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91 Suburban V2500 - Tow/Weekend Rig - Build Thread
- Thread starter dhcomp
- Start date
Yep i got them, but haven't played with them at all. Been dealing with some family medical stuff.
Only problem is keeping the meters isolated. Gotta figure out a way to set them up to be able to monitor the batteries when the car is on, as the batteries are combined, and woudl just show the same voltage on both meters.
I'm probably going to just set it up for when the truck is off and the batteries are isolated. We'll see what i come up with......
They may end up wiht some long leads to clip to the batteries for temp use at first.......
blazerbones
1/2 ton status
When the batteries are combined in parallel, the voltage at the terminals will be the same. Both meters will read the same voltage in this condition no matter how you hook it up.
Yah, the more i thought about it.....
Thats ok though. I really need to be able to monitor them when the truck is "off" and i'm just draining one battery. They are disconnected then, so it will read true.
Roof Rack installed!
Watch out when its snowing for those tempting parking garages....
Although i did spend a few nights in a bitchin snow cabin last year that had a garage tall enough to fit w/ racks
Watch out when its snowing for those tempting parking garages....
Although i did spend a few nights in a bitchin snow cabin last year that had a garage tall enough to fit w/ racks
Ok, time for an update!
Steering box bolts
First, let me say this. Go check your steering box bolts. Yes you, i'm talking to you. Go check them. Now.
I installed a steering brace a few years ago, and wasn't smart enough to thread lock the bolts. Most of the box bolts were lose, the top one backed out like 1/4".
I'm super lucky my steering box didn't fall off, or cause major frame damange. So go threadlock your bolts.
Brake Pedal Pad
This is a supid thing to add to a writeup
But i took pics, so why not?
I take a lot of pride in fixing all the little details on my truck as needed. I don't like it when things don't work properly, and when parts wear out and break, i replace them promptly.
The most recent part was the rubber pad on the brake pedal. After 223,000 miles, the little bastard gave up, and ripped through on the corner where we all stomp on the pedal.
It bugged the crap out of me every time i jumped in the truck.
So, quick part order from Rock auto, and it was taken care of
Fresh new pedal pad! Its the little things in life, right?
Guess its also time to clean my mats
Cosmetic detailing has been put off recently, due to weekly snow trips, and constant rain. I promise it will get cleaned up soon
Steering box bolts
First, let me say this. Go check your steering box bolts. Yes you, i'm talking to you. Go check them. Now.
I installed a steering brace a few years ago, and wasn't smart enough to thread lock the bolts. Most of the box bolts were lose, the top one backed out like 1/4".
I'm super lucky my steering box didn't fall off, or cause major frame damange. So go threadlock your bolts.
Brake Pedal Pad
This is a supid thing to add to a writeup
But i took pics, so why not?
I take a lot of pride in fixing all the little details on my truck as needed. I don't like it when things don't work properly, and when parts wear out and break, i replace them promptly.
The most recent part was the rubber pad on the brake pedal. After 223,000 miles, the little bastard gave up, and ripped through on the corner where we all stomp on the pedal.
It bugged the crap out of me every time i jumped in the truck.
So, quick part order from Rock auto, and it was taken care of
Fresh new pedal pad! Its the little things in life, right?
Guess its also time to clean my mats
Cosmetic detailing has been put off recently, due to weekly snow trips, and constant rain. I promise it will get cleaned up soon
Trans Cooler Install
Trans Cooler
Spent a weekend in crazy snow conditions, and had to drive a long grade in 4 high in whiteout conditions. Basically, I was focused on keeping us alive, and didn't watch the trans temp gauge. Got back to the house, gauge way pegged at 350˚. Ouch. This gauge sending unit is in one of the pressure lines though, should really be in the pan, but still. Never had a problem during the summer, towing, so i never added an aux cooler. Heat is the primary enemy of auto transmissions, so i was very concerned about overheating my 6mo old rebuild. Theres a great link on here detailing how much damage heat does to trans fluid, but i can't find it right now.
So a trans fluid/filter change was needed, as was an additional cooler.
