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Temperature Control (electric) - Manual Transaxle gearoil cooler
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jackbombay
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 04, 2018 3:41 pm    Post subject: Re: Temperature Control (electric) - Manual Transaxle gearoil cooler Reply with quote

Sodo wrote:

Steve MC you are right you could use a goop like JBweld...

...The goop must be strong enough to withstand an oil blast at temperatures of 220F (per 87VanWes).


JB is good to 600* f according to the manufacturer. I would be much happier with a 1/8" NPT threaded fitting though.
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Sodo
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 06, 2018 12:17 am    Post subject: Re: Temperature Control (electric) - Manual Transaxle gearoil cooler Reply with quote

600F is plenty.
We are hoping NOT to see 330*F that can mess with the temper of steel.
By then your gear oil is smoking too yikes!
But the 220*F that 87VanWes saw would get my attention too!

I used 95/5 solder (464*F melting) but the temperature well can be made with JB weld.

21/64 Drill and 1/8-27 NPT tap
male hex nipple (cut, drilled 9/32)
9/32" brass tube

Location is easy and non-critical; 45* angle and 1.5" fwd on the cylindrical boss - on the gear carrier housing.
It can be done all cowboy but I have the drill jig if any Seattle fellas wanna drill. Wink

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


I have not drilled my trans and tested yet (hopefully soon).
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'90 Westy EJ25, 2Peloquins, 3knobs, pressure-oiled GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb
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jalan
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 17, 2018 11:37 pm    Post subject: Re: Temperature Control (electric) - Manual Transaxle gearoil cooler Reply with quote

That location for the temp sensor looks like the ideal spot. I wonder if you could drill a hole just big enough for the Inkwell sensor but not through the case and pot it right into the case with Arctic Alumina. At that 45 deg angle the hole might be just long enough without drilling through. Might not respond quite as fast as in a thin thermo well but if it is constantly blasted with hot oil it seems like it would heat up pretty quickly. Wish I had a spare case to play with.

I bought an Inkwell unit and then found an eBay offering for $7.86 + $1.77 shipping. From China, if your not in a hurry, but it's exactly the same as the Inkwell, just doesn't have Inkwell printed on it. So cheap I bought another one. Do an eBay search for WH7016C DC12V
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Last edited by jalan on Tue Dec 18, 2018 12:22 am; edited 1 time in total
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 18, 2018 12:22 am    Post subject: Re: Temperature Control (electric) - Manual Transaxle gearoil cooler Reply with quote

It's time for a winter project so I have finally decided to cough up the $1000 it will take to install a filtration and cooling system on my syncro.

Here is a list of what my system design includes;
BAT/Mocal pump with 150 micron pre filter
Canton 8 micron filter
Magnom Mini
Improved racing's diff fluid thermostat # FSM-145/165
Derale 10 row stack cooler, #51008
Digital fan controller, Inkwell

The cooler will be mounted in front of the radiator. The flow to it controlled by the bypass thermostat.
The pump will be controlled by the digital temp controller and the return will be via SODO's 4th gear nozzle.

My goal is to have a hands off automatic system that will run the pump continuously once the trans temp is above a preset point, probably 80 deg.
The high flow transmission thermostat will divert the oil through the cooler once it has reached 145 deg. By design it will not over cool the oil.

I thought about another powered cooler like I have on my T3 engine oil cooler but decided to put the flat plate cooler in front of the radiator where it will get plenty of flow while going down the road. I have seen some mounted under the van but I am wary of mud and dust build up with that location. If I didn't already have my engine oil cooler mounted in my driver side rear pillar I would probably install it there.

Feedback is always appreciated.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

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Sodo
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 18, 2018 11:24 am    Post subject: Re: Temperature Control (electric) - Manual Transaxle gearoil cooler Reply with quote

Great to see another "project-oriented" member taking this on. It's kind of a big project. Probably not much benefit for 90HP, but or those who have "over-engined" their little transaxle (or preparing to over-engine).

It's adding a "system" that someone is going to have to monitor and maintain on this van. Is that YOU? If not YOU, who is it, in which case it arguably needs "a chapter in your Bentley." To compare with the other, obvious option, it's far (...far, far...) more complicated than simply changing your lubricant every 15,000 (or 10,000) miles. And with regards to metal contaminating 'fresh lubricant', oil can be easily purified by gravity and returned to the transaxle maybe twice yearly(?).

