AT Transmission cooler... help me pick? (1 Viewer)

[FJ Silver]

So I was on a week long offroading trip here in Utah and some in Wyoming a little bit ago.

Overall my FJ62 did phenomenally, especially since it was a 100F plus every day.
The AT did struggle here and there with the heat and it needs some attention before my next trip.

A few facts:
- I have been running a trans cooler for years, but just one of those smaller 10x10 Hayden ones., in line with the OEM radiator cooler. My radiator is only a few months old.
- I had fresh Amsoil synthetic ATF in there.
- I had my AT light come on, on a long on road mountain pass climb. When I stopped to IR check the temp on the pan ( around 300) I noticed it wasn't circulating properly through the aux trans cooler...The temp on the cooler was around 125, even felt cool to the touch. I took the hose of the cooler IN fitting real quick and flow was low... at idle however.

It's having some flow issues I think, the aux cooler isn't plugged or anything, so I'm removing the pan to check out the filter, magnets etc. and do a flow test.

My AT operates perfectly otherwise.

I'll Rodney flush with a few gallons of fresh Alyssin Transynq after cleaning and checking everything.
But I'd also like to install a better / Larger cooler...

2 Questions:

1: I've narrowed my search down to the below coolers. Keeping price out of the equation, which one would you choose and why? I'm leaning to the Derale stacked plate. They're all very roughly the same size in square inches. The Derale stacked plate is about 2 inches thick though.
Does the Tube & Fin drop the pressure by a lot?

2: Wouldn't it make more sense with a larger plate cooler, to mount it with the IN/OUT fitting at the TOP, not the bottom? So that the whole cooler can fill up before it overflows to the OUT? I notice many people mount them with the fittings facing down. My factory 100 series cooler starts at the top and drains at the bottom, which seems more logical.

I'm taking another week long trip in 2 weeks time, so I'm trying to get the AT back in tip-top shape!

 

[pithicus]

I have a fan on my cooler that kicks in before the light comes on. If it was me, I would pick a cooler that is easiest to attach a fan.
Or pick the cooler that claims the best cooling specs.

Since the fan mod it never overheats even in sand dunes etc.

 

[Saucerman]

I have a fan on my cooler that kicks in before the light comes on. If it was me, I would pick a cooler that is easiest to attach a fan.
Or pick the cooler that claims the best cooling specs.

Since the fan mod it never overheats even in sand dunes etc.

Yep. The Hayden works great if you are cruising down the road at normal speed. A fan would cycle to help keep cool. Not sure about the low flow or how it was determined but even at idle my A440 would quickly empty the transmission.

 

[SteveH]

>Wouldn't it make more sense with a larger plate cooler, to mount it with the IN/OUT fitting at the TOP, not the bottom? So that the whole cooler can >fill up before it overflows to the OUT?

Since AT fluid is always circulating when the engine is running, I'm not sure why this matters. You check it hot, with the engine running, so the cooler is full when it matters. Who cares if it drains when your truck is parked with the engine off? (or am I mis-interpreting your statement?)

I just took my '62 on a brutal wheeling trip and after a lot of slow speed driving, I could firmly grip the rubber line to my cooler, and put my finger on the cooler - so it was not over 140F. I did not check the pan temp, nor did I see an overheat light. I assumed that my 9x11 Hayden cooler was doing its job correctly. My AT cooler is mounted just below the hood latch, and gets air pulled through it by the engine fan. I will check the cooler temp and the pan temp today and report back.

@FJ Silver
Edit from today:
Here's my report - ambient temp 85F, drove the truck 20 min on the freeway uphill w/AC on - engine was good and hot. Drove through a rural area for another 10 minutes. At home the trans pan was 181F, and the cooler lines were 131F. I tried to take multiple measurements to be sure these temps were accurate. They seem right to me, based on the drive time, temps, and load.

 

[FJ Silver]

Thanks for the reference @SteveH

Let me try again.

Let's say below cooler was mounted upside down. Would the IN tube fill up all the way to the top before it dissipates all the fluid through the plates?
I doubt the pump is pumping hard enough.

 

[SteveH]

I would have to see a cutaway of a 'stacked plate' cooler to determine how they fill. Obviously, the other kind of cooler is obvious, since it's just a single piece of tubing with many fins. Here's one diagram: Long / Tru Cool Oil Coolers Long coolers Setrab coolers B&M coolers L7B - http://www.bakerprecision.com/trucool.htm

 

[Michael Hanson]

Hi, The Toyota manual has a great check for the transmission. I wonder if your valve body is not operating properly. Mike

 

[pithicus]

Let's say below cooler was mounted upside down. Would the IN tube fill up all the way to the top before it dissipates all the fluid through the plates?
I doubt the pump is pumping hard enough.

Ya I wondered about that too. Mine is a so called stacked plate like the one in your picture. However mine is mounted horizontally under the radiator. My thinking was it would help stop the fluid getting too cool in really cold weather, and the fan would do the main cooling when necessary.

 

[red66toy]

This is the cooler I have been using on my FJ62 and I have no complaints. I have the lines coming out horizontally and enter the engine bay through the front crossmember B&M 70266: SuperCooler Universal Cooler 20,500 BTU | JEGS - https://www.jegs.com/i/B-M/130/70266/10002/-1

 

[OSS]

If an auxiliary cooler is plumbed in parallel with another cooling circuit, all it takes is a few bubbles to stop the flow through the secondary cooler. However a cooler is connected, make sure that bubbles will migrate up and out

 

[FJ Silver]

Hi, The Toyota manual has a great check for the transmission. I wonder if your valve body is not operating properly. Mike

Thanks @Michael Hanson , let me double check. I remember something around a gallon per 60 sec. at 2K RPM.
I've already got a quote from Georg on one of those Aussie Nomad Valve bodies... I just like automatic too much v.s. a manual and like the idea of 3rd gear lock up.

@red66toy That looks great! are you running a temp. gauge? curious if that one is big enough? Love the 6 AN set up, are you running that all the way to the transmission? I'm thinking of replacing all that hardline with high quality 3/8 6an hose.

@OSS That's good info... with that in mind, wouldn't the IN/OUT fittings facing down be the worst position?

 

[tmxmotorsports]

Factory fj80 transmission cooler mounting for reference and it 10×13

 

[red66toy]

Thanks @Michael Hanson , let me double check. I remember something around a gallon per 60 sec. at 2K RPM.
I've already got a quote from Georg on one of those Aussie Nomad Valve bodies... I just like automatic too much v.s. a manual and like the idea of 3rd gear lock up.

@red66toy That looks great! are you running a temp. gauge? curious if that one is big enough? Love the 6 AN set up, are you running that all the way to the transmission? I'm thinking of replacing all that hardline with high quality 3/8 6an hose.

@OSS That's good info... with that in mind, wouldn't the IN/OUT fittings facing down be the worst position?

I dont have a temp. gauge, one of those projects on "the list".
I have it in line with the the factory cooler so it goes from the radiator to the aux cooler, then the AN braided line to the factory hardline. I probably should have just replaced all the hard lines but they are in good condition so I didn't want to mess with that. That style of aux cooler is supposed to be more efficient and cool better than the standard tube and fin so even though its a little smaller it should cool just fine. I have never had my temp light come on. Even fully loaded going up highway mountain passes. That being said, cant hurt to go bigger.

 

[FJ Silver]

@tmxmotorsports thanks! yeah my 100 series has a similar set up.

Gotcha @red66toy, I think I might go with the largest stack and plate I can find/fit that is made for 3/8 trans hoses flow / 6AN and make it fit.