I hate cars

First, a big thanks to Inaccurate. I would not have had the guts to try this without his help.

This thing took about an hour. Hardest part was removing the factory clamps. After that it was easy.

What was amazing is how quickly the cooler got hot. I started the motor, got out and checked for leaks, and powerbraked mildly for 30 seconds. When I went back around to feel the cooler, I was amazed by how much heat it picked up. Within 2 minutes of idling (where it should make virtually no heat) the cooler was too hot to touch. I have a mid-sized B&M style cooler. When summer comes around I'm going to replace with one of the BIG B&M coolers I have laying around. Something like 13X11X1.5" if I remember right. Anyone worried about running it too cool, you have nothing to worry about.

I have to wonder if the feed line I tapped into doesn't come directly from the factory cooler/heater.

Black_05_TL_6SP

Remember to update your mod list!!!!

crzygosu87

iTrader: (4)

pics pics pics

I hate cars

I'll take some pics this weekend. The parts guy gave me 6' of hose instead of the 8' I asked for so $20 wasted and I wasn't able to mount the cooler where I wanted to. Going to remount it with longer hose soon and I'll take some pictures then too.

Inaccurate

Glad to hear that things worked out good.

Btw, check the other thread. I add another link for you.

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=168274

I hate cars

Good link. You had to burst my bubble of thinking I'm the first lol.

I went driving around today. There's a very slight difference in shift quality. Just a slightly firmer shift when fully warm which is a good thing. I'm also using Amsoil made for Allison transmissions FWIW.

Inaccurate

Well, you are still first with a 3rd Gen. The links were for a 2nd Gen.

I use Mobil1 Syn ATF. I love the firmer shifts too.

modificata3

did you do this mod because your in bako? (yes, i grew up there!) Does it only keep things cool and smoothen the shifts?

I hate cars

I'm sorry lol. It keeps shifts slightly crisper when it's hot. I did it only for reliability. You won't see any kind of performance gain. This car has been through some of the toughest summers. This summer it's been going back and forth between Bako, Phoenix, and Vegas. One of the things that made me decide to do the cooler is the transmission case is getting discolored in one area from heat. If you could only feel how hot the cooler is after a minute's drive you would probably want one.

ACTROS

iTrader: (7)

Any pics or installation instructions??? Thanks in advance bro

modificata3

dang, our trannys get that hot...it does make me want one

I hate cars

Sorry, I will get pics very soon. Work has been crazy and I haven't had a chance to think about the TL.

It's as simple as it gets. Pull the only rubber transmission line that's on our cars and hook the cooler lines to each end where the old line used to go. I'll put up pics of everything this weekend.

Does anyone know if the computer looks at trans temp for any of it's calculations? The car feels faster or should I say doesn't fall off as much once I've been driving for 20 minutes. I was thinking it might possibly cut some power when the transmission is very hot?? Could be and probably is just be the colder weather.

Inaccurate

You got me curious. I checked the service manual. Obviously, the AT Temp sensor does plug into the PCM. However, in one diagram that showed the flow of logic, the AT Temp applied logic to the three different shift solenoids. Nothing in the book implied that the PCM would reduce engine power output if the AT temp became excessive.


I would place a vote for the cooler weather. My 2002 TL was pulling exceptional harder today. Houston had that cool front blow thru. It was 64 F degree on my commute home. The 3.2 was feeling exceptionally peppy.

Kracker

This guy paid almost 400 bux for his transmission cooler on his 2004 TL.

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=155999

Less than 100 is a much better price.

I hate cars

My cooler was just laying around. I have tons of stacked plate coolers that I've used for the oil and trans on the GN. This one was in my pile. The big ones used to be found in junkyards on old trucks and vans. The medium/small one like I used on the TL is found on the Explorers. I paid ~$15 per cooler. $18 for hose, and $2 for the clamps. Like I said, when summer hits it's going to get a bigger cooler with fan and adjustable thermostat. She's going on her first road trip with the cooler and I'm particularly interested to see that it does not affect TCC lockup.

