Trans cooler install

blueblur1984

blueblur1984

New member
This one is a little picture light but it was raining and I wanted to get a move on. First things first...what I would do differently:

1. Skip the trans cooler model that has a built in fan. It sounds better on paper but it IS 10 TIMES HARDER TO INSTALL!

2. Be more careful purchasing the trans cooler. I bought one with 1/2 inlets, which means I needed to piece together a reducer to make it meet up to the factory components.

3. Spend the extra money and just buy the kit. I saved probably $100 piecing it together myself, but what a pain in the butt. If you are going to piece it together, do it at a speed shop instead of online. At least you'll be able to get together before paying for it.

Really the only thing different about this trans cooler install versus most of the other ones is the size and shape required me to make my own bracket. It's pretty straight forward from the pictures...the only necessary modification is drilling one hole and removing the lower middle post from your grill (mine was broken anyhow :/). I wired the thermostat and fan to a relay, but between this, the new HID's I put in today, and the aux lights going in next...I may need to install another fuse box.

If anybody has suggestions to improve the design or questions about how it went together feel free to post.
 

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If it saves your tranny from a kaboom right on.
Why not go the route of say, a B&M? I'm trying to understand saving $100
when it shouldn't even cost that to begin with? Because of fan/switch?
 
GhostRing said:
If it saves your tranny from a kaboom right on.
Why not go the route of say, a B&M? I'm trying to understand saving $100
when it shouldn't even cost that to begin with? Because of fan/switch?
Click to expand...

Lol, exactly. Save $100? My install didn't even cost $50 to begin with!
 
I am here to rain on your parade.

First, unless you plan to install the cooler in a remote location away from the radiator, don't waste your time and money on the cooler fan. The truck has a huge fan driven by a 200hp engine and if you get the new cooler flush up against the AC condenser, the air flow will be enough to cool the trans cooler.

Second, the fan you have is probably a puller fan which means you are probably not getting any cooling affect from your setup. The engine fan is pulling rearward and your cooler fan is pulling forward and there isn't enough room for the cooler to draw any air thru the cooler.
* If the fan is a pusher, then you have a fan that is only 70% as efficient as a puller fan. A big waste of money.

Now you mentioned buying a kit to save money. Most coolers come with 11/32" but you really need 3/8" hose that small difference in hose size reduces the oil flow by 30% and puts a load on the transmission oil pump which you do not want.

The better choice is to buy a B&M 70264 and buy some extra trans cooler hose 3/8" (its pricey but a good investment). You can buy a cooler on ebay for $70 or on craigslist for $50 when they are listed.

Avoid the fin and tube type coolers. They are less resistant to damage and less efficient.

If you by-pass the radiator you will need two coolers not just one. And a guage to monitor the temps under all conditions. and lastly, that fan switch is probably set to come on at 180* which is WAY TOOOOO late to be effective.
 
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Drcoffee said:
I am here to rain on your parade.

First, unless you plan to install the cooler in a remote location away from the radiator, don't waste your time and money on the cooler fan. The truck has a huge fan driven by a 200hp engine and if you get the new cooler flush up against the AC condenser, the air flow will be enough to cool the trans cooler.

Second, the fan you have should be a puller fan which means you are probably not getting any cooling affect from your setup. The engine fan is pulling rearward and your cooler fan is pulling forward and there isn't enough room for the cooler to draw any air thru the cooler.
* If the fan is a pusher, then you have a fan that is only 70% as efficient as a puller fan. A big waste of money.

Now you mentioned buying a kit to save money. Most coolers come with 11/32" but you really need 3/8" hose that small difference in hose size reduces the oil flow by 30% and puts a load on the transmission oil pump which you do not want.

The better choice is to buy a B&M 70264 and buy some extra trans cooler hose 3/8" (its pricey but a good investment). You can buy a cooler on ebay for $70 or on craigslist for $50 when they are listed.

Avoid the fin and tube type coolers. They are less resistant to damage and less efficient.

If you by-pass the radiator you will need two coolers not just one. And a guage to monitor the temps under all conditions. and lastly, that fan switch is probably set to come on at 180* which is WAY TOOOOO late to be effective.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if I agree with that last part or not. Why do you need two coolers if you bypass the radiator? There are plenty of people on here who bypass the radiator and just use the B&M cooler, and still have cooler tans oil than stock.

And why would 180° be too late to be effective?
 
Drcoffee said:
I am here to rain on your parade.

First, unless you plan to install the cooler in a remote location away from the radiator, don't waste your time and money on the cooler fan. The truck has a huge fan driven by a 200hp engine and if you get the new cooler flush up against the AC condenser, the air flow will be enough to cool the trans cooler.

