Quote:
Originally posted by mbtoloczko
I can tell you from first hand experience that if the external ATF cooler is in series with the radiator cooler (which can both cool and warm the ATF depending on the ATF temp), the ATF will not warm up enough to consistently lock the TC on the highway in cold weather. With my setup which had the external cooler in series with the radiator cooler, any time the temperature dropped below 45F, the TC would not stay locked on the highway. When the TC was unlocked, the ATF would warm up enough to allow the TC to lock. But once the TC locked, the ATF would quickly cool down, and the TC would unlock again. The cycle would just repeat endlessly. And if it got cold enough, the TC would never lock at all. My final solution before I switched over to the 5MT was to install a by-pass thermostat on the ATF line going to/from the external cooler. That actually worked great in the wintertime. The combination of the thermostat and the external cooler would regulate the ATF temperature right at 150F.
|
That's wild.
Mine's arranged as I've described above and I haven't had any experience with the torque converter not staying locked. Of course, we don't have that much consistently cold weather here, but I made two 2-plus hour highway trips on some mighty cool days back in December, smooth as silk.
On mornings when the temps drop into the mid to low 20s, my TC never locks in my 12+ mile drive to work.
My take is that the radiator cooler should moderate the ATF temp, as you said: warming or cooling as conditions dictate. That's logical to me, but then, nobody's ever accused me of being a genius.
Guess the moral of this story is: whatever works.
dcb