Time to Get Serious With 4L60e/4L65e Cooling...

Here's all the parts I used:

Tru-Cool H7B
(2) 1/2" MPT to 3/8" barb fitting
Derale 13011
(2) 3/8" Compression to 3/8" NPT fitting
Tube Cutter
454SS Radiator
ACDelco DEXRON-VI (I used 2 full gallons and am still low on trans fluid, ordered a 3rd gallon. Hopefully that'll be enough)
ACDelco SHALLOW Pan Filter & Gasket
CFR Performance 4L60e/65e pan
15 feet of 3/8" rubber transmission line
High temp thread sealant
Metal to make mounting brackets (I used an assortment of scrap aluminum pieces laying around so I can't name anything in specific)

FWIW @alpinecrick, Maybe things have changed but the CFR Performance pan was the exact same size as the factory shallow pan... Only difference is a drain plug. That being said, the deep filter did not fit and I got stuck trying to track down a shallow filter. Disappointed but it is what it is. The drain plug is nice, I guess.

Overall, everything fit together nicely. Did some minor trimming on the body-color painted lower grille piece to make clearance for the new trans lines. I haven't gotten able to really push the truck because it gulped down 2 gallons of DEX VI and still doesn't register much on the dipstick haha. Got a third gallon on the way and that should do it. All-in-all it costed about $500 to do the upgrade. I can already tell it's going to get the job done, no more killing 4L60e/65e's.

Curt said:

Here's all the parts I used:

Tru-Cool H7B
(2) 1/2" MPT to 3/8" barb fitting
Derale 13011
(2) 3/8" Compression to 3/8" NPT fitting
Tube Cutter
454SS Radiator
ACDelco DEXRON-VI (I used 2 full gallons and am still low on trans fluid, ordered a 3rd gallon. Hopefully that'll be enough)
ACDelco SHALLOW Pan Filter & Gasket
CFR Performance 4L60e/65e pan
15 feet of 3/8" rubber transmission line
High temp thread sealant
Metal to make mounting brackets (I used an assortment of scrap aluminum pieces laying around so I can't name anything in specific)

FWIW @alpinecrick, Maybe things have changed but the CFR Performance pan was the exact same size as the factory shallow pan... Only difference is a drain plug. That being said, the deep filter did not fit and I got stuck trying to track down a shallow filter. Disappointed but it is what it is. The drain plug is nice, I guess.

Overall, everything fit together nicely. Did some minor trimming on the body-color painted lower grille piece to make clearance for the new trans lines. I haven't gotten able to really push the truck because it gulped down 2 gallons of DEX VI and still doesn't register much on the dipstick haha. Got a third gallon on the way and that should do it. All-in-all it costed about $500 to do the upgrade. I can already tell it's going to get the job done, no more killing 4L60e/65e's.

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How much did your trans temps drop in normal driving?

I also do not like using the style of clamp you did. I prefer the EFI style band clamps. They are much stronger and will not eat into the hose the same way a worm gear clamp will allowing you to get a tighter clamp. Trans cooler circuits can reach in excess of 50 psi.

L31MaxExpress said:

How much did your trans temps drop in normal driving?

I also do not like using the style of clamp you did. I prefer the EFI style band clamps. They are much stronger and will not eat into the hose the same way a worm gear clamp will allowing you to get a tighter clamp. Trans cooler circuits can reach in excess of 50 psi.

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Noted. You wouldn't believe the grip those 3/8" hose barbs have on these rubber hoses. I'm willing to bet if I took the hose clamps off the hoses would stay on with no issues. But, if somehow the hoses pop off I'll reconsider the hose clamp situation.

I honestly don't expect to see a difference in cooling when driving normally due to the thermostat on the truck. Should maintain about 180F steady while cruising. If I beat on the truck, the trans temp used to hit in excess of 210F (it hit 250F on a 110F summer day when I was really having some fun). With the new cooler I'm expecting the temp to maintain 180F no matter what I put it through.

I haven't got around to doing road testing yet because I ran out of trans fluid, as mentioned prior. I have another gallon on the way (fingers crossed that's enough) and should be here Tuesday. I'll drive the truck around throughout the week and report back.

