I was on eBay earlier this week and found these Transmission pans on there and i have done some reaserch on them and they seem to be pretty respectable company. I am wondering if anyone is running any of thier covers and what everyone thinks of them? Here is thier website and the pan i am talking about http://www.mag-hytec.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_8&products_id=88&zenid=9bee89f6cf376e63a0e4e12b275261b4
Oh yeah just for everyones viewing pleasure here is a photo of the acutal plan wish it was attached to a tranny so i could see how it looks.

_________________
My CRD Build Thread
Soon to Come:more lights

Most of those deep pans are incompatible with the Mopar Transmission bash plate. If you never go offroad I guess that's not an issue.

If I were towing I might put it on if I knew my tranny was running hot? I don't think our trannies run all that hot as a passenger vehicle.

_________________
2006 LTD Bright Silver loaded with all the needed mods, CCV intact.
Proudly supporting CRD vendors, and their development of quality parts and accessories.
Equipped with HDS thermostat, plenty of heat, faster warm-ups, increased fuel mileage.

I know the company makes quality products, i see them every day on the road.
As far as that part on a crd, i dont know, i have seen a few members with a "plm" extra deep tranny pan, there's a right up somewhere about it.

As far as crd trans temps, in normal stop and go city driving (san diego) if you ever get out and feel the trans cooler inlet and outlet, that will tell you all you need to know.
If you ever do this when your out crawling or messing around in sand, you'll probably want something. I installed a perhaps to large transmission cooler in front of the stock condenser/trans cooler, and I am glad that I did. Our crd's beat the snot out of atf with that craptacular tc, atf +4 is GREAT stuff imho but cooling it down sure as heck wont hurt you. Is it worth messing with? If you tow/wheel or want the crd forever, maybe. May be easier to just change the fluid every 30k We have a significant fluid capacity as it is.

Excessive temps lead to rapid oxidation of the lubricant witch causes greatly elevated wear, keeping the lube cool = longer lube life. I believe that somewhere around the 270f range atf+4 takes a huge crap but supposedly something like every 10 deg F over 210 shortens lubricant life by 10% (atf+4 only) This is used as a general indication of when to change a lube, for instance if i hit 210 i may change the lubricant at 30k instead of 40 <--- example only

_________________
06 CRD Limited. IMII, GDE TCM, Carter transfer pump, Upgraded oem primary, 2 micron secondary, 3 inch mandrel straight pipe.
Transgo shift kit, EHM, fcv butterfly removed, egr plated off. 19 3/8 solid flex fan, no electric fan, 10k lb aux trans cooler.
Frankenlift II, Mopar skids, allj's rails, 235/85 km2 on stock rims

Nice that it has a drain plug for fluid changes, though I would always change the filters when I change th fluid so the drain plug would not really benefit me other than to prevent a mess while dropping the pan. The fins are nice for cooling...but the CRD already has a full sized transmission cooler which is much more efficient.

It would however be nice to see a 1/4" thick steel pan made for the 545RFE. I have the same transmission as the CRD liberty in my Grand Cherokee.

I see one HUGE disadvantage w/ the aluminum pan for off road use (it is aluminum right, it looks like it). IF it ever does get hit by a rock it will crack/break and allow fluid loss...there by stranding you and you have to get towed home which would be a hege expense if on a trail(which would hopefully be the only time you might hit a large rock like that ha ha). With the factory pan, even though it is thin, they usually only dent and do not puncture so the jeep is still driveable and it only needs replaced if it is dented in an area that would prevent proper trans fluid pickup. down side of the thin steel is the transmission components themselves can get damaged if the pan gets crushed in too much. Aluminum would probably break and allow the same thing.

For protection (if that is what you are looking for) I see 2 good options:

The simplest/cheapest way for a decent ammount of protection would be to buy a sheet of 1/4" thick steel, cut it to the size of the bottom of the pan, and use RTV to glue it to the outside/bottom of the transmission pan. This would spread any impacts out over the entire surface area of the pan and provide a fair ammount of protection and still keep nearly factory ground clearance.

The best option for protection would be a 1/4" skid plate welded to fit, that bolts up to the frame and covers the whole transmission. This would reduce the ground clearance a bit since it cannot actually be touching the pan, but would not put any stress on the transmission at all if a rock hit it. The force of an impact would be spread to the jeep frame since that is what it is mounted to. This would also be a very expensive option if you pay to have it fabbed up.

- Mark

_________________
Previous-05 CRD KJ;Current-2010 Taurus SHO Twin Turbo (450HP), 2014 Subaru Forester Turbo (stock)

I have wondered, how much longer it would take to warm up the extra quarts of fluid before the TCM would allow the trans. to upshift normally in very cold weather, creating even lower MPG.