First, let me ask, does anyone else have issues getting to the rear trans pan bolts? The trans mount flares out, and keeps me from getting a socket on the rear 3 bolts. I used a combination of a ratcheting wrench, my fingers, and a lot of cussing to get them out. Only way i could think of improving the situation, besides cutting clearance holes out of the mount, was to put allen head bolts in those holes, and use ball-end allen keys to install. Is there a better solution to this problem?
Ok, on to the cooler. Many thanks go out to Scott (4x4high) for walking me through all the fittings and plumbing details. I didn't know much about tube vs. pipe vs. AN fittings, and he helped me a ton by walking me through which fittings I would need. He saved me countless trips bakc and forth to the parts store, and allowed me to order what i needed, and tackle this all in one shot. Thanks for putting up with my constant questions Scott!
For those of you unfamiliar with the stock setup, there is a trans cooler built into the radiator. It is functional, but not normally enough for what we do to our trucks. The cooler lines are 1/4" tube that run from the trans, to the upper trans cooler fitting (passenger side radiator tank on my 91), through the cooler, out the lower trans cooler fitting, and back to the trans.
Some people eliminate the stock cooler when adding an aux cooler, but this prevents the trans fluid from warming up to operating temperature. The preferred method is to use the stock cooler along with the aux, which allows the stock cooler to help the trans fluid heat up to operating temp faster.
So, the aux cooler needs to be plumbed in between the upper trans cooler hose, and the stock cooler in the radiator. This way, hot fluid flows out of the trans, into the factory cooler, then into the aux cooler, then back to the trans.
There are multiple trans cooler kits on the market, but to simplify mounting, I ordered the B&M Supercooler #70266.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/BMM-70266/
Scott figured out that this cooler is the EXACT same ("Long" brand) cooler as the factory oil cooler on the 89-91 trucks. The factory oil cooler mounts to the drivers side of the radiator support in front of the radiator, and it is easy enough to make brackets to mount this secondary cooler to the space available on the passenger side. This results in a nice, functional, matching cooler setup on the front of the core support.
Ok, so plumbing. Scott explained to me that when he installed his cooler, he debated using AN fittings and braided stainless hose, but couldn't' justify the cost over rubber hose/hose clamps for this application. The proper AN fittings and hose total about $100, and I also decided i could not justify that cost. I ended up spending more money than i wanted the way i plumbed it, but could probably have saved some money ordering more of the fittings. The trans lines going into the radiator are 5/16" flared tube fittings. To plumb the cooler in between the trans line and stock cooler, 90's were used, and adapted the line to 3/8" hose. Scott was very adamant about me using 3/8" HIGH PRESSURE OIL HOSE rather than standard hose, as it is way more durable. The cooler has 1/2" NPT fittings on it, so these were adapted to 3/8" hose barb fittings.
Here is the parts list for the necessary fittings. These are all edelmann's fittings, that can be seen in the following catalog on pages 7, 16, 35, 36. Thank you Scott for looking all these details up!
http://www.plews-edelmann.com/downl...le=BrassCatalog2008_90077.pdf&folder=brochure
(2) Edelmann #822560 (5/16" tube-3/8" hose clamp style 90* male elbow), ~$13 ea
(1) Edelmann #123500 (5/16" inverted flare tube union), ~$5ea
(2) Edelmann #210860 (NPT bushing 1/2"-3/8"), ~$5ea
(2) Edelamnn #846660 (clamp style rigid male 3/8" NPT - 3/8" hose) ~$6ea
All parts i used were brass, not sure why the pics don't show that:
These 7 fittings (or comparable) could both be had at Napa or Kragen within a day, but totaled $49. Add to that the high pressure oil hose, at $4ish/ft, and this was adding up fast. I ended up getting the first 2 fittings from Napa, along with the hose. Instead of getting the above NPT busing and 3/8" hose barb to adapt the hose to the cooler, i was able to find 1/2" npt to 3/8" hose barb fittings (PN# 4014338) at Ace hardware for like $3.50 each. Not a huge savings, but for $7, i did the same thing as i would have for $22, with one less connection! Every $ helps! Wanted to find some of the other fittings at ACE, but their 5/16" tube selection was limited at best.
This could have been done differently by cutting the tube nut off the factory line, but i wanted to be able to "revert to stock" in the event of a leak in the aux cooler, so all stock fittings were retained.
