Trans Cooler Questions

[CHEVIBUBBA]

Originally Posted by Big69C20 Toy

I'm not allowed to discuss fully what i've done... but in regards to how drivetrain interacts with the motor, fluid temp of the trans and engine make large differences when coasting etc and do 'drag' on the vehicle when trying to accelerate.

I fully agree a cooler trans is good, but too cold <60F and the viscocity of fluid gets thicker, though i know trans fluid is about the best fluid there is for COLD (<-30F) and still maintaining function and then coming to temperature well.

For any normal operating conditions you're not going to have any issues with stuff being too cold, just on those frigid mornings when your vehicle has been outside and is way cold... the initial fluid losses are up there ~20%+ in the driveline when you are doing coasting and such... but like i said things warm up pretty quick and that isn't much of an issue any more.

Hugr: the idea of keeping that trans cooler and helping the motor sounds very logical, since a trans case is aluminum (much better at dissipating heat) and is connected to the back of the block...

As for the best configuration for cooling oil,trans,engine i'm still thinking it's mostly vehicle configuration dependant.

Too cold an engine isn't a good thing (actually not good at all=greater innefficency) so there is a fine line between the good and evil worlds of heat here.
rock on

true the fluid does create drag as does any & all drivetrain parts.
question is how much power is lost from between say 180 degrees vs. 80?
is it 1%? 1/10th of 1%? 10%?
unless testing on a high quality, calibrated dyno has shown a repeatable power loss, larger than the margin of error in the dyno, due to low trans fluid temp & no other causes, the data is flawed.
if dyno testing has shown a large power loss due to low trans fluid temp it may only apply to the tranny tested, etc.

as for size & location;
i highly recomend mounting an elec. fan on the biggest oil/tranny cooler you can get.
then mount it under the bed on the passenger side at an angle to promote airflow while in motion.ie:the top should be forward with the bottom angling away to the lower rear.support the cooler by means other than the line connections or it will start leaking.
with the fan mounted on top of the cooler.
this will allow the fan to pull,(most efficient), when at rest.
where ever you put it, DON'T mount it in front of the rad/condensor.
it will decrease the airs' ability to cool the rad/condensor dramatically.
from a aerodynamic standpoint it reduces the pressure differetial across the rad/condensor.what air makes it to the rad is hotter.
from a balance standpoint;it adds weight to an already forward biased weight imbalance.