cooler for trans or engine?

i have been sitting on an expensive stacked plate cooler for a while because i had a higher stall converter installed in the trans and wanted to see if it increased the trans operating temps. When i got the car the transmission got so hot the selector shaft actually melted the rubber piece in the console. No kidding. Getting stuck in traffic getting on the GWB in summer was just a matter of time waiting for the idiot light light to start flashing! I put in an Edelbrock alum high flow waterpump, new hoses w/spring, and a new replacement 3 core brass radiator. Also the FMX was rebuilt with a mild TB kit. That solved most of the heat problems though i hadnt been stuck in too much summer traffic last year. Now that i have upped the rear gears and put in the new converter i expect the trans to generate more heat. So here's the question; would i be smarter to run the cooler as a trans cooler in-line with the radiator cooling on the way back to the trans, or go with what Ford had done with coolers and use it as an engine cooler by installing the oil filter hose setup? I do not know yet what additional heat will come off the trans, but we do know that the Cleveland runs hotter than the windsor and even highway cruising at 70 mph gets these mills very warm. Throw in summer beach traffic and its always just a matter of time till they boil over. (i dont know how you guys with AC can even think of throwing that switch.) I am leaning more towards using it as an oil cooler. My trans guy say always have a trans cooler installed! Anyone with experience here?

Hello wwhite72,

Absolutely! I have one in each of my Mustangs. I believe that a transmission cooler should be standard in all modern vehicles. Make sure that you place it in line or conjunction with the Radiator transmission cooler for winter time use. The oil cooler would be more for Drag Racing. How is you fan shroud? What kind of Fan are you using? Is it the factory fan? How about the thermostat? Is it working properly? With the 3 core Radiator, one should not really have an heat issue. I could be wrong!

mustang7173

I don't think you would want to use the tranny cooler along with the radiator cooler. Seems to me that the radiator is already 185-195 deg depending on your thermostat and so would be your transmission fluid. I place my cooler in front of the radiator where it will get the coolest air. If your running that hot. Bigger is better.

^^^what he said^^^ and I got one of these for my C6 Mach 1

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/bmm-70274/overview/

Hello,

There are three ways in which a trans cooler can be plumbed into place. All approaches are easy, because the tubing already extends to the front of the car - all you need to do is to replace the factory pipe-to-radiator hoses with longer items to reach your new cooler.

The trans fluid cooler can be located:

1: In series with the standard radiator cooler, being plumbed-in before it

2: In series with the standard radiator cooler, being plumbed-in after it

3: To completely replace the standard radiator cooler

But why would you do (1) or (2)? You don't want the radiator heating the fluid when you're trying to cool it, do you? The key point to remember is that you want the fluid to be warm. Some auto transmissions monitor fluid temp and change their behavior accordingly, so that the shifts are of the same firmness irrespective of trans temp. But others rely on the radiator heat exchanger to bring the temp up and until then, the shifts are a bit harsher or softer. If you bypass the radiator heat exchanger completely and fit a monster trans cooler, in cold weather the fluid is likely to be kept too cold.

Perhaps some rules of thumb for hard-working performance cars are:

Hot climate - bypass the radiator with the new cooler

Moderate climate - fit the new cooler after the radiator heat exchanger

Cold climate - fit the new cooler before the radiator exchanger

mustang7173

You want the tranny cooler in series with the heat exchanger in all climates.

Even in a hot climate it cools off at night (and winter is usualy cool unless it's tropical), a cool start-up the ATF is still too cold for the tranny.

The tranny is designed to run at an optimal temp. For hot climates you want a bigger cooler instead.

In cold climates where it freezes you want to run a thermostatic bypass of the axillary cooler.

The tranny will wear out the clutches fast if the ATF is too cold or too hot.

Anybody know what the optimum temerature is?

Fan shroud is fine original. Fan is a replacement 6 blade like new. Thermostat is like new, the radiator does is less than 2 yrs old and does a better job than original, rad cap is functioning 13lbs....sounds like the concensus is tranni cooler! Now i just need decide how i want to mount it in front of the radiator. Thanks.

I have a FMX does anyone have an answer for him?

i took the majority opinion to be use it for the trani. The factory only used coolers for engine oil on top loader cars. also all the cooler makers specify their products be used AFTER the radiator cooler (or completely independent of the radiator). The fittings are easy. mouting in front of the radiator with brackets is a little tougher because i dont want to shove zip ties thru my newer 3 core radiator. there are a few unused bolt holes on the core support but the cooler is a little small to reach both top and bottom so i have sketched a bracket to cover the span. Havent had it fabricated yet because id like to use billet and powder coat it matblack.