hydraulic fluid in 4L60E?
08-14-2012, 06:18 PM
#5
Staging Lane
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 64
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I didn't fall on my head for one. It was a simple question the first person that replied said "no" simple enough....I've heard some people run it in their cars/trucks...mostly race cars though
08-14-2012, 06:20 PM
#6
TECH Regular
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: houston, texas
Posts: 462
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
i know a bunch of guys that run it in their th400's in mud trucks. i work for caterpillar and our 10w hyd oil has a TO-4 additive that makes it acceptable for transmission use in heavy equipment. anyway...i dont know...ha ha.
Trending Topics
08-14-2012, 08:43 PM
#13
Teching In
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
08-15-2012, 05:21 AM
#14
I have used and worked with others that have used hydraulic fluid successfully over the last 20+ years. Depending on the type of transmission being used we would mix different ratios of Hydraulic fluid with Dexron III. With Powerglides we would run it straight, same with most TH350/TH400's. With 700R4's most of the time it was a mix of the two, and even more so with the 4L60E's. Using the hydraulic fluid in the Powerglides gave quicker times & faster mph, and in most cases a longer transmission life. When road racing a 700R4/4L60E, the planetaries get very hot and using the hydraulic fluid worked very well at keeping the planetaries alive. For the last few years I have went with Lubrication Engineers Monolec 7500 in 700R4's & 4L60E's to get similar results, and it is easier to get & use this oil straight than using the hydraulic fluid and mixing it with Dexron type of fluid. When torque & horsepower get high, and or extreme use on the transmission, the fluid requirements change somewhat.
08-15-2012, 08:06 AM
#15
Teching In
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Nevada, Texas
Posts: 19
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I have used and worked with others that have used hydraulic fluid successfully over the last 20+ years. Depending on the type of transmission being used we would mix different ratios of Hydraulic fluid with Dexron III. With Powerglides we would run it straight, same with most TH350/TH400's. With 700R4's most of the time it was a mix of the two, and even more so with the 4L60E's. Using the hydraulic fluid in the Powerglides gave quicker times & faster mph, and in most cases a longer transmission life. When road racing a 700R4/4L60E, the planetaries get very hot and using the hydraulic fluid worked very well at keeping the planetaries alive. For the last few years I have went with Lubrication Engineers Monolec 7500 in 700R4's & 4L60E's to get similar results, and it is easier to get & use this oil straight than using the hydraulic fluid and mixing it with Dexron type of fluid. When torque & horsepower get high, and or extreme use on the transmission, the fluid requirements change somewhat.
This ^^^^
No reason you can't run Hydro fluid in any auto. That is really all ATF is Hydro fluid with all types having a different additive package. I would recommend John Deer Hygard Low Viscosity 60% ATF 40% Hydro fluid. If you want a tighter converter go 50/50 or 40/60 respectively.
08-15-2012, 09:20 AM
#16
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (4)
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Shelby twp, MI
Posts: 1,514
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Yup tons of guys run John Deere Hygard. Its thicker than ATF so it will tighten up your converter a bit. You can also use John Deere Hygard Lite which is a bit thinner and will slightly loosen your converter.
09-18-2012, 08:35 PM
#17
Teching In
iTrader: (5)
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Fort Worth
Posts: 37
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I use John Deere hygard in every auto I build. I use parts from Dana (PBA). I've used it in glides, 350s, 400s and 4l60es. The last 4l60e I built I ran straight hygard except for one quart of type f for color. Hygard is almost clear and hard to see on the dipstick. With using hygard I have seen better shifting, lower temps and longer trans life between refreshing. It helps the lock up clutch last longer too. I'm not a fan of dexron except in manuals.
Lol.
Lol.
09-18-2012, 09:40 PM
#18
TECH Apprentice
iTrader: (8)
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: somerset WI
Posts: 355
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I just switched to John Deere Hygfard and it deffinatly tightened up the converter, but like the GTO above I noticed 3-4 slipping. Could be chance but it happened after the fluid swap
09-19-2012, 02:49 PM
#19
Using a hydraulic fluid such as Hygaurd, Cat TO-2, TO-4, Mobil 424, etc is fine.
The fluid is designed for use in HD applications with high exposure to contaminants, water, etc.
There are two different viscosities of Hygaurd, I prefer to use the thinner viscosity so it doesn't alter the stall characteristics too much or cause any cold operation issues.
ATF is simply hydraulic oil with a specific additive package and red dye to meet NHTSA/DOT specs.
The hydraulic fluids don't have to meet the DOT specs for red dye so they don't add it. This can make it difficult to read on the dipstick, especially when using a POS Lokar style.
When you check the cross-compatibility, usually the tractor manufacturers specify Dexron as a compatable fluid for top-off.
I prefer the hydraulic fluid in circle-track applications and in any drag racing application where the car may build a lot of heat in the converter (transbraked turbo combos are a good example, especially with a slow spooling setup).
We've experienced some combos where ATF wouldn't live and hydraulic fluid would. One setup didn't even use a converter and never got the fluid hot, but the fluid would smell burnt every weekend. The hydraulic fluid would last a full season.
The fluid is designed for use in HD applications with high exposure to contaminants, water, etc.
There are two different viscosities of Hygaurd, I prefer to use the thinner viscosity so it doesn't alter the stall characteristics too much or cause any cold operation issues.
ATF is simply hydraulic oil with a specific additive package and red dye to meet NHTSA/DOT specs.
The hydraulic fluids don't have to meet the DOT specs for red dye so they don't add it. This can make it difficult to read on the dipstick, especially when using a POS Lokar style.
When you check the cross-compatibility, usually the tractor manufacturers specify Dexron as a compatable fluid for top-off.
I prefer the hydraulic fluid in circle-track applications and in any drag racing application where the car may build a lot of heat in the converter (transbraked turbo combos are a good example, especially with a slow spooling setup).
We've experienced some combos where ATF wouldn't live and hydraulic fluid would. One setup didn't even use a converter and never got the fluid hot, but the fluid would smell burnt every weekend. The hydraulic fluid would last a full season.
