Trans fluid cooling lines. - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network

eightbanger · 03-13-2009, 11:03 AM

I need to know which way round the lines are supposed to go....flow and return descriptions don't help as i'm dumb that way. As there are two holes on the rad...upper & lower, and two holes on the TH400...upper & lower but set at a slight angle. Am I right in thinking that that the upper hole on the trans relates to the upper hole on the Rad, and then the lower hole on the Trans would relate to lower on the Rad??? Or do the lines do some crossover thing and run to opposite holes...top to bottom, bottom to top?

Andy4639 · 03-13-2009, 11:33 AM

Doesn't really matter as long as they are hooked up. If my memory serves me right the bottom one on the trans is the out going and then I ran it to the external cooler then the bottom of radiator then top of radiator back to transmission top. I think.

lyrikz · 03-13-2009, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eightbanger

I need to know which way round the lines are supposed to go....flow and return descriptions don't help as i'm dumb that way. As there are two holes on the rad...upper & lower, and two holes on the TH400...upper & lower but set at a slight angle. Am I right in thinking that that the upper hole on the trans relates to the upper hole on the Rad, and then the lower hole on the Trans would relate to lower on the Rad??? Or do the lines do some crossover thing and run to opposite holes...top to bottom, bottom to top?

I would like an answer to this question also.

72_cheyenne · 03-13-2009, 01:21 PM

The trans lines are installed to the rad in the order from top to top and bottom to bottom. no crossover what so ever

lyrikz · 03-13-2009, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 72_cheyenne

The trans lines are installed to the rad in the order from top to top and bottom to bottom. no crossover what so ever

Cool beans..
What if you add an inline cooler in the front??? Bottom to the bottom of the oil cooler, the top of the oil cooler to the bottom of the radiator, and the radiator to the top of the trans correct?

eightbanger · 03-13-2009, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 72_cheyenne

The trans lines are installed to the rad in the order from top to top and bottom to bottom. no crossover what so ever

OK!! clear as crystal, now i'm happy... thanks 72_cheyenne.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lyrikz

Cool beans..
What if you add an inline cooler in the front??? Bottom to the bottom of the oil cooler, the top of the oil cooler to the bottom of the radiator, and the radiator to the top of the trans correct?

Lyrikz do you have an extra oil cooler as well as the one in your rad?

Andy4639 · 03-13-2009, 05:49 PM

The lines don't care which one is which. There is nothing there to make any differance. I have my external cooler with the lines facing up. No air can get traped in the cooler like this. You can run the lines to the cooler inside the radaitor first if you want it doesn't matter.

lyrikz · 03-13-2009, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eightbanger

OK!! clear as crystal, now i'm happy... thanks 72_cheyenne.

Lyrikz do you have an extra oil cooler as well as the one in your rad?

Yes... You want to run an external. The radiator one isnt sufficient from what everyone tells me.. At least fo rmy setup.

eightbanger · 03-13-2009, 06:18 PM

That's interesting lyrikz, I have just sent my trans & converter into the shop to find out why it's dumping fluid when I park, and the guy suspects that the fluid is overheating. Now he thinks it may be the Converter slipping but what you have said has made me think on.

lyrikz · 03-13-2009, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eightbanger

That's interesting lyrikz, I have just sent my trans & converter into the shop to find out why it's dumping fluid when I park, and the guy suspects that the fluid is overheating. Now he thinks it may be the Converter slipping but what you have said has made me think on.

The truck i got my 454 and my th400 out of only used the cooler thats in the radiator. Well, thats a 270hp engine... Mines 500hp beast thats going to do a lot of idling and burnouts and what not... Its really cheap to add a tranny cooler in the front and the tranny will LOVE YOU in the end....

eightbanger · 03-13-2009, 06:44 PM

The odd thing is that when I bought my Truck it came with an external cooler only,

but the Rad was the wrong size for the Truck

So I replaced it with this

So thanks for the eye opener lyrikz...it would seem I need the added cooler.

lyrikz · 03-13-2009, 06:45 PM

AHAHA.. Ya, those 4 cores are a bit spendy... thats what the PO probably did..

