I want to add a transmission cooler to my car to help extend the life. A little late at 133k miles, but I've only had it for 2 months.

Is this worth doing? Autozone has them anywhere from $39.99 to $57.99. Are these going to work on my car, or am I going to be pissing money away

i really dont see the point for "buying" one,i just went to a junkyard and pulled a tiny radiator out of a small car..did the job

Well, that makes sense. How did you hook the hoses and everything up?

I don't think I completely understand the concept of a transmission cooler . Is there a place on our transmission that you can basically just hook up and pump coolant through it like an engine block? Or what?

Also, where did you mount the radiator?

Sorry if I sound stupid. I'm learning as I go

you have to find the line for your tranny .there you cut it,before cutting,make sure the line is blocked with clamps or whatever.

put the radiator in a spot where air can circulate.like near the air intake, near the radiator.


as for learning this stuff..its really fun!..
after my first tranny went,i decided not to take any chances and put this cooler in,and you will find your whole engine runs cooler also.other things that help are like getting a 180 degree thermostat,since we all have V6'*..getting up to engine temp is no problem.3800 series and the 440T4 are notorious for overheating causing a short lifespan..can other bonnie lovers agree?

Ok, so the transmission fluid is actually being pumped through the radiator and cooled, and then sent back.

I think I understand now :P

Correct me if I am wrong on this. There is a side on the radiator that houses a separate tank which contains automatic transmission fluid [ATF] that is cooled by, cooled engine coolant, I don't believe it is a conventional fluid cooler such as a transmission coolant specific cooler, but it partially works.

smoosh: How did you clean out the old radiator? I don't think you can run water through it but I could be wrong on that.. Did you just run compressed air through it to clean any gunk?

Some advice for purchasing a used radiator or any fluid cooler for that matter, is to check to make sure not too many fins a bent [a few will be normal], make sure there is zero rust through [if you can sand it off, make sure you do so and repaint it, also repaint any bare metal to prevent rust], make sure there are no bent tubes [if equiped] and that all the fittings have good threads and don't appear damaged, also make sure the main frame is not bent.

-justin

compresses air and water before to get any big clumps.

works good