Warming up transmission

[Mirror]

In the mornings i let my truck warm up, usually around 5 mins sometimes 10 (i know a little excessive but leather and -30 C sucks)
But i notice when i do drive and get to 100km/h my rpms are at 2500 and takes about 6 or 8 miles before it settles down to 1800 or 1900.

Would putting the transmission into N while warming it up help the transmission warm up quicker so i'm not sitting at such a high rpm?

 

[Playsinsnow]

I highly doubt it will. Unless you have something to plug in and warm things up, block heater etc, driving it easy and under 2k rpms will warm things up quicker than idling. My tb gets to operating temp in less than a mile through the neighborhood but on cold days idling doesn't warm it up much from a cold start. Seat heaters ftw.

 

[Mirror]

Ya i noticed the temp guage doesnt move much in idle but my daily drive is only four miles one way twice. But the engine warms up fine, the rpms still stay at 2500. Which uses a lot more fuel

 

[JAB]

If it's anything like my old Camaro was then the torque converter will not lock up until the engine is running in closed loop. With your short drive you may never be getting to that point. That sounds like what's happening to me at least. I'm no GMT360 expert though.

 

[Mirror]

Neutral didnt work

 

[northcreek]

If you want to warm the trans up you could set the E-brake and let it idle in Drive. You have to make the trans work a little for heating to occur, otherwise it's just a pump for cold oil which the trans cooler would eventually warm thru the radiator heat exchanger but, by then you would be on the road....Mike.

 

[coolasice]

unless u let the truck warm up 30+ mins with the heater off the trans will never get warm... the longer it idles the worse your mpg will be...

 

[Mirror]

My ebrake wont pull up for some reason

 

[Harpo]

A block heater is the only thing that works.
If you combine that with a heater fan inside you would have a warm and cosy truck to drive your 4 miles in.

Ill bet you would save a lot of fuel by installing one, 10 min at idle would get you almost halfway to work if you start with a warmed up truck and just drive away.

Idle the engine as a warmup method is not the best way to do it either, the best way is a short idle and then get on the way. It's best for the engine.

I notice that a lot use a remote starter, that is a non existant option here in Sweden. With our gasprices you would not let the truck idle for 5-15 min, plus that you are not allowed to idle for more than 1 min in most areas.

You could get a ticket for that here, but i have never ever heard of anyone getting one.

 

[Mirror]

I have a block heater, you need them here. Granted i just put a new cord on. But i also run 0w30 oil so at -40C i still start even when not plugged in

 

[Harpo]

OK brrrrrrrrrrr

At -40c you'll need 3 blockheaters and a nuclear plant .

At that temp it's not much you can do really.

 

[Mirror]

Normal temps here range from -20C to -30C and get to -40C before wind chills

 

[Harpo]

A real winter then.

Like in north of Sweden where the polarbears walk in the streets

 

[Mirror]

Ya no polar bears down here. Just in the north.

Btw, block heaters don't heat up tranny fluid

 

[coolasice]

they make trans coolers.... maybe someone makes a trans heater......

(crude joke)

apparently they do... heater pads for the trans... go figure

 

[Playsinsnow]

Btw, block heaters don't heat up tranny fluid

Because engine oil is thicker than transmission fluid.The bigger problem in the severe cold is that engine oil is slow to move around. Like molasses.

You can use a heater magnet/pad for transmission but in reality, if your coolant is warm your transmission fluid will soon be too. Similar to if you overheat the coolant you can effectively kill the quality of the trans fluid.

Edit: current temp in St Paul MN USA is colder than Starbuck MB. wish it would snow more.

 

[Mirror]

It's -20C with the wind right now. -11C without

 

[Playsinsnow]

-12C here. Should warm up this weekend though.

Do you notice any benefits or change, mpgs anything?, with 0w-30 over 5w-30? Full synthetic? :coughcough: Mobil1 ftw.

 

[Mirror]

Don't know have never ran 5w in my tb since i got it, i just like knowing my vehicle will start at -40 especially if i stay over somewhere and can't plug in

 

[Mounce]

Isn't the first number (5w) it's thickness when warmed up and the second number (30) it's thickness when cold? That's just what I think I've been told.

If so, your reasoning for running 0w30 is invalid.

 

[coolasice]

think of it like this " Another way of looking at multi-vis oils is to
think of a 20W-50 as a 20 weight oil that will
not thin more than a 50 weight would when
hot."

 

[Mirror]

The Number Before W Represents the Viscosity of the oil in cold conditions(Lesser Temperatures) and the the number after W represents the viscosity of the oil at higher temperatures (100 Degree Celcius). The More the value of the number, the more the viscosity in the said condition.

