auto trans
the type of cooler is important. beleive it or not, by overcooling your transmission you decrease life. the tranny and fluids are designed to work at a certain operating temp, too low and the oil is too thick, too hot and the oil breaks down. there are 2 basic types of coolers
tube and fin
this is basicly a long tube with fins around it, just like the radiator on the back of your fridge. these work good on older transmissions (think turbo 400). tthe problem with them on newer vehicles is that they can overcool the tranny and not allow it to get to operating temps, cauing lockup clutch issues and weird shifts.
stacked plate coolers
this is the cooler style you want. it is much more efficient, and its whats reffered to as a self regulating cooler. the way it works is it orfices inside it, close to the inlet/outlet they are large, and as you go farther away they get small. when the fluid is cold it goes through only the bottom section of the cooler, as it warms up it uses more of the cooler as the oil can flow through the smaller orfices. this allows you to put a large cooler on to compensate for high loads and keep the tranny cool, and allow it to get into the proper operating temps.
when finding a cooler you need to make sure it has the correct size fitting on the lines or you could get leaks. also proper size also needs to be considered, id recomend something along the lines of this one from b&m http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku . its 3/8 line and you should have no problems fitting it on a cobalt.
when installing the cooler, you will want to install it in series with the radiator, and have the fluid flowing from the tranny to the rad, then the cooler, then back to the tranny (ill post this info tomorow on what line is feed andd return). most coolers come with plastic straps that allow you to tie them directly to the rad or a/c, i recemend against this unless absolutly nessesary. the kist usualy also come with metal brackets, try to make them work to solidly mount the cooler to the car. plumbing isnt as straight forward as it used to be with tranny coolers due to the special fittings car makers use. if you cut a steel line, make sure you flare the end of it, then slide the hose over and clamp it with 1 hose clamp (never double clamp a hose). this will prevent the hose from sliding off or leaking. you could also cut a rubber hose and use a barb to barb fitting to allow you to join 2 hoses.
tube and fin
this is basicly a long tube with fins around it, just like the radiator on the back of your fridge. these work good on older transmissions (think turbo 400). tthe problem with them on newer vehicles is that they can overcool the tranny and not allow it to get to operating temps, cauing lockup clutch issues and weird shifts.
stacked plate coolers
this is the cooler style you want. it is much more efficient, and its whats reffered to as a self regulating cooler. the way it works is it orfices inside it, close to the inlet/outlet they are large, and as you go farther away they get small. when the fluid is cold it goes through only the bottom section of the cooler, as it warms up it uses more of the cooler as the oil can flow through the smaller orfices. this allows you to put a large cooler on to compensate for high loads and keep the tranny cool, and allow it to get into the proper operating temps.
when finding a cooler you need to make sure it has the correct size fitting on the lines or you could get leaks. also proper size also needs to be considered, id recomend something along the lines of this one from b&m http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku . its 3/8 line and you should have no problems fitting it on a cobalt.
when installing the cooler, you will want to install it in series with the radiator, and have the fluid flowing from the tranny to the rad, then the cooler, then back to the tranny (ill post this info tomorow on what line is feed andd return). most coolers come with plastic straps that allow you to tie them directly to the rad or a/c, i recemend against this unless absolutly nessesary. the kist usualy also come with metal brackets, try to make them work to solidly mount the cooler to the car. plumbing isnt as straight forward as it used to be with tranny coolers due to the special fittings car makers use. if you cut a steel line, make sure you flare the end of it, then slide the hose over and clamp it with 1 hose clamp (never double clamp a hose). this will prevent the hose from sliding off or leaking. you could also cut a rubber hose and use a barb to barb fitting to allow you to join 2 hoses.
operating temperatures are usually around 180*. 160-170 is better for your transmission in making it last longer. Anything cooler will usually just increase drivetrain losses. our transmissions hold a LARGE amount of tranny fluid (ive heard from 11qts to 14qts depending on if its a drain or a full flush of the tranny), so it takes a while to get to operating temperatures.
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Joined: 03-25-07
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From: East Texas
operating temperatures are usually around 180*. 160-170 is better for your transmission in making it last longer. Anything cooler will usually just increase drivetrain losses. our transmissions hold a LARGE amount of tranny fluid (ive heard from 11qts to 14qts depending on if its a drain or a full flush of the tranny), so it takes a while to get to operating temperatures.
because on my daily drives i can barely make it above 120...it just doesnt get hot
For long life, proper efficiecy, etc, etc.....trans temps usually like to be 170-195, temps as high as 230 or so wont harm anything(though extended perriods of time over 200 do shorten the lifespan of the fluid by about half) On street/daily driven vehicles I like to put the cooler in the hot line from the transmission BEFORE the factory cooler. This way the aftermarket cooler does the most good, but you wont run the risk of overcooling the fluid, as it will still go through the stock cooler in the rad to stabilize the temps at the 170-195 zone it likes to be in.
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