Primary Cause of ATX failure
o Insufficiently frequent ATX oil changes & overheating are the primary causes of automatic gearbox failure.
o ATX oil (ATF) should run at 175oF, every 20oF above that halves its lifetime - coolant temperatures quarter its lifetime. The gearbox oil is continually contaminated by the circulation of clutch-pack abrasive particles throughout the gearbox.
o Factory change intervals (600hrs) are too long compared to the high temperature service life (300hrs) of ATX oil.
o In slow moving traffic there is little or no airflow over the tiny factory cooler, and at the same time the thermal input into the ATX oil will be at it's greatest through normal torque-convertor slippage. At a minimum the factory should have implemented a slightly larger cooler with it's own temperature switched fan.
o The CD4E is a poor transmission, the 4EAT/GF4A-EL is a better transmission (fitted to V6s) but both have overheating problems.
Solutions
o Stage-1 - Improve Contaminant Removal
-- Annual ATX fluid changes
The factory specified interval of 2yrs/24,000 miles is too long.
An average speed of 40mph for 24,000 miles requires 600 hours of running, yet ATX gearbox fluid will degrade in GM THOT tests under 300 hours.
Thus the ATX fluid change interval should instead be 1yr/12,000 miles.
A Synthetic ATX fluid is available and withstands higher temperatures, but in view of the abrasive material contamination in ATX gearboxes it is better to use a non-synthetic oil annually than be forced through expense to leave a synthetic oil in for two years: clean oil is best. Clean oil can also markedly improve shifting & fuel economy.
-- Avoid Incomplete ATX fluid changes
Changing the oil on an ATX involves dropping the ATX oil pan and replacing the mesh filter. Unfortunately this only changes 3.8L of oil with 5L of dirty oil and abrasive particles still remaining in the torque-convertor & gearbox.
To change all 8.8L of oil requires the following procedure: two large 20L buckets, one with 10L of oil, the other empty; hoses to the ATX oil cooler are removed and extended into the empty bucket; the engine is started for 1 second and the hose ejecting oil is left in the empty bucket whilst the now identified oil-intake hose is moved to the bucket containing fresh oil; the engine is restarted and run until only clean oil exits. Two people are required and Dealers do not perform such a service as routine - it must requested. Complete oil changes will greatly extend the life of the ATX.
Complete oil changes as per the procedure above are DIYable, with a cost of 30$US versus 2500$US for a gearbox repair they should be considered mandatory.
-- Inline ATX Oil Filter
The mesh filter on the 4EAT ATX oil pan filters only to 200 microns. Inline ATX-specific filters can be fitted which filter down to 50-10 microns and so remove abrasive clutch material as it occurs rather than circulating it around torque-convertor, clutches, valve-body, oil pump. Traditional "spin-on filters" & adapters are available.
The CD4E transmission has a filter, but it is embedded deep inside the transmission for some reason known only to Ford. Thus it is very ad~~~~ble to buy an external inline oil filter (eg,
www.permacool.com) and do a complete fluid change annually. The transmissions are rated only slightly above the US AXOD Taurus transmissions, and so the use of cheapest-brand full-synthetic annually may be ad~~~~ble since some problems are as much design as overheating related.
o Stage-2 - Improve Thermal Cooling
-- ATX fluid is used for lubrication, hydraulics (1,910 psi), cooling and actual transfer of power to wheels. With power transmission losses of 20% and 120kW available from the engine, up to 24kW largely in the form of heat must be removed by the ATX fluid & a tiny factory ATX cooler.
-- When ATX fluid is overheated or "burnt" it degrades to a brown colour and loses lubrication capability causing rapid transmission wear. Such breakdown of ATX oil through overheating can be sudden, is non-reversible and not readily obvious until catastrophic failure results.
o Oil Cooler Upgrade Choice
-- A) Hayden "Tube-&-Fin" Cooler
Avoid. The several pipe & U-bend tube-&-fin motorhome coolers offer inferior cooling in slow moving traffic, lower fluid flow. They are an old technology compared to even the stock factory oil-cooler. A tube-&-fin cooler must be much larger than the equivalent sandwich-plate cooler which has the disadvantage of reducing airflow through condenser & engine radiator hence factory radiators are of the sandwich plate design: greater cooling in a smaller package.
-- B) Hayden "Sandwich-Plate" Cooler
Appropriate. Brand names Hayden Trucool/Rapidcool. Near factory-grade cooler providing high efficient cooling in a small package to maintain airflow through condenser & coolant radiator.
---- Hayden 7134711, 8" x 11", 3/8"-NPT inlet, cooler, 60$US
----
www.bakerprecision.com/trucool.htm An alternative brand is B&M Automatic Transmission SuperCooler.
