Trans cooler.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 1,071
Likes: 61
From: Saint clair shores Michigan
Trans cooler.
Ok. I bought a trans cooler. my mechanic told me that the cooliant lines were totally incorrect. Because of the way that the line fasters were all different. Meaning they would have to keep up sizing and down sizing with the hose fittings. Another words, he said it would look sloppy. I bought the trans cooler through Eklers. It said that it was for a 77. It's aluminum. I was going to buy a cooler with the fans on it, I wish I had. But I thought the whole idea was to by pass the radiator. It makes sense to me. Why with a trans cooler would you want the trans fluid running back through the radiator? To me you'd want it to be independent from the hot water running through the radiator. I want a separate cooler. Am I wrong?
Dr. Detroit
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 10,097
Likes: 4,027
From: New Braunfels Texas
You are in Michigan......I grew up there....thirty years. I always plumbed the trans cooler through the rad first for two reasons:
1) The Coolant at operating temp is still 30-40 degrees cooler than the trans......it will cool it down some and then go to your air to fluid auxillary cooler.
2) The trans will heat up faster in cold temps.
If you run a stand alone air to fluid cooler....it really needs to be a high efficiency unit of a large surface area. Trans fluid does not have a boundary layer anywhere near as thin as water, and air style coolers are not near as efficient as a water to fluid.
I researched this years ago when I started to burn up 350 Turbos in my 63' Chevy as a young man.......I only had a small Hayden cooler and it was not enough.....I was hard on the drivetrain and ran NOS as well........I ran the trans through the stock rad trans cooler and then through the Hayden and the problem went away.
Jebby
1) The Coolant at operating temp is still 30-40 degrees cooler than the trans......it will cool it down some and then go to your air to fluid auxillary cooler.
2) The trans will heat up faster in cold temps.
If you run a stand alone air to fluid cooler....it really needs to be a high efficiency unit of a large surface area. Trans fluid does not have a boundary layer anywhere near as thin as water, and air style coolers are not near as efficient as a water to fluid.
I researched this years ago when I started to burn up 350 Turbos in my 63' Chevy as a young man.......I only had a small Hayden cooler and it was not enough.....I was hard on the drivetrain and ran NOS as well........I ran the trans through the stock rad trans cooler and then through the Hayden and the problem went away.
Jebby
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 1,071
Likes: 61
From: Saint clair shores Michigan
My C5 Z runs at 160° that's what I want out of the C3. My new truck runs at 190°. I think that the independent cooler should bring it down to that?.
thanks
John.
thanks
John.
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 9,993
Likes: 1,136
From: League City Tx
Ok. I bought a trans cooler. my mechanic told me that the cooliant lines were totally incorrect. Because of the way that the line fasters were all different. Meaning they would have to keep up sizing and down sizing with the hose fittings. Another words, he said it would look sloppy. I bought the trans cooler through Eklers. It said that it was for a 77. It's aluminum. I was going to buy a cooler with the fans on it, I wish I had. But I thought the whole idea was to by pass the radiator. It makes sense to me. Why with a trans cooler would you want the trans fluid running back through the radiator? To me you'd want it to be independent from the hot water running through the radiator. I want a separate cooler. Am I wrong?
On my 71’ I use a B&M plate style cooler, the biggest one they make, no fan. I have no idea what the temps are but even with a 10”/3200 converter the trans has always worked great for the last 24k Miles.... and this is with about 100 passes down the track and a LOT of street runs.
Definitely bypass the radiator all together. The coolant will heat the trans. There is no such thing as too cool of an auto trans. For reference, my C7Z trans temp averages 110*. I’ve never seen it over 125* ever... that’s with two coolers and bypassing the radiator from the factory.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 8,837
Likes: 1,028
You are in Michigan......I grew up there....thirty years. I always plumbed the trans cooler through the rad first for two reasons:
1) The Coolant at operating temp is still 30-40 degrees cooler than the trans......it will cool it down some and then go to your air to fluid auxillary cooler.
2) The trans will heat up faster in cold temps.
If you run a stand alone air to fluid cooler....it really needs to be a high efficiency unit of a large surface area. Trans fluid does not have a boundary layer anywhere near as thin as water, and air style coolers are not near as efficient as a water to fluid.
I researched this years ago when I started to burn up 350 Turbos in my 63' Chevy as a young man.......I only had a small Hayden cooler and it was not enough.....I was hard on the drivetrain and ran NOS as well........I ran the trans through the stock rad trans cooler and then through the Hayden and the problem went away.
Jebby
1) The Coolant at operating temp is still 30-40 degrees cooler than the trans......it will cool it down some and then go to your air to fluid auxillary cooler.
2) The trans will heat up faster in cold temps.
If you run a stand alone air to fluid cooler....it really needs to be a high efficiency unit of a large surface area. Trans fluid does not have a boundary layer anywhere near as thin as water, and air style coolers are not near as efficient as a water to fluid.
I researched this years ago when I started to burn up 350 Turbos in my 63' Chevy as a young man.......I only had a small Hayden cooler and it was not enough.....I was hard on the drivetrain and ran NOS as well........I ran the trans through the stock rad trans cooler and then through the Hayden and the problem went away.
Jebby
I live in So. Cal., but I still could drive in the cold/snow if I want.
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 8,336
Likes: 2,810
From: Cool Northern Michigan
We have been through this several times before, but it bares repeating. B&M trans cooler tech guy on the phone: "What part of the country do you live in?" I said, a cooler state.
Tech guy: "Then absolutely run the fluid through the Rad first, then to the cooler, then to return line". He went on to say that the minimum temp is just as important as the maximum.
You can & will get wear & tear if the fluid is too cool. So in a nutshell, there is no one answer fits all. It depends on where the vehicle will operate.
Tech guy: "Then absolutely run the fluid through the Rad first, then to the cooler, then to return line". He went on to say that the minimum temp is just as important as the maximum.
You can & will get wear & tear if the fluid is too cool. So in a nutshell, there is no one answer fits all. It depends on where the vehicle will operate.