want to install a transmission cooler, part number (flx~4118) from summit, where would the best place be to mount that bad boy?

 

700R4?

in f-bodies, they already come with tranny coolers. (see the lines that run from your radiator to the tranny.)

If you are looking to get an aftermarket one for better cooling (which is always a good idea) i would mount it onto the front of the radiator itself need the bottom passengers side. This would not require alot of modification to your already existing tranny cooler lines, and it would provide good airflow.

 

yeah, its an 86 2.8 liter, 700r4, and i already have one!?
yes an after market transcooler is coming... so you say, put it in front of the radiator?? wont that mess with the fan and stuff?

 

Your fan is behind the radiator. So no it wont mess it up/interfere with it.

 

check to see if you have 2 steel tube things on the passenger side of your radiator.

If you have these 2 lines, and they are hooked up, then you already have a tranny cooler built into your radiator. Its probably not very good... but it does its job.

And aftermarket one would do alot better, and i personally would install the aftermarket one.

Heat + 700R4 = Death.

 

ok so i have those lines, and yeah, as far as i can tell they are hooked up, what kind of a project is it to uninstall the factory Tranny cooler,and redo all the lines to fit my aftermarket?

 

I did it to my 86… Read the directions it was actually very easy… Supposedly adds 12K to the life of a tranny…

 

The project is debatable.
Meaning, IF the system works well & usually stock system for the tranny in the Fbody is damn decent, no need.
Want truly better?
EASY
Install the V8 radiator (Larger better cooling, lowers tranny & engine temps!), fresh fluids & make sure all cooling body panels are in place.
ALSO make sure your timing chain is decent.
Lousy chain equals a source of engine stress which increaes cooling temps & that places extra heat thru the tranny.
Fresh tranny fluid once a year is strongly mandatory.
Consider synthetic fluids for lower temps.
My Firebird fan kicks on at 220* & kicks off at 200*.
Tranny fixed over a year ago & car runs great.
ON MY Blazer, I do use a tranny cooler, as I stress the usage of that vehicle.

 

I've always wondered, since the V6 radiator is backwards compared to the V8 radiator, do the hoses still line up, tranny lines too?

 

Just a little FYI a B&M guy talking at a booth said that you can never really cool a tranny enough and anything you can do is better for it. {They run so dam hot.}

Now I have heard rumor of guys using old AC radiators and the tranny ran so cool it shifted bad but you can imagin the szie difference and the AC one is not really made for it..

The radiator cooler does work as the coolant is cooler than your tranny fluid but cooling anything with 200f water no mater how well it works seams wrong in my book. They should come stock with they own cooler.


Matt

 

I agree with Gumby and the B&M guy here... The 700-R4 in particular runs very very hot...more than other trannies. I've seen loads of third gens with bad 700-R4 transmissions. Some slip...some miss shifts. Some have blown out gears. A tranny cooler helps tremendously on these transmissions. Trannies are expensive. Coolers are not. You do the math.

 

IN our local San Fernando Yards, you'll find about 30 replacements available & about 5 worthy candidiates for the choice of purchase.
PS Tranny coolers are OK but, add the larger radiator and it'll be good.

About those other trannys failing, FIND A GOOD TRANNY SHOP TO REBUILD IT RIGHT, once.

I had a bad tranny & I tried killing it for many years. Never worked right. Even took shop to court. I wish their place was severly damaged by the LA Riots.

For my 700R4 rebuild in my Blazer, I started with a fresh case & gave it to the tranny shop.
This guy, I'M LUCKY, is a jerk, but does great rebuilds for a fair price.
He did a great job on my Firebird tranny rebuild, also & it lives quite well behind the 3.4, too, wiht no external coolers.

ABUSED trannys deserve the extra help. Our F body sets are fine when properly maintained. Spend the money & time on maintaining the factory system.

 

no, like mentioned above, spend time and money on getting that damn tranny cooler, especially if you are running it hard.

Cooler = Better. (to a certain degree)

The stock setup sucks, but it is better than no cooler at all. If you think about the stock setup, it is basically being cooled (if you want to call it that) by 200-220 degree water. I would MUCH rather have it being cooled by 60-100 degree ambiant air temp.

Tranny coolers are only like 50 bucks, if you were to goto a junkyard and pull a V8 radiator (which i think is the same as a V6 anyways ) it would probably cost you 50 bucks, plus it would be all dirty and crap, and not even cool as good as an aftermarket one.