Second, the fan you have is probably a puller fan which means you are probably not getting any cooling affect from your setup. The engine fan is pulling rearward and your cooler fan is pulling forward and there isn't enough room for the cooler to draw any air thru the cooler.
* If the fan is a pusher, then you have a fan that is only 70% as efficient as a puller fan. A big waste of money.

Now you mentioned buying a kit to save money. Most coolers come with 11/32" but you really need 3/8" hose that small difference in hose size reduces the oil flow by 30% and puts a load on the transmission oil pump which you do not want.

The better choice is to buy a B&M 70264 and buy some extra trans cooler hose 3/8" (its pricey but a good investment). You can buy a cooler on ebay for $70 or on craigslist for $50 when they are listed.

Avoid the fin and tube type coolers. They are less resistant to damage and less efficient.

If you by-pass the radiator you will need two coolers not just one. And a guage to monitor the temps under all conditions. and lastly, that fan switch is probably set to come on at 180* which is WAY TOOOOO late to be effective.
Click to expand...

Where'd you get the fan efficiency statistic?

How is oil flow reduced? The pump will have to work harder to flow as much oil because of a smaller area, but that doesn't mean the flow will decrease. And as such, how do you get a 30% figure? The area is only decreased by 16%.

Why and what are fin/tube coolers less efficient than?

By by-pass the radiator, do you mean not using the radiator cooler in conjunction with the aftermarket cooler? And if so, why do you need two coolers? And why is 180 degrees way too late to come on?


Just want to be informed and that's a lot of figures thrown around with no explanations.
 
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Nice install, I went with this (mounted directly in front of the fan) and bypassed the radiator. The highest temp I've had was 155 (according to ScanGauge) in stop and go traffic 90+ degree weather, it averages 130.
 
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As far as the cost yes, a simple B&M would have been sufficient, a lot cheaper and a much easier install. In hindsight this would have been the way to go, but I had a $100 amazon card and that's a little more than the cooler cost me when I bought it. The cooler and fan came as a kit and I figured having the built in fan would help me if I get stuck in traffic towing the boat on the way to tahoe (steep hill + bumper to bumper has been trouble for me in the past).

The fan comes as a puller but if you flip the blade (which I did) it becomes a pusher. I checked the air flow after running it for awhile and the fan does push air through.

I'd be surprised if a kit came with anything less than 3/8 tubing if that's the inlet on the cooler, but I'll take your word for it. Any of the comparable kits I found were aroung $250 give or take $50...I spent $150 ($100 on the cooler, $50 on misc tubing and fittings). Again, there are much cheaper options but having a thermostat controlled fan is enought piece of mind for me that the extra money is worth it.

The last bit about needing two coolers...why would you say that? My understanding is that the transmission isn't even considered warmed up until around 150. Maybe toyota is more sensitive?

Automatic Transmissions

I read a couple of write ups before taking on my project and have never seen a two cooler set up. Granted the extra capacity alone helps keep it cool (same reason the old porsche 911's had 12 qt oil capacity) but at some point space is at a premium under that little hood.
 
Where'd you get the fan efficiency statistic?
Google is your friend. The numbers out there vary between 70-80%, but a pusher fan is less efficient than a puller fan. Air flow will find the path of least resistance. So pulling air over the cooler will allow the air to flow evenly across the surfaces of the cooler. When you push air, it gets forced into some crevices and not in others so the cooler is not being universally optimized. Also, when there is too much air pressure in front of a passage, it acts a dam and blocks air flow.
https://summitracing.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/146/~/pusher-vs.-puller

How is oil flow reduced? The pump will have to work harder to flow as much oil because of a smaller area, but that doesn't mean the flow will decrease. And as such, how do you get a 30% figure? The area is only decreased by 16%.
The area is decrease by 16% as you say but you have to take into consideration drag within the hose. The flow reduction is not linear vs the diameter. For example, a fluid that flows 80gpm thru a 1" hose will flow 25gpm thru a 1/2" hose.

Why and what are fin/tube coolers less efficient than?
A) the stack plate design has more surface area to release heat. The plate design also allows to fluid to slow down which is more efficient when cooling fluids. NASCAR does not use tube and fin coolers. Nough said.

By by-pass the radiator, do you mean not using the radiator cooler in conjunction with the aftermarket cooler? And if so, why do you need two coolers? And why is 180 degrees way too late to come on?
For casual driving a single cooler can maintain a reasonable temp. However if you ever go off road, the slow speed and high stress will quickly overcome the single cooler. Towing also has special needs which will require additional cooling capacity. If you want to play engineer, its better to overbuild the cooling system than to find out at the most inopportune time. The trans fluid begins to degrade at 180+. If the cooler fan is acting like block preventing air flow until it comes on at 180* its an impediment not a benefit. The best temp to run a transmission is between 120-170*. Once the fluid breaks down the tranny has to work harder.
 