But on-going filtration.... as you squirt down the highway, is somehow.......satisfying. And also knowing that your engine is bigger than it should be but you have addressed the overheating of the 4th gear idler (a heat-isolated component in the path of power-transmission) is satisfying too. Getting the temperature under control seems primarily a matter of the "control system" choices that we are working thru.

The filtering is the other aspect of interest. With transaxle end-of-life looming, coupled with the rising cost of rebuild, scarcity of parts, scarcity of qualified rebuilders,,,, extending the life of quality original german components has become a rising focus. The realization that clean lubricant is paramount to the lifetime of rolling elements is nothing new either,,,,, just newly applied to the Vanagon.

"SyncroShop" (Tom Lengyel) agrees with you jalan that the pump should run more often, and not allow wildly varying temperatures. He is "distressed" by squirting a hot gear with cold oil and I can't argue that. I only argue "well how are we going to do it then, and when are we going to test this?" He has been pushing the solution of the thermostatic cooler to cut the radiator out (until necessary) and is pretty happy about the "Improved Racing 145-165F thermostat" as discussed some months ago.

So why hasn't anyone done it yet? Well I live 4 hours away from Syncroshop, if I was closer we would do this and test it and stuff. And it seems like he has a never-ending list of other tasks that are scheduled ahead of Vanagon Science. And not many others are pushing the project forward. So anyway jalan it's great that you are on-board - now maybe this "mod' will advance a little faster.

With my system I set it to turn on at a "low temp" of 142F so it runs more often which seems kind of 'crude' in comparison to your system jalan.

Then the "new" 87vanwes method (of Jan 2017) came onto the scene recently (Nov 2018). See how we need more crafty members working on this? I like the thermostatic valve to bypass the cooler until needed and will likely work that into my system but for now I'm focused on testing the 87VanWes temperature monitor.

I'm going to observe temps first before changing the system. The reasoning is that you don't want to damage oil at 250F+ (or whatever) for several minutes squirting a super-hot gear (....and waiting for that hot gear to warm up the entire trans to start the pump). It seems preferable for the pump to start the moment 4th gear exceeds (some safe, low temp number like ??) 150F and never let 4th gear get hot enough to 'burn' your oil.

I did an oil-cooled test run 1,000 miles, much of it at 80mph. The trans oil sump never got over 143F, but I was NOT monitoring the temp of the 4th gear idler. I'm using Lubrication Engineers Synolec 9919 ($100/gal) and before the trip it was translucent clean green even after thousands of miles. Now it's dark. Now I'm much more interested in keeping my 4th gear below 150F. Note if kept below 150F even Dino oil has a lifetime of "almost forever."

====================

With regards to mounting the radiator up front, here's my thoughts on that. Space will always be a premium, there's never enough on a "small RV" like the Vanagon.

- Transaxle temp rises pretty quick if climbing a steep logging road in 1st/2nd at lower speed, you might want to have fan assist for that. But that's usually not a lot of miles in a Van's lifetime.
- All the times I've goofed around with my system, checking filters, making changes, I've been pleased with the short hoses, and no "traps" that drip forever. I would not like long hoses to drain, or protect, or to "get in the way" of other van maintenance.
- I like the cool air path coming in from the hi-pressure area of the passenger upper rear van corner.
- My cooler (Setrab appx 6-inch square) cools the 110 lbs of Magnesium, steel and oil 4 degrees F in under 60 seconds. Which is stellar, suggest its perhaps "oversized" for the job. I can't see a compelling reason to plumb a radiator to the front of the van, or locate it in a dirty environment. It has an electric fan.

jalan your suggestion that a sensor can be placed within the thick boss ( not drilled thru) has some merit.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


But I wonder if it would be just as good to epoxy a sensor onto the 5mm web of the housing outside, aligned with an oil track (inside). Then build up your own 'boss' of epoxy over the sensor. Sensor would be 'permanent'. Having taller 3rd, 4th gears, do you use 3rd gear a lot? Maybe you want two sensors, (positioned for each gear?).

