Transmission oil cooler

[jimsretirementf]

HI All, I have a 1989 Itasca class C motorhome, it has a 460 Ford motor with auto trans. I had the air conditioner in front evacuated and new refill fittings installed. In front of the radiator is the air conditioner coils and in front of that is the transmission oil cooler, all blocking air to the radiator. The motor gets very hot when using the air. I am looking for an remote transmission oil cooler, can anyone suggest the best one to use. I would be looking for size, cfm,cooling rows and brand. I would like to mount it under the floor close to the trans. Or is there another way to fix this problem.
Thank you for your help.
Jim

[time2roll]

jimsretirementfun wrote:
I did flush the radiator and everything is woking fine. I used an evac system to remove all of the old coolant and put in new coolant, the motor will run at about 180 to 190 when running through very hot temps and up grades if I don't use the air.
Thanks

Should run close to 190 in all conditions afaik. Did you replace the thermostat? I am thinking the thermostat is failed and stuck half open. Seen plenty like this and run fine in normal conditions. A bit slow to warm up.

[samven1]

As was already suggested I would check that the thermostat is opening all the way and that the fan clutch was operating normally. I have heard of people pulling the belt driven fans and installing electric fans like most newer cars use. They can give you better air flow and dont use any horsepower when you need it most, climbing hills.

[Gale_Hawkins]

JD you make a good point about working OEM parts. I forget what part it was that I said something about changing out when we were doing some repair and the shop owner said just run with the old part because so often NEW aftermarkets failed quickly.

It was not a radiator because about 20 years will mean the old copper ones are going to start having some seam failure possible.

[Dakzuki]

Radiators aren't all that expensive and at that age it has to have some flow degradation. You might be able to get one with a bigger core too.

[jimsretirementf]

Sounds good everyone, I'll check out all of your information.
Thank you for all of the information. I am sure this will help.
Jim

[j-d]

We had a Class C that was pretty much similar. 1983 E350 chassis with the 460. Running hot was never an actual problem, but it'd clutch the fan in pretty often. It had aftermarket A/C (so-called "Dealer Air") so the configuration was probably different. Still it had Radiator, Condenser, Trans Cooler, Oil Cooler, Steering Cooler, all up there.
OP did the right thing, flushing the radiator FIRST. Simple inexpensive things first, like new thermostat next. If a 'stat gets overheated it can lose its ability to fully open next time.
Also, MAKE SURE all the shrouding and baffles are in place. The Fan needs to be proper depth in its shroud and any little rubber/plastic/metal seals/deflectors need to be there. In other words, you want all the cooling air to be pulled through the radiator and cores to get to the fan. Not pulled from elsewhere and bypassing those parts.
That FORD OEM Fan Clutch was a simply stellar component. It'd idle quietly till needed and clutch in HARD. First time it did it on the interstate I looked in the mirror for a biker gang passing us. We had hit a grade! I looked at the gauge and it was above normal. Topped the grade, temp dropped, roar smoothly decreased and went back to normal.
Our fan clutch was working after 25 years and over 100,000 miles. I mention all this because it seems the OEM is long discontinued and many who have replaced theirs with aftermarket brands have not been satisfied. Be VERY sure yours is bad before you replace it.

[CharlesinGA]

That old, the fan clutch may be bad. When the engine temp climbs, you should hear the fan roar pretty loud when you accelerate. If you don't hear it, it is probably not engaging properly, possibly lost the silicone fluid or the bi-metal coil on the front is caked over with crud.

Along with the cooler, consider a deep aluminum transmission pan to add extra capacity, which will help the transmission stay cool. Seriously consider a transmission temp gauge also.

Charles

[Gale_Hawkins]

We recored (copper) our 1992 radiator because it was getting thin and had some fins breaking loose from the core. The gas big blocks need good radiators. Major grades may mean to cut of the dash air as some signs noted a few places. I know they did one place in Yosemite.

[jimsretirementf]

I did flush the radiator and everything is woking fine. I used an evac system to remove all of the old coolant and put in new coolant, the motor will run at about 180 to 190 when running through very hot temps and up grades if I don't use the air.
Thanks

[1492]

Moved from Forum Technical Support

[jimsretirementf]

Thanks everyone, here is my thinking on this. The trans cooler and the air conditioning core is mounted in front of the radiator, all of the heat from these two cores are sending heat through about 1/3 of the radiator core. If I would move the trans cooler to a location under the frame, that would reduce the heat coming from the trans and cooler. The only heat in front of the radiator would be the air conditioning core and would let the motor run cooler when driving around town and up grades. Hope that makes sense. I think I will do more research on remote trans coolers and mounting positions.

[gbopp]

Did you flush your radiator lately? Maybe it's partly clogged.
I would make sure the cooling system is working properly before I changed or modified anything.

[Ozlander]

I say using the air makes the motor run hot and to want to move the tranny cooler.
I don't understand your thinking.
Make sure the external of the radiator and condenser is clean. That may be what is blocking the air flow.
Also, make sure all openings around the radiator are blocked, forcing the air thru the radiator.

[Trackrig]

A cooler like this with its own fan. They come in varying sizes. I'd go with a large one - go big or go home.

Clicky

Bill