heat sink transmission oil cooler

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rmchrgr

rmchrgr

Skate And Destroy
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Anyone have any experience with a heat sink/finned type transmission cooler in a street machine? Was thinking about ditching the standard stacked plate type I have in front of the radiator and putting an aluminum one on the pass. side frame connector.

Was looking at the ones Mancini sells (Derale) and the blurb says they "provide maximum cooling efficiency without relying on direct airflow." I figure that there should be plenty of air flow by the frame connector anyway, even if it is under the car. They even suggest mounting them on a fame rail or under the floor.

The reason I am looking into one of these is mainly because of the cooler lines. Routing the lines around the pass. side exhaust and up to the front is a major P.I.T.A., no matter how you slice it. There is too much crap in the way to have a straight shot.

Plus, the finned type are lightweight which is always good.

I know they are fine in dedicated race cars but I'm unsure of how they perform on street cars with higher stall converters that see normal types of driving. I have been seeing more positive reviews lately so I tend to think it will be OK but would like to hear from those who have had success with one.

Thanks for any input.
 
No direct experience with them, but I think I would feel a lot better with the other style on an around town car as they get a ton more cooling at lower speeds than the heatsink style.
 
I think that's the conventional wisdom but perhaps these types of coolers are better now then when they first came out a few years back. The larger ones have a pretty significant surface area.

Again, it says they don't don't rely on direct airflow... they are more of a heat exchanger.
 
rmchrgr said:
I think that's the conventional wisdom but perhaps these types of coolers are better now then when they first came out a few years back. The larger ones have a pretty significant surface area.

Again, it says they don't don't rely on direct airflow... they are more of a heat exchanger.
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That quote about their coolers being a heat exchanger is a pitch, because they are all heat exchangers and the heat has to go somewhere.
Not trying to argue with you just for the sake of it or anything, but to have the cooling area of a radiator type cooler the "heatsink" style would have to be HUGE.
Heatsink or not they require airflow to remove the hot, and don't do squat if the car isn't moving. (barely squat anyway) :D
That's the big reason they are used mostly for racing.
 
If they all require airflow then how is a stacked plate cooler any different if the car is not moving?

Maybe I need to call some trans builders and see what they say. It's hard to find definitive info on these things.
 
rmchrgr said:
If they all require airflow then how is a stacked plate cooler any different if the car is not moving?

Maybe I need to call some trans builders and see what they say. It's hard to find definitive info on these things.
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A lot of people put them in the path of the fan or even have an extra fan for the cooler.
I'm not saying anything bad will happen, or that you can't/shouldn't use it.
It would probably be fine though the trans will run cooler overall with the older style.
BTW, ex ATRA (Automatic Trans Rebuilders Assoc.) and ASE certified auto, standard, trans and 4X4 certified drivetrain builder as well as service manager for large chains like Goodyear and Aamco. :D
Top 5% in the state at the time actually, but more opinions can't hurt, right?
 
rmchrgr said:
If they all require airflow then how is a stacked plate cooler any different if the car is not moving?

Maybe I need to call some trans builders and see what they say. It's hard to find definitive info on these things.
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They work when the car isn't moving because the traditional spot they are mounted is in front of the radiator much as a A/C condenser. The engine fan draws air across the fins. However I would like to know the answer to your question too. I'm thinking about mounting a round finned cooler to the front lower core support but wondered how well it would work on a street car.
 
I personally have ran a heat sink on a street car with no ill effects for years. Car is now a drag car...but still on my decade old trans rebuild. Same cooler.
( like this)
MOR41201 - Moroso Automatic Transmission Cooler, No Filter


I have heard claims that a plate type is about the best you can run, supposedly verified via a temp gauge to run cooler than a smaller heat sink type.
Performance/Engine/Drivetrain - Transmissions/Transfer Cases - Transmission and Transaxle - Automatic - Transmission Fluid Coolers and Components - Transmission Oil Coolers


Personally I look at it as...the original oe "trans cooler" was a single copper line running through a radiator tank...so...kind of tells me almost anything will cool more than that.

