Do i need a trans cooler?

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n00blike

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I have a mild 360 (325hp), 904, 8 1/4 read and planing on using it as a daily driver and have fun on the weekends autocrossing or driving around.

What temp should the trans run at?
What size of cooler?
Fan or fanless?

i have looked at some other threads but there is not much specifics on temps and such.

also what is the best location for the cooler? In front of the radiator or to the side? top part of the radiator or bottom?
 
Mine is clipped right to the front of the radiator ,lower ,middle. 10 inch by 10 inch square shape and about 1/2 inch thick. running a 318 w purple shaft cam 360j heads with a 904. I have a 360 block at the machine shop being bored .040 over and a Isky cam, needed a little more kick lol
 
Whether you need one or not, an external trans cooler on an automatic is something that should be there regardless.
If I get something with a slushie behind it and it doesn't have a cooler, it gets it, along with a fluid change.

I generally detest slushies, anyway, not taking care of them will make it worse.

Mark.
 
cool thanks guys looks lill be getting one!

are you using hard lines or rubber hoses?
 
Yep, ya need a cooler. Normal operating temperature should be around 175º F. That's with the cooler in the radiator. Whoopee time on the track is going to cause that to climb. Two ways to help things our are a remote transmission oil cooler, the other is a deeper transmission oil pan. On the cooler, it will be more efficient if there is a fan pulling air across it. If you can find a deep, finned aluminum pan, so much the better. As a rule of thumb, every 20 degree increase in operating temperature above 175 degrees F. cuts the life of the fluid in half!

At 195 degrees F., for instance, fluid life is reduced to 50,000 miles. At 220 degrees, which is commonly encountered in many transmissions, the fluid is only good for about 25,000 miles. At 240 degrees F., the fluid won't go much over 10,000 miles. Add another 20 degrees, and life expectancy drops to 5,000 miles. Go to 295 or 300 degrees F., and 1,000 to 1,500 miles is about all you'll get before the transmission burns up.
 
do i need to worry about vibration when running hard lines (like stock) to the cooler? They seem to be the way to go since you can clear the linkage cleanly.
 
I prefer using as much hard line as I can. Mopar had about two feet of un-supported hard line between radiator cooler and the clip on the tranny lines. If I were to have the line rigidly clipped to the front of the engine, I'd prefer to have 4-6 inches of flex hose in order to accommodate the engine shifting around on the mounts. With things firmly connected, I don't foresee any vibration problems.
 
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