Alrighty, update time...

So I've put about 1000+ miles on the truck, with towing and also just regular driving around. Was it worth the time and money spent? Hell yes. It's almost like my trans gauge gets stuck around the 180F mark! With no towing, driving around and trying to get the trans temp to climb, the trans temp on a 98F day hit a max of ~185F, where it usually would hit ~230F+. Towing is a breeze now, no more 250F+ degree shenanigans. Hottest the trans while towing was about 210F on the Altamont Pass (~1000ft elevation climb, ~3 mi, 6-8% grade). I'd almost say the thermostat is needed for applications like this to keep the transmission fluid temp in its ideal operating range. Happy as could be and well worth it.

Also, the total amount of trans fluid I used is about 10 quarts. Pretty insane haha.

Curt said:

FWIW @alpinecrick, Maybe things have changed but the CFR Performance pan was the exact same size as the factory shallow pan... Only difference is a drain plug. That being said, the deep filter did not fit and I got stuck trying to track down a shallow filter. Disappointed but it is what it is. The drain plug is nice, I guess.

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This is probably my fault for not making the distinction between CFR deep sump pan HZ-9712-PBK, vs the regular pan HZ-7599-PBK. I apologize.

Also, I'm a little bit confused (then again, that may be my normal state of mind....)

You have the Derale thermostat, but the H7B stacked plate cooler has a passive thermostat function, as does all the B7B through H7B Tru Cool coolers. Most stacked plate coolers I'm aware of have that function, and is one of their hallmarks. The passages of a stacked pate cooler are designed to force cold, more viscous fluid directly from the inlet, across the first passage directly to the outlet, mostly bypassing the rest of the cooler. As the fluid warms and becomes less viscous the fluid begins flowing through the entire cooler.

The argument against the separate thermostat is that it's mechanical and one more moving part to fail. The argument for is the mechanical thermostat is more "positive" and directs all the coolant back to the trans and thereby warming up quicker.

As an added note, historically stacked plate coolers did not have high volume/high pressure capability, and were generally relegated to trans, ps coolers, diffs, and such. They couldn't handle engine oil with high flow because the passages are designed to create turbulence and allows all the fluid be exposed to the walls of the passage (which is why they are more efficient at cooling). But the turbulence also slows down the flow. This is why most racers/hotrodders still use tube & fin coolers which have higher flow capacity. There are now stacked plate coolers advertised for engine oil, so I'm assuming that means they have designed passages with higher flow.

alpinecrick said:

Also, I'm a little bit confused (then again, that may be my normal state of mind....)

You have the Derale thermostat, but the H7B stacked plate cooler has a passive thermostat function, as does all the B7B through H7B Tru Cool coolers. Most stacked plate coolers I'm aware of have that function, and is one of their hallmarks. The passages of a stacked pate cooler are designed to force cold, more viscous fluid directly from the inlet, across the first passage directly to the outlet, mostly bypassing the rest of the cooler. As the fluid warms and becomes less viscous the fluid begins flowing through the entire cooler.

The argument against the separate thermostat is that it's mechanical and one more moving part to fail. The argument for is the mechanical thermostat is more "positive" and directs all the coolant back to the trans and thereby warming up quicker.

As an added note, historically stacked plate coolers did not have high volume/high pressure capability, and were generally relegated to trans, ps coolers, diffs, and such. They couldn't handle engine oil with high flow because the passages are designed to create turbulence and allows all the fluid be exposed to the walls of the passage (which is why they are more efficient at cooling). But the turbulence also slows down the flow. This is why most racers/hotrodders still use tube & fin coolers which have higher flow capacity. There are now stacked plate coolers advertised for engine oil, so I'm assuming that means they have designed passages with higher flow.

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Stock engine oil cooler on my 83 G20 van that it rolled out of the GM plant with was a stacked cooler and all the square body trucks seem to have the same cooler. Then again then again the cooler adapter has built in bypasses that allow the oil to bypass the cooler circuit when it is thick and cold.

