Overkill - I admit it.

[ew1usnr]

I will admit that these items were overkill and not needed and are the result of my over-thinking things. After this I have sworn to myself to back away from the car and not do anything else to it.

I added a thermostat in between the stock automatic transmission cooler at the base of the radiator and the auxiliary transmission cooler that I had previously added.
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The thermostat routes the fluid from my glorious Ford-O-Matic automatic transmission through the base of the radiator and then opens at the optimum 180 degrees and routes the fluid through the auxiliary cooler as well. That way the fluid stays at its most efficient temperature. Not to cool not too hot. The viscosity of the fluid drops as it warms up to operating temperature and this results in less energy loss in the transmission compared to pumping cool, thick fluid. Technical info: Tru-Cool Long brand Transmission Cooler External Thermal Bypass 708-4739P6 (180°, low pressure drop, GVWR 40,000 lb) from Amazon for $42.64 with free postage from Oregon Performance Transmission.

I also added a Made in Australia MagneFine in-line magnetic transmission fluid filter purchased from Amazon for $15.60 with free postage from Lakes Transmission. I routed the hose in front of the right horn and placed the filter under the battery tray and in between the horn and the filter on top of the frame rail
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Technical info:
See: http://magnefinefilters.com/Magnefine-3-8-Magnetic-Inline-Transmission-Filter-R038M.htm "With Dual Filtration - Patented Technology. The unique design and patented process makes this magnetic filter the most effective magnetic in-line filter available. Filtration begins by the placement of a powerful magnet at the fluid entry point. Because the filter is positioned in the cooler return line, all contaminated fluid must flow within the full effective range of the powerful magnet removing 99% of hard wearing ferrous metal particles, from sub-micron level and above. Secondary filtration on non-ferrous dirt, clutch fibers, aluminum and brass is filtered out by 25 micron pleated paper membrane. The perforated steel core prevents membrane collapse and allows for high-pressure surges that can occur under normal operating conditions. The filter's safety bypass/pressure relief valve ensures consistent fluid flow under all operating conditions. The unique design of the magnet, at the entry point, allows metal particle removal even in by-pass mode.” See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6QeXRMp53Y

The last item I blame on Roger. It is all his fault. He told me about putting a magnet on his oil filter and it got me thinking. And me thinking is a dangerous thing.
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The magnet was expensive, $47 including postage (using a low price match).
But, ... it has 8 powerful rare earth magnets. I checked on e-bay and the magnets alone cost $3 each. The FilterMAG did cost a $23 premium over just the magnets, but it is assembled with the magnets in alternating poles in one unit and has a laminated stainless steel backing that is is magnet-proof. It really does work amazingly well. It is powerfully magnetic on one side, but not the other. That prevents the magnet from picking up road trash. The $23 premium is the fee for the engineering design and fabrication.

Technical information: Made in USA FILTERMAG™ SS365 Large for 3.5 – 4 inches, diameter, 5.6 sq. in., oil filter magnet from JEGS Performance Automotive Parts for $47.09 (after low-price match) including postage. See: http://www.jegs.com/i/FilterMAG/384/SS365/10002/-1 “Energize for Your Oil Filter! FILTERMAG™ powerful rare-earth magnets trap and hold wear-inducing metal particles down to less than 2-micron that the 20-micron oil filter element alone cannot stop. The strong magnetic force holds FilterMAG to the oil filter for an easy 30-second installation. FilterMAG's can be used to diagnose engine problems and will extend oil life. They are also totally reusable and will last the lifetime of your vehicle. Available in pairs for Maximum Protection or single units for Powerful Protection. FilterMAG SS Series magnets are geared toward the oil filtration needs of light-duty automotive, light truck, and imported motorcycle applications. Keep metal particles out of your oil with a layer of protection that goes far beyond standard filters! Approximate Pull Force 160 lbs.” “The eight Neodymium magnets attract and trap metal particulates as small as 2 microns in size and hold them tightly against the oil filter's walls.”

