1997 F250 Power Stroke Tranny ???

[h2oboy]

I have 1997 lifted F250 and am wondering what my tranny temp should be... It seems to me when I am on the highway with nothing in tow my tranny is running too warm. I have a large tranny cooler, deep tranny pan, external tranny filter and am running around 200. Is this a normal tranny temp or is there something wrong. If anyone could help me out that would be great. This past weekend I ran 200 loaded, and then on my way back I ran almost 220 unloaded... Just not sure!!
Thank You!!!

[victorfb]

im not too familiar with that tranny, but those temps are not good for most transmissions, especially unloaded. i would take it in and have them check it. you may have a torque converter ready to blow. the constant slipping of the torque converter even a slight slip will generate heat constantly and burn the fluid, which in turn causes havoc on the rest of the internals. not to mention particle contamination. have it serviced and if found bad make sure to get a new torque converter or have yours cut, split, repaired, and cleaned.

[h2oboy]

im not too familiar with that tranny, but those temps are not good for most transmissions, especially unloaded. i would take it in and have them check it. you may have a torque converter ready to blow. the constant slipping of the torque converter even a slight slip will generate heat constantly and burn the fluid, which in turn causes havoc on the rest of the internals. not to mention particle contamination. have it serviced and if found bad make sure to get a new torque converter or have yours cut, split, repaired, and cleaned.
I have heard that in the past, but when I changed the fluid it really looked good... I think you are right though with the torque converter... Is that something they can test without tearing it down??

[shadow]

I have 1997 lifted F250 and am wondering what my tranny temp should be... It seems to me when I am on the highway with nothing in tow my tranny is running too warm. I have a large tranny cooler, deep tranny pan, external tranny filter and am running around 200. Is this a normal tranny temp or is there something wrong. If anyone could help me out that would be great. This past weekend I ran 200 loaded, and then on my way back I ran almost 220 unloaded... Just not sure!!
Thank You!!!
How long have you had the deep trans pan?Cooler is a good idea but the deep trans pan just stores more hot fluid.I'd put the stock pan back on and run it and see what happens.Might not look as cool but might solve your problem.Just an idea.

[victorfb]

not to my knowledge but a good transmission shop will be able to answer that much better. basically you look at whats inside the pan and look for converter peices. the tranny may be saved by a good flushing and a new converter. otherwise if left alone it sounds like its gunna get worse before better. when towing the 38' 5th wheel with the gas duelly id reach 220-230 going up the grades and i didnt like it but it was normal for that much stress on it. but it would cool right down afterwards. im just glad you are smart enough to have a tranny temp guage cause youd be surprised how many people tow heavy loads without one. 180 will make the tranny live a good life. i tried to get mine to 160 and with all the coolers, deep pans, ect, i did and i was much more relaxed about it going on long hauls. one thing i did was to delete the tranny lines going through the radiator and used a large external tranny cooler. that helped quite a bit. though it took a bit longer at warm up to get the tranny fluid to a decent temp. too cold is not good either at start up if your trying to put a load on it right away. let it warm up a bit first.

[victorfb]

How long have you had the deep trans pan?Cooler is a good idea but the deep trans pan just stores more hot fluid.I'd put the stock pan back on and run it and see what happens.Might not look as cool but might solve your problem.Just an idea.
the deep sump aluminum pans with the cooling fins do more than just hold more hot fluid. the aluminum dissapates the heat MUCH faster and allows the fluid to cool. most of the fluid is allready in the converter and there is no way to get that stuff cool untill it passes through the system.

[shadow]

the deep sump aluminum pans with the cooling fins do more than just hold more hot fluid. the aluminum dissapates the heat MUCH faster and allows the fluid to cool. most of the fluid is allready in the converter and there is no way to get that stuff cool untill it passes through the system.
The converter holds approx 7qts of fluid.(E40d trans) the stock pan hold approx 7qts.Only so much can pass through the cooler at one time the rest of the fluid remains "hot" in the pan.But they look cool and people belive they cool better.Wonder why the automobile manufactures spend millions of $$ on r&d and go with a less effient pan. :confused:

[h2oboy]

I guess I never really paid mucha ttention to the temp in the past and maybe it has been running hot for a while, but this past summer I would be on a highway between Colorado and New Mexico doing about 80-85 and it would reach upwards of 200 degrees. I thought that was high, so I have been watching it, and again this last weekend it did the same coming back from New Mexico, but got a little warmer... I definently do not want to spend thousands to put a new tranny in so I thought I would ask around before taking it to the shop where they are GOING to find something wrong....

