Mag-hytec Vs. PML Trans & pumpkin

[smd]

Thoughts please on both the transmission cover as well the rear end pumpkin.

One has the cool factor, "looks" fancy O-ring, dip stick ect...

The other is well rather ho-hum looking using gaskets or RTV.

Price/looks not the issue thou I want the best fot my DC, as we all do!!!

Many after market shops seem to carry more Mag-hytec.

Do they cool the oil temps down to justify cost? I read that fellow lowered his temps when he filled up w/amzoil. I do plan on towing a 5th wheel.

In reading both of their web sites they seem to have many +++`s, but is this hype??

 

[rbattelle]

Start here.



-Ryan

 

[ACerf]

Personaly I perfer the Mag-Hytec. I feel that the company has a good focus on their products, since that is all they make. The owner is very helpfull and will give you any advise you need. I picked mine up at the factory in Van Nuys California and saved the shipping cost and taxes. Cash always has a way of making people give you a deal.

 

[rbattelle]

Mag Hytec has left a bad taste in my mouth. They failed to do any R&D on their covers for the 11. 5" rear end and shipped tons of them with incorrectly machined o-ring grooves that leaked. Plus you had to "not install one bolt", filling the hole with silicone to stop leaks. The whole thing smelled like a poorly engineered patch job to make the cover for the GM 11. 5" rear ends fit our trucks. Plus they keep stringing us along with promises that "there'll be a front cover availble soon!".



Couple all that with dipstick levels that probably don't give the correct fluid quantity and some question in my mind whether the ring gear gets proper lubrication with that cover, and there's just too many issues with Mag Hytec.



If I had a Dana 80, absolutely no question whatsoever I'd go with Mag Hytec front and rear. With the AAM axles, I think I'll go with PML.



These are purely my opinions and should not be assumed to be based on any fact at all. I encourage everyone else to do their own research and reach their own conclusions, which may very well disagree with mine. Clearly ACerf has done that and has come to a different conclusion, and that's perfectly fine.



-Ryan

 

[ACerf]

I am not sure I understand why you think there is not enough fluid in the rear using the Mag-Hytec for the 11. 5? I was more concerned with putting to much in! You are adding two more quarts of oil, and if you use what MOPAR calls for I don't see what problem anyone should have. Personaly I have never had a leak and the cover has been on the truck for 15,000 miles. If it were going to leak I sure it would have done it by now. I bet that they made good on the ones that did leak!

 

[rbattelle]

I am not sure I understand why you think there is not enough fluid in the rear using the Mag-Hytec for the 11. 5?

It's not that. It's just that some people with that cover have questioned whether the "FULL" is overfull. Too much lube in the rear end can result in foaming and that's bad.



Really this is all just "feeling" on my part... I have to actual data as I don't own anything but the stock covers. I'm just piecing together what I've read on here over the past few years in the 3rd gen trucks.



-Ryan

 

[y-knot]

Do they justify their price?? Well does anything?



First lets look at the rear end... . Mag-HY-Tech is the only one out their to my knowledge that makes a rear gear cover with cooling fins, does it work?? Yes it does and very well. You can expect a 15-20 degree temp drop with it's use and it will also give you an extra two quarts or so of gear oil. I like the high quality fit and finish, and the ability to check the oil with the dip stick. I suppose it comes in real handy for those that Off-Road and get water in the rear end, the dip stick makes for quick checks and the drain plug means quick servicing. I think many probably buy them for the looks, but if you tow or haul heavy loads it is a must have in my opinion. You can expect the rear gear temps to hover around 145-160 90% of the times, and up to 180 on hot, HD towing days (I tow a 17,000 Lb Trailer).



For the transmission... ... I personally like the BD transmission pan over the Mag-HY-Tech one, it is also a little cheaper in price (not Quality). Both fit great and work well, but UN-like the rear gear cover, you have many more options for cooling. Does it work, yes it increases the pan volume by 2 qt (4 qt with some), and does give you a Handy drain plug for future oil changes. But don't expect any great reduction in transmission oil temperatures. The pan is finned aluminum, so it does dissipate heat better then the stock pan, but there where NO noticeable temperature drops to report. I tested them several times loaded and UN-loaded, nothing noticeable. For the money, it does not seam to do much. If you are serious about lowering your transmission temps, the wise move would be to invest in a complete transmission cooling system, not just a fancy pan. The automatic transmission on a ram truck is the single largest repair bill one can expect through normal (?) maintenance. A good cooling system will save you money down the road and make your transmission perform better. If funds dictate, yes a fancy transmission pan looks great and does make normal maintenance easier. But for real world cooling that makes noticeable and verifiable differences in the transmission fluid temperature, a cooling system is the only way to go. The plain truth is that the weak link in the Dodge/Cummins partnership is the transmission, automatic or standard they both have their problems. For the automatic ones, the best investment you can make is to install a complete auxiliary cooling system for the transmission, it will extend service and perform better.

 

[Bertram65]

Do they justify their price?? Well does anything?



