Forced Induction Superchargers | Turbochargers | Intercoolers

Trans cooler in front of intercooler

Old Jan 25, 2011 | 02:06 PM
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Default Trans cooler in front of intercooler

Will placing the trans cooler 3/8" in front of the intercooler affect the intercooler's efficiency? They will not be directly tied together.

Last edited by Monte4ever; Jan 25, 2011 at 02:13 PM.
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Old Jan 25, 2011 | 02:18 PM
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Originally Posted by Monte4ever
Will placing the trans cooler 3/8" in front of the intercooler affect the intercooler's efficiency? They will not be directly tied together.
I would think that the heat from the tranny cooler in front would make the intercooler that much less efficient. Why not place the tranny cooler between the condenser and the radiator if it is not too big.
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Old Jan 25, 2011 | 02:49 PM
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The more air the better. I would NOT, block the front of the intercooler in any way shape or form as the purpose is to keep the intercooler from getting heat soaked. I'm actually going to mount my cooler on the on radiator with a 12-14 pusher fan.
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Old Jan 25, 2011 | 02:52 PM
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Mine is mounted behind the intercooler and so far nothing but good results.
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Old Jan 25, 2011 | 03:03 PM
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Definitely mount the trans cooler BEHIND the IC.
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Old Jan 25, 2011 | 05:39 PM
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one in front, the other is in between the rad and intercooler.
i also use meth so.
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Old Jan 25, 2011 | 05:51 PM
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Thank for responding. I have very little space between the intercooler and radiator with pusher fans and my only option is in the front of the intercooler or in between the motor on the radiator. The last option makes the trans cooler very inefficient. The vehicle in question is an 82 Monte Carlo.
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Old Jan 25, 2011 | 05:55 PM
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my bet is most of the people who say you cant never done it, or just dont know.
whats more important lower trans fluid temps or air temps. their both important to keep low. i have not seen a jump in ait with my 2nd cooler in front of my intercooler at all. put it where you can.
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Old Jan 25, 2011 | 11:02 PM
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That's what I want to here BUT I want everything to work together smoothly. With that being said, is what I want to hear good for my motors longevity and power goals (700+rwhp).
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Old Jan 25, 2011 | 11:22 PM
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why not a remote one out back with its own fan and temp switch?

works great for me, and gets more **** out of the engine bay and airflow
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Old Jan 26, 2011 | 12:37 AM
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I thought about a remote cooler setup but there's not much room with me planning to run full exhaust out the back.
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Old Jan 26, 2011 | 08:14 AM
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Originally Posted by bad6as
my bet is most of the people who say you cant never done it, or just dont know.
whats more important lower trans fluid temps or air temps. their both important to keep low. i have not seen a jump in ait with my 2nd cooler in front of my intercooler at all. put it where you can.
This method is just defeating the purpose IMHO. The reason why FMIC are put in place is too help cool the air coming back to the motor. What's the purpose of that if your blocking it. Keeping the temps down on the cooler is great, but what about the efficiency of the FMIC? People haven't done it, because it shouldn't be done. Just my 2 cents is all.
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Old Jan 26, 2011 | 09:27 AM
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its not like a trans cooler coveres the whole intercooler. And the part it does cover. Its not like it still dosent alow some air flow.
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Old Jan 26, 2011 | 09:37 AM
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Originally Posted by bad6as
its not like a trans cooler coveres the whole intercooler. And the part it does cover. Its not like it still dosent alow some air flow.
I understand, but when its 90-100 degree's outside, plus the heat the transmission cooler is giving off changes the FMIC efficiency. To each their own, but I won't be doing it. My last car was seeing 120+ degrees in the summer...air temp with a 28x10.5x3 FMIC, while running a GT4294.
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Old Jan 26, 2011 | 01:03 PM
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I put mine off to the side of my intercooler. And it sits about 6 inches away by a bracket that I made for it with some angle iron. You can see it here in the pic on the passenger side of the hole in the front bumper cover.



With no fogs and DRL's

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Old Jan 26, 2011 | 05:30 PM
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Wish I had room to put mine there. However there is a spot in back of the front bumper but there is no direct air to the cooler there. It is within 12" of the plastic factory air damn which should create a lot of turbulence in that area.
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Old Jan 29, 2011 | 09:59 AM
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Maybe you could get away with a smaller cooler, which will give you more options on where to mount it. What kind of trans and converter do you have? Does it have lockup?

Trans fluid is a little more hearty that its sometimes made out to be. It doesn't have to be ice cold, or nearly as cool as you want your intake temps. A smaller cooler might still be able to keep you in a safe operating range. If you have a high-stall converter though, you will need some significant cooling.

Also, does your radiator have a transmission cooler built into the side tank that you could use?
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Old Jan 29, 2011 | 10:22 AM
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It's a bad idea IMO. Transcooler gets to 200*+. Moving air that hot over the FMIC will heat your charge, not cool it. May well just not run an FMIC at all in that case.
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Old Jan 29, 2011 | 10:28 AM
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You could always mount the trans cooler down low and out of the way and horizontal with the ground. Bob
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Old Jan 29, 2011 | 11:29 AM
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How did you run out of room on an 82 Monte? Lambo V12 swap?

Cummins Dodge has A/C condenser out front with power steering cooler under it, then intercooler behind them, then trans cooler behind the I/C and finally radiator last. IIRC Dmax Silverados are the same so, that is how the OEMs think it should go.
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