Trans Cooler

[FORDification]

I wouldn't do that....that is, bypass the cooler built into the radiator. Those aftermarket coolers were not intended to REPLACE the radiator cooler, but to augment it. In fact, even Ford recognized that and mentions it in a Technical Service Bulletin article about their own auxiliary coolers.

From TSB #132 - Article 2095:



It's definitely a good idea to install an auxiliary cooler, and the one you pictured above is definitely good-looking, but it won't be sufficient as a primary cooler.

[James72]

, It's not that your cooler wont keep up without running it through the rad, it will over cool. Your trans needs to be up to operating temp to work properly and last, just like your engine. The cooler should be plumbed in with oil feeding from trans to cooler to rad back to trans. The cooler will over cool then the rad will bring it back to a happy temp (if your cooling system is working properly), think about putting around town in the winter, your trans would be cold all the time, it needs heat like any hydraulic system.


James

[F100builder]

With all due respect, this is not a rant or argument but merely some opinions of mine and some information I found. I appreciate the concern but I do not intend to tow anything or use the truck for severe duty of any kind. The motor that will eventually go into the truck will be a slightly warmer than stock 390 (cam, intake, headers). I've seen street rodders use these coolers all the time and they bypass their radiators without issue and many do not even have provisions in their radiators for cooler lines. The design claims to be perfect for stop & go driving and limited airflow. Aluminum happens to be a GREAT conductor of heat and the radiator style is just simply a coiled brass tube that enters and then exits the lower tank through ~185 degree coolant. It hardly seems very efficient to me at all although there is some additional cooling with the steel lines between the trans and radiator. Even the copper side-winding tube with the stacked fins are better by themselves than the radiator cooler by itself in my opinion. I would consider the radiator style to be the supplement cooler to any other style of external cooler rather than the other way around. I know heat kills transmissions and I will be looking for more data before I go through with it but here are a few quotes and descriptions I've found on the extruded aluminum heatsink type coolers.

"They mount very easily on your crossmember or frame rail or up in front of the radiator. These durable coolers keep heat where you want it - out of your radiator! They are perfect for cars that run hot in stop & go conditions."

"These transmission coolers cool the fluid using the outside air temperature (80-90 degrees) instead of the 185 degree water in the radiator."

"This transmission cooler is better cooling than the old radiator style transmission cooler."

"We recommend the use of an external transmission cooler mounted under the car. This removes the heat from the radiator and removes the need for long cooler lines to the front of the car."

[James72]

"These transmission coolers cool the fluid using the outside air temperature (80-90 degrees) instead of the 185 degree water in the radiator."

That will work fine as long as the out side temp is between 80-90, and you're right about heat killing a trans,but so does cold, it's like runnin with out a thermostat. I didn't know you only were driving in the summer and not towing, should be fine for cruising in the sun, I would plumb it through the rad myself just in case it's use changes:2cents:

BTW, how much are those coolers?

James

[averagef250]

I don't use the radiator coolers. They're kind of a joke in my opinion. I run industrial high efficiency copper hydraulic heat exchangers for tranny coolers and never had a problem. If the rig will see cold climates I run a stacked plate heat exchanger on engine coolant in series with the air-air cooler.

From what I've seen pickup autos die from heat and dirty fluid under hard use. From working around medium duty trucks and seeing how Allison autos are cooled and how much oil they hold to do the job that many do with thier pickups these days I like to duplicate that size of transmission cooling setup. Most of the Allisons run very large liquid-liquid coolers, but these don't fit in pickups well.

BTW, even though coolant is 180 degrees liquid-liquid coolers are far more efficient than air-air. If you don't believe that take a look at the size of a any marine diesel or racing aftercooler. Marine coolers that handle several thousand horsepower aren't any larger than the air-air cooler on the front a Peterbilt to cool 450 HP.

I think your cooler will work fine on the frame. Just consider adding something up front if you add a stall converter or sit in traffic on hot days. I fix TH350's for a dirt racer. He thought he'd be smart and put one of those coolers on the side of the tranny instead of the big hydraulic cooler he got from me in front of the radiator. The tranny didn't make it through one race.

[F100builder]

BTW, how much are those coolers?

James

They range anywhere from ~$40 to $100 depending on the size and the means by which it's plumbed. Speedway Motors and Summit have some low cost ones that use simple hose barbed fittings. You can also get ones set up for AN fittings or even SAE.

Check this out: http://www.tciauto.com/Products/TechInf ... ctancy.asp

BTW, I will be using a stock stall converter too.