RFE Transmission Pans - Steel or Cast?

[kurek]

Time's come for the first service on my RFE transmission. I had a Jeep with the same trans years ago and serviced it routinely by dropping the pan, messy but I'm totally comfortable with the work.

My question is are there any advantages to a cast aluminum aftermarket pan other than the drain plug and potentially improved cooling?

The drain plug seems cool but the fact is if I'm replacing filters I still need to drop the pan so the only thing the drain really would do is let me pre-empty the pan before dropping it. So it might save me some spillage. I'm going to have at most maybe 5 or 6 such service intervals in the life of the truck and I'm not sure $350ish to maybe prevent a ruined t-shirt or a stain in my already stained driveway is a good value.

The cooling factor also seems cool (heh) except... my RFE never warms up anyway. Not even while towing in the southwest in summer. Probably a combination of how the RCSB weighs less than 140" and 149" WB trucks, the tradesman trim doesn't have grill shutters, I'm totally satisfied with 33" tires... whatever combination of factors this transmission doesn't see heat so... again not sure a cooling solution is a good value.

That leaves me wondering if I should bother buying an aftermarket pan at all. The money's not a big deal, I can afford it without cutting into anything else I was going to do really but that doesn't mean I want to just spend it to spend it. You know what I'm getting at here.

So talk me into it, or out of it. What are your experiences?

 

[Fast69Mopar]

Time's come for the first service on my RFE transmission. I had a Jeep with the same trans years ago and serviced it routinely by dropping the pan, messy but I'm totally comfortable with the work.

My question is are there any advantages to a cast aluminum aftermarket pan other than the drain plug and potentially improved cooling?

The drain plug seems cool but the fact is if I'm replacing filters I still need to drop the pan so the only thing the drain really would do is let me pre-empty the pan before dropping it. So it might save me some spillage. I'm going to have at most maybe 5 or 6 such service intervals in the life of the truck and I'm not sure $350ish to maybe prevent a ruined t-shirt or a stain in my already stained driveway is a good value.

The cooling factor also seems cool (heh) except... my RFE never warms up anyway. Not even while towing in the southwest in summer. Probably a combination of how the RCSB weighs less than 140" and 149" WB trucks, the tradesman trim doesn't have grill shutters, I'm totally satisfied with 33" tires... whatever combination of factors this transmission doesn't see heat so... again not sure a cooling solution is a good value.

That leaves me wondering if I should bother buying an aftermarket pan at all. The money's not a big deal, I can afford it without cutting into anything else I was going to do really but that doesn't mean I want to just spend it to spend it. You know what I'm getting at here.

So talk me into it, or out of it. What are your experiences?

The cast aluminum pans not only provide additional cooling but they provide extra capacity which can extend the life of the trans. If you can keep it cooler and extend it's useable service life it is well worth it. If you can keep the trans temps at 140° or less your trans will.be happy.

 

[kurek]

This thing doesn't seem to even get up to 140 at all, I leave the EVIC on the general info page while driving typically and can't remember the last time I saw a number even approaching 180. Most days if I am just going across town it's like 125ish.

 

[caulk04]

Sounds like you're fine with a steel pan then. Is the dorman pan still available? I bought one for my old Jeep Grand back when they were like $20. The drain is nice and at that price I figured I'd just throw it away instead of cleaning the rtv off.

 

[GsRAM]

Based on your initial post....stick with the stock pan and be done. I've heard reports the dorman has not fit correctly around the spin on, inside the pan filter. Maybe that person just got a bad one? The dorman does have a drain plug

Im keeping my stock pan but that's just me.

 

[Octane]

I installed a drain on my 65rfe myself.For under $10.

 

[HEMIMANN]

With aluminum and fins, you'll get marginally improved cooling - that's not needed. Oil capacity and residence time is adequate on this design to keep engine oil temps within standard liquid-cooled engine operating limits.

Make sure other users have experience with the pan you go with - when we were designing, pans had to be qualified for fatigue vibration failure for expected service life and vibration spectrum of specific engines. Generally speaking, cast aluminum was more of a risk due to insidious brittle fracture potential opposed to stamped mild steel pans.

If both are properly designed and test-qualified for vibration spectrum, either is ok. Decided on price. Generally pans are stamped if low production volume is planned, castings are for high production volumes. There is a production volume crossover point where the casting becomes cheaper at higher volumes (mold tooling is amortized).

I went with the Dorman stamped mild steel pan with welded oil drain plug ****.

Hope this helps.

 

[Lee955i]

Sounds to me that in your application, you're looking for a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. No need to "upgrade" in your scenario.

 

[kurek]

Yeah that's the impression I'm getting. Thanks guys.

I remember vaguely on some of those 80's mini trucks like diesel Rangers and D50's there was a manual transmission whose case would twist slightly under torque in any of the gears other than 4th because the case had a big service hole in the side with a stamped pan.. so the aftermarket fix was a big billet cover with a precision interference fit into the service hole. That torsion only existed because manual transmissions have a countershaft, not really possible in an automatic with planetary gearsets so I didn't expect a similar situation on the RFE.

But I was curious if there was any practical benefit beyond heat and ease of simple draining. Sounds like that's about it - and of course for the folks who just love collecting accessories, that's cool too.

 

[Wild one]

Summit Racing SUM-G1380 Summit Racing® Drain Plug Kits | Summit Racing

HOW TO Install a A DRAIN PLUG in your Transmission Pan - YouTube

 

[nascar72]

Time's come for the first service on my RFE transmission. I had a Jeep with the same trans years ago and serviced it routinely by dropping the pan, messy but I'm totally comfortable with the work.

My question is are there any advantages to a cast aluminum aftermarket pan other than the drain plug and potentially improved cooling?

The drain plug seems cool but the fact is if I'm replacing filters I still need to drop the pan so the only thing the drain really would do is let me pre-empty the pan before dropping it. So it might save me some spillage. I'm going to have at most maybe 5 or 6 such service intervals in the life of the truck and I'm not sure $350ish to maybe prevent a ruined t-shirt or a stain in my already stained driveway is a good value.

The cooling factor also seems cool (heh) except... my RFE never warms up anyway. Not even while towing in the southwest in summer. Probably a combination of how the RCSB weighs less than 140" and 149" WB trucks, the tradesman trim doesn't have grill shutters, I'm totally satisfied with 33" tires... whatever combination of factors this transmission doesn't see heat so... again not sure a cooling solution is a good value.

That leaves me wondering if I should bother buying an aftermarket pan at all. The money's not a big deal, I can afford it without cutting into anything else I was going to do really but that doesn't mean I want to just spend it to spend it. You know what I'm getting at here.

So talk me into it, or out of it. What are your experiences?

Last year when I bought my '08 2500, the 545RFE tranny was due for maintenance and decided to go forward with the pan swap just for the sake of having the drain plug feature lol... But I did look for the cast aluminum pan but in my case unfortunately, since there was quite a difference in $$$, I decided to go for the steel pan and replaced both filters with the WIX brand. So far no issues whatsoever while towing my 7,500 lbs 5ft wheel camper and I don't even bother using the Tow/Haul mode, I just cancel 4th and 5ft gears and drive it in 3rd since I'm never more than a few miles on flat roads without having any inclines upward or downward.