Andy4639 · 03-13-2009, 08:38 PM

Here is mine. The reason I ran the cooler lines to the internal first is it doesn't cool as good as the external so I ran my lines to the bottom of Radaitor internal cooler then to the external cooler. then back to the transmission.
This should give me the coolest return tempperature.

**leddzepp** · 03-13-2009, 09:08 PM

You should always run your cooler lines through the heat exchanger in the radiator. Water dissipates heat faster than air. Aux tranny coolers are great, but should always be used in conjunction with, not in place of the heat exchanger.

crazy longhorn · 03-13-2009, 09:26 PM

Feed the cooler from the bottom to the top(thats the way the factory engineers set it up). If you run an auxillery in front(mounted horizontal), feed out the top of the factory cooler, into the bottom of the auxillery, then back to the trans from the top of the auxillery. This is said to keep the air bubbles out of the coolers, & let them work more efficiently..........crazyL

Longhorn Man · 03-13-2009, 09:44 PM

air bubbles will get pumped out by the time you've topped off the tranny after the cooler install. If your tranny can't pump out the air in there, then you have bigger issues.
As for a tranny overheating and barfing it's fluid... unless you are doing 30 min long burnouts, or towing a freightliner through 6 inch deep mud, then there's some seriouse isses going on in there too. If the the tranny was slipping enough to create that much heat, you should have felt it way before it got that hot.

eightbanger · 03-14-2009, 04:51 AM

Thanks guys...i'll wait for the mechanics verdict on the trans & converter before I do anything.

Sport/Truck · 03-14-2009, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eightbanger

The odd thing is that when I bought my Truck it came with an external cooler only,

So I replaced it with this

So thanks for the eye opener lyrikz...it would seem I need the added cooler.

What brand of transmission lines are those? It seems to have an extra bend in the long section between the 90* and 45* bends.
s/t

eightbanger · 03-14-2009, 12:23 PM

I bought that setup from one of our vendors...Wes, at Classic Heartbeat. He put the extra bend in the line when I told him what engine and trans I was running. He may be able to give you more detail on the particular make.
Hope this helps.

shooterpcb · 03-14-2009, 03:25 PM

My TH350 doesnt have cooler lines and my aftermarket radiator doesnt have a place for them. Should I get a trans cooler and lines for it? What kind is recommended?

Longhorn Man · 03-14-2009, 03:26 PM

you NEED one, otherwise your trans might last for a season.

**leddzepp** · 03-15-2009, 04:07 AM

If you don't have a lot of cash, at the minimum, get an after market cooler and run some rubber hose lines to your transmission. You can get a universal kit almost anywhere for around $50. If you can afford it, replace your radiator with one that has a heat exchanger. Look in the parts forum, lots of times members are selling good used factory radiators on the cheap.

mrein3 · 03-15-2009, 11:51 AM

A couple of things about transmission 'coolers'. I put coolers in quotes on purpose. Sometimes you want a warmer because you can have fluid that is too cold.

Up here in the north country where one may drive a truck in -30 fahrenheit air temps, having an external transmission cooler may cool the fluid down too well. So up here one should run the hot fluid from the transmission TO the external cooler then to the tank in the radiator. Down south where it is hot all the time you want the opposite. Run the hot line to the radiator then to the external cooler. I know a guy that fabbed up an "H" configuration with a bunch of valves to direct the hot tranny to the radiator first in the summer and to the external cooler first in the winter. But in my opinion that is overkill.

On eightbanger's truck - the one that came with external only - I would guess a previous owner wanted an auto but was too lazy or cheap to purchase the right radiator so he used the bailing wire approach and plumbed in an external cooler because it is easy.

shooterpcb - like Longhorn Man said, get something on there. You can do it right the first time and get an in-line tube kit and new radiator with the tank installed for the tranny fluid like in eightbanger's picture or use the bailing wire approach and just plumb in an external cooler. Pick one and do it fast.

