The Money Pit

BowTie seems fairly rigid in their warrantee and require pressure checks and temps in order to varify a proper setup transmisson.If you have a 700r4 and a gauge,what temps do you run?I'm running a Griffen radiator with no provision for a transmission,so instead I have a 10x15 Summit cooler in front of the radiator,and in direct path of the 16"Permicool fan.
I'm thinking of adding a deep transmission pan and the gauge,but have yet to find a gauge to match the factory cluster.
Any suggestions?

Ganey

You could use 81 engine oil temp. gauge & sender instead of clock.

Stock gauges w/ 81 engine oil temp. gauge instead of clock & 81 panel.

:cool:

dman535

I would talk to them about what type of temperture readings they want. It really doesn't make sense to me to go through all the hassle of installing a temperature monitoring system to satisfy the warranty requirements. When I talked to them they said they didn't even want a trans cooler installed as a proper working lockup would reduce transmission temperatures.

mrvette

dman, you need some kind of cooler in there, even if it's just the engine radiator, trannies will burn up allmost immediately lockup or no....
of course a HUGE cooler independant of anything else is just the ticket for a tranny....
I have a Fluke thermocouple probe/meter, and I just slide the thing down the dipstick tube, and have measured nothing higher than 180f and that's after running on the freeway for about 6 miles, UNLOCKED, and a 100f day.....
so I assume my cooler is fine at that point....

GENE

MikeC

There is a pipe plug right above the shifter linkage or lockup hookup, I forget which. put the tranny temp sender unit there. B&M sells a kit with a gauge if you want that, I believe summit also has one.

442olds

You must install a trans cooler, no question about it. Bowtie states this in there book of instructions. They also state that the trans should never exceed 150F when the temp is taken from the tranny pan. The fluid in the pan should be a good average of what the overall temp of the fluid in the trans is. Temperature of a transmission is very important for life expectancy.

The Money Pit

Perhaps a miscommunication. I have a Summit 24,000 lb cooler mounted in front of my Griffen radiator,however the radiator has no provision for any internal trans cooler. The question I pose is how hot does the trans normally run,and can anyone running a trans temp gauge,perhaps with only an external cooler such as mine,tell me what temps they see ?

mrvette

442, You DAMN sure of that?? 150f?? I could see 250f or maybe even 150c but 150f is awfully cool.....I don't think that's possible except in winter up north....you gat 100f on a Florida hwy, lockup or no....you can't cool liquid down to 150f especially behind the a/c condensor....now if say you used the a/c condensor as the tranny cooler, well maybe, but even then I doubt it would work....not to 150f.....

GENE

nastee383

I have basically what you are asking about. Griffin radiator w/no auto trans cooler line provision, 700R4, a B&M cooler mounted in front of the radiator, a deep pan, Royal Purple synthethic and a B&M trans temp guage. The temp ranges from 110 - 150. Lower end in cool/cold weather and high end in warm/hot weather. The only times I've seen it over 150 was after back to back runs at the track. Even then it only went to about 160. Hope that is info you can use.

Twin_Turbo

Temps measured at external filter pad, near raditaor. Actual in tranny temps are certainly higher. Driving conditions: hard driving (100+mph)


700R4 w/ stock radiator and tranny oil cooler : 200+F
With addition of oil cooler mouinted a good distance away from the radiator: 150F
With the oil cooler mounted ON the radiator it'd be around 180 or so.

The Money Pit

Thanks for the replies.I talked to two different tranny shops today and they both agreed I should have no problem.One even said the deep pan was just something else to bang on the speed bumps and didn't think it would help much.

Schmucker

Yeah, that is what I would worry about with running a deeper pan. My car is going to be pretty low and the TH350 pan had hit the pavement a few times already as far as I could tell when looking at it. I can imagine when I dial my shocks in for drag racing what would happen when I the front comes down (assuming I have an engine with *****...) and the pan smacks the track.

blue72lt4sc

im surprised that bowtie didnt ask you when you bought the tranny but they sell a install kit with temp gauge and pressure gauge for $30 or so

redwingvette

I just put in a BTO 200R4. They want to run at 150F as normal operating temp. I am looking for a gage to put in place of the clock but it is not mandatory to have a gage all the time. They just want to make sure it is setup right to start with.

norvalwilhelm

When I was running the 700R4 I ran a stand alone oil cooler. It was about 12 x 12 with a 10 inch electric fan. I also ran a aluminum deep sump pan and autometer temperature gage.
I tried to keep the transmission out of the 220 range. When I saw the temperature creep over 200 the fan was turned on.
Life of the transmission really goes down as the temperature goes up.

dman535

In a standard Corvette 700r4 install there is only the oil-water cooler in the radiator. Assuming a 195 degree thermostat that will the temperature of the transmission fluid, and many of those transmission have run without issue for along distance. I agree that its best not to overcook a trans, but a 150 degree temperature seems a bit much.

I ran the factory trans cooler and added an air to air unit on the front of the radiator and have not had any evidence that the trans ran hot.

Just my .02 cents worth.

Twin_Turbo

Stock 82 700R4 quite quickly burnt up at 200+F. When running hard at 150F similar tranny never even hesitated, after i sold it that tranny was still in pritine condition.

Again, measured at remote filter pad, not in the tranny. (where you see that white filter near the coolant reservoir)



[Modified by Twin_Turbo, 7:20 AM 5/7/2003]


[Modified by Twin_Turbo, 7:21 AM 5/7/2003]

mrvette

This discussion makes me wonder if I need an even larger cooler....maybe so...guess I have to look for an old a/c condensor, say off a FWD car...that should do it....;-)))


GENE