Adding cooling fan to Stock TransCooler

[NoFear95]

Buying a boat sometime soon and looking in the area of 4k pounds dry weight. I live in Arizona so heat and mountains are in the plan. Im pretty sure from reading the stock transcooler does a good job but could use some help.

I have a 2006 Limited, v-8 with the tow package. So it comes with the engine,trans, power steering cooler. Anyway, has anyone added a fan onto the existing cooler to boost the efficency?

I was thinking of adding a puller type of fan onto it just to extend the life of the trans. Has anyone done this or is it just better to add another cooler in addition to the stock cooler?

Comments...suggestions?

 

[joecrna]

Add a second trans cooler. The biggest you can fit.

 

[NoFear95]

Do you know what size the lines on the stock cooler are? 3/8"?

 

[joecrna]

Yes, the stock lines are 3/8". B&M makes plate style coolers with 3/8" hose barbs as well as even larger coolers with 1/2" NPT fittings. I mirrored the factory installation with a much larger cooler added to the driverside in front of the radiator. Some plastic trimming of the radiator shroud and it looks like the factory put it there.

 

[NoFear95]

Do you know what size cooler you went with? Im going to start hunting around for a cooler now. Oh, Im going to pair it with a Scan Gauge as well so I can read the trans temps.

 

[Ranger379]

take that tiny little stock cooler out and use this bad boy: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/DER-13700/

i have one and i love it. its reversible (witch i did b/c i mounted backwards) and its rated for vehicles rated up to 25,000 lbs lol. i live on a hill, pull a huge trailer (iv had it way over loaded) and have 32's and with that cooler my tranny has NEVER seen any temps over 180* its a little pricey but so is a new tranny lol

since you have a stock tranny cooler you already have the rubber hose, i didnt have a stock cooler so i had to cut the steel lines that ran to the radiator. but the simple way to go is replace the stock one with a big one with a fan, and id also reccomend a temp guage to monitor temps.

 

[NoFear95]

Im going to order up a scanguage http://www.scangauge.com/products/ so I can keep tabs on the temps. I dont know if I want to go overkill with the cooler/fan combo....decisions...decisions....

 

[Ranger379]

Im going to order up a scanguage http://www.scangauge.com/products/ so I can keep tabs on the temps. I dont know if I want to go overkill with the cooler/fan combo....decisions...decisions....

ya that will work too. depending on how much towing you do, if u tow heavy often then id get something bigger. check summit racing out, they have alot to choose from. depending on space you might have to go with a smaller one. if get the biggest you can fit, and with a fan. the fan really helps out in town or stop and go.

 

[NoFear95]

Looking at getting a boat later this year in the 4k dry range, and since I live in arizona...extra cooling is never over kill. Also, going up to the rim (north) is a 6% grade for about 3-4 miles. You do this twice if I recall going up. So I think some extra cooling would be called for.

I know towing a boat is a bit easier than a RV given the frontal area is a bit more streamlined. Im going to measure it out tomorrow. But from what I remember you could get an 12x12 in there easily. From what I can see online that will put you in the 25k GVW area. That in addition to the stock one should be a whole lot of cooling I would think.

Going to pick up the scanmaster this coming weekend (after payday) and see what the trans-temps are unloaded driving around town (about 105 today eek).

 

[jrford]

There was some guy who had to do Tx border crossing, said they waited for hours in the heat. He was looking for ideas on mounting a pusher fan in front of the rad.
I had a post with a a pic of a 3rd gen Trans cooler, every third gen has a pretty big stock cooler, if i remember something like 12x36 inches, stacked plate type. Most people with scangages reported normal trans temps during towing, in other words stock cooling is fine most times. Towing in Aridzona (lived there a few years back) i'd run the scangage for a few trips and see what you get. . i'd lean towards more Oil cooler, pusher fan maybe . . .leave the A/C off when things got hot under the hood maybe.

 

[joecrna]

I went with a B&M plate style. 70274 I believe. 1/2" NPT fittings, about 12"x12"x2". Rated at 29500 btu. You can mount the sender for the temp gauge in several locations. The temps will vary widely. Most go with the pan, its fairly easy. Others use the hose. Just consider what you are measuring and know you can't just compare temps. Personally I use several locations. Hard line out of trany (the hottest the fluid ever gets except at the micro level), hose between radiator and my B&M and hose after my factory fin style radiator. The last two are good for checking the efficiency of my system. The hard line out tells me how bad I am abusing the fluid but remember that few people are talking about this location when they talk trans temps. Most are referring to the pan, a mixture of mainly the coolest fluid (coming back from the coolers) and a little of the hot fluid bathing the valve body. The hottest internal fluid is sent out the hard line to the radiator by the trans internal themrostat. Its kind of like chassis dyno numbers, you can't compare them, just too many variables.

 

[NoFear95]

Going to pick up the gauge this weekend and toy around with it a bit to see what temps get. Ill report in!

 

[NoFear95]

Ordered up the scanguage brand new off ebay...$99. Going up to the grand cayon in a week so it will be interested to see what the untrailing temps are.

 

[NoFear95]

Ran up the mountain today, no trailer. It was about 90 degrees, 6% grade for 5 miles...doing 75 mph (lol). ScanGauge showed a peak of 206 degrees. I had the a/c blasting at 6 people in the truck. I think Im going to add an additional cooler next month onto the front....I biggest I can find and mount lol. Im sure it would of been lower if my speed was lower...or if I didnt use overdrive.

 

[Ranger379]

Ran up the mountain today, no trailer. It was about 90 degrees, 6% grade for 5 miles...doing 75 mph (lol). ScanGauge showed a peak of 206 degrees. I had the a/c blasting at 6 people in the truck. I think Im going to add an additional cooler next month onto the front....I biggest I can find and mount lol. Im sure it would of been lower if my speed was lower...or if I didnt use overdrive.

i llike to keep mine around 180...200+ is a lil high.... post some pics of your new cooler when ever you get one, you will be glad you did

 

[NoFear95]

i llike to keep mine around 180...200+ is a lil high.... post some pics of your new cooler when ever you get one, you will be glad you did

Going to take measurements this weekend, going to slap in the biggest one that will fit on the drivers side of the radiator. Im going to keep the stocker. The biggest pain is going to be running to the Stealership to pick up a quart or two of Mercon SP to top off the trans with the addition of the newer cooler. Im thinking a Hayden 30k GVW one will fit...that should provide enough cooling with 115 degree heat out here now...

 

[Ranger379]

Im thinking a Hayden 30k GVW one will fit

and i thought i went overkill lol

when it comes to cooling, IMO you cant have anything too big... post some pics after you get it mounted...i know mine was a pain. im swapping a 5speed soon, but ill be replacing the tranny cooler with an oil cooler of the same kind (just different inlet sizes) i might try putting it behind the bumper or something.... it works great where i have it now, but wouldnt be a good idea offroad. i made some srop brackets off my rad and the other end in on the front crossmember. how big is the cooler your looking at?

mine:


Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

[NoFear95]

Overall size 11 5/8 x 11 x 3/4

Looking at this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...0542466610&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Next one down is 11" x 9.5" x .75"

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...0572825256&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK:MEWAX:IT

 

[Ranger379]

i would highly recomend one with an electric fan. flip the fan on when in town with trailer, even stop and go without trailer it really helps, or pulling a hill at a low speed, the fan works wonders

 

[NoFear95]

i would highly recomend one with an electric fan. flip the fan on when in town with trailer, even stop and go without trailer it really helps, or pulling a hill at a low speed, the fan works wonders

Im going to add the monster cooler on first and see where the temps are at then. If I need some more after that..ill throw the fan on.