Auto Trans cooler

[ellisr]

Hi - looking for some advice on an aftermarket trans cooler for a 97 Bighorn (3.1 diesel) .......i own a 5.5mtr boat so want to extend the life of the tranny and not risk cooking it.
Im going to do it myself so what size do i need to put in and whats the best location for mounting it ??
If anyone has a particular model they have used that fits in well, it would be good to know

Thanks
Richard

[geeves]

Get the largest one you can fit. Super cheap etc sell auto trans coolers which will be fine and come with instructions. the best place is in front of the aircon radiator.
One thing I would do different to the instructions is to get 2 T joints and connect one to each pipe to the auto and the others so the fluid is shared between the new cooler and the existing one. The reson for this is that if one cooler blocks the other still works and also this means the auto still gets some heat from the engine which gets the trans to normal temp quicker.Its common for cold autos to have harsh gear shifts

[ellisr]

Thanks for that

Did some reading on the net and most articles seem to say put the new cooler in series with the inbuilt radiator one (between the output side and the return to the trans)

Do you reckon its better to have the two effectively in Parallel solely for the reasons given above??

Also with a large trans cooler in front of the Aircon radiator, does it impede the airflow thru to the main engine rediator by much ??

Cheers

[geeves]

series is easier and possibly cools a little better as long as you know which way the fluid is going and put the extra cooler after the one in the radiator. Otherwise the radiator reheats the fluid.
Cant answer the second one. The only auto Ive owned didnt have a cooler in the radiator or aircon