Technical Running an automatic transmission with just an air cooler.

Would you run a 200R4 OD tranny without a radiator cooler, just with a big Hayden air flow cooler?

 

I prefer em to have a stand alone cooler.

 

I might try it before I invest in a new radiator. Then if the air exchanger proved to be not enough, I'd add the radiator and still keep the air cooling deal.
I'm in Texas, too, and you and I know that the pavement can radiate higher heat than the ambient air.

 

I didn't use the radiator cooler on the 41 PU, just a remote that I bolted to the frame behind the 46RE auto. I figured running lines past the exhaust and the Hemi was only going to heat the tranny fluid up , that and increase the water temp in my radiator. This is working well so far.

 

I'd mount it in directly in line with the fan in front of the radiator. Time spent idling does hell on fluid without airflow. Optimal is using an in radiator cooler AND a standalone inline. People seem to forget that not only do you not want it to overheat but that theres a minimum operating temperature for the fluid too

 

No radiator heat exchanger?? have you measured tranny temps? BowTie is adamant you run the radiator cooler.

 

No forced air flow? Have you measured your tranny temps?

 

Never had a trans cooler in the radiator for my bus. 7k pounds, pulls trailers, loaded down on the inside with engines, hard pulls up long hills ….. never an issue.
Runs a separate trans cooler. My current build will be the same way.
built em at work like that behind diesels hooked to Allisons
No problems

 

It's not terribly expensive or difficult to install a trans fluid temperature gauge. The sensor can usually be installed in place of the fluid drain plug if the trans has one and you don't have clearance issues. If I recall you're looking for temps around 170° to 210°.

 

Yes you can as long as there's air flow passing through the fins..

 

High and low temps vary 10-20° depending on particular trans but you're dead on. Many gm autos prefer 160-200

 

If located correctly, a remote unit with a fan something like a Derale would be an adequate substitute for an in radiator cooler.

 

I've used this on 2 different vehicles with zero issues in Texas heat and daily driving. One with a TH400 in my old '56 F100 daily driver, and one with a 700R4 in a daily driven square body. The fan only came on once when pulling a trailer with the 700R4 equipped truck using an inline 180* thermostat to trigger the fan. I've also purchased it again for the 4L80E in my in progress '56 F100. All of them have been mounted under the vehicle near the transmission.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/...TTX6YVGKF-MqB4tlUwm3G4GSyXXpIhq0aAulNEALw_wcB

 

I have had guys tell me they didn't even use coolers, just coiled line or hose under the car.

No, I have not installed a gauge but it is not a bad idea.

 

A radiator trans “cooler” is actually a temperature control device that actually warms as well as cools. Today transmissions need to run in a very narrow temperature band with their internal parts and fluids.
Back in the 60-70’s many of us who towed using a TH 400 added large coolers and depending on where in the system they were placed sometimes harmed transmissions when not towing. A trucking company advised me to have valves and a bypass line when not towing. I did what they said and didn’t loose a trans in 200k miles..

 

Stand alone is always better !

you have to remeber you’re rad is going to run 185-195f which will heat up the trans fluid it’s good for winter but not good for trans fluid .

Run a temp gauge if you can and a small trans cooler out front if the car is not heavy .

I run a blower on my 2010 Sierra and when it was in the ran my trans temps where always over 200. Now I stay consistance 160-70 with no lock up on a 4L60E

 

I did the little 10" fan/10" radiator mounted under my ''53 Chevy pickup. Don't know if it worked; finished the truck but never started it for 5 years then sold it. I hate starting new engines! I put the fluid bypass valves in my builds to a0 heat up the tranny quickly to operating temp then cool it as necessary.
The tranny that always amazed me is the grand old GM cast iron Hydramatic 4spd. It runs a fluid coupling, not as efficient as a torque converter and has zero provisions for cooling of any kind!

Built but never started!


This is the home made tranny cooler I put in the truck.


