Mounting tranny cooler under bed - some questions

[mrweelr]

OK, I have a few questions for those who have mounted aux tranny coolers under their beds. I'm planning on installing a Derale 13720 low-profile cooler under my bed in conjunction with a Summit remote filter and B&M cooler in front of the radiator. I was looking at areas to mount these items and I'll be putting the remote filter and trans temp sending unit behind the passenger side headlight (see pics):

http://www.geocities.com/jdonavich/SyTemp/

I'd like to leave the B&M cooler there, but I have no idea where to put the Derale. In fact, I haven't even gotten under the truck yet to scope out a location. When my RPM tranny arrives, I will begin the R&R process, but I'd like to get an idea of where to mount this thing ahead of time.

Where have you guys mounted your coolers under the bed and did you have to fabricate some kind of brackets? How did you route the lines from the cooler up to the radiator area or did you just tap into the high-pressure outlet at the trans? If anyone has any pics of how they mounted and plumbed their under-bed cooler, I would be very appreciative. Want to make sure I do this properly, especially with a new $3500 tranny/TC setup.

Thanks,
Jeremy

 

[SY2932]

If you have your battery relocated, I would mount the remote filter housing where the stock battery tray was mounted to the fender. You can even use the bolt that held the battery tray in place. That way, you won't have to drill/put a hole anywhere... If you opt to use the bolt that held the battery tray in place, you will have to grind a small notch in the washer to clear the casting "rib" on the filter housing at 12 o'clock. Or you could always get a single bolt from the hardware store, M8 X 1.25 by 25MM long. Plenty of room to spin the filter on and off too.

"Summit remote transmission filter part #SUM-G4980. Filter is upstream of all coolers mounted where the stock battery tray was. Temperature sender is between the lines."

Some other folks who have their trans coolers mountd under the bed will have to chime in on their installs/results. HTH's

 

[sy112]

I mounted mine under the bed where the spare was located. Patrick and I fabbed up some brackets and had 1 hi-tek supercooler with fan and the other was just one i picked up at pepboys, a hayden i think. I didn't even send it to the radiator. I had soft lines running from trans to my remote filter which i mounted on the beam right next to where the emergency break runs through. then i went hard lines back to the spare location with small sections of soft lines to the coolers. The hi-tek had built in 160 degree switch and I bought another temp switch from pep boys for the hayden. I had the hayden turning on pretty much when the temp barely warmed up and the hi-tek would kick on if temps rised (boosted launches). I just had it mocked up and not professionally installed cause I wasn't sure if it would work, planned on doing better install but sold the truck. the setup worked very well even in dallas heat in stop and go traffic, I never saw the temps above 180 or so driving around and never let my temps get above 220 or so on boosted launches and the fans always cooled it down very quickly after a run. I was taking the temp readings out of the trans directly from the output so the fluid would be the hottest. I didn't have the truck long enough after the mods i did to test for a long time but it looked like bypassing the rad with coolers in the back worked just fine. I just personally didn't like the idea of the tranny fluid having to pass right next to the crossover and warming it up, so it made sense to just skip the whole step.

unfortunately my computer crashed and i lost almost all of my pics of the mods i was doing but Will has the truck now and might be persuaded to snap some pics of the setup if you really wanted to see.

hope that helped

 

[mrweelr]

Re: Mounting tranny cooler under bed - some questions

OK, I put some thought into all this and I've decided to mount the Derale 13720 under the bed with the Jeg's aux filter and temp sending unit right next to it. I will disconnect the out/high pressure hard line from the trans and remove it all the way up to the rad since I already cut it when I spliced in the B&M - I know, stupid. I will use 6AN Aeroquip braided line and various fittings everywhere to run the lines like this:

Trans outlet --> Jeg's aux filter w/sending unit --> Derale cooler w/fan and 180F in-line thermostat --> B&M aux cooler at front of radiator --> upper radiator inlet --> factory hard line back to trans.

I hope I have all this straight (scratching head). I figure all of this plus non-syn DexIII + LubeGard should keep the trans cool enough, plus I have a new AutoMeter carbon fiber trans temp gauge I'll mount in the cup holder to keep an eye on things. I will post updates to this thread as I progress through the install. As of today, I haven't even started pulling my blown original trans. Waiting for the new RPM goodies to arrive before I get busy.

 

[sytyguy]

Re: Mounting tranny cooler under bed - some questions

One thing I did when I mounted mine up under the bed a few years ago was to use 1/2" hydraulic lines for the cooler lines. You get about 1-2 qts more fluid, runs cooler, never bursts, etc.....pretty much bulletproof.

I'll snap some pics.

Hood

 

[bezerk]

Re: Mounting tranny cooler under bed - some questions

i used 3/8 high pressure line...

 

[bezerk]

Re: Mounting tranny cooler under bed - some questions

 

[maty111]

Re: Mounting tranny cooler under bed - some questions

do u get cooler air under the bed compaired to behind the grill?. do you use an electric fan under the bed?

