Transmission Cooler for 2018 Expedition/Navigator 4x4

[duneslider]

I will say that I have talked to several transmission shops, not directly about the 10R80, but they have ALL said heat is the worst enemy. They pretty much said they would never worry about one getting too cold.

One of these guys was the one who rebuilt my Jeep's transmission and he said he required a certain size external cooler if I wanted a warranty. He said anyone that was saying they should run hot was not concerned with longevity and was more concerned with their bottom line.

 

[Left Coast Geek]

I've always thought its the torque converter slippage that makes most of the heat in an automatic transmission, and I thought the 10L80 used a TC lockup clutch in all gears, only using the torque converter to idle in first.

I've been towing for many years with a hoary old 4R100 4 speed, that has TC lockup in 3rd and 4th, and I used to watch the trans temp religiously with TorquePro ... The big one was a 4-3 downshift climbing a grade, if I stayed on the throttle, the TC lockup would take a LONG time to engage if ever, and the engine would be doing 500 or even 1000 RPM more than it would with TC lockup, and the trans oil temps would climb. So on that vehicle with that transmission, I would invoke 3rd (disable "OD") *before* the grade, and before I needed full power so it was in 3rd with TC lockup, then it would climb hills all day long without heating up, even if the engine was at the upper end of its RPM range. This was the big 7.3L Powerstroke on a 2002 F250, it pulled best in the 2000-2500 rpm range and cruised in the 1500-2000 rpm range

 

[Joe S]

I have the HD tow package and wanted extra cooling capacity, I decided to go with the Raptor cooler because it gives me a more cooling capacity but all great additions nonetheless...the Raptor cooler fit like a glove in the same location as my original HD cooler and it was an easy breezy swap...Bought mine from Ford Parts

 

[andyak]

Hey Joe -is this in a 4th gen expy - are you talking about a transmission cooler?

 

[LazSlate]

.

 

[Jeff Sweeney]

I bought a mishimoto raptor cooler, ran lines up front, got rid of the Tran-mounted heat exchanger, and eliminated the ECT lines that were originally coming down from the motor to deleted heat exchanger.

How has this been working for you?

 

[theblackpearl]

I have the HD tow package and wanted extra cooling capacity, I decided to go with the Raptor cooler because it gives me a more cooling capacity but all great additions nonetheless...the Raptor cooler fit like a glove in the same location as my original HD cooler and it was an easy breezy swap...Bought mine from Ford Parts

Do you have pics ? Would love to see some !

 

[Silver-Bullet-Bus]

So I've read that the optimum operating range of the 10R80 transmission on these cars is between 200-220... and they don't perform well when it is 170-180F: have heard that they get jerky below this range. How are you accounting for that?

They are jerky when towing, no matter what temp, in my experience.

For me, better when cooler & don’t lug the motor, run some rps with a lower gear, as opposed to trying to run boost & lug the motor with a higher gear.

 

[Silver-Bullet-Bus]

Yep, and that fits right in with the heat discussion in that article I posted.

Yup, I would agree.

I am friends with my local Ford dealership & they see way too many low mileage tranny issues. Bottom line & my opinion & my mechanics with these 10r80s is heat kills!

 

[Silver-Bullet-Bus]

From another forum

Be aware that running a cooler thermostat is likely to modestly shorten the life of the engine.

Modern engines are designed to operate at a high internal temperature to ensure a clean, complete burn as well as good lubricity and minimal water content in the engine oil.

As such, the tolerances and clearances are also designed with that temperature in mind. Due to differing thermal expansion rates of dissimilar materials, running significantly above or below the designed temperature range can result in accelerated wear. This won't happen overnight (especially in the case of a 180°F thermostat), but the effect of running the engine cooler than designed is similar to running it with more cold starts.

In addition, the lower operating temperature will result in a poorer burn of the fuel, increasing carbon and other deposits on valves, cylinders, and in the exhaust (including the turbochargers). The additional unburnt portion is usually burnt up in the catalytic converter, so emissions differences are negligible, but the catalytic converter will run hotter.

All in all, it won't be a large difference, but I wouldn't be surprised to see a 5-15% real world reduction in engine service life as a result. (Fuel economy may also suffer to a small degree.)

Some of these effects can be mitigated by running thinner weight oil, especially oils that flow easier at mid-temperatures. For example, 0W-30 in lieu of 5W-30 might help offset some of the impacts.

‍U think I’m worried about fuel economy running LPFP/HPFP, Garrett’s, & corn juice.
My engine is squeaky clean inside!