And as you see....tons of shapes, sizes, and styles on the market.
Performance/Engine/Drivetrain - Transmissions/Transfer Cases - Transmission and Transaxle - Automatic - Transmission Fluid Coolers and Components - Transmission Oil Coolers!

kind of a each his own, or whatever you have room for. I think id probably run one of the black plate and fin type on a street csr if I was doing it again. (Top of the 2nd link)
 
Every trans cooler I've seen is an auxiliary cooler, as in you plumb it in line with your radiator cooler. The trans fluid needs to be a certain temp to work efficiently too cold is bad, tooh to is bad. I've seen OE setups with auxiliary coolers with a thermostat to bypass the auxiliary cooler until a certain temp is reached. I'm talking pure street cars here so race setup may vary.
 
This is my current set up. Works great.
IMG_9734800x534_zpscb1f4e63.jpg


But, I'm always looking for a "better mousetrap" and in the interest of less clutter and lighter weight, I try to get parts that fit those criteria. That said, if a finned type cooler won't be sufficient for regular driving, than I guess I will have to just keep what I have.

Again, running the lines up the left side is a hassle. The ones in the pic are not there any more. I rebuilt the trans and took the cooler lines out. I never liked the way they were, just something about them was not sanitary enough. The exhaust, brake lines and steering all take up real estate right where the lines come out of the trans. I thought about running them close to the oil pan then on top of the K frame like the factory did it but I can't do that until the motor is back in the car so I can see where everything lies.

Just looking at options for this situation.
 
Just remember the heat has to go SOMEWHERE. If you are conducting heat "to the frame rail" where does it go from there?
 
rmchrgr said:
This is my current set up. Works great.


But, I'm always looking for a "better mousetrap" and in the interest of less clutter and lighter weight, I try to get parts that fit those criteria. That said, if a finned type cooler won't be sufficient for regular driving, than I guess I will have to just keep what I have.

Again, running the lines up the left side is a hassle. The ones in the pic are not there any more. I rebuilt the trans and took the cooler lines out. I never liked the way they were, just something about them was not sanitary enough. The exhaust, brake lines and steering all take up real estate right where the lines come out of the trans. I thought about running them close to the oil pan then on top of the K frame like the factory did it but I can't do that until the motor is back in the car so I can see where everything lies.

Just looking at options for this situation.
Click to expand...

Have not done the cooler yet on my car but it will be a radiator style up front inline with and (before the radiator).
I ran 3/8 lines along the frame rail between the steering and inner fender so it wasn't too bad and didn't require nearly the amount of bends.
I'm in no way saying the heatsink style won't work or cool enough, just that it can't possibly beat what you already have for temp control.

Now the "better mouse trap" part I totally understand. :D
 
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67Dart273 said:
Just remember the heat has to go SOMEWHERE. If you are conducting heat "to the frame rail" where does it go from there?
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I'm sure the heat from the engine and headers has a ton more effect there than the cooler lines do.
What would be your concern Del?
 
67Dart273 said:
Just remember the heat has to go SOMEWHERE. If you are conducting heat "to the frame rail" where does it go from there?
Click to expand...

I read last night where guys use this 'heat sink goop' which I guess is some sort of insulating compound?

Thermally Conductive Epoxies

I think this stuff is more for when you are building a heat sink, not for merely mounting it to a piece of steel. I could be wrong though.
 
I did have one installed on my 65 Pontiac for 8 years. It was a 4000lb+ car and had a 350- 350hp crate motor and I didn't drive it like a old lady either. In Canada early Pontiac cars from the factory came with Chevy motors, (just in case you were wondering why it had a Chevy motor). As you can see in the picture it is located just behind the bumper and licence plate with just a bit of it sticking up. Never had a problem or issues with the tranny in that time I owned the car and I put many miles on it every year. If you want to use one I would buy the dual pass type, rather then a single pass.

IMG_1801.JPG
 
Cool, thanks. I would definitely do a dual pass, they are not that much more.

Again, the main reason I would be switching is because of plumbing the stupid cooler lines, not for the type of cooler.
 
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