MINN IROC-Z

Any suggestions out there on what aftermarket trans cooler to add to my 88 IROC automatic trans? I am going to put in a trans go shift kit but also want to put in a better cooler. Has anyone ever tryed Mobil 1 tranny fluid in there 700R4? I know it will take out a Ford auto transmission but has anyone any information or tryed it in a GM auto? Thanks for your input Dennis

super83Z

I have the Summit tranny cooler in my car I don't think any one brand is better than another brand. I mean a tranny cooler is a tranny cooler one may say one is better than another but how do you really know?

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I WOULD RATHER PUSH A CAMARO THAN DRIVE AN IMPORT

1983Z28 350w/ edelbrock performer RPM power package , dynomax shorty headers, 700R-4 with shift kit, 750cfm carb, edelbrock 3" exhaust system, ASCD SS hood, 16" IROC rims.

future mods:
completely done over suspension, black paint with flames, Hurst shifter, dakota digital gauge package, procharger supercharger.

transfixleo

The TruCool LPD cooler uses a stacked plate design which is superior to the tube and fin design. It also includes a self regulating system that under vary cold condition will allow a certain amount of oil to bypass the cooler and go right back to the tranny so that you will not have lube problems. They are an OEM supplier.

Right now the only way I know for the average person to get these is to buy the B&M super cooler. It IS a TruCool, just packaged by them. I am in the industry so I can buy them directly from the tranny suppliers.

Next, I don't know where you get the info on the Mobil I and Fords. In fact it is highly recommended in the AXOD/E units and the E4OD's too. These units both tend to have lube problems. Neither one will be helped if there is restrictions in the lube circuit (often in the radiator from friction material blocking the factory cooler) or if the cooling system is either low on coolant or not working properly otherwise. Being low on coolant will take out the tranny before the engine starts to notice it. I use it on any tranny that I know has lube problems, including the GM 440-T4. The 700 though isn't as troubled by this in most situations. The better 700's have a modified rear planet that has a lube dam which really helps. None of this matters though if the L/U circuit isn't working.

F22Raptor

Hey TransFixLeo,
what do you think about this cooler??

http://www.moroso.com/catalog/catego...?CatCode=24001

...if you read the features it warns about "not for use on street cars".....do you have any idea why?.....I used it for more than 2 years and my tranny did go out, but I really don't think it was the cooler ( I drove and and drag raced with a broken detent cable, I'm sure that was to blame.....or I am to blame)
The cooler has a filter inside with a magnet.....do you think this would cool the tranny enough? Again, why wouldn't moroso recommend it for street use?
Thanks, Rick

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'88 GTA 350 (very rusty)
Check out my car:
www.fortunecity.com/silverstone/brabham/42/

transfixleo

I haven't dealt with this cooler before but consider this. A racing tranny is used 1/4 mile at a time and as such doesn't see the same things that your typical tranny in a passenger car sees. This means that it just has to manage the heat and provide a certain amount of flow. On the other hand a typical FWD O/D can see a ton more heat and face more critical cooling and lube demands. Anyone who has paid 2K plus to have one of these O/H'ed is aware of this. If you were running through the radiator as is recommended you probably didn't hurt it with this. Yes, I have stated that I prefer to bypass the radiator and use a TruCool cooler but we aren't talking about a TruCool here. I would imagine that the normal weak points finally gave up on your 350 and the lack of a detent cable probably didn't help either!

[This message has been edited by transfixleo (edited May 19, 2001).]

bbtaz97

iTrader: (3)

when i installed my performace trans. i got B+M trans cooler. its part number 130- 70264 in jegs, if your wondering.. its the biggest one for street cars.i mounted it on the front of the ac condensor and i have had no problems with it. Jegs has it for about 50 witch isnt that bad. just another option for ya..

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91 camaro RS
- 305 TBI
Mods: Performer TBI intake, 1" TBI spacer, K+N, jet fan switch ,160 thermo,Accel control module, Jet Stage 2 chip, edelbrock TES headers, Compleate 3" Flowmaster exhaust, Edelbrock springs, KYB struts and shocks, 700R4 built by TSI, SLP tq converter, b+m trans cooler, white guage faces, megashifter..
next month: spohn LCA's and panhard rod, BMR relocation brackets, 323 gear

F22Raptor

So, you recommend that if I get the TruCool I bypass the radiator completely? Is this to diminish loss of pressure or what? Where do I get this cooler from? and of course $$$$$?? if ya know what I mean
Rick

transfixleo

I have found that along with religion and politics, the idea of bypassing the radiator is just as volitile so whatever I say is both my opinion AND backed up with professional experience. If someone doesn't want to that is fine with me, I'll just explain why I do, OK?