Drcoffee said:
Where'd you get the fan efficiency statistic?
Google is your friend. The numbers out there vary between 70-80%, but a pusher fan is less efficient than a puller fan. Air flow will find the path of least resistance. So pulling air over the cooler will allow the air to flow evenly across the surfaces of the cooler. When you push air, it gets forced into some crevices and not in others so the cooler is not being universally optimized. Also, when there is too much air pressure in front of a passage, it acts a dam and blocks air flow.
https://summitracing.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/146/~/pusher-vs.-puller

How is oil flow reduced? The pump will have to work harder to flow as much oil because of a smaller area, but that doesn't mean the flow will decrease. And as such, how do you get a 30% figure? The area is only decreased by 16%.
The area is decrease by 16% as you say but you have to take into consideration drag within the hose. The flow reduction is not linear vs the diameter. For example, a fluid that flows 80gpm thru a 1" hose will flow 25gpm thru a 1/2" hose.

Why and what are fin/tube coolers less efficient than?
A) the stack plate design has more surface area to release heat. The plate design also allows to fluid to slow down which is more efficient when cooling fluids. NASCAR does not use tube and fin coolers. Nough said.

By by-pass the radiator, do you mean not using the radiator cooler in conjunction with the aftermarket cooler? And if so, why do you need two coolers? And why is 180 degrees way too late to come on?
For casual driving a single cooler can maintain a reasonable temp. However if you ever go off road, the slow speed and high stress will quickly overcome the single cooler. Towing also has special needs which will require additional cooling capacity. If you want to play engineer, its better to overbuild the cooling system than to find out at the most inopportune time. The trans fluid begins to degrade at 180+. If the cooler fan is acting like block preventing air flow until it comes on at 180* its an impediment not a benefit. The best temp to run a transmission is between 120-170*. Once the fluid breaks down the tranny has to work harder.
Click to expand...

No offense man, but how old are you? And what is your educational background? I really feel like you're talking out of your ass on a lot of the points you made in your post.

What do you think the cooling capacity is on the stock trans cooler? A typical external trans cooler? An external trans cooler with a friggin' fan wired up? And you're telling him his setup is "inefficient"? Umm, his cooler is probably more efficient than the rest of us who are running just the B&M with no fan. Just saying.

There's a lot more BS in your post that I'll point out when I get to my computer at work tomorrow, instead of doing this on my phone.
 
mmml4 said:
You need to rotate it 180 degrees for the oil to flow properly. Oil flow in bottom and out the top.
Click to expand...
It doesn't fit vertical and im mounting a engine oil cooler below it. I think it should flow fine all oem trans coolers I seen are mounted like this I also have a trans temp gauge so I should know if its flowing good. Il let you know how it goes.
 
mmml4 said:
You need to rotate it 180 degrees for the oil to flow properly. Oil flow in bottom and out the top.
Click to expand...

You may get an air pocket it reducing the flow. I would Use a laser thermometer and check different points on the surface for even flow pattern.
 
dunebashing toyota said:
It doesn't fit vertical and im mounting a engine oil cooler below it. I think it should flow fine all oem trans coolers I seen are mounted like this I also have a trans temp gauge so I should know if its flowing good. Il let you know how it goes.
Click to expand...


Here is a LX450/Land Cruiser, notice the orientation of the cooler, ports to the side. When the oil comes in the bottom it causes the oil to fill all of the plates before exiting the cooler which should equal better transfer of heat.

Sorry blueblur1984, didn't mean to hyjack.

http://forum.ih8mud.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=737486&stc=1&d=1363566183
 
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mmml4 said:
Here is a LX450/Land Cruiser, notice the orientation of the cooler, ports to the side. When the oil comes in the bottom it causes the oil to fill all of the plates before exiting the cooler which should equal better transfer of heat.

Sorry blueblur1984, didn't mean to hyjack.

http://forum.ih8mud.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=737486&stc=1&d=1363566183
Click to expand...

No worries. I'm thinking once I'm ready to ditch the 4runner (probably 4-5 years out) I'll swoop on an FJ80. I really wanted to get one but the 12mpg average I kept hearing about would make it a little too painful for a daily driver.
 
Now that it's been in there for awhile here's my assessment:

It works frickin' great.

I've towed a boat with it, 4+ hour drives, wheeling for hours on harsh terrain in 4 wheel low and low gear...the peak recorded temperature was 193 degrees (trans fluid can operate up to 200). Typicall it runs around 170-180 on freeway drives and normal day to day use but it seems to work pretty well. For anybody looking to do a trans cooler I can officially recommend this package.
 
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