2017XLT

Hey guys, I did a little mod to my truck. I removed the Active Shutter system from truck. I removed all the individual slats & just left the actuator plugged in. The reason I did this was because of the unusually high Trans temps. Normal Trans Temp operation according to Ford is between 205*-215*, this seems VERY excessive. Without towing I would see temps just riding around as high as 205*-210*. With my shutters removed, my Trans temp never gets above 193* (that's sitting in traffic on 100* day), while moving allowing air flow & not towing, my Trans Temp stays right around 185*. Also my engine coolant temp now runs about 3*-5* cooler with the shutters removed. It's an easy mod to do, & you can put them back in if you ever wanted to. Call me old school, I just don't think temps that high are good for a Trans. The engine running a tad cooler is a benefit also I think.

chimmike

I'd put 'em back on. I suspect Ford's engineers know a little more.....and sometimes trans fluid needs to be warm to work properly!

Spooled

I took mine off too. Trans temp should never be more than Ambient + 100*. I noticed a drop in trans and coolant temps too.

gregsf150stx

Where are you getting those temp readings? I looked around in the LCD screen menu's and I don't see trans temps..... Just the needle on the gauge.

I've seen high temps in my brothers Ram with the shutters (actually shows trans temp)... If you have the a/c on they are always open.

gregsf150stx

What ya'll gonna do if you need warranty work? go to the trouble of putting them back on, slat by slat?

Spooled

Personally, I threw my warranty out the window with my mods. I'm not sure what kind of warranty issues if any, it would cause to begin with.

fsae150

I've never understood arguments like this. Ford has spent millions in R&D and testing of powertrain components and the rest of the truck, but you think you have a better idea of what the transmission oil temperature should be than the guys who designed it? What exactly do you think will happen if you let it run as intended?

Your mileage will suffer from removing the grille shutters. You might not notice it, but it will suffer because of the increased aero drag on the truck and the decreased transmission oil temperature itself. The hotter the fluid is, the less friction losses. This is one of the reasons the transmission oil is precisely controlled to a "VERY excessive" temperature. In fact, the 2015+ F-150 with 5.0L has a transmission oil "heater", that is a heat exchanger that uses hot engine coolant to warm the transmission oil up more quickly, to reduce fuel consumption.

Napalm

Sort of a neat idea but not necessary. The transmission in your current F150 is quite a bit different than any other automatic you've probably worked on. Now that you've added cooling to the trans fluid - it will always be trying to get back to operating temperature. The computer inside wants the fluid temp to be in the 205-220 range. It might not make adjustments but it will consider itself to be off spec most of the time.

the newer transmissions use different clutch materials and different fluids than whatever you might be used to. Side note - did you know the new ford trans is also the GM trans. GM and Ford both co developed their previous 6sp units and their current 8sp/10sp units. biggest reason for those higher fluid temps - because the clutches want to be warmer to release smoother - likewise the fluid was made to live in that temp band (actually it's made to tolerate 350-400 but that's a different matter)

Infact one of the reasons for those louvers - despite all the fuel econ craze is to also allow the trans temps to get up to operating value quicker. Those louvers are probably open more than they are closed - for those of us in the Southern US.

based on what? for which transmission? Using what clutch material and what torque converter? with what stall speed?

so what does that put down - with twin turbo's on the 5.0? Did you have to use a different torque converter.

Makoto

as a general rule I make sure my trans is warm before I do any kind of aggressive acceleration for these very reasons. transmission fluid needs to be at certain temps to do its job the best. thats why beating on a cold car wears things out quicker and if you properly maintain things you can beat on them all day long and not harm them.

Spooled

This is just a general rule of mine. I get that heat is good for emissions and it's how Ford designed it to come from the factory. I just prefer it to run cooler based on how I use the truck. Factory coolant temps hover around 220, which is ridiculous. Too much heat in the engine bay and drivetrain.

I race my truck a lot so I'd rather not publicly state my power output. I'm also not finished tuning it... I will say that it makes more than double the factory power and I'll turn it up more after I upgrade the torque converter and fuel system. Trans is stock right now otherwise besides custom calibration. So based on how I use the truck, I can't have temps run as high as they do from the factory.