Transmission cooler PLUS radiator?

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Yeah - I realize this is dragging on longer than some prefer. But it doesn't hurt me to learn, that's for sure. I've been distracted with other things going on (family), and will get back on this starting from tonight. One thing that occurred to me this morning was that, most on this thread agree that the cooler transmission fluid, the better.

I understand cooler doesn't mean cold. And that the radiator will warm the fluid up quicker. That being said, it seems like the set up I have on there now is more optimal for my condition. Meaning, its only running through the transmission fluid cooler. Yeah, it's going to take longer to warm up. But I don't think that negatively affects me. As I don't crank it up and roll into the quarter mile lights. And when I do crank it up, it takes me a couple minutes or so to work it out of the garage and onto the street, then I slow roll it through the neighborhood. Then all other times, with only the transmission fluid cooler, I would be providing cooler fluid to the transmission than I would if it were also ran through the radiator. I think.

I'm wondering if maybe I might be better off just leaving it as is. It's been fine thus far.


7milesout
 
Think of it this way.......

Going through the radiator first acts as a 'pre-cooler'.

So the fluid going from there into your added cooler has been pre-cooled a certain amount before entering the secondary cooler.

End result?

Cooler fluid than you would have by using only one or the other.
 
Guys,

Looks like my radiator already has the male / male fittings on it. See the pictures below. So, a couple questions...
  • Should I be looking to attach to these with banjo fittings?
  • Which side is the OUT side for the trans fluid?
  • Looks like about a 3/8ths fittings … no?

7milesout

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The OEM tubing was 5/16 with flared ends and nuts. In a previous post someone suggested you replace those OEM fittings with a barbed fitting for neoprene hoses and clamps. I can't confirm that the threads in this radiator are in fact npt type.
I don't think it makes a difference which is in and out / which way the coolant flows through it.
 
Maybe I should clarify. How do I distinguish the flow direction from the transmission? Because I'm going to want to hook up the inlet to the radiator, crank the car, and let the first 10-15 second of trans fluid that comes out of the radiator to drain into a pan. I figure the first stuff through will be finish cleaning the transmission lines in the radiator, and I'd rather that not go back into the radiator...
 
I am 95% sure that the holes in the radiator are 1/4 NPT. You can screw any kind of adapter fitting in there you want... barbed, tube, AN, etc...
 
Looks like I could pull those flare fittings off my radiator and replace them both with a clamp style rigid male, 5/16" Inverted Flare Tube, 3/8" (hose size). Like in the picture below. Then instead of having to get fancy schmancy metal lines and fancy schmancy flare tools, I can just:

  • Remove the hose clamped line from the "IN" side of the cooler, and re-route that line and hose clamp it to whichever side I choose to be the "IN" side of the radiator.

  • Then take a short piece of (new) hose and hose clamp to the "OUT" side of the radiator, and back to the "IN" side of the cooler (the one I just rerouted above). Viola, that should do it. No? There's so much hose length to the set-up on this cooler, I could just cut a piece of length and use it as mentioned in this 2nd bullet.

P.S. - I referred to the metal lines and flare stuff and fancy schmancy just for giggles. I would rather go that route, but it would take me longer and be a larger hurdle to jump than to do as I'm detailing in the bullets above.
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Honestly, I'd spring for some AN fittings and hoses. Doesn't have to be stainless steel braided hose... they do sell less expensive hose that's a lot more durable and chemical resistant than the old "rubber hose". Just imagine the mess if the cheap stuff lets go, especially if it happens in the middle of nowhere. But the aux. cooler has barb/nipples on it doesn't it? That kind of messes up "my" plan.
 
Don't forget a transmission, just like an engine, also needs warm/hot temps to expell condensation/moisture from the oil and housing.
 
BigBlockMopar said:
Don't forget a transmission, just like an engine, also needs warm/hot temps to expell condensation/moisture from the oil and housing.
Click to expand...

Always use 2 hose clamps if going that route, especially with higher pressure !
 
Last night I crawled up under El Scampo to measure the barb on the cooler. It is 0.375" (3/8ths), not including the barb. Then I went to trace the lines like you guys suggested, in order to figure out the fluid flow direction.

First, I'm going to have to put the front end of the car up on my floor dollies in order to get far enough under the vehicle to trace the lines to / from the trans. This car sits L-O-W.

2nd, I traced the hard trans lines just prior to the cooler (just couldn't see them all the way back to the trans). Here's something I wasn't expecting.

From a hard original line to / from the transmission, is attached a plastic sort of fiber tube (feels like fiberglass) hose clamped on. Then that (I'm going to refer to it as fiberglass until I know better) tube is sort of long and wrapped around in the area under the radiator, but finally attaches to a larger hard pipe (this is what I didn't expect). This hard pipe is near the bottom and in front of where the condensor sits, sort of in the neighborhood of behind the front bumper, maybe a skosh below it. That big hard pipe takes about 4 laps back and forth, the length of each lap being about the width of the radiator and condensor. Then back to the fiberglass line. Then to the cooler. From the cooler back to the fiberglass line. Then to the hard original line and back to the radiator.

To me the bigger metal tubes in front look original, due to the way they are fastened in place. All original looking bracketry and fasteners. Those lines look like they are specifically meant to cool fluid. Larger diameter pipe, long length wrapped back and forth in an area to catch cool air.

Is this bigger hard cooling lines something you guys are familiar with? I'll try to get some pictures if need be. It was getting dark in the garage at that time.


7milesout
 
Sorry guys - My gall bladder done busted and I had to have it removed. Been in the hospital for a while.

No, no one made these lines, that I can tell. It looks original. I'll "try" to get a picture of it. I'll probably just forget this radiator loop and slap the radiator back in. Between the cooler and the front hard lines I think it has plenty of cooling.


7milesout
 
Guys,

I told a lie. Now that I look at it in earnest, it looks very home-made. It is copper tubes (look like plumbing tubes), and I can see where they've been sweated together. And the bracketry that holds them in place look very home made. But not bad.

All I know is that there is a crap ton of fluid in my whole system (trans, lines, cooler, these cooling lines).

The pictures below are laying mainly on the driver's side, looking toward the passenger side. The 3rd picture is the line in or out.

With this much potential heat dissipation, I think I'm just going to forget the radiator cooling and just put it back like it was … but without a leaky radiator (repaired). Question, comments, suggestions, concerns? All welcome.


7milesout
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Manual transmissions don't have to worry about "pre-heating" the fluid. Why would an automatic? It's just a gearbox. Radiators have coolers to save money. Are you trying to save money? You won't be saving any when the radiator cracks inside and flushes your trans with antifreeze. Just run a separate cooler and no hookup to the radiator. Guys run a deep pan for more fluid when it's a better idea to run an ac condenser for a trans cooler.
 
Perhaps you may consider to read from the beginning. No big deal if you don't. But no, this has nothing to do with saving money. I don't think you're implying that I'm trying to save money, I think you're implying that that was the point of putting the cooler lines in the radiator (from the factory). That … I agree with. This car is already running a separate cooler, I'm all but certain the P.O. added it.

All in all I see your post as agreeing with me. As I mentioned just putting it back like it had been ... which does not involve trans fluid running through the radiator.
 
By "you" I was referring to general posters, many of which neither of us agree with, and my indication was that the factory was the one who had the radiator idea to save money.
 
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