Okay, so here's my dilema. I just had the tranny replaced last week after it self imploded. While the car was at the dealership getting the new tranny put in, I figured since I have a tranny cooler sitting in a box on my work bench waiting to be installed, I'd ask the service advisor if they could throw it on, whether it costs me or not, but I figured it'd be less expensive since the tranny was out and there was better access to it. Anyway, the advisor told me that he wouldn't do it, not only because it would cause warranty issues with the replacement tranny (even though I know all about the Moss Act) but he also said that the cooler wouldn't do anything to help with the tranny. He said heat isn't the issue with them failing and it would be a waste of money.

So, anyone with any comments on this? Should I just sell the tranny cooler or is it really worth having it installed? I know it's not too tough of a job so it's plausible I can install it myself? Thanks for any help!

 

some people swear by them but seeing how it has NO EFFECT on how long the trans lives in these cars, I would say save your change and just change your fluid once a year or every 30K.

Trans fluid gets toasted during 2-3 shift and a cooler will not do a thing to prevent that nor will it do anything to prevent the 2nd gear from overheating if you don't have the jet kit installed.

 

Like I said before, I notice no difference. But as long as I stay on top of the 30k service I'll be fine.

An extra gear would be nice.

 

not sure where you guys get your information but the clutch packs in 2-3 get worn because of poor lubrication. notice i said POOR lubrication, this means those packs ARE getting fluid but not to the best effeciency. that being said, HEAT is the FINAL effect that causes damage. by reducing transmission fluid temperatures, the more effecient the fluid is at lubricating all the parts. keep in mind you dont want the fluid ice cold, as our system actually is developed to heat up the fluid to ideal temperatures. but there isn't much in place that will reduce temperatures. i recommend a tranny cooler.

point in case: the cooler your tranny fluid is, the less wear the parts experience, the longer it lasts.

if someone tells you otherwise they are either uneducated, don't care, or covering themselves (i.e. acura employees)

 

^^^


The tranny cooler stabilizes the fluid temp especially after a hard run or in 110 degree weather. Shifts are more consistent and fluid does not take as much abuse. I'm also running Amsoil which also helps.

 

lets revisit chem 101, what happens to metal when it is heated w/out something stable cooling it down? It EXPLODES when it reaches a certain temperature, just like our tranny. I don't know about all of you, but if you think about the reasons given to us about our tranny failure, "tranny might fail due to overheating of 2nd gear pack, acura will check 2nd gear for discoloration and replace tranny if necessary" (i'm sure all of you have heard that before) which led to acura installing an oil jet kit in order to give that 2nd gear pack more lubrication so that it doesn't get too hot. Common sense people, heat kills and anything that you can do to help keep the tranny fluid stable WILL help your tranny. This isn't a mod that you can feel like an intake or exhaust, it's a mod for preventive maintance. and DON'T listen to your service advisor, more than half don't know what their are talking about. Heck, we know more about our car than they do.

 

Thanks for the advice, guys. I agree, I think it's preventative measure since I was led to believe it IS heat that causes our tranny issues. I think he just didn't want to deal with installing an aftermarket part. Figures. He was a nice guy and seemed like he knew a decent amount about the car but yeah, 9 out of 10 times people who own the car and research it know more than a service advisor that deals with a bunch of different Acuras all day long. I think I'm going to install it in a few weeks. ~Gracias~

 

What chem class did you take?

Metals MELT and become more malleable (not explode) at high temperatures

 

But it doesnt help our problem.

I had 4 failures with the cooler on. It didnt make a difference.

 

Really? Damn, 4 failures? Do you drive like a maniac or what?

 

I don't recall he claimed that he did.

The biggest problem with the auto tranny is that it's a POOR design. Period. Some people get lucky with their transmission and it lasts forever, other people...it just keeps dying.

 

yes, it melts, but due to the force and speed of the gear rotation, it will come apart and those parts will be force out at a high rate, i.e. explode

 

Correct. Its a trans design problem, not a fluid problem. No fluid or fluid temp will save them.

 

then what's the purpose of the oil jet kit, from my understanding, acura installed them to add more lubrication which reduces heat. if that's not the purpose then please tell me otherwise.

 

If your tranny is gonna asplode, the cooler will not prevent it.

If your tranny is not gonna asplode, the cooler should help reduce wear, and keep the fluid from breaking down.

end

 

Exactly! It's not all about planning for the apocalypse. Not all tranny's will fail. If you're a long term owner, hope that it doesn't and get the most out of your car. If you've got a tranny that's not one that fails in the first 100K, a cooler will extend it's life.

 

The oil jet kit is to help lube up the 2nd gear clutch packs so they won't overheat. They aren't getting enough lube from the flaw of the design.

 

unfortunately while the cooler does help keep the fluid cooler, the heat build up is actually internal and temps are above 315F. This is what kills the fluid and clutches and is directly related to insufficient fluid flow not the lack of a trans cooler. Once the fluid has heated to that degree, it's already toasted.....

 

Problem is the fluid is cooked BEFORE it reaches the cooler.....it is a design flaw Internal to the trans, not a design flaw due to isufficient fluid cooling