I've had this idea for a while but I keep talking myself down. I have an electric radiator fan that will probably fit behind my AC condenser (just in front of the intercooler). The purpose would be to have a supplemental electric fan that I could turn on manually if I was stuck in stop and go traffic while towing my fifth wheel trailer. The fan would be located behind my True-Cool transmission cooler, pulling a little extra air in to keep the transmission fluid a bit cooler.

My regular engine fan seems to move quite a bit of air so I don't think there is any problem with it. My transmission doesn't get hot as long as I am cruising down the road. In fact it barely registers on the gauge once the transmission shifts into high gear and the TC locks up. But if I have a bunch of stop and starts, then it starts to heat up a bit quicker. Most recently, I was caught in bumper to bumper traffic on the highway (with my trailer in tow) due to a bad traffic accident up ahead and my transmission was getting pretty warm (gauge read about 210 degrees at times). I seemed to be able to keep the temps in line by popping the transmission into neutral when I wasn't moving or coasting down a slight grade.

So, I have been wondering if adding an extra electric fan would be worth while or will it be a waste of time because my regular fan is already pulling so much air (even at idle). It seems like there is a massive amount of air flow on the engine side of the radiator but that flow is distributed across the entire radiator so the actual flow per sq inch may not be as great as it appears. Maybe adding an electric fan just to the transmission cooler area will increase the air flow at that particular spot, thus keeping my transmission cool.

I don't have any issues with the engine overheating or the A/C system or anything like that. I am just concerned about keeping the transmission cooler.

Should I give it a try or is it a waste of time.

Advise please.

Thank you.

 

I've been toying with an idea like this just to help the a/c keep up when the truck is at idle, especially in traffic. If your a/c does fine in traffic and the trans is the only thing having an issue, add a fan on there. I won't go through with my plan unless I score a fan cheap.

 

As long as your supplemental fan comes with its own shroud it should work ok but do you have enough room for it to fit? I looked at mine and there is not much room down there.Roy

 

Replace the bypass valve on the tranny before you do anything else.
They have a bad reputation for causing overheating transmissions.
That clutch fan on the engine moves a LOT of air

 

Thanks. Can you tell me a little bit more about the bypass valve? Is this something I can handle myself. Replace with OEM or something better?

The regular fan does move a lot of air...that is why I am second guessing the electric unit.

Edit: I just went out and looked...is that the tube connecting the two cooler lines just outside the trans body on the passenger side? If so, I would guess the bypass valve would be inside the tube port that is cast into the trans case ( at the forward cooling line connection).
Did I guess correctly?