**VetteVet** · 03-15-2009, 12:46 PM

My favorite diagram for this.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1237136504

shooterpcb · 03-15-2009, 01:15 PM

I have a Griffin aluminum radiator in my truck now. I will get an external trans cooler installed if I can. We don't see too many days down here in Alabama that we need anything heated up.

03-13-2009, 11:03 AM	#1
eightbanger 454 MAKES IT ROAR Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Essex, U.K Posts: 2,701	Trans fluid cooling lines. I need to know which way round the lines are supposed to go....flow and return descriptions don't help as i'm dumb that way. As there are two holes on the rad...upper & lower, and two holes on the TH400...upper & lower but set at a slight angle. Am I right in thinking that that the upper hole on the trans relates to the upper hole on the Rad, and then the lower hole on the Trans would relate to lower on the Rad??? Or do the lines do some crossover thing and run to opposite holes...top to bottom, bottom to top? __________________ Nigel. An American living in a British body. 1971 Chevy Cheyenne 10 454 "In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." - George Orwell "When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty" - Thomas Jefferson No more pain. 03.12.60 -- 12.28.10 http://www.youtube.com/Eightbanger

03-13-2009, 11:33 AM	#2
Andy4639 Old member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Liberty, & Garden City S.C. , U.S. Posts: 19,945	Re: Trans fluid cooling lines. Doesn't really matter as long as they are hooked up. If my memory serves me right the bottom one on the trans is the out going and then I ran it to the external cooler then the bottom of radiator then top of radiator back to transmission top. I think. __________________ 1971 LWB Custom, 6.0LS & 4L80E, Speedhut.com GPS speedometer & gauges with A/C. 20" Boss 338's Grey wheels 4 wheel disc brakes. My Driver Seeing the USA in a 71 Upstate SC GM Truck Club 2013,14 and 2016 Hot Rod Pour Tour http://upstategmtrucks.com/ Get out and drive the truck this summer and have some fun! It sucks not being able to hear! LWB trucks rule, if you don't think so measure your SWB! After talking to tech support at Air Lift I have found out that the kit I need is 60811. Per the measurements I gave them. Ride height of truck inside spring and inside diameter of springs.

03-13-2009, 01:21 PM	#4
72_cheyenne Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: San Antonio Texas Posts: 57	Re: Trans fluid cooling lines. The trans lines are installed to the rad in the order from top to top and bottom to bottom. no crossover what so ever __________________ Red Chevy's

03-13-2009, 05:49 PM	#7
Andy4639 Old member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Liberty, & Garden City S.C. , U.S. Posts: 19,945	Re: Trans fluid cooling lines. The lines don't care which one is which. There is nothing there to make any differance. I have my external cooler with the lines facing up. No air can get traped in the cooler like this. You can run the lines to the cooler inside the radaitor first if you want it doesn't matter. __________________ 1971 LWB Custom, 6.0LS & 4L80E, Speedhut.com GPS speedometer & gauges with A/C. 20" Boss 338's Grey wheels 4 wheel disc brakes. My Driver Seeing the USA in a 71 Upstate SC GM Truck Club 2013,14 and 2016 Hot Rod Pour Tour http://upstategmtrucks.com/ Get out and drive the truck this summer and have some fun! It sucks not being able to hear! LWB trucks rule, if you don't think so measure your SWB! After talking to tech support at Air Lift I have found out that the kit I need is 60811. Per the measurements I gave them. Ride height of truck inside spring and inside diameter of springs.

