Fan on external trans cooler

[Puffwagon]

Nah mate all good ramble away, it's what a forum is for.

 

An OEM Style trans cooler dumps heat into the engine. I've sat there parked in my bf turbo on a summer day with the AC cranked and it was nearly overheating. That's an extreme example but it's a factor to consider with everything else.

 

Just give all the shops a call and see what they have on offer. I don't have any recommendations as I've never used any shops for my tuning.

[biddie_fiddler]

On 11/04/2023 at 12:39 PM, Rive_mk2 said:

What about if I just swapped out the oem heat exchanger and put a pwr one in? Any no no with that?

 

I wouldn't say its a "no no". PWR is a very reputable brand, and the quality of their heat exchanger is very high. I have one and have had no issues with it, been installed for about 2 years now I'd say.

 

The issue with it though is the cost. Its like 900 odd bux, and you're still relying on the exchange of heat in the trans via engine coolant, thus still allowing the potential of a milkshake. If I was to go back in time I wouldn't install it personally, because the cost is so similar to having a dedicated trans coolers with a thermo fan.

 

The only downside to not running a heat exchanger that I see is that the trans will take longer to reach operating temp. The coolant in your engine will heat up quicker than the trans fluid, so when everything is cold the exchanger kinda works in the opposite direction where the coolant heats up the oil in the trans. Then of course there will be that crossover point where the coolant will be colder than the fluid, thus keeping the trans fluid temp under control.

 

With hard driving in summer, I've seen my trans fluid temps reach high 80's with the PWR cooler. So about what you'd expect.

[hoe]

Zf specify a normal operating range of 80 to 130 degrees c.

Higher than 130 will probably generate a code etc.

Im looking at fitting an aftermarket one without fan, as it's not needed for normal road use, even in Kalgoorlie Summers.
I'm more concerned with milkshaking the tranny than overheating it

The stock cooler is fine, I have an fg Ute with over a million km on the original zf.

This Ute has spent its life travelling to remote sites to pick up drill samples and was typically loaded between 750kg and 900kg, sometimes more I suspect. It still drives like new. Fluid changed every 60k with lsa multitrans.

[biddie_fiddler]

51 minutes ago, hoe said:

Im looking at fitting an aftermarket one without fan, as it's not needed for normal road use, even in Kalgoorlie Summers.

I'm in perth and I had an external cooler without a fan before switching to the pwr exchanger.

 

As a daily car, in heavy traffic, my trans was consistently over 110-120C. Far from ideal. 

 

If you're getting an external cooler, just put a fan on it while you're there. A thermo fan won't be on all the time so there is literally no downside to installing one.

[Puffwagon]

I have a large external trans cooler with a fan and it stays on most of the time, it sits at 80c mostly. Built trans and high stall so not an apples to apples comparison.