_________________
TWO Identical 2005 Liberty Sport CRDS
#1 CRD, 174,000 miles. Eco tune, Samco hoses. Mobil1 0-40w used since day one
#2 CRD 143,000 miles. Bought used (unknown history) with 100,000 miles. Samco hoses.
Eco tune, new rockers, and 5 volt glow plugs installed at 124,000 miles

X2, mine takes about 2 miles at 45mph before my GDE TCM tune drops the RPMs from about 2000 RPM to less then 1500 RPM then she chugs along like a standard transmission diesel.

That pan is only good to put money in the manufactures pocket, or to the guy that actually runs his tranny to the point of fluid breakdown.

_________________
2006 LTD Bright Silver loaded with all the needed mods, CCV intact.
Proudly supporting CRD vendors, and their development of quality parts and accessories.
Equipped with HDS thermostat, plenty of heat, faster warm-ups, increased fuel mileage.

Those pans are pre-tapped to accept a tranny temp. probe though, right?

_________________

2005 Stone White KJ Limited CRD 4x4
Off-Road Pkg
Trac-Lok
Emu 790s/948s
Skyjacker H7088s rear/Bilsteins front
15x7 Black Rock Lobos/31x10.50 Firestones
GDE HOT Tune + TCM Tune
Euro TC
CB radio
Thrush Turbo muffler
AEM DryFlow filter

More of a liability than an asset.

_________________
06 LIMITED 100000miles, MAGNAFLOW, HOMEBUILT CCV FILTER, POLAR PAD, 02 AIRBOX, CUMMINS LIFT PUMP, SEGR, PILLAR GAUGE POD, CAT FILTER MONITOR, SPYDER TRAX, ALWAYS A LITTLE TWO STROKE OIL OR BIO, WATER/METH INJECTION

Yes they are pre-tapped for a temperature sensor and as far as warming up slowly i am looking at a titian stick on pad heater to solve that. And i do a good bit of off roading and i am looking at the Asfir Skids all the way around except my Boiler gas tank skid of course . But i am going to first get my skids then do some measurements to see if it will fit without modifications. Because once i get my titian heater attached i am not going to want to have to take it off ever again.

_________________
My CRD Build Thread
Soon to Come:more lights

Yeah the 45RFE/545RFE holds 14qts of ATF+4,that is 2-4 times more then most auto trans in cars and minivans hold.


I think your a little high with the degrees with ATF+4,could be wrong though.I would never allow my trans temps to get above 180 degrees and why I have a 28,000 GVWR trans cooler on my 45RFE and still flush the fliud every 15k.It only takes about a 1/2 mile of light driving for my trans to shift into OD or lock the TC up at 0 degrees outside temp.I do know that at 175 degrees DEXIII's life is cut in half but it's not a synthetic like ATF+4 though and will raise that temp up a few degrees.

I have been running a trans temp in the output line of my vehicle for a couple years now (i.e. not drilled in the pan).

In the summer here in Arizona, it gets hot... really forking hot. I added an additional cooler because temperatures would routinely rise to 220 during stop and go city driving (on the road).

The extra cooler helps some. It still can get to 210 on extended stop and goes. Keep in mind that this is with an outside temp of 115 degrees in the shade (much hotter on the blacktop), with the AC running, and my temp gauge is on the output line, which is hotter than the pan.

What I have seen:

1. The trans is hottest when you are going uphill at slow speeds (25 to 35 mph or so) and during stop and go driving. The same grade at a higher speed results in a lower temperature (more air is exchanged and the trans locks-up, I suppose).

2. The longer you are stopped, the quicker the trans temp rises, dropping it into neutral does NOT change this behavior.

3. Driving with the OD off when you are cruising around 45-55 lowers the trans temp around 35 degrees at the output port.

4. When you are driving slow off road, 4-Low dramatically lowers your trans temps.

A deeper pan may help with number 2, but I doubt it. I will likely just delay it more. I have shot every inch of the CRD in the summer with an infrared temp gauge. Heat soak is bad on this thing (too much metal and not enough air space) and the longer it sits without air movement, the hotter everything under the hood gets-- eventually even the trans coolers in the front start to heat soak. I can see the heat soak hitting the frame rails, trans pan and everything else under the vehicle (mine is buttoned up with skids).

I am going to be putting on hood louvers (one day) and I have a feeling that will do more to reduce temperatures (including trans) than a deep dish pan would do, although every bit helps.

Along the same lines, the GDE transmission tune should help lower temperatures as the trans shift points are changed and the transmission stays in lockup more.

Eureka Boy had done it all!

http://liberty.eurekaboy.com/

http://liberty.eurekaboy.com/deeppan.htm

_________________
2006 LTD Bright Silver loaded with all the needed mods, CCV intact.
Proudly supporting CRD vendors, and their development of quality parts and accessories.
Equipped with HDS thermostat, plenty of heat, faster warm-ups, increased fuel mileage.