cold trans temps

[3bears]

so ...i live in alaska..these days anything above zero is a plus. I have block , tranny , battery heaters.my radiator is blocked. I can plug them in 3 hours b4 i go out. I remote start 20 minutes h b4 I go out,.( common for lots of us)...with torque pro my engine at 190..tranny at 120 ish.. tranny temps can be bad when low...it feels like im driving with a brake on till ive been on the road a bit.... so its an alaska rig..but i love this rig..bullet proof at 250k+ ( then again up here...the sayhing is...add 10k to every year because of the extremes) but im getting worried about the tranny temps and life...
up here...At this age...when its dead ...its throw away...almost no wrecking yards
ideas ? some other way to get trans temps up ? funny most of you are thinking how to get trans temps down

 

[Ed_C]

Maybe a heating pad on the pan? A friend's dad (RIP) had a really nice C3 Corvette, he'd plug in an oil pan heater hours before taking it out for a drive.

pan heater

 

[Endlessblockades]

so ...i live in alaska..these days anything above zero is a plus. I have block , tranny , battery heaters.my radiator is blocked. I can plug them in 3 hours b4 i go out. I remote start 20 minutes h b4 I go out,.( common for lots of us)...with torque pro my engine at 190..tranny at 120 ish.. tranny temps can be bad when low...it feels like im driving with a brake on till ive been on the road a bit.... so its an alaska rig..but i love this rig..bullet proof at 250k+ ( then again up here...the sayhing is...add 10k to every year because of the extremes) but im getting worried about the tranny temps and life...
up here...At this age...when its dead ...its throw away...almost no wrecking yards
ideas ? some other way to get trans temps up ? funny most of you are thinking how to get trans temps down

Hopefully you'll find a way to get the temps where you want them, but it isn't out of the question for someone to do the drive from Canada or the lower 48 with a salvage yard unit,.....is it? I know people who have done the drive and people who want to do it. Maybe I'm just crazy.

 

[_Ace_]

You could install a Derale Fluid Control Thermostat between the transmission and the cooler...it is advertised with a 180F temp function.

The thermostat will open after the transmission fluid temp hits 180f and closes when colder.

So in extreme cold like Alaska it should be closed and keep fluid from going through the radiator transmission cooler until it warms up.

You can get the thermostat, mount and hose barbs at Amazon.

 

[96RedRunner]

I'll second the Derale Thermostat. Anything on the pan has its own issues getting damaged or knocked off if magnetic.
Factory skids no help full skids different story.

 

[19963.4lsr5]

My friend and his dad owned a trans shop and stopped installing them because when they failed it blocked the cooler line.

Unless they are now fail safe…….


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[3bears]

Maybe a heating pad on the pan? A friend's dad (RIP) had a really nice C3 Corvette, he'd plug in an oil pan heater hours before taking it out for a drive.

pan heater

the tranny and the engine both have the Kats pads. as well as a block heater and a battery heater

 

[3bears]

ill look into the derale thermostat.

even though my trans temps are cool....was thinking ....i wonder if it could be the transfer case that is making the rig sluggish till warm....its the only thing that does not have a heater....
also everything is synthetic fluid

 

[_Ace_]

You might go talk to a local fleet manager that has cars & trucks to see what fluids/lubricants they use in the winter.

A dealer also might have some answers

 

[diverscale]

120 isn't that bad IMO, maybe a drain and refill of tranny pan fluid every year in case moisture would degrade some additives faster in the oil?

Both my 2020 jeep and 4runner also feel like you are on the brake when it's a very cold night outside (like -20). I feel it's not only related to the transmission, but also the stiff grease in the wheel bearings, the axles, the U-joints, the 80-90 oil being like molasse in the diffs and transfer case also.

 

[phattyduck]

TruCool makes a thermostat that will fit really well in the stock lines:

If it somehow fails, it would still always pass fluid, just maybe not through the cooler(s).

I run one for similar reasons - I would otherwise have way too much cooling in many circumstances. The return line from my coolers is basically always ambient temp.

Modern synthetic ATFs have reasonable viscosity anywhere above 100*F or so... so it isn't a huge concern.

-Charlie