Derale Stacked Plate coolers?

Tru cool LPD4590, same as above but with barbs.
 
B&M have several too, they're the same. GM uses them from the factory on the diesels for sure maybe some other trucks.
 
It would appear that all of the Tru-Cools are plate and fin as well as most B&Ms. Although on Tru-Cools site it says they are available in both but all their pics are plate and fin type. On the B&M's its hard to tell from the pic as the ones I found don't zoom in. The description will say stacked plate, but then the "details" pages will say "plate and fin design". There is a definite difference in the Derale I posted and the links to the others.....Of the 3 types: 1) tube and fin, 2) plate and fin, 3) Stacked plate...I want the stacked plate design as this will be the only cooler I will be running and not through the radiator so I want the most efficient type which will be the most expensive type of the 3 will be a given.
 
Did some more searching after measuring, I think I'm going with the Derale 53406 or 8......34 row stacked plate, 59,000 BTU! Cooling section is about 12x10.

The question now is what size fittings do I want since I have a choice??? -6an or -8an.... -6an is 3/8" but not sure if that is OD or ID as an internet search results in confusing answers!!
 
Looks like the transmission metal lines are less than 3/8" OD so the -6an fitting should be fine, looks like the fittings in my previous cooler had a much less diameter than that...live and learn, don't need more restrictions lol
 
Stack plate cooler does have a greater heat exchange than a tube and fin but has a down side. It causes big increases in converter and cooler circuit pressures which under the right conditions can result in engine thrust bearing failures in engines with a small compromised thrust surface to begin with like the turbo v6.
 
chris718 said:
Stack plate cooler does have a greater heat exchange than a tube and fin but has a down side. It causes big increases in converter and cooler circuit pressures which under the right conditions can result in engine thrust bearing failures in engines with a small compromised thrust surface to begin with like the turbo v6.
Click to expand...
This must be what my builder was talking about as he mentioned that I need to either run the fluid through just the radiator or run it through an external cooler but not both. He mentioned a dual pass cooler?? I will ask him about these coolers. I see several restrictions in the brass fittings that go on the steel lines for the rubber hose barbs to go on so I would think that would have a bigger affect than the cooler causing raised pressure on the source side. The cooler I was looking at is a 34 row so it should not have much pressure loss I think...again the fitting has a passage that is smaller than the ID of the steel factory tubes and tranny fluid does not compress, so this, would be more of an issue.
 
Last edited:
So does a cooler with Low Pressure Drop avoid the issue of circuit pressures?
 
Id like to hear more tech details about posts 11 and 12 from some of the other trans experts as well.
 
Get a plate & fin cooler.

They are the best compromise. More efficient than a tube & fin, & yet much less pressure increase as a stacked plate.

Stacked plate cools best, but at the cost of pressure increase.

Sent from my SCH-R970 using Tapatalk
 
Seems to be some conflicting info that has me more confused than when I started...
So when Chris mentions an increase in convertor and circuit pressures, is that because of the restrictive nature of the cooler??
The Stacked plate cooler I'm looking at is a 13x12 mounting area, 12x10 actual cooler area, 34 row design that would have almost 0 pressure loss from inlet to outlet -6an fitting. I could see a low number of plates could cause some restriction...if this is what is being referred to, or am I incorrect??

I am also going to remove the restrictive factory steel tubes and run hoses through the frame rail up to the front, so this should eliminate any back pressure in the cooling circuit, certainly improving what it was over the stock lines no matter which cooler choice it would seem??
 
Derale advertises the 53406 as low pressure drop so I went for it. After receiving it, I did a very unofficial test with first air from the compressor..didn't seem to restrict at all. Then I blew through it, no restriction at all. Then turned on the water hose and just held the hose on the inlet and water seemed to flow very freely through it, any restriction I put on the outlet would cause about an equal amount of back pressure on the inlet and I was running the water through it at good pressure, probably more volume than trans fluid and it really did not create any back pressure....So I am happy with it and have the bottom brackets fabricated and test mounted...still working on the top bracket. Size of cooler area is 10x12.
 
I use a Setrab cooler with the attached fan assembly in my old factory intercooler scoop location. Any comments on this brand and it's construction? I've had it for years and it was quite expensive back then, as I believe it to still be now.

www.setrabusa.com
 
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