Stand alone trans cooler

Fuelie600 · #1 (**permalink**) December 19th, 2006, 08:51 PM

Installed a TH400 w/ brake this week. Now I'm in the hunt for a good stand alone trans cooler with fan. What are you guys using, and where did you mount it? I hesitated to post here, because this is not a Stage related question, but after almost a week in the "general" and "transmission" tech areas, I've had no response. Pics would be great.

Thank you, Brian

summit · #2 (**permalink**) December 19th, 2006, 10:43 PM

I used a BM supercooler standalone between intercooler and radiator with no issues behind full weight low, low 9 second street driven stage motor car with no problem. you won't need a fan unless you are mounting it out of direct airflow for some reason. What few standalone coolers with fans I have seen have been race only mounted in the rear of the car due to room constraints, and they all have trouble keeping temps down when on the tbrake.
Race car only?

Greg Kring

Fuelie600 · #3 (**permalink**) December 20th, 2006, 04:12 AM

Thanks Greg. My GN has AC still, and I'm not sure if there would be room in front of the radiator. If there is, that will work out fine. If not, I was thinking maybe under the radiator between the air dams. I was also thinking of using a fan for added cooling at low speed/staging lanes. Maybe I will rethink the fan. Brian

summit · #4 (**permalink**) December 20th, 2006, 07:34 AM

There is room between the radiator and the A/C condensor, which is where I mounted mine. We have also mounted them where you are thinking between the air dams slightly tilted to catch air. It is easier to mount them there, but it is also unprotected from road debris.

Greg Kring

DonWG · #5 (**permalink**) December 20th, 2006, 10:51 AM

In my experience, nothing beats mounting the cooler in the direct airflow path. This would be a street application. If it is strictly drag race only, mount it in the most convenient spot with the best dang fan you can find. Also realize that if you're using the fan to cool down in the pits, the fluid is not circulating through the cooler unless the transmission pump is running (engine running). An extravagant setup would be to plumb two lines into the pan with an appropriate oil circulating pump so that you could at least circulate and cool the oil contained in the pan, while sitting in the pits, without having to run the engine. That would be 4-6 quarts depending on the pan you're using, of the total 9-10 quart capacity of the trans depending on the T/C you're using.

The reason location is less important with a strictly race only car is because you're only up to speed for less than 9 seconds for moving airflow to make a big difference. Sitting in the staging lanes, doing your burnout, sitting at the light on the transbrake and 5 mph on the return road really isn't going to do much to cool the trans when you're relying on forward movement of the car to provide airflow across the cooler.

TurboDave · #6 (**permalink**) December 20th, 2006, 11:18 AM

Here's how I did mine. Since it has a good 10" fand mounted on top (puller), I wasn't overly concerned about it being in direct airflow, but it is tilte down just a bit to try and "scoop" some airflow. No ugly air dams to get in the way.

Cooler fan pictures from cars photos on webshots

Fuelie600 · #7 (**permalink**) December 20th, 2006, 04:00 PM

Dave, your set up is what I was thinking of, only installed between the air dams. What cooler/fan set up do you have?

Don, Am I understanding you in so far as a fan is not needed for slow traffic, or waiting in the staging lanes? Just mount it in some good air for when the car is moving? Should I just get the largest B&M super cooler ( 'cause I like the stacked plate design ) and mount it in open air?

Greg, How thick is your core? My other thought about not mounting it in front of the radiator, was to allow more fresh air into the rad. Should I be concerned?

Thanks for the feed back guys

Check out my post count!! It's my favorite number.

TurboDave · #8 (**permalink**) December 20th, 2006, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fuelie600

Dave, your set up is what I was thinking of, only installed between the air dams. What cooler/fan set up do you have?

Don, Am I understanding you in so far as a fan is not needed for slow traffic, or waiting in the staging lanes? Just mount it in some good air for when the car is moving? Should I just get the largest B&M super cooler ( 'cause I like the stacked plate design ) and mount it in open air?

Greg, How thick is your core? My other thought about not mounting it in front of the radiator, was to allow more fresh air into the rad. Should I be concerned?

Thanks for the feed back guys

Check out my post count!! It's my favorite number.

It's a B&M stacked plate cooler, the fan is just a genaric off the shelf 10' variety.

DonWG · #9 (**permalink**) December 20th, 2006, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fuelie600

Dave, your set up is what I was thinking of, only installed between the air dams. What cooler/fan set up do you have?

Don, Am I understanding you in so far as a fan is not needed for slow traffic, or waiting in the staging lanes? Just mount it in some good air for when the car is moving? Should I just get the largest B&M super cooler ( 'cause I like the stacked plate design ) and mount it in open air?

Greg, How thick is your core? My other thought about not mounting it in front of the radiator, was to allow more fresh air into the rad. Should I be concerned?

Thanks for the feed back guys

Check out my post count!! It's my favorite number.

I think you have my statements meaning reversed. Since you won't have a lot of air movement across the cooler at a race track, except when going down the track for 9 seconds or so, you should run a monster fan on the trans cooler.

If you're running this car on the street, then by all means retain the stock cooler in the radiator and run your auxilliary in the airstream behind the front grill. A fan of any size can never replace the amount of airflow you will get behind the grill. Period.

Fuelie600 · #10 (**permalink**) December 20th, 2006, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DonWG

I think you have my statements meaning reversed. Since you won't have a lot of air movement across the cooler at a race track, except when going down the track for 9 seconds or so, you should run a monster fan on the trans cooler.

If you're running this car on the street, then by all means retain the stock cooler in the radiator and run your auxilliary in the airstream behind the front grill. A fan of any size can never replace the amount of airflow you will get behind the grill. Period.

