trans cooler questions?
- Thread starter grinder
- Start date
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Don't think it matters as it's just circulating fluid thru the coolant filled tank....however, I would use the "bottom" as the return ...as "stuff" rolls (flows) down-hill. B)
Broncobill78
New member
Well, no, to the best of my knowledge it does matter somewhat. Most tranny coolers will help but they aren't anywhere *near* as efficient as the stock radiator just due to the size of the cooling area available. You really DO want to run an auxillary cooler in-line *downstream* of the stock radiator. Now it changes from year to year but the easiest way to tell will be to disconnect the upper line & then *briefly*, let me say that again, BRIEFLY, start the truck & put it into gear (now a smart guy would probably use a small length of heater/fuel hose connected to the DISconnected line & run into a bucket but we're all different about how clean we like to keep our shops). If you have ATF flowing from the disconnected line then you have your supply line, if there's nothing or if it's pumping out of the radiator instead of the line then you have the return). An Aux cooler won't do an awful lot if it's installed upstream of the primary cooler but it WILL make a difference is it's installed downstream. You really do want it installed downstream so that you get the maximum possible advantage from using it, putting it upstream of the primary is pretty much negating it completely.
Hi B bill,
He's refering to the "radiator" in-n-out tubes...not the trannie. (at least the way the question reads) B)
He's refering to the "radiator" in-n-out tubes...not the trannie. (at least the way the question reads) B)
Broncobill78
New member
Ok, now *I'm* confused
/emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> I assumed he was referring to the connections at the radiator since the radiator is also the stock tranny cooler. As best I can recall the last few times I installed one the upper connection (the connection right ON the radiator) was the supply and the lower was the return but I know that this sometimes changes so you can't just assume that the upper radiator mount is the supply (that's why I mentioned the whole hose & bucket thing, just so you can confirm which line you're working with).I guess that the bottom line to what I was trying to say is that when you plumb an auxiliary transmission cooler into the system you want to be sure that the aux cooler is downstream from the primary. You want the hot fluid to run from the transmission, to the primary cooler (which is the stock radiator) and from the primary cooler to the aux cooler and then back to the transmission. In order to do this you need to plumb the aux cooler into the return line of the primary cooler. If it's plumbed into the supply line then the fluid runs from the tranny to the aux cooler THEN the primary cooler/radiator and finally back to the tranny. If the aux cooler is plumbed in *upstream* of the radiator/primary cooler then it's not nearly as effective as it could be if it were plumbed in downstream of the primary.
When I use the terms "upstream" & "downstream" I'm not referring to the physical location of the cooler at all, it's just a way to reference the *order* in which one cooler should be installed in relation to another. Actual physical location is a whole different deal. My apologies, the terminology comes from years of fabricating & installing high & low pressure gas/oxygen/air systems. Obviously both coolers need to be installed someplace with a good airflow and access to the coldest air possible and of course on a stock truck that's going to be behind the grill. There are plenty of other places to locate either the primary cooler or the auxiliary cooler but then you start getting into electric fan setups that are far from stock. Great for a toy but not so good on a daily driver that needs to accommodate passengers.
Once again my apologies for any confusion. Anyone who's still hazy on what I was trying to say is *welcome* to PM me, it's not like I have a lot of other things taking up my time
/emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />
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