I have my engine out now and just picked up a 3 row 6.0 trans. cooler and I'm trying to assemble parts for a transmission fluid filter kit. My truck is an early 99 and I don't know if there's any good reason whatsoever to install the later version of the radiator which has the transmission fluid lines plumbed into it while I have open access to everything.

Since I'm going through the effort to put in the filter setup, I don't want to do that twice so if there's any compelling reason to upgrade radiators, now is the time.

Thanks,
Drake

 

I think so. Without the radiator cooler you will have no cooling without airflow. So if you wound up like me backing up a steep off road section your transmission may cook. Air to air cooler needs airflow to cool. Without forward speed you will not be getting any cooling.

When Ford replaced my cooked transmission, under warranty, they also replaced the radiator with a radiator with the cooler inside. I didn't pay anything to get it replaced they just knew that they had messed up and needed to fix the problem or keep replacing transmissions. All later models have the radiator cooler. They just got cheap and then after replacing many transmissions fixed the problem.

Also don't the 6 liter coolers have more than 3 rows?. I know there are two types but I think they are like 31 rows or something like that.

 

Oops. I forgot the 1 on the end of the 3. Yes, I meant 31 row cooler not 3 row cooler.

Thanks for that input. I will be on the lookout now for one.

Thanks,
Drake

 

No the fan will give you all air flow you want through the 6.0 cooler with the fan. I installed the 6.0 cooler and I tow 12,500 lb toy hauler. My trans temp has never been over 140 degrees and that is when it was 95 degrees outside temp. I would do the 6.0 cooler and a trans temp gauge. The stock trans cooler was pretty small for heavy towing requirements.

 

I'm with Mike on this one. You can get a OTW radiator for the cost of a new trans cooler. It's easy to change (especially if your engine is out) and a worthwild upgrade.
I have one in my truck since I tow quite a bit.

 

The 6.0L cooler with no radiator cooler won't get enough airflow in reverse to keep the trans cool if you need to back up a grade. The fan doesn't pull enough air through the trans cooler, a lot of the flow will go around the cooler then through the radiator.

I HIGHLY recommend installing a radiator with a trans cooler, even with a 6.0L cooler.

 

I have been thinking about doing this too. What year did they start putting in the radiator with the trans cooler built in?

 

I guess I have just never backed up a large grade towing to experience this. I am thinking 99 is the only year w/o a radiatior cooler. The only other negative, I have heard of coolant/trans fluid contamination from a faulty radiator

 

Mid-year 2000.

 

im pretty sure my e99 zf6 equipped truck has a oil to air cooler

 

I guess I am just having trouble with the overheat with no air flow in reverse vs crawling in traffic at 1 to 5 mph. Surely the air flow going forward at such a low speed would cause overheat as well for the same reason and I have not experiened that. YET!

 

I installed the new radiator in my E99 with the 6.0L cooler and love it. So yes I think it is worth doing.

Chet

 

I'm pretty sure it does, too. So how is that at all relevant to this discussion?

 

So if I replace my radiator with one that has the transmission cooler in it, which tranny oil lines will I need to replace?

 

Lets think about what FORD was thinking when they went to the radiator with the trans cooler built into it:
I'm thinking that they realized that the little 9 row trans cooler was just too small when S/D owners really maxed out their towing weight, so they did the radiator with the cooler built in.
I have NO idea how big the 6.0 trucks radiator is, but then they went to the BIGGER coolers that we all want for our 7.3 trucks.
MY feeling is that between the radiator with cooler built in AND the original 9 row cooler is about the same as the 6.0 coolers by themselves for capacity.