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Transmissions have been a source of countless car problems. These issues can be stressful and on top of that will cost you too much. The majority of transmission problems are caused by transmission overheating. The perfect transmission temperature is under 170 degrees. For every 20-degree increase in the temperature, the lifespan of your transmission is cut by half.

1. External Transmission Cooler Placement Nissan Titan
2. External Transmission Cooler Vs Radiator

Heat kills automatic transmissions, especially in big powered street vehicles. The ideal transmission operating temperature is about 195 degrees F. If the vehicle transmission temperature is even slightly above this, the transmission fluid will begin to coo and form a varnish inside the transition.

A higher temperature of about 260 degrees will harden the internal transmission seals which are made of a polyacrylate material. The seals lose their elasticity leading to internal and external leaks. If subjected to 300 degrees or more, the transmission will stop working because the seals and clutches will completely burn out. The transmission fluid temperature chart below shows the expected lifespan at a given temperature.

Factors like hot climates, vehicle type, vehicle size, and heavy towing and traffic are culprits in overheating transmissions. Some people might say that’s why the radiator exists but think about this. The radiator is tasked with cooling the engine too; if it gets too overworked, it won’t work too well. An overworked radiator will have trouble cooling your system down, and you will have to replace that one as well.

If you ignore the problems, you will probably end up buying a new transmission or radiator. Instead of that, you should think about buying an external transmission cooler to help the transmission work efficiently. If you would love to know everything about transmission coolers, how they work and the different types available continue reading below.

How Do Transmission Coolers Work?

The transmission cooler kit you purchased will include the mountingtransmission oil cooler hardware needed to mount the cooler. The cooler should be mounted ½ to 1 inch in front of the radiator or A/C condenser for vehicles with air conditioning.

Transmissions work to keep the engine’s revolutions per minute within a suitable range. They also transmit the power to the wheels at different speeds, which can generate a lot of heat. Transmissions rely on fluid to keep them cool, but that isn’t enough in many applications.

• Yes, all Sierras and SIlverados do have a transmission cooler, and depending on the years, there can be an external cooler in addition to the factory cooler within the radiator. Below is the factory cooler that comes on many older Silverados and Sierras As you can tell, the factory cooler is not that big.
• Cooler Pressure Dump Kits. A converter pressure dump solenoid allows the transmission to bleed off the volume and pressure of the fluid going to the converter in which loosens the converter. We offer an internal and external dump to match up with your needs.
• The B&M cooler can only lower the oil temperature by 20 degrees +/. I've been able to monitor this effect on other cars I've had with a diagnostic interface and always had to restore the radiator cooler because the transmission temps would soar above 220 degrees with just an aux cooler alone. I pulled this from an AMSoil site.

Here is where a transmission cooler comes in. Transmission coolers help to keep the fluid cool and prevent serious damage to your vehicle. Transmissions are expensive to repair, and you can avoid this by getting a transmission cooler that is the right size for your engine.

Just like any other machine, when the weight of your vehicle increases so does the workload. Have you noticed that when you are traveling on the car alone, you can easily use less fuel than when the car is fully packed with people or heavy objects? The vehicle will even move slower, and gas mileage would decrease.

The extra weight will require the vehicle to use extra energy. Consequently, the transmission of the car will produce more heat. The heat can damage your engine system over time, and you’ll want to avoid all that cost. Some vehicles do more work than others, therefore, has different heat outputs. Transmission coolers work to reduce the heat in the transmission fluids. This also reduces the damage that may case from overheating vehicle transmission.

Types of Transmission Coolers

Automatic transmissions generate a lot of heat, even when they are operating normally. Most of the heat will get dispersed through the fluid system. The fluid system takes the fluid over the radiator which works to cool the vehicle. Even then, the transmission may still overheat. As I mentioned, overheating will cost you a lot of problems, and you should avoid at all cost.

Adding a transmission cooler to your vehicle is the most effective ways to prevent overheating. The transmission cooler is a second radiator in your vehicle but is dedicated to cooling down the transmission. For the most effective results, you will need to choose a cooler that works for your vehicle.

