Trans cooler installation.

[Lngbeard]

Hi all,
I wanted to be proactive to see if I could keep my automatic tranny alive for the long haul. I have a 27 ft Chateau sport with the 4R100 trans. I am the second owner and decided to bite the bullet and go with synthetic transmission fluid. I also installed a electric fan stacked plate cooler in a non-typical location. Here's how it went, The lay out:

I then used a hole saw for the corners. I anguished long and hard before cutting into my MH.

Finished the hole with a jigsaw where I could. Sealed the edges with Eternabond.

Here's the cooler from the inside. Lots of room. Protected from debris and gets unimpeded airflow.

And a perforated metal screen installed.

Finally a gauge to keep a eye on temps.

Have not exceeded 170 yet so The fan has not kicked on as far as I know.Hope this helps if anyone is looking to add a cooler.

[Lngbeard]

NTORACN wrote:
A unique location to say the least. I think I would have installed it in front of the radiator if it were me. I had 105,000 miles on my 4R100 tranny when I sold the RV last year. I serviced the tranny at 100,000 miles and there was no debris in the pan, I mean none. Great tranny!! If your tranny never ran over 190-195 degrees, you didn't need to add the cooler.

I could not squeeze the cooler in there behind the trans cooler, AC rad,stock tranny cooler and power steering cooler. I also felt airflow was very restricted in the usual place. yeah,,It may be overkill but I do make some steep, long hot climbs with toad in eastern Washington state.

[Lngbeard]

sljkansas wrote:
Nice install. The thing you will need to watch(since it site behind the front wheel)is that the fan and cooler stay clean. your going to throw a lot of dirt and water at it, being where it is mounted.

The running boards and mud flaps do a great job of blocking the road debris. I did find a ding in the screen so something did hit it though.

[NTORACN]

A unique location to say the least. I think I would have installed it in front of the radiator if it were me. I had 105,000 miles on my 4R100 tranny when I sold the RV last year. I serviced the tranny at 100,000 miles and there was no debris in the pan, I mean none. Great tranny!! If your tranny never ran over 190-195 degrees, you didn't need to add the cooler.

[sljkansas]

Nice install. The thing you will need to watch(since it site behind the front wheel)is that the fan and cooler stay clean. your going to throw a lot of dirt and water at it, being where it is mounted.

[Lngbeard]

CKNSLS wrote:
You can OVER COOL a transmission.

Heat is what kills a tranny. As we usually only use the MH in the summer I believe I am usually in the 140-170 range.

[Lngbeard]

Mich F wrote:
I'd hope you won't be running below what the normal operating temperature should be.

So far it is anywhere between 140-170. I prefer to err on the cool side. Heat is what kills transmissions.

[Lngbeard]

path1 wrote:
How hot was it running before you added fan?

I think it was usually around 175-185. With a toad on a long pull (Vantage) on a hot day it may have got up around 195.

[CKNSLS]

You can OVER COOL a transmission.

[Mich_F]

I'd hope you won't be running below what the normal operating temperature should be.

[path1]

How hot was it running before you added fan?