Transmission Coolers
 

Hi,

Can anyone tell me how well there tranny coolers work?

What model did you buy?

Where did you put it (location) in fender well or??

Was the cooler put inExternal in Series, parrell? or Stock bypass?

Any Data?

Thanks

Hmm...you'd think somebody would have asked this question before... ;)

Different people here have installed their coolers in different places. I chose where and how I installed my cooler based on a few things:

1. I put it in front of the AC condenser because clearly there's good airflow at this location. It also fits neatly and the ATF lines to and from the cooler aren't too much longer, so there's little change in overall volume of the system or length of tubing. Would a significant increase in the fluid volume outside of the tranny put extra strain on the tranny pump or other components? I have no idea, but I figure that it doesn't hurt to be cautious.

2. I completely replaced my stock cooler with the aftermarket one. Again, I didn't put it in parallel or a series because I didn't want to change the overall volume of the system too much. The stock cooler seems to do little, so this is a better replacement in a better location (not in contact with the radiator). Parallel seems to be a waste of tubing to me. If you have two paths, the ATF is going to take the one that offers the least resistance, which means one of the coolers isn't doing much. The stock cooler is so simple and such a low volume that I would bet it offers lower resistance.

I don't have any data for you, unfortunately. I know that, even after a drive on a hot day, my cooler doesn't get hot enough to be uncomfortable to touch. I have a gauge, I just haven't gotten around to installing it yet. :rolleyes: Someday I will, and I'd love to hook up the stock cooler in parallel and a series and show have some real numbers. Maybe my solution isn't the best, I dunno. But it's better than what the car came with. :p

Coolers, Thanks
 

Mr. Pockets,

Thanks for your note..

To me I would think that "Stock Cooler Bypass" would be best.

But what if...you ran a "Double Stock Cooler Bypass" in Series?

Is there a minium temp the tranny needs to operate? Or is cooler the better?

Thoughts?

Yes, there is a minimum temperature; its about 140F. If you operate below this temp, gas mileage is less, and the torque converter may not lock when you are in 4th gear on the highway. So, the radiator cooler does serve the purpose of warming the ATF during cold weather.

Cooler
 

Thank you............

Does anyone have DATA from a smaller cooler mounted IN front of the radiator? ike TEMPS?

I've got a B&M 70268 sandwiched between the a/c condensor and the radiator. ATF flows to the radiator, then the cooler, then the ATF filter, and back into the AT. The temp sensor is located in the filter mount so I see AT inlet temp. Its fine in all but the hottest weather. Last summer I was roadtripping back from CA, and coming into the Shasta Mounts on I-5, the outside temp was around 95F, and as I was going up the grades, the ATF temp was reaching about 205F even with the torque converter locking. I also had the bellypan off the car which helps to keep the temps down by about 10-15F. I think if I had put the filter in a location better shielded from the engine bay heat, the temps would have been better. If I were to change anything, I'd probably try to set up some sort of heat shield or freshair duct over the filter. It might also help to run the ATF through the filter before anything else because the ATF is already hot, and the hot air from the engine bay probably isn't going to make the ATF filter much hotter than what it already is from the ATF.

If I were you, I'd put the cooler in front of the AC condenser instead of sandwiched between the condenser and radiator. You're just putting it in between two sources of heat there. I mean, as far as I know, the condenser doesn't get as hot as the radiator, but putting it out in front might help out. As I said, mine doesn't get that hot, being out in front. I can reach under there and put my hand right on it.

Yeah, in front of the a/c condensor would be good too.

Mr. Pockets: Is there any way you could take a picture to show exactley where and how your cooler is mounted?

I found out recently my shop had installed the tranny cooler between the Condensor and the radiator. I have noticed in heavy traffic on a warm day my tranny temps being a little too high for comfort (200+). I'm pretty sure the temp sensor located prior to the tranny cooler.

Moving the tranny cooler in front of the condensor appears to be a prudent decision. Would it be difficult to move?

Temps should decrease if you move it to the front of the a/c condensor. I think the entire front bumper cover has to be removed to get at the front of the a/c condensor though.

Another option is to remove the belly pan underneath the engine compartment. The ATF temperature will drop at least 10 deg F. If you haven't tried it, give it a try. Takes about 5 minutes to remove the belly pan if the bolts are not badly rusted. I think there are something like seven 10 mm bolts. I think you have to jack up the car to get to them.

I have tried that. Removed the belly pan for the Spring Tour. Didn't see much of a change in temps.

I have the data you want
 

I have installed (Kuo and I actually) tranny coolers on 3 SVX's. a '92 and 2 '93's (mine and kozypups). On all three we installed temperature guagues on the SVX's before we installed the coolers. Here is the data.

Kuo's 92 - temp was in the mid 90's
I don't remember the brand we used but it was a little smaller than the B&M supercooler used on the other SVX's. So we installed two of those coolers in series and bypassed the stock cooler completely. On this one we put then between the condenser and the radiator.

Before the cooler he was running 200 degrees on the highway with jumps up to 240 on the city roads

After it dropped to 180 highway and rarely gets above 210 in the city

Both my and Marisa's SVX's: 93 limited edition.
We installed the B&M supercooler in front of the condenser (see picture) The bumper doesn't need to be taken off. It fits perfectly where you see it. Just slide it in and use the little ties that come with it to secure it in place and run your lines.

Before the cooler we ran over 200 degrees all the time with it jumping to 220-240 in the city. The thing about it is once it got hot (230-240 range) it just about never came down.

After installing the B&M cooler our temps dropped to about 165 almost all the time. There are times it gets up to 185 on very rare occasions. In the wintertime i have noticed that i have rarely takes more than a mile of driving before the tranny warms up enough (50 degrees) for it to engage 4th gear. It gets pretty cold here in KC..sometimes its well below zero and I still have never had a problem in the 3 years its been since i installed it.

If you want my opinion...go with the B&M Supercooler, install it in front of the condensor and be happy :) Its perfect. Oh, it only takes about 45 minutes to install.

Thanks. I had it hit 220 one day and couldn't get the temps down at all. Very frustrating. I am glad that I'm not the only one who has seen this.


I will get this taken care of soon.

Hmm..I need to put a new tranny cooler on the new car, It already has a aftermarket oil cooler for the motor, and the addition of a tranny cooler this should be interesting to find a place to put it, i did saw the front out thought, when you look at your svx dead on and there is the place where the front plate mount bolts up that spacer between the 2 openings, ive chopped it out giving the radiator a little more air flow, nothing noticable yet, but i imagine that when i do throw in a tranny cooler a little more air-flow cant hurt.


Also on topic...is there a specific tranny filter that will work better then others? i looked at mine and for a tranny with 30k miles on it that filter looks like its been on there for about 120k miles...lol...

looking to replace with something not subaru oem..