NewbVetteGuy

2 questions:

1. Do transmission pan coolers like the Derale Transmission pan cooler actually work? (they seem like they could work when highway driving, but my TC is going to lockup then and temps will be low then anyway)

2. Is an even bigger trans pan just going to lead to one of these things scraping the ground in our C3s?


http://www.jegs.com/p/Derale/Derale-...73059/10002/-1



Adam

kanvasman

I just fnished putting a trans cooler in my 78 and everything I came across pretty much said they are good marketing ideas for the companies, they reallly don't do much to cool the trans and yes, they will hit the ground. Just my $.02.

OMF

I never had one of the pans that has the cooling tubes, but i put one of the deep pans on a powerglide i was using, and the extra fluid capacity made the difference between an overheating transmission and one that ran cool while being abused.

akdale

FWIW. I am looking into ways of cooling my trans as well. So far it seems a stacked plate cooler w/fan is the best bang for the buck. The pan with cooling tubes seem to reduce heat some. Added capacity is nice. If I were buying a deep pan I would go for aluminum with fins I also read on another forum that the Derale pan (steel) w/cooling tubes was very flimsy. So, for me a remote stacked plate cooler will likely be my choice while staying with my stock pan.
Here is what I am considering....Derale-13900-Electra-Cool-Remote-Cooler

Big2Bird

This is a decent plate cooler just in front of the a/c condenser, below the hood. Tight, but works well. In series with the rad. cooler.

jb78L-82

I would forget using a bigger pan and/or a pan with cooling fins! I have done tranny coolers on my cars for 35 years going back to high school and have always used the cooler OUTSIDE of the radiator trans cooler in all my cars even those driven year round in the winter with zero issues EXCEPT in temps below about 25 degrees the trans will take longer to shift normally when very cold outside...When you add a big cooler, you always need to add more trans fluid (about 1/2 to 1 qt) to compensate for the additional fluid capacity you have adding a cooler.

In 1979, I added 2 tube and fin coolers (do not use tube and fin today but double stack coolers which are much more efficient) outside of the radiator cooling on my Nova SS with the turbo 350 and I beat the crap out of that tranny and it was still shifting fine when I sold the car in 1990 with 168K on the tranny. I drove this car year round and in very cold weather, the first few shifts were lazy due to the cold...mechanical stock GM fan.

I have 3 cars today with tranny coolers on them...all Long/Dana Double stack coolers with built in temp control...Tranny fluid ONLY flows through the whole cooler once the temp is above a certain temp:

2001 Pontiac Grand Prix with 2 Dana 18,000 GVW coolers (36,000 total cooling) in the grill, outside of the radiator cooler...200,000 miles on this tranny (the 4T65E tranny is NOT known for longevity BTW)...with electric GM stock fan takes about 3 miles to shift into overdrive when very cold. Dexron VI

1994 Mustang GT with 2 Dana double stock coolers (24,000+18,000 GVW=42,000) with stock ford electric fan outside of the radiator cooling, only driven in temps above 40 degrees. Mobil 1 tranny fluid

2008 Chrysler 300 (150,000 miles) with 28,000 GVW Dana cooler in conjunction with Chrysler tranny cooler which is an air cooler (not in the radiator, the first car that I have had that utilizes air only for trans fluid cooling which I have been doing since 1979!) with stock Chrysler electric fan. Zero issues even in very cold weather. Chrysler ATF+4

Having a mechanical fan is ideal for tranny coolers since air is always pulled through the cooler when not moving BUT not necessary per my examples above even in very hot weather as long as you have the biggest cooler you can fit in the grille as shown in the picture above.

I have never had a tranny failure and always change the fluid and filter every 20,000 miles, religiously.

Hope this helps!

fishslayer143

If you want additional cooling, install an auxiliary cooler.. very easy and effective

REELAV8R

I can see that type of cooler working as long as the speed of the car is high enough, like in road racing or track environment.
Typically for us the temp of the fluid is high due to torque converter slippage at low speeds. In town cruising, mountain roads, etc. At those speeds I'm not sure that cooler would be especially effective. Having one that is remotely mounted with a fan pulling air through it would be better at cooling at lower speeds. If it's mounted in front of the radiator it would still be working at higher speeds as well without the aid of a fan.

An aluminum trans pan with fins would probably be more efficient. At least it is constantly wicking heat away from the metal that is being heated by the fluid and aluminum is a good heat absorber.

jb78L-82

This location of the cooler with a mechanical fan is perfect ^ since the fan will always be pulling air over the cooler regardless of speed. This location, size cooler, and type (double stack) will easily keep any trans fluid cooler than an in radiator only cooler ( I would recommend that this type and size cooler be used outside of the radiator cooler). I did have as mentioned above 2 stand alone tube and fin coolers for years with my turbo 350 trans in the nova SS....drove it all year round and was shifting perfect when sold in 1990 with 168,000 miles on the tranny. I also utilized an oil cooler in this location for years on my 78 C3 and it worked perfectly along with the mechanical OEM fan.

diehrd

If air is moving through the tubes it will carry heat away from the pan.

If you can get a temp sensor on the trans and find it runs 170 and or lower you do not need more cooling.

Garys 68

The Derale is probably too deep. If your search motorhome forums, you'll see mixed reviews. I am installing one on mine, they do add a lot more volume though. Just go with an additional cooler up front. They've always made a difference in my to rigs.

NewbVetteGuy

THIS!

I've got a 4L60e with the TCI EZ-TCU controller in it now; it's got an integrated temp controller in it so I think I'll just monitor temps with the touch screen in the summer and if they stay in the safe range I won't worry about it.


Adam

jb78L-82

Ok last call on this topic for this post.

I have had tranny coolers for 35+ years on all types of cars and transmissions......^ see posts above especially #6. 2 things kill transmissions and shorten their life expectancy...heat and dirty contaminated old fluid....

Myth # 1:

If the temp is in the normal range-varies from manufacturer to manufacturer but generally 180-200 degrees, I am good. False! That temp range represents the average temp for "normal" life expectancy (whatever that means today) for the tranny but does NOT represent the best temp for the longest longevity. If at any time, the tranny fluid exceeds 200 degrees both the tranny fluid and trans life is reduced

Myth #2:

Changing the fluid and filter according to the manufacturer mileage recommendation will maximize the trans life...FALSE. Generally, the trans fluid mileage/time interval change recommendation by the manufacturer represents the LEAST acceptable time frame for the trans to last for the "normal" life expectancy. Many manufacturers now have sealed transmissions with no fluid or filter changes for life. Want to guess what that means for trans life expectancy? The answer is NOT good....I change the trans fluid/filter every 20,000 miles on my DD religiously. The 01 Grand prix is now approaching 200,000 miles on the crap 4t65E FWD tranny, not known for any type of longevity.....

After 35 years of doing tranny coolers and MUCH research over many years, the ideal tranny fluid temperature is 140 or LOWER. Generally it is very hard to get a trans fluid below 140 even with coolers outside of the radiator.
Note in post #6 that both the 01 GP and Mustang have 2 (TWO) double stack coolers for this reason....keep the fluid BELOW 140 degrees. Never have had a tranny failure in any car for the last 40 years....Must be something to what I am trying to convey......