conversion formulas are completed and I kept getting a time out when trying to connect. Here's hoping the final release has it working with our cars!

 

[Dr_Josh001]

Sorry, my reply #32 was in response to Tommy86's reply #30.
Will be awesome if evoscan can get to the stage of flashing the TCU. No more granny mode and fuel saving through quicker gear changes.

 

[pretzil]

So my granddad's auto commodore had the radiator fail and fill with ATF last week, not pretty...
Might be a sign that I should put in a thermostat and bypass the Golpher completely for my aftermarket cooler.

Is the Derale still the best one to get? Can anyone who has had one for a long time comment on any issues?

 

[Guest]

I was very happy with the Derale, but there may be other options now.

 

[pretzil]

Hey guys, can anyone who has done this tell me which hose on the gearbox is the inlet and which is the outlet?
I'm fitting a Derale thermostat and it needs to have the direction of flow correct.

Thanks.

 

[Guest]

Top is out from the transmission, bottom is the return. If you are using an external cooler, now you can fully do away with the one in the radiator and rip out all the associated spaghetti piping. Makes it much cleaner in there. And I just ran a short hose between the radiator cooler inlet and outlet to catch any drips but no need to block them up.

 

[pretzil]

Thanks! Fitted one today, quite possibly to the same gearbox in that photo?
I zip tied mine to the cold side hard pipe bracket, near the bov, have it running vertically where the spaghetti used to go, still much tidier.

Pics tomorrow.