(I wish I could fix the acronym in the title it's DCR)
fixed it for you-ZooDad

Recently back from a trip to the Arctic and during that would occasionally do some really long runs. Truck at max GVWR so pulling hard, 65mph. For 6 hours plus. After such long runs the fuel is obviously hot and the pump makes horrible noise (at least the heat is what I blame it on). SO - held my breath and ordered a DCR as soon as I got home. Of course I use hotshots and I credit that with keeping the CP4 alive.

DCR Fuel Pump

Also: Mishimoto transmission cooler going in. The only thing I consider an engineering "flaw" on this truck is that they use the transmission as a heat sync for the engine. So full fluid maintenance on the tranny plus a new valve body due to flare and paranoia.

Mishimoto Transmission Cooler

That's all. I'll report on how it drives when I get it back in a few days. Also on if they find bad things when they pull the CP4.

Can't really give a good performance review until I get it under load for a long run. Mostly I'm just freaking out and venting but also curious about other folks experiences.

With a large fuel tank I can run a really long time (close to 12 hours if I keep it 65) and the only time I hear the CP4 is when the fuel has been recirculating long enough to be hot.

I'm hoping the air trans cooler in series with the engine's heat sync "trans cooler" will keep the transmission cooler than the engine. I'll know if that works out immediately after the trucks thermostat opens the first time when I get it back.

 

Are you going to change the internal thermostat in the tranny?

my understanding there is a thermostat that opens very late to keep the fluid very hot…so additional cooling may not provide real benifet with that thet
ost in the way.

 

I have the same Mishimoto trans cooler ready to install. Looking forward to your report.

 

I'm on my phone now but I do remember you own an Alumina Duty... Not sure if it's prior 20, but why Ford changed the trans cooling from the secondary system to the primary, who knows? Another thing that's nuts is the lack of a fill tube and dipstick on the 10R140s... How many miles on yours now?

I don't think you could go wrong with the DCR pump swap... S&S had one of their test trucks come in with one installed and it must have been using bad fuel because it had an SPE set up for the fuel filters, that use spin on filters. There was so much moisture in the fuel that the filters had rust inside the cans and the DCR pump just kept going...

Glad you made it home...

 

The DCR pump was fun to install. When you are a one man show and in no hurry it was fun to do. I did the Mishimoto Transmission Cooler and their Oil Cooler too. Love the results. I have the SPE Fuel Filter set-up on my 450 with no issues. I have the Donaldson Filters going forward as the standard for me when I change out the Cat Filters. I also did the MDDP Cat oil conversion. No issues there either. I saw a video of some guy that had a problem, but they may over tightened the filter to the base. I have had no issues.

I think this take you too the picture album of some of the stuff I’ve done to my truck: https://www.ford-trucks.com/g/album/8093409

Were I the Arctic did to go? I lived in Alaska for 20 years.

 

Not sure how you are hearing the CP4. What sound are you hearing?

 

I thought that truck was running a Fass or Air Dog set up since he referenced an aftermarket pump (IIRC) in the video, the SPE uses the OEM low pressure pump.

I am confused as well, I can't imagine you could hear the injection pump over the engine, OP are you referring to the in tank lift pump?

 

Yea I realize I'm wrong now, THANKS, but the result would have been the same as the SPE fuel filter system uses spin on filters... The S&S guy references the fact that the Motorcraft factory fuel filters are plastic, even though the engine filter has a known problem with splitting on top, there's no metal in the housing to corrode if you get moisture laden fuel...

 

One thing to consider is I don't think he showed what filter was used by the end user. FASS' brand filters are a bit of a black box, I haven't found the normal specs on them. I know the pre filter is a 144 micron screen to keep the load off the pump. A WIF sensor should have been screaming long before it got to this point, not sure if FASS retains that. Either way the CP4 would have most likely completely punched out under those conditions.

 

I have heard not so good things about Fass water separating filters. I have an Air Dog yet to install and when I do will retain the factory DFCM that the Air Dog would feed, with a 10 PSI spring (with a pressure gauge in the line that will feed the DFCM so I can set the PSI to 10) that would replace the spring that it was shipped with...

Anyways, correct, that a CP4 would have crapped the bed with that water laden fuel they found in the test truck with the DCR pump.

 

I remember way back in the day their secondary filter was a hydraulic filter, so tested closed loop multi-pass.... who said that was a good idea?

 

Same truck as sig, 2019 Powerstroke.

The CP4 sound wasn't horrific just a noticeable "whirring" when it had been running long without a shutdown to cool off -- sound wasn't there on shorter drives which is why I attribute it to less lubricity at higher temps. Enough to make me think I didn't want to test my luck any longer. Yea the engine isn't quiet but it's obvious when something gets added to the orchestra. There is potential that it was the lower pressure pump on the tank side and the noise was just radiating but I have the disaster prevention stuff in the garage and decided 'why bother' since the DCR is released just fix the problem and have one less point of failure in the fuel lines.

Thanks for the feedback and glad to hear others have done similar with the transmission cooler.

Still at shop since a lot getting done. Also having them do brakes (routine). Brakes, transmission work, DCR fuel pump upgrade.

 

I watch my primary and secondary cooling temps. The secondary never gets above 100 degrees or so but depending on where I'm driving (daily driving), hills or flat lands, the trans temps usually mirror the oil temps but can sometimes be higher. It just makes me wonder why Ford decided to switch up the trans cooling circuit to the Primary cooling system.

Were you seeing high trans temps during your recent trip?

 

I can hear mine

 

Haven't had the opportunity to run it long yet but I'll give initial impressions.

Drives and shifts a TON better. I don't think I mentioned I had the valve body in the transmission replaced - that's why it shifts better. Pedal feels a lot better I think that's the DCR. It was starting to flare so did it at the same time as I was certain it was a pressure issue.

The DCR has a hint of a P-Pump sound to it. Not nearly as rattle-y as my old P-Pumps but does have a bit of mechanical sound to it. I don't care since I can't hear it in the cab.

The transmission cooler is still in a heat sync system so the temperature drop from engine to transmission is not as great as I'd like it to be - about 10 degrees drop from engine temp to tranny temp once both settle at operating temperature. It takes a lot longer for the transmission to heat up.
HOWEVER - the engine is cooler too. So I'm liking it. Bottom Line: it's basically an auxiliary cooler with some benefit to the tranny but an overall benefit to both. Unloaded I see low 200s engine and high 180s low 190s transmission. At full GVWR at 70mph with my truck camper I see low 210s engine mid 190s trans. That would have been mid 220s on both previously. So even though I don't see as big of delta from engine to trans as I was hoping for I really like the end result so far in that both are cooler.