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Trans cooler bypass = increased temps?

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Old Jun 15, 2008 | 08:19 PM
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Default Trans cooler bypass = increased temps?

Ok, this one is confusing me. I had my B&M 24k cooler hooked up inline with my stock trans cooler. Trans temps were always around 185-190 and would spike to around 210 after a good beating. I figured that I could see some increased cooling by bypassing the stock cooler since the trans temps were always within 5 degrees of the coolant temps. So I bypassed the stock cooler completely and am running it straight to the B&M. The temps are now around 200 at idle and cruising lightly around town and on the freeway (where it used to cool down considerably with the increased airflow), the temps hover around 219-222 at cruising speed. The cooler is mounted on the front of my AC condenser. Anybody got any ideas???
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Old Jun 15, 2008 | 08:23 PM
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The coolant actually helps cool the fluid faster than just the air going through the external cooler does.
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Old Jun 15, 2008 | 10:57 PM
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I understand that liquid-liquid transfers heat better than air-liquid. But how are all these guys that bypass the stock cooler reporting temps around 150? I'm gonna remove the baffles in front of the radiator/condenser and relocate the washer fluid reservoir tomorrow to improve airflow to the cooler. It shouldn't matter which direction the fluid is going through cooler, should it?
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Old Jun 15, 2008 | 11:39 PM
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If factory stock cars keep the trans cool with only the cooler in the radiator, how did you figure you'd increase cooling by taking that out of the loop?

And if people report bypassing the stock cooler and run 150, do you know their specific set up?

Do they run bigger coolers? coolers with their own fans? Coolers in locations to get more air?
Why did you remove the stock one?

I run 150-160 how do i do it?
It's mounted as shown in the pic, but the car has no grille insert, no foam bumper support, nothing under the urethane cover. And the low speed engine fan is tuned to run at 149 degrees to keep air moving over the cooler.

Last edited by 9000th01ss; Jan 6, 2009 at 09:56 AM.
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Old Jun 16, 2008 | 09:31 AM
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I did plenty of research before I decided to bypass the factory cooler and run straight to the B&M. So unless all these guys are lying about their setup and/or results, I just don't see why my cooler is so ineffective. None of these guys are using a fan on their cooler, but I'm probably gonna pick one up regardless. I'm also going to relocate the washer fluid reservoir and remove the baffles. I'm hoping this will improve airflow to the cooler. I will most likely be hooking the stock cooler back up and running it through there first, then through the aftermarket cooler.
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Old Jun 16, 2008 | 11:48 AM
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Make sure you route it so the fluid goes thru the stock cooler first, then thru the B&M second otherwise the stock cooler will do no good or just heat it back up some. Also I noticed on my car that the top 3-4 inches of my radiator and a/c condenser were FILLED with tiny rock pebbles and all in all things were quite dirty. That is probably killing a good 10-20% of airflow thru them so the overall system loses efficiency that way.
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Old Jun 16, 2008 | 03:22 PM
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Originally Posted by Mr. Brett
Anybody got any ideas???
Yes. Hook the stock cooler back up.
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Old Jun 16, 2008 | 03:57 PM
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Originally Posted by deadcities
Yes. Hook the stock cooler back up.
I can't. I bought my car as a roller and pieced it together. I ended up with an M6 radiator. But the trans cools fine.

Another thing I wanted to ask the OP is where the temp is being read from. My readings come from HP tuners which reads the temp in the pan up by the PSM.
If your sender is in the pressure port it will read high, and it will read case temp.
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Old Jun 16, 2008 | 06:05 PM
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Temp is being read via an Aeroforce, so it's grabbing it from the pan.
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Old Jun 16, 2008 | 06:49 PM
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Auxillary transmission coolers work best when they can have a dedicated airflow... meaning move the cooler away from the condenser so that air can pass through it freely.

