The built-in coolers that reside in the bottom of the radiator are marginal at best. The cooler can’t be connected to the back of the radiator but needs proper airflow to perform. How Does A Transmission Cooler Work? The cooled fluid is routed back through the transmission via the return line. A typical “in-the-rad” cooler will reduce the heat of the ATF but it’s … A transmission cooler is a square shaped and thin component that is typically added to the front of the radiator or the air conditioning condenser. A nice cooler installation, mounted with its own brackets, plumbed with braided lines makes a nice installation. As soon as the transmission cooler line in your car is starting to leak, you need to do initial stages to avoid risky situations in the long run. If your cooling sys is marginal, the internal cooler isn't going to help by adding more heat. These may be either oil-air radiators, as for a smaller version of the main radiator. The Radiator works like a heatsink, liquid cooling radiators have fins just like heatsinks do. 18 To connect the transmission to the filter and cooler a pair of short steel lines was made; for support they were secured with clamps to a bracket attached to the tailshaft housing. Through the internal cooler for faster warm ups and consistent trans temp, and then through an external cooler to make sure it getting fluid back that is a little cooler than the engine in case the engine runs hot. My vehicle has a manual transmission. How Does a Transmission Cooler Work? Car transmission lines connect your vehicle’s transmission to the vehicle’s radiator. A transmission cooler helps keep your transmission fluid cool, but how? Some engines have an oil cooler, a separate small radiator to cool the engine oil. Jun 10, 2019 - We offer to all our customers our free External Transmission Diagnostic Service, which will help to identify what type of problem/solution you need. If the oil flows from the disconnected cooler line, it means the oil flows out of the radiator at the other cooler line, making it … You could use a stand-alone transmission cooler, but your vehicle’s transmission actually operates better at around 160-200 degrees than it does when cold. Cars with an automatic transmission often have extra connections to the radiator, allowing the transmission fluid to transfer its heat to the coolant in the radiator. Step by step guide on how an automotive radiator works, this information pertains to most cars. Actually the water to oil coolers work well, much more efficient than air to oil for the same size. See below for an excellent illustration of a thermosiphon via a 1937 illustration of a radiator cooling the combustion chambers of a four-cylinder engine block. A good radiator, with an adequate built in cooler works well. How They Work. These coolers can be mounted on the frame near the trans and don't need a fan. The transmission oil will flow either from the radiator (where you removed the cooler line) or from the disconnected cooler line. The transmission cooler sits within the radiator where it transfers heat away from the transmission fluid. There's a very good reason that the manufacturers use the radiator tank to "cool" the transmission. And that was simple. No problems so far. But the bigger heat contribution of a radiator is through convection. Each year, hundreds of thousands of automatic transmissions fail and the majority of them are due to overheating of the fluid. Radiators are manufactured in all shapes and sizes, depending on the space constraints and requirements of the vehicle's design. Transmission Coolers help transmissions deal with the added stress and heat caused by towing boats, trailers and other heavy objects. Unlike the engine, the transmission does not have the capability to regulate it's temperature, there is no thermostat. If you're installing a new or rebuilt transmission into your vehicle, it's a good idea to flush the transmission cooler. By placing the fluid cooler inside the radiator, the engine’s coolant helps bring the transmission up to temp faster and maintains a consistent temperature better than a stand-alone. The Water Block works by conducting heat away from the CPU cooler and then having the coolant transfer the heat away. Second is to bypass the transmission cooler in the radiator and mount an external transmission cooler. A small type of radiator, the transmission cooler is full of hot ATF or Automatic Transmission Fluid. Circulating air moves over the cooler’s fins that lower the temperature of the fluid. These bad boys have one function: keep the transmission fluid cool and thereby extend the life of the transmission . What this modification does is completely eliminate the potential for that failure to occur, and attempts to mitigate the loss cooling provided by the now Bypassed Radiator Transmission Cooler by adding a second Aftermarket Cooler behind the OEM Transmission Cooler. Often, a transmission will die within a few thousand miles (or sooner) if subjected to 300-plus degree heat. oil does not circulate in the cooling system per-say but automatic transmissions do have a cooler built into the radiator that helps keep the transmission cooler. When the radiant energy heats the air next to a radiator, the heated air rises, which pulls cooler air through the radiator and starts the air moving. Hot transmission fluid is sent from the transmission to your car’s radiator then it flows to the transmission cooler. GOP leaders silent on violent threats made by Trump allies. Like engine oil, automatic transmission fluid (ATF) absorbs the heat produced by moving internal parts. The setup seems to work great. Your coolant is about 195 coming out of the engine and cools across the radiator THEN hits the trans cooler heat exchanger. A manual box does not need this, but you can still use a rad for an automatic, just don’t connect the oil cooler ports. Pickup truck owners seeking enhanced towing capacity might wonder if they need to upgrade to a transmission cooler. Next, install it on the return side, after the factory cooler. The fluid runs through tubes in the cooler to the coolant in the radiator, so the transmission does not run as hot and can handle heavier loads. What that temp drop is I don’t know, but it does work for normal driving, not towing a 9000 lb trailer. Air flowing over the fins of the cooler carries away heat and cools the fluid flowing within the fins. Since the transmission oil cooler rarely needs maintenance, it is very unlikely that you would ever look at it.Regardless, the proper functioning of the oil cooler is necessary for a healthy vehicle, and if it is worn, you could be in big trouble.