This is a strip/street car. It will be running in the 10.0's, or maybe a bit faster once Jack gets my FAST dialed in. I installed a TH400 w/ Rossler brake, and am going to a stand alone cooler. Guess the consensus is to run a good cooler with fan. B&M has a stacked plate 13.5" x 9" with a 9.5" 650 cfm fan. Derale has a tube/fin 10" x 16" with a 10" 650cfm fan. With either of these, or something else with a fan, it looks like under the radiator will be the obvious location for me due to their thickness. If I sans the fan and go bigger, I could mount it infront of the radiator. Which way would be best for a strip/street car and the tranny? Brian

DonWG · #11 (**permalink**) December 20th, 2006, 05:27 PM

What's the stall on the T/C? That has a lot to do with heat generation. Too bad you couldn't keep the in-radiator cooler. You don't realize how efficient that sucker is.

Ted A. · #12 (**permalink**) December 20th, 2006, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fuelie600

This is a strip/street car. It will be running in the 10.0's, or maybe a bit faster once Jack gets my FAST dialed in. I installed a TH400 w/ Rossler brake, and am going to a stand alone cooler. Guess the consensus is to run a good cooler with fan. B&M has a stacked plate 13.5" x 9" with a 9.5" 650 cfm fan. Derale has a tube/fin 10" x 16" with a 10" 650cfm fan. With either of these, or something else with a fan, it looks like under the radiator will be the obvious location for me due to their thickness. If I sans the fan and go bigger, I could mount it infront of the radiator. Which way would be best for a strip/street car and the tranny? Brian

I am running the large B&M cooler with the Spal fan. I got it from Summit and mounted it in the rear of the car. I have no cooling issues at the track and log my trans temperatures.

Fuelie600 · #13 (**permalink**) December 20th, 2006, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DonWG

What's the stall on the T/C? That has a lot to do with heat generation. Too bad you couldn't keep the in-radiator cooler. You don't realize how efficient that sucker is.

Don't know the stall Don. Just installed the tranny, and am having my driveshaft shortened, and the 400 trans yoke installed as we speak. I do know it is an ATI fuel/blown 9". I am also installing a F-body radiator to save some weight from my present ( recored to 4 core ) stocker, which is a good 15+ lbs heavier. I don't know how true this is, but I did a search on trans coolers, and read that running the ( in radiator ) cooler in sequence will add fluid resistance and is not suggested when using a TH400. This is also why I decided to bail on the heavier 4 core and go w/ the F-body unit, and stand alone cooler. Brian

Fuelie600 · #14 (**permalink**) December 20th, 2006, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ted A.

I am running the large B&M cooler with the Spal fan. I got it from Summit and mounted it in the rear of the car. I have no cooling issues at the track and log my trans temperatures.

Ted, does your car see any street duty? If so, how well does the rear mount cool?

DonWG · #15 (**permalink**) December 20th, 2006, 09:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fuelie600

Don't know the stall Don. Just installed the tranny, and am having my driveshaft shortened, and the 400 trans yoke installed as we speak. I do know it is an ATI fuel/blown 9". I am also installing a F-body radiator to save some weight from my present ( recored to 4 core ) stocker, which is a good 15+ lbs heavier. I don't know how true this is, but I did a search on trans coolers, and read that running the ( in radiator ) cooler in sequence will add fluid resistance and is not suggested when using a TH400. This is also why I decided to bail on the heavier 4 core and go w/ the F-body unit, and stand alone cooler. Brian

Compromising cooler capacity is not the correct way to fix the inherent torque converter over-pressurization problem that plague some 400s.

Fuelie600 · #16 (**permalink**) December 21st, 2006, 04:12 AM

Haven't run the car yet, so I haven't been able to check cooler line pressure. Going on the assumption that everything is as it should be, what is the best route?

1---go with the largest poosible fan/cooler combo mounted under the radiator, or.....

2---go with the largest cooler (sans fan) in front of the radiator

These are the choices I hvae to decide on. Brian

DonWG · #17 (**permalink**) December 21st, 2006, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fuelie600

Haven't run the car yet, so I haven't been able to check cooler line pressure. Going on the assumption that everything is as it should be, what is the best route?

1---go with the largest poosible fan/cooler combo mounted under the radiator, or.....

2---go with the largest cooler (sans fan) in front of the radiator

These are the choices I hvae to decide on. Brian

Brian. You can answer your question yourself very simply. Your question is, "what is the BEST route?". Looking at it strictly from a transmission aspect, the answer is very clear to me.

Let me ask you to do this. Turn on the fan you plan to use with your cooler and put your hand behind it. Note the power of the airflow. Now take a car and drive down the freeway at 60 mph or so and stick your hand out the window, flat against the airflow. The answer will come to you very quickly.

GARY HARVEY · #18 (**permalink**) December 21st, 2006, 12:15 PM

A good rad w/trans cooler, electric water pump and fan is the ticket.
Allowing for proper cooldown is imperative for more than the trans.
I don't recall (or maybe i just missed it) the mention of the effects of
shuting down a hot car and the resulting (valvetrain, etc.) problems encountered over a given period (season) of time.
Hanging plumbing is an excercise in futility, it opens the door for more
PITA (not to mention

added weight) possibilites than I care to worry about.

Fuelie600 · #19 (**permalink**) December 21st, 2006, 07:23 PM

OK, I get the {getting the cooler in fresh air} theory. Just debating on a location. If I mount the cooler in front of the radiator, and behind the FM, I restrict air to the trans cooler via the FM. More so to the radiator via the cooler and FM. Hanging it below the radiator, looks to be the best place for unobstructed air flow. Also thinking of going sans fan for now, and see how the temps look. Brian