So anybody added an aftermarket transmission cooler to 2015 F-150? How did you tie it into the system?

I have 3.5L Ecoboost, but with no auxiliary transmission cooler.
Looks like about $200 to get OEM parts to add.

 

Can't help with install but just want you to be aware that factory trans coolers also have a thermostat so the cooler is not in use when engine / weather is cool. I believe the thermostat is located no or in the trans. Not saying that an aftermarket on Ford add on is not a good ideal. Just not the same.

 

Yep know about the thermostat.
The reason I'm looking into this is I'll be towing a travel trailer in the Desert Southwest... In August...

 

Interesting, I've not seen a 3.5L EcoBoost truck without the factory tow package. Your truck didn't come with a hitch?

 

It has "medium duty towing." Whatever that is.
It does have the 2 inch receiver hitch, but as far as I can tell no external trans cooler. Lines go into the radiator on the driver side..

 

Yup, you have an external cooler in addition to your in-tank cooler. The outlet line for the in-tank cooler goes around the radiator and to the external cooler mounted at the very front of the cooling pack. You can see it through the grille as long as the shutters are open.

You can see it in this pic, it's the bright metal rectangle thing in the middle of the grille.



The cooling package in these trucks is outstanding, I don't think you'll have a problem. Do you have the transmission temperature gauge in your information screen?

 

I do have a trans temp gauge, but no cooler.

 

I'd call your dealer, the truck may have been built wrong. The towing package comes with an external cooler.

It's tough to see though, as the grille shutters make seeing behind the difficult.

 

I think Tom is right on this. Either the base tow package or the heavy duty tow package will add the external cooler. If your display includes tranny temp, I think it ought to be there.

Of course, yours may not have been built accordingly.

 

Sorry just now getting back to this.
But no, I don't have an external cooler.

 

Medium duty = Class IV hitch only
Heavy Duty = Trailer Tow Package on window sticker
Max Duty = A lot of other stuff.


A truck with medium duty tow package requires a new radiator, auxiliary transmission cooler and upgraded front stabilizer bar if you decide to add them. The standard radiator has lines from the transmission cooler (not aux cooler) which enter on the driver's side. The aux cooler does not tap into the heavy duty radiator. The lines run from the transmission cooler thermostat to the aux transmission cooler. The difference in part numbers is a FL3Z-8005 (medium duty) and HL3Z-8005 (heavy duty). By the way, this little nuance is not listed in the tow package description.

 

I may be confused, as I so often am, but if your transmission fluid lines go to the radiator, what are they doing up there if they don't go into a cooler of some kind?

 

It had an integrated cooler in the radiator, I was looking for a way to add an external cooler.

 

ah, I see. I assume that external one is higher capacity, but does anyone know how much higher?

 

I'm not sure how you'd figure that out. All trucks have an oil-to-water cooler in the radiator, and those with the tow package have an oil-to-air cooler out front. They transfer heat differently, so without an engineering degree I don't know that you'd come up with a precise answer.