After laying under the truck for 5-10 minutes at a time several times, I've pretty much determined that the best place to put my remote trans filter base is on the outside of the frame straight across from where the cooler lines come out of the trans. I'm gonna run copper nickel hard line up to the cooler on the return side.
My dilemma is the line going from the return fitting to the filter base. I'd really like to run hard line there, but I'm concerned about transmission/frame vibration since the drivetrain is rubber mounted. I'll run a small piece of rubber line in between if have to, but I don't really want to...
What do you guys think? Is the hard line gonna eventually split from vibration or is there not enough vibration to not really worry about? Anybody have any experience with all that?

Frank

 

You have to cross your transmission line over the exhaust tract to get outboard of the passenger frame rail, right? Not a fan of that.

What year truck do you have? Gas or diesel? The year and the engine/fuel helps people help you when soliciting suggestions.

 

Yeah, I keep forgetting that it won't let me list my info for some reason. '03 5.4

I was actually gonna run the line underneath along the crossmember. I know it's kinda exposed that way, but I don't take it off road so that shouldn't be a big deal. I might make some kind of shield for it for s&g's...

Frank

 

There is some frame rail space up front, inside the frame rail, on the passenger side, just ahead of the front tire, just behind the radiator. This would involve a lot less line disruption. You could leave the stock lines in place.

From torque converter out (forward line on transmission) to oil to water cooler, to oil to air cooler, to filter (with BYPASS provision if filter gets clogged) to return hard line to transmission sump (rear line on transmission).

You can take full advantage of the short flex provisions that Ford already put in the stock trans cooling lines to introduce your added filter.

If you don't have an oil to water cooler in your radiator, that would be a much more useful mod for transmission longevity than an external filter.

If you don't have an oil to air cooler in front of your radiator, that too, would be a much more useful mod for transmission longevity than an external filter.

Back in 2002, when your truck was built, I cut up two used internal 4R100 filters out of my own truck, inspired by Mark K, who said he did the same for his job. After dissecting my own filters, I would say that additional transmission filtering is not that high of a priority.

Transmission fluid FLOW is the HIGHEST priority, and the caveat to adding external transmission filtering is the added potential of inhibiting or restricting that return flow, either from the cumulative restrictions of the additional plumbing, or a restriction from a malfunction of a bypass spring, or restriction from the filter media itself, even when not dirty.

The second priority would be keeping the fluid cool in situations where the transmission is being worked hard. Hence I believe your time and money is better spent insuring that you have both an oil to water and an effective oil to air transmission cooler.

The third priority is the chemical constituents of the transmission fluid. After, say, 30K miles of significant use, some of the magic lotions and potions in the transmission fluid lose their magic and break down. Hence, from time to time, the fluid should be changed. The process of changing the fluid automatically "cleans" the fluid, and restores the specified chemical properties to boot, which a filter cannot do.

The last priority for insuring transmission longevity would be an external filter. I'm not saying adding an external filter is a bad idea, I'm just suggesting that on a scale of importance, it is better to have the other ducks above lined up in a row and taken care of first, in terms of bang for the buck.

Before putting into service any change that you make to the transmission cooling circuit, it is very important to verify return flow (the highest priority). You are looking for 1 gallon per minute of fluid flow at idle. This can be measured using a one quart beaker, and timing the return flow for 15 seconds.

The space I am referring to on the inboard side of the passenger side frame rail is where Ford mounted an eternal transmission filter, for the brief couple of years when they installed one on the Super Duty. It is also where I mounted my external transmission filter (with built in bypass). I mounted my filter in a sequence in between my oil to water cooler and oil to air cooler, because I installed a brand new oil to air cooler, and wanted to protect it from any debris, because they cannot be cleaned.

By mounting an external filter up front, you avoid dealing with catalytic converters and exhaust heat. I recommend you take another 10 minutes and check out the area that the Ford engineers found preferable for what you are trying to do.


I've added a couple of photos.


The first photo is looking through the passenger side front wheel well, at the outboard face of the boxed front frame (on a 2000). The filter itself is mounted on the INBOARD side of the frame, hidden from view. The protection plate (actually an exhaust shield from a 1984 Toyota pickup I repurposed) hides (and presumably protects) the external transmission filter also. The transmission filter came from Ford, but it is not the same transmission filter that Ford installed in production for the couple years that Ford installed external transmission filters. But the location of installation is the same, which is essentially what you are exploring right now.





