Going to be joining the BTS clan next week, have some questions. - Diesel Forum

1BADF350 · 10-10-2008, 06:58 PM

OK guys, as some of you know I had some trannsmission issues last week coming into Vegas, I am know at the house in SoCal and leaving Monday and taking the Journey to Lead Hill while on my way home to Tennessee. I talked with Patti yesterday and have my appt. set for Thursday morning, Taking the plunge.

And I also called Jodi at DP Tuners and have him sending the new F6 tuner with all my custom tunes on it so I can have Brian set the trans up with that inplace also.
Here are some questions, What is the differance between the purple convertor and the billet convertor? or are they the same? I also understand that there are some trade secerts that will be done inside the transmission, but can any recent BTS tranny owners tell me what all is done or replaced while the rebuild takes place? I know Brian said that he builds one trans and that trans can handle 800+ hp, his reputation is stellar, so I feel I will get the most bang for my buck, but what all will this bullet be loaded with??? Anyone care to share? Thanks in advance, Chuck

415_dezl · 10-10-2008, 07:18 PM

just out of curiosity..is it th ex or the 6.0 in your sig that you're getting done. Well i can't speak for bts's trade secrets because i went with john wood. I will say that you're going to think you have a different truck..that trans with that tuner. Hold on to your azz, it's going to be fun!

1BADF350 · 10-10-2008, 07:27 PM

Thanks for the reminder 415, I need to update my profile, I am doing this to a new to me, just bought it 6 weeks ago, 2002 F350 XLT SRW 4x4 crew cab, short box.

JimTJr · 10-10-2008, 07:50 PM

While he builds your transmission, he will answer any questions you have.... it will be an awesome experience, trust me. (800hp? Sheesh, I am pretty sure there is a 1000hp cummins with his trans behind it), Mad Dog, has a cummins conversion (Yes, you can put the 4R100 behind the Cummins with an adapter plate and electronics) in his Superduty, 4x4 long bed Crew Cab, with 35" tires, I think he ran 10.80 in the 1/4 mile. With a 7500 lb truck!

SmokeyWren · 10-10-2008, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1BADF350

What is the differance between the purple convertor and the billet convertor? or are they the same?

Yes, the Precision Industries Stallion 13" PowerStroke converter is purple and it is billet. Precision Industries - Stallion Power

Quote:

I also understand that there are some trade secerts that will be done inside the transmission, but can any recent BTS tranny owners tell me what all is done or replaced while the rebuild takes place?

Basically, everything in the tranny is removed and thrown in the trash can. Then all new parts are installed. One "trade secret" is what he does to the new valve body before he installs it in the tranny. I didn't understand it, so I won't try to describe it other than he made some holes smaller and some bigger.

LarryM · 10-11-2008, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1BADF350

OK guys, as some of you know I had some trannsmission issues last week coming into Vegas, I am know at the house in SoCal and leaving Monday and taking the Journey to Lead Hill while on my way home to Tennessee. I talked with Patti yesterday and have my appt. set for Thursday morning, Taking the plunge.

And I also called Jodi at DP Tuners and have him sending the new F6 tuner with all my custom tunes on it so I can have Brian set the trans up with that inplace also.
Here are some questions, What is the differance between the purple convertor and the billet convertor? or are they the same? I also understand that there are some trade secerts that will be done inside the transmission, but can any recent BTS tranny owners tell me what all is done or replaced while the rebuild takes place? I know Brian said that he builds one trans and that trans can handle 800+ hp, his reputation is stellar, so I feel I will get the most bang for my buck, but what all will this bullet be loaded with??? Anyone care to share? Thanks in advance, Chuck

He bascially throws everything out. In my case with only 32K miles on my stock tranny he reused the pump which saved me a couple of hundred dollars. As Smokey said he knows how to fine tune your tranny and you have to tell him exactly how you will use it. In my case I told him what I tow, how I tow and told him I wanted a towing tranny and didn't care what it shifted like not towing. On the advice of Albert and what he learned tuning Albert's towing tranny (his helper at the time), he slightly softened up the 3 to 4 shift so if it accidently downshifted under a load with my foot into it I would get such a "jerk" as his normal tune would give you.