L31MaxExpress said:

Stock engine oil cooler on my 83 G20 van that it rolled out of the GM plant with was a stacked cooler and all the square body trucks seem to have the same cooler. Then again then again the cooler adapter has built in bypasses that allow the oil to bypass the cooler circuit when it is thick and cold.

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Was it a plate and fin or a stacked plate? They do look similar at first blush.

First off, I know I'm reviving an old thread, but I just dislike leaving people hanging. So I wanted to address this and give an update on the setup at the end.

alpinecrick said:

This is probably my fault for not making the distinction between CFR deep sump pan HZ-9712-PBK, vs the regular pan HZ-7599-PBK. I apologize.

CHEVY/GM 700R4-4L60E-4L65E STEEL TRANSMISSION PAN (DEEP SUMP) - EDP BLACK

Chevy/GM finned EDP BLACK steel transmission pan fits 700R4, 4L60E and 4L65E transmissions. Includes drain plug. This model has a deep sump for more fluid capacity. Depth: 3-5/8'.

www.cfrperformance.com

CHEVY/GM 700R4-4L60E-4L65E STEEL TRANSMISSION PAN - BLACK EDP

Chevy/GM finned black EDP transmission pan fits 700R4, 4L60E and 4L65E transmissions. Includes drain plug. Stock capacity. Depth: 2-5/8'.

www.cfrperformance.com

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No worries and thank you for the correction. I just wanted to inform everyone in case they were using this thread as a guide. The pan with the drain plug is a nice feature though. Just was a nightmare trying to source a shallow pan 4L60e filter that day for some odd reason.

alpinecrick said:

Also, I'm a little bit confused (then again, that may be my normal state of mind....)

You have the Derale thermostat, but the H7B stacked plate cooler has a passive thermostat function, as does all the B7B through H7B Tru Cool coolers. Most stacked plate coolers I'm aware of have that function, and is one of their hallmarks. The passages of a stacked pate cooler are designed to force cold, more viscous fluid directly from the inlet, across the first passage directly to the outlet, mostly bypassing the rest of the cooler. As the fluid warms and becomes less viscous the fluid begins flowing through the entire cooler.

The argument against the separate thermostat is that it's mechanical and one more moving part to fail. The argument for is the mechanical thermostat is more "positive" and directs all the coolant back to the trans and thereby warming up quicker.

As an added note, historically stacked plate coolers did not have high volume/high pressure capability, and were generally relegated to trans, ps coolers, diffs, and such. They couldn't handle engine oil with high flow because the passages are designed to create turbulence and allows all the fluid be exposed to the walls of the passage (which is why they are more efficient at cooling). But the turbulence also slows down the flow. This is why most racers/hotrodders still use tube & fin coolers which have higher flow capacity. There are now stacked plate coolers advertised for engine oil, so I'm assuming that means they have designed passages with higher flow.

Click to expand...

Trust me, I'm with you there. I overthink the hell out of things. I do recall at that moment in time I could not find information with certainty regarding the passive thermostat function of that cooler. I found websites that said it did, others that said it didn't. I slapped the thermostat on there purely for safety out of a lack of certain information on that cooler. Perhaps my Googling skills weren't up to par. Either ways, the thermostat on there helps me feel 100000x more secure that the transmission will warm up properly instead of me eyeing my temp gauge every 5 minutes.

As for the argument for the thermostat to fail, IIRC Derale noted that the thermostat does have a failsafe built in where it will route all the fluid to pass through the cooler if the system ever fails.

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So, update time... I haven't changed a single thing of the setup since that day and it has been performing flawlessly. Put about 10k miles since then and let me tell you, this cooler paired with that 454 radiator is a must-do mod for these trucks. I swear on the hottest days towing I don't even reach 210*F on the trans. And thanks to that thermostat, (and/or the passive thermostat function in the cooler as @alpinecrick mentioned) it operates within normal operating temps when cruising. I can leave my truck in 2nd gear singing up a hill climb at 3200 RPMs all day long and the coolant temp don't give a damn. It's a beauty to see. Would still highly recommend for anyone interested in cooling their trucks and transmissions. This 454 radiator and cooler is amazing.