Trans Cooler

[khan0165]

picked one up the other day, largest one they had... 11 x 11.75 inch.
... currently, I only have hard lines running to the factory rad, and the trans runs hotter than I would prefer.

So, here's my question...
- do I run the cooler thru, after the rad?
- do I run the cooler seperately?
- do I run the cooler thru, before the rad?

Personally, it does not make much sense to run the cooler after the rad. It seems this will cool the trans fluid, and then run into the hot rad to warm the fluid back up...?

Running it seperately makes lots of sense, but will my dual electric fans be able to cool both the rad and cooler? I will be mounting the cooler infront of the rad. I do not have an air-dam, and so my rad already has trouble getting air to it. If I run the cooler seperately, what is a good clean way to drain the fluid from the rad, and plug the lines?

What are the Pros & Cons of each setup?

Who else is running a cooler?

How do you have it setup?

Please comment...

Thanks,

 

[1986elcamino383]

I would run it through both . First run it through the rad then the second . The heat from the trans fluid will be sucked up by the coolant then it will be cooled more by the secondary cooler .

 

[JBreu]

When it comes to protecting your transmission, more is ALWAYS better.............Run the fluid through your radiator then your aftermarket cooler that should be attached to the front side of same

 

[khan0165]

some folks have said to run the cooler seperately,
because the radiator actually heats up the trans fluid (WTF? :?: )
... because the engine runs hotter than the trans?

My trans ideally runs around 140 to 150 deg F
... while engine runs around 175 to 185 deg F
what is the coolant temp when the engine is running this warm? And is it high enough to "warm up the trans fluid"?

Also, is the "return cooler line" the top one of the two on a 700r4?

 

[beermonkey9417]

the best way is to have the cooler hooked up directly to the trans. the lines from the trans that goto the passenger side of the radiator are what you want to hook up to the trans cooler. what ya do is get some rubber hoses to hook up from the trans lines to the new cooler. then hang the cooler infront of the rad. how ever you see fit, check for leaks, and yer done. and if ya want, you can get another fan just for the trans cooler. oh and dont forget to plug the holes in the rad. where the lines used to be.

 

[JBreu]

Transmission fluid cooler lines: on the 700R4 the bottom fitting on the right side of the transmission is the "out" line to the cooler and the top fitting is for the return line from the cooler. These fittings are 1/4-inch pipe thread, and CAN include an adapter from the factory for threaded steel lines in an SAE size.

 

[bjohn07]

When it comes to protecting your transmission, more is ALWAYS better.............Run the fluid through your radiator then your aftermarket cooler that should be attached to the front side of same

dont run it through both. u want ur trans operating temp to not go much higher than 175 degrees. anything higher than that starts breaking down fluid and thats was causes ur trans to fail. if u run a t stat. 165 usually ur operating temp will be around 185 to 195 degrees. and a t stat higher than 165 and ur operating temp can get to 200 here in texas. with the fluid going the the rad it just warms it up to go through the cooler and get the cooler warmer than it needs to be. just plug up the cooler lines in the rad. and run ur rubber hoses to the cooler mounted to the front of the rad. u should be okay with dual fan setup. i run a 10by15 in my car with a single electric fan setup. and the fluid gets hot when the trans is under a load and by then ur moving down the road so u got the air being forced through the cooler.

 

[JBreu]

When it comes to protecting your transmission, more is ALWAYS better.............Run the fluid through your radiator then your aftermarket cooler that should be attached to the front side of same

dont run it through both. u want ur trans operating temp to not go much higher than 175 degrees. anything higher than that starts breaking down fluid and thats was causes ur trans to fail. if u run a t stat. 165 usually ur operating temp will be around 185 to 195 degrees. and a t stat higher than 165 and ur operating temp can get to 200 here in texas. with the fluid going the the rad it just warms it up to go through the cooler and get the cooler warmer than it needs to be. just plug up the cooler lines in the rad. and run ur rubber hoses to the cooler mounted to the front of the rad. u should be okay with dual fan setup. i run a 10by15 in my car with a single electric fan setup. and the fluid gets hot when the trans is under a load and by then ur moving down the road so u got the air being forced through the cooler.

WE all don't live in texas with the hot heat..........................I guess it's your preference.........

 

[khan0165]

all good inputs guys,

maybe I should have posted about my setup a little more...

Yes, I have a thermostat on my trans, with a guage. The trans usually runs 140 deg F. In rush hour, stop & go traffic, it runs as high as 160 deg F. The highest I've seen it is 200 deg F, which occured when drag racing on a VERY hot day, and I had the fluid changed for pre-causion.

The trans rarely gets into 160 deg F under normal opperation, and it goes upto 180 to 190 deg F under heavy drag racing.

... These temps are WITHOUT an extra cooler, and with the setup I currently have. Is this a normal scenerio? Do I even need a cooler?

I live in Ottawa Canada, and temp sometimes gets into 30 to 35 deg C (90 to 95 deg F) during the summer. Under drag racing conditions, I fear the temp might climb into the 200 deg F range. So I would feel safe adding a cooler.

... what do you guys think?

 

[krazykyle]

does anyone know where i can pick up a 1/2 reducer to 1/4 inch for my trans cooler that if flaired.seems like some of my parts store don't carry them.