To put it in perspective it is preferable that
A.) In the cold condition the viscosity should be less so as to facilitate a easy flow of Engine Oil during the winters when the viscosity of any fluid tends to get increased.
B.) In The Hot Condition (100 degree Celsius), the viscosity should be high because at higher temperature, the viscosity of every fluid tends to decrease hence resulting in lesser lubrication.

Hence 0w30, 5w30 and 10w30 all have same viscosity at 100 Degree Celsius but at lower temperatures- 0w30 has least viscosity and 10w30 has highest viscosity.

 

[coolasice]

yes yes... a 0w-30 will behave like a 0wt oil when cold and like a 30wt oil when hot

 

[RedEnvoyDenali]

Got into this topic late, but Tranny's make there own heat. That is why you can burn one up by being stuck in the snow. We have a lot of -40C and if you just take it very easy the tranny and engine oil will warm up quite nicely. I let the Denali warm up for 1-2 min then drive easy for a mile or two until we get near operating temps. Purchased this truck out of Wisconsin and I am not even sure it has a block heater, never seen a cord, therefore it has never been plugged in. I must admit it lives in a garage, but spends its days outside when I am at work. One top of that I would recommend synthetic oil it seems to withstand the cold so much better than Regular.

 

[Sparky]

The torque converter won't lock until the trans is up to temp. Idling in neutral won't do anything for that, and you'll burn more gas letting it idle to warm up for 30 minutes than to just drive at the little higher RPM.

 

[BlazingTrails]

Mine seems to get into tcc lock up in the morning. And even on a hot day my trans runs around 125-160° and it does great. What is supposed to be the running temp?

I have 2 massive coolers on mine.

This is old pic while I was installing so it was not finished. I combed the fins and everything when done.

 

[coolasice]

what's the low for the month in GA? 10F? it's -40F where he lives on a regular basis.. tcc lockup is delayed until the trans and engine reach a certain temp which takes much longer at those temps.

 

[coolasice]

and here is the bulletin with specific information:

This bulletin is being revised to add model years, model and Allison transmission information. Please discard Corporate Bulletin Number 01-07-30-031 (Section 07 -- Transmission/Transaxle).

Transmission operation during cold weather has been revised on these vehicles to provide faster engine warm-up and improved heater performance. During initial key-up, if the intake air temperature (IAT) is less than -7°C (19°F), 1-2, 2-3 and 3-4 upshift speeds will be affected as detailed below.

1-2 Upshift
If the throttle position (TP) is less than 37 percent, the 1-2 upshift will take place at a minimum speed of 19 km/h (12 mph).

2-3 Upshift
• (2001 Model Year) If the throttle position (TP) is less than 37 percent, the 2-3 upshift will take place at a minimum speed of 51 km/h (32 mph).
• (2002-2004 Model Year) If the throttle position (TP) is less than 37 percent, the 2-3 upshift will take place at a minimum speed of 43 km/h (27 mph).
• If the throttle position (TP) is above 37 percent, the shifts will follow the normal shift pattern.

3-4 Upshift
• (2001 Model Year) If the throttle position (TP) is less than 37 percent, the 3-4 upshift will take place at a minimum speed of 75 km/h (47 mph).
• (2002-2004 Model Year) If the throttle position (TP) is less than 37 percent, the 3-4 upshift will take place at a minimum speed of 64 km/h (40 mph).
• If the throttle position (TP) is above 37 percent, the shifts will follow the normal shift pattern.

TCC Operation
If the transmission fluid temperature is less than 17°C (62.6°F), torque converter clutch (TCC) operation will not occur until the transmission fluid temperature is greater than 20°C (68°F).

(2001 Model Year) When the engine coolant temperature (ECT) reaches 77°C (171°F), 2-3 and 3-4 upshifts will follow the normal shift patterns. A brief description of operation may also be included in the Owner's Manual.

(2002 Model Year) When the ECT reaches 80°C (176°F), 2-3 and 3-4 upshifts will follow the normal shift patterns. A brief description of operation may also be included in the Owner's Manual.

 

[BlazingTrails]

what's the low for the month in GA? 10F? it's -40F where he lives on a regular basis.. tcc lockup is delayed until the trans and engine reach a certain temp which takes much longer at those temps.

I believe the coldest we have been in this area this year is around 12*f sometimes we MAY get down to around 5-7*f and IIRC one morning about 4 years ago we were -2 or -3 deg f which had everybody freaking out around here lmao . It is definitely not as cold as you guys see on a regular basis.

Kudos to you guys who live in those type of climates, I live down here in GA for a reason...I hate cold weather and snow.