I've been doing a lot of interweb research on tranny upgrades for our rigs. What I would like to know is what is a good all around simple/straight forward/reasonable upgrade for the tranny? I've seen the 6.0 cooler, upgrade, the Transgo kit, valve body, trans command etc. As always it comes down to personal opinion, but I want to know what is working for you guys and what have you done. I pull a 30ft TT and I need something that is going to extend the life of my tranny. I know it's running hot but I have no idea how hot because I have no gauges. My rig is basically stock except for what mods you see in my signature block. I have no tunes either. I know I need a lot of upgrades to give me that extra stress free towing ability. Your thoughts?

 

In my opinion keeping the fluid clean will extend the life of the transmission better than anything else. If your output demands are exceeding specifications change the fluid more frequently that every 30k miles.

Heat kills viscosity, low viscosity increases friction, friction dramatically increases component wear and generates more heat which creates a positive feedback loop that continues to amplify until the transmission fails.

 

The 6.0 cooler and gauges would be top priority for me. Live data is your #1 line of defense because heat is the #1 killer of transmissions. If you don't know if it's getting hot, you don't know to pull over to let it cool.

 

1-tranny gauge
2-6.0 tranny cooler
3-upgrage the valve body.
4-install a good aftermarket torque converter

 

1. Trans Temp Guage. Either from a PID reader like Torque Pro through the Data Link Connector, or an independent gauge through the pressure port). Seriously. You said you know you need one. You're right. Every poster above is also right. A gauge is the number one thing you can do.

2. Oil to Air Cooler Replacement. The stock trans cooler in the 7.3L equipped trucks is too small for the GVWR the truck is rated for. Replace it with one from a 6.0L truck (bolts in place). Even the cooler from a V10 gas truck is better than the one Ford originally installed in the 7.3L.

3. Oil to Water Cooler Addition. As if Ford didn't goof transmission cooling enough with a puny stock oil to air cooler, they also neglected to put in an oil to water transmission cooler in the radiator during the first 2 years of SuperDuty production. 1997 and down had them. 2001 and up had them. But you have a 2000. I do too. Mine didn't have the Oil to Water cooler, so Ford gave me a new radiator that had one in it, along with new transmission lines to plumb it up. I was still under the original warranty at the time, but judging by the difference it made in transmission temps, I'd pay for the parts out of my own pocket. Worth it.

4. Synthetic Lubricant. Regular fluid changes at 30K intervals are advisable under severe service (towing a 30' tt qualifies), but one can toast a tranny in 300 miles, or even 30 miles under the "wrong" circumstances... so might as well get the most durable fluid possible that meets the Ford specification for the 4R100. I've had good luck with Mobil 1 Synthetic for the last 15 years.

5. Change your tires. Don't drop your trans pan... drop your tire size. You're rolling 285s... a 33" tire. If you drop to an OEM factory size 31" tire, you will restore the lower gear ratio originally engineered into the transmission's rated GVWR capacity and service life.

6. Lower your truck. The higher the profile, the greater the frontal area and resistance. For reasons I'm not smart enough to understand, lots of space underneath vehicles creates more turbulance and drag, which the transmission sees as higher load to have to pull through.

7. Install a hub lock override switch. Assuming you have the Electronic Shift on the Fly (ESOF) 4WD selector, you can gain a significant granny low in 2WD by adding another switch to prevent the front hubs from locking when you turn the 4WD selector switch to 4LO. The 4R100 often burns up in reverse, specifically, when backing trailers through a load resistance, like an incline. By using the factory switch to only operate the NP273 transfer case without locking the front hubs, you can multiply the 2.88:1 reverse gear ratio by 2.71 to get a stump pulling 7.8:1 reverse gear ratio. This ratio will put a smile on your face, as trailers literally walk behind you through mud, dips, ditches, gravel, driveway inclines... any form of resistance, and the truck pushes them back with very little pedal effort, and no overheating. If you have manual shift 4WD, then there is no need to install an override switch. Just throw the floor lever, leaving the hubs unlocked.


So, to "extend the life" of your tranny, those are seven "simple, straight forward" things you can do FOR your tranny, without ever doing anything TO your tranny... with the goal of "extra stress free towing ability."

 

I appreciate the input the thus far fellas. I agree, I need a gauge so I know how it is getting. I will start there. I know the cooler would be a great option, they are pricy but compared to a tranny, it's a small price to pay. To answer Y2KW57 I don't have the auto hubs, mine are manual. As for a gauge will I need to install a pod for this, or can I mount one some other way? I'm not familiar with aftermarket gauges so I don't know. And who would you recommend buying the 6.0 cooler through? I see that Clay has it on his website, but not sure who else. Looking for the best price as usual. Thanks guys.

 

A clutch pedal and single mass flywheel

 

Check out item 15010. I have one on my 02.
Mounting Solutions - Direct Fit

That's the gauge mount I use for my tranny gauge.

 

I like that pod, very simple. Where did you get your gauge from, same place? How easy are the gauges to install? Do they come with everything to install them?

 

I actually did not install it myself. I sent my truck off to get some work done, and it came back with that gauge installed. Autometer is the gauge I have.

 

I think everyone has already touched on the main things you can do to help. But if it is at the point the trans needs rebuilding then the main issues or design flaws would be the center support on the 4R100. There are a few upgrades that can be done to the center support, feed bolts, coast clutch drum, OD cylinder piston retaining ring, TC, TC drainback valve and input shaft are some of the main things that I would upgrade.

 

I put a John Wood Valve body in my truck about 6 years ago, had a fluid flush (not just changed) and a brand new filter every 25K miles. My truck has 207K and no tranny problems as of yet. I have a buddy who owns a trans shop with a Snap-On "live" scanner tool and the TC locks up just like new to this day. This truck has been a tow rig since new, I don't have gauges other than the factory either...like the post above says, keep it fresh and shifting solid(John Wood will take care of you there).

 

Clay will take care of you, with the lowest price I'm sure :-)

 

I went the Piggy-back route on mine. I installed a 26 row trans cooler in series with my Oem unit. Installed a Glow Shift Trans gauge and I use Torque Pro on top of that. A little overkill, but I Tow a 31' Fiver with my truck, and I really hate surprises. I also check the condition of my Tranny Oil closely.....

 

So I picked up JW valve body from Clay and my question is, does it matter if I don't have the truck tuned to use this? I'm planning on installing it tomorrow and I just want to make sure I will be good to go. How many quarts of fluid will I need after install? I have a 5 gallon pail of tranny fluid.