Tranny cooler w/thermostat control..... (Finished)+update

[LeSabre in Buffalo]

Be careful in the winter about your transmission getting up to temperature. It needs to get above 80*F to engage the torque converter lockup. Mine takes about 5-10 minutes depending on temperature during the winter.

[Jrs3800]

That is true with the 65E... In the cold months you may need to cover the cooler..

[LeSabre in Buffalo]

Mine gets unhooked completely in the fall. Otherwise the transmission wouldn't break 100*F from December-February. It's entirely possible to have the transmission too cold. Keeping the transmission between 120*F and 170*F year-round is optimal for transmission performance, lifespan, and fuel economy.

[Bing]

I know to cold of a tranny is not good, you've gotta find the sweet spot to keep them happy.

That is true with the 65E... In the cold months you may need to cover the cooler..

This was going to be my alternative if the temps weren't coming up to temp in the colder months. I do have a AeroForce scan gauge to keep an eye on the temps.

Thanks guys for your help and input for this setup.

[Bing]

Ok I did find a different way to do my cooler lines. I didn't like all the bulk that the spliced connection made, so I came up with a better way.

I took out the hard lines and cut the metal compression hose clamp off of the hard lines.

I went and bought some Gates tranny cooler hose and reused the wide hose clamps. I ran the hose over the raised part in the hard line as far as I could and then clamped them down just right. I think that this is a nice clean set up and should give me no troubles.



Now I'm finally happy with how it looks.

[LeSabre in Buffalo]

I'd double up on those hose clamps just to be super-safe.

What are your transmission temperatures like now?

[Bing]

Tranny temps have been running around 150* to 165* with temps around 80*-90* outside. It will go up to 165* with alot of stop and go traffic and not a lot of air movement. But thats where my fan over ride switch comes in handy, keeps those tranny temps right where I want them.

I figured with the ribbing and running the hose over the flare that it would be ok with one extra wide clamp. Guess I could look into adding a skinnier clamp onto the hose, thanks for the suggestion.

[harofreak00]

Put another clamp on the other side of the flare.

[Bing]

I'll give that a shot, just not that much hose on the other side of that flare.
But it never hurts to be safe than sorry.

[LeSabre in Buffalo]

Transmission temperatures are just where they should be. Do keep an eye on them in colder weather this fall and winter, however.

[Bing]

Definitely will do and planned on doing this fall / winter.

[Bing]

-Blows dust off-


This is my fall update for the tranny cooler.

With temps in the morning being between 35*-40* I noticed temps took a lot longer to get up to a good range. So I covered 3/4 of the front of the tranny cooler. Now my temps come up to the 135*-150* mark in the same drive where they would only get up to 120* with the cooler uncovered.

[Jrs3800]

Just a curious question... Did you plumb through the radiator? or bypass it?

[quicksilver]

Sweet stufff, how much more effective would this tranny cooler be compared to one with the round tube surrounded by fins?

[00Beast]

100x more effective. Tons more surface area for the fluid to be cooled. The round tube and fin style is the worst for cooling efficiency....

[Bing]

I bypassed it.

[Jrs3800]

That partly explains why the trans is staying cold... But with what you have done and the way you cover it for the cooler months, this trans should serve you well for a long time... Or at least you won't have a heat related failure..

Good work...

[Bing]

I figure once winter comes I'll have to just about fully enclose the cooler. It's just kind of a balancing act right now. I know that I don't want it running cold otherwise sludge build up can happen.

Thanks Jrs3800 for the input.

[LeSabre in Buffalo]

The ATF won't sludge. It'll be super-thick, but it won't sludge like an engine will. That needs fuel and combustion to happen. Neither of which are happening in an automatic transmission. Running a synthetic ATF will help ensure cold flow and protection.

[RogueSSEi]

Maybe a dumb question but does it matter which side is send or return? Thinking about doing this to mine as well.