There are four different types of transmission coolers; tube and fin coolers, plate and fin, stacked plate, and heat sink transmission coolers. Each of which has their own set of benefits compared to the others. Keep reading for more information about the coolers.

Tube & Fin Transmission Coolers

This is the least expensive and simplest type of transmission cooler. The tube-fin cooler has two principal features as the name would suggest. It has a tube that allows the transmission fluid to flow to the thin metal fins that disperse the heat and cool it. The main idea is to have air flowing over the fins which create a heat sink effect in return. Inside the cooler also lies a device called the turbulator.

The turbulator works by agitating the transmission fluids as it moves through the tubes. Agitation helps with a greater dispersion of the heat through the fins. The heat collected by the aluminum fins ultimately moves into the air that is around the coolers.

The tube-fin cooler is perfect if you have an older vehicle or your vehicle has an average to low user demand. The tube-fin coolers may not have enough power to keep the temperatures of the transmission liquids low in high-performance vehicles. The tube-fin coolers won’t cater to the high demand for such vehicles. Mounting this cooler is easy; you can place it between the grille and AC condenser of your vehicle for maximum efficiency.

Tube & Fin Transmission Cooler Pros & Cons

• Affordable
• Least Expensive Type of Cooler
• Easy To Install

• Least Efficient Type of Cooler

Plate & Fin Transmission Oil Coolers

This cooler works slightly different to achieve some level of cooling efficiency. Instead of utilizing the tube like the tube-fin coolers, the plate and fin move the transmission fluid through horizontal aluminum plate series.

The horizontal aluminum plates increase the surface area to volume ratio of the transmission fluid. This means that more heat will move into the fins at a faster rate. One can say that the plate and fin coolers are pretty efficient in cooling the transmission fluids. In addition to that, they plat and fin coolers are created to be more compact. Therefore, they can easily be integrated into a full vehicle. This efficient cooling system will cost you more than the tube-fin cooler.

Mounting this cooler between the radiator and condenser will work well for your vehicle. It allows airflow but will cut the effectiveness of the cooler. A bigger plate and fin cooler works great for any vehicle.

Plate & Fin Transmission Cooler Pros & Cons

• More Efficient Than Tube & Fin
• Still Cost Effective
• Varies In Size
• Durable Construction

• Can Get Expensive
• Harder To Install Larger Coolers

Stacked Plate Trans Coolers

Stacked plate coolers offer a step higher when it comes to cooling efficiency. The stacked plate cooler works almost like the plate and fin cooler. The main difference between the two transmission coolers is the amount of airflow involved.

The stacked plate cooler has a design that allows easy circulation of air around the plates. This way, more heat is dispersed faster. This cooler is the top choice for racing, off-roading and towing vehicles. Some stacked plate coolers have integrated fans to increase the airflow and cater to especially high cooling demands for such vehicles.

They use a non-threaded AN fitting to make installation and removal into the vehicle easy. This cooler will not work efficiently when mounted between the condenser and radiator. It causes the cooler to be inefficient. Mounting it in front of the cooler, however, will cause more efficiency and airflow.

Stacked Plate vs. Tube-Fin Transmission Coolers

Most people wonder how effective the stacked plate is compared to the common tube-fin coolers. The stacked plate cooler will cool the transmission liquid three times faster than the tube-fin coolers.

Stacked Plate Transmission Cooler Pros & Cons

• Most Efficient Trans Cooler
• Larger Cooling Surface
• Very Efficient
• Durable Construction

• Most Expensive Type of Cooler
• Harder To Install Larger Coolers

Heat Sink Transmission Coolers

Heat sink transmission coolers are not the most common type of transmission cooler, but are still used, especially on older vehicles. These coolers utilize a unique finned aluminum design that disperses heat throughout the body of the cooler without the use of incoming air, unlike other trans coolers.

The one or dual pass internal fluid passages within heat sink transmission coolers is a lot larger than other coolers, which allows the fluid to stay in the cooler longer to cool.

