Thread: Can I run w/o trans oil going into radiator???

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Hello Everyone, I hope your all having a great week-end! I was wondering if I can run my transmission w/o the trans oil going into the radiator to help cool it. I have a transmission cooler. And if I can't, is there a radiator that just runs the coolent into say the bottom of the radiator rather than having the extra tubes in front of the regular radiator? Or maybe I can run two trans coolers? Thanks Bill

Oh, '32 Ford, turbo 400 trans, with a blown up small block but I want to put a Hemi in it & need more room! ......

You can just use an external trans cooler. Most radiator trans coolers are located in the bottom of the radiator. You can mount the trans cooler under the car as long as it's in the air flow. I use the double pass heat sink type coolers.

A friend of mine just runs a short loop of tubing right at the tranny in his pro street camaro... doesn't drive it real far on the street often though... I would guess in a lightweight deuce it wouldn't get too hot unless you were on it a lot...

-Chris

I'm just running an external cooler and it works fine. I also had an external cooler on my Jeep truck and pulled many a trailer with it and never had a heat issue.

I just remembered the other day something that happened to me in the '70's. I had a Pontiac station wagon with a 455 in it. One day I took off the radiator cap and it was like a pink milkshake in there. Long story short, the transmission cooler inside the radiator fell off and the transmission fluid was pumping into the radiator and the coolant was in turn getting sucked into the transmission.

I tried to save the transmission by repeatedly flushing it after I put a separate cooler on it, but a short time later it started slipping really bad. Had to have the transmission replaced. One more reason I don't like to use the radiator as a cooler for the transmission.

Don

Originally Posted by jpelli

You can just use an external trans cooler. Most radiator trans coolers are located in the bottom of the radiator. You can mount the trans cooler under the car as long as it's in the air flow. I use the double pass heat sink type coolers.

+1, that is what I am using also.

Thank You Jpelli, Skids, Denny, Don & Stu. So I'll just take the large front tubes off of the front of the radiator. Then the radiator will go further into the Grill Shell & give me more room. I'll then get a trans temp gauge to check the temperature..... Thanks again, Bill

I run the stacked plate type, and a fan if I think there may be an air flow problem. Haven't had any problems yet.....

Hi Bill, I also use a double pass heat sink type cooler (no trans cooling in my PRC radiator) plus I also use a Derale remote tranny cooler with a electric fan on a temp sensor switch. This was done for just piece of mind so I would have no worries about heat claiming my turbo 400's demise. Old adage is "better safe than sorry" and trouble free hot rodding is so much better than being stuck along side the road in the middle of now where.

...Thanks Dave & Styling! have a great day! Bill

This is what I will be running, a 24" double pass and is similar, tho 2x longer, to what I've run before plus the 1 quart larger aluminum pan. I've added 2 quarts total oil with the cooler and pan

IC2's post triggered my memory, in addition to the double pass heat sink cooler I am also using one of these: http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku

Together they completely solved any trans cooling issues I was having.

Pat

Originally Posted by Stu Cool

IC2's post triggered my memory, in addition to the double pass heat sink cooler I am also using one of these: http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku

Together they completely solved any trans cooling issues I was having.

Pat

Unfortunately - this was my first choice, but made of "unobtanium" for a Ford C4 or C6. So.....an aluminum 1 qt deeper had to suffice.

Dave,

Do you think that would work with a 700/R4? They seem to generate a lot of heat.

Right now, I have a dropped pan with cooling tubes and a cooling coil in front of the radiator. I have a switch on my temp gauge so I can read either water temp or trans fluid temp in the pan. Right now, my trans temp almost never even moves the temp gauge off the peg.

Originally Posted by Henry Rifle

Dave,

Do you think that would work with a 700/R4? They seem to generate a lot of heat.

Right now, I have a dropped pan with cooling tubes and a cooling coil in front of the radiator. I have a switch on my temp gauge so I can read either water temp or trans fluid temp in the pan. Right now, my trans temp almost never even moves the temp gauge off the peg.

Almost sounds like the trans is running too cool - if that's possible. But - have you really run the car in the heat of summer yet and in a line of traffic??

Jack, I have a 4L60E which is the electric (E) version of the 700R4. I was having problems with the tranny getting hot pulling long hills going over the Sierra Nevada. With the dual pass tube cooler and the Derale pan my problems have disappeared. I also have made it a practice to pull it down to 3rd (1-1) when I come to the long steep hills and that may be part of the solution as well. I don't have a gauge on mine, but it was definitly suffering from heat problems before I made the changes. It would shift extra hard and stop shifting into OD altogether. I was afraid I had fried it, but once it cooled off it was OK and has worked well for several thousand miles since.

Pat