The second photo, below, is a view from lying underneath. Again, the filter is hidden, but the inelegant plumbing is not. I had to make a 180 degree turn, so I used a hard metal line to get that done, as a rubber line might have collapsed if circled back that tightly. Ford's factory implementation is far more elegant, using push to connect fittings into a filter block, with 1/2" lines. But even with all that, Ford quickly eliminated the external filter and returned to an internal filter only. Every connection and fitting is a potential point of failure and/or restriction. Still, if you're going to do it, I think this area of the frame provides a better location than crossing over the exhaust tract.

 

It won't eventually split from vibration. It will very quickly fracture from the transmission moving relative to the frame. This idea is a failed transmission about to happen. You NEVER can run a hard line from the powertrain to the frame. Ever. It will NEVER last.

 

First off, thank you much for taking the time for the lengthy reply. I fully agree with pretty much all you stated, and putting the filter on where I stated really isn't my first choice which is why I made the post. It just looked too crowded to put it up front without it hanging way down in harms way. And my truck has a/c so the condenser isn't making decisions any easier.
Speaking of equipment, yes, it came with both oil to water, and oil to air coolers (part of the tow package I assume). I installed a trans temp gauge to keep an accurate eye on it, because making sure it keeps cool IS my top priority. I've got a couple of small fans off of a V-rod I'm planning to install as well. As it is, I hauled a full size Bronco on a 2k lb trailer, about 100 miles in 80* weather and the temp barely climbed to 170*.
With all that being said, I also wanted to make sure that the trans stays as clean as possible, and from the info on here, it seems to me that the stock inner filter leaves something to be desired. And yes, I thought about the pressure drop as well so I was going for a no 90* fitting/bend approach.
I kind of wish I could see how you mounted your base, cause if I remember correctly, the frame is boxed there, is it not? My lines are rotting out like crazy, so something is gonna get done on it in the real near future. Just trying to get all my ducks in a row so I can do lines, fluid, and remote all at one time.

Frank

 

Obviously for a different project













but you can have high quality oil hoses made for you which should give you the flexible connection you need and provide a worry free connection.

I think this cost me about $25 at Napa.

 

International tractor? �� I actually forgot about that option...

Frank

 

Massey Harris 44 special

Hose worked perfectly. Will easily outlast the tractor

 

I'm sure that hose would outlast my truck at the rate that Mother Earth is reclaiming its iron oxide..........lol!

Frank

 

Bueller, the Ford filter I have is a Ford rebranded Magnefine Inline filter. Ford used to REQUIRE these filters to maintain the warranty when installing Ford rebuilt transmissions. Now Ford doesn't even recommend them. It is not the spin on type of filter block you are envisioning.

Meborder, good point about having hydraulic lines made up. I cheated, and cut up my original Ford factory transmission lines for the sharp bends, because I got all new transmission lines when I installed the Ford transmission cooling TSB to get the OTW cooler. My tubing bender can't bend that tight of a radius without collapsing the tubing (well, more like I can't, let's not blame the tool), so I took advantage of the machine crimped connections for the flexible lines, and the hard line bends, with factory parts that I would have to otherwise throw away.

No matter how any alteration to the transmission cooling circuit is plumbed, the most important test is to verify return flow. I have a mix of flexible and hard line bends in play, and still pulled a quart in about 11 seconds at idle, even with 3/8" lines.

I'm on my last Ford Magnefine. I'm considering a redo, which is why this topic interested me. I might go with the filter block and spin on from Parker/Racor.

 

Ahh, ok...I was wondering how you managed to get it attached at that location without a fair bit of ingenuity. I haven't put eyeballs on that magnafine filter in real time, but I believe that thing is quite a bit smaller than a base with a FL-1 filter hanging off of it.
Don't they run a cartridge style filter on the 5 speed auto's? Maybe I'm thinking of a different application...brain's getting foggy, just got home from work, lol

Frank

 

Yes, the 5R110W trucks are the exact application you would want to get your eyeballs on for an installation idea in that area of the frame. Since the front leaves are in line with the frame, and the cartridge would hang inboard of the frame, there would not likely be any collision between leaf springs and filter. That being said, by the time Ford installed a filter in that location, Ford switched to front coils.

I have air conditioning, AND dual alternators, as well as leaf springs, along with the larger fan and shroud of the diesel, plus a charge air cooler and the attendant plumbing, and I still see that I have enough room to fit a bypass filter block and a screw on filter in that same location when I retire the inline Magnefine set up.

I probably would not use an FL1A. I would opt for a smaller filter with a narrower diameter, about the size seen on the Allison 1000 transmissions.