Is it worth spending money on a deeper tranny pan to hold more fluid and help dissapate heat on a 4l80. Any suggestions on brand type (b&M) etc ?

I tow about 6500 lbs every weekend in the summer .

-Dan

I'd say you would be better off spending the money on an auxiliary trans cooler. Cooling performance is probably way better.

A deeper pan might decrease the ground clearance.

RS1,

I agree with going the cooler route. It's not how much extra fluid you add to your system but it's how you condition what you have that is important. I've never been able to understand why I would want to spend in the neighborhood of $200 for a bigger pan when I can add a much better cooler made by the same folks that make it for GM for under $100.

I bought the Tru-Cool H7B cooler from this link and installed it where my OEM cooler was. Tru-Cool is stamped Long Mfg, same company that makes the OEM unit, even reused some mounting holes, (B&M looks an awful lot like it, but never looked closely to see if theirs is made by Long). Bought lines and fittings locally and installed in an afternoon.

http://www.bulkpart.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=2&Category_Code=tru-cool-ind

I installed a GM pan with a drain plug, then added a temp sensor port in addition to the drain and the before and after temps were surprising. I have never exceeded pan temps of 175 F since, but would hit 220F prior to the cooler. Drain pan from GM at the time was under $30, just added the sensor port.

Do you have a part # for the drain pan?

What lines and fittings did you need to install the cooler? It comes at a very good price and seems to do the job, so it might be a good option for me, too :)


PS: What do you think about this one: http://www.bulkpart.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=2&Product_Code=4739&Category_Code=tru-cool-hd&Product_Count=3 ?

As my AC cooler is out, I have quite some room in there now.

Olee,

I don't have the part number at hand, but it is a pan used on the 4L80E on 2WD vehicles. For some reason they never added the drain plug for the 4WD vehicles. I add a word of caution to have the dealer verify their is a drain plug before simply ordering a unit and shipping you one. I used www.teamchev.com and worked with Gale. That was in 2002 so not sure of the price now, but they discount well.

I used fittings from Napa, just brass 1/2" NPT adapted to 3/8" or 5/16" nipples for hose. Hose was also the good quality fuel/oil hose. I cut the lines and slipped the hose over the lines and ran them to the cooler. You have to make some smaller metal straps to attach the cooler at one end. Without looking, I believe I had to shift the cooler slightly to the passenger side, and the bottom was where the new tabs went. The OEM trans cooler is the same style, just a lot shorter with special threads.

If you can get that cooler to fit and don't need AC, it looks like a winner. Only caution some would make is not to overcool, but I have found plate type coolers will self regulate to a degree. I have not suffered with mine in super cold temps as the oil get's thick and will not flow through all the plates.

Thanks for the info! One of the problems is to find out what parts you need to install a cooler ...

Did you cut the OEM lines and attached yours to them? How much oil pressure is on the lines?

I'm also thinking about a larger oil cooler. The OEM coolers look rather small and not very efficient.

I took my truck down to trans. shop and had them install a 28k tranny cooler. I towed my tractor up steep hill last week and never went over 210..Yea I felt lazy and had someone else do.. $260. what the heck...

Geez,I wish there were a tranny shop around here ...

Derale sells a cooler pan (pan that has cooling tubes running through it)

http://www.bulkpart.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=2&Product_Code=14107&Category_Code=pan-cooler&Product_Count=2


I have run these on a 700R4, th400 and just got one in for my 4L80e trans. On the previous two trannies it dropped the temps significantly while on the move ( having air run through it) and kept the temps about 20 degrees cooler while doing slow crawl/city driving. they do come with drain plugs. As far as ground clearance, on my previous trucks/pan combos the pan was still sitting higher than the lowest part of the chassis at the trans pan area.

Looks like a great idea :) What are the tubes made of? I imagine running water through them ...

Let us know how much it reduces the temps on a 4l80e.


PS: What do you think of external transmission filters? With a drain plug in the pan, there won't be any more need to drop the pan when changing oil and filter, would it? After two or three trans oil changes, I would have saved the money for the pan and the external filter by not having to buy the gaskets and the internal filters any more (The rubber gasket and internal filter kit costs about EUR 65 here.). I would use the drain plug for a temp sensor and maybe not need an auxiliary cooler. That's really something to think about!

Here's the one I'm running...........


http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=BMM%2D70295&N=115&autoview=sku

Looks good :) Is it as sturdy as it looks on the pic? Does it have an impact on the ground clearance?

They say that aluminium pans add stability to the transmission case --- is there any need for that, any noticeable difference?

Some other info I gathered is: The internal filter must still be used, and for pans with larger capacity, you must install a filter extension to lower the filter towards the bottom of the pan. A magnetic drain plug to catch the dust would be an advantage. An external filter doesn't make much sense with that because they are just magnetic filters.

Is that true?

I paid $200 for a PML and love it but I've seen knockoffs for ~$100 in summit catalogs.

They seem to have them only for Fords ...

Hm, I'm getting curious how many have installed an aftermarket pan. I'll set up a poll.

Looks good :) Is it as sturdy as it looks on the pic? Does it have an impact on the ground clearance?



