Buying Trans Cooler Tomorrow.

[ctrcbob]

Because I sometimes tow, I decided to look for the additional Ford Racing Transmission Cooler. (P/N M-7095-SR) They can only be purchased at Ford Racing (forgot exact name) Dealers. Found two places in the Orlando area where I can get it. Has to be special ordered at the first place, price $59.56. The second place has two in stock, price $45.00.

Am going down there tomorrow and pick one up. On Friday, I will have my local Ford Dealer install it, plus at the same time, do a Transmission Flush.

Question: I know that one good place to install the additional cooler is behind the left fog light, ahead of the left front wheel. Are there any other good places to install this cooler?

Thanks in advance.

[fastblackmerc]

Because I sometimes tow, I decided to look for the additional Ford Racing Transmission Cooler. (P/N M-7095-SR) They can only be purchased at Ford Racing (forgot exact name) Dealers. Found two places in the Orlando area where I can get it. Has to be special ordered at the first place, price $59.56. The second place has two in stock, price $45.00.

Am going down there tomorrow and pick one up. On Friday, I will have my local Ford Dealer install it, plus at the same time, do a Transmission Flush.

Question: I know that one good place to install the additional cooler is behind the left fog light, ahead of the left front wheel. Are there any other good places to install this cooler?

Thanks in advance.
I installed mine in the front of the A/C condenser. Here are some pics. I mounted it to the two plastic cross beams in front of the A/C condenser, used some thick nylon tie straps. I need to modify the one plastic cross beam where the cooler lines go thru, it's a little too tight. I plumbed mine so it goes thru the factory cooler, then thru the aftermarket cooler, back to the trans.

[ctrcbob]

Did you have to remove the Grill to get it in front of the Condenser, or could you do it from under the car?

[ctrcbob]

Drove down to Orlando to pick it up this morning. Had a little trouble finding the place as their name is "Powered By Ford" and like a dummy, all I saw on the front of the building was "PBF" plus the street number was not correct, so I did not make the connection. (Senior Moment :help: ) Looks like a quality unit. Lots of brass fittings plus hoses. Hope to make an appointment with a local shop to install it Friday. (I'd do it myself except now that I'm getting older, I have some back pain and have trouble working on the car like I used to :cry: ).

[rocknrod]

...... (I'd do it myself except now that I'm getting older, I have some back pain and have trouble working on the car like I used to :cry: ).And your an ex CT:)

[ctrcbob]

Hey Master Chief.

Should that be; And I'm an X CT? (Question)
or should it be; And I'm an X CT! (Statement)

:lol:

[fastblackmerc]

Did you have to remove the Grill to get it in front of the Condenser, or could you do it from under the car?
It helps if you do remove the grill, but it's not necessary.

[MENINBLK]

Because I sometimes tow, I decided to look for the additional Ford Racing Transmission Cooler. (P/N M-7095-SR) They can only be purchased at Ford Racing (forgot exact name) Dealers. Found two places in the Orlando area where I can get it. Has to be special ordered at the first place, price $59.56. The second place has two in stock, price $45.00.

Am going down there tomorrow and pick one up. On Friday, I will have my local Ford Dealer install it, plus at the same time, do a Transmission Flush.

Question: I know that one good place to install the additional cooler is behind the left fog light, ahead of the left front wheel. Are there any other good places to install this cooler?

Thanks in advance.

You can also order these through Ray "TheDealer", or didn't you know ???

[huot5]

I just installed the DR TRanny cooler with the steel braided lines. came out nice. lookeee.

[GreekGod]

Braided steel lines are the only way to go! Fergit about those lousy rubber lines with crummy worm gear clamps. That DR kit looks really gooder with AN- fittings and the cooler appears much larger than the Ford cooler. BUT, I think the Ford cooler has some sort of 'stat for cool weather driving.
I just installed the DR TRanny cooler with the steel braided lines. came out nice. lookeee.

[BruteForce]

I just installed the DR TRanny cooler with the steel braided lines. came out nice. lookeee.

Looks like my setup. I have mine just a tad lower though.

[huot5]

Yeah, it was either up in that general area or down low where the lower valance has good airflow. In the middle there, is no freaking way air is gonna flow thru. too much solid bumper area. Oh yeah,
AND I installed a 180 t-stat today. gittin it done, boyeee.

[SergntMac]

You can also order these through Ray "TheDealer", or didn't you know ??? No, I didn't know this. Thanks. A while back, I asked Ray if he was a FRP dealer (because it is a closed circuit franchise) and he said "not anymore, the e-bay guys are killing it". So, I figured he could not get FRP parts. Has he changed his mind? I'd love to throw some of my FRP business his way.