To plumb the cooler, the top trans cooler line was disconnected from the radiator. The flare union was used to attach the stock cooler line to a 90 fitting, and the other 90 was screwed into the stock port on the radiator. Once the 3/8" barb to 1/2" NPT fittings were installed on the cooler (using teflon tape, and being careful to not let teflon tape get into the cooler), it was time to mount the cooler and plumb the 3/8" line.
When attaching the hose barb's to the cooler, B&M's instructions make it very clear to use a "backup" wrench on both the fitting, AND the cooler side. This keeps you from tweaking the fitting on the cooler.
I first removed the grill, and planned out the mounting location. I cut/drilled some 1/8" flat bar to give myself somewhere to attach the cooler. I used the stock bracket bolt holes in the center, and drilled some on the passenger side.
Here are the brackets mocked up before the cooler is mounted:
Forgive the paint job, i rattle canned them with $0.99 black paint while it was raining, then dryed them on a cookie sheet in the oven. Ah, single life.
Next, i marked out the needed holes, drilled, and attached the cooler to the brackets. I had some old factory self tapper's from somewhere that i used, and cut the excess length off after the cooler was attached to the brackets. Didn't want the bolt points wearing on the radiator. I also shortened the bolts i used to attach the brackets to the core support.
I attached the 3/8" hose to the cooler before i mounted it to ease hookup. Here is the cooler mounted:
After pondering the hose routing for a while, I decided to run them under the radiator, and poke them up into the engine compartment on the inside of the frame rail between the fan shroud, lower radiator hose, and frame rail.
Due to the high cost of this hose, I purchased 10' (overkill, i know), but didn't cut it until i knew the exact length. To pull this off, i connected each end of the 10' length to the cooler, routed the "loop" where I wanted it to go, and then cut the extra length out of the center. This way, i didn't' end up with 2 useless extra pieces after i cut it to length. When i get a moment, i can measure the length of the excess to give you guys a better approximation of how much hose is needed to route where i did.
When routing the hose, I didn't really like all the places the hose could possibly rub and wear, so i found some 5/8" heater hose lying around, and sleeved the 3/8" hose. I cut the 5/8" hose open, and zip tied it in place over the 3/8" hose. Not only will this prevent abrasion, it also helps the bends in the hose to stay more gradual. Overkill? Probably. But i never have to worry about these hoses wearing now.
Here is an under shot of how the hoses are routed. The rows of tubing you see is the factory power steering "cooler" lines mounted to the underside of the core support.
Once the cooler was mounted, hoses were routed, and fittings were installed on the factory lines and radiator, final hose hookup was all that was needed.
Once the hoses were cut to length and hooked up, I zip tied the 2 hoses/90's together to keep the factory hard line from moving around too much. Please excuse the appearance of all the zip ties and hose clamps. I only used 1 hose clamp on each barb fitting, but decided to lightly clamp an additional "backup" hose clamp on each line in case of emergency. These clamps aren't currently doing anything, but should i have a problem with the current clamps, my backup clamps are right there when i need them.
In the above picture, you can also see where the hoses come up between the lower radiator hose and fan shroud, as well as where the 5/8" sleeves end.
Now that i've driven the truck for a weekend, and am positive i have no leaks, i will go in and cut some of the excess length off of the hose clamp bands. I took care to orient all the zip ties/hose clamps so that there were no unnecessary wear points.
Yep, it kinda looks like crap.....but it is plumbed properly, and functions perfectly, so I'm over it. I did my best, but its a small area for a bunch of connections. Chrome don't get you home, right?
All mounted up:
Once it was hooked up, i added a little fluid to the trans, let it warm up, cycled it through gears slowly a few times, and checked fluid level. Drove it around town, checked fluid level again, and all was good!
I know this was a very long and drawn out writeup, but wanted to get this down in writing for future trans-cooler installers.
Again, huge thanks to Scott, this project would have involved a lot more trial, error, and frustration without his help. Thanks for all your guidance Scott!
Thanks for reading!
