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Thread: Trans Cooler Upgrade

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Long Beach California
    Posts
    637

    Trans Cooler Upgrade

    Ok so I think I know the answer to my question but i wanted to get your guys opinions.
    When I did the motor swap, I upgraded the stock OBS tiny trans cooler with a summit brand tube and fin cooler due to the lower cost vs the Tru-Cool that everyone swears by. I had planned on getting a 21-22' boat in the future when i was doing the swap and I told that to chris at circle D when I was choosing a converter. He said the 2800-3000 stall would still be ok for towing so I got it. temperatures have been fine for 2 years now towing my 3 jet ski trailer around even in 100 degree weather.

    Well I finally got my boat last week and went bigger than originally planned. its a 25 footer. Truck weighs 4500 with me in it (empty bed) and the boat/trailer is another 5500-6000 lbs. Took her to the lake on saturday and the stall really makes the 6.0 have to rev up to get going. On flat highway locked up, temp is around 210 (normally 190 without a trailer). But there is a nice long grade that i had to climb and boy did i have to turn the heater on!!! she got up to around 250 (coolant temp)... thats too much for my liking and i started to smell something burning but couldnt tell exactly what it was. I assume it was trans fluid. I have not hooked my trans temp gauge up yet so i dont know what it was at but i know it had to be WAY UP THERE.

    So I came to the conclusion that i needed to reduce the stall if i want to help keep temps down. but in doing research, i found that a lot of guys saying they are running a 2800 stall and even higher with no issues.... so that got me a little confused. Then I thought about the cooler and in doing research on that, aparantly the tube and fin type is the least efficient and the tru cool 40K is the stacked plate type which is the most efficient and is designed for heavy towing.

    So my question is, am I right in thinking that the stall is not the problem and what i have is fine and all i need to do is get the 40K and be done with it? $150 cooler vs a $3000 trans/verter rebuild is money well spent. I know I took some life off both of them this last trip so i want to get this fixed before the next one (hopefully next sunday)

    What do you guys think? re-stall, 40K, or both? or something else im missing? Engine oil cooler worth the dime??
    Like Tumbler in "Gone in 60" I'll drive anything with wheels or without

    My 95 ECSB LQ9 build thread - http://www.ls1truck.com/forums/lsx-t...to-95-obs.html
    CALI LEGAL ENGINE SWAP!
    Stock 03 LQ9, DBW, 95' 4l80e w/ Transgo shift kit, 2010 50# GM injectors, 2800 Circle D stall, Spectre CAI, Upgraded trans cooler, Home-made E-fans/shroud, Dual EP-381 fuel pumps w/Home-made hotwire kit
    NEXT ON LIST: Dual Battery setup, CAM/Valvetrain upgrade, Build my own rear mount turbo, TRU-TRAC, HIT THE STRIP!!!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Long Beach California
    Posts
    637
    ok well i bought a 40K. Gonna install it in a few hours. Take the boat out tomorrow and see how she does. If I have time ill try and install the trans temp gauge thats been collecting dust...
    Like Tumbler in "Gone in 60" I'll drive anything with wheels or without

    My 95 ECSB LQ9 build thread - http://www.ls1truck.com/forums/lsx-t...to-95-obs.html
    CALI LEGAL ENGINE SWAP!
    Stock 03 LQ9, DBW, 95' 4l80e w/ Transgo shift kit, 2010 50# GM injectors, 2800 Circle D stall, Spectre CAI, Upgraded trans cooler, Home-made E-fans/shroud, Dual EP-381 fuel pumps w/Home-made hotwire kit
    NEXT ON LIST: Dual Battery setup, CAM/Valvetrain upgrade, Build my own rear mount turbo, TRU-TRAC, HIT THE STRIP!!!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    San Marcos Texas
    Posts
    4,393
    Sounds like you need a bigger radiator as well. Many 6.0 came with the radiator with oil cooler built in.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    New Port Beach, CA.
    Posts
    54
    so I found that if i run in the tow/haul mode on my 2003 the trans gets really hot going up hill. If your running a 4l80e behind a 6.0l you should see a really low rpm around 2000 to 2500 in od lockup at 65 mph and with that 2800 stall I don't think your computer can even put you into a lockup unless you going around 75 mph. and even then if you let up it may just drop out and start slipping the trans in the adaptive learn routine in the computer to give you better fuel economy. Also depending on your gears it well very as well. I don't know if your truck has the button for the tow mode but your truck may be defaulting into that mode. you my not be going into od lockup and slipping all the way up the hill which will burn your clutches try dropping it down into 2nd and role in slowly if it revs up under load but doesn't accelerate evenly your not lockup in. You should see it in all gears. You may need to stay 2nd all the way up. If i where you i would contact Nelson Performance out of Texas and tell them what you put in your trans. they my need to remap your shift program and lockups to hit after your mechanical stall comes in and with a 2800 it may be stalling even higher say around 3000 depending on line pressures. I don't think the cooler is the problem.
    6.0 MAX Blown