I hate cars

My cooler was just laying around. I have tons of stacked plate coolers that I've used for the oil and trans on the GN. This one was in my pile. The big ones used to be found in junkyards on old trucks and vans. The medium/small one like I used on the TL is found on the Explorers. I paid ~$15 per cooler. $18 for hose, and $2 for the clamps. Like I said, when summer hits it's going to get a bigger cooler with fan and adjustable thermostat. She's going on her first road trip with the cooler and I'm particularly interested to see that it does not affect TCC lockup.

I hate cars

I was just looking at the Odyssey forums and found something interesting. Where our factory cooler/warmer goes, they have two hard lines with banjo fittings that screw into the same spot that our cooler picks up fluid from going to the radiator cooler.

If the cases are the same and we're lucky enough that there might be threads in those holes for different applications, this would probably be a better way to do this than what I've done. Order the factory fittings, hoses, and washers and we've found a better way to do things.

On a side note, just ordered a couple inline filters now that I have a place to tap into. Something about the factory using only a wire mesh filter scares me.

Atrain

I hate cars,

Congrats on the upgrade. I trust you got a plate cooler and not a fin and tube design. Plate coolers are much more efficient. B&M mostly makes plate coolers but they do have a few fin and tube type coolers.

I used a Hayden 30,000 BTU/GVW on the T-Bird's auto and it kept the temps in the 170-180 F range on a hot day. That's the optimal operation range of a 4R70W.

I don't know what the optimal temp is for the TL's auto, but it can't hurt to have the cooler.

A-Train

I hate cars

Yes, it's definately a plate style cooler. I'm not even sure it's a B&M, just used that to describe it because all of the B&Ms I've seen are stacked plate. IMO, there's no point in wasting money on anything else. Not to mention durability in the event some road debris makes it's way into the cooler.

I didn't know what to expect with the TL and used one of the smaller coolers (Explorer). Definately going to upgrade in the summer.

I'm running two of the biggest stacked plate coolers I could find on the GN. With the 100+ degree summers, 3,500 stall covertor, and a healthy amount of torque, it's nearly impossible to have too much overkill in the cooling department.

6spdtls

does transmission cooler increase any performance?

Sortafast

I have looked at a number of these tranny cooler discussions for 04 and newer TLs and I am not sure if people are connecting the cooler between the radiator and the tranny warmer (puck on top of the tranny) in order to cool the antifreeze before it enters the warmer or are people tapping into an actual transmission fluid line somewhere and cooling the ATF directly (the more traditional method where you would be passing ATF through your auxiliary cooler - instead of engine coolant).

Not sure if I am making myself clear, but hopefully you get the gist.

Thanks for the input.

I hate cars

I'm cooling the ATF directly. There's a 6" rubber line towards the back of the transmission to tap into. I've put nearly 3,000 miles on it and so far so good.

Sortafast

That is certainly the intuitive way of doing it but my question would be how much is the stock transmission cooler/warmer working at cross purposes and heating the ATF right back up after you return it from your auxiliary cooler? I guess it depends on what the typical temps are in the coolant arriving at the stock warmer and what temp the ATF is at when it returns from your new cooler, not to mention the overall efficiency of the stock warmer.

On the other hand, if we cooled the engine coolant on its way from the radiator to the transmission, then we would know that the coolant would be somewhat cooler when it actually arrived at the tranny and may accomplish our aims a bit better. Nor sure.

I would guess that there must be a suitable coolant line to tap into between the radiator and the stock warmer?

What do you think?

I hate cars

Most autos with an external cooler are set up the same way. The ATF coming out of the convertor (the hottest point) is where most of the factory coolers get fluid from. It's usually a bit hotter than the engine coolant so the factory cooler helps to knock temps down a little. The lowest the temp could possibly be at this point is 195 degrees and I'm sure it's usually higher. Then it's fed into the external cooler for additional cooling.

