BTW - the pic he linked to is can be seen on page 7-249 of the 2003 CORVETTE!!! service manual, now if you 2 will stop arguing please!!!

I've had an aux cooler hooked up on my car both ways, hooking it into the bottom line will make the fluid run within 5 degrees of the engine coolant temp, hooking it into the top line will make it run considerably colder and on days when the outside air temp is below 40* the trans temp has a hard time going over 100* which is probably why GM installs an aux cooler in the lower line.

EDIT: I am also an ASE certified mechanic.

 

Ironically, the GM diagram he offered for the auxillary transmission cooler hookup......is exactly how mine is hooked up. A method which he has argued was wrong and "ineffective". Yet it shows up in his own GM book reference.

Thanks for your imput Runamuck. I don't care which is the return line and admitted in one of my earlier post as much . All I know is that my transmission cooler works and it is hooked into the bottom line.

I was just razzing him about it being a C5 manual as he gets so worked about this discussion whenever we have it. I mean real worked up. I didn't know if it were a C5 manual or not.

Offering $1000.00 to anyone who can "prove him wrong" and making erroneous statements and attempting to pass them as fact, such as: "if you go into the bottom line this will be ineffective." Implying that using the bottom line was hooking up the transmission cooler "backwards" that he too had hooked his up "backwards", and that my tuner would not be the first to "get it wrong".

That is totally false. My car is a 2003 C5 and I know from my own experience, the diagram which my tuner showed me when mine was installed, and now from a genuine 2003 C5 manual that the auxillary cooler goes in series with the bottom line

So the bottom line is....................it is perfectly acceptable( and is described by GM) to hook into the bottom line.

 

I love this!

 

I was wondering what was taking you so long. How many times did you restart your computer?



Seriously though, LeMansBlue04 is right folks. The top line is indeed the return line.

However depending on the climate where you live, you can use the top or the bottom line for your transmission cooler.

As LeMansBlue mentions, if you are living in a hot climate and will need maximum cooling, using the top line is probably a better idea. As Runamuck mentions, using the bottom line is probably a good idea if you are in cooler climates and will be operating your car in the winter as it will be difficult to get above 100* on your tranny temps if you are in the top line.

It was a blast LeMansBlue04

 

Checked mine today. Its spliced into the BOTTOM line. And it works GREAT too!!!!

 

I believe you said that you were seeing temps below 160*, thats very good.


Who installed it? Was it Andy at A&A or your dealer? And what kind is it? 24000GVM?

 

Yea...I gotta drive for 45 minutes before it will heat up to 160 normal and freeway driving. I did get it up to 176 today with some spirited driving in third gear.

Andy installed a Setrab (I think thats the correct spelling)

 

Great temps. If you are like me it gives you great confidence to see those tranny temps down in those ranges. You know that if your tranny does die it won't be due to excessive heat, and at those temps the fluid is not taking such a beating.

I am also glad to see other instances of the auxillary cooler being installed into the bottom line. Both our instances with reputable tuners, the references to the installs by c4c5c6 specialist and Runamuk, the Corvette C5 service manuals.

This is refreshing to see as there is somewhat of a dogmatic attitude that an auxillary transmission cooler has to be installed in series with the top line.

 

I used a 26,000 lb. towing capacity cooler, and by passed the radiator,
engine and tranny both run cooler. Tranny around 160 and the engine
around 190 with the fan programing.

 

So you went into both lines?

 

Just for the record, I had to tap into the top line to get my tranny cooler to work

 

What kinds of problems were you having with it hooked to the bottom line?

 

Yikes!..... Thanks everyone... I think!

For the record, here is what I decided.
I`m installing an B&M #70264 (24,000 BTU), which is one of three models with their "low pressure drop feature," which I feel is added protection.
You can find a description of this feature on B&M`s web site:bmracing.com
Per the tuner`s (Andy @ A&A) recommendation, and the B&M instructions, I`m running the cooler "in" line "from" the bottom radiator connection out to the cooler, then the cooler "out" line back to tranny.
Also.. after close inspection, the hardware/hook-up issues appear to be well founded, specifically the OEM threaded vs B&M slip-on with small hose clamp fittings.
Instead of splicing/cutting to adapt for this miss-match, I`ll probably run over to my local Earl`s Performance and have them make me some lines with the correct ends. ie: male thread fitting on one end of the line running from the radiator to cooler "in".........and a female thread fitting on one end of the cooler "out" return line which attaches back to the OEM line.
I`ll let everyone know if I run into any installation snags, I`ll also be sure to post some temps after the next canyon run comming up a couple of weeks from now.

Cheers, Rick (R.P.)

 

Good luck and I know you'll get good results

 

I have proved that the bottom is the feed line, this is how I did a full tranny flush. Took off the bottom line put hose in bucket with measuring marks ran the car to about 1.5 quarts refilled the tranny and repeted until I ran 13 quarts threw it.
P.S. My cooler is hooked to the top line.

 

I am not disputing your info which seems correct. But I just had a tranny cooler installed and I got what seems to be great results (down from 200 to average 150-165). Would I get even better results hooked to upper return line? Could this have anything to do with my oil temps which seem to be high (211-219). These temps are in 70 degree ambient cruizing around and on the freeway where my coolant stays right at 192-196.

Thanks

 

I run my c5 occassionaly in NW Wisconsin, one of the coldest places normally in the Country. If I run it about 5 miles, transmission fluid is at least 100 degrees. I've done this in outside temperatures of 5 degrees below zero. Truckers up this way cover the front of their trucks to warm the engine as their engines run so much cooler than gasoline engines.

 

Rather than bashing each other, just disconnect the top line to the radiator and have someone start the car. This will tell you which way the fluid flows and you can decide from there which line you prefer to install it on.
I believe the Camaro is reversed from the vette and some tuners who work on the Camaros just assume it's the same way for both. But the best cooloing will come from running the cooler after the radiator. Normal driving it makes no difference, but when you do some track time and the coolant goes way up, the tranny cooler will be less efficient if installed before the radiator.

 

After reading all this, I wonder, is there a temprature at which the trans is to cool. I would assume that you would want at least 150 degrees of temp in the trans before any high performance driving or should we just run it as cool as possible? Jeff

 

R.P.-
Then are you not bypassing the trans cooler in the radiator all together?? Jeff