 

[sytyguy]

Re: Mounting tranny cooler under bed - some questions

I used a SPAL 7" single fan. Temps would creep to (but never above) 190ish in town in the summer w/o the fan. Never above 175 with the fan.

Hood

 

[nightdiver]

Re: Mounting tranny cooler under bed - some questions

I had my coolers under the bed.
Well , the wire that powers the fan went off and i didnt notice the temp. Then i raced the truck and drove for half an hour or so. On my way home i raced a couple times and then i noticed it wouldnt shift like before......so i take a look at the tranny temp that was 240*+ F. This was a 4000$ 700r4 and it failed cause there was not enough cooling.
Now i got the tranny coolers in the front and the engines fan works for everything

 

[nightdiver]

Re: Mounting tranny cooler under bed - some questions

I forgot to say that the coolers were very dirty from dust and some mud cause i had the fan working all the time. I think it wouldnt cool the aft in a couple weeks or so

 

[Maxtor]

Re: Mounting tranny cooler under bed - some questions

I used a SPAL 7" single fan. Temps would creep to (but never above) 190ish in town in the summer w/o the fan. Never above 175 with the fan.

I have a single 10" fan on my stock transmission truck with a 2800 9/11 TC. I have seen the same results as Mike, 175 Max with the fan on, usually closer to 150-160. I just deleted the cooler in the front of the truck and ran straight out of the trans to the cooler and back. I also mounted the B&M remote filter next to the cooler, both are on the lateral support where the spare tire used to be. I made a couple of pretty simple home-made brackets to hold the cooler. I went with braided SS 3/8" hose just in case something would cause the hose to tear or rupture - but it required almost 30 ft. total.

 

[mrweelr]

Re: Mounting tranny cooler under bed - some questions

Hey Mark, got any pics of your setup? I was talking with Jeremy from San Diego and he ended up mounting two Derale coolers in the bed. His reasoning was that putting the cooler where the spare is makes it vulnerable to rocks, dirt, whatever and if you sprung a leak, you'd be SOL. I have an Autometer carbon temp gauge, but it's not like I'm going to be watching it the whole time I'm driving...I wonder if anyone makes a temp gauge with a flashing LED that goes off when the temp hits 180F or so? That would be ideal.

I've decided to return my Derale 13720 cooler to Summit and upgrade to the big boy 13720 (25,000 GVW) unit instead:

http://store.summitracing.com/defau...earchinresults=false&N=0&target=egnsearch.asp

Will also upgrade the B&M in front of the radiator to the 70266 28,000 GVW supercooler + retain the factory radiator cooler. I figure there's no such thing as "too cool" when it comes to a tranny. Anyway, it seems like everyone is kind of doing things their own way with regards to tranny cooling. Maybe I'm going overboard, but I want this new RPM tranny to last for a few years. Will post pics when I get everything installed.

 

[Maxtor]

Re: Mounting tranny cooler under bed - some questions

I have some work to do in the garage this weekend so I will try to take some pictures this weekend and send them to you Jeremy. As far as rocks/dirt affecting the cooler.... not really sure since my trucks aren't daily drivers and they never go off paved road. I can say that I have had that cooler in place for at least 3-4 years and there isn't a ding on it. I'm pretty sure I bought the cooler from Advance or Autozone, and it is a 28k unit intended for RV's. Kind of cool because it has a hard metal frame and thick metal supports. If anything were to get hit I would think it would be the fan since it covers most of the face of the cooler.

 

[SY2932]

Re: Mounting tranny cooler under bed - some questions

His reasoning was that putting the cooler where the spare is makes it vulnerable to rocks, dirt, whatever and if you sprung a leak, you'd be SOL. I have an Autometer carbon temp gauge, but it's not like I'm going to be watching it the whole time I'm driving...I wonder if anyone makes a temp gauge with a flashing LED that goes off when the temp hits 180F or so? That would be ideal.

Your concern about leakage if you pop a hole in one of those coolers is well warranted. If you have ever done work on a vehicle and disconnected the trans lines to determine which was which (pressure and return), and started it, you know how much fluid *under lots of pressure* is flowing through those lines...

As far as the gauge with the warning light goes, SPA Design makes them in their dual gauge set up. However, they are not cheap. I believe Auto Meter is also marketing a set of gauges with this feature, "nexus" IIRC. With the SPA's you can also program low battery voltage to flash when it falls below a value assigned by you.

"Autometer mechanical boost and SPA dual gauges (boost, trans temp & fuel pressure, intercooler temp). Also, gauge power switches (to reset max stored values in SPA's) and TCC lock up switch."

