I'm adding an 11x11x3/4 in. Mr Transmission cooler to my 2008 Sierra 2500 HD. I will be pulling an 8200 lb TT through B.C. and the PNW this Summer.
I'm trying to decide whether to replace the smallish OEM aux cooler with this one or plumb them all together.
(rad tank to OEM cooler to new cooler)
Thoughts?
Stu
Stu & Jackie Metcalfe
2000 Salem 27FKSS
2008 Sierra 2500 HD gasser
If you eliminate the OEM cooler you will waste that many square inches of the new one leaving the new one with not much benefit. I installed the largest Tru-Cool in line with the original and dropped the temps 20* in my diesel..
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buzzard616 wrote: I'm adding an 11x11x3/4 in. Mr Transmission cooler to my 2008 Sierra 2500 HD. I will be pulling an 8200 lb TT through B.C. and the PNW this Summer.
I'm trying to decide whether to replace the smallish OEM aux cooler with this one or plumb them all together.
(rad tank to OEM cooler to new cooler)
Thoughts?
Stu
I would install a B&M or a Derale Stacked Plate transmission cooler inline with the factory coolers.
I have personal experience with the B&M super cooler and like their bypass feature for when the transmission is cold.
We have a F-350 and had a leaky seal problem when we got to the top of Priest's Grade (heading into Yosemite). The guys on here gave great advise about putting a newer bigger tranny cooler in series with the existing.
It really helped and was not that hard to do. We added a temp gauge to the dash when we got out of Yosemite as well as had the whole tranny removed and fixed right.
If we had added the tranny cooler before we had the problem we would have saved $900.
If you are talking about a staked plate 11" square cooler, then yes replace the factory cooler with this one, it will offer less pressure drop, so there will be increased flow through both coolers.
If it is fin and 3/8" tubing, then the flow might be a bit more restricted, and slow the transmission fluid flow through the coolers, might even increase the transmission temps if flow is to restricted. I installed a 12" high and 18" wide fin and 1/2" tube cooler behind my radiator on the GMC 3500 series class C motorhome that I had. It helped cool the transmission fluid and was put in front of the engine cooler, then to the radiator, then to the factory cooler.
This took a considerable heat load off the engine transmission cooler, so both the transmission and engine ran cooler. Before, the transmission would run 235 on level ground in 90F weather. Later it would run 220 on level ground, so I hooked up the factory cooler again after the radiator cooler, and dropped the temps to a acceptable 190F on level ground and 220 when on a mountain climb.
The transmission to engine radiator water cooler dumps a lot of heat into the radiator, so placing a staked plate large as possible cooler before the engine radiator will help cool both the engine and radiator if required. But if your engine is not overheating, stick with the 12" x 12" at the outlet of the radiator cooler, and you will keep the transmission in check, while also taking a little load off the engine radiator by not having 235F transmission fluid enter that cooler, it should not be exceeding 200 from now on.
I did know one member on Rv.net that removed his transmission lines from the radiator, thinking that two air coolers would be adequate, however it took three large oil to air coolers to make up for the large oil to water cooler inside the radiator.
You an also check prices at JcWhitney.com Look for the DeRale staked plate coolers, you should be able to find one in the 12" X 12" range, it might be 1-1/2" deep. You can click on "Chat now" if you need help in finding something. Then ask how you can get free shipping, or if it is on sale. Usually they will offer a deal. You might also want to get a digital temperature gauge if you don't already have one. I wired mine to hook up the sensor into the port on the side of the transmission where a pressure gauge attaches. It gives me a good ballpark reading of the trans fluid temp.
Pretty simple, and inexpensive. Just use some A/C duct tape to tape the thermostats probe to the metal return line of the cooler and adjust it to kick the fan on around 120 degrees on the gauge. Sandwich the fan to the cooler and mount them behind the front grill.
I used this setup and a water mister on the rv as I wasnt up for spending the $900 to replace a $5 seal. The water mister would pull the temps down to 160 in a flash.
Pretty simple, and inexpensive. Just use some A/C duct tape to tape the thermostats probe to the metal return line of the cooler and adjust it to kick the fan on around 120 degrees on the gauge. Sandwich the fan to the cooler and mount them behind the front grill.
I used this setup and a water mister on the rv as I wasnt up for spending the $900 to replace a $5 seal. The water mister would pull the temps down to 160 in a flash.
I'm not familiar with the water mister you said you installed. Could you please provide more information? Thanks.
My TV is a 2008 Toyota 4Runner V8. We live in Southern Arizona, so when we go camping, we often drive initially in 100 plus degree ambient temps. We climb in altitude from about 1000-1100' to 7450' in 120 miles. I use a ScanGuage to pull the transmission fluid temp, and was not happy with the rise in trans fluid temps on long grades last time I pulled the TT north. I was advised to remove the very small OEM trans cooler in front of the radiator, and replace it with a B&M SuperCooler (stacked plate), so that is what I did. I effectively doubled the square inches of cooling area. However, now I'm not sure this is going to be enough. And from what I am reading here, maybe I should have left the OEM dinky cooler and put the new one inline.
So now I am not sure what to do to add additional transmission fluid cooling. I had thought of adding a temp controlled fan in front of the B&M cooler. I wonder if that would be the way to go? Or should I add back the dinky OEM cooler in line with the B&M? I'm thinking the fan would be a better choice, but I'm not sure. Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
The thing that is a pain with this vehicle is that when I add or change a transmission cooler, I have to take it in to a shop, they have to let everything cool down for several hours until it reaches a specified temp, and then go thru a step by step procedure to add fluid back. There is no dipstick, so I am not sure where or how much to add back myself.
crcr wrote: So now I am not sure what to do to add additional transmission fluid cooling. I had thought of adding a temp controlled fan in front of the B&M cooler. I wonder if that would be the way to go? Or should I add back the dinky OEM cooler in line with the B&M? I'm thinking the fan would be a better choice, but I'm not sure. Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
The thing that is a pain with this vehicle is that when I add or change a transmission cooler, I have to take it in to a shop, they have to let everything cool down for several hours until it reaches a specified temp, and then go thru a step by step procedure to add fluid back. There is no dipstick, so I am not sure where or how much to add back myself.
wow, no dipstick? Seriously?
try something like this for the water mister. clicky
what I did on the rv was run a garden hose along the chassis from the rear compartment that had a fresh water spicket up to the water mister and wired in an additional switch to turn the fresh water pump on and off as needed.
I cut a piece of thin sheet metal about 4" by ~33" and wrapped it so I could use it as a fan shroud on the fan in my earlier link. then I drilled holes in it so I could stik the water mister nozzles in it as I wrapped the length of the mister's hose around the shroud, about 3-1/2 loops. It worked great.
I'd decide based on just how much cooling problem you're having. If you're overheating the tranny with the OEM cooler then it obviously is not doing the job or you have other tranny problems. I would consider it important to find out what the problem is before fixing it.
Good luck / Skip
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