Thread: Transmission Cooler or Change Radiator

If you have the room an aftermarket trans cooler should be more efficient. Did standard auto discos have a seperate cooler?? My old 85 auto rangie did.

I am sure someone will put you right.

Regards Justin

PS I run AU falcon fans on my Isuzu 3.9, best thing I have done, although I got an electronic control unit from Pacet in the uk, as the Davies Craig unit as sold at S/cheap and Repco etc didnt last with the Isuzu rattle.

I would fit the aftermarket cooler external to the radiator and fit a small thermo fan to it...(easier maintenance and faultfinding)

Thermo fans are great on anything providing you dont drown them fording... I personally prefer to fit them as push fans (in front of the radiator) so that if you do happen to drown em while they are running they will push the blades away from the radiator...

Switching them is pretty easy, you can use a slot into top hose sensor or wire up a black box to the exisitng temp sensor...

best of luck on the search

What is it costing for the auto conversion ? At 220k i hope you get a lot more life out of it to recoup some costs.

I've been down this ATF cooler track and it was expensive.

My recommendation is to get a factory cooler and factory, not an aftermarket one.

The problem is a ZF one, which AFAIK isn't common to other Autos. The ZF runs full pressure through the ATF cooler lines when locked up, which will end up at about 115psi or thereabouts. Most coolers that you buy will not take that pressure reliably, and the lines that you use have to be high pressure lines, not your normal rubber ones that are used in probably every other additional ATF cooler installation. The ATF cooler will also be a high pressure unit, unlike the other aftermarket units that are designed for 10-15 psi typical.

These were my conclusions after about $4-5000 worth or work and repairs which all stemmed from a mud plugged factory ATF cooler.

Keep the original radiator - and have the oil cooler seperate, and as said by all before run thermo fans

Push type.

Whilst they can be expensive - I have taken my two for a swim a couple of times - and they haven't missed a beat.

Actually, isnt the R380 cooled as well ?

I'm pretty sure the later ones were such as on the TD5. Not sure about the others.

Originally Posted by loanrangie

Actually, isnt the R380 cooled as well ?

Yep as far as I know they all have the capacity to run a cooler. I have the recirc plate in mine at the moment but its very simple to change back to a cooler adaptor plate.

Justin