The other day I was changing my oil on my 1997 f-150 4.2l v-6 XL, and after I was done I was looking up at my radiator and noticed in front of the radiator their was like a small radiator. My question is was is this could it be a trans cooler as I do not have a tow package. Did FORD put trans coolers on as stanard on XL?

 

I have the same truck and asked the same question a couple of months ago. I was told that what I thought was a transmission cooler was a power stearing cooler. It was located on the drivers side in front of the radiator.

 

Ohh! Thanks for the quick response. It is in the same spot as you described quess it is a power steering cooler

 

That's interesting - I have a 99 Expedition that I use to plow with. It came with the towing package, so I do have a tranmission cooler, but I always thought it was what you say is the power steering cooler (driver's side in front of the radiator).

Do you know where the transmission cooler is located?

Thanks

 

That's interesting, because I have a 99 Expedition that I plow with. It came with the towing package, which includes the tranny cooler. I always thought that what you say is the power steering cooler was the tranny cooler.

Do you know where the tranny cooler is located?

Thanks

 

Automatic equipped vehicles will have the tranny cooler inside the radiator on the drivers side.

 

Thanks for the reply.

If it's inside the radiator, how can it effectively cool it? Would the radiator make it hot?


Sorry for the initial double post; the first post appeared to have vaporized when I clicked on "submit", so I retyped it and it posted okay the second time.

 

If it is equipped with the towing package there should be another cooler besides the one in the radiator....................but I am not sure about the '99 expy's.

Well, with the cooler inside of the radiator, as I said before, they help each other out. That is why radiators are typically referred to as "heat exchangers". That is where you clutch fan or electric fans come into play. A radiator or heat exchanger would only serve to heat up the tranny oil til both temps equalize. Keep in mind that automatic trannys produce alot of heat which is ultimately what will kill an automatic tranny. IF you install a tranny temp gauge you will see what I mean. If you are seeing temps on that tranny temp gauge at or above 200°................the oil in that tranny might be good for 30,000 miles. Heat breaks down ATF and the individual properties of this type of oil are like this..................If your tranny fluid has seen a high temperature like 240° or actually anything over 200°............most would think that tranny fluid is OK after it cools, .............this is not so. Once ATF is heated to these types of temps it actually breaks down and is NO GOOD. Dont get me wrong.........you still have time to get to your destination before you should change it............but I would not prolong it.

Go to www.******performance.com and look in the tranny section. You will see alot of good information about how tranny oil breaks down and about how long it is good for. t r o y e r

 

Thanks for the reply.

I did have a tranny temp gauge installed last year, as that was the first year that I used this to plow and wanted to keep an eye on it. I also had the fluid changed and put in a high temp synthetic.

The temp kicked up to about 220/225 a few times, but it never did it while I
was plowing, only after I was done and driving along. The temp would always come down after about fifteen minutes.

I plan on taking it in to have the fluid changed again; I'll ask them if they can point out the tranny cooler to me.

Thanks again

 

Get under your truck and find the two oil lines that come out of the trans. One or both will go to the radiator. If they both go to the radiator you do not have an auxilary cooler. If only one goes to the radiator, follow the other one. It will probably go to the aux cooler. Proper flow is hot fluid from the trans to the aux cooler, then from the aux cooler to the cooler in the radiator and then back to the trans.