BUT, I think the Ford cooler has some sort of 'stat for cool weather driving. Don't let size fool you. The FRP cooler is a "stacked plate" design that allows fluid to flow based on it's temperature and viscosity, typically more efficient than the "fin-and-tube" designs. This cooler is rated through 18,000 lbs. GVW.

Give some consideration to your mounting location. Fresh air that passes through a tranny cooler will be heated in that process, and it will develop turbulence for the next cooler in line, resulting in hot spots. The radiator, A/C condensor and OEM tranny cooler follow that. Since this unit is so light and compact, you have options, I too have mine in the left fender well behind the fog light.

Be careful when installing, use only the included hardware. The "stacked plate" design is sensitive to the type and style of wire ties, and trying to slip a typical wide flat "HD" tie through it can split the plates and cause leaking. Mount as directed, it's a great secondary cooler for the Marauder tranny.

[Joe Walsh]

I'm sure that this has been covered before, but I too mounted my B&M transmission cooler AFTER the OEM transmission cooler....
I remember someone posting that the Marauder's electronic transmission is programmed for optimum performance with the transmission fluid at 180 degrees,
and that in the winter months an aftermarket tranny cooler mounted AFTER the OEM cooler might cool the transmission fluid TOO much...? :dunno:

[SergntMac]

I'm sure that this has been covered before, but I too mounted my B&M transmission cooler AFTER the OEM transmission cooler...I remember someone posting that the Marauder's electronic transmission is programmed for optimum performance with the transmission fluid at 180 degrees, and that in the winter months an aftermarket tranny cooler mounted AFTER the OEM cooler might cool the transmission fluid TOO much...? Mine is after the OEM cooler too, with no problems to report.

I don't know about any special design, intent, or, custom programming for winter, Joe, that's news to me. However, you may have a point to consider (Jeeze...And on a 105 degree day in Chicago too!).

I've driven my MM through (almost) 3 Chicago winters, and I have to say that below 30 degrees F, the whole car acts differently when cold. Moreover, any weather below 30 degrees F around here, is a day that most likely will have other issues to deal with, like snow, slush, and heavy rain, which would cause me to keep my MM in the garage anyway.

The closest I ever got to this temperature threshold was a failed attempt to drive to Lidio's last December. Zack and I were headed up his way for a tune, but lake effect blizzard like snow around New Buffalo MI. turned us back. My MM was running great, but it could not push itself through the sudden I-94 slush due to tire size, and we turned back.

Not a hint of any tranny cooling problems along the way up there, or, our half way back track. We got it done the following week, and my MM stayed in the garage until this March, once we got home.

You bring up a good point, Joe, but one that seems to exclude itself by how we drive/use our MMs. Looking back at this past winter, most of us parked our MMs at home, yes?

[DEFYANT]

What temps are you guys showing?

I do not have an additional tranny cooler. My temps on the worst day hit 200*. The temps rarely go over 180*. I do not tow anything witht eh MM. At what temp do we need to concerned about excessive heat?

[David Morton]

Take it from an ASE Master Tech that specialized in automatic transmissions for the last five years of his career, ATF fluid temperature is a critical factor and too cold is very bad for the clutches on most factory designs.

Manufacturers want to please customers with smooth shifting transmissions so they do things to make the shifts soft. One of the things they do is orifice the flow of fluid into the clutch piston/hub assemblies. That means they force the fluid through a small hole in the spacer plate, slowing it down so the piston comes down on the plates and discs slower. This means they're sliding some. The time spent sliding is critical, too much sliding and they burn up, not enough and grampaw brings it back saying it bangs. Colder, thicker fluid goes through this orifice a lot slower and this is why too cold is bad, very bad.

You may wonder why they don't burn up in the winter time and why they shift firm right out of the garage in the morning and it's 10 degrees outside. It's because the computer knows the ATF is cold (from the engine temerature sensor) and compensates for it (until the engine warms up) with higher line pressures. But if you put on an extra cooler and the fluid temps get too low, don't complain if the tranny dumps third gear. The computer doesn't know the fluid is cold. It only assumes it's hot because the engine is hot.

My instincts tell me run the fluid through the auxilliary cooler first, then through the factory cooler, just in case it needs a little warm up from the A/C condensor and radiator. Even if the radiator is 195 degrees, that's actually a pretty good temperature for ATF.

I hope this answers your question Defyant. Also, FYI, ATF is red from a dye they put in it. It is temperature sensitive and breaks down from heat, turning brown. So even if you're running way too hot, 275-300 degrees, the fluid will last as long as it's red. But even at 200 degrees it will eventually wear out and turn brown. Change every 25,000 miles and you can't go wrong from bad fluid.

