Axle weight capacity (GAWR)

[AK49er]

Nice job booster. I know how much work is involved in a swap but I also know how much fun it can be. Those first few miles driven after a swap of any kind sure makes a guy listen for many different things doesn't it? Good info on all your upgrades.

[booster]

Weather has turned foul, but I figured I would get a pic of the overload spring position now that the van is on the wheels and leveled with the airbags. Looks like we are pretty close to what we were looking for. In this pic we are lightly loaded with air bags at 40 psi, and showing slightly rear up on our level, which is where I like it for driving.

[booster]

We got about 200 miles of varied roads on new axle, which seems to be working well (see tire temp thread http://classbforum.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=3668), and is totally silent.

Concerning the spring rearching shown in the pic above, it does seem to have made the rear noticeably less harsh. As mentioned in the other thread, it could also being influenced by the reduced tire pressure we have now due to the lower axle temps. More testing coming there.

I think those that have rear air bags may want to consider the rearching if they feel the rear is too harsh, but be aware that if you pop an airbag the van will drop further.

[booster]

This thread is a bit old, but one of the unanswered questions may have been answered today. Another member of the board dropped by today and I got another look at his 2004 Roadtrek 190P. It had the transmission cooler in it, so I crawled under to see what it had for a rear axle. To my surprise it was a Dana Super 70, which is the same 10.5" ring gear axle we put into or 2007 190P to replace the stock Dana Super 60.

What this does tell us is that, at least in 2004, the trailer towing package appears to include the trans cooler and a locking Dana super 70 rear axle (full floater).

IMO, based on what we have seen on our Super 70 (bearing temps, etc), if looking at used Roadtrek Chevies, I would put a much higher value on them having the trailer towing package than I did before. The Dana Super 70 is a very nice upgrade compared to the smaller Super 60.

[peteco]

Is it typical that the Chevy Roadtreks do not have the transmission cooler? I was surprised that my 2006 210 did not have it , even though it was listed on the build code. I thought my case was an oversight by the GM factory. I assumed Roadtrek would, and should, have the cooler in all their Chevy conversions.

[booster]

Originally Posted by peteco

Is it typical that the Chevy Roadtreks do not have the transmission cooler? I was surprised that my 2006 210 did not have it , even though it was listed on the build code. I thought my case was an oversight by the GM factory. I assumed Roadtrek would, and should, have the cooler in all their Chevy conversions.

From all I have been able to find out, you only got the trans cooler if you bought the trailer towing package, that said you got the cooler plus a heavy duty limited slip rear axle (they never indicated if the heavy duty was the limited slip or the axle itself, which has been an ongoing question). Our 2007 C190P did not have the towing package and did not come with a trans cooler.

I did add a trans cooler (factory parts) but it is of limited value because it is in the trans output line before the radiator tank trans cooler. In this configuration, the trans oil gets cooled in the cooler, but reheated in the radiator if the radiator is running hot like in climbing long grades. A thermostatically controlled, stand alone, electric fan cooled, trans cooler, would probably be a much better solution. We may do a test of such a system next year to see how much benefit there would be.

[peteco]

Originally Posted by booster

I did add a trans cooler (factory parts) but it is of limited value because it is in the trans output line before the radiator tank trans cooler. In this configuration, the trans oil gets cooled in the cooler, but reheated in the radiator if the radiator is running hot like in climbing long grades. A thermostatically controlled, stand alone, electric fan cooled, trans cooler, would probably be a much better solution. We may do a test of such a system next year to see how much benefit there would be.

I installed an electric cooled trans cooler after the radiator cooler. I think you had indicated that GM does not recommend this, but the trans cooler company (Hayden/Imperial) did recommend installing after the radiator cooler. I haven't had a big hill climb to test it yet. I am not driving in extreme cold so I am not worried about overcooling.

[booster]

Originally Posted by peteco

I installed an electric cooled trans cooler after the radiator cooler. I think you had indicated that GM does not recommend this, but the trans cooler company (Hayden/Imperial) did recommend installing after the radiator cooler. I haven't had a big hill climb to test it yet. I am not driving in extreme cold so I am not worried about overcooling.

You are correct about the recommendations from GM (and the other manufacturers it appears) about the cooler location and overcooling issues). The same issue can be true with a stand alone cooler that doesn't go through the radiator at all, so if we do try that kind of setup, we will put in a thermostatic bypass valve. The valve should be able to actually improve the temp control on the cold end by bypassing the cooler entirely to hold the temp at 160 or 180 degrees, depending on which one we get.

I would expect your setup to be more effective than the ones that see the radiator after the add on cooler. On ours currently, the trans stays cool until the water temp starts to rise above thermostat setting of about 192 degrees. By the time the water is seeing 200 degrees (which would mean the radiator is maxed out) the water and trans run just about the same temp. In cooler weather, down to about freezing is usually as cold as we are in much, we see trans temps in the 120 degree range. If we take a winter trip, though, we would have a few days that could be quite cold, even substantially below zero F, as we head south. That would be our worst case on the cold side. I think that for our very heavy vans, the cold side worries are probably a bit less than the would be for cars or empty pickups or vans as the engine has o generate more power and heat to move us.

[markopolo]

I'll just add the RPO code lookup post here: http://www.classbforum.com/forums/f5...oder-1748.html

It's very handy to see what makes up the entirety of your van or a van that you are thinking about buying.

[ssanford8@yahoo.com]

I have 70k mile and have had right rear bearing fail three times. Dana 60 semi floating with wheel spacers

Thoughts?

[booster]

Originally Posted by ssanford8@yahoo.com

I have 70k mile and have had right rear bearing fail three times. Dana 60 semi floating with wheel spacers

Thoughts?

Semi floating axle running at near max load and with extra bearing stress of wheel spacers pretty much raises the risk factor compared to stock a lot.


You don't say what model/year you have or what your wheel weights are so that is unknown.



Also important is what wheels are on it as for the Chevies it is very easy to get the wrong offset and that would make the wheel spacer issue even worse for bearing load.


Any time you get a wheel bearing failure on a semifloater that uses the axle as the inner race, you should really replace the axle along with the bearing, and take a good look at the fit of the outer race in the axle tube. A hot bearing will reduce the strength of the axle right at the point of max loading, so don't risk it. A broken axle on a semi floater can let the wheel hub and wheel to come completely off the van, dropping the van on the pavement. Full floaters can break axles and all that happens is that you coast with no power, but the wheel stays in place.



It is also a remote possibility it could have wrong axle in it as they are different side to side, IIRC.


Take a quick look to see if the camber on the side that fails looks correct compared to the other side and purely vertical. That will help tell you if an axle tube has come loose from the extra load from the spacers and maybe wheels.


We don't hear of a huge lot of wheel bearing failures, but they certainly happen, as do broken axles. 3 in a row on one wheel would indicate something else is going on with it or the repairs have been poorly done, IMO.