 

[Jer]

Re: Mounting tranny cooler under bed - some questions

I've decided to return my Derale 13720 cooler to Summit and upgrade to the big boy 13720 (25,000 GVW) unit instead:

http://store.summitracing.com/default.asp?Ntt=13700&Ntk=KeywordSearch&DDS=1&searchinresults=false&N=0&target=egnsearch.asp

Why not just delete the cooler in the rear and instead put two of these (cooler/fan) in front of the radiator? You could also mount the remote filter w/sending unit nearby under the hood. The power steering coolant line can be replaced with one of the frame rail coolers and mounted elsewhere to make room for the two tranny coolers. I have an aftermarket intercooler and am preparing to relocate the PS cooler anyway to make room for my A2A that's 3" thick and was also considering upgrading the tranny cooler. It sounds like people are going for a couple so I'm wondering why not do the dual Derale or comparable cooler/fan set-up and go from one to the other right up front. The fans could be set up to push (I assume reversing the wiring is all that's needed to make them push or pull) and push the air through them as well as the fan on the radiator pulling air flow though as well. You could even mount them both fan side in or out (whichever you determine to run) but with the inlet and outlet facing the centerline towards each other. This way you could come in one and have the top two connected by one short line and then out the bottom of the second and back to the tranny. Seems this would get the best surface (read: clean) air flow and the vehicle moving obviously would also help with cooling. It seems this would be better than under the bed, but this is all just theory at this point.

What do you guys think??

 

[Jer]

Re: Mounting tranny cooler under bed - some questions

Why not just delete the cooler in the rear and instead put two of these (cooler/fan) in front of the radiator? You could also mount the remote filter w/sending unit nearby under the hood. The power steering coolant line can be replaced with one of the frame rail coolers and mounted elsewhere to make room for the two tranny coolers. I have an aftermarket intercooler and am preparing to relocate the PS cooler anyway to make room for my A2A that's 3" thick and was also considering upgrading the tranny cooler. It sounds like people are going for a couple so I'm wondering why not do the dual Derale or comparable cooler/fan set-up and go from one to the other right up front. The fans could be set up to push (I assume reversing the wiring is all that's needed to make them push or pull) and push the air through them as well as the fan on the radiator pulling air flow though as well. You could even mount them both fan side in or out (whichever you determine to run) but with the inlet and outlet facing the centerline towards each other. This way you could come in one and have the top two connected by one short line and then out the bottom of the second and back to the tranny. Seems this would get the best surface (read: clean) air flow and the vehicle moving obviously would also help with cooling. It seems this would be better than under the bed, but this is all just theory at this point.

What do you guys think??

...Actually, I was just looking at those dimension closer as I was mainly looking at the thickness when I was typing that previous post. It looks like they're pretty wide and I'm wondering if that includes those large mounting brackets in them. It seems it would be a better idea to 86 those and use mount locations to create your own mounts or zip tie them in place so that you could indeed fit two of these side by side. It looks like the core itself is smaller but then you would need to factor in for this fittings as well. One could mount them fittings facing down and drill holes for each fitting in the cross member below the radiator and then go in one and jumper the 1st to the 2nd using the inner two fittings and then out the other end on the 2nd. I guess I'm just thinking out loud at this point and wondering what ideas you guys have for this brainstorming process.

 

[Jer]

Re: Mounting tranny cooler under bed - some questions

I guess I'm the only one replying to this thread so I'll keep talking. I was thinking about it today and the plan is to leave the stock tranny cooler in front of the radiator and add one of the aftermarket (Derale, B&M or Perma-cool) units also in front of the radiator as well as a external tranny filter w/temp gauge. The fluid will go through the filter then the stock cooler and finally through the cooler w/fan and then back. I think that this will be a very efficient set-up and am looking forward to it.

Another question, does anyone think that adding one of the frame rail coolers for the power steering cooler would be bad? Will this at least equal the amount of cooling that the factory wire cooler gets now? I have an aftermarket radiator running an electric fan on it as well as a front mount intercooler. I need to make room for the twin tranny coolers in front of the radiator and so the power steering cooler needs to get relocated but I don't want cooling for it to suffer as a result and boil the PS fluid.

Does anyone have any input on this?

 

[nightdiver]

Re: Mounting tranny cooler under bed - some questions

I think this is the best way to go.
A frame rail cooler for the PS isnt bad if you want to use it. Is this nessesary ? does the PS fluid get so hot ?

 

[mrweelr]

Re: Mounting tranny cooler under bed - some questions

I will definitely be putting the large B&M cooler (no fan) in front of the rad, but I've decided to use a Derale 13700 w/fan + 180F stat near the spare for aux cooling. I will mount it at an angle like Hu Ryde did. I think I'll return the AutoMeter trans temp gauge and get one of those SPA units with the warning light, just for piece of mind. Then again, if a tranny line or fitting blew, and pressure was lost while driving, the trans is probably toast before temps got over 200F anyway. Something to think about.

Finally dropped the trans this afternoon and took a good look at the factory metal tranny lines. My first inclination is to just ditch them both and replace with braided 6AN line, but I wonder if the very small diameter of the factory metal lines actually helps keep the pressure at a certain level. I'm concerned that swapping the thin metal lines with larger diameter 6AN will cause the overall pressure in the system to drop. Can anyone comment on this?

Decided to just buy the RPM A2A intercooler and ATR headers now and get it over with while I have the tranny out. Steve at SMC is also sending me a new alky setup with an external pump (like the GN and WRX kits) because I've already seized two pumps - don't want to go through another one.

-Jeremy