The number one reason I do this (and I haven't always) is because of what happens to a cooler when a tranny really wipes out. I used to look at the tubes going into a radiator and coming out and just figured that they probably coil around inside and come out. Wrong!

The inside of the tranny cooler is a fine mesh honeycomb that the oil has to make it's way through, thereby exposing itself to a lot of surface area so as to allow as much heat as it can to dissapate.

That is fine until a lot of metal fragments and ground up friction material gets in there after a failure and restricts the flow of oil. Now you can often blow in the lines and get a blast of oil out the other end but that does not mean that it is clear. To me the flow of lube oil is perhaps more important than the temperature of the oil.

In the age of O/D units this has made itself abundantly clear and the tranny trade has found this out (or will) in a very expensive way. You see, when dealing with 3 speeds and especially over engineered ones like the 350 and 400, you can get away with allot. Now, trannies are expected to do more in less space with lighter parts and any shortcoming anywhere shows up quick. When these units go into O/D, engine RPM and the resultant lube flow drop, add L/U and it is even less, but God forbid that L/U stops working and the the real meltdown starts.

Anyhow, by bypassing the radiator you get around this problem. Plus, if the owner is taking care of his car the way most do, who knows what the radiator and cooling system is like? I have cut coolers open and have seen green munge surrounding the outside of the cooler so that even if it is clear there isn't much cooling going on.

Onto the TruCool and why I recommend that. It is designed to keep oil flowing under all conditions. The LPD stands for Low Pressure Drop. They are referring to the fact that they have engineered a bypass that keeps SOME oil going through, bypassing the cooler section and going right back to the tranny. The thicker (colder) the oil is, the less gets run through the actual cooler and conversly the hotter the oil, proportionately more oil does get cooled. This is important in very cold climates where regular oil can gel, or at least slow down in flow.

I (and others in the trade) have also tested the temps of the tranny oil. Just recently I did a Chrysler Minivan with a FWD O/D unit and I used the smallest TruCool they make and bypassed the radiator. After a long test drive with a heavy foot, I measured the temp of the tranny pan with a infrared thermometer and it was less than 140 degrees F. The engine was @180. Also, the regular temp of this tranny, acording to the dipstick, is 180. Because of this I am not worried about the tranny burning up, plus I have a clear lube circuit (the return oil from the radiator on all trannies IS the lube oil) so I am not worried about restricted lube flow, which by the way was starting to take this trannies geartrain out. I suspect that the converter clutch was starting to go and was restricting the flow of oil. If I didn't get the cooler clear (which is very difficult) I get to buy a geartrain and redo the whole tranny on my dime.

The best argument anyone ever made to me not to bypass was to say that if you get something red hot and put it in 180 degree water or 50 degree air, which will cool it faster? While this is a valid argument my actual tesing cannot be overlooked PLUS, I know that I have clear lube flow, my ultimate goal. I tell you this to show that I have an open mind and think that you should get more than one view and make up your own mind.

I buy these cooler from tranny builder supply houses but you can't. As I said before, you can buy the B&M as it IS a TruCool, just under their name. Go to Summit or Jegs, etc. for prices.

I also want to thank the moderator for allowing people to express their opinion here, as long as they aren't attacking anyone. This is not how all forums work. Some use them to sell their own products and/or services and don't allow the free flow of ideas W/O being critical if they don't happen to agree with theirs.



[This message has been edited by transfixleo (edited May 20, 2001).]

F22Raptor

transfixleo, wich is the TruCool cooler that B&M sells....do you know the part number?
By the way, I wrote to Moroso and they said that they do not recommend the cooler I had mentioned above for the street "IF" you bypass the radiator because it won't cool enough.......so i guess you are right about bypassing the radiator.
Rick

transfixleo

Try this: http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=10153

JoelOl75

Another plus to add about completly bypassing the radiator mounted cooler is if the cooler ever internally corrodes and leaks antifreeze into the tranny lines, you will probably destroy the transmission before you even notice what happened. Even if you don't drive it, the antifreeze soaks into the friction paper and unbonds it from the steel.

ws6transam

Here's an install article I wrote up for the B&M (Trucool?) trans cooler, which I installed on my own car.

I hope you like it.

http://www.isthq.com/~dan/transcooler.html


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Daniel Burk
View my third-gen hobbyist performance page!
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transfixleo

Nice job.

Tom Keliher

I think the B&M cooler is the same as the Trucool. I have used the B&M stacked plate collers for many years. Don't know who came first.

Here is a pic of my cooler and remote filter when I had an auto tranny still:

http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/G...1/trancool.jpg

transfixleo

Here is another source: www.hptransparts.com