Thickest pan I've ever seen, comes with magnetic drain plug too :cool:
And no it does'nt hang down enough to worry me.

Great :) I'll ask my local supplier if they have something like that, or can get one for me. That's easier than ordering in the US. I'll have to see ...

I'll be using a MagHytec pan on my truck along with a bigger cooler w/ fan. Should make a world of difference.

Wow , this thread really took off.... looks like i'll be installing one !:ro)


Thanks guys .

The pan looks good and the intent of the cooling tubes is great, but if they are against the bottom of the pan it would make a big grunge catcher in the grooves I would think. If there is space between the pan bottom and the tubes for the sediment to wash down and drain then it would be great.

Wild Willy,
Yes there is a space between the tubes and pan bottom so the grunge can be washed out, But if there is too much grunge then you have other tranny issues :( It's a bit late for me right now, but tommorow I'll snap ofa couple of pictures of the pan and post them.

Thanks dhjunkie. I was just making a comment. I know that there is a certain amount of sediment that will settle in the pan after a few times around the block and it would be hard to clean that out by just changing fluid without removing the pan. But it would be cool to see what the pan really looks like at the bottom.

PS: What do you think of external transmission filters? With a drain plug in the pan, there won't be any more need to drop the pan when changing oil and filter, would it? After two or three trans oil changes, I would have saved the money for the pan and the external filter by not having to buy the gaskets and the internal filters any more (The rubber gasket and internal filter kit costs about EUR 65 here.). I would use the drain plug for a temp sensor and maybe not need an auxiliary cooler. That's really something to think about!

I thought that someone had mentioned before that an external filter had too much of a pressure drop and wasn't a good idea on the 4l80e. I wonder if putting 2 in parallel would work?

I've been asking in another forum and been told that they are magnetic filters. Thus they would work the same way as a magnetic drain plug, maybe more efficient, though. They must feature a bypass for not to block the flow when the filter is clogged.

Two in parallel would still make for almost the same flow restriction/pressure drop as one, I guess.

Considering that the stock pan doesn't have a drain plug at all and that the debris is just swimming around in it all the time, and considering the hassle of installing an external filter, I think it's not worthwhile. The magnetic drain plug should catch some of the debris, if it's actually magnetic, and allowing for easier oil changes, I would rather change the oil more often.

Lee, I meant the ones that take a normal spin-on oil filter.

Sorry for the long delay in getting the pictures posted (camera took a dump, circuit city warranty took forever) :( but all is good now.

There is about 3/4" clearance between the pan bottom and the bottom of the tubes. The drain plug has a magnetic insert. It is claimed to hold 3 quarts more fluid.

I need you all to figure out if I am thinking straight or not. One or two deeper pans that I have seen have a filter extension to drop the filter lower in the pan. Wouldn't this help prevent damage to the transmission if you droped a quart of fluid, ie a new leak, between fluid checks?

I do not yet have a temp guage to keep track of the trans yet, which would also let you know something is going wrong. It will on order in a couple of weeks I hope.

Thanks......

filter extensions, If am reading your thread right you are probably refering to the 700r4 (4L60) and the th400 (3L80) transmissions. Both those trannies are available stock with a shallow (usually car application) and a deep pan (truck/trailer package) with both of these transmissions (if you have the shallow pans you will need the filter extensions.

OLEE , all trucks with 4l80e for domestic use came with an immersion cooler & external air to air cooler. Yours has what?I I would say shine on the external filter as the transmissions go 100.000 miles before service in normal use. Filter is changed then. It only filters out a certain micron size so they never plug unless the trans is failing. Kind of like the screen door on a house.They let dust thru but hold the bigger size grit.You could just change the fluid frequently thru the drain & refill at whatever mileage interval your comfortable with.Check on a pan from an Expresss van with a DURAMAX as that would be the largest, I would think.

In my shop we will install an external filter if we are worried about contamination from the previous damage showing its ugly head after rebuild. I recomend pulling that filter off after a few hundred miles.

For any of you guys that have installed tranny coolers with fans and thermostats on them where did you put them? I was thinking of putting one before the oil enters the rad in hopes that it would help cool the engine too.

I run a Deraile fan/cooler under the bed, word of caution here put a rock guard, and a power switch on it, if you think you mite ever get mud or gravel in between the fan and fins, I burned up my 1st fan motor, fuse they recommended for the install is too high to save the fan if the fan gets stalled.

mine is also equipped with a temp switch to only energize the fan when trans temp return oil is >180, my underbed cooler is plumbed into the return line of the trans, my in pan temp robe never gets over 200F usually runs 160-180F, only gets hot when hot outside 95+ and heavy towing.

I also run a PML pan, deeper but no ground clearance issues, to an extent. the aluminum also aids in dissipation of heat.

don't waste your time with small coolers, this is a cooler i am running with two electric fans mounted to it. also mounted a tranny temp gauge in one of the pressure ports on the side of the tranny. works Great.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Tru-Cool-transmission-cooler-47391-40-000-GVW-rating_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ50072QQihZ009QQi temZ190019771581QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW