U-haul tranny cooler install ?s

[dr jazz]

Hi,

I had a local U-haul intsall a t-cooler yesterday. Two questions for you-

They used the "regular duty" cooler, designed for towing loads up to 2500 lbs, instead of the "heavy duty" unit for reasons of space. They are the same width but the bigger one is about 4' longer. It looks to me, after the fact, that the bigger one might have been squeezed in there, and it is what I was originally quoted as being the usual for this vehicle. Do you think it is worth asking them to change it, given that I tow a 2600-2800 boat and trailer occasionally but not for long distances? When he decided on this one I figured really any cooler was better than none, so I went with it. Any thoughts?

He thought he was installing the cooler after the radiator cooler in the return line, but my "feel the pipe" test indicates it is in line before the radiator. From reading posts it seems most suggest after the rad. Does anybody think it makes any real difference?

By the way the guy did really clean work, using all brass fittings without having to cut the stock lines so it should be fairly easy to change. I'm pretty fussy about stuff, so I thought I'd get your opinions before deciding.

Thanks!

John

 

[jimbo74]

if you can, toss the bigger one in there..... i dont think it really matters which way it goes in... mine had a stock cooler that got damaged in an accident... when i replaced it, i installed a bigger one rated for a class a motorhome using my factory cooler lines.....

 

[dr jazz]

Thanks, Jim. Anybody else care to chime in?

 

[Opera House]

It really should be

after the radiator cooler to get the lowest return temperature in summer. Return water temps can easily go over 160 so the tranny fluid will be even higher. If the tap is before, you can now easily slip in an external spin on transmission filter there and replumb the cooler. He'll feel better if he gets some new business. I put in an undersize cooler because I had one sitting on a shelf for ten years. For your type of driving it should be sufficient. The lines are easiest to determine the first couple of minutes the engine runs. On www.bryco.com there is a SPX tech bull listing the location of the output port by transmission.

 

[dr jazz]

I had thought about which way would make the lowest temp. It makes sense the way you suggest, as the fluid would be cooled to the temp. of the coolant first (probably a bit below 195), and then blasted by direct cool air in front of the rad. This way would seem to heat the engine coolant a little more, FWIW.

The other way, I imagine the cooled fluid may even go through the radiator and warm up, depending on outside temp. However, it might keep the engine coolant a little cooler.

The mechanic tapped into the line going into the top of the radiator. Maybe some of you know for certain if that is the hot line out from the tranny. That's what my hand test seemed to indicate.

I might think about a spin-on filter, although I don't think there is much room right in this area.

Thanks, John

 

[Opera House]

Yes, you can get it too cool

Ever wonder why the inlet and outlet lines are bundled tightly together? Even a 1/8 inch spacer between would have provided extra cooling. Supposidly Ford has a "H" plumbing adaptor so some fluid can bypass the cooler under extreme cold conditions. Look on www.bulkpart.com for the variety of coolers that are available