 

IF a tranny cooler was MANDATORY GM would have added tehm
EVR see teh abuse GM puts a vehicle thru before it hits production?
Desert testing (seen it)
Cool climates (seen it)
High speed endurance (seen it)
After all those test by GM who can afford teh testing, they have decide that it's not necessary UNLESS you are out to ABUSE THE STOCK SYSTEm.
Hey do what ya want.
Ya asked for advice & I offered it.
Again, I got one vehicle with it (my S-10 Blazer which is an inlne with factory system) and MANY without them.
The 1968 Camaro 6/powerglide set up is factory thru the tranny cooler.
The 1974 Corvette STILL HAS IT'S ORIGINAL NEVER REBUILT (yet well maintained) TH400 TRANNY! 140,000 original miles and it's all factory as in since Aug 28th, 1973. IF so desired I can still chirp second on upshifts, too!
And the 85 Firebird, no tranny cooler.

My S-10 Blazer does get ABUSED and it's "setup" for the extra help.
If the set up currently is NOT intended for abuse, don't waste the time.
Read that line again, that is the determining factor. ABUSE!

But it's your car & enjoy the extra leaks and the extra heat put on the 3rd Gen F Body car cooling system.
I seriously wouldn't suggest ya waste the time & effort. Return on your effort will be close to zero.
Put the money in the gas tank & enjoy a date with a beautiful Cheerleader, but make sure she ain't a friend of the one Kobe met!

 

yeah i just wanted somthing extra to go along with my shift kit that's getting put in when i have tha car paited in the fall (he's gonna have it a week anyways) so i thought the cooler would be a nice touch, i really didnt know that there was an existing cooler from the stock set up, and this transmission has been rebuilt, ( about 10 or 12 k on it,so i was thinking that a transgo kit and a cooler would be a nice touch onmy little 2.8 with 167k still pounding pavement. im just looking for some firmer shifts is all... nothing crazy here, plus i heard the cooler was good to increase life also.....

 

I dont think a tranny cooler is out of line.

Now lets talk about getting some ducting and cooling
fans to blow air on the rear end housing to keep the rear end lube cool.

Matt

 

ive never even thought of that..... i mean, what the hell!!?? why not???

 

IN the whole scheme of things....
Your engine at 167K is weaker than original sold off dealer floor, right?
To increase firmness, SOMETIMES ya can decrease life of tranny.
SOMETIMES!
Firmer shifts also shorten the life of U joints, too! Oh a FUN project!

Spend the money on gas & dating a Cheerleader, you'll have more fun than lying on your back for cutting tranny lines & inserting a tranny cooler.

YOU'LL DEFINETLY HAVE MORE FUN LYING ON YOUR BACK WITH THE CHEERLEADER on top!

But really, if it works, leave it, maintain it, drive it until it dies, then do a shift kit next time.
Spend or plan on spending the saved money on the engine swap for a 3.4!
Cause by the time the tranny eventually dies, your engine will definetly be on way out, I'm sure.
IF ya had a brand new 3.4 mill infront of the tranny and ya wanted to only drag race the car or whatever, then a tranny cooler may be a wise time investment.
Serious GM does lots of testing to make sure they don't have as many warranty repairs as you think!

Double check this answer on the tranny side.

 

A tranny cooler is NOT manditory, its just better to have one, and can add alot more miles to a transmission.

GM did a good job, they do come with tranny coolers (albiet not very good one's), alot of car makers dont even have tranny coolers at all. But the fact is, the tranny cooler in the radiator is still not as good as an aftermarket external one cooled by lower temperate ambiant air.

Being the cheapskate you are, (getting everything from the junkyard) i can see why you think a better tranny cooler is a bad idea, its a waste of money you might think.

The fact is, cooler tranny = better.

Tranny fluid being cooled by the 200 degree radiator will never be as good as tranny fluid being cooled by 70 degree ambient air.

 

The way I see it. . . The external tranny cooler helps me get the cheerleader home. GM only warranties for 30-40 K miles. I like it when that hot babe is cool and collected and I am relaxed. . . same with the transmission. Check out the transmission board, lots of info there for an extra cooler. . . It's tight in front of the radiator (no puns here ) but a cooler can be made to fit.

Even makes the wife (a hot one at that) happy as her car isn't in for repair.

RBob.

 

They run rear end cooler in NASCAR.

I just wish GM would of put fill and drain plugs in the covers. Maybe even a fancy dip stick. I am sure mine could use a freshing up.

Matt

 

Everyone needs to lay off KED. He gave his opinion. You dont like, do as you please, and ignore him.

He is not a "cheapskate". I don't call buying a 300k house to fix, and repair being CHEAP. He just sees no pourpose on forking out tons of cash on cars that you will never recieve back. Basicaly he like to put his money into INVESTMANTS so he can see it later.

Cars being one of the WORST "investmants" possible.

 

I'll take that reply.
IF I'm a cheapskate, fine.
No skin off my nose.
I'll invest my time & money elsewhere.
I definetly enjoy getting about a 70-90% return on investment on my money spent.
AS I SAID, go to the tranny board & ask them their opinion.
I OFFERED mine
WITHOUT THROWING A STUPID INSULT TO ANYONE LEE7!
AND if ya spent the few moments reading LEE7, I also said I use a tranny cooler & I DON'T use them!
AGAIN DEPENDS ON THE ABUSE FACTOR

IF ya wanna make somthing outta my response send me a private email LEE7!, I don't care.

