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high trans temps- getting frustrated

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Old 03-07-2005, 03:18 PM
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Default high trans temps- getting frustrated

another post brought me to log my car today (it is finally 60* outside).

got up to 208*, both running the cooler lines through and not through the radiator.

setup is-
3800 stall, b&m 24000gvw cooler mounted dope style, but up a little high and not getting all of the air it could get.

WTF SHOULD I DO?!! my first try is going to be to mount the cooler directly flat facing the ground where the air comes into the radiator to catch all of that air. if that doesn't work im running 2 coolers, it is the smartest decision.. why you ask?

another b&m cooler= 50$

or

synthetic trans fluid and flush= at least 80$ and chance of clutches slipping.
derale cooler with the fan= 150$.
tahoe pan= ? $ -but, what, maybe 5* cooler if that...

any help is greatly appreciated, all the one tec at TCI told me that the 3800 stall was too much for 2.73 gears, WHICH I KNOW IS BULLSHIT! i know that a few people on here run that setup and have zero issues.

please, don't tell me i shouldn't have to run 2 coolers, i KNOW i shouldnt' but i do,,-- as you can see im in a bad mood, which i get when i have a problem which many people can't give me a solution for.
Old 03-07-2005, 03:24 PM
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see if maybe you can mount another thin cooler more near the tranny. you can probably pick one up for $20
Old 03-07-2005, 03:29 PM
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Bro, I have the exact same problem! I run a Vig 3200 which actually stalls up to around 3800 and I see extremely high tranny temps through my gauge. At times I think it is bullshit because the gauge will be showing 200+ but the cooler is cool to the touch and other times it is hot. I'm just as frustrated as you are with the whole deal. Keep me posted on what you find out because I can't figure it out to save my life.
Old 03-07-2005, 06:21 PM
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expecting rain/snow in my area tomorrow .

i'll update this post, or dig it up if need be, when i change up the location of the cooler. i have an open lift at a buddy's shop tomorrow but we'll see on the weather- havn't decided if im going to leave the other b&m cooler where it is and mount another one (probably the path i'll take) or move the one i already have.

any more opinions are welcome,
Old 03-07-2005, 06:27 PM
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maybe try like someone suggested and do one of those framerail mounted coolers closer to the trans. That's what I was thinking about doing. I gotta figure something out myself cause I hate having my trans temp so high.
Old 03-07-2005, 07:18 PM
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You might want to mimic the DeRale cooler with your own
12V muffin fan(s). I think the "Dope" install has the cooler
divorced from the radiator / condenser stack so when slow
or stopped you may not be getting the air to do the trans
cooler justice. If you can find an electronics surplus place
in town they should have a boatload of muffin fans, most
PCs use 12V, try a pair with some aluminum bent up to
make a keeper / duct?
Old 03-07-2005, 07:21 PM
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Below Is how mine is mounted. The stains where the hose meets the cooler are from a pervious leak with the enclosed B&M hoses, don't use them, they are crap. Anyway, this is the most effective way to get the fluid cooled.
Attached Thumbnails high trans temps- getting frustrated-trans-cooler.jpg  
Old 03-07-2005, 07:34 PM
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SmokingWS6- That is how I have my B&M cooler mounted as well and I still see high trans temps. I'm thinking about checking out my actual stock cooler lines to see if maybe they got pinched during the 'Verter install.
Old 03-07-2005, 07:48 PM
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is 208* considered hot? Just wondering, because my car, once warm, indicates similar temps
Old 03-07-2005, 08:13 PM
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smokinws6- i think i may try that, although i think my ftra will be in the way, i'll have to see if i can work around it/ fabricate something up. if that doesnt work it is getting another cooler back in the "dope" location with fans on it. there is no such thing as overkill when it comes to something like this.

jimmyblue- i will look into those fans, although in the conderser location you have the rad fans (mine on at 160*) so i think it'll work out good/better than my dope install. i also thought over the idea of the duct to force more air through the cooler and never did it because or what a pita it would be to make it look professional and not hacked/ jerry-rigged in there.

i talked to the guy at the local speed shop (well respected in my area). he actually laughed at me and told me the 24000 is the "biggest cooler known to man" and basically in no uncertain terms called me an idiot for even concidering the idea of 2 coolers. he reccomended synthetic fluid. i then told him i'd be down in a minute to buy 5 -24000 coolers that i was going to run in sequence and he hung up on me.

210*= not HORRIBLY hot but not good imho. im picky so i'd like to see 170-180* during and after a wot run. the thing that scared me was the temp would stay the same or go up but didn't really come back down till it was at like 208*- it dropped down to like 203* on the 5 min. drive home. this makes me think it is cooler location but i guess i'll see when the weather permitts.
Old 03-07-2005, 08:25 PM
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I see about 168F on mine. I have a Hayden (24K I think
but maybe a little smaller) stacked onto the condenser
and I run the ATF through this, then into the in-tank
cooler and back to the trans. My fans run at ECT>175
which forces the tank to be below that.