I can't say this is a major factor, but it just seemed to me is that they way he puts in the clutches and plates so that there is absolutely no slop and not too tight and that appeared to me by feel on his part after having built so many 4R100/E40D trannies. I watched him put in a clutch rotate it back and forth take that one out and put a different one in sometimes three times before he was happy.

Another thing he does which I can attest to is after I had my BTS installed, the later that day Albert comes tooling up to our trailer, knocks on the door and asks if I will be around tomorrow and if so could I come back into the shop for a couple of hours since they had just got an upgrade in and he would like to put it in my tranny and I said sure. The next day he drained the tranny ($100 worth of brand new fluid which he threw away) dropped the valve body and showed be the part he would be replacing. It was probably a 50 cent part and the only difference was the finish on it between the factory one and his replacement that he had made. He also said that this part has never yet caused any problems or failed, but the OEM part just wasn't built the best in Brian's opinion. Cost me nothing and this type of service and attention to detail based on decades of building trannies is why I had a perfectly good tranny rebuilt and haven't looked back and still over 4 years later still get that smile on my face when towing.

Larry

1BADF350 · 10-11-2008, 06:00 PM

Larry, What kind of weight do you tow, and what temps are you seeings while not towin, towing on level ground and towing up a grade? reason I ask is the same, This truck has a 44' enclosed race trailer with 1' of extra height, it weighs about 7500 empty and its has tripple 7k axles I haul custom motorcyles all of the country, and sometimes upwards of 15 at a time, I have weighed as much as 28K WOW, almost 7K on each axle 4500 on rear axle and the normal almost 5K on steer axle. That is a rare ocassion, but it does happen from time to time, most of the time I am around 22-24K total.
And thats what I want, a tranny that can handle that kind of towing. If you dont care to share your finds, I am very interested.
Also, I didnt mention it, but I told Patti that I also wanted the 6.0 cooler installed since the 7.3 one seems to be undersized.

JimTJr · 10-11-2008, 10:42 PM

BAD, you picked the right transmission, I was hauling cars with mine for about a year and a half. Probably 90k miles total. I LOVED having the BTS in my truck. I was at 22k most times, and closer to 25k ALOT of the time. I had a pin weight of probably 7k almost ALL the time with my wedge trailer and three cars. YOU WILL LOVE the BTS,,, Trust me.

415_dezl · 10-12-2008, 03:20 AM

Ok, ok, i won't start anything here

But i will attest that the 6.0 cooler is worth the extra bucks!

LarryM · 10-12-2008, 05:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1BADF350

Larry, What kind of weight do you tow, and what temps are you seeings while not towin, towing on level ground and towing up a grade? reason I ask is the same, This truck has a 44' enclosed race trailer with 1' of extra height, it weighs about 7500 empty and its has tripple 7k axles I haul custom motorcyles all of the country, and sometimes upwards of 15 at a time, I have weighed as much as 28K WOW, almost 7K on each axle 4500 on rear axle and the normal almost 5K on steer axle. That is a rare ocassion, but it does happen from time to time, most of the time I am around 22-24K total.
And thats what I want, a tranny that can handle that kind of towing. If you dont care to share your finds, I am very interested.
Also, I didnt mention it, but I told Patti that I also wanted the 6.0 cooler installed since the 7.3 one seems to be undersized.

I'm a light weight at between 16 to 17K lbs total. The highest tranny temp as measured in the pressure port on the tranny that I have ever seen in 8 years and over 35K miles towing was 195 in 90 deg ambient and that was when I got stuck behind an 18 wheeler going over the Sierra mtns in Ca. where I was screaming in 2nd at over 3K rpms. I normally never see much above about 180 under any condition.

However, my Van has a very different tranny cooling setup over the F-series in that my OTA cooler is in front of everything up high and just above that is the air intakes which pull a lot of air over the tranny cooler even idling. Back in 2004 my Van was the first 99+ E series PSD that Brain had in his shop and when he looked at my tranny cooling setup I got the impression he like the way it was set up and it's still stock to this day.

I think Smokey who had the more typical cooling system has had similar tranny temp experiences and weighs around what I do towing and has way more miles towing with his PSD than I do.

Larry

JimTJr · 10-12-2008, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 415_dezl

Ok, ok, i won't start anything here

But i will attest that the 6.0 cooler is worth the extra bucks!

On that I will agree 100% too....