AND if ya care to notice LEE7, I've been spending my spare time arranging/negotiating for a product that everyone on this V6 site needs
STREET LEGAL HEADERS.
Being the cheap person that I am
LEE7,
I do that in my FREE TIME!

Make sure you remember that when you LEE7 purchase them from PaceSetter that it was ME KED85 THE CHEAPSKATE that arranged for you INSULTING PERSON YOU ARE LEE7, to buy them and go merrily down the road without a worry of the next smog test ya may need to do.

LEE7 learn how to offer an opinion and response without a foolish insult attached.
Most V6 people here seem to respect that.

 

woh sorry fellas, didn't know i would stir up so much by just askin about it, i appriciate EVERYONES opinons, i love this website, and frankly, i dont know what i do without it, you guy's have saved me tons of money, and ive learned alot too. with that said......
i decided to look into a trans cooler because of this reason.... when i first start my car, and i go for a drive, (wether we are in 50 degree weather, or 95 degree wether,) for the first 30 or 45 minutes, she runs great, strong of the line, all that jazz, but after things really start to heat up, you can really tell that the shifts are lagging and stuff. *so* in my journy to turn this car from a lemon to a decent ride, i was thinking the cooler might help being that the cooler would cost me 50 bucks, and a few hours, and that i enjoy doing things like that, i thought it would be a decent add on, somthing to help untill i got the tranny finished how i want it. as far as abuse goes, i drive it. i don't really baby it, but i mean i don't beat the crap out of her either, so i guess im in the middle,........... thanks for the thoughts fellas,

 

Oh, I almost forgot this story... In my stang, which has an AOD (the Ford equivalent to a 700-R4, but crappier)...it has no tranny cooler like my Camaro did and man could I tell the difference. (The Camaro had an aftermarket cooler from the previous owner. I'm not saying the Mustang tranny isnt cooled through the radiator...honestly, I don't know if it is or not!) But anyways...no real change in normal street driving. BUT when I took the car out to Orlando and then back the next day...all that time on the interstate....the car shifted like CRAP when I got it off the interstate. The 1-2 shift was barely a flinch, and 2-3, the only reason I could tell it was shifting was the tach. It slipped SO much between gears it was ridiculous. That fluid must've been damn near boiling! That's when I put a bottle of Slip Fix in. Why not right? Not to mention the tranny is leaking...looks like the seal in the tailshaft. Lovely.

 

A bummper or or window type duct could be stuck horzional over the area that the air dam forces air up into the radiator and the duct scoop could direct the some of that flow to a tight area.

http://www.quickcarracingproducts.com/cooling/cp_bumpduct.html

http://www.quickcarracingproducts.com/cooling/cp_nacaduct.html

Wouldn't even mention it if the prices wasn't bad.
Thinking how I could use a few of them.

Matt

 

woh sorry fellas, didn't know i would stir up so much

PONTIAC86style.,
I haven't noticed a single insult TO ANYONE by your asking. So I offered my opinion.
YET what it sounds like is
you are trying to bandaid the problem of "it's seems it's gonna need a tranny rebuild, soon".
It STINKS but, sometimes to truly solve the problem you have (starting with a used old car from other owners), you have to start with fresh blood.
Meaning it may truly need a tranny rebuild.
Start shopping by word of mouth for a reputible tranny shop, seek out their opinion.
My rebuilds have cost me $600-$650 and the trannys work damn great.
More money on a rebuild can be spent. More money can also buy a differnt level of a tranny rebuild.

Seek out a shop by word of mouth.
Being the cheapskate I am, that's free advertising.
All the advertising money can't buy a recommendation from a satisfied customer.

Start shopping while the car does move and don't change the fluid yet. That "can" quicken the short life your tranny may still have.
Check on the tranny side for a recomendation of a shop in your are, you may score a good shop that way. Those guys really know the score on trannys! I've learned quite a bit from them!

You are now experiencing POS
Previous Owner Syndrome

 

A little bit of trivia for all-

Every 20* increase in trans fluid temp will cut the life of your automatic transmission in half.

I believe starting at 175* operating temp, they will last mostly 200,000 miles

195*-100,000 miles
215*-50,000 miles
235*-25,000 miles
you get the drift.

What happens is varnishes form from the fluid and cause havoc in flow and cooling.
My Chev worktruck (With Full blown Darrel Young Tranny also) runs 17 1/2 quarts of fluid and two different coolers in sequence on controlled fans- this thing stays at 175* at all times, even in summer heat with a heavy load going uphill w/ the pedal to the wood.

 

Alright,
I'll ask cause I'm curious....
Synthetic fluids?
If so brand & change how often
It seems a guage is used, too?
"Stock" torque convertor?