Note that "old" gear carrier housings become throw-aways when a trans is run "noisy" with a trashed pinion bearing or mainshaft ball bearing. A trashed "gear carrier housing" can be test-drilled without regret.
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'90 Westy EJ25, 2Peloquins, 3knobs, pressure-oiled GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb


Last edited by Sodo on Sat Dec 29, 2018 12:11 am; edited 1 time in total
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Pcforno
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 19, 2018 1:40 pm    Post subject: Re: Temperature Control (electric) - Manual Transaxle gearoil cooler Reply with quote

Sodo - I’ve mentioned before my solution. The pump starts whenever you are in 4th, regardless of oil temp. I’ve been running this setup for a few years. I have a MPH based relay (VSS from lingenfeter) that starts it. I have an additional temp relay that turns on the fan above 145. (This almost never happens as temps are kept in check while in 4th by the pump constantly taking heat off 4th gear by being in continuous operation).
If I’m off roading and the temp gets hot then the temperature based relay kicks on (fan plus pump) and I’m covered there as well
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 27, 2018 1:10 pm    Post subject: Re: Temperature Control (electric) - Manual Transaxle gearoil cooler Reply with quote

PC I like that solution. It's kind of funny how it seems "more complicated" but in reality if you know how to get to the VSS (Vehicle Speed Sensor) and input that signal to the Lingenfelter unit, it's actually simpler and covers the bases well. It takes what,,,,, identifying one wire? And a few clicks on the unit face to make the unit run the pump whenever your speed exceeds 50mph, 60, 70 etc. Which could be for 3.9 hours of a 4 hour trip (at 50) and less at 70.

Here it is on the Lingenfelter website: STOV-004 Vehicle Speed Based Switch & Speed to Voltage Converter

For some reason I prefer my (planned) solution of using the temperature rise of 4th gear. The cause and effect aspect of it just seems right. Gear gets hot, I hose it down. Don't get hot? System doesn't run. This seems like more fun than just lording over it at all times like the man. Wink And if system isnot pumping that means my trans is running cool all on its own (cool, quiet, greased lightning on the highway!) Wink

Possibly because I already have the temperature control system fully integrated and it's just a matter of moving the sensor to capture the more discrete temperature of the 4th gear oil spray. Doing this makes me feel like I was on the right track. Wink However, it also means I have to manually activate the pump/system at times to filter the lubricant. But that's still kinda fun at this stage of the game.

Theres more than one way to skin a cat and PC you are a pioneer in the field of Vanagon transaxle temperature control systems. I bet there are more than a few readers who would appreciate more details of how you integrated the speed sensor control to your 1.8T.
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....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 27, 2018 6:15 pm    Post subject: Re: Temperature Control (electric) - Manual Transaxle gearoil cooler Reply with quote

Thanks sodo - it’s really not that complicated, but one does need a VSS first, so if you don’t have an engine conversion, you would have to buy a VSS -
I k ow gowesty sells them and they are easy to install on the drive shaft - my 1.8t ran off a similar sensor (hall sensor at the CV), but Mine runs slightly differently off a modified Jetta VSS that plugs into the front diff instead of the cable. Anyhow, as you said it’s sinply a matter of splicing the VSS on your Subaru or 1.8t or whatever into the box and setting the speed. Prettty simple. A trigger wire then runs the relay to your pump. In my case, after testing I decided the fan wasn’t necessary on the radiator whenever the pump ran as it’s tyoically less than 140 in the transaxle during 4th gear driving. If I’m pulling a steep Colorado pass or off-roading a lot in low gear than the heat goes up and I have a sensor tapped into the transaxle case coupled to a programmable temperature based relay (also lingenfelfer) that opens another circuit that runs the fan (and the pump actually, in case im not in 4th and the temp exceeds 145).
Anyhow, as you said a lot of ways to skin a cat, and hopefully my transaxle is happy - it’s now got about 45,000 hard miles on it up and down passes, off road, across deserts, etc with a modified turbo (k04) 1.8t that pulls about 275 at the crank. s Still no real debris found on the magnet or filter during regular inspections. Hopefully that means it’ll last. We’ll have to see...
but... I really do think heat at 4th/MS and lack of lubrication there is the enemy, and perhaps some thrust from the helical cut 4th without anything to thrust upon except the MS bearing... so pumping the area and a MS retainer plate should theoretically solve most woes, obviously except for old parts and bad rebuilds..
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 28, 2018 5:22 pm    Post subject: Re: Temperature Control (electric) - Manual Transaxle gearoil cooler Reply with quote

Pcforno wrote:
hopefully my transaxle is happy - it’s now got about 45,000 hard miles on it up and down passes, off road, across deserts, etc with a modified turbo (k04) 1.8t that pulls about 275 at the crank. s Still no real debris found on the magnet or filter during regular inspections. Hopefully that means it’ll last. We’ll have to see...


