4l60e Trans cooler

[upon1]

I have installed a tube style trans cooler and am now starting to rethink if this will be enough or do you think I should run lines to the rad instead. Didn’t realize the champion rad came with ports for trans lines. Not sure what kinda heat these trannys put out.

[Jesse Z]

I've always assumed that the big finned auxiliary coolers are more efficient than the in-radiator types, if for no other reason than they are farther away from the heat of the radiator and engine.

If in doubt you can run lines to BOTH your radiator cooler and auxiliary cooler in series, like so:

[Black_Sheep]

Unless you are really working the transmission hard by towing, racing, etc... you really don't need a huge transmission cooler. I run a 20,000 GVW on my street machine with a 9.5" converter that flashes around 3500 and a manual valve body. The cooler and lines only get warm to the touch, even after extended cruising. The cooler on my '58 is even smaller, it also runs just warm to the touch. The combo is a mild big block, TH400 and a stock converter.

[joedoh]

Originally Posted by Jesse Z

I've always assumed that the big finned auxiliary coolers are more efficient than the in-radiator types, if for no other reason than they are farther away from the heat of the radiator and engine.

If in doubt you can run lines to BOTH your radiator cooler and auxiliary cooler in series, like so:

there are two reasons to use a rad mounted cooler over an external cooler.

1. heat transfer by conduction (by contact) is much more efficient than convection (by air movement), and is not subject to changes in efficiency by variation in the air (temperature, humidity, airflow speed, etc). this is why rad mounted coolers can be so small in the tank, the contact of the coolant with the cooler is very very efficient. a comparable external cooler will need to be much larger, even the efficient stacked plate types. the ability to reject heat through the radiator is also much much more efficient, meaning, a very hot trans will have a lot of cooling potential in a radiator mounted cooler system, the rad rejecting heat by convection, but the surface area of the rad is very very large, larger than an external trans cooler.

2. its true the radiator mounted cooler will never cool beyond the thermostat temperature (or final temperature) of the coolant, but the coolant will warm up much faster than the transmission fluid will, and so on cold days or even during a cold start the transmission fluid in a rad mounted cooler will warm up much faster than with an external cooler. if you have ever driven a cold trans, you know the benefit. external coolers sometimes have a waxstat to limit flow until warm


transmission damage is exponential as fluid temps rise over ~250 degrees. there is a lot of sense in running an external cooler WITH the rad cooler, especially when towing or climbing hills.

stay away from fin type or tube and fin coolers for an external cooler. stacked plates, also called plate type, maximize surface to air convection.

[Coupeguy2001]

my 57 is using an 86 corvette 4+3 trans and I am using an 86 corvette power steering cooler to cool the trans.
The tubes are also warm to the touch.
Plus it is a genuine GM part. So is the 89 corvette 350, flywheel, bell housing, etc. yawn

[mr48chev]

My OT daily has a factory cooler that sits in front of the radiator and condenser and doesn't connect to the radiator at all. In real cold weather I have to let it warm up for a few minutes to get the trans temp up so it shifts right.

[whitedog76]

I'll agree with Joedoh on this.

When I rebuilt a 700R4 in a K10 I had, I talked to the guys at PATC in depth. They claimed that the radiator mount cooler in 5 times better than the air to oil. They said that if you go to an air to oil cooler, get the biggest one you can fit.

So what did I do? I didn't take their advice and I bought a 20,000 lb Hayden oil cooler. The truck shifted harshly until the trans warmed up, so I routed back through the radiator again and it helped immensely.

Ideal transmission temperature is between 175 and 225. Sounds familiar right? That's the advantage of the radiator cooler. It helps warm up cold fluid and cool down hot fluid. The only reason you would need another cooler is if you are towing heavy loads or racing.