TransGo shift kit for A760E (IS350) and transmission fluid cooler Installed!
06-19-19, 05:12 AM
#16
This thread has got me thinking. I really like the idea of firming up shifts in my IS350. However, I would prefer a quick, clean solution. A plug and play solution would be ideal...drop pan, remove valve body, replace valve body with an upgraded unit, and re-install pan.
A spare valve body for our A760E is apparently not a common item that can be found laying around and salvage yards don't like to sell them individually. If somebody has a line on these things please let me know.
I found this:
https://www.importperformancetrans.c..._detail&p=5439
IPT offers a service to upgrade your valve body that you send to them. They go through and refresh your valve body and install the same/similar components to the TransGo kit and send it back to you.
Has anybody used IPT before for other transmission work?
A spare valve body for our A760E is apparently not a common item that can be found laying around and salvage yards don't like to sell them individually. If somebody has a line on these things please let me know.
I found this:
https://www.importperformancetrans.c..._detail&p=5439
IPT offers a service to upgrade your valve body that you send to them. They go through and refresh your valve body and install the same/similar components to the TransGo kit and send it back to you.
Has anybody used IPT before for other transmission work?
06-19-19, 11:25 AM
#18
As I've stated in other transmission related threads, just make sure you do this for the right reason. Although this trans controls line pressure via TCU, statically increasing it above what is need to prevent a flair during upshifts and/or slipping while in gear, doing so can actually can increase wear and operating temperature so keep that cooler in mind if take the leap.
I'm saying, use the services to correct problems and be reasonable about requests as it might surprise you when it hammers every gear with neck snapping force. Although cool at first but only up to a point.
I'm saying, use the services to correct problems and be reasonable about requests as it might surprise you when it hammers every gear with neck snapping force. Although cool at first but only up to a point.
Last edited by 2013FSport; 06-19-19 at 11:28 AM.
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06-19-19, 01:01 PM
#19
John at IPT mentioned that a customer would need to send in their valve body for them to work on as the did not have any cores laying around unfortunately. If I recall correctly it was a ~2 week turnaround time.
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kenji211 (06-20-19)
03-17-21, 03:22 PM
#22
Driver School Candidate
I would like to share my experience installing a trans cooler on my 2011 IS350. To start, I would say that my car needed an extensive cooling system upgrade when used at track days in Southern California. As I got faster and was using more gas and less brake, my temperatures kept creeping up. Finally my water temperature got up to just under 250 degrees F and my car went into protection mode. Now having invested in the things needed to view both my water and trans temps, I believe when my water was near 250F my trans fluid was probably in the range of 280-300F.
So a comprehensive upgrade was in order. First I installed a Koyorad aluminum radiator. See it here: http://www.koyoradracing.com/product...asp?make=Lexus The sales pitch was that it was about 35% greater cooling capacity. When I pulled the radiator out of the box and saw that the core was only 1 inch thick, I was disappointed and could not believe it would provide more cooling. However when I got the stock radiator out and measured its core, it was only about 11/16 inch thick. So the new core was 45% thicker.
One thing about the Koyorad radiator is that it did not come with any sort of sealing material to close the gaps between the radiator and the car body. The stock radiator had some such seals though not complete. So I had to build my own seals. First I thought that ordinary weather stripping might work but I did not know how high a temperature it could withstand. I tested it in my oven and at 180F it basically melted into nothing. Then I found some high temperature silicone strips and matching glue at McMaster-Carr. Not cheap but it made a good 360 degree seal that was even better that what the factory had done with the stock radiator. In the end the seals increased the cost of the radiator by about 50%.
I had previously tested my engine coolant temps during hot weather (90F) on some hills around my house. On the flats, temps stabilized around 195F. Going uphill for a mile and a half at 85 mph, temps rose to 225F. I tested the new radiator on another hot day (about 85F) on the same hill at the same speed. Temps started up a little but then the thermostat opened some more and temps settled back at 195F. So good job from the new radiator.
Now on to the trans cooler. I was concerned about getting the trans fluid too cool. I did some testing from full cold on a cool evening (about 60F) with the stock set up. The engine coolant came up to temperature (194F) in about 10 minutes. The trans took 15 minutes to get to the same 194F. Then I did an uphill run (not as steep or as fast as the runs mentioned in the paragraph above). On the uphill, trans temps climbed to 225F. Definitely getting toward too warm.
With the cooler and a 185F thermostat installed, I did the same run. Again water got to 194F in about 10 minutes. After 20 minutes the trans fluid was at 165F. That’s certainly warm enough. Then going uphill the trans fluid increased to 175F. I am glad I installed the thermostat. See it here: https://www.improvedracing.com/high-...hermostat.html Without the thermostat, I’m sure temps on this test would have been around 75F, too low.
Regarding the process of installing the cooler, it was a PIA. It was not nearly as easy as the original post suggests. The first thing to note about the photos in post #1 is that they show a car with headers installed. My car still has the cats (California), that one difference makes all the difference. There is just no clearance between the factory trans warmer and the cat to do any useful work, like removing the factory warmer. Take a look at photos 9 and 12 down from the top in post 1 here: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...placement.html So I had to remove (among many other things) the passenger side exhaust manifold and push it forward about 10 inches.
