Pulled the tranny and torque converter yesterday. Sure glad I have a pit in my garage! Got everything out and dis-assembled in about 3 hours. The TC is just waaay too sloppy these days. It's been getting worse and worse over the last few years (and my coolant temp is going up and up when towing). When I pulled the magnetic drain plug on my Mag-Hytek pan, it seemed to have quite a lot of metal "fur" on it. I hope it's from the old torque converter and not the transmission innards. Going with a Hughes 15XFM. Seems to be the most bang for the buck. Have a few questions.

1. Getting the 2nd Gen flex plate from Cummins. Anything special I need to know? Also, I read something about installing it with something pointing to the arrow on the housing converter. What do I need to do here?

2. Torque of the flex plate bolts?

3. Torque of the converter bolts?

4. Installing a remote transmission fluid cooler with fan like the original option. It's a Flex-a-lite shrouded unit model 45951. I'm plumbing it in between the transmission and the OEM heat exchanger. That way, I figure I can remove some heat before the coolant. Does that sound about right?

5. Also installing a remote spin-on type fluid filter just before the fluid dumps back into the pan. I can't see a reason not to. Anybody have a concern with this?

6. Installing a Transgo TFOD-Diesel shift kit. Any advice? Seems straight forward enough.

Thanks much!

 

It is just my opinion but,
1. From what I understand get the 2nd gen flexplate from Cummins you will be happier.

2. Between 75 - 85 ft lbs.

3. Between 55-65 ft lbs
(these #'s are variable based on my recollection)

4. A good idea, I would install it between the factory grill mounted cooler and the return line to the tranny so that the water to oil cooler mounted below the exhaust can do what it is supposed to do.

5. No problems with this

6. Shift kit should not be a problem. Simple as following the directions.

Hope this helps.

 

Don`t have any suggestions but it sounds like a solid plan. Let us know how that converter/VB setup works!

 

My thoughts on installing the auxillary cooler between the transmission and heat exchanger was so that my cooling system would see as little additional heat as possible. It seems to be struggling as it is when towing my 5th wheel and additional toy trailer. (This little excercise I've undertaken...the torque converter, aux. cooler, etc...is to try and get my cooling system back into the "normal" range. I think it's being saturated with additional heat created by my sloppy TC.) I thought this rather large (with included fan) cooler could scrub off as much heat as possible (the fan has a thermostatic switch included), then the heat exchanger could remove more heat as needed. If it's cold out, and the heat exchanger needs to add heat, that's fine I think.

Where, in the plumbing scheme, was the original optional cooler located. I know psyically where it was.

 

My concern with locating the additional cooler before the fluid enters the oil to water cooler on the side of the block is that in cooler weather the trans fluid would not be allowed to reach operating temp. Locating it just before the fluid dumps back into the pan assures that the coolest fluid possible is drawn thru the filter. As a side note on the flexplate, if you line up the aroow that is located at about the 6:30 position of the adapter plate allows you to access the corresponding bolt thru the hole in the bellhousing below the exhaust manifold.

 

Dodge did it this way with the under-the-bed cooler: Out of transmission to the cooler/fan, then to the heat exchanger on the passenger side, then to the small cooler above the radiator, then to the inlet to the transmission.

There is also in this configuration an automatic bypassing type of device that looks like an "H" on its side. The line to and from the under-the-bed cooler passed through the sides of the "H". If the fluid in the cooler/fan wasn't up to operating temperature, the sluggish fluid would force most/some of the fluid going into the cooler/fan to go through the crossbar of the "H", thus bypassing the cooler/fan until the fluid in it came up to temperature.

Regards, DBF

 

Yes, I've seen those by-pass thermostatic valves. Mostly for old air-cooled VW bugs that added an aux. oil cooler.

And thansk, ccab85, for clearing up what the arrow on the adapter housing was. I couldn't for the life of me figure out what that was for!

Installed a 2nd Gen. flexplate last night. (Our secretary's husband is the service manager for Cummins Rocky Mountain, so I can get my parts deliverded to the office!) Got my torque converter sent off to Hughes Performance. Also received my aux. cooler from Summit today. So things are coming along nicely. I just have to play the waiting came for the TC to come back from AZ.

 

2) 55 ft/lbs
3) 35 ft/lbs

From a 1998 Chrysler service manual

6) call Dave G or Dunn Rite on this one, I think that kit causes bind up in some of the shifts.