Aux tranny cooler suggestions?
Question:
My son has a 95 GMC K1500 with a 5 liter V8. He will be doing some towing, relatively light duty (less than 2000 lbs) but the truck doesn’t have the towing package. I’d like to add a transmission cooler. Any suggestions on tranny coolers that have worked well for any of you? Ease of installation? Upstream or downstream? H McCollister
Response:
Hayden trans coolers work very well and come with neccicery installation equipment and instructions Should be able to find for about 40$ or so
Response:
OE is the Tru-Cool brand. The nice thing about these ones, is that they only cool when you need it, they are automatically self-regulating. Especially good if you get into the cold weather where some others continue to cool and can actually gel your fluid, leading to starvation. Seen it happen, and sold the new tranny for it. Buyer be informed. jed
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> My son has a 95 GMC K1500 with a 5 liter V8. He will be doing some towing, > relatively light duty (less than 2000 lbs) but the truck doesn’t have the > towing package. I’d like to add a transmission cooler. > Any suggestions on tranny coolers that have worked well for any of you? Ease > of installation? Upstream or downstream? > H McCollister
Response:
it might be a wise idea to install a transmission temperature gauge. i think you can get one for around $50. i think just about any trans cooler will work well. b&m makes a new design cooler that’s supposed to be stronger and offer better cooling for its size. i used to have one on my blazer. they’re a little more expensive than the standard "coiled up tube" design. the only problem i see w/ them is that the passages are small (although there are a lot of them). i would think if the fluid became too cool the small passages would be a major restriction. the paperwork w/ both trans coolers i’ve bought said the best place to mount them is in front of the radiator. this is because that’s where the coolest air is. if you’re going to use the truck in cold weather often, it might be better to mount it behind the radiator (though fan clearance may prevent this). this offers less cooling, because the radiator heats the air before it hits the trans cooler. i believe the proper way to install a cooler is to plumb it so the fluid runs through the radiator cooler, then through the aux. cooler. again, if you’re using it in colder weather, running it through the aux cooler first might be a good idea–that way if the aux cooler cools the fluid too much, the radiator cooler will attempt to heat it back up to your coolant temp (probably 195F on the truck you mentioned, assuming your thermostat is open). transmissions should run at at least 170F and at a max of about 220F (i think). they have to get hot enough to boil off any water that has condensed in the system. another thing to consider is an aux. spin-on transmission filter. i don’t know enough to officially endorse using one (although i have used one in the past). they use an engine oil filter to provide extra filtration, and the additional surface area helps to cool the trans fluid some. -rob – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >My son has a 95 GMC K1500 with a 5 liter V8. He will be doing some towing, >relatively light duty (less than 2000 lbs) but the truck doesn’t have the >towing package. I’d like to add a transmission cooler. >Any suggestions on tranny coolers that have worked well for any of you? Ease >of installation? Upstream or downstream? >H McCollister
