Senor PuffPuff Posted November 16, 2013 Report Share Posted November 16, 2013 I'm going to try and install an aftermarket trans cooler to keep my non-HD tranny happy... I'm still getting slip-bangs from a rolling stop, but it only happens once the car has been driven for a while. During the summer, it would start happening after maybe 5-10 mins of driving, but since the weather has gotten cooler it takes maybe 20-30 minutes to start so I'm hoping that an auxiliary trans cooler will stop the slipping altogether. Has anyone done this to their own car? Could you tell me exactly what I have to buy and do to get it all hooked up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schurkey Posted November 17, 2013 Report Share Posted November 17, 2013 What is the trans fluid temperature? First Guess: You don't need a cooler. You need repairs performed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senor PuffPuff Posted November 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2013 I don't actually have a trans temp gauge, but I can't imagine it being any hard part failure otherwise it would be happening when the car is cold. When it's cold, it shift perfectly fine. No slip or bang, not a thing. It's only when the engine temp gauge gets to normal operating temp (middle of the gauge) that it begins shifting badly. I've heard of other people having this problem and when they installed an aux cooler it stopped their problems, so I figure I might as well do the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l67ss Posted November 20, 2013 Report Share Posted November 20, 2013 Sounds like a clogged filter. On the tranny cooler thing just use your ac condensor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted November 21, 2013 Report Share Posted November 21, 2013 i support getting an aux cooler. it has improved the reliable performance on more than one transmission I have done the addition on, and might as well do a pan drop and filter change at the same time, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schurkey Posted November 21, 2013 Report Share Posted November 21, 2013 So how do you explain the millions upon millions of vehicles that work just fine WITHOUT an auxiliary cooler? This isn't a fluid temperature problem. You haven't FOUND the real problem; largely because nobody's even looking for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l67ss Posted November 21, 2013 Report Share Posted November 21, 2013 I DID say filter. My car did the same thing b4 i changed it So how do you explain the millions upon millions of vehicles that work just fine WITHOUT an auxiliary cooler? This isn't a fluid temperature problem. You haven't FOUND the real problem; largely because nobody's even looking for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich_e777 Posted November 21, 2013 Report Share Posted November 21, 2013 Most people (including myself) run ATF through radiator first then cooler later. Been working on cars for a few years and have NEVER heard of that before. To make a claim like that you really should post a link or something so some kid doesn't attempt this and fuck there engine up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White93z34 Posted November 21, 2013 Report Share Posted November 21, 2013 He is not suggesting that you run your transmission lines into the engine coolant in the radiator, he is talking about using the built in fluid-to-fluid cooler on the radiator then going into the external cooler, which is the proper way to go about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted November 21, 2013 Report Share Posted November 21, 2013 (edited) So how do you explain the millions upon millions of vehicles that work just fine WITHOUT an auxiliary cooler? This isn't a fluid temperature problem. You haven't FOUND the real problem; largely because nobody's even looking for it. 1 to be fair, most of the transmissions acting up I've had is in higher mileage cars... you could say they are worn out. So since most cars work fine for the first half of their life without an aux cooler, are you supposing that there must be no benefit from it? That's kind like saying smoking three packs a day is fine, cause you won't get cancer until you've done it for 20 years. I counter that some cars did get auxiliary transmission coolers, and may have a longer more trouble free service life from it. Adding one to a car that doesn't have one could add the same benefit. even if it is a bust because this transmission is too far gone, the replacement trans would still benefit. 