pors cons
which one
install how to issues etc
thanks for the help....

 

Pros = These are obvious. Being a cooler, it does just that, keeps your ATF and tranny cooler which extends its life.

Cons = None.

Installation = Very simple. Get one of the B&M Super Coolers. They come with everything you need and more. The only thing you may need to buy is another length of 3/8" high pressure, high temp hose depending on where you locate the cooler as the 4' of hose they give you may not be enough. It took me ~20 minutes from start to finish to install one on my Corvette.

 

hey xtrooper i think im et you through the old defunct SLFBA....hope all is well....
thanks for the response do you know who has the best price on the B&M??

 

Yep, things are great! Hope you're doing well also.

I don't know. They're pretty cheap. I got mine from the local A&A Auto in Hazleton. They price-matched the Summit catalog price. I think I paid around $50 for the smallest one available which, btw, is doing an awesome job. It's dropped my ATF temps by an average of 30 degrees!

Anyway, it's really simple to install. Mount the cooler and attach the lines to the cooler. Disconnect the hard line leading into the top of your radiator which is the return line. You want to use the return line because you're then going to cool the ATF after its been through the radiator and just before it returns to the transmission. This way it will do the most good. You then screw into the radiator the provided brass fitting which has a male threaded end that goes into the radiator and a barbed hose fitting end on the other. Attach one of the hoses coming from the cooler onto this barbed end and secure it with one of the supplied hose clamps. Now take the hard line you detached from the radiator (it will have a threaded male end) and screw on the provided brass fitting which has a female threaded end and a barbed hose end. Attach the other hose leading from the cooler to this fittings barbed end, secure it with another hose clamp and you're done. Start the car and make sure you don't have any leaks. Run the car for a day or two and then check all the connections again to make sure none have unloosened and that's it.

 

awesome thanks have you been to any showsor cruises around the lehigh valley/schuylkill area? there is a decent show in tamaqua coming up.....

 

We were in Tamaqua last Sunday for their Summerfest show. The weather was a little funky (cloudy and threatening rain), but we had a good time.

There's a nice show in Barnesville this Sunday we'll be attending, weather-permitting. It's the PSP's 3rd Annual Camp Cadet show. We went to the two previous ones and it's a really nice show with a big turnout. It's held at the Ryan Township Fire Company property on Rt. 54. Time is from 8AM to 4PM. You should try to make it if you can.

 

I hate to be negative, but since "cons" were asked for, I'll have to say that, since coolers are generally plumbed with rubber hoses, leaks are more likely. I've seen at least one tranny death occur from someone who left his hose clamps loose and sprung a big leak. This wouldn't stop me from installing a cooler if I needed one, though. Just make sure you check the hoses and connections every now and then to make sure the connections are tight and that the hoses aren't rubbing on anything.

 

How quickly do you die from fluid loss on these 4L60Es?
I've had the fuel line that holds my transmission cooler
(radiator) lines together blow off a few times on the
Powerglide in my El Camino and all that happens is it
quits moving and makes a big old spoogey mess on the
road. Slide it back on, dog it down a little tighter, fill
'er back up (I always have 6-8 quarts of ATF behind
the seat just from experience) and it's back to just as
slushy and gutless as ever.

Is total fluid loss on the 4L60E more immediately
destructive? Or is it like, if it starts to slip then pull
the hell over and you'll be all right but beat it some
more and you'll glaze it up?

 

It cant be immediate loss of tranny. here is my supporting data. When I got my tranny from RockOn...I thought it was full of fluid. Well started the car...didnt move.....looked at the stick...no fluid so add another quart. Eventually after adding 6 more quarts it would move but was still not touching the stick. Well after the 10th quart, things started to get about right. Basically I only had the 1 quart in the converter for a bit and I'm still using this tranny with no probs. DEFINITELY get a cooler. Mines lasted because of a good build and heat management...I monitor the tranny temps a lot...especially at the track.....getting close to 200deg and I shut her down and wont make any passes until it is in the 180s which only takes a few minutes

 

Thats why i hard lined my cooler. and the lines actually act as a cooler too. hoses keep the heat in.

 

The guy I knew who destroyed his THM350 blew off his fluid cooler line, then proceeded to drive about 10 miles home, and up a steep grade! (actually, his wife did this). I think it would take some time and heat to burn up the clutches - it wouldn't be immediate.

 

I can answer this question from firsthand experience. When I still had my 1999 Camaro SS I had a tranny cooler installed by a local mechanic. Unbeknownst to me, he didn't use a barbed hose end on one of the connections. My wife and I were traveling north on Interstate 81 near here a short time later and you can guess what happened. At around 80 mph, the hose came off. I didn't know anything was wrong till I looked in the rearview mirror and saw the HUGE, billowing smoke trail behind me.
By the time I got pulled over onto the shoulder of the road, the tranny was completely dry and, of course, wouldn't operate. It took 10+ quarts of ATF to refill, but once refilled it worked just fine and there were no lasting ill effects. I put another 30K on the car before selling it.

Yes, I make damn sure all the connections are tight now.