ATF Filter and Tranny Cooler Relocation

[spindlecone]

GL I think 200 degs for the tranny is far to high,JMO

 

[Jerrymc]

Noob alert! Couldn't this be mounted in front of the radiator?

 

[aldive]

Noob alert! Couldn't this be mounted in front of the radiator?

Why?

 

[Mneofreek]

Noob alert! Couldn't this be mounted in front of the radiator?

That sure would block alot of airflow to the radiator then. Especially since there already is a transmission cooler in front of the radiator.

Aldive, if you had to choose between the secondary filter or a secondary cooler what do you think would benift the most?

 

[aldive]

Aldive, if you had to choose between the secondary filter or a secondary cooler what do you think would benift the most?

I feel both are very important, if not essential.

 

[Jerrymc]

Why?

I was thinking it would get greater airflow while moving plus airflow while idleing since the fan pulls air past the radiator.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Very nice how to article!

 

[duke16]

Is there any reason that a second cooler can't be placed directly across from the current one? That way it would get direct airflow through the grille. Where you guys have yours placed, the bumper is blocking most of the air. Does placing it up high block to much of the radiator perhaps?

 

[Gator Jeff]

Here are the pictures I promised ....

Al, where did you get the A pillar guage holder?

 

[aldive]

Al, where did you get the A pillar guage holder?

I got mine from Dakota Digital.

http://dakotadigital.com/

 

[manaen]

Is there any reason that a second cooler can't be placed directly across from the current one? That way it would get direct airflow through the grille. Where you guys have yours placed, the bumper is blocking most of the air. Does placing it up high block to much of the radiator perhaps?

That is exactly where I have mine mounted, It cools super fast, and the coolant temp has not changed. The highest temp I have seen with my tranny is 192, and that was climbing a very long and steep mountain with a full load. As soon as I crested the top the temps went right back down to 150 within 30 seconds.


I would reinforce the comments about the disconnecting the factory cooling lines. Most of the time the water in the radiator is not running at 200deg. Only during the summer months does a properly operating radiator open completely. And as stated the wet cooling lines transfer heat so much faster than the air.

 

[duke16]

That is exactly where I have mine mounted, It cools super fast, and the coolant temp has not changed. The highest temp I have seen with my tranny is 192, and that was climbing a very long and steep mountain with a full load. As soon as I crested the top the temps went right back down to 150 within 30 seconds.

When you inspected the coolant temperature, did you use the gauge in the dash? Does that give an accurate enough reading? I think what I may do is install a piece of wood or sheet metal in the spot first, drive around a bit, and verify the coolant temperature doesn't change.

 

[manaen]

When you inspected the coolant temperature, did you use the gauge in the dash? Does that give an accurate enough reading? I think what I may do is install a piece of wood or sheet metal in the spot first, drive around a bit, and verify the coolant temperature doesn't change.

But that would assume there is no airflow through the tranny cooler. The test would not give you the same results as having the cooler in place. Yeah, I used the in dash gauge(for water temp), and as best I can tell I have a 2 core radiator(hard to see in there), which will vary the results depending if ford used different radiators for different models.

I also did not mount the cooler tight against my AC condenser I mounted it to the bracket in the center of the grill, and some homemade brackets on the driver side. That puts about 4-6 inches of space between the cooler and the condenser. Oh and I also had to modify the air dam on the driver side by cutting away part of the bottom(for clearance), and making a slit along the curved joint so the driver side can be bent more toward the outside of the vehicle. With the mods airflow is directed over the entire surface of the cooler. Without them about 25 - 30% of the cooler would have been covered. I'll try to get some pictures today and post them.

 

[manaen]

OK, I was wrong, I only have a 1 tier radiator (just wanted to clear that up)

This picture is a top down view of the second cooler on the driver side of the vehicle. You can see that I added 2 brackets for support and highlighted the area where I cut the factory air dam for clearance. Depending on the size of your cooler you may not need to even cut that back. Oh this is on an 01 mounty so I'm not sure about other years and models. I tried to get a photo of the front view but with the current sunshine there is no way to get it.

Oh and excuse the dirt, I just got back from a fly fishing extravaganza with some friends

 

[NovaKane]

Al,

Do you still have the fluid going through the cooler in the radiator, and what about the filter in the tranny, did you leave that in there too?

Mike

 

[aldive]

Al,

Do you still have the fluid going through the cooler in the radiator, and what about the filter in the tranny, did you leave that in there too?

Mike

Yes, the radiator cooler is still in use as well as the tranny filter.

 

[V8BOOST]

Yes, the radiator cooler is still in use as well as the tranny filter.

Would you be able to bypass the radiator cooler if you had a larger tranny cooler with a electric fan?



Al Rest in peace, his post always had great information.

 

[Maniak]

The Radiator cooler is more than just a cooler. It brings the temp of the fluid up when its cold out. If you bypass the radiator you run the risk of the transmission never coming up to temp if you live where it gets cold in the winter.

In General, the consensus is to not bypass the radiator heat exchanger unless you live in a very hot climate and can keep an eye on your trans temp. I have it bypassed and on the few cold days we get (< 30F) The trans is borderline of overcooled. To help heat it up I can keep my trans from locking which generates enough heat to get it warmed up but once I'm on the freeway it will cool down to about 100F or so.

BTW.. just so you know, you won't get a response from Aldive as he passed away earlier this year... Keep reading though.. He has great information in his threads.

~Mark

 

[CDW6212R]

The 5R55E of all the V6 Explorers 1997 on have a thermostat in the trans. They never output to the coolers until they warm up. So if you have a 2000 V6, feel free to bypass the radiator if you have a big aux. cooler.

For my V8, I'm going to try to modify a thermostatic oil cooler adapter to switch at 100 degrees instead of 160.

 

[2000StreetRod]

ATF temp control

The 5R55E of all the V6 Explorers 1997 on have a thermostat in the trans. They never output to the coolers until they warm up. So if you have a 2000 V6, feel free to bypass the radiator if you have a big aux. cooler.

For my V8, I'm going to try to modify a thermostatic oil cooler adapter to switch at 100 degrees instead of 160.

Don, are you stating that the 5R55E is supposed to open the external cooler path at 160 degrees? I looked at my past data logs and my recorded trans temp varied from 165 degrees to 203 degrees but my remote oil filter never got even warm to touch and my external ATF temp gauge has never registered above it's minimum reading of 100 degrees. I suspect that I have a defective trans internal thermostat.