If I tow with only the factory (in radiator) trans cooler installed?
I have a cooler for it, but I'm rapidly running out of time before the weekend. I want to tow 45 minutes, with a 10 minute climb along the way. I figure I'll latch it into second for the climb (since the damned thing will do 90 in second anyway).
Do you have a temp gauge? If so, you should be able to watch it and keep it from eating itself.
Is it possible to kill a C6?
Serious question.
E350s with 300s had C6s, and they never had external coolers, and they were rated to tow stupid amounts of trailer. Probably the last vehicles that Ford used the C6 in, since they used AODs in the light duty everything-else and E4ODs (or whatever name-of-the-week it was) in the truck everything-else. But the inline six just got the C6, never an overdrive.
@ Knurled: It is apparently possible. All the big Ford sites talk about coolers for towing. I think it's an issue because there is no lockup in the converter, so it can be hard on the fluid.
@ rslifkin: This car has two gauges. One is for speed, the other is for fuel. It has a light that says "OIL" and a light that says "HOT". I hope to not see either of those.
I will probably hit the trans pan with my HF infrared thermometer a time or two. How hot is too hot?
I wouldn't worry about it. C6s are as close to indestructible as you can get for an automatic. If you are stressing over it, when you get back, change the fluid.
This weekend will be a short tow, with only about 15 miles on a 70 MPH interstate. With any luck, I'll be able to fit the big plate cooler before next weekend, when I'll be towing for 2.5 hours, I99 to I70 to I81.
2,5 hours? That is a quick trip to the store for some bubblegum!
Despite having the background to understand exactly what you're talking about, I was really confused for a second...
From personal experience.
The heat will cause it to barf the front pump seal which will push the trans fluid out.
Caught mine before it died from lack of fluid and built it so it would never die.
Run a cooler, it's cheaper than a rebuild.
You don't say what it's in or how heavy you're towing but I've driven a tow truck thousands of miles with a C6 behind a 460 with just the stock cooler.
I am guessing from the fact its a c6 its too old of a vehicle to use an obd port and torque app to see trans temps. Keep your speeds down and if super paranoid plan a few extra minutes for a short stop to let things cool down especially after the hill you mentioned it won't catastrophically eat itself very fast unless you are towing really heavy I would think, it may get hot enough to foam the ATF and barf some out of the vent however so I would check your levels when you get there
If your truck is anything like my old E250 (5.8L) then you'll be OK. Even with only the radiator trans cooler the trans should not overheat on a short tow.
While my truck did have a temp gauge it never moved past halfway even on the hottest days towing. I did keep the speed down below 65, vans don't like going fast, or at least mine didn't.
If you do plan on towing regularly then do add a seperate trans cooler. My truck did have one installed by the PO as they towed a big enclosed. I towed an open trailer.
Sorry for the lack of info. 400 CID/c6/9" with 2.75:1 gear, towing 4500 or so pounds of trailer. The green car pulling the red one on an open-deck car hauler.
The really tall gears would scare me heat-wise when towing, especially with a non-lockup converter. Personally, without at least a temp gauge, I wouldn't risk it.
I bet both those cars and the trailer weigh less than some of the vehicles that came with a c6. I've killed TH350s, I've killed TH400s, I've killed 727s. Still never seen a c6 give up. Even after we lost a cooler line and apparently 3 quarts of dexron before we could plug the leak, and drove another 40 miles because no cell service and what else were we supposed to do. Still on the road 10 years later.
In reply to barefootskater :
Green car is 4900# (figure it at 5500 loaded for race weekend), red car is 2850 without driver (if I sat in it, who would drive the tow vehicle?) and the trailer goes about 1400ish. So, yeah, lighter than a fully loaded F350 dually, but those came wirh fairly stout trans coolers (and 4:10 gears, probably).
Torque is not going to read temps on that trans. You have some options.
Cut the output hard line between the trans and the radiator trans cooler. Plumb an aux cooler into that circuit using clamps and rubber hose. Hope it doesn't come loose on the climb. Pat yourself on the back knowing you have now double cooled your trans fluid.
Get a trans temp gauge and hook that bad boy up before the event. Watch it like a hawk on the climb and adjust your speed to keep temps low. If it gets too high, pull over, take some selfies. I'd say 220+ would be too hot? I'm an internet expert so either take my word as gospel or do more research! That or wait, I'm sure someone with more knowledge than me will show up.
Roll the dice. Just tow. I've never seen a C6 being rebuilt much less destroyed unless it was at the drag strip. Then again, your tow vehicle isn't young.
I like the clamps and rubber hose inline idea. Should be a fast install. Maybe a couple big hose clamps to clamp it to something structural.
I really like the look of that red Fairmont sedan.
The clamps and rubber hose onto cut hard lines thing will work fine. The cooler lines aren't under much pressure. I've seen coolers hooked up that way for years with no leaks.
Good grief I pulled a small kubota tractor on heavy trailer and a combine on the same trailer all over Alabama and Georgia behind a C6 transmission and the transmission was never a problem. Granted, this was in a F-250 truck which may have had an auxiliary cooler as part of a tow package.
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