About Us

Roy Zink · 07-22-2002, 07:57 AM

Just received my aluminum radiator and hd trans cooler from Summit....How does the trans cooler work? There is no pump to circulate the anti-freeze/water. When the trans line was hooked up to the old radiator it used the water pump to circulate the cooling liquid. Now that it's not hooked up to the rad how does the liquid circulate? Also how far in front of the rad should I mount the trans cooler? Directly in front of rad? Off to the side???? It's in a '68 Firebird.
Thanks in advance
Roy

Roy Zink · 07-22-2002, 07:57 AM

Just received my aluminum radiator and hd trans cooler from Summit....How does the trans cooler work? There is no pump to circulate the anti-freeze/water. When the trans line was hooked up to the old radiator it used the water pump to circulate the cooling liquid. Now that it's not hooked up to the rad how does the liquid circulate? Also how far in front of the rad should I mount the trans cooler? Directly in front of rad? Off to the side???? It's in a '68 Firebird.
Thanks in advance
Roy

Roy Zink · 07-22-2002, 09:23 AM

DUH !!!! Okay,,,,,,so the tranny pumps the fluid through the cooler. Got that now. Never used a cooler before...please excuse my ignorance.

Still could use advice on where to mount it so it doesn't affect the air-flow to the rad. Thanks again,
Roy

WARPed · 07-22-2002, 12:33 PM

You can mount the cooler any where in the cavity ahead of the radiator for best results. Just make sure that it is (at least in part) in the path of the incoming air stream and there is adequate space behind it. Mounting the cooler directly on the radiator would be my last choice, but this doesnt mean it would be a bad location, just my personal preference is all. Avoid putting the cooler near the lower passenger side since this is the pickup point of coolant going back into the motor, put it up high.

McLeod · 07-23-2002, 07:22 PM

A fixed mount for the cooler would be better than those little plastic mounts that install through radiator fins.
Over time, the straps will distort the radiator and cooler will become loose.

schneidsd455 · 07-23-2002, 09:15 PM

Does a guy want to rout the lines to the tranny cooler so that fluid flows through it first or so the fluid runs through the radiator first? Or does it matter? And which tranny line is the pressure side, the top or bottom?

Schneid

Lemans1 · 07-23-2002, 09:30 PM

The idea of using a seperate trans cooler is so you dont have to run the fluid through the radiator at all. That way the radiator has nothing to do but keep the engine cool and the same for the trans cooler...it will keep the trans cooler than the radiator did. Just plug the holes in the radiator and plumb your trans cooler seperately.

[ July 23, 2002, 09:31 PM: Message edited by: Lemans1 ]

mike nixon · 07-23-2002, 10:43 PM

if you run the car in cold weather then you'll want to run the trans fluid thru the cooler then thru the radiator. the trans needs to retain some heat to operate at the max efficiency . what we were taught was the trans needs to be between 150 and 250 degrees farenheit to live the longest and operate properly.

install the largest cooler that you have room for.

leave an air gap between the radiator and the trans cooler for max effeciency.

i know a lot of people eliminate the radiator cooler completely and get by with it. the tech school i went to and the gm classes both advised against this practice for the above reason.

there are temp guages available for the trans.

mike

Doug · 07-24-2002, 08:53 AM

Mike, What is "normal" temperature range for tranny fluid? With a separate tranny cooler, what would be the tranny cooler inlet temperature? outlet temperature?

I have my 72 Safari (400ci) Turbo 400 tranny plumbed to a separate cooler (aftermarket)mounted about 2" ahead of the lower middle area of the radiator. The Safari probably weighs about 5400 lbs so I would think that the tranny would work "harder" and build more heat than in a car and therefore not be as likely to have tranny fluid cooled too much in winter operations. Would apppreciate thoughts/ speculation about this setup.

P.S. I run the engine without a thermostat and when I flat towed a 62 Catalina for fifty+ miles at about 60mph, you could lay your hand on the radiator comfortably.(Never broke a sweat!)

mike nixon · 07-24-2002, 09:59 AM

what we were told was the trans needs to reach a minimum of 150 deg and not exceed 250 deg during normal operation.

there are multipal factors that contribute to the amount of heat the a trans makes. convertor size, pan depth [capacity] , line size, cooler size all have an effect on the amount of heat generated. the weight of the vehicle and the load it pulls also are factors to consider.

these all assume the trans is healthy in the first place.if the trans slips it generates more heat. longer shift times generate more heat also. this is why so many shops recommend shift kits with a rebuild, the shorter the shift time the less wear on the friction plates. the higher line pressure also reduces the chance of slippage under a load.

a general rule with trans temp [ fluid inlet]is if the engine is at a healthy temp [180 - 200 deg farenheit] the trans is too. thats the reason for running the cooled trans fluid thru the radiator after the auxilary trans cooler.

ambient temperature is also a relative issue. the climate in southern states isn't as likely to affect the operating temp as much as it will in the northern states. temps below 30 deg farenheit for prolonged periods are considered cold climates.

vehicles in the warmer climates may generate enough heat during normal operation to allow the trans to reach normal operating temp with out the engine coolant.

mike

WARPed · 07-24-2002, 10:28 AM

Roy I would not concern myself with routing your trans cooling lines with the radiator. You live here in Florida like myself and the cold weather these guys are talking about does not apply to us. Just run your lines straight to the cooler.

Roy Zink · 07-26-2002, 08:53 AM

Finally got the alum rad and trans cooler installed yesterday. Went to start it up and battery was dead. Hooked up the charger and the good old Florida thunder/lightning storms kicked in and didn't stop until around 10:30 PM. (car is outside) Going to start it today and keep my fingers crossed. Any advice on how to purge the air out of the system?
Roy

mike nixon · 07-26-2002, 10:08 AM

the trans won't need purging.

try jacking the front of the car up so the wheels are a couple of inches off the ground when you fill the cooling system. this method seems to get more air out for me. mike

Roy Zink · 07-26-2002, 10:49 AM

Just got back after a test drive. Here's the stats......First time start up to top off rad and let thermostat open....180-185. Slow drive around neighborhood...185. 55-60 mph for about 4 miles.....185. Sitting at intersection simulating a long traffic light...195. Sitting in driveway after getting back home, in Park...210. Outside temp approx 88 degrees and very humid....it's Florida in July!!! Not sure if clutch fan is doing it's job. With engine off and cold the fan turns with only slight resistance. Thinking to maybe to back to flex fan despite the noise. With the old 2 core stock rad I would be cruising at 215-220.....big difference. Next will be to richen the jets on the quadrajet....re-check the timing...I'm running 12 advance at idle with an Accel dual point....no vacuum advance.

Menu

About Us