First lets look at the rear end... . Mag-HY-Tech is the only one out their to my knowledge that makes a rear gear cover with cooling fins, does it work?? Yes it does and very well. You can expect a 15-20 degree temp drop with it's use and it will also give you an extra two quarts or so of gear oil. I like the high quality fit and finish, and the ability to check the oil with the dip stick. I suppose it comes in real handy for those that Off-Road and get water in the rear end, the dip stick makes for quick checks and the drain plug means quick servicing. I think many probably buy them for the looks, but if you tow or haul heavy loads it is a must have in my opinion. You can expect the rear gear temps to hover around 145-160 90% of the times, and up to 180 on hot, HD towing days (I tow a 17,000 Lb Trailer).



For the transmission... ... I personally like the BD transmission pan over the Mag-HY-Tech one, it is also a little cheaper in price (not Quality). Both fit great and work well, but UN-like the rear gear cover, you have many more options for cooling. Does it work, yes it increases the pan volume by 2 qt (4 qt with some), and does give you a Handy drain plug for future oil changes. But don't expect any great reduction in transmission oil temperatures. The pan is finned aluminum, so it does dissipate heat better then the stock pan, but there where NO noticeable temperature drops to report. I tested them several times loaded and UN-loaded, nothing noticeable. For the money, it does not seam to do much. If you are serious about lowering your transmission temps, the wise move would be to invest in a complete transmission cooling system, not just a fancy pan. The automatic transmission on a ram truck is the single largest repair bill one can expect through normal (?) maintenance. A good cooling system will save you money down the road and make your transmission perform better. If funds dictate, yes a fancy transmission pan looks great and does make normal maintenance easier. But for real world cooling that makes noticeable and verifiable differences in the transmission fluid temperature, a cooling system is the only way to go. The plain truth is that the weak link in the Dodge/Cummins partnership is the transmission, automatic or standard they both have their problems. For the automatic ones, the best investment you can make is to install a complete auxiliary cooling system for the transmission, it will extend service and perform better.

It has been covered a bunch of times, the Mag is a good cover for the Dana axles you have but they really dropped the ball for AAM 11. 5. As for the cooling fins the PML has them as well, and if they were really concerned about temp and not looks they would not powder coat the surface of the cover as it cannot disipate heat as well as an uncoated surface.

 

[JCleary]

The PML is available in black powdercoat, polished, or as-cast. It also lets you use the stock gaskets front and rear. The fill holes are at the same height as stock.



Plus, they now have them available for both front and rear AAM axles.

 

[Buffalo]

I took some measurements of the different levels indicated on the MH dipstick.

The top level places the gear oil level at or near the bottom of the axle, it self (inside the axle tube).

The lower dipstick line should put the oil level at or near the bottom of the inside of the axle tube.

If you want to keep the level at DC's "stock", recommended, level, there is an identification plate with a plug in the center of it. My measurements show that is where the stock level should be.

I called MH about their recommended "higher-levels" of gear oil and expressed my concerns about the foaming issue with the elevated levels of gear oil. Their reply was that they have sold in excess of 30,000 of these units without any problems associated with the higher levels.

I just recently changed out my gear oil and compromised by using the lower level on the dipstick for the gear oil fill.

I have, also, heard that the powdercoating on the MH, although it looks nice, does act as an insulation and doesn't allow the unit to cool the gear oil as well as it could.

Regarding the silicone-filled bolt hole, it has never leaked a drop in over 18,000 miles of use, and I've changed the gear oil, twice. Each time I removed the cover to visually check & clean the inside of the differential. In my case, the silicone plug has worked well.



Joe F. (Buffalo)

 

[llotton]

PML covers

I have heard others say that the powder coat inhibits cooling and that may be so, but does anyone know of actual numbers using the same truck over the same course etc. , with insturmentantion so show the difference?

Larry

 

[evldsl]

Mag Hytec has left a bad taste in my mouth. They failed to do any R&D on their covers for the 11. 5" rear end and shipped tons of them with incorrectly machined o-ring grooves that leaked. Plus you had to "not install one bolt", filling the hole with silicone to stop leaks. The whole thing smelled like a poorly engineered patch job to make the cover for the GM 11. 5" rear ends fit our trucks. Plus they keep stringing us along with promises that "there'll be a front cover availble soon!".



Couple all that with dipstick levels that probably don't give the correct fluid quantity and some question in my mind whether the ring gear gets proper lubrication with that cover, and there's just too many issues with Mag Hytec.



If I had a Dana 80, absolutely no question whatsoever I'd go with Mag Hytec front and rear. With the AAM axles, I think I'll go with PML.



These are purely my opinions and should not be assumed to be based on any fact at all. I encourage everyone else to do their own research and reach their own conclusions, which may very well disagree with mine. Clearly ACerf has done that and has come to a different conclusion, and that's perfectly fine.



-Ryan

I recently have installed my rear 11. 5 mag-hytec diff cover useing the stock o-ring and have been running it since july and I have not experienced one bad thing in fact I had the cover powdercoated the same red that my truck is and it look's awsome.

 

[rbattelle]

I should clarify - Mag Hytec now has the correct covers released, so the o-ring problem and the bolt issue that I had described are no more. The dipstick issue might still be at hand.



Again - Mag Hytec makes a phenomenal cover... for the Dana series. I'm just not sold on them for the AAM series.



-Ryan