Once you get working room, things go a little easier. The AN style fittings you see used in this post will not work if you still have your cats. They take up enough room to put the hoses in firm contact with the cat heat shield. Toyota makes the parts you need: 2 Elbows, PN 90407-14034, plus 2 O-rings, PN 90301-11031. The elbows thread right into the trans and seal perfectly with the O-rings. The thread in the trans is 14MM x 1.50. I made a little bracket that bolts under one of the bell housing bolts, so I could tie-wrap the hoses out of the way of the cat. Still there is not much clearance between the hoses and the cat (maybe 1 ¼ inch), so I used some slip-on reflective heat shield (Thermo-Sleeve) to protect it. Look here: https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/pr...asp?RecID=6520
Regarding the two water lines you disconnect from the stock trans warmer. I wanted to remove these at their source, but there is no way to get near where they connect to the rear of the engine block without moving the engine forward. So you have to trim them out of the way down near the trans and plug them. These hoses are 13MM ID (say 0.513 inch). I used hose joiners that were listed as ½ inch/ 13MM. They measured 0.520 OD. See them here: https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/pr...sp?RecID=25704 The joiners are used together with hose caps and constant tension clamps. See them here: https://hpsperformanceproducts.com/p...AaAtWTEALw_wcB And here: https://www.belmetric.com/common-tab...844ps06ai34lv4 Don't forget to tie down the ends of these hoses so they don't flop around. I have found no ill effects with engine cooling from disconnecting these hoses.
So a comprehensive upgrade was in order. First I installed a Koyorad aluminum radiator. See it here: http://www.koyoradracing.com/product...asp?make=Lexus The sales pitch was that it was about 35% greater cooling capacity. When I pulled the radiator out of the box and saw that the core was only 1 inch thick, I was disappointed and could not believe it would provide more cooling. However when I got the stock radiator out and measured its core, it was only about 11/16 inch thick. So the new core was 45% thicker.
One thing about the Koyorad radiator is that it did not come with any sort of sealing material to close the gaps between the radiator and the car body. The stock radiator had some such seals though not complete. So I had to build my own seals. First I thought that ordinary weather stripping might work but I did not know how high a temperature it could withstand. I tested it in my oven and at 180F it basically melted into nothing. Then I found some high temperature silicone strips and matching glue at McMaster-Carr. Not cheap but it made a good 360 degree seal that was even better that what the factory had done with the stock radiator. In the end the seals increased the cost of the radiator by about 50%.
I had previously tested my engine coolant temps during hot weather (90F) on some hills around my house. On the flats, temps stabilized around 195F. Going uphill for a mile and a half at 85 mph, temps rose to 225F. I tested the new radiator on another hot day (about 85F) on the same hill at the same speed. Temps started up a little but then the thermostat opened some more and temps settled back at 195F. So good job from the new radiator.
Now on to the trans cooler. I was concerned about getting the trans fluid too cool. I did some testing from full cold on a cool evening (about 60F) with the stock set up. The engine coolant came up to temperature (194F) in about 10 minutes. The trans took 15 minutes to get to the same 194F. Then I did an uphill run (not as steep or as fast as the runs mentioned in the paragraph above). On the uphill, trans temps climbed to 225F. Definitely getting toward too warm.
With the cooler and a 185F thermostat installed, I did the same run. Again water got to 194F in about 10 minutes. After 20 minutes the trans fluid was at 165F. That’s certainly warm enough. Then going uphill the trans fluid increased to 175F. I am glad I installed the thermostat. See it here: https://www.improvedracing.com/high-...hermostat.html Without the thermostat, I’m sure temps on this test would have been around 75F, too low.
Regarding the process of installing the cooler, it was a PIA. It was not nearly as easy as the original post suggests. The first thing to note about the photos in post #1 is that they show a car with headers installed. My car still has the cats (California), that one difference makes all the difference. There is just no clearance between the factory trans warmer and the cat to do any useful work, like removing the factory warmer. Take a look at photos 9 and 12 down from the top in post 1 here: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...placement.html So I had to remove (among many other things) the passenger side exhaust manifold and push it forward about 10 inches.
Once you get working room, things go a little easier. The AN style fittings you see used in this post will not work if you still have your cats. They take up enough room to put the hoses in firm contact with the cat heat shield. Toyota makes the parts you need: 2 Elbows, PN 90407-14034, plus 2 O-rings, PN 90301-11031. The elbows thread right into the trans and seal perfectly with the O-rings. The thread in the trans is 14MM x 1.50. I made a little bracket that bolts under one of the bell housing bolts, so I could tie-wrap the hoses out of the way of the cat. Still there is not much clearance between the hoses and the cat (maybe 1 ¼ inch), so I used some slip-on reflective heat shield (Thermo-Sleeve) to protect it. Look here: https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/pr...asp?RecID=6520
Regarding the two water lines you disconnect from the stock trans warmer. I wanted to remove these at their source, but there is no way to get near where they connect to the rear of the engine block without moving the engine forward. So you have to trim them out of the way down near the trans and plug them. These hoses are 13MM ID (say 0.513 inch). I used hose joiners that were listed as ½ inch/ 13MM. They measured 0.520 OD. See them here: https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/pr...sp?RecID=25704 The joiners are used together with hose caps and constant tension clamps. See them here: https://hpsperformanceproducts.com/p...AaAtWTEALw_wcB And here: https://www.belmetric.com/common-tab...844ps06ai34lv4 Don't forget to tie down the ends of these hoses so they don't flop around. I have found no ill effects with engine cooling from disconnecting these hoses.
The following 5 users liked this post by NowSlow:
2013FSport (04-04-21),
bhvrdr (03-28-21),
dlevy129 (03-05-22),
Icetrai350 (10-11-21),
kenji211 (03-18-21)
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