[victorfb]

basically because us consumers tend to push our vehicles to the limits. production vehicles use what the R&D people say will be suffice for normal operation. do you run a larger oil pan on your boat motor? why? the auto munufacturer that built that engine says the stock pan is suffice.

[shadow]

basically because us consumers tend to push our vehicles to the limits. production vehicles use what the R&D people say will be suffice for normal operation. do you run a larger oil pan on your boat motor? why? the auto munufacturer that built that engine says the stock pan is suffice.
Let spell this out plain and simple.
It's like boiling a pot of water,Large pot takes longer to heat up to a boil than a smaller pot.But the larger pot also takes longer to cool.
This may not even be his problem but facts are facts.Larger trans pan =more fluid to be cooled.No external fan cooling this additional fluid.What cools the addional fluid?Magic?The air blowing in the front of the truck hasn't changed.
H20boy,another quick check would be to disconnect your trans cooler run a hose into a bucket and you should have 32oz fluid flow in 15 sec.I've seen plenty of coolers clogged or restricted.

[victorfb]

aperantly you failed to read the entire post. aluminum pans with cooling fins are what helps cool the extra fluid. stock pans are made of steel and do not dissapate the heat nearly as quikly as an aluminum pan. in your analogy you use a boiling pot of water. put that water in a steal container and an aluminum container and the aluminum will dissapate the heat from the water much quiker than the steal pot. the larger pans are not just holding more fluid, they are dissapating the heat from the fluid. the fins aid in the process even more so. older transmission had a tendancy to puke out oil when over heated and the extra deep pans helped by having that extra fluid in these cases so you can cool the transmission down and still drive it with the lost fluid. with a stock pan that lost fluid would put added stress on the transmission when getting to a destination to add more fluid. so in a sence it is also a saftey device for the transmission. the added fluid also has more mass to heat in the first place.(try adding more water in your pot and see how much longer it takes to boil) the pan is not what is creating the heat, its the transmission itself. so the less fluid in the transmission, the more likely the heat build up. when reached the over heated point the best way to cool it down is to discontinue use untill temperatur drops. on the road most over heating occurs during increased loads like up grades. if the transmission can hold a lower temp during this grade the less it has to cool it down afterwards. is the larger pan a cure all for over heating? hell no. its an upgrade to assist in cooling. and the aluminum is also an added assistance. try making an automatic transmission from cast iron and see how hot it will get.

[victorfb]

by the way, good tip on the possible clogged cooler. happens more often than most would imagine.

[h2oboy]

by the way, good tip on the possible clogged cooler. happens more often than most would imagine.
How would you go about cleaning a clogged cooler.... This may be my problem as before I never noticed it was getting warmer.. Any suggestions?? The cooler is large in size so it may have been working great before, and is now clogged..

[victorfb]

i cant really advise you on how to unclog the cooler. there are differant styles of coolers and the way ive done it in the past in admittly not a safe way of doing it. basically with the tube style coolers ive run solvant through it with compressed air. i know i know, danger, but as many of you know im not the brightest bulp lit. the other styles are more difficult as the have more than one pathway for the fluid to circulate through. but before doing anything i would recommend pulling the pan to see what it looks like inside. youll most likely see alot of dark grey (what i call "mud") inside stuck to the bottom of the pan and filter. somewhat normal for a higher milage transmission, but the more there is the more you know there is wear. sifting through the mud may reviel even more particles which is basically parts. you definatly dont want to see that. taking that to a transmission guy and telling him when the last service was will be helpfull in determining whats going on inside. if nothing more you are basically changing the filter and fluid as you would be for a regular maintance anyhow, which is allways a good idea. by doing so you may just see that a new filter with some fresh fluid may help your problem. flushing the cooler(s) at the same time is very advisable. most transmission shops will actually pump the entire sytem as to remove all the contaminated fluid and replace with fresh. like mentioned earlier, the torque converter holds alot of fluid so without pumping the system your not freshening the entire fluid, but the new filter is definatly a plus.