-- C) Setrab, Mocal, Earl "Sandwich-Plate" Cooler
Ideal. Whilst costing more, they are the factory grade solution chosen by marque the world over for their reliability, efficiency & compact size both in production & racing-team use.
---- Setrab # 616-6, 16-row, 4.75" x 13", 6AN fitting, cooler, 101$US
---- Setrab # 619-6, 19-row, 5.75" x 13", 6AN fitting, cooler, 115$US
----
www.bakerprecision.com/setrab.htm -- D) Setrab, Mocal, Earl "Sandwich-Plate" Cooler with Fan & Thermostat
The real solution. The problem with all coolers is that they requires air to be flowing over the radiator. Crawling along for an hour in summer heat produces least air flow over the radiator when most is needed.
The solution is an oil-cooler with Fan & Thermstat, so making the maintenance of cooled ATX independent of vehicle speed even in stop & go traffic.
-- Smaller Mocal 115mm x 16-row Sandwich-Plate Cooler - 46.82
-- Fan housing for 115mm x 16-row - 20.05
-- Fan 119mm square, 12V - 22.05
-- Electric fan thermostat - 7.00
The cost-benefit is simple: 95.92 versus 1,800.00.
Costing little more than an oil change service, comparable to the many junk automative "improvement" products out there, and also
goes a long way to negating the need for 8.8L of costly Synthetic ATX fluid.
-- A UK Supplier of Oil Coolers is
www.thinkauto.co.uk. o Oil Cooler Comparative Sizing:
-- To underline the undersizing of the stock ATX cooler, the Ford 1.8-engine uses a 24" x 4" ATX cooler, whereas the Mazda 2.5-engine ATX cooler is approximately 70% smaller yet must handle a nearly 50% bigger engine with 60% greater torque & thermal dissipation, and an ATX which is known to have overheating problems in itself.
-- The compact sizing of the sandwich-plate design can be seen.
Following this sizing the Mazda unit should be 12" x 10" in sandwich-plate, or an enormous 28" x 12" in the inefficient tube-&-fin design. Fitting a tube-&-fin cooler will reduce the cooling performance of the engine radiator & air-conditioning condenser.
Cooler Installation
o Hose clamps
-- Minaba hose clamps should be used on oil lines, particularly where maintenance for complete oil changes requires their removal & re-use. Minaba clamps use a double-band rolled-edge construction, no sharp band tails; never leak, clamp all around the hose without cutting it; re-usable. Stainless steel version are available.
o Cooler mounting bracket
Situate the ATX cooler in front of the coolant radiator to ensure low temperature air in slow moving traffic. Where a cooler is not mounted by pass-through plastic tags, it may be more ideally mounted to an aluminium L-angle from a hardware store or
www.aircraftspruce.com. Aircraft Spruce offer 12"-multiple lengths of 2"x2"x1/8" 03-48400 at 2.20$US, 03-48500 1/4" at 3.60$US, T6061T6 aluminium.
Mazda Factory-Remanufactured Automatic (ATX) Gearbox
Mazda Factory-Remanufactured Automatic (ATX) Gearbox
A factory remanufactured unit is available from discount Mazda Dealers such as
www.trussvillemazda.com. Trussville are ~2500$US with old unit as "core". Their benefit is that factory parts such as new cases are used if the original is out of spec, and the considerable design improvements from 1993-2000 are implemented. If sourcing a gearbox from elsewhere, ensure all updates are performed so you gain the (greater) reliability of the 2000 gearbox and enquire whether updated parts are available (stronger torque-convertor & Raybestos Blue clutches for example). Annual oil changes should be effected on any Probe/Mazda automatic gearbox as their cost vs repair is minimal.
Upgraded Automatic Gearbox Parts
o Upgraded parts for reliability & performance such as torque-convertors, clutch-packs, oil-pumps are available from Level-Ten or ProTorque.
o Obviously before such upgrades, the first upgrade is cooling.
PranQster I do not like your ramps for I have heard that those are prone collapse over time with repeated use.
-- Smaller Mocal 115mm x 16-row Sandwich-Plate Cooler - 46.82
-- Fan housing for 115mm x 16-row - 20.05
-- Fan 119mm square, 12V - 22.05
-- Electric fan thermostat - 7.00
Electric Cooling Fans (for oil coolers, water radiators, a/c condensers in 5 1/2, 6 1/2, 7 1/2, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 16 inch diameters)
Importer/Distributor - BAT, Inc.