ShayB · 10-14-2008, 11:43 AM

Congrats on your decision to go with a BTS. You will have a smile on your face Thursday afternoon that will be hard to wipe off.

As has been said, PI is the converter used. Brian has a long, lengthy and positive history with Terry, owner of PI. They and their products are great together.

As far as trade secrets, I can tell you that you can be right there while your trans is being built, and you still will not fully understand or catch every little thing that Brian is doing. Many other "known" builders have taken a BTS trans and broke it down, trying to find those little things, and not one of them has. PERIOD. They are the type of things that most builders would think nothing of. But Brian knows differently.
He will ride with you during the test drive after the trans is installed, and if there is anything in the shifting he does not like - be prepared for him to drop your trans, drain the fluid, tweek a few things, reinstall and test drive it again. And, the test drive is fun.

Enjoy your trip. It should be beautiful out there right now (course I think it is beautiful out there all the time). Have lunch at the Sleepy Cove. And tell Brian and Patti that Shay said hello! (Take your laptop and jump online to update us all while you are there).

I'm jealous. I haven't been out there in awhile, and I miss them, the shop and the lake terribly.

1BADF350 · 10-14-2008, 08:55 PM

Quick litle update, Im at the Flying J in Tucumcari, NM fueling up. So far other then hitting 290 degrees pulling the steep grades in Az. and again just outside Albaquerque, Nm. trans is hanging in there and running about 205 to 215 during the day and about 186 after the rain fell infront of me, I think the water splash is adding in cooling it down.
Also, After pulling the Trailer around the house in San Dimas, Ca. for the weekend, I decided to pull it home. So far no regrets.
As far as the updates while at the shop, I will be glad to let everyone know the play by play, (And brian if you read these forums) Im in no hurry once im there, you got the truck until its the way you like it.
Well, Im going keep pushing on until I reach Sayre, Ok. and stay the night there, then I only have about 450 miles until im at Brians place.
Keep you posted.

aklim · 10-15-2008, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1BADF350

So far other then hitting 290 degrees pulling the steep grades in Az. and again just outside Albaquerque, Nm. trans is hanging in there and running about 205 to 215 during the day and about 186 after the rain fell infront of me, I think the water splash is adding in cooling it down.

Anyone besides me wondering if this 290 degree is either a typo or a sign of problems in the trans? Good thing he isn't far from a cure.

According to my gauges in the stock tune I am about 55 above ambient and in 80E, I am about 75 above ambient.

1BADF350 · 10-15-2008, 05:01 PM

ok, I have made it to Tulsa, and will be in hotel near Brians place tonite. the 290 degrees is NOT a type-o when i pull a grade of about 5 percent or better, she goes from the low 200's-225 to 290 in a matter of a couple of miles, then it takes about 20 miles for it to cool back down into the low 200's it will also hit 250-260 pulling any slight grade if it goes for more then 3/4 of a mile. and New Mexico and Oklahoma are full of rolling hills. I stayed just east of Amarillo, Tx last nite and was on the road at 6am this morning, when truck sits for 4 or more hours, it runs in the 185-195 area, then after 2 or 3 hours of driving, shes back to the 205-225 area.
Also, dont forget, Im pulling a 44' Haulmark enclosed race trailer with 1' of extra height, it also has 6 fully dressed Harley Davidsons and 2 motorcyle pull behind trailers and a 6'x10' utility trailer and 100 gallon diesel fuel tank (full) and riding gear and clothes for 12 people inside. lol shes heavy, but not real heavy. (best guess 14,000 lbs plus the truck) Also, from what I understand, the edge evolution reads about 15 degrees higher then what a guage would read when the gauge is installed on the pressure port on the drivers side of the transmission (thats one of the questions I have on my ever growing longer list of questions for him) I can also tell you from experiance, the edge evolution stops reading tranny temps beyond 302 degress, yes thats right 302 I had it pegged there last week when I was about 50 miles from vegas. at that point, I didnt care, I was near a big town and my wife was there waiting on me, so I hammered down and she made it. (lol) Anyways, I have kept impecable records as to what this transmission has done over the last week just incase anyone wants to know, I be glad to share. Alot of people say these trannys are junk, but I have had 4-7.3's all with autos, and I pull big trailers and this is the first tranny I have had issues with. And now it will be the last.