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Tranny cooler locations

W

wishihad1

NAXJA Forum User
Location
charlottesville, VA
Hey everybody
I'm looking for any new ideas as to where I can mount a trans cooler
Currently I have a 30 inch led light bar behind the grill and it sits right against the grill and radiator. I like how perfectly it sits in there and is still protecting a 300 dollar light bar. Problem is I need a trans cooler bad. I've even considered b&m super coolers with the built in fans. Either way whether a standard cooler or one with a fan it isn't fitting infront of the radiator.
Any suggestions of where no can place the cooler?
 
Ok, you didn't say what year. The late models have room for a bigger cooler like a b&m 70274. 11x11x1.5" While the older ones don't. If it's an old style, do a Long Tru-cool 49211. You can plumb them into the hardline by doing an s-bend and some -6 an tube adapters and male to male fittings with a pushlock style end on the hose. This is a long tru-cool, I did not use the radiator trans cooler. You can probably get both the light bar and skinny cooler in there.



 
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I run two of them. A Flex-a-lite cooler in front of the radiator on the passenger side of the XJ and a stacked plate fan forced cooler sitting on top of the front skid plate(on 1/2" standoffs) with the fan being controlled by a thermostat.

Works for me...
 
I put in a Derale trans cooler with fan located behind my front cross member. I don't remember which one, but it was as big as I could fit into the space. There is no direct airflow due to the winch bumper, but the fan pulls a good amount of air through.

 
SolarBell said:
I put in a Derale trans cooler with fan located behind my front cross member. I don't remember which one, but it was as big as I could fit into the space. There is no direct airflow due to the winch bumper, but the fan pulls a good amount of air through.

Click to expand...

Have part number for that temp sender set up?
 
That is a:
- Derale 12731 Dyno-Cool Remote Cooler
- Derale 13021 -6AN x -6AN In-Line Fluid Thermostat
- Derale 98200 -6AN Female x 3/8" AN Swivel Hose Barb Fitting

Along with some 3/8" hose rated for transmission fluid and other 3/8" barb fittings for tapping into the transmission lines. There is also a relay mounted up high that the thermostat controls to drive the fan.
 
Re: Re: Tranny cooler locations

SolarBell said:
I put in a Derale trans cooler with fan located behind my front cross member. I don't remember which one, but it was as big as I could fit into the space. There is no direct airflow due to the winch bumper, but the fan pulls a good amount of air through.

Click to expand...

Awesome, that's exactly where I want to put mine - have you been happy with the performance? When the fan kicks on can you see the trans temps drop?
 
Picture of your light bar mounted?

It's already been covered but you NEED a fan if you aren't going to mount it in front of the radiator. It wasn't an XJ but we did some wind testing on a Ranger to see where else we could mount one...no air flow anywhere! Even with a fan you want as much air blowing by...or at least to not pick a spot where hot air can sit in a bubble.

I'm not sure I'd want a cooler on the thing I plan to wack on a rock a few dozen times, but I can't say I ever thought of that space...maybe a good idea????
 
okay so heres my question. my father and his friend (both mechanics of many years) said that I should put my tranny cooler in by its self. but I noticed that normally they are installed on the return side of the system. which way would be better? they both said that would also help to keep the engine to run cooler which is very much true if I only ran the aux cooler to cool the tranny. also which line for the tranny is the return and which is the input? I cant seem to find anything on this.
 
I got the fan/cooler assembly from dirtbound and mounted it on my hood right above my distributor. It's on a thermal switch as well. Works great and looks cool.
 
Re: Re: Tranny cooler locations

JEEPERDK said:
okay so heres my question. my father and his friend (both mechanics of many years) said that I should put my tranny cooler in by its self. but I noticed that normally they are installed on the return side of the system. which way would be better? they both said that would also help to keep the engine to run cooler which is very much true if I only ran the aux cooler to cool the tranny. also which line for the tranny is the return and which is the input? I cant seem to find anything on this.
Click to expand...

I suppose you mean eliminate the tranny line into the radiator? That is a much debated topic, on EVERY forum I've seen. The best response I've seen is: it depends!