Because of their design, heat sink transmission coolers are used in remote locations, such as a frame rail close to the transmission. While this may be convenient for installation, it can make it hard for the cooler to be as effective as other types of transmission coolers depending on airflow and heat dispersion.

Heat Sink Transmission Cooler Pros & Cons

• Easy To Mount In Tight Areas
• Does Not Rely On Airflow
• Strong Design
• Lower Cost

• Not As Effective As Other Coolers

How to Choose The Right Transmission Cooler

Installing the cooler is like taking an extra precaution to avoid overheating the transmission and replacing it in the long run. It is common to see transmission coolers into vehicles because they produce a lot of heat in the transmission. The first thing you should consider is the type of work your vehicle does. If you have a tow vehicle, you should get to know how much the car weighs first and the average weight you carry when you tow other vehicles.

Basically, if you are trying to get a cooler, you should know the weight of your vehicle. Matching the gross weight of your vehicle to the transmission cooler is important. It allows you to add a cooler that won’t interfere with the vehicle operation.

Another thing you have to consider is the terrain of travel. Are you driving your vehicle or towing other vehicles in an area with stop and go traffic, is the terrain hilly or are you driving across a long highway? Strenuous hilly and rough terrains will need a lot of power from your vehicle, and that can generate unprecedented amounts of heat. This heat will damage the transmission system in just a short period. If so, you should consider whether the transmission cooler you are getting will be able to cool transmission down.

Here are other things you should consider

Copper vs. Aluminum

Arguably, the best heat exchange construction is meant to be the same for both metals. The aluminum exchangers should be as efficient and the copper and brass when it comes to thermal efficiency. In the case of the transmission cooler, the aluminum exchangers have a notably lighter efficiency rate.

On top of that, aluminum coolers are very costly because they are more difficult to manufacture. The black paint on the metal also acts as a barrier instead of promoting the fast transfer of heat to the air around the cooler. Good aluminum fins should have a thin coat of paint and be anodized to work efficiently. Baked, heat exchange paint works well for the aluminum fillers.

Trans Cooler Mounting

Transmission coolers should be mounted in an area of the vehicle that gets ample air flow. The most common area to mount a trans cooler is typically in front of the air conditioning condenser or radiator.

This allows both incoming air and air from the cooling fans to cool the cooler down effectively.

Another factor to consider when installing a transmission cooler is how you plan to route the external fluid lines. Since the factory transmission cooler is located in the radiator, it is usually easy to run the new lines to the cooler mounted in front of the condenser or radiator.

Selecting Transmission Cooler Size

If you are running a high-performance vehicle, you need a transmission cooler. A vehicle that is constantly subjected to rough terrains, heavy loads and towing requires a large transmission cooler. Most transmission cooler manufacturers will create them in different sizes because high powered vehicles come in different sized and work differently. Coolers can be wide, narrow, large or small and installed depending on your transmission power and vehicle size.

External Transmission Cooler Vs Radiator

When purchasing and installing a transmission fluid cooler, it is important to factor in running a stand alone transmission cooler or utilizing the factory radiator. Most external transmission cooler vs radiator or whether it is safe to bypass the radiator transmission cooler or not debates are based on how the vehicle is used and your climate.

If you have a weekend hotrod, it would be safe to run the external cooler on its own to keep trans fluid temps low. On the other side of the coin, if you have a normal daily driven vehicle that sees all types of weather, it is typically recommended to use a transmission cooler in series with the factory radiator trans cooler. This allows the transmission cooling system to keep your vehicle within the ideal transmission temperature between 180 – 200 degrees.

Conclusion

Keeping the fluid temperatures under control is essential if you want the vehicle to keep working without issues. This should be especially important if you operate high powered street vehicles or you are always on the road. Installing a large external cooler will take up some of the transmission heat and keep the transmitter working at a cooler temperature. This ensures that your vehicle doesn’t break down or lose any viscosity.

The transmission cooler you get will depend on your vehicle and also how much you are willing to spend. Old vehicles won’t need much investment on the coolers. However, if you are driving a high powered vehicle, you should get the type of transmission cooler that will work the most efficiently, even if it costs you a lot.

