Thoughts on Transmission Cooler on car

[TrepMan]

Gang, we'll they totaled my wife's Van and we're saving money (I got a nice '99 Saturn last night, to run around town when I'm not working at home) so were going to get a hitch on my '96 Mercury Sable wagon. She's rated to tow 1600lbs so i'm OK on the weight, my question is everything i've read on the web say to put a transmission cooler on the car, but every shop i've talked to today has told me that the newer cars don't need them, especialy for towing such a light load.



Now, if I had a Full Sized V8 pickup, sure i wouldn't worry about towing my Tracker 175 behind it w/out a cooler, but any thoughts on the need for one on the wagon? I'm always for safe then sorry, so I look at the $125 installed price as insurance that my wagon's transmission will last.



Any thoughts???

 

[Greg Meyer]

Well...One Tranny Cooler...$125.00....One Tranny Rebuild...$800.00....Hmmm Avoid the $800...Priceless

 

[TrepMan]

Thanks Greg and Rick, that's been my thought just figured maybe some Ford engineer out there will chime in and say "the '96 Mercury Sable wagon with the 24V 3.0ltr V-6 has the worlds BEST transmission cooler built in at the factory and can tow 10,000lbs with out breaking a sweat!"



Rick - can I try that on my wife "2 are better than one"?

 

[Greg Meyer]

Trep...Rick...Now you warn me...I just gave my wife that 2 is better line and the Dentist says my Jaw will work fine in a month or so...Right after he takes out the wires...

 

[Greg Meyer]

Trep...Rick...Now you warn me...I just gave my wife that 2 is better line and the Dentist says my Jaw will work fine in a month or so...Right after he takes out the wires...

 

[Rich Stern]

Let's look at this another way. Trep tows his boat about 20 to 30 miles roundtrip to the local lakes and rivers. Yes?



I'm wondering how "hot" the tranny might get on a 20 minute drive, hauling a whopping 750 pounds more than having 5 adults aboard.



Any long distance towing anticipated? That would be the key, in my mind.



Turn off the overdrive, let the motor carry a bit more of the load, and that transmission will never see overheat conditions for Michael's normal usage.



Save the money. There is another tow vehicle somewhere in your future.

 

[C C]

I was wondering, so maybe someone can help me understand how a boat's total weight is calculated. I looked up Treps Pro Crappie 175 specs and the total package weight is 1432lbs. Just the boat weighs 856, then there is a motor and that is not broken out, but is the hull weight just the aluminum or does that include all of the fixings? Does the fixings & the hull weight add up to the total package, or does it also include the passenger weight?



If the whole package really does weigh 1432 then a tranny cooler sure does sound like a sensible and wise investment since the vehicle would be almost at the max towing capacity.



Thanks,

Cass

 

[Rich Stern]

CC, the maximum towing capacity in a car is often based on the limits of the chasis rather than the powertrain. The 3 liter V6 Michael has in his Sable can also be found in the Aerostar of the same year, which is rated at 4400lbs. towing capacity.

 

[Bill McElroy]

I totally agree with Rich,....save your money....you don't need a tranny cooler to pull a 175.....especially locally!!

Mac

 

[Duart Betz]

My Father owned a transmission service shop for 26yrs and I worked there many a summer vacation. In my opinion, all vehicles should come standard equipped with auxillary tranny coolers, especially vans, pickups and suvs. One would be amazed at how fast the fluid temp rises setting idle in traffic on a hot summer day. If your towing anything at all, an auxillary tranny cooler is a must.

 

[Rich Stern]

Duart, I'm interested in understanding why the trany fluid temp would rise while the car is sitting idle and the tranny is performing very little work? Wouldn't that be a situation where the temp would begin to decline as some of the heat is carried away by the normal cooling flow from the radiator?

 

[TrepMan]

Good news is we're having a good discussion with lots of suggestions!



Bad news is i'm STILL confused!



I know the engine (as Rich pointed out) is used in other more tow rated (say at least 3500lbs capacity) vehicles (Ford Escape, Mazda MPV) and most of them are not Ladder frame trucks, but unitbody like my wagon. Now on the transmission I don't know if they use the same 4sp or not?



Also in my wife's old Honda Odyssey the tow package CAME with a trany cooler but Ford does not offer one for the Tarus/Sable twins.



