Tranny cooler - anyone think this is a bad idea?

[BurbinOR]

Putting in a tranny cooler finally, and am planning on using Aeroquip 250psi hose (that rugged light blue stuff) all the way from the tranny to the cooler............other than being very careful with the routing for header melt through and trail damage, etc., is there any reason NOT to use it? Beats, in my very humble opinion, using rubber hose from the current steel lines to the cooler. /forums/images/icons/cool.gif

And another related question - is there anyone running a tranny cooler that is NOT using the radiator cooler/heater in their system? I have read reams of posts about the belief that you *should* go to the radiator, then cooler, but is this really necessary?

TIA

 

[HarryH3]

I don't know about the lines, but I think it's a good idea to get the fluid heated up in the radiator. Moisture gets sucked in via the vent as the tranny heats and cools. The fluid needs to get hot to get rid of the moisture.

 

[Chris_T]

Don't know about the hose .. as long as tranny fluid doesn't eat it from the inside should be OK. When I swapped in my 700 I had 3/8 wrapped tranny cooler line for a while right from the trans to the cooler until I had new hard lines bent up and had no problems. When I got new lines I had them bent up to account for the cooler to keep the rubber hose short .. the return line goes from the trans, along the frame rail, along the rad support and then dips under it, leaving about a 6" length of trans cooler line (for vibration and such). The other hard line goes to the rad.

As far as running a cooler without going through the rad, I've run it both ways. In warm climes I'd have no problems runnnig a cooler alone, but I found that in the winter (-20 to -40) that the trans fluid doesn't heat up without going through the radiator and it shifts really hard. If you're not going to run it in the cold then I would have no worries running it alone.

 

[BadDog]

Actually, it is the other way. Cooler first, then radiator, that way you don't have problems with over cooling or over heating. I ran new hard lines (roughly $4 each) from the tranny forward and used small sections of rubber line to jump to the cooler. I just trust the hard line more to withstand hard use.

 

[FWP]

I don't see any reason not to use it, other than cost. You will probably have to support it better than the original steel lines as it will be more flexible.

As for skipping the radiator cooler- I'm in the wait and see category on that one. Just finished putting in the biggest cooler that B&M makes after the radiator cooler, and have to see what happens when wheeling hard out in the desert. I may bypass it yet, as it only gets to 20 degrees at the lowest up here in the AZ mountains. HTH

 

[1Blazin71]

Wondering what tranny temps you all see with the 700R when wheeling. I have a 700R with only the B&M 28K GVW cooler and with lockup and 4.56s around town/freeway it stays at about 160. Hotrodding around the streets and not getting into lockup it holds at a max of about 180.

Wheeling on long grades and all day sand dune romps I see 200-210.

What does everyone else consider a safe temp for their 700R?