Transmission Cooler Upgrade (1 Viewer)

[GXMac]

With the summer heat in full swing lately here in California I have been noticing my transmission temperatures go fairly high (monitored with Torque Pro, not towing). On level roads going about 30-40 mph I see 200 to 210 F (in D and 4) and over 220 to 240 F when going up mountain roads and good size inclines (in 4). The trans temp won't drop below 205F on my daily driving.

Additional info:
-95k on the odo
-Radiator replaced about 2 months ago (6k miles) due to leaking (was leaking when I bought it w/ 60k but I thought the crust was from a messy fill-up)
-Replacement radiator is an all aluminum unit from ebay
-High trans temps were present before the replacement (figured it was a symptom of the leaking)
-Trans temp light has never come on and coolant needle always stays in the middle but Torque says I am at 200 to 205F.

I am going to be performing a trans fluid change fairly soon and was looking at installing a larger capacity trans cooler. The likely candidates are the cooler from the LC100 or an aluminum stacked plate ebay special. Is this a reasonable upgrade or should I be looking at something else in the cooling system? Am I worrying too much now that I am measuring it?

Thank you and sorry for the long post.

 

[subspd]

Mine runs about the same with traffic driving per my scangaugeII

 

[GXO]

I run the valve body and TCC lock up from WAT. The temps all but dropped to nothing. Just amazing. Cruising I lock it up...no temp issues towing or cruising. Traffic I just unlock and the pressures keep the trans so much more engaged that no more temp get generated than needed. If you are climbing stock in traffic you need to swap fluid and a trans cooler. Will make a world of difference.

 

[GXMac]

Mine runs about the same with traffic driving per my scangaugeII

I run the valve body and TCC lock up from WAT. The temps all but dropped to nothing. Just amazing. Cruising I lock it up...no temp issues towing or cruising. Traffic I just unlock and the pressures keep the trans so much more engaged that no more temp get generated than needed. If you are climbing stock in traffic you need to swap fluid and a trans cooler. Will make a world of difference.

Thanks for the input, guys. I ordered a larger capacity oil cooler and will monitor temps on my daily commute before and after the modification.

 

[subspd]

Thanks for the input, guys. I ordered a larger capacity oil cooler and will monitor temps on my daily commute before and after the modification.

Which one did you order?

 

[GXMac]

I went with this one although it was $33 less when I ordered it. It might be a tight fit but I think I can rig up some brackets and make it work.

 

[subspd]

I went with this one although it was $33 less when I ordered it. It might be a tight fit but I think I can rig up some brackets and make it work.

Let us know how it fits and what difference you see. I’m thinking I’ll do this in the future. Cheap insurance.

 

[GXMac]

I finally installed the upgraded cooler over the weekend and, so far, the results have been good but I need to look at the Torque log data since we haven't had a really hot day lately.

Beside the cooler, I bought: 2 10AN to 3/8 barb fittings, a 4 foot piece of angle aluminum from Lowe's and 3' of 3/8 ID hose from the auto parts store. I reused most of the hardware and bushing mounts, except for the one bushing I lost (d'oh). Most of the installation time was spent trying to figure out a mounting solution. Anyhow, here are the pictures (note that I am ordering some Derale transmission hose and looking for some other way to route the lines, lol):

Cooler

• GXMac
• Nov 7, 2018

I'm going to find a more permanent routing/ mounting solution for the lines once I switch to...

Small Bracket

• GXMac
• Nov 7, 2018

This small bracket holds the top of the cooler in place.

Cut Bracket

• GXMac
• Nov 7, 2018

I had to cut the stock bracket to make space for the lines. I may add another aluminum L bracket...

L Bracket

• GXMac
• Nov 7, 2018

This is the bracket that the cooler (with the rubber mounts) sits on.

Bottom Bracket

• GXMac
• Nov 7, 2018

Drilled these out to mount the L bracket that the cooler sits on.

 

[theferg]

I have been noticing my transmission temperatures go fairly high (monitored with Torque Pro)

What year is your GX and which OBDII bluetooth module are you using with Torque Pro?

I am using Torque Pro as well but I don't see any transmission temp data available in Torque on mine. Did you have to do any tricks to get the transmission temp data?

Maybe my OBDII bluetooth module has an issue reading the trans temp data....? This is the one I'm using: BAFX Products Bluetooth Diagnostic OBDII Reader/Scanner for Android Devices

 

[GXMac]

That looks like the one I have but mine is a few years old already.

You have to add a custom PID under the settings menu. Go to Settings> Manage extra PIDs> Hit the menu button and select Add Custom PID.

This is the one I used:

OBD2 Mode: 21d9

Long Name: Trans Temp or w/e

Short Name: TFT or w/e

Min Value: 0

Max Value: 300

scale: x1

Unit Type: deg F

Equation: ((((G*256)+H)*(7/100))-400)/10

OBD Header: Blank

Diagnostic Start Command: Blank

Diagnostic Stop Command: Blank

Overrides PID: Does not override

 

[theferg]

Nice! Thanks @GXMac --that seems to have worked.