[DEFYANT]

Wow! Great answer. Thanks. Looks like I do not need a trans cooler yet.

[Rider90]

Very interesting read, David, thank you. :beer:

[huot5]

Thanks for the write up. Being down here in the Sun and Heat year round, I hope to not have an issue with the tranny running too cold. But I will try to monitor how the tranny responds.

[SergntMac]

Remember that all advice given here is relative to your local conditions. If you live in sunny and usually hot environments such as Arizona and Florida, your need of an additional cooler may be quite different than that of an owner from upstate New York, or, Minnesota. How you drive your car is also a factor, and if you frequently tow, or, drive hard in the twisties, this too must be a consideration.

The bottom line, is that you should not purchase any mods until you have done your homework and know what you want/need. For example, in the case of rear gears, your want would be a performance gain, and your caution should be MPG, strike a balance that works for you. In the case of an additional tranny cooler, it's a safety measure precipitated by a temperature study that shows you that additional cooling is called for on a regular basis.

In either case, buy and mod when it's called for, and it serves your intent. Moreover, adding a safety mod such as a second tranny cooler does not relieve you of your responsibility to properly maintain your automobile. It won't stretch your fluid life, don't walk away thinking all is cool (excuse my pun).

The "stacked plate" design cools the fluid that is sufficiently hot and thin enough to pass through the plate. Cooler and thicker fluid will bypass the plate, which is why it's more suitable filtering fluid after the OEM system has done it's job. All things being normal, the stacked plate does little work, but it adds a safety measure when things get suddenly unequal. It probably would be working full time in Arizona, but be very much at home in Illinois-Indiana, follow me? The larger Reinhart cooler is probably best suited for Arizona, Florida and so on, or, for those deep into road/drag racing on a regular basis. But, it may be overkill in the Michigan UP/Canada on a daily driver.

The stacked plate cooler will have no effect when driving in zero weather, it has nothing to do when all the fluid bypasses the plates, and cooling is left to your OEM design/system. None of these coolers refrigerate fluid, and it will reach the same operating temperature in zero weather as it will on 90 degree days, it will just take a bit longer to reach normal temps. If you use the "fin-and-tube" type of cooler where all fluid passes through, and hang it out in front, zero temps will stall proper warm up even longer, and that may lead to excessive wear. I do not recommend this location, or, type of cooler, unless you are in warm/hot locations on a regular basis, or, (and again) do a lot of hard driving.

Everything is relative, think out your circumstances, then make your choice.

CTRCBOB...What you bought for your MM is fine, and you neck of the woods, better than no secondary cooler at all, yes?

Just my .02C, carry on gents...

[GreekGod]

Big fin and tube=really hot places OR dragracing..(in cold weather-better cover it up with a bankey or 'winterfront' like truckers put on the front of their rigs in the winter ?)...Stacked plate=anytime/anywhere-can't hurt anything...

[DEFYANT]

I was curious about the trans cooler, not being sure if I needed it. That was why I installed the trans temp guage. On the hardest day, it never went over 200*.. then quickly droped.

However, I am reading the temps at the trans service port, not thought the autometer manifold that I have yet to install. That may tell a different tale.

[SergntMac]

I was curious about the trans cooler, not being sure if I needed it. That was why I installed the trans temp guage. On the hardest day, it never went over 200*.. then quickly droped.

However, I am reading the temps at the trans service port, not thought the autometer manifold that I have yet to install. That may tell a different tale. You will see different numbers, study them a while to understand why. The greatest heat builder is the torque converter, and the closer to that you read temps, they will be higher than, say the pan, after cooling. Monitoring either is correct, depending on what you want to know.

IMHO, I prefer pan temps, where a lasting rise in temps would indicate a problem not only with the tranny, but the cooling system as well. TC temps will show your worst case temp, perhaps a spike from a 1/4 blast, which should dissipate in a short time. However, it doesn't help you monitor the rest of the system, and again, IMHO, the coolers are part of the tranny.

[GreekGod]

Any idea of the GVW rating for your DR supplied cooler? By the way, watch out! Don't let those braided lines rub against anything or they will saw right through whatever they rub against.
I just installed the DR TRanny cooler with the steel braided lines. came out nice. lookeee.

[Svashtar]

Remember that all advice given here is relative to your local conditions. If you live in sunny and usually hot environments such as Arizona and Florida, your need of an additional cooler may be quite different than that of an owner from upstate New York, or, Minnesota. How you drive your car is also a factor, and if you frequently tow, or, drive hard in the twisties, this too must be a consideration.

