2 External Transmission Coolers

[c3po]

I was on my Marauder forum reading some posts.

The Mercury Marauder has an external transmission cooler mounted between the A/C Condenser and the radiator. It has a 180 degree thermostatic bypass on the external cooler. I guess if temps are below 180 degrees the fluid bypasses the cooler.

This car also has the trans cooler in the radiator too.

Some guy decided to put another trans cooler on this car, he put a tube and fin type cooler in front of the A/C Condenser, I am thinking this is overkill and there could be a pressure losss in the transmission.

I always thought that tube and fin type coolers were old school, the stacked plate design is 30% more efficient, with less of a drop in pressure.

This sounds like a waste of money in my opinion.

 

[SZR48207]

I'm curious if the Marauder uses upgrades that police departments perform on their Crown Vic. cruisers? Since it is a special edition, Mercury/Ford may have bumped up a lot of the internals.

If so, then he is probably wasting his time.

Either way, I'd love to have one of those. It's a shame that most people have no idea what it's based on, and it looks like the car attracted an older crowd mostly.

 

[c3po]

This car has the DOHC 4.6 Liter Engine, it is an all aluminum design.

If I get pulled over by a cop I will ask if I can look under his hood.

The external trans cooler that comes on the Marauder is almost as wide as the radiator, but there is a portion of the external cooler that is used too cool the powersteering fluid.

The trans is speced for Mercon V, and it comes with Motorcraft Mercon V from the factory, my fluid still looks nice and red, a bright red.

 

[SHOZ]

Tube and fin suck. The stacked plate or a radiator type (not in the radiator) are better.

I run a large cooler and in the winter the ATX fluid seldom reaches 120F. No problem.

 

[c3po]

Originally Posted By: SHOZ
Tube and fin suck. The stacked plate or a radiator type (not in the radiator) are better.

I run a large cooler and in the winter the ATX fluid seldom reaches 120F. No problem.


I know, tube and fin is so old school.

 

[ARB1977]

Originally Posted By: SHOZ
Tube and fin suck. The stacked plate or a radiator type (not in the radiator) are better.

I run a large cooler and in the winter the ATX fluid seldom reaches 120F. No problem.

X2...i thought i was over cooling as well. Barly reaches 100 degrees in the winter.

 

[duaneb9729]

let me ask a silly question, at first glance that seems very cool for transmission fluid?

is there a point were the fluid can be too cool?

 

[c3po]

Originally Posted By: duaneb9729
let me ask a silly question, at first glance that seems very cool for transmission fluid?

is there a point were the fluid can be too cool?


It depends where the temperature is being taken from, on my Chevrolet El Camino that has a Turbo 350, I have a Derale Trans Pan with cooling tubes at the bottom, with an infrared gun I get a temperature of 100 degrees.

I can aim the infrared gun at the torque converter, if it is cold out, like 40 degrees or lower, I get a reading of 155 to 160 degrees. The other day it was 72 degrees out and the temp at the torque converter measured 178 degrees.

I never took any readings of the torque converter when I had the other trans pan on there, might have been a good idea.

 

[Drew2000]

I don't think that "cool" ATF is a problem. My Tribute (Ford Escape) has the coolant/atf cooler and a big OEM stacked plate cooler after that. In the winter, the ATF never gets warm. It's not cold, but sure isn't warm. Hot fluid is much worse than cool for automatic transmission/transaxles.

BTW remove the fin-tube cooler. Too much fluid restriction can cause transmission damage.

 

[c3po]

I told the guy to remove it, oh well.

Many ATF's flow fine when they are cold.

When the fluid gets very hot, thats when you can have glazing and varnish problems.

If it gets hotter, things in your transmission burn up or disintegrate or something too that affect.

I never liked the tube and fin coolers, becuase I knew some guys that had them blocked off in the winter time because the fluid could get overcooled.

The stacked plate design eliminates that problem since there is a bypass in the stacked plate that lets the thicker ( cooler ) fluid bypass the cooler.

 

[kaboom10]

Should have left it on. I put an electric fan/tube and fin on my 5.4L F-150 and took off the stock cooler. Trans temps are way down and I have to block the cooler during the winter to get the temps up.

 

[GMBoy]

Better that he took it off - less leak points.

 

[kaboom10]

I plumbed mine in with Aeroquip fitting and lines. They have a great selection where I go.

 

[gtx510]

Originally Posted By: SHOZ
Tube and fin suck. The stacked plate or a radiator type (not in the radiator) are better.

I run a large cooler and in the winter the ATX fluid seldom reaches 120F. No problem.

Don't radiators also use tube and fin cores?

 

[c3po]

Originally Posted By: gtx510
Originally Posted By: SHOZ
Tube and fin suck. The stacked plate or a radiator type (not in the radiator) are better.

I run a large cooler and in the winter the ATX fluid seldom reaches 120F. No problem.

Don't radiators also use tube and fin cores?


Yes, but at least your cooling system has a thermostat to regulate temperatures.

The Tube and Fin trans coolers have NO bypass so the fluid can get overcooled in colder weather. You may never get the transmission fluid warm, at least the stacked plate design has a bypass built into the cooler.

The Tube and Fin design also has a greater pressure drop than the stacked plate design.

The Tube and Fin design can easily get damaged by rocks or whatever else it comes into contact with, its your choice, I know what I would buy.

 

[kaboom10]

I bought my trans cooler from the trans shop I go to and it's buried where it won't be damaged. Now the oil cooler is built like a radiator.