It is not getting an adequate transfer of heat because it is not getting adequate airflow... it's that simple.

g
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Old Jun 16, 2008 | 06:57 PM
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Originally Posted by Ratchthed
Auxillary transmission coolers work best when they can have a dedicated airflow... meaning move the cooler away from the condenser so that air can pass through it freely.

It is not getting an adequate transfer of heat because it is not getting adequate airflow... it's that simple.

g
Why can I cut a piece of paper the size of my cooler and it'll suck tight against it?
AND where do you get air flow at a stop if you move the cooler further away from the fans?
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Old Jun 16, 2008 | 07:03 PM
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Originally Posted by Ratchthed
Auxillary transmission coolers work best when they can have a dedicated airflow... meaning move the cooler away from the condenser so that air can pass through it freely.

It is not getting an adequate transfer of heat because it is not getting adequate airflow... it's that simple.

g
So you're suggesting I move it off the condenser and maybe hang it from the support in front of it?
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Old Jun 16, 2008 | 07:13 PM
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Why can I cut a piece of paper the size of my cooler and it'll suck tight against it?
AND where do you get air flow at a stop if you move the cooler further away from the fans?
I did not say it will not work when mounted against the condenser, I said it works best when it has it's own dedicated airflow. Certainly using the cooling fans to force air across it is advantageous.

At idle I am not concerned with dissipating heat as the converter is not generating heat at idle.

So you're suggesting I move it off the condenser and maybe hang it from the support in front of it?
Yes, that is how we mount them on F-Bodies here. Even if it is an inch or two in front of the condenser it can and will make a difference... in my experience.

And in addition, all trailer car / racing applications they are mounted in such a manner as air is forced across the cooler when the vehicle is in motion, even if they have a dedicated fan.

Hope that helps.

g
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Old Jun 17, 2008 | 12:06 PM
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Would you recommend hooking the factory cooler back up and then running it through the B&M after that?
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Old Jun 17, 2008 | 12:52 PM
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Not necessarily. I have owned, installed and serviced countless vehicles over the years that have a single auxillary cooler. I think it should do the job as a stand alone unit.

I would recommend positioning it so that it gets direct airflow, then see how it reacts to that.

Can you provide pics of the current setup? That might help.

g
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Old Jun 17, 2008 | 01:03 PM
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I don't have any pics, but the cooler lines run through the air dam to the cooler which is mounted on the front of the condenser with zip ties. The cooler is flush against the condenser, so I'm not sure how bad that is restricting air flow. I still have the plastic baffle in place as well as the washer fluid reservoir. Will removing those dramatically improve airflow onto the cooler?
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Old Jun 17, 2008 | 01:36 PM
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Originally Posted by Mr. Brett
Would you recommend hooking the factory cooler back up and then running it through the B&M after that?

Running thru the factory cooler first will give the fluid a quick initial temp drop, then the aux cooler will take it down even more. Say the fluid exiting the tranny is 220*, if you run it thru the aux cooler only it may drop it say 40* down to 180*. If you run it thru the stock cooler first it may drop it to 200* then if the aux cooler drops it another 40* its down to 160*. If you run it thru the aux first and get it down to 180* then the stock cooler might actually heat it back up some. Going thru the stock cooler first could only hurt if it was somehow heating the fluid up like if you had really hot coolant temps.
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Old Jun 17, 2008 | 01:56 PM
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mine runs 150-160 cruising with a B&M 24K run through the stock cooler (mounted dope style). 120-125 in the winter months.
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Old Jun 17, 2008 | 09:03 PM
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Same B&M 24K through the stock cooler in 100-110F here in Bako town - 175-185F.
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Old Jun 18, 2008 | 08:32 AM
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I run a Hayden cooler from Pep Boys that is rated for a 36000 pound RV and I have it attached to the Condenser. Even in 100 degree weather that we had last week and driving around town the highest I saw on my guage was 170. I have it hooked to the pressure port which I always hear shows a higher temperature than the fluid inside actually is so it might not actually even be 170.
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