2 trust me, I look for problems, and have found some answers. i currently modify and inspect accumulators in all transmissions I service. I've found broken springs and damaged housings that I had to replace. I don't yet know what caused the Ops issue, but it is most likely a valve body issue. logic = >$2000 trans rebuild VS. aux cooler, I'll do a service and aux cooler first 8 days a week. And, I've become quite apt at working on transmissions. Here you go with homebrew cobbles/fixes, and I have serviced and modified many of the transmissions I've touched: examples: 92 lumina: seems to hang up shifting on occasion. service and trans cooler helped parents 95 ciera: "billy goat upgrade" for mountain use. over sized trans cooler for use in long steep grades that have eaten transmissions in at least two family cars. The POS is still running %$%@#*^%*. Parking pawl failure resulted in frame drop and service. Failed accumulator spring found, meaning the 1-2 accumulator had no effective spring. I did my standard upgrade... She no longer shifts like a grandma, and the trans is more responsive than ever. 95 CS 3100 sedan: 120,000, looses lock up after less than 5 minutes. upgraded to LQ1 radiator and factory re-used trans cooler, increases time of proper functioning to one hour. trans eventually replaced during engine swap, this one was too bad. 94 CS 3100 sedan: 150,000 trans occasionally kicks into overheat mode, meaning no lockup, no overdrive. corrects each time with a re-start. Upgraded to a LQ1 radiator(better cooling capacity), no aux cooler, problem never reoccurs, car still going with 220,000 miles. 99 sierra pickup. no, I haven't added a trans cooler, but it had a valve body failure that was causing whiplash inducing 1-2 shifts when warm. replaced separator plate, check balls, tcc aftermarket piston, and new accumulator and servo pistons and the problem went away. I could have installed a trans cooler and it might have worked, but then, you don't have to drop the frame to do proper service, and doing it myself only cost $150. Edited November 21, 2013 by Crazy K Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galaxie500XL Posted November 21, 2013 Report Share Posted November 21, 2013 "95 CS 3100 sedan: 120,000, looses lock up after less than 5 minutes. upgraded to LQ1 radiator and factory re-used trans cooler, increases time of proper functioning to one hour. trans eventually replaced during engine swap, this one was too bad." I did the same to my Cutlass, after I had determined the problem was the TCC apply piston sticking in the bore at temps above 175. Extended useful time the overdrive/TCC lockup worked to cover my normal drive time until I could afford a transmission rebuild. I, too, used a factory cooler. It helped a bunch while I gathered up enough cash to do a proper rebuild--which actually had to be done twice to eliminate the TCC apply piston binding problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imp558 Posted November 22, 2013 Report Share Posted November 22, 2013 Plenty of cars and trucks had coolers seperate, I'm running an earlier radiator and the fittings were different so I cleaned up a nice one off a Ford truck and stuck that in front of the radiator. It seems that going through the radiator based cooler first would be less efficient since the radiator is hot. It would be neat to put a sender on it and install a gauge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galaxie500XL Posted November 22, 2013 Report Share Posted November 22, 2013 I don't know about your car, but when I hook my scantool up to mine, I get a trans temp. Running the cooler in series with the cooler in the radiator makes about a 20-25 degree difference on average. Since I installed it, I think the highest temp I've seen, which was a hot day stuck in traffic, has been 205 degrees. Normal cruise temp averages around 180--even though the coolant temperature is generally somewhere around 210 at cruise. Plenty of cars and trucks had coolers seperate, I'm running an earlier radiator and the fittings were different so I cleaned up a nice one off a Ford truck and stuck that in front of the radiator. It seems that going through the radiator based cooler first would be less efficient since the radiator is hot. It would be neat to put a sender on it and install a gauge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imp558 Posted November 23, 2013 Report Share Posted November 23, 2013 My scantool doesn't, I wonder if my HpTuners does? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senor PuffPuff Posted November 23, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2013 The types and number of available sensors you can monitor through the OBD port is different for all vehicles. I've used my tool on older vehicles and gotten more information than some of the newer vehicles. At the Ford dealership I work at there's always tons of rads and coolers getting thrown out so I'm most likely going to re-use one of those (after completely cleaning it out of course). My big questions are - how to mount the core and where would be the best place? I'm in Canada so sticking it closer to the bottom of the car is a bad idea because of the salt and snow but I don't want to mount it too high where it won't get any airflow... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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