Trans Cooler
Spent a weekend in crazy snow conditions, and had to drive a long grade in 4 high in whiteout conditions. Basically, I was focused on keeping us alive, and didn't watch the trans temp gauge. Got back to the house, gauge way pegged at 350˚. Ouch. This gauge sending unit is in one of the pressure lines though, should really be in the pan, but still. Never had a problem during the summer, towing, so i never added an aux cooler. Heat is the primary enemy of auto transmissions, so i was very concerned about overheating my 6mo old rebuild. Theres a great link on here detailing how much damage heat does to trans fluid, but i can't find it right now.
So a trans fluid/filter change was needed, as was an additional cooler.
First, let me ask, does anyone else have issues getting to the rear trans pan bolts? The trans mount flares out, and keeps me from getting a socket on the rear 3 bolts. I used a combination of a ratcheting wrench, my fingers, and a lot of cussing to get them out. Only way i could think of improving the situation, besides cutting clearance holes out of the mount, was to put allen head bolts in those holes, and use ball-end allen keys to install. Is there a better solution to this problem?
Ok, on to the cooler. Many thanks go out to Scott (4x4high) for walking me through all the fittings and plumbing details. I didn't know much about tube vs. pipe vs. AN fittings, and he helped me a ton by walking me through which fittings I would need. He saved me countless trips bakc and forth to the parts store, and allowed me to order what i needed, and tackle this all in one shot. Thanks for putting up with my constant questions Scott!
For those of you unfamiliar with the stock setup, there is a trans cooler built into the radiator. It is functional, but not normally enough for what we do to our trucks. The cooler lines are 1/4" tube that run from the trans, to the upper trans cooler fitting (passenger side radiator tank on my 91), through the cooler, out the lower trans cooler fitting, and back to the trans.
Some people eliminate the stock cooler when adding an aux cooler, but this prevents the trans fluid from warming up to operating temperature. The preferred method is to use the stock cooler along with the aux, which allows the stock cooler to help the trans fluid heat up to operating temp faster.
So, the aux cooler needs to be plumbed in between the upper trans cooler hose, and the stock cooler in the radiator. This way, hot fluid flows out of the trans, into the factory cooler, then into the aux cooler, then back to the trans.
There are multiple trans cooler kits on the market, but to simplify mounting, I ordered the B&M Supercooler #70266.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/BMM-70266/
Scott figured out that this cooler is the EXACT same ("Long" brand) cooler as the factory oil cooler on the 89-91 trucks. The factory oil cooler mounts to the drivers side of the radiator support in front of the radiator, and it is easy enough to make brackets to mount this secondary cooler to the space available on the passenger side. This results in a nice, functional, matching cooler setup on the front of the core support.
Ok, so plumbing. Scott explained to me that when he installed his cooler, he debated using AN fittings and braided stainless hose, but couldn't' justify the cost over rubber hose/hose clamps for this application. The proper AN fittings and hose total about $100, and I also decided i could not justify that cost. I ended up spending more money than i wanted the way i plumbed it, but could probably have saved some money ordering more of the fittings. The trans lines going into the radiator are 5/16" flared tube fittings. To plumb the cooler in between the trans line and stock cooler, 90's were used, and adapted the line to 3/8" hose. Scott was very adamant about me using 3/8" HIGH PRESSURE OIL HOSE rather than standard hose, as it is way more durable. The cooler has 1/2" NPT fittings on it, so these were adapted to 3/8" hose barb fittings.
Here is the parts list for the necessary fittings. These are all edelmann's fittings, that can be seen in the following catalog on pages 7, 16, 35, 36. Thank you Scott for looking all these details up!
http://www.plews-edelmann.com/downl...le=BrassCatalog2008_90077.pdf&folder=brochure
(2) Edelmann #822560 (5/16" tube-3/8" hose clamp style 90* male elbow), ~$13 ea
(1) Edelmann #123500 (5/16" inverted flare tube union), ~$5ea
(2) Edelmann #210860 (NPT bushing 1/2"-3/8"), ~$5ea
(2) Edelamnn #846660 (clamp style rigid male 3/8" NPT - 3/8" hose) ~$6ea
All parts i used were brass, not sure why the pics don't show that:
These 7 fittings (or comparable) could both be had at Napa or Kragen within a day, but totaled $49. Add to that the high pressure oil hose, at $4ish/ft, and this was adding up fast. I ended up getting the first 2 fittings from Napa, along with the hose. Instead of getting the above NPT busing and 3/8" hose barb to adapt the hose to the cooler, i was able to find 1/2" npt to 3/8" hose barb fittings (PN# 4014338) at Ace hardware for like $3.50 each. Not a huge savings, but for $7, i did the same thing as i would have for $22, with one less connection! Every $ helps! Wanted to find some of the other fittings at ACE, but their 5/16" tube selection was limited at best.
