When i installed a new aluminum radiator in my 78 F250 i noticed the aftermarket trans cooler looked pretty rough so i took it out. My question is how much do i really need one and is the connections at the radiator good enough to cool the trans? My truck is a 4x4 and lifted with 37" tires and 4.10 gears. I only drive it occasionally or if i go camping and only tow a tent trailer thats all aluminum (only 1600lbs. with 8' deck on front). Would a deep trans pan with extra capacity be alright or should i put a new trans cooler on it or both? also the trans has a shift kit and low miles since rebuild and works great and i want to keep it that way just dont want to spend extra money if not really needed. Thanks for any input.

 

I would go ahead and install the biggest cooler you can. The cooler the better.

I used to run dual thinlines and with the MarkVIII fan the temps almost never went over 170 degree with a 3000 stall convertor doing various illegal activities.

Josh

 

X2 on what bullet said............the cooler it runs the longer it will last. Heat is an auto trans' worst enemy.

 

auxiliary tranny coolers ( bigger the better ) are cheap insurance ! also check your lines for kinks or blockage !

 

I thought our stock radiators and/or direct replacment rads. including aluminum ones had built in tranny cooler thingys....why else would the tranny lines go into the rad.? Is it better to use a radiator without the hook-up for tranny lines and just a aftermarket cooler?

 

the stock tranny coolers built into the radiator are small coiled up tubes !
your tranny will build heat threw friction and the fluid will get hot and if left unattended it will keep getting hotter and hotter until it boils and will destroy the seals in the tranny and render the tranny useless ( HEAT IS THE TRANNYS WORST ENEMY ) !
when your engine heats up so does the tranny fluid and if your engine overheats so will your tranny fluid ! it is best that the tranny has its own separate cooler and bigger is better ! bigger lines will also help sometimes as would a tranny temp gauge !

 

37s through 4.10s, you need additional cooling.

 

If your not towing or off roading I wouldn't worry about it.

 

Agreed...wouldn't hurt having one, but I don't see it being necessary for a commuter.


On my heavy haulers or trail/mud rigs, I just run them in series...usually in to the radiator first, then the aftermarket cooler, then output to the tranny.

 

WOW, lots of mixed opinions so here's mine, depending on were you live if you live in the colder area it would be a good idea to have a cooler and have it go thru the bottom of the radiator to help heat up the fluid for cold driving so the trans shifts a little smoother.
But by all means you do need a cooler, those fittings were not put in the side for looks.

 

It is slightly unrelated, but I had a trailblazer I towed a 5,000 lbs camper with. When I bought the camper I bought a B&M aux. trans cooler and a temp gauge. If I ran around town, trans would warm up unloaded, if I ran the highway less that 120 deg. nomatter the season. you hook that camper on and in third gear (4spd) it would run 180- 200 consistent. if you put it in OD and didn't keep track of the converter locking up, it would climb from 180 to 230 in less than 2 miles. with a C6 the OD heat won't be an issue. if you want to see what is going on get a temp gauge. they will let you know in a pretty quick amount of time, if what you are doing is going to damage the trans.
A rule of thumb is if your temp gets above 200 degrees for a significant period of time, you just cut the fluids life in half. if it is good for 50k it know will be good for 25k. I am not sure if my temp numbers are 100% correct, search trans fliud life and you can read what the pros say.

 

Thanks for all the helpful info. I think i will put a new trans cooler on my truck just to be safe and i will not have to worry about it any more.