03-13-2009, 06:18 PM	#9
eightbanger 454 MAKES IT ROAR Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Essex, U.K Posts: 2,701	Re: Trans fluid cooling lines. That's interesting lyrikz, I have just sent my trans & converter into the shop to find out why it's dumping fluid when I park, and the guy suspects that the fluid is overheating. Now he thinks it may be the Converter slipping but what you have said has made me think on. __________________ Nigel. An American living in a British body. 1971 Chevy Cheyenne 10 454 "In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." - George Orwell "When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty" - Thomas Jefferson No more pain. 03.12.60 -- 12.28.10 http://www.youtube.com/Eightbanger

03-13-2009, 06:44 PM	#11
eightbanger 454 MAKES IT ROAR Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Essex, U.K Posts: 2,701	Re: Trans fluid cooling lines. The odd thing is that when I bought my Truck it came with an external cooler only, but the Rad was the wrong size for the Truck So I replaced it with this So thanks for the eye opener lyrikz...it would seem I need the added cooler. __________________ Nigel. An American living in a British body. 1971 Chevy Cheyenne 10 454 "In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." - George Orwell "When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty" - Thomas Jefferson No more pain. 03.12.60 -- 12.28.10 http://www.youtube.com/Eightbanger

03-13-2009, 06:45 PM	#12
lyrikz PITbut Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: monroe washington Posts: 3,052	Re: Trans fluid cooling lines. AHAHA.. Ya, those 4 cores are a bit spendy... thats what the PO probably did..

03-13-2009, 08:38 PM	#13
Andy4639 Old member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Liberty, & Garden City S.C. , U.S. Posts: 19,945	Re: Trans fluid cooling lines. Here is mine. The reason I ran the cooler lines to the internal first is it doesn't cool as good as the external so I ran my lines to the bottom of Radaitor internal cooler then to the external cooler. then back to the transmission. This should give me the coolest return tempperature. __________________ 1971 LWB Custom, 6.0LS & 4L80E, Speedhut.com GPS speedometer & gauges with A/C. 20" Boss 338's Grey wheels 4 wheel disc brakes. My Driver Seeing the USA in a 71 Upstate SC GM Truck Club 2013,14 and 2016 Hot Rod Pour Tour http://upstategmtrucks.com/ Get out and drive the truck this summer and have some fun! It sucks not being able to hear! LWB trucks rule, if you don't think so measure your SWB! After talking to tech support at Air Lift I have found out that the kit I need is 60811. Per the measurements I gave them. Ride height of truck inside spring and inside diameter of springs.

03-13-2009, 09:08 PM	#14
leddzepp Moderator Join Date: May 2007 Location: Southern Cal Posts: 20,022	Re: Trans fluid cooling lines. You should always run your cooler lines through the heat exchanger in the radiator. Water dissipates heat faster than air. Aux tranny coolers are great, but should always be used in conjunction with, not in place of the heat exchanger.

03-13-2009, 09:26 PM	#15
crazy longhorn Fabricate till you "puke" Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Ill Posts: 9,402	Re: Trans fluid cooling lines. Feed the cooler from the bottom to the top(thats the way the factory engineers set it up). If you run an auxillery in front(mounted horizontal), feed out the top of the factory cooler, into the bottom of the auxillery, then back to the trans from the top of the auxillery. This is said to keep the air bubbles out of the coolers, & let them work more efficiently..........crazyL __________________ 69 longhorn,4" chop,3/5 drop, 1/2 ton suspension/disc brakes,1 1/2" body drop,steel tilt clip, 5.3/Edelbrock rpm intake/600 carb, Hooker streetrod shorties,2 1/2" exhaust/ H pipe/50's Flows , 6 spd Richmond trans,12 bolt/ 3.40 gears....

03-13-2009, 09:44 PM	#16
Longhorn Man its all about the +6 inches Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Hilliard Ohio Posts: 2,693	Re: Trans fluid cooling lines. air bubbles will get pumped out by the time you've topped off the tranny after the cooler install. If your tranny can't pump out the air in there, then you have bigger issues. As for a tranny overheating and barfing it's fluid... unless you are doing 30 min long burnouts, or towing a freightliner through 6 inch deep mud, then there's some seriouse isses going on in there too. If the the tranny was slipping enough to create that much heat, you should have felt it way before it got that hot.