The bottom line, is that you should not purchase any mods until you have done your homework and know what you want/need. For example, in the case of rear gears, your want would be a performance gain, and your caution should be MPG, strike a balance that works for you. In the case of an additional tranny cooler, it's a safety measure precipitated by a temperature study that shows you that additional cooling is called for on a regular basis.

In either case, buy and mod when it's called for, and it serves your intent. Moreover, adding a safety mod such as a second tranny cooler does not relieve you of your responsibility to properly maintain your automobile. It won't stretch your fluid life, don't walk away thinking all is cool (excuse my pun).

The "stacked plate" design cools the fluid that is sufficiently hot and thin enough to pass through the plate. Cooler and thicker fluid will bypass the plate, which is why it's more suitable filtering fluid after the OEM system has done it's job. All things being normal, the stacked plate does little work, but it adds a safety measure when things get suddenly unequal. It probably would be working full time in Arizona, but be very much at home in Illinois-Indiana, follow me? The larger Reinhart cooler is probably best suited for Arizona, Florida and so on, or, for those deep into road/drag racing on a regular basis. But, it may be overkill in the Michigan UP/Canada on a daily driver.

The stacked plate cooler will have no effect when driving in zero weather, it has nothing to do when all the fluid bypasses the plates, and cooling is left to your OEM design/system. None of these coolers refrigerate fluid, and it will reach the same operating temperature in zero weather as it will on 90 degree days, it will just take a bit longer to reach normal temps. If you use the "fin-and-tube" type of cooler where all fluid passes through, and hang it out in front, zero temps will stall proper warm up even longer, and that may lead to excessive wear. I do not recommend this location, or, type of cooler, unless you are in warm/hot locations on a regular basis, or, (and again) do a lot of hard driving.

Everything is relative, think out your circumstances, then make your choice.

CTRCBOB...What you bought for your MM is fine, and you neck of the woods, better than no secondary cooler at all, yes?

Just my .02C, carry on gents...
SergntMac, this is a big help, thanks. I just returned to Monterey bay after a quick trip down to San Diego and back. Driving that far is very unusual for me. It was pretty hot in the valley coming back, but the temps here rarely get warmer than 80, and the mid 70's is standard. Much cooler in the winter, but no freezing weather either. The ocean moderates everything. I doubt at this point I need a secondary cooler, but I'll monitor my tranny temp once I get the installed gauge wired up, and see what I get. I'm also installing the Art Carr finned pan, and with these mild temp around here and that deeper finned pan I think I'll be in good shape.

Thanks for the upgrade idea from your perspective.

Norm

[huot5]

I will go over the areas where the braid contacts and put a covering over it. thanks.




Any idea of the GVW rating for your DR supplied cooler? By the way, watch out! Don't let those braided lines rub against anything or they will saw right through whatever they rub against.

[JACook]

It's because the computer knows the ATF is cold (from the engine temerature sensor) and compensates for it (until the engine warms up) with higher line pressures. David, the 4R70W (and 4R75W) have a Transmission Fluid Temperature (TFT) sensor, so our ECUs don't need
to guess trans temps by looking at the engine coolant. The later 4R70Ws integrated the TFT sensor into the
7G276 wiring bulkhead assembly. For those who've seen the innards of the MM trans, that's the black plastic
spider thingie that connects the TCC, EPC, and shift solenoids to the case bulkhead connector.

Nitpicks aside, I agree completely with the rest of your post. Automatic transmissions are complex beasts, and
are designed, along with the fluid, to run within a specific range of temperatures. Too cold is (almost) as bad
as too hot.

[DEFYANT]

What are the temp range extreams?

[Todd]

What temps are you guys showing?

I do not have an additional tranny cooler. My temps on the worst day hit 200*. The temps rarely go over 180*. I do not tow anything witht eh MM. At what temp do we need to concerned about excessive heat?

I have the DR cooler assumably mounted after the stock cooler... (I didnt install it, was on the car when I bought it.)

My tranny temp guage gets upin the 140-150 range on the hot Floriday days.... But when it is cool outside I notice it barely registers on the guage. So I would assume around 100 degrees.

Maybe even with the Florida temps I should change the configuration around to have the aftermarket cooler first...

[merc6]

From others I was told to run the aux on return line for warenty purposes cause the radiator acts as a heating core in the winter. Where I'm from it takes me 8-10 minutes to even get the car defrosted which is plenty enough time to get the oil temps up. Remote start will be really nice once I leave San Antonio and head back up no NoVa. I asked in another thread if there was a servicable filter on our trannys cause my other car didn't and part of the tranny cooler mod was adding an magnafine inline filter.