Transmission Coolers

[darrel_s]

Looking for recommendations on transmission coolers. What capacity cooler is best for my Blazer? Wont be doing much HD towing, but I'd rather over-cool than the alternative. Thanks

[Huck]

They are available from almost any auto parts store, truck rental dealers etc. Most brands are just fine. IF you have the cooling lines going to the radiator, would tend to go with a bigger then smaller one. If you don't have the cooling lines to the radiator, get the biggest one you can find. I bought mine new in the box at a flea market for $20. Installed it into my truck and before I hooked it up, I converted to a 5 speed(3 years ago!)!! Now I need to pull it and put it into my auto truck. Some say to install with the hot line going into the aux cooler before the radiator and some say to install with the exit line from the radiator to the aux then back to the trans. I tend to go with the latter as I believe it will do the best job of cooling that'a way.
You need to be real careful as to routing the cooling hose thru the rad support to avoid them getting cut by the support. I would also tend to want to use double hose clamps to make sure no leaks. You will also need to put in more trans fluid to allow for the additional volume you will have with the aux cooler. Good luck---Huck

[busterwivell]

I tend to believe that there is no such thing as.........too many tools.........too much garage..........too many cars (or trucks)........or too much tranny cooler........get the biggest one you can find.........extra ATF is a small price to pay, but that is right, check the level after you've installed it and run it till it's warm.

[junkyardjohn]

INVEST IN A TRANNY. TEMP GAGE, & WELD A FITTING FOR THE SENDER RIGHT IN YOUR TRANNY. PAN. HEAT IS THE MAJOR CAUSE (LIKE 97%) OF ALL TRANNY FAILURE, & MOST PEOPLE NEVER REALIZE THAT THEIR TRANNY. IS GETTING HOT.

[JJ]

Your tranny fluid has a certain viscosity it needs to operate at, to achieve that it has to be a certain temperature. Part of the purpose for routing the coolant lines through the radiator is to keep it at a constant temperature. That's why transmissions shift harder when they are cold. You should always route your cooler "before" the radiator, in some cases this actually helps keep the engine operating temperature down by allowing the fluid to come into the radiator cooled. The radiator can then bring the ATF back to a more efficient operating temperature. This is even more important to those running 700R4 transmissions. I'd also recommend purchasing one of the spin on filter kits that are out there, it's one more quart of fluid, and it certainly filters better than the screen inside, plus it's easier to change.

[slam33]

Most every trans shop thats worth a darn says to bypass the radiator and run as big a cooler as you can. I'm plumbing in the B&M super cooler on 3/8 hard lines. If your tranny starts to slip it's going to heat up which will pass heat on to the radiator which will heat up your motor and if your motor starts to over heat it's going to heat up your tranny. On top of that I pulled the plugs on my radiator tranny cooler to check them out, they leak coolant, not a good thing for the trans. Check out TCI's web site. They have some good info there.