Feeding the fluid into a water cooler at first is not a bad idea since it helps stabilize temps and heats the trans when it's cold.

I hate cars

I finally got some pictures. I just undid the old cooler and remembered just in time to take pics. Currently installing the new bigger cooler with fan and thermostat built in. I couldn't get any good pics of the lines because light was fading fast but I'll try again soon.










Tried to get where I tapped in... You can see the two hose clamps near the center of the picture.

kin12345

I am just wondering are you connect to the B-5-10 or somewhere elese??

kipros

what is the benefit for using the transmission cooler??

kjelly

this is a great mod to preserve the life of the transmission.

Now, we just need step-by-step instructions on doing this for a 3G ...

What do you think of this one: http://www.autoanything.com/coolers/65A3050A0A0.aspx (B&M Hi-Tek Engine Oil and Automatic Transmission Coolers)

Or something less crazy: http://www.autoanything.com/coolers/65A3046A0A0.aspx (B&M SuperCooler Automatic Transmission Coolers)

I hate cars

I thought I would update this old thread from '07. I just replaced the nearly 7yr old cooler lines (fuel injection hose) with new hose. It seemed to be softening and I've had a little moisture around the clamps for over a year. I figured better safe than sorry. I also thought I used the better fuel injection hose clamps that give a more consistent tension around the diameter of the hose and won't cut into the rubber but apparently I only used 2 good clamps out of the 10 clamps.

I mentioned using a bigger cooler in the near future once I ran longer hoses. I even started to upgrade and decided the GN could use it a lot more. Well 7 years later I finally have long enough hoses and I stole the 13x11x1.5" cooler off of the GN ironically since it has no engine anymore. I also mounted the Magnefine filter where it's much easier to get to.

I'm going to use the smaller old transmission cooler for the power steering. It's almost pointless with the synthetic ATF I'm using in there but I have the cooler already and I'm just going to remove the metal loop and replace with a real cooler. It should take well under 30 minutes.

So those that have had coolers for a while and used rubber hose, it's probably not a bad idea to check them. I should have used braided stainless and I almost did this time but I only had a couple hours to do it.

Turbocoop

iTrader: (3)

On my last TL the trans overheated once on the highway right after I bought it, turned out the fluid was old as shit and I was an idiot for not catching it before I bought the car. I flushed it out really good, installed new pressure switches and installed a trans cooler and magnefine filter. It never overheated again, I guess I caught it just in time.

To anyone with an auto- this is a super easy install and good insurance to have if your mileage is getting up there (mine had 100K on it). I highly recommend doing this, spend <$100 now or possibly buy a new transmission later.

jpm3071

Planning on doing this. Where do u recommend getting the cooler and what hoses are you using now? Braided lines?

Turbocoop

iTrader: (3)

Briaded hoses are overkill, you just need rubber FUEL hose. 3/8" I think but it was a loooong time ago when I did it. I used an old ford explorer tranny cooler from a junkyard I got for like $10. Worked perfectly

yungone501

iTrader: (4)

I think braided hose should replace nearly ANY hose that's old and worn out. Ideally, braided lines should be used only with proper fasteners/fittings because it's very difficult to squeeze the end tight enough with a hose clamp...especially higher quality braided STEEL hose. I'd recommend the black braided woven fabric hose in this application, especially if one must you hose clamps. They will be the best and most reliable choice IMO.

I hate cars

I wish I had gone braided from the beginning. The first time I had no money and this time I had no time. I've still got a ton of braided line and fittings. The cooler I stole off of the GN had the -an fittings in it and braided line to it, it was a shame to put the barbs back in it with rubber line. Everything on my turbo car that carries a liquid is braided done the correct way with the right fittings and everything that carries air is metal or silicone including vacuum lines. I lost an engine once when a wastegate vacuum line broke and boost went unlimited. I pegged the 30lb boost gauge so hard it always sat at 5lbs when the engine was off. After that I ripped all rubber out of the car and the new silicone hoses got a ziptie on each line. It was an expensive lesson.