7630 Matoaka Rd.
Sarasota, FL 34243
(941) 355-0005
Fax (941) 355-4683
Tru-Cool transmission coolers, Hayden transmission coolers
I did list two Hayden ATX coolers,both speced for Contour(so they fit!), one of those has side entry lines, or use a cooler that takes 90deg screw in unions and then Parker 'quick-Loc barbs......BTW, 1/2" bore is a little large for the ATX cooler, most are 3/8" bore...
reason for ATX oil cooler
Temp Miles Life/ E Conditions
315 degF 800 Seals & clutches burn out, oil forms carbon
295 degF 1,500 Plates slip
260 degF 5,000 Seals Harden
240 degF 10,000 Varnish forms
220 degF 20,000
195 degF 50,000 LOW HEAT = HIGH MILEAGE
175 degF 100,000 Bingo!....fit a trans temp gage then a cooler!!!!
$30.00 MF R038M Magnefine External ATF Filter, 3/8" [wt 1 lb]
Magnetic filter with 3/8" nipples (replaces Ford kit)
B&M ATX Super Cooler
Magnefine External ATX Filter 3/8" with 3/8" nipples
Magnefine Power Steering Filter
Toll free:866-476-3455
Aeroquip water cooled Oil Cooler
Special "Internet Only Pricing" - Online Orders Only
Excellent Cooling With Low Pressure Drop
Available With Push On Hose Bead or -16 AN Fittings
Can Be Mounted Anywhere
Reduced Chances For Fire
Improves Aerodynamics
Easy cleaning
Designed for -12 Oil Lines
Part No. Description Price Click
To Buy
FBM2194 Beaded Tube Water Attachment Fitting $329.95
FBM2196 - 16 Water Attachment Fitting $349.95
http://www.laminova.se/products/indexprod.htm Why is it so unique?
The heat exchanger consists of a housing and a core with fins, 0,2 millimeter thick. The distance between them is 0,3 millimeter.
The core has an almost infinite number of inter-connected laminar flow coolers. The area is about five times larger than a conventional heat exchanger of the same dimensions.
Advantages :
- Maximum heat transfer
- Low pressure drop
- Superior heat dissipation
- Maximum packaging flexibility
- Light weight aluminium design
- Cross-over leak proof design is possible
- Protected installation for increased safety
- 100% recycable
History & ownership
Background
In 1986 a Swedish engineer and inventor made some important discoveries concerning the heat transfer capabilities of fluids exhibiting laminar flow characteristics. The first product application based these findings is the patented LAMINOVA heat exchanger. This is widely regarded as a major technical breakthrough in liquid-to-liquid and liquid-to-air heat exchange technology.
LAMINOVA has been started in 1989 as a greenfield operation with limited financial resources. Since 1993 owned by the Jansson family, a swedish entreprenurial family with diversified interests. Along with existing co-operations and partnerships in terms of technology exchange and development, the company is also developing commercial partnerships within the industry.
LAMINOVA operates from modern facilities in Upplands-Väsby, Sweden, and in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, US. It has a strong management team and a flexible, dedicated workforce. It utilises modern manufacturing methodologies with an emphasis on quality and customer service.
LAMINOVA:s both facilities in Sweden and US has gained the QS9000/ISO9001 quality approval.
--- Setrab # 616-6, 16-row, 4.75" x 13", 6AN fitting, cooler, 101$US
---- Setrab # 619-6, 19-row, 5.75" x 13", 6AN fitting, cooler, 115$US
-- Smaller Mocal 115mm x 16-row Sandwich-Plate Cooler - 46.82
Hayden 7134711, 8" x 11", 3/8"-NPT inlet, cooler, 60$US
Hayden
ultra cool Tube and Fin style
401 3/4"X 5"X12-3/4" (thicknessXheightXlength) 9-3/4" core 3/8" push-on sub-compact cars,
403 3/4"X 7-1/2"X12-3/4" (thicknessXheightXlength) 9-3/4" core 3/8" push-on up to full size vehicles, towing up to 2500 lbs,
404 3/4"X 7-1/2"X15-1/2" (thicknessXheightXlength) 12" core 3/8" push-on up to classs "c" motorhomes, towing up to 5000 lbs,
rapid cool plate and fin style
676 3/4"X 11"X5-7/8" (thicknessXheightXlength) 4" core 3/8" push-on sub-compact cars,
677 3/4"X 11"X7-1/2" (thicknessXheightXlength) 5-1/2" core 3/8" push-on up to full size vehicles, towing up to 2500 lbs,
678 3/4"X 11"X9-3/4" (thicknessXheightXlength) 7-3/4" core 3/8" push-on up to classs "c" motorhomes, towing up to 5000 lbs
