Looking at trans coolers and have seen alot on true cool and putting on a 6.0 cooler.Which is better and why.Are there better ones out there that i just haven't seen?Is it better to add a cooler inline with the existing one or do away with it and just upgrade?

 

I've heard good things about both, I intend to go with a 6.0 when I get rid of the bypass line.
From what I've heard, they both work the same, but seems like I usually see the 6.0 coolers for les $$.

 

what bypass line are you talking about?

 

I put in the tru-cool max -Easy install and dropped my temps about 25-30 * Nice when towing.

 

A nice thing I just learned about the 4R100 - there is a cooler line on the side of the tranny outside the case that routes coolant around the cooler for warming up or whatever. Apparently, when you bump line pressure, as some chips do (DP Tuner? maybe someone will chime in), that bypass will stick open, and bypass the cooler when it's needed most. A mech I trust (known him since high school) says thats one of the things that took down my trans.

 

The purpose of the bypass is to allow trans fluid to bypass the cooler if it's plugged. A cooler can plug from debris, or it can plug in very cold temps. The fluid can get too thick to flow through the cooler at temps below 0F.

If there is no cooler return flow the rear half of the trans won't get any lube. Without lube the trans will have a very short life. That's why the bypass is there, so you never run out of lube flow.

 

So what happens if you remove it? My buddies book says its a good idea to sodder it shut or something. It had the idea that without the bypass, a plugged cooler would result in a leak from the lines at the cooler, warning you that you need a new one rather than waiting for the tranny to overheat.

 

On the subject of the trucool did you use a add on or replace your cooler alltogether?

 

If the cooler gets plugged you'll get no lube to the rear of the trans. What do you think it will look like if you drive it for a while with no lube?

I think that's not a good idea. Is my opinion better than theirs? I'll leave that for you to decide.

As for waiting for it to leak if the cooler is plugged, that will probably work ONLY if you leave the clamps loose. Even if the cooler is completely blocked you won't get much more than 60 PSI there. That's not enough for a well maintained cooler line to leak.

 

I just had my 4R100 rebuilt and found that Ford did not route the cooler lines through the radiator and put on a small cooler. I already had an after market cooler, but add a cooler off the V10. This is quite a bit larger than the stock and bolts in the same location without any mods. The only issue is that it was taller, so I had to slightly bend the lines down to get them to route behind the radiator. Both together are working great.

 

I would have to say that the best mod I made on my truck so far, and I've done alot, is the 6oh cooler. I made the switch before the trip I'm on now along with flushing the fluid and adding a Mag-hytec. I was seeing 200-210 pulling my 30' 5er in the mountains and stop-n-go traffic. After adding the cooler and pan, I didn't see 150 coming over the smokies or sitting in stop-n-go traffic for almost 2 hours. Riding around not seeing even 100. Really made a huge difference.

 

Tru-Cool manufacturers the Ford coolers.

The OEM 7.3L cooler is the 28k Tru-Cool. The cooler off the V-10 trucks is the 40k Tru-Cool. It is a direct bolt in replacement. The cooler from the 6.0L is a ?k (not published yet, but I'd guess 50k.) It also fits in the stock location.

The Tru-Cool MAX that we offer to add in series with the OEM cooler for max cooling is the same 40k core in the V-10 cooler without the large mounting brackets that make it fit behind the intercooler.

So, when we add the 40k MAX to your OEM 28k existing cooler, you have added all the cooling that can happen. It is an awesome set-up even in the worst scenarios.

As far a the bypass........It is designed to do two things. It will bypass the cold fluid past the cooler until the fluid come up to temp. The TC will not lock until it does, so this time needs to be as quick as possible. The 2nd thing it does is bypass the cooler lines should there be a blockage. Yes, you will run hot if it fails or you have a blockage and the bypass valve is DOING IT'S JOB, but you will still have a transmission if you fix it soon. If you remove the bypass and you do get a blockage, you'll loose a transmission before you know you had a problem. That would be foolish in my mind.

If the valve is bad..... replace it. They are cheap and easy to test. We have instructions on our site on exacty how to do this.

Bob

 

when you add in the tru cool max where does it sit?Is it behind stuff so it wont get hit by stuff while driving?I drive out into pastures and stuff alot getting hay and just want to make sure it wont dangle to low.Bob what is the part number for the add in series cooler?

 

Not to steal Bob's thunder (I've been lurking), but there is a pic of it installed on a truck on his website. I'll probably get the replacement V10 cooler from him because I don't tow heavy (or much at all). Here's the link:
http://www.dieselsite.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=205

...and here's what it looks like:


Joe

 

I've tested this on fully instrumented (50+ thermocouples, plus pressure sensors in the cooler lines) and found that this is NOT the case.

If the cooler is cold enough to jell the fluid and the bypass opens, it will not close again. Once the bypass opens there is not enough pressure to force the jelled fluid out of the cooler, so it will just continue to bypass. There is no temperature sensing on the bypass, it only works on pressure. If the cooler is blocked, pressure goes up and the bypass opens.

The torque converter clutch will not lock when it's cold, but it is not tied to the bypass operation in any way. It is only delayed by temperature as measured by the Trans Oil Temp sender on the solenoid body.