installing a hitch
Posted: Wed May 11, 2011 4:48 pm
if i install a trailer hitch, would i need to install a transmission cooler? and how many pounds can my car tow?
It just depends on what you plan to pull. (I don't know the maximum tow weight, I'll let others chime in on that.)
I have a hitch, but the only thing that I connect to it is my bike rack. For something like that, no transmission cooler is needed. If you're only planning to very occasionally pull light weights over short distances with no hills, you don't *have* to install a transmission cooler. Your transmission already has lines that go to part of your radiator for cooling.
But having said that, the stock transmission can really benefit from an outboard transmission cooler even without a hitch if you're never towing anything. As they're relatively inexpensive and can even be installed yourself if you're moderately handy with tools, it is actually a rather popular upgrade project around here. I'm sure several others can point you to their "how to" articles if you're interested.
If you do any mountain driving you can observe your coolant temp rise when you're going up long grades. The heat is actually coming from the transmission, soaking into your engine's cooling system through the small radiator cooling passage. It's doing its job, transferring excess heat to the coolant so it can be shed through the radiator, but this can cause you to run with elevated temps over some period of time if you're in the mountains for a while, compounded if the outside ambient temperature is hot. Since we've absolutely seen heat related failures of gaskets and plastic manifolds, adding an external transmission cooler can give you some real protection to your engine (not to mention your transmission) even if you never tow anything.
So it's a good upgrade idea, even if you don't tow. If you do plan on towing any sort of weight over long hauls or hills, then absolutely install a cooler.