[STV_Keith]

Where are you measuring the temp at? In the pan? If you are in the pan, 210* is the max. At 210*, you should be pulling over.

[h2oboy]

I am not sure, I am goign to have to check... If it is not on the pan where else would it be pulling the temp from?? :idea:

[bigblockbill]

~20 degrees hotter then the water temp is an average expected range
To flush a cooler out, disconnect the lines and make a mixture of ATF and some solvent. Use a fuel pump to suck this mixture out of the bucket and flush out the cooler and lines and let the other line flow back into the bucket. Then blow the lines dry.

[h2oboy]

~20 degrees hotter then the water temp is an average expected range
To flush a cooler out, disconnect the lines and make a mixture of ATF and some solvent. Use a fuel pump to suck this mixture out of the bucket and flush out the cooler and lines and let the other line flow back into the bucket. Then blow the lines dry.
Thanks for the advice, I think I may try that first before taking it to the tranny shop... Is the cooler a likely problem?? or am I wasting my time?? Like I said, they WILL find something wrong with it....

[dexman38]

I just blew the tranny on my 2001 F 250 turbo diseal . 70000 miles on the trans before it slipped away. . these was the 2nd trans first one went at 55000. Fuild was changed every 25000 miles. I hope you have better luck then me.

[h2oboy]

I just blew the tranny on my 2001 F 250 turbo diseal . 70000 miles on the trans before it slipped away. . these was the 2nd trans first one went at 55000. Fuild was changed every 25000 miles. I hope you have better luck then me.
Still on the first tranny with 260,000 miles.... towed heavy machinery first, now only a jet boat.... Have yet to have a problem (except for the temp issue), but hopefully it will last a little while longer, as I can not afford to lose it now!!!

[lovesdunes]

The 97 was a great year for the PSD. My 97 F350 went for 240,000 before replacing the tranny. When pulling the 34' toy hauler 220 was not uncommon. Usually at 180 empty. My new tranny from John Woods is awsome. If you have any questions give him a call. Only guy I know that will warranty a tranny for 3 years/50,000 miles on a lifted truck towing heavy loads. http://www.jwtt.com/

[72 Hondo]

What size tires?
Do you use overdrive often?
After 4 transmissions and 4 trans shops I found out this, In my situation (unloaded) I was running 35´s in overdrive that was the first mistake :hammerhea . I was told by an old guy that has been building transmissions for years that the newer overdrive trans in most cases has a self distruct in it, approx. 20% of the hot oil goes to the cooler the rest stays and recirculates. He fixed my problem with a some cheap things.
alter the valve body to flow 100% of the oil through the cooler.
put a switch on the lock-up converter to disengage it manually.
deeper aluminum pan.
B&M stage 1 towing shift kit.
calculated my gear ratio and tire size (the bigger the tire the taller the gear becomes)
He also pointed at me like a little kid and said, NEVER use over drive when your towing!
since then its never hit 190degrees towing,around town about 170degrees and no more burnt fluid. Up until I sold it I put 70,000 on it with no problems, instead of 35,000 at best.

[Havasu Hangin']

Saw this on another site...
http://www.perma-cool.com/Catalog/CatImages/PG02-R1.gif

[lovesdunes]

35" Tires since 96.
I don't tow in overdrive around town. But on the open road I put it in overdrive every chance I get. You just don't want the tranny shifting a lot as if it's hunting for what gear to be in. On the flats it's in overdrive. If it falls out of overdrive I hit the button to keep it out till the road looks like it will let me back into overdrive.
My first tranny was only aided by the Banks Trans Command. Had no big aftermarket cooler. Woods recommends the later V-10 tranny coolers for the 97 and earlier Diesel trucks as it fits really nicely behind the bumper and gets it's air from the big vents Ford cut into the bumper.