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New trans cooler, trans gauge questions


ahardb0dy
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Anyone have any experience/opinions on the frame rail style trans oil coolers? Was reading on another forum people running them on turbo 400's with V8 engines and saying they work good for them?

 

 

OK, so everyone usually says you need a certain size trans cooler to use as a stand alone one, so if this is the cooler that is in the radiator, (see below)

 

borrowed pic from kiwipete:

 

ofuf43.jpg

 

I can't see how the smallest aftermarket tranny cooler wouldn't do a better job than the one pictured above???

 

 

Also, what temp range would be good for a trans temp gauge??

 

I was reading a thread about where to put the sender for a tranny temp gauge, being that the tranny pan is kind of tucked up out of the way how about removing the drain plug, installing a 90 degree fitting into the pan and installing the sender into the 90? That way it would keep the sender out of the way?

 

I'm probably going to make my own "block" to install inline with one of the tranny lines, I was at the hardware store the other day looking at options. They have a 1/2" pipe thread brass tee that I can screw the mechanical gauge sender adapter into, than either use barb fittings to "tee" into one of the rubber lines, or can use compression fittings to "tee" into one of the metal lines.

 

Lastly I've read conflicting opinions on whether you want to monitor the trans fluid temp before the cooler or after, what are your thoughts on this?

 

I was thinking if someone used a electrical gauge sender, you could probably install a sender in each line and connect both wires to the gauge using a switch, flip the switch one way get temp coming out of tranny, flip switch the other way get temp coming out of the cooler.

 

Thinking a lot tonight, LOL

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Afraid I don't know anything about trans temp gauges, sorry!

 

I believe 200+ degrees F is undesirable in an automatic transmission. Brief spikes are okay, but extended periods of time at such high temperatures will quickly degrade the transmission fluid.

 

I think you'll want to put the temp gauge sender after the cooler, since if the temp after it's been cooled is still too high for a long period of time, you know you need to upgrade your cooling.

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I can't see how the smallest aftermarket tranny cooler wouldn't do a better job than the one pictured above

???

Also, what temp range would be good for a trans temp gauge??

Neither can I but I don't know the BTU transfer rate, much less the needs of the big V8ers.

 

The number I have in my head 180*F max sustained, preferably lower and without spikes from what I have read.1 thing as important is to try to maintain a relatively even temperature. If the temp is going up and down constantly, all moving parts are shrinking and growing (more than you would think with synthetic materials and polymers). if your motor temp fluctuated by 50 degrees constantly, it wouldn't run nearly long.

 

I was reading a thread about where to put the sender for a tranny temp gauge, being that the tranny pan is kind of tucked up out of the way how about removing the drain plug, installing a 90 degree fitting into the pan and installing the sender into the 90? That way it would keep the sender out of the way?

 

I'm probably going to make my own "block" to install inline with one of the tranny lines, I was at the hardware store the other day looking at options. They have a 1/2" pipe thread brass tee that I can screw the mechanical gauge sender adapter into, than either use barb fittings to "tee" into one of the rubber lines, or can use compression fittings to "tee" into one of the metal lines.

Either in the pan (My1Path bought or made a banjo bolt drain plug with the sender in it. Pretty clever and should be accurate but maybe not respond as quickly, or in the out line to the cooler.

I put mine in before the inline filter in a brass T block.

 

Lastly I've read conflicting opinions on whether you want to monitor the trans fluid temp before the cooler or after, what are your thoughts on this?

 

I was thinking if someone used a electrical gauge sender, you could probably install a sender in each line and connect both wires to the gauge using a switch, flip the switch one way get temp coming out of tranny, flip switch the other way get temp coming out of the cooler.

I say before the cooler since I want to know the tranny temp. Being able to switch back and forth would be cool as you could see the temp drop. Only after the cooler doesn't tell you the tranny temp so I strongly recommend you dont do it.

 

Lastly, did you not search? This is all very well documented... :tongue:

 

B

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Was asking about the temp range for the gauge because the Autometer gauge's I'm looking at go

100 - 250 degrees

100 - 260 or

140 - 280 degrees.

100-250. If you don't hit 100, there is a serious problem. If you clear 250, there is a serious problem. That is the proper range... ;)

 

B

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I've read all the threads on this but I wanted to ask about the frame rail style coolers which I've never seen discussed on here and I wanted to see what you all said about that pathetic looking stock cooler.

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I've read all the threads on this but I wanted to ask about the frame rail style coolers which I've never seen discussed on here and I wanted to see what you all said about that pathetic looking stock cooler.

Well, it would have been a lot more concise then. :shrug:

Yeah, the stock "cooler" in the radiator is mostly relying on the coolant temp to keep it at 180, but we all know that it can run way higher in the mountains, when towing or if it clogs. Probably why some of the R50s came with a secondary cooler infront of the condensor, small, maybe 8k btu?

When I put a larger cooler on mine, I will also re route everything so it flows out of the tranny to the temp sender, through the inline filter, into the 'stock' cooler in the radiator, to an external cooler up front, back to the tranny.

 

B

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Yeah. It's definitely connected to the auto trans though. It does look more like a power steering cooler, I thought of using it for that purpose in fact but ended up forgetting about the idea and junking that cooler.

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The benefit of the stock cooler is primarily faster warm up since the transmission fluid gets equalized with the coolant temperature. I guess in our damn hot state it'll be no big deal if you just run an auxiliary cooler and bypass the stock cooler altogether. I still fail to see how so much debris can collect that it ends up clogging the tube; I think poor maintenance of fluid is a more prevalent and more likely cause of transmission failure than the cooler tube clogging. But that's another story altogether.

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It's not the tube that clogs. I saw a pic on here a while back of a stock WD cooler taken apart, and it had what looked like mud (clutch material I guess) mounded up pretty bad on the aluminum part of the radiator that sticks down into the cooler.

 

But yeah, with proper maintenance it probably wouldn't be a problem. Sort of like how arteries usually work okay, but get all clogged up with crap if you don't keep them up... except that most of us don't have pre-owned arteries.

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  • 4 years later...

When installing the temp gauge on the A/T transmission, were you able to find a test port to utilize for your temperature sensor? Would like to avoid using a T-connector if possible. The M/T's I have are heavy and will be going up to Colorado from Texas for a week in July.

 

What kind of temperatures does everyone actually observe once the gauge is on? Can anybody report?

1. Normal driving (city highway)

2. Mountain driving (climbing up paved roads)

3. Offroading trails

4. Sand/mud pits

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