This could have been done differently by cutting the tube nut off the factory line, but i wanted to be able to "revert to stock" in the event of a leak in the aux cooler, so all stock fittings were retained.
To plumb the cooler, the top trans cooler line was disconnected from the radiator. The flare union was used to attach the stock cooler line to a 90 fitting, and the other 90 was screwed into the stock port on the radiator. Once the 3/8" barb to 1/2" NPT fittings were installed on the cooler (using teflon tape, and being careful to not let teflon tape get into the cooler), it was time to mount the cooler and plumb the 3/8" line.
When attaching the hose barb's to the cooler, B&M's instructions make it very clear to use a "backup" wrench on both the fitting, AND the cooler side. This keeps you from tweaking the fitting on the cooler.
I first removed the grill, and planned out the mounting location. I cut/drilled some 1/8" flat bar to give myself somewhere to attach the cooler. I used the stock bracket bolt holes in the center, and drilled some on the passenger side.
Here are the brackets mocked up before the cooler is mounted:
Forgive the paint job, i rattle canned them with $0.99 black paint while it was raining, then dryed them on a cookie sheet in the oven
. Ah, single life.Next, i marked out the needed holes, drilled, and attached the cooler to the brackets. I had some old factory self tapper's from somewhere that i used, and cut the excess length off after the cooler was attached to the brackets. Didn't want the bolt points wearing on the radiator
. I also shortened the bolts i used to attach the brackets to the core support.
I attached the 3/8" hose to the cooler before i mounted it to ease hookup. Here is the cooler mounted:
After pondering the hose routing for a while, I decided to run them under the radiator, and poke them up into the engine compartment on the inside of the frame rail between the fan shroud, lower radiator hose, and frame rail.
Due to the high cost of this hose, I purchased 10' (overkill, i know), but didn't cut it until i knew the exact length. To pull this off, i connected each end of the 10' length to the cooler, routed the "loop" where I wanted it to go, and then cut the extra length out of the center. This way, i didn't' end up with 2 useless extra pieces after i cut it to length. When i get a moment, i can measure the length of the excess to give you guys a better approximation of how much hose is needed to route where i did.
When routing the hose, I didn't really like all the places the hose could possibly rub and wear, so i found some 5/8" heater hose lying around, and sleeved the 3/8" hose. I cut the 5/8" hose open, and zip tied it in place over the 3/8" hose. Not only will this prevent abrasion, it also helps the bends in the hose to stay more gradual. Overkill? Probably. But i never have to worry about these hoses wearing now.
Here is an under shot of how the hoses are routed. The rows of tubing you see is the factory power steering "cooler" lines mounted to the underside of the core support.
Once the cooler was mounted, hoses were routed, and fittings were installed on the factory lines and radiator, final hose hookup was all that was needed.
Once the hoses were cut to length and hooked up, I zip tied the 2 hoses/90's together to keep the factory hard line from moving around too much. Please excuse the appearance of all the zip ties and hose clamps. I only used 1 hose clamp on each barb fitting, but decided to lightly clamp an additional "backup" hose clamp on each line in case of emergency. These clamps aren't currently doing anything, but should i have a problem with the current clamps, my backup clamps are right there when i need them.
In the above picture, you can also see where the hoses come up between the lower radiator hose and fan shroud, as well as where the 5/8" sleeves end.
Now that i've driven the truck for a weekend, and am positive i have no leaks, i will go in and cut some of the excess length off of the hose clamp bands. I took care to orient all the zip ties/hose clamps so that there were no unnecessary wear points.
Yep, it kinda looks like crap.....but it is plumbed properly, and functions perfectly, so I'm over it. I did my best, but its a small area for a bunch of connections. Chrome don't get you home, right?
All mounted up:
Once it was hooked up, i added a little fluid to the trans, let it warm up, cycled it through gears slowly a few times, and checked fluid level. Drove it around town, checked fluid level again, and all was good!
