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Transmission cooler for 87 southwind

Grandpere
Explorer
Explorer
My transmission developed a leak from a ruptured hose. So while getting these hoses fixed I had and external transmission cooler added. It made no sense to me why he radiator that run close to 200 degrees is used to cool a transmission. I had the mechanic add the external cooler that only handles the Transmission fluid. It is a clean installation and by passed the radiator entirely. Now I have 400 psi high pressure hose going to the cooler and no more leaks from hose that was designed to be used as vent tubing on fuel tanks. :B
Berniece & Russell Johnson
Lil'Bit, a Netherland Dwarf Rabbit
1987 Southwind
1995 Ford F150 Supercab

Life in the fast lane? No thanks, we will stop and smell the flowers at every opportuity
1 REPLY 1

SpringerPop
Explorer
Explorer
If the hose material of your previous cooler lines was indeed originally designed to be used for fuel vents, then somebody has done a bad engineering job. Trans fluid lines are specific to that application, to handle hot hydraulic oil at under a hundred PSI.

OEM engineering department's experience has shown that you get a LOT of cooling from the trans cooler that is part of the bottom radiator tank. The bottom tank is not the one at 200 degrees, BTW, and that cooler is pretty effective.

However, the addition of an air-to-oil unit can only be of additional benefit, UNLESS it slows necessary flow. Stack plate types are superior to fin-and-tube types in that regard.

Your new cooler (heat exchanger) is completely dependent on air flow, which isn't all that terrific in stop-and-go traffic or long mountain passes behind slow trucks. Now, couple that with hot ambient air temps, and you may find that there are situations where you will have done your transmission a disservice, temp-wise.

There are other scenarios, like over-cooling, too, but I suspect that's beyond the scope of this discussion.

Pop