Adding an aftermarket transmission cooler to your hot rod, car or truck is always a good idea. Here are some tips:

Always mount the cooler in a place that has good air flow

• If you are mounting it in front of the radiator, always make sure the fin’s in the cooler are parallel with the fin’s in the radiator. This prevents restricting air flow to the radiator.

If you place the cooler in and area with little air flow, a fan is a must

When installing coolers, make sure lines are clear of anything that can rub them

Always use line that is approved for transmission/hydraulic fluid

• Fuel line will not work and will break down in transmission fluid.

Bypassing the radiator is the way we prefer a cooler be set up. The transmission will generally run cooler this way

• Additionally, this may take some of the load off the radiators job of cooling the engine.

When hooking up multiple coolers several things should be noted

• The cooler itself is a restriction of flow and this restriction while not a problem for the cooling or lube to the transmission can cause excessive pressure inside the converter. This can force the converter against the flex plate more so than normal and cause wear to the engine thrust bearing. A stopped up or severely restricted cooler or cooler lines can do the same.
• When installing more than one cooler, its advised to put them in parallel with each other, This means one line from the transmission is split with a Y and one line run to each cooler then out of each and into a Y back to a single line running to the transmission. This will assure adequate cooling while reducing the wear to the engine thrust bearing.
• Always use line that’s at least as large as the inlets in the cooler, Avoid extreme twist or turns in them particularly with rubber lines.

Type and brands of coolers

• We really have no preference here as far as brand. From our experience, an expensive brand name unit or a generic one seem to do the same job.
• We have found the stacked plate (flat tube) types tend to be more efficient in the same dimensional sizes with a greater temperature drop.

Always be sure that the metal lines coming from the transmission under car do not contact the headers or exhaust

• This is not specifically about a cooler but about cooling. If the cooler lines were in contact with the headers, it would super heat the fluid when the headers get hot. Make sure there is no contact so you won’t have a problem.
• Always keep transmission cooler lines factory or otherwise as far away from the exhaust as possible.

Transmission temperatures – This question gets asked a lot. What’s TOO HOT?

• Well, ideally you want your average temperature to stay under 190 degrees. However, we would not get too concerned until the temperature gets to or over 230 degrees.
• Heat can damage a transmission by breaking down the fluid and causing rubber seals to harden and break.

External Transmission Cooler Placement Nissan Titan

Never attempt to remove fluid from your transmission by starting the engine

Never attempt to flush by catching fluid in a pan while adding fluid in the dipstick hole

• When this is done, no lube is being sent to the gears and bushings. They can go dry and melt down very quickly, destroying or significantly shortening the life of your transmission.

External Transmission Cooler Vs Radiator

It is advisable to fully and properly flush a cooler, especially when a converter failure is involved

• A transmission internal failure is unlikely to put debris in the cooler, because all fluid coming from the transmission must travel through the trans filter.
• Its always a good idea to power flush a cooler or replace it after a failure. It is particularly important in the type of failure. Anything that’s in your cooler or lines will end up in your valve body, bushings and gears.
• A cooler cannot be properly cleaned simply by blowing air through it. A can of cooler flush, which most shops have, followed by being blown out with air is the correct way to do it.

When installing rubber cooler lines to metal lines always put a small flair at the end of the metal line

• Not too big because you will tear the line on the inside during install. Then place a clamp just ahead of the flair.
• Roughening up the outer surface of the metal line with coarse sand paper in the area where the clamp will ride will help assure a good seal and reduce the possibility of blow off.
• Never over tighten clamps to the point of the rubber oozing through or being cut this will cause a failure too.

The best place for temperature sending units is in the pan

• This is because it will give the best average temperature which is what’s important.
• Using the pressure port is OK, however, you will show temps 10 to 20 degrees higher than in the pan.
• We do not suggest placing temp senders in either the inlet or outlet from the cooler. This is because it will increase cooler restriction and increase the odds of a leak.

Diagram: Best Transmission Cooler Placement