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Denny Finch (aka 5WCoupe) [ View ] [ dfinch2@neo.rr.com ] [ Car Ads ] [ Blogs ] Atwater, Ohio (330) 935-2601

Good Morning folks. I have a question requarding transmission coolers. Yeaterday I picked up me rebuilt tranny and the shop gave me a tranny cooler. They recommended that I use it. I had them install a "tow and go" shift kit which I didn't have before. I also didn't have a cooler other that the the standard cooler in the radiator. Problem is that I have no room in front of or behind the radiator for the new cooler. My question is two fold. 1) Do I really need it and 2) Can I install it somewhere else and achieve the same purpose? I am running a 350 SBC with the 350TH tranny. Thanks in advance for any feedback

Comments

Posted by Streetrodder007  -  04/07/2007 08:19 AM Yes you certainly need it. I myself have never been a big fan of using the holes in the bottom of the radiator, but something is better than nothing. You can put a cooler anywhere that gets wind and air movement. get a 18" or 24" tube cooler and bolt it the bottom of the car somewhere, such as the frame or behind front crossmember. You can does these very cheaply, les than $50 for everything, and very simple to do. Streetrodder007 [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Port Huron, Michigan Charter Member since April 2006   Posted by da34guy  -  04/07/2007 08:39 AM Common sense will tell ya, Why would ya want to try to cool 250 to 350 degree trans fluid thru a radiator thats 200 degrees. Mount a trans cooler on the frame close to the tranny. I've been usin a small B&M style for years and never had a problem. They only cost $45-50. Trick is -space it off the frame about 1/2 inch to get full airflow around it. Good luck Don [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Prescott, Arizona Charter Member since October 2001   Posted by sach  -  04/07/2007 08:39 AM I agree with Bill on the subject of needing a trans oil cooler. It is a must. You know what happens to oil when it gets hot and starts to break down. It can cause some serious trans problems. If you cannot locate a cooler on the frame like Bill suggested, there are coolers that have small electric fans attached, that can be mounted most anywhere you have the room. A bit more expensive though ! sach [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Cana, Virginia   Posted by Rods & Customs by Leon  -  04/07/2007 09:03 AM Yes, like they said, Trans cooler is a must, but I have had some conserns about some of the tube types. I've installed a few of them recently and have incountered some cooling issues, But to be fair to these guys I must say that these were very high performance applications. I can't say for sure if the problem was in the cooler or the trans. My cure was to promptly send the tranny back to the tranny shop and add a bigger/ Flat type cooler. I also went to less of a stall for better fluid flow. Tube types may work fine on some applications but I'm not 100% sold on them. Rods & Customs by Leon [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Highlands, Texas Charter Member since May 2004   Posted by Crazyhorse Rod Shop  -  04/07/2007 09:37 AM location, location, location . put it up front if you can. i dont put them in front of the rad but just behind and below. that way air from the fan can help. the b&m style work best . the long tube and fin work well also. high stall creates heat . i dont run the coller in the rad because most cars have heat issues to start with although with an aluminum rad it is no longer an issue. dont poke the porchdog........he bites [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] BLUFF DALE, Texas Charter Member since March 2003   Posted by BigAlBre  -  04/07/2007 10:18 AM I used the long cylinder style with the fins from US Radiator.... they don't make it but they do recommend it .. see the picture in the extreme makeover.... Big Al sittin back pickin & grinning in paradise. [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Saint Petersburg Beach, Florida Charter Member since June 1999   Posted by brian41chevy  -  04/07/2007 10:20 AM Heat is what kills automatic transmissions. Any extra cooling you can give will help. The convection style coolers ( Tube with fins) work very well and can be mounted to the frame rail anywhere it will fit. They are inexpensive and well worth it. Unless you like getting your trans rebuilt. I have one on the 41and would never go back to the old style. There is a fine line between hobby and mental illness [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] New Lenox, Illinois Charter Member since November 2004   Posted by Willys33  -  04/07/2007 10:28 AM Done some research and here is what I found. First, clearances in the new trans are much closer and different metals which means expansion at different rates. Bottom of the radiator is usually around 150 degrees. Ideal temp of the trans fluid is also 150 degrees. Clearances are designed for that temp. Engineers designed a single pass cooler in the bottom (or side) tank to take advantage of the 150 degree temp. Newer cars also ahave a thermal bypass to ensure the trans gets to and stays at a happy operating temp. Now, for our world. I put a small cheap cooler up almost against the bottome of the floorboard just in front of the lest rear wheel on the Willys. It is mounted horizontal which means it gets very little air flow. I also put a temp gauge on the trans. I found that the trans was very slow to get up to temp while at hyway speeds. After it got up to temp and I got in a traffic jam it would go up to 220 degrees after about a half hour in traffic on a hot day. Once back at speed it would drop rapidly to 150. Note that I have a lock up convertor which will generate much less heat when in the "lock up" mode. A high stall convertor will cause lots more temp. Run a cooler! Get off the trailer and drive [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Alamogordo, New Mexico   Posted by whipsold39  -  04/07/2007 10:28 AM I use a oil cooler off of a motorcycle that is about 8'' by 4'' and convert it over for my transmission cooler. Easy to install and seems to work for me. Surprisingly the things on these big street bikes that can be used on street rods, oil coolers, small electric fans, turn signals, chrome brackets etc. Find a bike shop that has wrecked bikes and look them over. whipsold39 [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] 400 9th ave silvis 61282, Illinois Charter Member since January 2006   Posted by JAWS  -  04/07/2007 03:43 PM Those finned cylinder coolers that BigAl said are the ticket. I've only seen in one instance where a second one was needed, and that was because of the lack of air flow under the car where they were mounted. The engine and trans combo were Ramjet 502/4L80E, in a 32 ford highboy with a full belly pan, that was open in the front and rear, hard to describe. The coolers were mounted right in tight with the exhaust. Not my first choice in mounting positions, but I didn't build the car. Many miles on them now and no problems. An electrical headache can make a great car a pain [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Boise, Idaho Charter Member since August 2004   Posted by 5WCoupe  -  04/07/2007 04:09 PM Thanks for all the input guys. Just got done painting the new tranny. Pic attached. It won't be going back in for a couple of weeks. So are you guys saying that a finned cylinder cooler mounted on the frame or floor boards would do the trick? I'll have to mount it parallel to the frame. Do you all think that would be OK? Can't see anywhere to mount it perpenducular to the frame or crosswise. This might be a stupid question but is it a simple matter of just plugging the connections in the radiator? 5WCoupe [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Atwater, Ohio   Posted by JoeP  -  04/07/2007 04:23 PM I have a cylinder type cooler on the roadster and the model A, both are mounted on the frame rails not crosswise. Work great get the dual pass, not the single. The connections on the radiator are pipe threads just plug them off, to keep the dirt out if you want to use again. Joe [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Somerset, New Jersey   Posted by brian41chevy  -  04/07/2007 04:38 PM Mount it on the frame rail. It will work fine there. Like Joe said you can put some pipe plugs in the radiator to keep the dirt out of that cooler if you want to use it again. Trans looks nice and shiney. There is a fine line between hobby and mental illness [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] New Lenox, Illinois Charter Member since November 2004

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