Rear Diff Cover

[FluiX]

FWIW: Re. the finned diff cover, when you look at where the fins are located, on the leeward side of the diff out of the airstream, and the fact that installation is far from simple, were it me noting I sold my 550, i'd for sure do the Kenny Brown radiator and add the www.fulltiltboogie.com active radiator for the diff. It's about $1,200 and looks to be about 5 hours of labor to install. The S-550 has "good bones:", it simply needs its fluids cooled for track use. Stay cool!

ONLY the fin extensions are on the back side of the cover.

The main cooling fin section extends ~3/4" below the differential housing, and extends towards the front below the housing. These fins are over 6" long towards the front of the car. This section sees perfect airflow below the car.

The upper fin extensions are there to transfer the heat from the main cooling section below the diff housing into the rest of the metal of the diff cover, increasing the overall surface area. So even though the extension do not see airflow, they still are functional and there for a reason.

And about the install, correct me if I'm wrong... But the Full Tilt kit, or any other diff cooler kit for that matter, will also need to remove the OEM diff cover and replace it with one that has an extra oil fill tap, where the pump, pumps the oil back into the housing. So the labour on the FluiX cover is less in the end with the standard FluiX cover, since you don't need to drill holes into the body work for mounting brackets for the heat exchanger and pump.

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[shogun32]

ut the Full Tilt kit, or any other diff cooler kit for that matter, will also need to remove the OEM diff cover and replace it with one that has an extra oil fill tap

no, the pumps just use the same fill and drain holes the standard cover comes with.

 

[1 old racer]

Just for your info. Check out the DIY section for "S550 diff cooler build overview and electrical install". It can be done for under 500.00 the way I did it or as low as 400 if you dont go all in with AN fittings and braided hoses. It really isnt that hard.

 

[1958cyclist]

Please forgive me for asking for this detail again: but someone contributing to this forum at some point mentioned that the stock pump that comes with the FTBR Kit is not designed for "continuous use", and this may not be the most accurate phrasing, but this contributor if I recall correctly, did mention an alternative pump which would provide a longer use life.

 

[1 old racer]

This is a part time pump that is noted in the DIY. It is rated for two hours continuous with a 15 min cool down cycle. In all the years that I have used diff coolers I have never run them for more the 60 min and that is with a pit cool down run. But I also only unë them for track use and run them with on/off switches.

 

[Martin Schacht]

However it is done, if you track the car, even in cooler weather, the diff will overheat***. If you are on warranty, and the diff fails, I am pretty sure your Ford dealer will be able to look at the car's ECU and determine what you were up do pre-failure.

*** My diff over-heated in winter weather, no ambient temps higher than about 75 degrees F...(California High Desert Winter). Wrapping the exhaust pipes with header insulation tape where they are closes to the diff, fabricating some wind and feat deflectors, and changing to a beaver duty diff oil may help.....personally, I gave up and sold the car.

 

[mustang5o]

This is a part time pump that is noted in the DIY. It is rated for two hours continuous with a 15 min cool down cycle. In all the years that I have used diff coolers I have never run them for more the 60 min and that is with a pit cool down run. But I also only unë them for track use and run them with on/off switches.

So how would this work on a track day with say 6-8 20minute sessions per day? When would you turn it on/off?

 

[1 old racer]

On a normal track day I will normally turn it on about half way thru the first 20 min session if at all. And take a pit battery, I have a rv so I just bring one of those batteries with me , and plug it in and run it about 10 to 15 mins in the pits. Then turn it on when I head out on the other runs of the day. I have run this setup on the last four of my track cars and feel it works great. The heaviest track car was a 2009 cts-v, and on a 90+ day it the hardest to cool down but this set up did the job if you will let it cool down between runs with a pit setup. I should add that you can cool the diff down in the pit with a simple floor fan and a bag of ice if you jack the rear up in the pit.

 

[shogun32]

This is a part time pump that is noted in the DIY. It is rated for two hours continuous with a 15 min cool down cycle. In all the years that I have used diff coolers I have never run them for more the 60 min and that is with a pit cool down run. But I also only unë them for track use and run them with on/off switches.

now just need a way to circulate coolant and oil with the engine off and box fan sitting in front of radiator...

 

[FluiX]

no, the pumps just use the same fill and drain holes the standard cover comes with.

Ok, that would be a big help if you don't have to change the cover.

However, when I look at the FTBR setup, like on the image, they provide another diff cover where there is an extra fill hole for the feedback line from the oil pump back to the cover. That is the one with the black AN fitting in it. The regular s550 cover does not come with this fill hole, only the GT350s.

 

[1 old racer]

The pp1 unit does, sort of, I just undo the bottom AN fitting to drain and then undo the upper AN fitting and put a 1/4" soft nylon tube into the 90° elbow upper fitting and pump the fluid in it starts to run out. I know some will say that its suppose to be 9mm from the top but 9 mm won't hurt it at all.

 

[shogun32]

nd then undo the upper AN fitting and put a 1/4" soft nylon tube into the 90° elbow

has anyone tried a dry-break connector on the upper hose?

 

[1 old racer]

I like them but just to costly for my taste. I dont mind just indoing the fittings.

 

[raab02]

@raab02 what gasket maker did you use?

Whoops, missed this... sorry about that.

I used "J-B Weld 31314 High Temperature RTV Silicone Gasket Maker and Sealant - Red"

 

[raab02]

Looks like the discussion has moved on a bit since I last visited this thread, but I'll offer up some additional thoughts on this upgrade since my track season has come to a successful end (i'll do one more event in Nov, but I don't anticipate any heat issues then).

I installed this before my first event this year. Since then I've done 5 events in spring and summer, upgraded my brakes to GLoc R12s and two-piece rotors, gone to a 100TW tire, and 'graduated' to NASA HPDE3 and JTI Intermediate 2. Point being, I'm still slow and have a lot to learn but I'm working the car plenty hard.

My 5 events were all at Road Atlanta, Barber, or CMP in March-July... so plenty warm.

My goal with this mod was to be able to run a "normal" DE weekend without getting the diff temp warning. In general, that means up to 5 (but usually 4) 20-25 minute sessions per day at southern tracks in the summer.

With all of that in mind, I have to give this mod a thumbs up and mission accomplished with only one caveat. I saw the warning only once, at Barber in June. This was because I ended a session, then had to go right back out 15 minutes later for a check ride. I got about 2/3 through the session before getting the warning.

It's worth noting that Barber in August was the only previous time I'd gotten the warning before this mod, so I think that it's particularly hard on the diff for my driving style.

So withe all that said this mod worked for me. I'm able to do a full day at Road Altanta in July with a "normal" amount of cooldown (45 minutes maybe?) and have no issues. Highest I ever saw was 265 degrees. I consider it to be a good value at the price I paid and totally worth it to avoid the complexity and expense of the FTBR cooler kit.

If I had more money or time this winter, I might have just gone straight to the cooler kit. Or, if I know I'd eventually want to really build this car out for TT or something. For my goals right now, the car is at the perfect "arrive and drive" sweet-spot between street and track. Swap seats, swap wheels, swap pads, and hit the track or reverse it and take a nice Sunday drive.

For that, this was a great mod for the way I'm using my car.

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