Drag Racing Online: The Magazine

3/8/06

I have several questions, they all concern powerglide with transbrake for bracket racing. What do you recommend for trans. fluid? Any particular brand and type? What do you think of synthetic fluid? Does it help with consistency and longevity? What do you recommend for a fluid change interval assuming the fluid temperature is monitored and kept reasonably low? What kind of temperature is safe and what is considered to be best for consistency? I am able to keep it under 190 degrees. Does a transmission need to be warmed up before racing and if so, how should it be done? Thank you for your help. Timothy Moore

Timothy,

These few seemingly simple questions that you have asked would be easy to write a large book about. So we will address them one at a time.

Question #1: Type of fluid

I have often wondered why guys would put just any old store bought fluid in their race transmission and then say "That darn transmission didn't last long!" Well it is only as good as what you put in it! It seems like ATF is the bottom of the barrel. Up in smoke under the first sign of load! We need much more for our modern automatic racing transmissions.
About 8-10 years ago, desperate for something better than what was available we started blending our own fluid. What we were really after was something to save our billet gear sets. Good gears have to be somewhat soft so as not to break. We needed some film strength in our fluid to lube these parts. Synthetics are too thin, gear oil is too heavy for bands and clutches to hold on. So after much experimentation we came up with a superior package to any automatic transmission fluid out there. We have been using it for many years with excellent results. There is nothing like it sold on the market. We sell it by the gallon or by the 55 gallon drum.

Question #2: Service intervals

Usually I like to service a racing transmission fairly often; about every third engine oil change, unless it has seen some hard use, if it looks dark or smells- service it NOW and pump out the torque converter. It will save you money in the long run, fluid is cheap compared to transmission repair. Fluid temperature should be consistent run to run. A temperature gauge is a great idea to monitor this. Unless you are in Alaska or a subzero climate you probably don't have to worry about the transmission being too cold. But an initial warm up at the track is a very good idea. Put the vehicle on safe stands with the rear wheels off the ground. Always make sure any time you run a vehicle that you always have a qualified driver in the seat just in case the car should fall off the stands! Run the car in neutral letting the rear end roll to warm up the whole drive train, or you can just cruise it around in the pits. This is done to warm up and lube the transmission and differential. The main thing is to be consistent with the temperatures to be consistent on E.T. & speed. Our fluid will withstand pretty high temperatures 350-400 degrees for a short period of time but you should never see this kind of heat in a bracket car!

Thank you for your questions,

Mike

Mike’s Transmission
Lancaster CA
(661) 723-0081

 

Ask the Experts!!

Submit your tech question to Mike Stewart here. Full Name: Location: Email Address: Caption: Your Question may or may not be chosen to be published on this page.

You can also email Mike Stewart at trannytech@dragracingonline.com