I don't have to get the hitch for another week, so please keep the information comming

 

[Greg Meyer]

Rich...



It's the same reason your car is more likely to overheat while "stalled" in traffic on a real hot day...the air circulation is not sufficient and the heat does not dissipate from the radiator...That torque converter is still spinning and pumping fluid generating heat from friction...and when it gets to the radiator it is not cooled. As soon as that trans flluid is overheated ONCE it is beginning to "eat" your tranny!!!! Like I said...a BIG cooler at $125 installed is real cheap compared to a dead trans...a lost trip...and a breakdown even 20 miles from home...Two Tow Trucks...one for the car/truck and one for the trailer...the tow bill alone is way over the cost of the cooler...BTW have that trans serviced, new fluid filter and gasket before you start using it to tow. just my 2 cents

 

[Rich Stern]

Greg, thanks for the explanation. I understand that the tranny is still doing work. It's just a lot less work. It's understandable that the motor (still generataing substantial heat while producing a thousand or more combustion events per second) can heat up with reduced cooling available, but it's doesn't follow logic that a transmission's operating temperature will rise under the same circumstance, regardless of less available cooling. The friction process inside a transmission doesn't produce anywhere near the heat output of the combustion process of an engine. Look at the size of the average tranny cooling line (1/4" or so) versus the size of the motor cooling hoses (1.5"?).



Regardless, Trepman, you should do it if it gives you peace of mind.

 

[Rob LaMoy]

I am going to put one in my Bravada soon. My biggest fear is getting half way to a long distance tourney and breaking down and being at the mercy of a shop that doesn't realize you know cars! Trep, they're very easy to install. Just be very careul when tieing them to your existing radiator. I am not big on the zip tie kind that go through your radiator. I tend think that that is a disaster waiting to happen.

 

[C C]

If Trep's info is what the manufacture has quoted for his vehicle to be at 1600lbs, I can only assume there would be a reason for that and not risk trying to tow more then the recommend amount based on the fact that the vehicle is using the same suspension that another vehicle is using that can tow 2X what the vehicle in question is rated for. What I said before would still hold true if the total boat package is actually 1432lbs. However, so far no one has responded to my question as to how Tracker has come up with the spec of the total package weight, that being just what is in that calculation we are all still in the dark on just how much is actually being towed which could make all the difference in truly needing a cooler or not. Anyone know the answer to this?



Still there is no harm nor would it be considered to be overkill by adding a tranny cooler when towing. As Trep has already said, $150 is much less costly then a tranny repair.



Cass

 

[Rich Stern]

Sorry, meant "per minute" in my previous post.



Cass, I don't know the answer to your question, but if I was guessin, I'd say they weigh 'em in the prototype stages of the build process.

 

[mike chip]

Just a side note, if you go to a quarry or scrap metal yard they will weigh your boat for you. I did it to find out the total weight with gear etc, now i just add my partners weight and gear to come up with total weight.

P.S> if your partners a woman add 10 lbs to weight given for luck.

mike

 

[Duart Betz]

Rich, You are correct stating that the transmission is doing less work at idle which would not contribute to fluid temp rise. I don't remember exact figures, but we once installed a temp guage on an automatic transmission and the fluid temp rose a considerable amount when setting idle in gear. This was after some driving around to bring everything up to operating temp. After installing an auxillary cooler, the fluid temp still rose, but the average fluid temp was much lower. The way I understand it is when the engine is at idle, the pump is not moving the volume of fluid through the cooler lines as it would at higher rpms. This coupled with the coolant temp in the radiator rising causes the fluid temp in the tranny to rise.

The next question would be where do you insert the auxillary cooler? Would it work best installed in the transmission discharge line before the radiator or in the line after the fluid has left the radiator?

 

[Frank Faciano]

I'm a Tech, your 96 sable wagon has a small tranny cooler that should easily handle your boat.

 

[TrepMan]

Frank - Send you an e-mail this morning.



I called Ford just to get the service guy's opinion. He said no need for a cooler if only towing locally, but if I plan to tow up/down major hills/mountains or on long hauls it would be a good investment.



Still thinking... The shop called yesterday to tell me they've got the specific hitch for the wagon in and are just waiting for me to bring it in on Friday AM. What service! From a shop i've NEVER been to, to call 3 days ahead to let me know they have the parts and are ready for my business!