Transmission / Overdrive: Factory Trans Cooler Question

[57pack]

Just received the radiator back from the radiator shop.
All cleaned, repaired, tested, and painted.
Core is still good so I didn't need a recore job.
My question is about the internal transmission cooler.
How effective were/are they? Seem kind of small to me. Was also cleaned by radiator shop.
Car in question is a 1957 Packard Clipper station wagon, 289 supercharged, with Flight-O-Matic. No A/C. Car won't be used hard, no mountains around here, maybe a trip to the beach for a show or two. Thanks in advance for your help.
Bill

[studegary]

These work to keep the fluid in the proper temperature range. After cold starts, it can work to preheat the fluid. Mostly, it is to cool the fluid after the transmission warms up. The small (appearing) size works fine.
Hook it up. The transmissions without the fluid cooler, have a system for air cooling that your transmission does not have.
Keep in mind that probably most all of your driving in this wagon will be in hot weather and perhaps stop and go traffic.

[SN-60]

These work to keep the fluid in the proper temperature range. After cold starts, it can work to preheat the fluid. Mostly, it is to cool the fluid after the transmission warms up. The small (appearing) size works fine.
Hook it up. The transmissions without the fluid cooler, have a system for air cooling that your transmission does not have.
Keep in mind that probably most all of your driving in this wagon will be in hot weather and perhaps stop and go traffic.

Actually Gary, this transmission DOES have the standard system for air cooling...The water cooling was an addition used on the HD units, such as the trans in this '57 Packard.

[SN-60]

Just received the radiator back from the radiator shop.
All cleaned, repaired, tested, and painted.
Core is still good so I didn't need a recore job.
My question is about the internal transmission cooler.
How effective were/are they? Seem kind of small to me. Was also cleaned by radiator shop.
Car in question is a 1957 Packard Clipper station wagon, 289 supercharged, with Flight-O-Matic. No A/C. Car won't be used hard, no mountains around here, maybe a trip to the beach for a show or two. Thanks in advance for your help.
Bill

I'd block it off....I never could understand pumping hot transmission fluid into an already hot radiator (especially in the summer)....I WOULD however route the lines from your transmission to an AFTERMARKET trans cooler,...mounted ahead of or below the radiator.

[57pack]

I'd block it off....I never could understand pumping hot transmission fluid into an already hot radiator (especially in the summer)....I WOULD however route the lines from your transmission to an AFTERMARKET trans cooler,...mounted ahead of or below the radiator.

How about this, connecting the factory transmission cooler in line with a small aftermarket unit?

[StudeRich]

The Dual hookup you mention; into the Rad. and out to the front mounted Cooler is what many Trans. Shops recommend to protect their newly rebuilt trannys.

[Mike Van Veghten]

Here's another view.

For just normal driving, no towing, no low rear end gears, no heavy loads, no racing....the stock (radiator) cooler is just fine for your needs. It's served the entire auto industry well for many, many years..!
If however you decide to go with an aftermarket, there are MANY to choose from. DO NOT waste your time and money on the round tube style coolers. They will net you no/little more than the OEM cooler will, as far as temperature drop. Spend the money and buy a flat tube type cooler. They are a little more expensive and a little more difficult to mount, but they are more than worth the money.

Something like this -

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ear-21000erl

There are many sizes to choose from, there are a hand full of manufacturers of this type of radiator/cooler. I just installed one of these Earls radiators in my own 54 wagon.

Mike

[Buzzard]

On my '57 Clipper Wagon, I mounted the aftermarket flat unit under the valance panel beneath the grille & radiator. It functions OK and can't be seen without really getting underneath and looking up. I hate seeing units attached through the radiator core in plain sight through the grille. Just my personal preference.
Bill

[Dan Timberlake]

[cosmo556]

Having retired from a 37 year career as an automatic transmission rebuilder, I'd like to offer my perspective. As previously mentioned, the radiator cooler helps to warm up the transmission fluid upon a cold start. Its purpose as designed after that is to equalize the temps of the engine and transmission. Were it not for that cooler in the radiator the trans fluid temp would go up to something approaching 400 degrees. Air cooling as designed does work in the cars it was designed for, meaning light duty operation. Without some type of cooling you would be spending lots of money replacing fried trans components. With regard to auxiliary coolers, they help a lot, but they MUST be installed in series with the radiator cooler after the fluid exits the radiator. The purpose of an aux cooler is to further lower the trans fluid temp from what it is leaving the radiator cooler. (hopefully engine temp). If the aux cooler is installed before the radiator it's purpose would be negated as the radiator would then heat the previously air cooled fluid back up to engine temp. An independent aux cooler cannot do the job alone.
Hope this helps.

[SN-60]

Having retired from a 37 year career as an automatic transmission rebuilder, I'd like to offer my perspective. As previously mentioned, the radiator cooler helps to warm up the transmission fluid upon a cold start. Its purpose as designed after that is to equalize the temps of the engine and transmission. Were it not for that cooler in the radiator the trans fluid temp would go up to something approaching 400 degrees. Air cooling as designed does work in the cars it was designed for, meaning light duty operation. Without some type of cooling you would be spending lots of money replacing fried trans components. With regard to auxiliary coolers, they help a lot, but they MUST be installed in series with the radiator cooler after the fluid exits the radiator. The purpose of an aux cooler is to further lower the trans fluid temp from what it is leaving the radiator cooler. (hopefully engine temp). If the aux cooler is installed before the radiator it's purpose would be negated as the radiator would then heat the previously air cooled fluid back up to engine temp. An independent aux cooler cannot do the job alone.
Hope this helps.

I defer to your experience, but I must mention that when I purchased my 'everyday driver' 1983 Avanti back in 1994, I installed a new radiator, and blocked the factory trans cooler (in the radiator)...I installed an aftermarket trans cooler under the radiator, and routed the cooler line to it....That's twenty years and 250,000 miles ago, and that good old 700R4 trans has never skipped a beat. Like I mentioned before, I really can't understand piping hot transmission fluid into an already hot radiator. Especially during summer driving conditions.

[Warren Webb]

If one wants to run a auxiliary cooler after the radiator then which line has the pressure out on the transmission? I'd like to know without starting it up & having the potential mess.

[SN-60]

I think(?) the output pressure comes from the rear fitting on the trans case.

[StudeRich]

Warren, IF you happen to have the Pan off or plan to remove it soon, take a look in there. You should see the return line just "Dumping" into the Pan to be sure which it is, I am like Ed, just NOT sure.

It would be a good time before Installing it, to Clean the Pan, replace the Pan Gasket, Front & Rear Seals, Front Pump GASKET and maybe adjust the Bands.

OH, Oh, sounds strangely like WORK!

[Warren Webb]

Your right Rich, that's the time to do it while it's just sitting on the ground waiting to go in. I hope to have the front end panel & radiator support along with the 6 cylinder engine/trans assembly out by the weekend. We'll see how much the front end dives down with the additional weight of the V-8/auto setup.