[BadBird]

Excellent write up. Very dangerous to have your engineering brain starting to think this way, you know that right? Thanks for the information and I sent it on to my brother with his fairlane, he has an automatic. I might like the idea of the oil filter magnet. Just what I need, something to spend more money on. Larry

[ew1usnr]

Hello, Larry.

This all had its beginning from my seeing this transmission fluid temperature chart that says the fluid should not exceed 200°. That made me wonder at what temperature my transmission was running.
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I failed to mention that I also added a second transmission temperature gauge (I hang my head in shame). :(

My previously installed temperature gauge had been placed on the line coming off the torque converter on the understanding that I should see what the hottest temperature was.

Then I re-read the installation instructions for a B&M 80212 automatic transmission temperature gauge and found that they said: “Locate the oil return line to the transmission. Note: This location is recommended to monitor the true transmission temperature going in, as well as checking the oil cooler efficiency.” It seemed that my sensor was located in the wrong place, so I installed another on the return line from the cooler. Now I have two gauges. One for the hot line off the torque converter and one for the return line off the coolers.
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I will install a "single pole, double throw toggle switch" so that I can use just one gauge and switch between the hot and cool sensors, but for now I have the two velcro-mounted gauges.
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With no thermostat, my one gauge had told me that in city traffic the hot line off the torque converter typically read 160 degrees. I took The Wonder Falcon on a test run up I-75 yesterday to see what effect the new transmission thermostat made and what the extra gauge would tell me. The air temperature was 80° and I held the speed at 70-75 mph for a half hour. The Falcon performed like a champ and is a true road machine. The engine temperature gauge read 1/3. A guy in a new Corvette drove by and gave me thumb's up. The transmission thermostat is supposed to fully open when the hot fluid coming off the torque converter exceeds 180°.

What I saw was that as I drove the car hard, the fluid from the torque converter quickly heated to 200°. The return fluid exiting the cooler then dropped from about 160° to 120°. The auxiliary cooler dropped the temperature of the hot fluid 80°. The temperature off the torque converter held steady at 200°. I turned around and drove back down the interstate for a for a half hour and when I existed and slowed down the torque converter temperature dropped to 170° and the fluid from cooler rose to 150°, indicating that the thermostat began restricting flow to the auxiliary cooler after the hot transmission fluid dropped below 180°. Here are my gauges after exiting the interstate:
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The thermostat and auxiliary cooler work together to limit the highest temperature to 200° and keep the average transmission fluid temperature at 160°.

In retrospect, I think that it is best to mount the temperature sensor on the hot line from the torque converter. The torque converter temperature rises the quickest, and as long as that temperature is less than 200° the rest of the transmission is fine.

I really really really do like my Falcon. It is an absolute pleasure to open it up and let it fly. What a fantastic little automobile. The Ford engineers of 1963 did a great job.

[Luva65wagon]

The last item I blame on Roger. It is all his fault. He told me about putting a magnet on his oil filter and it got me thinking. And me thinking is a dangerous thing.

No worries Dennis. I'm used to it.

:o

I looked at this FilterMAG too, but couldn't stomach the cost. The one I got was the equivalent of a 1" Bolt washer that is really magnetized. I had to silicone it on to get it to stay. So, got what I paid for. Gonna have to dissect it to see how well it worked. Would be interested to hear what comes from a motor that didn't have a known mechanical issue. Hint, Hint.

[redfalken]

I went the cheap route and mounted a rare earth magnet to my oil drain plug. I drilled a hole the size of the magnet about 1/2 way into the plug and set it in some epoxy for insurance although I think it would have stayed in place by just the magnetic force. Sealing with epoxy also makes it easy to just swipe it with a rag to clean off when you have it out to change the oil.

I've never found any big chunks of metal but there are always a ferrous sludge that accumulates on the magnet and occasionally a tiny sliver of iron. I installed the magnet when I did a cylinder head rebuild and cleaned up the bottom end. It finds less stuff each time I change the oil so I guess it's doing it's job!

[Luva65wagon]

I plan to put a drain-plug magnet on mine too. Easier to see what it collects that way. But I didn't want to drain the oil for a 3rd time in less than 1 week. I'll be checking the oil to see if the metallic look goes away.

:o