Trans Cooler Question

[carlover]

Im looking into installing a trans cooler. I have a small aux cooler stock in the front but im not sure its a trans cooler. What other coolers are installed from the factory by ford??? does anyone have any pics as to where the factory cooler is installed and what it looks like?

 

[Ranger379]

think its an oil cooler? its small, i know its not a trans cooler cause i have manual. the trans cooler on the other one is twice as big has 4 or 5 in it. both are in front of front axle near bottom of the radiator. follow the lines on yours to see if its trans or not.

 

[IZwack]

The small finned cooler that sits right in front of the rack and pinion rack (on the front cross member to which the lower arms are bolted to) is the power steering cooler. This cooler is probably 6" by 2".

The stock transmission cooler on the other hand sits near the bottom of the radiator on the passenger's side corner. It is probably about 10" by 10" in size.

 

[carlover]

ok thanks, i figured it was power steering, way to small to be trans. any recomendations for an aux tranny cooler???

 

[IZwack]

ok thanks, i figured it was power steering, way to small to be trans. any recomendations for an aux tranny cooler???

There are basically two types of coolers out there today:
- tube and fin

- stacked plates

As you may well have guessed, the power steering cooler on your vehicle is of the "tube and fin" type. There is also another form of cooler out there which is a long extruded piece of aluminum, but as you can see, it is just a reconfigured "tube and fin":

Most people agree that the stacked plates configuration is the most effective design and is what engine radiators are based on.


As to where you can get them, they are pretty much everywhere. SummitRacing has a huge variety of shapes and sizes. Heck even your local U-haul place has transmission coolers for towing vehicles. But another good source is Macko Distributing (aka BulkPart.com): http://www.bulkpart.com/Merchant2/m...Code=coolers&gclid=CLXal-LchYkCFR5qGgodtkFZ-A
These people specialize in transmissions and transmission rebuild parts.

 

[chrisis]

my transmission cooler in my 96 explorer is inside the radiator. look for two steel lines going in and out of the right side of your radiator(battery side)

 

[BrooklynBay]

JC Whitney sells coolers too. Check this thread, and post #7.