Installing tranny cooler question

Not knowing what kind of driving you do or on what roads it would be hard for me to give you definitive advice one way or another. I do a fair amount of stop and go driving. Having the cooler mounted so the fans can move air over it was a solution for me. I went with a larger cooler to allow for the reduced efficiency on the highway. If you do a fair amount of highway driving then your set up will likely be adequate.

And you are right about the crap shoot. These cars are full of wonder. Wonder how long this will last, wonder what the engineer was drinking when he came up with this, wonder why a 5 speed wasn't an option, wonder, wonder, wonder....

[1994SubaruSVX]

to explain to my mechanic how to set-up the coolers parallel. hell i dont even know definitively if that is the best set-up. what i do know is that the cooler i just installed is rated very high and should be adequete to cool my tranny. here we go! just hope the damn tranny doesnt detonate!

<<just hope the damn tranny doesnt detonate>>

Aww, c'mon, where's your sense of adventure? I think you will be okay. You may want to some day put a gage on the return line to see what the performance is for your cooler under various conditions. Not that you can control those conditions but you can adjust your driving during times you know the trans is under heat stress. For instance, my wife is a reporter and Monday is her deadline to get her stories in. I have to treat her differently on Mondays than I do, say, on Wednesdays. Hope that makes sense.

[htyei]

gauge on the return line? Is that how everyone is measuring their temperatures?
before or after the cooler?

I am goign to check if a HKS gauge will fit in my tranny plug today,...... hmm Im assuming my temp readings will be ALOT higher than anyone else because of the closeness of the sensor to actual heat production.

WHat temp # should I look for?

I don't know for sure. I recall a number but I could easily be incorrect so I'll keep it to myself rather than misinform someone.

What the ideal set up would be would to have a sensor before and after the cooler to see how much cooling is taking place. Personally I'd be more interested in the temp of the fluid going back into the trans after the cooler. The trans will generate varying degrees of heat under different driving conditions and outside air temps.

If the temp coming out of the cooler, for instance, is the same as the temp going in then the problem is likely blocked air flow (dead bugs, idling in traffic, etc..). If, on the other hand (and it is a good thing we only have two ) there is great disparity between the inlet and outlet temps (high inlet/low outlet) the problem could be partial blockage somewhere in the circuit between the gages. That's why a pressure gage before and after the cooler would be nice too. But who's going to read all those gages?

[svxistentialist]

Originally posted by lightning_8669
Joe,

stock cooler. The trans also appears to perform well at temps in the 90s.

Disclaimer: "These results are recorded by untrained, unlicensed test pilot. Your results may vary."

Thanks, by the way, for the enlightening discussion.

Yeah JP, enjoyed the sparring. And 1994svx, if your new cooler is big enough, in the right place to stay cool, and getting help from the engine fans at tickover, you really don't have to worry.

Three ways to fit an extra cooler, in series with stock, in parallel with stock, and with stock bypassed. All three need the insurance of a filter to stop any further clogging materials getting to the cooler circuit.

Of the three, the series with stock would worry me most. If the stock "turbolater" gathered up more muck, neither would cool, the tranny would fry, you wouldn't know without an atf temp gauge.

Would you think the B&M is technically better than the Tru-cool JP??

Joe[not 90, he's in Montreal]

All advice given guaranteed to total BS Standard of Quality

Yes I too have enjoyed the sparring. Good mental exercise but we, inevitably, arrive at a place where personal preference needs to be exercised. I think we have arrived

I "personally" like the design of the B&M for a couple of reasons. One, it has multiple passages that reduce clogging concerns and allow for the "thermostatic" cooling by providing cool temp bypass tubes. Second, the fins, being part of the tubes, are more robust than the fins on the Tru Cool.

On the other hand the B&M cooler appears it may be more prone to air flow clogging than the Tru Cool model. But that would be an opinion and would need to be proven out over time.

[svxistentialist]

Sounds good to me. Will it fit in the rad-AC cooler interstitial space?? {I just thought that up...no idea what it means}

And how much was it? Baker Precision parts seem to have a not very precise email server. They haven't replied yet.

And I don't like you using that term GVW. My vehicle may be largish and have a fatt butt, but it is not gross!

Joe

[1994SubaruSVX]

$59.99 for my b&m tranny cooler at lucky motorsports here in memphis. i think they have a website but i have never been there. www.luckymotorsports.com, good luck.

[svxistentialist]

1994

[huck369]

The Legacy tranny filter is the same as the SVX, but keep in mind your 92 should have two filters, one in the transmission and one in-line below the battery box(this was the add on campain in 93),I'd change them both, clean the pan(and magnet) and refill with Syn. Fluid. my 2 cents,
Huck
1991 Legacy AWD Wagon 97k and for SALE!
1991 Legacy AWD Sedan 5-Speed
1992 SVX LS-Tour
1996 Outback SportHuck

Maybe want to compare price with Jeg's. I think their website is www.jegs.com. They also have a good online catalog that might be helpful.