It's lasted longer than mine have. But I'm only at 19,000. But all still good (I think...) I tellya,,,, reading the machinery journals about overloaded eqpt that has no mechanical fault, the first step is a lubricant cleanliness program.
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'90 Westy EJ25, 2Peloquins, 3knobs, pressure-oiled GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 28, 2018 6:16 pm    Post subject: Re: Temperature Control (electric) - Manual Transaxle gearoil cooler Reply with quote

Have you started externally filtering your precious bodily fluids yet?
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Sodo
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 04, 2019 10:31 pm    Post subject: Re: Temperature Control (electric) - Manual Transaxle gearoil cooler Reply with quote

I drilled yet another hole in my trans yesterday.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


I bolted on my drill jig
pressurized the transaxle with air.
then drill-baby-drill,
Spotfaced the hole,
Tapped it to 1/8-27 NPT

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Sensor installed, 'temporary wired' to the "4th gear oil tracks" gauge.
Sensor inside looks like THIS .

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Added a gauge to compare to temps of the oil sump.

I went for a drive up the mountain. It was cold, about 34F going up the mountain, driving 70-75mph.

There was one time I saw 140°F on the oil tracks sensor .vs. 134°F on the oil sump sensor, six whole degrees hotter. I was expecting the "oil tracks sensor" to show gear oil MUCH hotter than the sump. It's NOT reading the 220°F that Samba member 87VanWes reported, which is a relief. But I was kinda hoping for more validation that this location is the BOSS sensor location to trigger the micro-controller. I still think it's the best spot, just not as "best" as I theorized. Confused The theory that 4th gear is much hotter than the oil, appears to be "on-hold" (until summer). Or maybe it just means that my trans is "very good"?

And when I turned on the pump which blows an oil jet at the 4th gear mesh point, the oil tracks sensor dropped very quickly to 112°F. The oil was 34°F oil sitting outside in the cooler system hoses upon pump startup. So I'm pretty sure the oil blast at the 4th gear mesh does go thru the mesh and hit the sensor target. During this time the sump temp dropped a couple degrees.

Have to wait for summer for some more rigorous hot weather testing. But anyway, this suggests that my 4th gear is running pretty cool, at least in the winter.
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'90 Westy EJ25, 2Peloquins, 3knobs, pressure-oiled GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 29, 2019 10:17 pm    Post subject: Re: Temperature Control (electric) - Manual Transaxle gearoil cooler Reply with quote

Following Sodo’s lead. Thanks for experimenting.

Ordered a sender that will work with my gauges. It was 1/8 NPT threads same as Sodo. Same q size 21/64 drill bit and tap.

Built a simple jig. It wedged in nicely next to the bolt. I didn’t want to pull the bolt and risk some aa trans warranty. I had to hold it and drill. Not super fun.

I think my angle was a bit steep.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Couple lessons. The drill flakes are super fine and you should probably wear a mask. They got everywhere.

Once I broke thru I had some casing slag or maybe was just too close to the inside wall and either caused my bit kept getting hung up. I ran the tap in and out very slowly and carefully as I carved out the obstruction. I probably did this 20 times with a lot of grease.

You can see the remaining obstruction in the hole if you look carefully.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Excited to test and see what kinds of temps I’m generating. Will report back.

Thanks again Sodo.
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 16, 2019 12:57 pm    Post subject: Re: Temperature Control (electric) - Manual Transaxle gearoil cooler Reply with quote

RCMD you're on it! Summer's coming, interested to hear your results. Member Jalan did this too, but NOT drilling thru the case.

The one concern I have with this method is..... We know the oil peals off 4th gear and hits the wall, but maybe it focuses on different places at different speeds. What we need to know, is where the 4th gear oil hits at 70 mph.

========

Here's my current oil cooler system schematic.
Some changes to revision "E".
I print this and keep it in my Bentley.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


I've made the "key-cancel device" with the little 10A PCB relays, it's much smaller. And then I made some with ICs. But my van is currently running that big stack of Bosch relays.

This system works well, almost like "OEM". But the OEMs wouldn't give you a manual override button to goof around with on long drives... Wink
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'90 Westy EJ25, 2Peloquins, 3knobs, pressure-oiled GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 16, 2019 8:15 pm    Post subject: Re: Temperature Control (electric) - Manual Transaxle gearoil cooler Reply with quote

Hope this isn’t too off topic.

