gxl90rx7 Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 (edited) i figured i would post up my tranny cooler project, just finished today. This is the cooler i used. Perma-cool 10"x12.5'' coil, rated 20,000-22,000gvw.. $40 I thought it would be cool to have a tranny fluid temp gauge too, and now would be best time as ever to install. I decided to mount the temp sensor inline with the cooler inlet tubing. The sensor wouldnt be very accurate if something went wrong and fluid stopped flowing through the inlet tube, but i suppose i could just rely on the stock temp warning light for such an event. I found this mechanical temp gauge at Advance auto for $40 to mount it inline with the inlet tubing, i went to lowes to piece together a T fitting, which worked out pretty good. I sealed the pieces together with rtv in case of leaks Front bumper and grill being removed the cooler fit nicely in front of the condensor on the driver's side. I tip-tied the cooler to the condesor and ran the tubing through some existing holes into the engine bay i didnt know which tubes were the inlet or outlet, so i had the lines going to 2 buckets, and started it up i found out real quick, its surprising how much fluid it will move in 5 seconds I mounted the cooler sideways, the inlet at the top, outlet at the bottom. Here is the guage installed near the fuse panel And finished product: Took it for a test drive, checking for leaks and none found, which is always a good thing. The gauge never registered any temps, it stayed at 100F, so either the cooler is doing its job, or the gauge is messed up. I felt the lines, and they were hardly warm, and im sure as hell fluid is flowing through them due to my previous 'test' mentioned earlier, so i think its accurate. I just need to do some towing to test it out for sure Edited December 9, 2006 by gxl90rx7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zonianbrat Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 Nice job looks good!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLouisGod Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 Nice work, do you have any pictures where you ran the cooler lines into the trans? I looked at my AT and it has metal lines with those bung washers and bolts connecting the hoses to the trans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 Either cut the ends off the metal lines or slide the fittings back and clamp the hose on. In our case, (WD21 Pathfinders, 87-95) you need to bypass the stock cooler completely when installing an external cooler. The stock cooler doesn't flow enough fluid to keep the trans cool in the first place and clogs up very easily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gxl90rx7 Posted December 10, 2006 Author Share Posted December 10, 2006 (edited) i just remembered i forgot to add that when i started it briefly to see the fluid direction flow, i had pulled the 'engine control' fuse in the fuse panel, and it still started?? I just wanted to turn it over real quick, wasnt expecting it to start. i would think pulling the engine fuse would stop it from starting.. Edited December 10, 2006 by gxl90rx7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Boy Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 I so need to do this but always wondered if the block coolant would suffer from the external tranny cooler in front of it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedPath88 Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 I so need to do this but always wondered if the block coolant would suffer from the external tranny cooler in front of it? Many people run external tranny coolers in front of the radiator (on Pathys and others) and seldom, if ever is it a problem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Boy Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 Many people run external tranny coolers in front of the radiator (on Pathys and others) and seldom, if ever is it a problem Thanks, I really need to get on this. Makes note to himself K&N cone filter and tranny cooler. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLouisGod Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 Either cut the ends off the metal lines or slide the fittings back and clamp the hose on. In our case, (WD21 Pathfinders, 87-95) you need to bypass the stock cooler completely when installing an external cooler. The stock cooler doesn't flow enough fluid to keep the trans cool in the first place and clogs up very easily. Awesome, thanks 88. Im going to order one this week sometime and install it over vacation, when I have time to remove the stock metal lines and all the garbage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gxl90rx7 Posted December 10, 2006 Author Share Posted December 10, 2006 (edited) yeah it was very easy to do with the rubber lines, not sure how more difficult it would be with metal lines.. anyway, the temp gauge finally registered something other than 100F. spent several minutes in traffic, and sure enough it started creeping up to about 120F. As soon as i cleared traffic and got up to speed, it dropped back down to 100 again, cool as a cucumber haha. so its working like a charm, im definitely glad i finally got around to doing it. Edited December 10, 2006 by gxl90rx7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SuperSon Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 (edited) Thats one nice clean install.Would it be better to run 2 of that cooler like what 88 did on his? looks like its got more room next to it on the passenger side. Also,Can the factory be removed completely when installing this or would it be better to just leave it where its at after disconnecting the lines? Im thinking that the hose that squirts the fluid goes to the inlet of this cooler and the one that didnt goes to the outlet?, and after installing this do you have to add extra fluid to it besides that one that spilt on the bucket? Edited December 10, 2006 by SuperSon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gxl90rx7 Posted December 10, 2006 Author Share Posted December 10, 2006 (edited) thanks for everybody's comments Thats one nice clean install.Would it be better to run 2 of that cooler like what 88 did on his? looks like its got more room next to it on the passenger side. yeah i thought about that, but i just wanted to see what the temps were with just one cooler. if they get too high under loads ill do it, but your right, it