What size cooler lines?

[Fake Name]

I'm going to be fabbing new steel tranny cooler lines for my c6- does anyone know the size for these? A website (tci?) says 1/4, but I found another article that uses 3/8 with adapters. I'll be using a B&M racing cooler that has 1/2 npt connections. Seems like using 3/8, even with adapters, would help avoid pressure drop over the full run.

Anyone been down this road?

thanks.

fn

[kid]

Get really fancy and put cooler leak cutoff check valves on 3/4 lines.

Use no larger than 3/8s unless you can afford to go to 1/2. 1/2 from the tranny to the cooler and back with the size change as close to the tranny as possible. A 10 ft long 3/8 line will hold 2.45 quarts of Type F , a 1/2 line will hold 3.26 quarts for the same length.

Actually bigger is better but remember there is a pressure drop for larger line flow volume. The cooler has natural flow restriction that if blocked by gunk at low pressure would easily be pushed through by the higher pressure of a smaller line.

Now for the Nasty part if fluid goes from a small line into a larger area it will act just like the evap coil on an AC. Hot high pressure air goes into a larger area and expands out into a more gaseous state drawing heat from the surrounding area and outputting cooler air, The re-heated fluid can go back hotter than it came out as.

I have pumped 140 weight Tranny and Diff fluid through a B&M 1/2 diameter cooler when I used to race through the Mojave desert

[Fake Name]

Thanks, and now I'm completely confused ; )

fn

[kid]

LOL 1/2 inch really is overkill. So just use 3/8s but with an add- on cooler 1/4 is too small.

[Fake Name]

Cool, thanks.


Huh, I said cool about a cooler! Funny.

thanks again.

p

[kid]

To be honest I am again thinking of piping my Posi fluid through the tranny and then a cooler again. The Tranny won't care and the tranny when rebuilt will last longer as will the diff due to running cooler in the summer here. Except for the rainy days we have been over 100 almost every day for the last two months.

[Sharkdance]

The transmission has two brass 5/16" inverted flare fittings screwed into the side of the housing. So the easiest route would be to just run 5/16" steel line up to the cooler and bush the 1/2" NPT down to 5/16" inverted flare adapters and be done with it. That should be plenty good for most any stock application.
I just ran mine down the frame rail to keep them away from heat and IMO they work fine.

But in hindsight, kid is probably right and 3/8" line would be better. (1/2 IS overkill)
If you go that route. You will need to remove the 5/16" inverted flare fittings from your trans and replace them with 3/8" inverted flare fittings.
Im not sure of the benefits of larger lines except having more fluid out hanging in the breeze because the in and out holes of the tranny are 1/8" NPT anyway. But Im no expert either.

[kentdaryl]

Kid said;
"A 10 ft long 3/8 line will hold 2.45 quarts of Type F , a 1/2 line will hold 3.26 quarts for the same length."

My calculations come out that a 10' x 1/2" I.D. tube would hold approx 18.6 fluid oz, a little less than 1 pint.

[Fake Name]

I thought it seemed a little generous- thanks.


Calculations, huh? Does this mean you might be able to calculate the pressure loss or gain of fluid over a prescribed distance? And maybe a comparative analysis of the net volume per minute using different diameter lines with fluid of a dynamic viscosity at a certain pressure? And temperature?

Me either. I wish I was better at fluid dynamics, but, on the internet, there might be someone...


fn

[kid]

Kid said;
"A 10 ft long 3/8 line will hold 2.45 quarts of Type F , a 1/2 line will hold 3.26 quarts for the same length."

My calculations come out that a 10' x 1/2" I.D. tube would hold approx 18.6 fluid oz, a little less than 1 pint.

A 3/8 line has the area of 1.178097245 Sq In * 120 in for 141.3716694 cu in for 2..45 qt. Cu in to qt ci=onversion is qt=in 3* 0.02

So I stand by my math.

[flyboy2610]

My head hurts now.

[kid]

I have lived with that head ache of my life. No I am not married.

[kentdaryl]

I don't know how you get that from 3/8 line. Assuming the ID is 3/8 then the radius is .1875, squared is .0351562, times pi = .1103904 sq. in.

[kid]

I don't know how you get that from 3/8 line. Assuming the ID is 3/8 then the radius is .1875, squared is .0351562, times pi = .1103904 sq. in.

I concede