Auxillary Trans Cooler size?

[wmoguy]

Hey all

I'm going to put a bigger Aux. Trans cooler on in the next month or so. I"m wondering what size works best to keep the trans super cool while pulling large loads. I think some are using the 6.0 PSD coolers, what size is that thing and how many passes does it give?

 

[icanfixall]

When I installed my BTS E4OD Brian told me they install the 2000 psd auto trans cooler. Usually bigger is better but wait around for more answers. I have used hayden and felt the were not doing a good job. Kinda like the job their fan clutchs do... Or don't do.....

 

[wmoguy]

When I installed my BTS E4OD Brian told me they install the 2000 psd auto trans cooler. Usually bigger is better but wait around for more answers. I have used hayden and felt the were not doing a good job. Kinda like the job their fan clutchs do... Or don't do.....

Thx Gary. What are the physical dimensions of the cooler you have on yours?

 

[trackspeeder]

Bigger is better.

Stick with a stacked plate unit. TruCool max is a great unit. It's the same as a V10 4R100 cooler. With some fab work you could use the cooler for a 5R110. (6.0 cooler).

Check evilbay, you can find some decent prices for the factory coolers.

 

['94IDITurbo7.3]

Bigger is better.

Stick with a stacked plate unit. TruCool max is a great unit. It's the same as a V10 4R100 cooler. With some fab work you could use the cooler for a 5R110. (6.0 cooler).

Check evilbay, you can find some decent prices for the factory coolers.

track, i have not found the new location for the "thanks" button, so thanks for the V10 4r100 cooler info.

 

[rjjp]

track, i have not found the new location for the "thanks" button, so thanks for the V10 4r100 cooler info.

Bottom left of a post, move your cursor around and it will show up.

 

['94IDITurbo7.3]

Bottom left of a post, move your cursor around and it will show up.

 

[wmoguy]

I checked out the PSD coolers on Fleabay, and they were all around $225-250. I'm seeing plenty of aluminum ones from CXRacing and the likes that are half the price or even better than that. I'm just really unclear as to how big of one I need? I do pull doubles on occassion. I don't get too heavy (maybe 20-22k gross) but I'm kinda weird and Type A about keeping things cool. I.e. I also plan to put a remote oil cooler on this thing. (and why my intercooler is mounted so that it in no way interferes w/ my AC Condenser and Radiator)
Would something around 13 x 15" x 1.5" be big enough here? Thx in advance for the advice fellas

 

[itsacrazyasian]

I remember you had the transmission rebuilt by a local. They didn't add a transmission cooler? Did they upgrade the cooler lines on the E4OD to 3/8's? Usually when i build a E4OD, i do that, add a deep finned pan, synthetic trans fluid and one of these coolers and i've never had issues.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/BMM-70274/

your local parts store should have one the same with a different name. Dont get those cheapo finned aluminum ones. Stacked plate and fin cool best. They sell them with fans on them too but i haven't found the need for one unless its a truck that does lots of low speed maneuvers or unlocked tcc operation. The deep pans help.

I also tighten up the shifts by modded the valve body.

 

[wmoguy]

I remember you had the transmission rebuilt by a local. They didn't add a transmission cooler? Did they upgrade the cooler lines on the E4OD to 3/8's? Usually when i build a E4OD, i do that, add a deep finned pan, synthetic trans fluid and one of these coolers and i've never had issues.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/BMM-70274/

your local parts store should have one the same with a different name. Dont get those cheapo finned aluminum ones. Stacked plate and fin cool best. They sell them with fans on them too but i haven't found the need for one unless its a truck that does lots of low speed maneuvers or unlocked tcc operation. The deep pans help.

I also tighten up the shifts by modded the valve body.

Thx! No they didn't add one, I had just got that new Champion radiator installed, and wanted to see how well it would cool the trans fluid before I added something aftermarket. Yes, it does have Synthetic in the trans.
As for tightening up the shifts: if they were any tighter I think I'd be breaking parts We'll just say it shifts "firm" between the modded valve body and the Banks transcommand.


Off the wall question for ya: If I did a cooler like you listed in your post, and I did a good electric fan on it, and the cooler was NOT mounted up front in the airflow; do you think the fan by itself could provide effective enough cooling?

 

[PwrSmoke]

What temps are you running now? If you can't answer that question, you missed a step in the process.

My advice, since you live in a cooler climate, is to install a trans temp gauge first and evaluate the need... then go with an appropriately sized cooler. I installed a big cooler in my rig back in the '80s. Later, in the '90s, it got a gauge. I found it was way overcooled in Colorado where I lived. In winter, solo, trans temp (measured in the pan) never even reached 100 degrees unless I had a big load on the truck. I towed a 30-foot Terry Manor and also had an overhead camper on the truck... about 18,500 GVCWR... and my C6 still never reached 250F with that setup, even in warm weather. The trick to avoid overcooling (which can create condensation in extreme cases) is a cooler line thermostat. You can then have the larger cooler for heavy loads and warm weather but the air-to-oil cooler is bypassed when it's not needed, allowing the trans to run warm enough. Cheap ******* that I am, my answer was a cover for the cooler during winter (the oil still flowed thru the radiator cooler). The other thing some folks did was to run the hot oil thru the air-to-oil cooler FIRST, then back into the radiator. I did that on another truck and it seemed to bring the trans temp up a bit more in winter. The newer Fords have a built in thermostat that bypasses the coolers altogether until the trans reaches around 100F.

 

[wmoguy]

I have a trans temp gauge. Unloaded around town or county roads i can get up to 175'ish. Loaded up with both trailers I have seen 215-220 in the winter.

 

[itsacrazyasian]

Don't bother with the electric fan models unless you do ALOT of low speed driving and need alot of cooling such as rock crawling. The ONLY time i've EVER needed those style coolers on a street vehicle was when i worked at Universal Orlando. The shuttle buses used to move employees around the park never see any speeds more than 15mph and its constantly shifting and you want to talk about overloaded!!!

When my truck was an automatic with the C6, i used the stock tranny cooler and i added the same exact cooler as i had listed above infront of my a/c condenser behind the grill on the passenger side. it always kept my tranny cool with my big tires and in tow. I was having issues with it overheating until i added that giant cooler. In your case you don't need to worry about overcooling since the E4OD has an internal thermostat/bypass which they eliminated in the 4R100 which is why the thermostat is in the cooler on those.

Don't take this the wrong way but you're overengineering the solution. Add a deep finned pan which adds more fluid (which helps stablize temps) and that cooler i showed you (my local parts store was 80 dollars) and you'll be fine. If you're not, i can almost guarantee if its not a stuck thermostat, that your cooling lines are undersized.