I’ve spliced in my mgl oil sender into my mgl gauges. I’m getting a 30 degree difference between what my ir thermometer is reading when “touching “ the brass case of the sender. Gauge will start at ambient temp and rise 10degrees when driving around town.

The sender wires are microscopic in size. Like 24 gauge? I used high temp (all I use) crimp on connectors and some existing 14 and maybe 16 gauge wires.

Could the crimps cause the differential?
Wire size differences?
Are there tiny 24 gage wire crimps. How do you splice these tiny wires?
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 20, 2020 3:44 pm    Post subject: Re: Temperature Control (electric) - Manual Transaxle gearoil cooler Reply with quote

what's the verdict on the new sensor location (on the boss)? i am in the process of installing a diff oil cooler/recirc system on my syncro. i like the boss location for many reasons but would like to hear some feedback before i go for it. Also, how critical is the location? will i hit something inside if im 1/4" off in any direction (i will be drilling it with trans in the van)? My sensor is about 1" long from the sealing surface (not NPT) to the tip. is the sensor length OK for clearance? Thank you.
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 20, 2020 4:39 pm    Post subject: Re: Temperature Control (electric) - Manual Transaxle gearoil cooler Reply with quote

Vmorris wrote:
what's the verdict on the new sensor location (on the boss)? i am in the process of installing a diff oil cooler/recirc system on my syncro. i like the boss location for many reasons but would like to hear some feedback before i go for it. Also, how critical is the location? will i hit something inside if im 1/4" off in any direction (i will be drilling it with trans in the van)? My sensor is about 1" long mi from the sealing surface (not NPT) to the tip. is the sensor length OK for clearance? Thank you.


Here's what has happened WRT this proposed sensor location.
It was a hypothesis.
Placing a sensor in the 4th gear oil track showed that MY 4th gear was NOT overheating.
Consequently I did NOT move my system control to that sensor location.

Heres from a few posts back, ^^^ up there ^^^ from March 2019....

Sodo wrote:
I was expecting the "oil tracks sensor" to show gear oil MUCH hotter than the sump. It's NOT reading the 220°F that Samba member 87VanWes reported, which is a relief. But I was kinda hoping for more validation that this location is the BOSS sensor location to trigger the micro-controller. I still think it's the best spot, just not as "best" as I theorized. Confused The theory that 4th gear is much hotter than the oil, appears to be "on-hold" (until summer). Or maybe it just means that my trans is "very good"?

And when I turned on the pump which blows an oil jet at the 4th gear mesh point, the oil tracks sensor dropped very quickly to 112°F.


Current concensus between a small cadre of Syncro-oiling-nuts is:

Most of the 4th gear heat problems were on trannies with "an unknown problem"showed burned oil etc on 4th gear.
But now we have actual data showing that (*my*) 4th gear does not get hot.
The last time I drove 80mph on a 100F day, I didn’t have the sensor in place, dangit.
Maybe it DOES get hot in those conditions?
But it's now wintertime again and we don't have the data.
Maybe it requires a 6-cyl, hightop, heavy weight, speed and summertime. Dunno.
It's going to take awhile to gather the data with so few people testing.

If you chose the 4th gear track location to control your oil pump, then shortly after your oil starts to squirt, the sensor will cool quickly, shutting off the pump, while the oil sump remains hot.

Perhaps a worn mainshaft bearing that allows the 4th gear teeth to mesh outside the tooth circle (and tooth-sliding, causing heat). Maybe the heat is from the mainshaft bearing? We don't know because we don't have a "hot 4th" test vehicle.

Currently it seems like the best location for cooler control sensor is at the bottom of the oil sump.

Vmorris plz check in from time to time wrt your project.
This issue wilL benefit from more people testing/reporting.
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'90 Westy EJ25, 2Peloquins, 3knobs, pressure-oiled GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 21, 2020 4:06 pm    Post subject: Re: Temperature Control (electric) - Manual Transaxle gearoil cooler Reply with quote