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Long Beach California
    Posts
    637
    So I put the cooler in and it helped MAYBE a little. I also got a trans flush because i saw that the fluid was burned. not bad but definately not red like its supposed to be. And unfortuneately I saw metal shavings in the fluid which sux because the 80e was fresh built 3 years ago along with the verter being brand new.... I cant tell a difference in performance but I know there is definately some wear inside.

    Then i was driving around last week and noticed that tuck was getting hot at red lights without the boat. So i knew i was having a cooling issue with the truck. So when I got home i looked under the hood and saw coolant leaking from the weep hole. WTF! The pump was brand new 3 years ago too!!! Luckily I got the lifetime warranty so it was free. So i swapped it out, got a new tstat, did a flush and put new dexcool in. Took it for a ride and it doesnt get above 185ish cruising around. Never been that cool. I was so stoked.

    Took the boat out yesterday to give the new parts a test and let me tell you it did a helluva lot better. going up the really steep parts around the hairpin turns in the mountain area where i would really have to slow down causing me to basically start and stop, the temp definately got up there but maybe up to 240ish max. so the cooling system is totally fixed now but i still dont like the temps.

    NOW as far as tune goes, I KNOW i need to get that done and am almost positve its a contributing factor but not sure how much. Right now it just has a stock tune with vats removed and minor things such as my 50#injector upgrade. But I know its not tuned for the stall because the shift points are all over the place depending on load and pedal position. But im putting a cam in and have most of the parts. just missing the valve train upgrade so I have been putting off the tune until thats in just to get it all done at once. Im sure the tune will help out a lot on shift points.

    I would really like to discuss this tow/haul mode and ive asked about it on here before with no real response. My truck didnt come with towhaul mode so there is no button and from what ive read, it uses the serial data to work which i believe makes it impossible to just put a button in... UNLESS IM WRONG WHICH WOULD BE COOL AND PLEASE LET ME KNOW. As far as rpm, it is more on the high side of what you suggested probably around 2500 rpm at 65. I have 373's in back which is probably why. But i can totally tell when it locks up. it is very pronounced in feel and sound. i feel it locks up at too high of speed at around 55 or so and will stay locked until it drops to about 50. My buddys H2 with LQ4 locks up between 45-50 which i would prefer and im sure I can have programmed in the tune. But going up the hill it is definately not locked up and id say its in 4th gear just slipping the hell out of the stall. I assume this is where all the heat is being generated from which is why I asked my original question.

    What should my next step be? I assume it would be to get the tune put in. any ideas on the tow/haul mode or am i just SOL on that? what i should probably do is hook up my scanner and watch the gear position and trans temps while my buddy drives. I wanted to do that yesterday but totally forgot about it. Ill try and do that this weekend.
    Like Tumbler in "Gone in 60" I'll drive anything with wheels or without

    My 95 ECSB LQ9 build thread - http://www.ls1truck.com/forums/lsx-t...to-95-obs.html
    CALI LEGAL ENGINE SWAP!
    Stock 03 LQ9, DBW, 95' 4l80e w/ Transgo shift kit, 2010 50# GM injectors, 2800 Circle D stall, Spectre CAI, Upgraded trans cooler, Home-made E-fans/shroud, Dual EP-381 fuel pumps w/Home-made hotwire kit
    NEXT ON LIST: Dual Battery setup, CAM/Valvetrain upgrade, Build my own rear mount turbo, TRU-TRAC, HIT THE STRIP!!!

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