I like the idea of these bypass/temp regulator valves.


Unit mounted to frame next to tranny.

 

I've run frame rail mounted trans coolers on dozens of cars, never a problem as long as they can get air-flow past them,...usually just mount em beside the tans on frame rail.

 

Works for me too.

 

Didn’t some of the GM small cars, IE Vega, Monza, come without a fluid cooler, only a bell housing with air holes and maybe a finned converter? I’ve seen pics before, thinking it was factory done…

 

My 55 Plymouth trans is air cooled with some fins on the converter and holes in the bellhousing

 

Both my Deuce roadster and '46 Woodie have remote trans coolers and have over 50K miles on both with no problems. You want to locate the cooler in front of the vehicle where it will get cool air flowing thru it. You don't want to bury it in the frame rails or behind the engine and trans, flowing air will help keep things cool. You can also use the type that has it's own cooling fan, they seem to work fairly well.

 

Never run a hotrod yet using the radiator cooler. I always install an aftermarket cooler that's isolated from the radiator. I never wanted coolant temps to dictate how hot my trans runs, so isolating the cooler means less heat on my trans. With decades of reliable driving it seems to prove out to be just fine.

 

a old transmission man i knew didn't run a cooler on his t-bucket are his 33 plymouth coupe which wasn't much more the the bucket. he never had a problem with them. i have run a stand alone cooler with no problems, but i was not towing anything either.

 

I got a Powerglide from a Chevy II that had the holes in the bell and fins on the torque converter. I rebuilt it with 5 clutch disks, billet input shaft and found a pump with outlet and inlet for a cooler. Installed it with a remote cooler in a '36 Pontiac sedan with a beefed 230 Chevy 6. Ran fine. I too have never run a radiator cooler mainly because vintage radiators don't have them and not really room for them. Genesis for my original question is because BowTie who supplied my current 200R4 won't warrantee it without a radiator cooler. I am going to just take my chances but am surprised they are so adamant about the subject in view of the obviously high success rate of properly (and sounds like sometimes improperly!) designed alternate systems.

 

My original transmission (a torqueflite) was air cooled same as wheeltramp brian has on his 55 tranny.

 

To many Apple to Oranges and variables to compare to,
Just because the factory ran and most cases now coolant lines into the radiator it's a death to transmission, 210-225
Production ""Gas Vehicles"",,,
& settings still with no airflow transmission temps really spike, if no auxiliary fan is on cooler.

You might say well engineers engineered it that way ,! yes they did but just to get it to 100,000-ish miles or so then have to replace the transmission,

Ultimate operation temp on Transmission fluid 160-180 ,
Cruise ,Tow ,Drag ,
Light vehicle 2,500 2,800 ish can get away with little more temp 195,
But heat still kills ,
& there Big difference on ,Allison Transmission big clutches Big pan & holding 5 -8 gallons & some more ,

 

I would run the cooler without a 2nd thought. As has been stated, the radiator also helps speed up the temp for quicker operating temps. Where you live, I don't think that is an issue. As a sidebar, the 78 Dodge that I used to pull my racecar with was a 440 and 727. Dodge sizes the trans cooler by the gvw back then. I kept burning fluid. I kept adding coolers. By the time I gave up, I had 4 coolers across the front of the truck. I figured out that going up the mountain when i would stuff my foot in it, that the convertor built heat faster than any cooler could remove it. I solved the problem by the driver being less aggressive. Enter lock up convertors, no more problem.

 

on warm days i put trans in neutral when stopped. and if i tow i install another trans cooler in line. so far so good. 300,000 miles on my daily driver.

 

And since the 200R4 is a lockup and it is in a light street rod, I am ok with my air cooler. Just forfeit my 1yr warranty from supplier.
Again I am blown away that the old GM Hydramatic with its less efficient fluid coupling did fine without cooling in millions of vehicles whereas these modern delicate beauty queens with all their hi-tech wither in a little heat.