03-14-2009, 04:51 AM	#17
eightbanger 454 MAKES IT ROAR Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Essex, U.K Posts: 2,701	Re: Trans fluid cooling lines. Thanks guys...i'll wait for the mechanics verdict on the trans & converter before I do anything. __________________ Nigel. An American living in a British body. 1971 Chevy Cheyenne 10 454 "In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." - George Orwell "When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty" - Thomas Jefferson No more pain. 03.12.60 -- 12.28.10 http://www.youtube.com/Eightbanger

03-14-2009, 12:23 PM	#19
eightbanger 454 MAKES IT ROAR Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Essex, U.K Posts: 2,701	Re: Trans fluid cooling lines. I bought that setup from one of our vendors...Wes, at Classic Heartbeat. He put the extra bend in the line when I told him what engine and trans I was running. He may be able to give you more detail on the particular make. Hope this helps. __________________ Nigel. An American living in a British body. 1971 Chevy Cheyenne 10 454 "In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." - George Orwell "When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty" - Thomas Jefferson No more pain. 03.12.60 -- 12.28.10 http://www.youtube.com/Eightbanger

03-14-2009, 03:25 PM	#20
shooterpcb Registered User Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: alabama Posts: 72	Re: Trans fluid cooling lines. My TH350 doesnt have cooler lines and my aftermarket radiator doesnt have a place for them. Should I get a trans cooler and lines for it? What kind is recommended?

03-14-2009, 03:26 PM	#21
Longhorn Man its all about the +6 inches Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Hilliard Ohio Posts: 2,693	Re: Trans fluid cooling lines. you NEED one, otherwise your trans might last for a season.



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03-15-2009, 04:07 AM	#22
leddzepp Moderator Join Date: May 2007 Location: Southern Cal Posts: 20,022	Re: Trans fluid cooling lines. If you don't have a lot of cash, at the minimum, get an after market cooler and run some rubber hose lines to your transmission. You can get a universal kit almost anywhere for around $50. If you can afford it, replace your radiator with one that has a heat exchanger. Look in the parts forum, lots of times members are selling good used factory radiators on the cheap.

03-15-2009, 11:51 AM	#23
mrein3 Registered User Join Date: Feb 2000 Location: Center City, MN, USA Posts: 3,253	Re: Trans fluid cooling lines. A couple of things about transmission 'coolers'. I put coolers in quotes on purpose. Sometimes you want a warmer because you can have fluid that is too cold. Up here in the north country where one may drive a truck in -30 fahrenheit air temps, having an external transmission cooler may cool the fluid down too well. So up here one should run the hot fluid from the transmission TO the external cooler then to the tank in the radiator. Down south where it is hot all the time you want the opposite. Run the hot line to the radiator then to the external cooler. I know a guy that fabbed up an "H" configuration with a bunch of valves to direct the hot tranny to the radiator first in the summer and to the external cooler first in the winter. But in my opinion that is overkill. On eightbanger's truck - the one that came with external only - I would guess a previous owner wanted an auto but was too lazy or cheap to purchase the right radiator so he used the bailing wire approach and plumbed in an external cooler because it is easy. shooterpcb - like Longhorn Man said, get something on there. You can do it right the first time and get an in-line tube kit and new radiator with the tank installed for the tranny fluid like in eightbanger's picture or use the bailing wire approach and just plumb in an external cooler. Pick one and do it fast. __________________ '70 cab, '71 chassis, 383, TH350, NP205. '71 Malibu convertible '72 Malibu hard top Center City, MN

03-15-2009, 12:46 PM	#24
VetteVet Msgt USAF Ret Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Kalamazoo, Michigan Posts: 8,717	Re: Trans fluid cooling lines. My favorite diagram for this. http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1237136504 Attached Images __________________ VetteVet metallic green 67 stepside 74 corvette convertible 1965 Harley sportster 1995 Harley wide glide Growing old is hell, but it beats the alternative.

03-15-2009, 01:15 PM	#25
shooterpcb Registered User Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: alabama Posts: 72	Re: Trans fluid cooling lines. I have a Griffin aluminum radiator in my truck now. I will get an external trans cooler installed if I can. We don't see too many days down here in Alabama that we need anything heated up.

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