The fuel injection hose held up really well for almost 7 years but I've always thought of it as a temporary line because over time it will eventually fail. That failure point might be 10yrs though and some might consider that good enough , I guess I did this time. We'll see if I still have the car in another 7 years. I don't want to discourage anyone from using rubber, when I install something I think of it's lifespan and if you go rubber, plan on checking them once a year and replacing them every 7-10yrs. I've seen cars go much longer than 10yrs on rubber for what it's worth and it a hose bursts you're going to stranded but it's very unlikely you're going to hurt the trans. Fire is the big reason I replaced mine since I've seen more than one ATF fire and the lines are close enough to the exhaust to spray it.

For those wondering which cooler to get, just like Turbocoop mentioned the stacked plate B&M style cooler off of an Explorer out of a junkyard works great and can be had for $10-$15. That's what I've used for the past 7 years. The one that's on it now is the same style but huge. It came off of the GN but before that I got it off of some heavy duty truck in the junkyard. If you buy new, B&M carries a lot of stacked plate coolers. These are the toughest coolers and they offer the best cooling for a given size. They also have a "thermostat" built in where most of the fluid flows through just the top row when it's thick and cold. Don't waste your money on a tube/fin cooler.

As it was said, if you go with rubber hose, 3/8" fuel injection hose is what you want. They make a "transmission cooler" hose which looks similar to fuel injection hose and I think it's a little cheaper. I haven't used it so i can't comment on it.

350

iTrader: (4)

The older pictures aren't working as far as I can tell, could you repost some pictures of where you tapped the lines into the trans and where you mounted the cooler? I'm always a fan of cooling the trans, I have a deeper pan on my Impala which already had an external cooler from the factory (I should probably swap it to a bigger one since I went to a 9" converter) and also added a pretty big external cooler to my Trailblazer SS, can't believe it didn't have one factory.

mzilvar

iTrader: (3)

I went with the gates trans hose on mine, 3/8" I.D.

Here:

http://www.gatesunitta.com/en/transm...il-cooler-hose

You can probably find it locally somewhere at like an O'Reilly or NAPA or something.

mzilvar

iTrader: (3)

Here's some photos...

I bought 1x of the hose fittings like in the rear and a new banjo bolt for where it mounts to the stock filter for the front hose, so I could aim it forward towards the cooler instead of having it go backwards towards the rear of the trans.





Some wire harnesses clipped onto the stock metal hose that goes on the front and the vacuum lines for the engine mounts so I cut the stock one down so I could bolt it back onto the trans and have the wire harness and one of the vacuum lines still connected to it. I'm using it as just a bracket now to hold the vacuum line and electrical fitting.

If I go to aftermarket mounts later I can delete these vacuum lines. The metal vacuum line is just hanging off where it was mounted to the bracket previously on the front part by the other banjo fitting.

As you can see here:




Here's where the hoses are routed...

Rear fitting



Filter - at the front of the battery mount, routed below it.



Cooler, mounted to the AC condensor



Hoses on the cooler, as seen from under the bumper..



Slack in the hoses so they don't pinch in the bends or pinch when the engine moves.

I could probably route the top hose better so I don't have that bend in it going from the bottom to the top, sometime later.

350

iTrader: (4)

Awesome, thanks for the pictures. Do you recall what size/where you got the banjo bolts? I also know it'll depend on the size of the cooler but how much extra fluid does it hold?

I hate cars

The banjo bolts are on the trans already. You'll need a quart for a small/medium sized cooler and 3/8" lines.

350

iTrader: (4)

Okay I guess I'll have to take a look. Are they capped off or going to something else? Maybe I should have said the fitting for the banjo bolt.