Heavy Duty Trans cooler upgrade project
 

So i finally got the trans cooler i ordered last week in last night. Little bigger than i thought but should still fit were i want it under the bed. Gonna pickup the hoses today and hopefully get it done by tonight. Its a 35,000 BTU cooler rated at 4-15 GPM and a 2400 fpm built in fan, so it should help the issues i have had towing extreme loads in stop and go traffic. I'm setting the fan up with a 180 thermostat and looking to maintain less than 200 degrees under all conditions. I'll post more info when i get it done.

And pictures :-X21

Hope all works out for you. Please post a lot of pics and links to where you purchased everything. This is something I want to do to mine since I tow my 35 foot toy hauler all over the rockies.

my brother in law out in Tucson did something like that and had real good success with it.

He actually just uses a kill switch to turn the fan on.

So i was able to pick up the fittings and hose today, wifes jeep broke down so thats about all i got around to, had to pull the trans out of the jeep and tear it apart for a rebuild, by the time i got the parts for that i barley had time to get the parts for my cooler....lol always somthing....

At this point I'm going to remove the small tube from the inlet cooler line connection on the trans to the small inline filter and use those for my connection point's for the new cooler. I am matching the current cooler line size with the new install so everything is -8an or 1/2 inch. The transmission case is marked clearly IN and OUT for the cooler lines so theres no issue figuring it out which is which. I got a piece of good thermal tubing to protect the trans line where it will be near the exhaust pipe. Hopefully tomorrow after noon i can get it done and post the finished product.

Do'nt you need a T so extra cooler would be working on its own due to temp?

No im just adding a cooler to the system the flow is constant when the thermostat is open on the trans, i have a tee for the temo switch for the fan so it turns on at 180 degrees

So i got the cooler mounted today and plumbed up,i ended up having to drop the exhaust to get it in and have a little room to work. While i was in there i rerouted my vent line on my tank cause it was spitting when i filled up. I didn't get it hooked up to the trans cause i forget to get extra trans fluid so I'll do that tomorrow. Had to weld a strap on the fitting for the fan sensor to mount it. It was a tight fit but i got it in the spot i wanted. All thats left is wiring the fan circuit, connecting hoses to the trans and adding fluid.

That looks like a great job!

Will there be no issue having it above the exhaust?

It toke about 20 mins to get home egts where around 1000 as theres a good grade on the way home, i felt the cooler and it was still cool so i dint think it will be affected by the exhaust pipe, theres about a 7 inch gap between the cooler and the tail pipe, i think I'm gonna wrap the pipe with header wrap to help with heat as a precaution measure, but I'll know better tomorrow when i get it hooked up

Ok so i got the final connections completed on the trans. Took an additional 4 quarts to top the system off. Between the cooler and the mag-hytec deep pan ive added 12 quats or 3 gallons for extra fluid to the trans system.

One word. WOW

Now for the results....Before adding the cooler Towing a trailer and load weighing in at 26,000 lbs in stop and go city traffic with an ambient temp of 69 degrees i would see 217-225 degree trans temps. At traffic lights the trans would not cool off more or less maintain. On a 6% 6 mile grade traveling 40 mph the trans would go all the way to 228 degrees at about 3 miles into it before i had to back out of it and eventually pull over and let the trans cool.

After the cooler install and under the same traffic conditions the max trans temp was 198 degrees, average temp was 194 degrees. At traffic lights the trans will cool down 5-8 degrees depending how long the light is. The fans on the cooler works well turns on at about 182 degrees and turns off at about 168 degrees. On the 6% grade i was able to pull the full grade without stopping with a max trans temp of 202 degrees.


Now for the cost

DB-345-12 trans cooler (retail 552.00) mine on ebay 360.00
180 degree inline thermostat 60.00
Fittings and hoses 260.00
4 quarts motorcraft lv trans fluid 20.00

Total parts 700.00

Install time was about 7 hrs, should have been about 4 but i was having an off fabrication day....Overall i am very happy with this investment and think it will help preserve the trans considering the loads i tow.

Congrats man! I wish I had a buddy like you as neighbor 😜😜😜😜😜

lol....thanks