I know this was a very long and drawn out writeup, but wanted to get this down in writing for future trans-cooler installers.
Again, huge thanks to Scott, this project would have involved a lot more trial, error, and frustration without his help. Thanks for all your guidance Scott!
Thanks for reading!
Last edited:
blazerbones
1/2 ton status
Universal joint type adapter on my 3/8" socket with the correct extensions works for me.
Yah, i don't have enough room. When the bolt is almost out, the bolt Itself hits the mount, with no socket on it at all. A universal joint socket might work, instead of a ujoint attached to a socket, but i don't have a set of those.
blazerbones
1/2 ton status
Oops... you got a '91... 4l80e... jealous!
michael0584
1/2 ton status
I guess I need to go double check mine, but I thought you tie the cooler into the bottom line on rad.
Depends on what order you want to tie everything together in.
Scott recommended i go from trans output, to stock, to aux, to trans input.
But going from trans output, to aux, to stock to trans input would work, just not what was recommended to me.
The order of the stock and aux coolers is probably debatable.
michael0584
1/2 ton status
My intention was to put it after the stock cooler, maybe I should walk out and check mine. I thought mine was on the bottom though. I had checked the direction of the flow on my 86 and put the cooler on my 86, then moved it to the 87 when I bought it.
michael0584
1/2 ton status
Well ignore my previous posts, I went out and checked and I did route it from the top line in the rad. I guess I need to start taking my vitamins with ginkgo biloba in it again.
You and me both
. And my whole family for that matter.You had me going back to check my convo's with scott.
Its all good.
Need to do this on The Blazer actually. Doesn't have a brace yet but there is some wiggle so I ought to check.Ok, time for an update!
Steering box bolts
First, let me say this. Go check your steering box bolts. Yes you, i'm talking to you. Go check them. Now.
I installed a steering brace a few years ago, and wasn't smart enough to thread lock the bolts. Most of the box bolts were lose, the top one backed out like 1/4".
I'm super lucky my steering box didn't fall off, or cause major frame damange. So go threadlock your bolts.
I hear ya. Got a RA one for The Blazer last summer. Was it me or did they make too much rubber flashing on the back? I had to cut mine to get it on but it's been fine ever since. Definitely did improve the "feel" at your foot. Less slipping.Brake Pedal Pad
This is a supid thing to add to a writeup
But i took pics, so why not?
I take a lot of pride in fixing all the little details on my truck as needed. I don't like it when things don't work properly, and when parts wear out and break, i replace them promptly.
The most recent part was the rubber pad on the brake pedal. After 223,000 miles, the little bastard gave up, and ripped through on the corner where we all stomp on the pedal.
It bugged the crap out of me every time i jumped in the truck.
So, quick part order from Rock auto, and it was taken care of
Fresh new pedal pad! Its the little things in life, right?
Guess its also time to clean my mats
Cosmetic detailing has been put off recently, due to weekly snow trips, and constant rain. I promise it will get cleaned up soon
Last edited:
The rock auto pedal cover WAS difficult to get on, but i forced it, and once on it fit fine.
I actually have a set of the high side mats that i got somewhere, but i like this style better. I'm not a fan of stepping over the lip. And really, these will hold a lot of liquid before leaking off the mat. I drive barefoot all the time during the summer when i'm wearing sandals, and prefer the grooved bottom so my feet don't sit in all the crap that gets on my mats. I had these same ones for the blazer, and loved them, so now i even have an extra set. Too bad the passenger side "custom" ones dont' fit worth a crap.
Nothing to see here folks.
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COCHEV
1/2 ton status
nice write up! very clean.
I have maybe a dumb question, but with 2 big coolers in front of the radiator, is there any risk of not having enough air flow to the radiator for cooling the engine now?
I have maybe a dumb question, but with 2 big coolers in front of the radiator, is there any risk of not having enough air flow to the radiator for cooling the engine now?
nice write up! very clean.
I have maybe a dumb question, but with 2 big coolers in front of the radiator, is there any risk of not having enough air flow to the radiator for cooling the engine now?
Is there some reduced flow? Probably. But saying the oil cooler is stock, and that others are running this setup without issue, i'm not too worried about it.
