Okay I have decidedto put a trans cooler on my88-Shorty.I know it needs to be mounted where it can get air flow,so has anyone done this?Can you point me in the right direction.The cooler is about the size of the factory cooler.Any help is appreciated.Thanks,Kathie

 

Tranny cooler kits come with mounting hardware, most of them are mounted to the front of the radiator, with plastic mounting 'ties' that slip through the fins.

If you have A/C, then they mount to the front of that. You'll have to take the radiator mounts loose if you have A/C, so you can get your hands in there to fasten the ties. Then you run the lines per your instructions, and you're in business.

 

I'd take out the current stock cooler, flush it well and put it back in series with the add-on cooler. The add-on cooler can be mounted in front of the A/C condenser just as AeroPA said. Mine was installed that way, and I have had no problem with either cooling or A/C efficiency. It has been a long time, 130,000 miles ago, so it seems to work well for me.

Good luck

 

my areo has AC and there was no room to get in front of the radiatior without taking it loose. so I took the grille off and got in there from th e front. way easy.

i ran my cooler "last in line" so that it would benifit any cooling that had already taken place in the radiator, and the 4wd auxillary cooler.

super easy upgrade. its kinda cool that you can see the bright shiny cooler behind the grille too.

 

A lot of the plastic ties can be pushed through the AC condenser and the radiator. I would take off the grill to mount it and I do not think the 88 models had a cooler from the factory so follow you directions carefully.

 

I put my stacked cooler in by removing the grill also.
Searching the forum here I found most recommendations were to remove the stock cooler, as it can cause flow restriction.
My new cooler is the biggest they had available, so I know it's more than enough for the Aero.

 

Heykma: do you have a stock cooler in there allready? If not, where are you going to connect the lines?
FYI, the cooler can also be put in back of the others which is easier, but most probably not as efficient.

 

I added a medium-size extra cooler to my -89 XL without AC.
Took off the grille, (easy), mounted the extra cooler on the rad using the supplied plastic straps, moved the RETURN hose from my existing cooler to the top nibble of my new cooler and added one hose from the lower nibble on new cooler to the metal tubing return pipe to tranny.
Mounted grille, all done. Maybe one hour spent.
Tip: Removing hoses on your existing system means spilling some tranny fluid. Make everything ready before removing. Plug lines if you want to minimize spill.

Good luck
Oey

 

The worst part about mounting it this way is that it will add more restriction to Air getting to the Radiatior. With the one to the A\C already blocking 25% of the full air flow to the Radiatior then you add another one brings it up to a 35-45% reduction of air flow. So your engine will run hotter.
I'm thinking more of hooking it in front or behind the stock Trans Cooler with a Electric fan on a toogle switch that I can flip on when it needs it.

 

I would agree about the air flow issue if these things actually blocked the air from the radiator. However IMHO they don't.
They are designed to have air moving through them.
Also, the one I got is temperature sensitive - fluid only goes through part of it until it gets hot. As the fluid gets hotter the rest of the cooler "opens up" for flow through it.
As far as air restriction goes, looking at it I see a lot of gaps for air flow. I don't think it blocks much airflow.
Another thing to consider - the trans fluid goes through the radiator before entering the trans fluid cooler. If you cool off the trans fluid and have a cooler running transmission then there is potentially less heat transferring to the engine coolant from that transmission.
Just my $.02

OK, that is is from the experiantial side of things.

Now, about thermodynamics (what little I know of it).

If you cool off one part by spreading the heat (energy) around then other parts may run warmer than usual.

It's possible that the engine coolant and A/C system can't handle the extra thermal load caused when they don't receive as much cool air as they used to because a hot unit is placed in front of them and receives the cool outside air first.

The tradeoff is obvious, a cooler tranny at the expense of your engine coolant and A/C system - at worst leading to overheating and lack of operation of the affected parts.

What we all know: the Aerostars are plagued with transmission problems.

It seems obvious (to me) that at about half the "normal" lifespan of these rigs the trannys give out.
After 200,000 miles mine was acting up. I found I had a bad modulator and replaced it. This, along with some previous trans overheating, prompted me to put in a beefy trans cooler.
If I knew for certain that doing so would shave 20% of the potential lifespan off the vehicle due to heat related issues but my tranny would survive until the end, would I take that deal? You bet I would. I expect these things can run pretty good up to about 500,000 miles if properly taken care of. So, if mine lasts up to 400,000 with the original tranny then I'm going to consider it a very fair trade.
To each his own, your mileage may vary, IMHO etc.

 

I used a 24" square type cooler. It fits just right in the bumper opening.

 

Thanks for the info ,I really appreciate the help.I found an interesting TSB on replacement transmissions. Ford recommends putting an external in-line filter for their rebuilt transmission ,otherwise no warrenty.As soon as I find the link I'll try to copy it or post the address.

 

I have always wanted to add an external filter for mine but find excuses for not spending the money. I also recomend a 2 row radiator as this may make a bigger differance than people realise. Our radiators are not up to the job especially in hot states. A 2 core radiator offers more thermal resurve and since it has a internal trnny cooler it will keep its temperature lower or more importantly stabler as well as the engine.

 

Thanks Bear2x2,since I live in south Texas,that's a great idea,

 

I got my 2 row from auto Zone. It was for a 94 explorer 4.0, cost about $180 and was made by Ready Rad. I posted the part number in a thread by me. Its the only thread I have done.