If you live in a climate with cold winters, the flow should go out of the tranny, into your aux cooler, into the radiator, back to the tranny. Otherwise in the winter your tranny won't warm up enough. If you live in a warm year-round place, you can eliminate the radiator from the equation and just use the aux cooler.
 
JEEPERDK said:
okay so heres my question. my father and his friend (both mechanics of many years) said that I should put my tranny cooler in by its self. but I noticed that normally they are installed on the return side of the system. which way would be better? they both said that would also help to keep the engine to run cooler which is very much true if I only ran the aux cooler to cool the tranny. also which line for the tranny is the return and which is the input? I cant seem to find anything on this.
Click to expand...

Routing should look like this:

Tranny->cooler->radiator->Tranny

In my case it's:

Tranny->Filter->cooler->radiator->tranny

The main reason for this is that way you are not running the tranny too cool, as this can cause sluggish shifting at low temps. IIRC the AW4 cycles fluid constantly, so even at idle, you are heating the tranny during your normal warmup period.
 
Action Fab said:
img2969mry.jpg


img2970k.jpg
Click to expand...
 
JEEPERDK said:
okay so heres my question. my father and his friend (both mechanics of many years) said that I should put my tranny cooler in by its self. but I noticed that normally they are installed on the return side of the system. which way would be better? they both said that would also help to keep the engine to run cooler which is very much true if I only ran the aux cooler to cool the tranny. also which line for the tranny is the return and which is the input? I cant seem to find anything on this.
Click to expand...

you should also use the heat exchanger in the radiator. you don't want the trans to run to cold. that is why that exists.

iirc the return is the line that comes out of the rearward port on the trans.

BulletMaker said:
Routing should look like this:

Tranny->cooler->radiator->Tranny

In my case it's:

Tranny->Filter->cooler->radiator->tranny

The main reason for this is that way you are not running the tranny too cool, as this can cause sluggish shifting at low temps. IIRC the AW4 cycles fluid constantly, so even at idle, you are heating the tranny during your normal warmup period.
Click to expand...

it should be the other way around tranny-rad-cooler-tranny.

your engine runs, or should run at 210. that is too hot for the trans. you want the cooler to drop the fluid temp back down on hot days. by having the cooler in front of the radiator you are negating any benefit from it.

that is one reason to mount it with a temp controlled fan, so that when it is cold out the fan does not pull air and the fluid stays at operating them.

the trans should never get hot enough to increase the engine temp at all. if it does you are going to have other issues.
 
SolarBell said:
I put in a Derale trans cooler with fan located behind my front cross member. I don't remember which one, but it was as big as I could fit into the space. There is no direct airflow due to the winch bumper, but the fan pulls a good amount of air through.

Click to expand...

I'm looking at that fitting and thinking I'd probably take that out on a rock.
 
one should really put the temp sensor in the transmission oil pan. that is the only way to get an accurate reading of temp.
 

Did you build that bracket? Do you sell that bracket? I would like to move my tranny cooler out from in front of my radiator, and I have removed my airbox so that would be perfect. Is that a pusher or a puller?
 
There is a ton of discussion on how to route the fluid through the system. For those that live in areas where it does not snow, routing the fluid from the transmission to the radiator to the cooler and back may make sense. As does eliminating the run through the radiator altogether.

For those of us that live where it snows, routing transmission to cooler to radiator makes sense as it helps to warm the fluid in the cold. Keep in mind that the AW4 will not shift into OD unless it is at least 42(F).

Now that I have eliminated the pass through the radiator (the Flex-a-lite radiator does not provide the run), I have noticed the OD delay.

When I queried Flex-a-lite on why they chose to eliminate the transmission run, they replied that in order to achieve the maximum engine cooling, the heat from the transmission had to be eliminated. Instead, they have a carefully designed cooler to hang in front of the radiator.

I can say that the system works as promised.

I can also say that the discussion on which routing is "the best" or "correct" will not be solved here as both methods have adherents.

Personally, I believe that dumping the heat into the cooler prior to running through the radiator the better way to go as the transmission has a preferred operating temperature.
 
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