Thanks Sodo. I will go with the sump location. a little back story...I had my transmission rebuilt here in Colorado recently. broke it in with regular Napa oil. Changed at 2500 hundred miles per the rebuilder's suggestion. Magnetic drain looked great. Put in swepco 201. Now changing again at around ~7000k miles. I was surprised at how good the oil looks, almost new. no unicorn blood, magnetic drain nearly bare. I'm adding a cooling/filtration system for longevity/fun. I'm running a bostig zetec swap on a Syncro tin top with 28" tires. Working with bostig, we figured out a way to monitor diff oil temps through the ECU, which means I can monitor temps on my Ultragauge (no extra gauge on dash) and even control circulation/cooling with the ECU if I wanted to (although for now I am just wiring in a two-stage manual switch, recirc and recirc + cooling). I'm planning to write it up when its all said and done.
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jalan
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Joined: December 11, 2009
Posts: 75
Location: Underwood, Washington
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 25, 2020 12:00 am    Post subject: Re: Temperature Control (electric) - Manual Transaxle gearoil cooler Reply with quote

I did managed to get in a few long road trips this past summer with my new oil cooling/filtering system. Thanks SODO for all your encouragement, help and parts.

I am running an '89 tiptop with a 2.5 Subaru that supposedly has been re-tuned to put out close to 200hp. The tranny was rebuilt with a .75 4th gear and I am running 205 70 R 15's and Amsoil Severe Gear 75-140.

I chose not to use a fan cooled oil cooler but to go with a more efficient flat plate cooler mounted up front. As I don't want to overcool my oil I put a 145 degree High-Flow Engine Oil Cooler Thermostat [Part # FSM] from Improved Racing in the circuit.

A recap; pumping the oil with Mocal heavy duty gear pump through a Canton 8 micron filter and a mini Magnom magnetic filter. Then to the bypass thermostat and back to the filler port with a nozzle hitting 4th gear. Pump controlled by an Inkbird controller with temp probe in boss on left lower side of tranny (4th gear splash zone). 10 row flat plate cooler mounted behind lower radiator grill.

I set the pump temp control at 80 for winter and 90 for summer.

Bottom line;
1- temperature probe picks up changes very rapidly
2- oil temp drops a few degrees when the pump turns on but there isn't enough oil volume in the pumped system to cool it enough to shut down the pump
3- thermostat starts to direct oil to the cooler at 135 degrees. I see a slight temp dip as the cool oil moves through but it evens out quickly.
4- maximum temperature I observed last summer, loaded for camping and on the hwy 65-70+ was 145. Normal hwy oil temps hover between 135 and 140 in the summer.

A couple of other notes;
I didn't drill all the way through the case for the temp probe, rather I epoxied it into an 1/8" pipe fitting and screwed it into a tapped hole in the aforementioned boss (see SODO's posts).
6600 miles on it since I installed it and it seems to be working perfectly.
BATS inc is a great source for pump, fittings, hose etc.
Short trips and winter driving it rarely gets hot enough to direct the oil through the cooler.
The other small plug in the tranny/temp sensor picture is my oil level check hole.

I'll post an update when I change the tranny oil and clean the filters although that's probably a year down the road


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1989 Syncro Hardtop, 2.5 '07 Subaru
1991 Carat Hardtop
1995 High Top Eurovan Syncro
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Sodo
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Joined: July 06, 2007
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Location: Western WA
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 25, 2020 12:16 pm    Post subject: Re: Temperature Control (electric) - Manual Transaxle gearoil cooler Reply with quote

Hi jalan,

Good to see another system up & running. I bought the FSM thermostat too, after your mention of it, but haven't installed it.

At 6600 miles I'd wanna have a look at the filter just to see what's happening in there.
My trans is cool and quiet, yet I'm always surprised at the metal the filter is catching.
It makes me wanna take my trans apart just to look.

Is that an oil level check hole that I see below your sensor?
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'90 Westy EJ25, 2Peloquins, 3knobs, pressure-oiled GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb
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jalan
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Joined: December 11, 2009
Posts: 75
Location: Underwood, Washington
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 26, 2020 10:54 am    Post subject: Re: Temperature Control (electric) - Manual Transaxle gearoil cooler Reply with quote

Yes that small plug is the oil level check hole. It can even be used to top up the tranny if you have a big syringe and patience. So far no leaks=no oil loss=all smiles.

I will check those filters as soon as I get a chance just to see what is in there.

Forgot to mention that I also added a couple of neodymium magnets to the Canton filter as there was room between the filter element and the case. I'll see how effective they are compared to the Magnom mini when I open it up.
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1989 Syncro Hardtop, 2.5 '07 Subaru
1991 Carat Hardtop
1995 High Top Eurovan Syncro
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