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LOL - some content was deleted at post #23... For those of you who saw it, you were warned.
Anywho, I'll say it again; over cooling can be bad. The trans does need to come up to temperature long enough to remove moisture from the oil. Meaning, do not completely bypass the OEM heat exchanger, LEAVE IT IN LINE after the Air to Oil cooler you add up front. This helps warm the trans on those short runs. I'm saying those cool temperature mean the clearances are not optimal and you are creating extra wear on the trans if it does not need this cooling! Do not bypass the OEM heat exchanger...
NO, no no!!! 104 / 116F is NOT up to temperature. It is ONLY the check level. Which in the OEM configuration takes less than ten minutes to achieve even from 40 F ambient temps.
You all have no reason to believe me, but I used to build transmission for 6 years at AAMCO trans. Like I said before, old fluid from the past was nothing like the present.
Details:
Here goes the past. The old fluid would varnish, turn yellow, and stink like turpentine. In this broken down state it was sucking the elasticity from the from the O'rings that expand the Teflon that make the pressure seal between clutch drums having clutch packs. While the O'ring are hardening and dying (not expanding the Teflon so it can seal), the Teflon seal was leaking. As it leaks, the varnished fluid would fill some of the voids reducing the internal oil leaks that allowed pressure loss and subsequent clutch slip from lack of pressure.
All of that said, when you see and smell that yellow fluid, you have a problem! The fluid is breaking down and adding Fresh Clean New High Detergent Fluid Will desolve the varnish holding that old trans together. THAT IS THE PAST!!!
Fluids from the last twenty years do not do this!!!!! They do not fail like this, yet all of these silly wives tails live on. Let them go and change the fluid!
If a modern day mechanic says "don't change the fluid" AND asks you how long you want to keep the car (and you say a long time), they want to take you're money and sell you a new trans when that one fails....
there are stories of transmissions failing after/drain flush, but it’s important to know: was transmission having issues before, how many miles/years since the last service, what fluid and procedure was used, and competency of the mechanic.
The procedure for setting correct fluid level is not easy and requires certain training/experience, Sealed transmissions are very sensitive to correct fluid level (which is set at specific temperature and requires use of thermometer or diagnostic port and special equipment).
most people don’t think about their transmissions because they are so called “life time”, one day it starts shifting funny or harsh... so they decide to drain/flush them to fix the situation, and that’s when they fail, so of course they will blame the flush. That’s why after certain mileage the recommendation is not to do anything if you never did anything.
See Above... ^^
Originally Posted by qmanman
FWIW I'm in my 50s, been wrenching since I was 14, and have done at least a dozen complete trans flushes and have never, ever, ever, ever had a single issue with a transmission.
For those of y'all who claim there's a reason to not flush it, please provide evidence as to why you say so.
Cheers! Me Too!
The interwebs is full of so much bad information. But ya, wrenching from a very early age. Take care of your equipment and it will serve you well!
I get what you are saying about installing it before the OEM cooler, but that is not how I did it. I followed the instructions, but your way makes more sense. How come the instructions say to install it after the OEM cooler? Bizarre.
Note taken about newer transmissions being safe to flush. For me, if its a 23+ years old and over 200+k miles like my 96 integra, I still save the old fluid just in case.
I will try to get something to monitor the temp over OBD, and I will report back.
Does anyone know what the min operating temp should be for this transmission?
fun fact: I see my transmission on ebay for 800 bucks right now . . . thought it would be more.
I too am an old guy who has been wrenching since the 70s.
I have installed a couple of "Low-pressure drop" design transmission coolers back in the 90s when trans design was worse as was fluid. I also did my own fluid exchanges (with Mobil 1) through the cooler lines on these 2 vehicles, both of which had known problem transmissions, a 1994 Mazda MX-6 and a 1995 Ford Explorer. I also installed a Magnefine inline filter on each vehicle.
Both went over 140,000 miles with no transmission problems before I sold them. I learned a few years later the Explorer was still running fine.
However, the 6 speed Aisin automatic transmission used by Lexus does not need any of these band-aids to extend its life. Just do a fluid exchange every 50,000 miles, or a drain and fill more often.
It does not have an overheating problem.
I do a transmission drain and fill almost every year on my RX350 ( I started at 30,000 miles) and I use MAG 1 low viscosity full synthetic fluid instead of the WS. It shifts better than new after 8 fluid exchanges.
I get what you are saying about installing it before the OEM cooler, but that is not how I did it. I followed the instructions, but your way makes more sense. How come the instructions say to install it after the OEM cooler? Bizarre.
Short answer is 90% of these companies build for severe duty and are also setup to make universal type small coolers as there is need for them in those severe duty cases. This is very likely not one of them and if you can route the OEM coolant after you should.
Basically the other configuration will keep the temps cooler and that is what you are paying for. The problem is unless you a trailer over a mountain pass daily, you probably don't need a cooler.
My 350 has an A760E trans. They use it in the Tacos, FJ, and a few Tundras. The valve body, TCU, and torque converter are different but the guts are pretty much the same.
In this application it has water from the engine block to the trans where the heat exchanger water/oil helps bring the trans up to temp AND cool it when over temp.
It takes the maybe 10 to 15min to get it to 115°F on the highway and then another 15min to hit 180 /190 and I just drove 28 miles.
Originally Posted by ja1
Note taken about newer transmissions being safe to flush. For me, if its a 23+ years old and over 200+k miles like my 96 integra, I still save the old fluid just in case.
I will try to get something to monitor the temp over OBD, and I will report back.
Does anyone know what the min operating temp should be for this transmission?
.
On an hour long trip expect 180/200°F. Basically tracks the engine temp with the OEM cooler.
What do you mean by save the old fluid just in case? I'd change that too. It's probably nasty! Think of fine particles of worn clutch and steel debris as cutting particles. Over time if those particles circulate through enough times they wear bushings, bearings, thrust surfaces unnecessarily. The filters typically remove most but not all particles.
Just as an update, I am still trying to get a scan tool that can read transmission temp. I tried OBD Fusion App, but it had connection issues with my ebay ELM. Bluedriver didn't work. I tried the ELM with torque pro, and it had a reading for transmission temp, but it was always the EXACT same number as the engine temp, so it was basically mis-labeled. I will get techstream working this weekend, which I know for sure will have the transmission temp.
I know it has been awhile, but I decided to leave the cooler in. The car is in a much warmer climate (soCal). Also, I would still caution about full-flushing trans. The famous Scotty Kilmer, and the books say the same thing.
... Also, I would still caution about full-flushing trans. The famous Scotty Kilmer, and the books say the same thing.
To avoid this issue, I've done a drain and fill every 30K since new. I'll do filter change and refill at about 150K. Same too for the power steering fluid, I siphon and refill the reservoir every third or fourth time I do an engine oil/filter change.