shouldnt be hard to add another on the other side Also,Can the factory be removed completely when installing this or would it be better to just leave it where its at after disconnecting the lines? the factory cooler is built-in to the bottom of the radiator, so all you can do is disconnect the lines. Im thinking that the hose that squirts the fluid goes to the inlet of this cooler and the one that didnt goes to the outlet?, and after installing this do you have to add extra fluid to it besides that one that spilt on the bucket? right, i had to add about a 1/2 quart fluid to get the level back up. it didnt lose too much due to the bigger cooler Edited December 10, 2006 by gxl90rx7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Boy Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 Is this the kit you used and wondering why you mounted on the bottom instead of the top where there is more air flow? http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.a...15&autoview=sku Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SuperSon Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 Thanks Gxl :cool2: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 Just so you guys know, the plate type coolers work better than the tube-and-fin type. I don't think it really matters where you place the cooler on the front end, it'll get sufficient airflow no matter where you put it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SuperSon Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 Just so you guys know, the plate type coolers work better than the tube-and-fin type. I don't think it really matters where you place the cooler on the front end, it'll get sufficient airflow no matter where you put it. From a ford explorer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 Any type really. 88 is using coolers from a Ford Explorer. The plate types are supposed to be a little better when they're covered in mud, as opposed to the open fin-and-tube type. Plus they're more durable, if something ever hit it. But they also cost more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KILLVOX Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 Nice job man!! Got me thinkin again. Goes to top of list as soon as it gets warmer again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gxl90rx7 Posted December 11, 2006 Author Share Posted December 11, 2006 Is this the kit you used and wondering why you mounted on the bottom instead of the top where there is more air flow? http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.a...15&autoview=sku yeah thats the kit i used. it fits perfectly between the condenser and the grill, no trimming needed. I mounted it more near the bottom due to the return line needing room to clear the bumper support Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Boy Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 yeah thats the kit i used. it fits perfectly between the condenser and the grill, no trimming needed. I mounted it more near the bottom due to the return line needing room to clear the bumper support Thanks I ordered it today and I notice mine has metal tubing going into rubber hose right before the radiator. So I guess I can just hook up the new hoses to the metal tubing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Boy Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 Can I get some clarification on this, in another thread it said to have the inlet at the bottom but you put the inlet at the top??? So am confuse which way should it be. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gxl90rx7 Posted December 13, 2006 Author Share Posted December 13, 2006 inlet at the bottom?? I have it at the top, i figured it would be easier for the fluid to flow down through the cooler than to push it up through all the turns, which would mean more fluid flow, more cooling capacity, etc... but i could be wrong. and in case youre wondering the stock fluid flow direction.. iirc, it flows into the radiator on the driver's side, out back to the tranny on the passenger side. Now you dont have to do the "bucket flow test" lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Boy Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 inlet at the bottom?? I have it at the top, i figured it would be easier for the fluid to flow down through the cooler than to push it up through all the turns, which would mean more fluid flow, more cooling capacity, etc... but i could be wrong. and in case youre wondering the stock fluid flow direction.. iirc, it flows into the radiator on the driver's side, out back to the tranny on the passenger side. Now you dont have to do the "bucket flow test" lol I read in another thread that it's easier for air to escape if the inlet is on the bottom, is this not true. Also did you have to buy extra hose? They don't give you much hose in the kit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLouisGod Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 inlet at the bottom?? I have it at the top, i figured it would be easier for the fluid to flow down through the cooler than to push it up through all the turns, which would mean more fluid flow, more cooling capacity, etc... but i could be wrong. and in case youre wondering the stock fluid flow direction.. iirc, it flows into the radiator on the driver's side, out back to the tranny on the passenger side. Now you dont have to do the "bucket flow test" lol thanks very much for the flow direction of the fluid! that saves me a lil mess Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gxl90rx7 Posted December 14, 2006 Author Share Posted December 14, 2006 I read in another thread that it's easier for air to escape if the inlet is on the bottom, is this not true. Also did you have to buy extra hose? They don't give you much hose in the kit. well i figure (after seeing how fast the fluid actually flows) all the air in the lines will get pushed through the first time you start it, and end up back in the tranny and eventually back out the fill tube but after i started it the first time, i took off the lower hose again to see if the cooler was still filled with fluid, and nothing came out. ..as if the fluid had all drained back into the tranny through the lower hose ?? im not sure if this is normal operation.. maybe one of the forum gods can offer some insight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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