I had bought a pair of those Perma-Cool "frame rail"
type coolers with the notion to do a different style
of trans cooling, get the cooler obstruction off the
stack but I guess maybe I should leave it be.
Old 03-07-2005, 08:30 PM
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external cooler and then the rad cooler? i had mine going through the rad then through the external cooler. doesn't matter since even without the rad in the picture i had the same temps but you do want the external cooler after the rad cooler correct?
Old 03-07-2005, 08:49 PM
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I'm using a B&M 30k cooler (they call it a race cooler, its huge) and bypassing the radiator. With my 4400 stall and 3.42 gears it MIGHT get to 180 on a hot day. I can hot lap a few times at the track and might see 200.

I was using the 19k cooler and the radiator and 200+ temps were the norm. At the track I hit 230 a couple times, not good.
Old 03-07-2005, 08:52 PM
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Sleeper, I have mine running through the radiator and then to cooler. Run a 160*stat and fans come on at 160. Also have it mounted in front of the condensor.

With my 4200 the highest temps I've seen are 150 around town. It's normally in the 130-140 range. I also have my front bumper support out and grill removed so I get a little more airflow.
Old 03-07-2005, 09:33 PM
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Originally Posted by K9 Pusher
SmokingWS6- That is how I have my B&M cooler mounted as well and I still see high trans temps. I'm thinking about checking out my actual stock cooler lines to see if maybe they got pinched during the 'Verter install.
How its hooked up to the radiator will determine temps

The proper way is to hook it up from the top of the radiator, that is the exit for the stock in radiator cooler. The proper sequence: fluid should enter the bottom of the stock cooler, out the top and into your aftermarket cooler, from there it'll return to the trans.
Old 03-07-2005, 11:49 PM
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i have mine the opposite- i THOUGHT i was right but i think i may get the rad out of the picture anyway.
Old 03-08-2005, 08:45 AM
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Here's my thinking on the order-of-coolers thing, which
you may not agree with, but anyway... I put the external
cooler first, because I figured that if the juice were hotter
than the rad, the cooler dumps more effectively per area
when hotter; I would shed more BTU from the cooler in
front, than in back, and the cooler is a fixed size so want
to maximize its heat dump.

That also puts less heat into the radiator exchanger, that
becomes a backup, if the trans is overcooled this will warm
it up, if the fluid is over water jacket then cool some more.
I think this car is short on radiator and shedding heat before
it gets to the rad is good in my book. I run a low thermostat
and full time low speed fans (though tweaked in to let them
drop out on the highway with good air). If the A/C is on, the
high speed fan is not enough to keep a 175F water jacket,
when cruising uphill in July. That says, more radiator. Or more
fan, but haven't seen a better-CFM drop-in fan yet.

Of course, the airflow stack for the cooler, condenser, rad
means it's a Peter/Paul deal to some extent but the cooler
only warms a portion of the radiator air stream.
Old 03-08-2005, 10:12 AM
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Some coolers for use in motorhomes have a one way check valve to stop drainback, cause they are mounted high so you might ck to see if it has an inlet and outlet side!
blow some air througt to see if it might have a blockage

you can have a blockage in the transmission or a crimped cooler line
Old 03-08-2005, 10:38 AM
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Smile

I live in a warm climate, and have an 01 z28 with a Y3000 Yank converter.

I have a 24K B&M cooler mounted dope style coupled with a B&M 3 qt. deeper pan.

On cool days, freeway driving my trans temp is anywhere from 121 to 139 F, 150 to 165F in town.

On hot days, freeway driving my trans temp is anywhere from 135 to 150F, 170 to 190F in town.

Something is not right with your trans cooling system.

SteveC
Old 03-08-2005, 10:41 AM
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One thing to remember. Coolers and radiators are just heat exchangers. For them to work right, there has to be enough temperature difference from one side to the other(among other factors such as time in the exchanger, surface area, and heat transferability of the materials of construction). If you pump 220 deg fluid into the front (aftermarket) cooler, you have 220 deg on the inside, and maybe 90 deg outside (130 deg temp difference). That might bring it down to 200 deg. Now you pump 200 deg oil into a radiator that is almost the same temp, you have almost no temp difference. So the radiator doesn't do much cooling. And remember, neither can cool below the temp of the cooler side. You need to go thru the radiator first, then the cooler, so you can optimize on the temp difference. Let the stock radiator cooler bring the temps down to close to radiator temps (~175 deg), then the aftermarket cooler can bring the temps down more (between radiator temp and air temp). I hope all that made sense...



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