i'm looking for another trans cooler. I've seen one that looks like a long finned tube. Anybody familiar with these? Do they really work with no fan, and stuck to the frame?

Try checking with flex-a-lite or TCI they both make a compact cooler that can be mounted about anywhere just remenber the more air that can get THRU it not just to it the better it will work. In any case Ive seen many mounted on the frame rail. Hope this helps.

Mines mounted on the frame rail ... looks to be about 8" x 12" or so.

When I got my truck (last January) I ordered an aluminum trans pan from JEGS ... adds another quart of fluid to the picture and runs cooler (also doesn't warp - which is why I bought it).

Alan
54 Chevy Pickup

The transmissions are designed to be colled thru the radiator. Additional coolers can be added inline for additional cooling for heavy uses, like towing. Keep in mind that one of the leading causes for trans failure is HEAT. If you are planning on using one of those tube things mounted to your frame as the only cooler for the trans, it's a bad idea. a tube mounted to the frame will not provide enough cooling for a transmission, especially in hot weather and heavy traffic.

Hey, adtkart

Mine's a radiator ... but it's mounted to the frame, right by the trans.

Also, I believe an aluminum pan runs cooler than steel? An I assume an extra quart of fluid also helps to cool things, right?

Alan
54 Chevy Pickup

I believe the one you are talking about is the frame rail cooler that Summit sells for cramped engine bays. I would think that it would help while you are moving and have air going over/through it, but in traffic and slow speeds I wouldn't think it would be very effective.

Thanks, Cuda

What should I look at that would cool in traffic? Any suggestions?

Alan
54 Chevy Pickup

Consider that the engineers planned on the fluid to be able to dissipate the heat through the loolant in the radiator. That doesn't include the heat lost on the about 8' of tubing that it travels through to get to the radiator and back. To be safe, you need a cooler that will allow good air flow to cool the fluid quickly. I have seen coolers that have fans to pull or push air through them, for cramped spaces. I would feel relatively comfortable with something like that. The further away from the trans and exhaust, the better. Just a small "radiator" type(tube with minimal fins around it) mounted to the frame where it cannot get full air flow, is asking for trouble. Even with a deeper pan, it will likely get considerably hotter than it should. You have to consider that this fluid is under high pressure and therefore moving quickly through the cooler. There used to be deep pans with tubes in the bottom of them for air to go through to help cool. Those pans helped with some vehicles that had repeat trans problems. I have not seen them for sometime, and am actually looking for one for a Ford C-4.

Sounds to me like it's time to peruse my JEGS and SUMMIT catalogs.

I'll be back ...

Alan
54 Chevy Pickup

Something with a fan doesn't sound too bad, but I worry about space requirements for mounting it. Then again, you probably have a bigger engine bay in your truck than what I'm currently looking at!

Note that the auto engineers usually put the tranny cooler cooler in the radiator where it will be HEATED as well as COOLED. They could easily put in a separate radiator like an air conditioner but the opt for the engine radiator. That should tell us something. Trannys run best warm, not cold or hot.

Thanks, Willys36

I didn't enjoy my browse through JEGS and Summit at all. I don't like electric fans, and it made me think "I need to learn what it's all about first ... and I also need to learn exactly how my truck IS set up." : Is it going through the truck radiator as well as that 8 x 10 unit by the trans? Or is it just using the 8 x 10 unit, and if so, why?

Alan
54 Chevy Pickup

Don't keep us in the dark . . . what answer did you you give yourself?

Well, since it's raining ... again!!! ... I haven't looked. But it's suppose to clear up Sunday, so I'll crawl around under the truck then and see if I can figure it out.

Any tips you can give me will help ... like what to look for to see if it's going to the truck radiator.

Thanks, bro'.

Alan
54 Chevy Pickup

Look at your radiator's bottom pan. If there is a tranny cooler, there will be two hydraulic lines screwed into it, likely on the passenger side. If they are well done, they will be ~3/8" steel lines. If they are poor-boyed, they will be hoses. If your truck has a stock radiator, it likely doesn't have the cooler thus the presence of your remote tranny cooler.