Basic Tranny Cooler Install Guide

[mts]

Originally posted by "Renboy"

 

The only tools needed are:

long needle nose pliers

normal pliers

phillips screwdriver

10mm socket with ratchet

container to hold some transmission fluid

 

I assume here that the cooler comes with hose, clamps, and push through straps to secure the cooler.

 

1) Jack car up, or drive on ramps.

2) Remove splash guards on drivers side, to do this you'll need the phillips screwdriver and the 10mm socket.

3) Disconnect the transmission fluid return line at the transmission (pic below), have the container placed below the connection as some fluid will pour out.

 

4) Remove the other end of this hose from the radiator. The picture is hard to comprehend, but once there, you'll understand completely.

 

5) Place cooler in front of the AC condenser (it was the best spot I could find). Don't attach it yet, just hold it in a spot to give you an idea of where it will be. Now that you know where it will be, cut a hose so it goes from the radiator to the left side of the cooler. Make sure that the hose will be long enough so there are no kinks or tight bends, both will restrict fluid movement. Do the same for the hose from the right side of the cooler to the transmission.

6) Now connect the hoses to the cooler.

7) Attach the cooler to the condenser. This is where I needed the long needle nose pliers. I held the backing of the attaching straps (between condenser and radiator) with the long pliers and pushed the strap through.

8) Attach the hoses to the radiator and the transmission. Make sure the hoses are secure and won't flap around while you drive. The best place I found to route them was just to the right of the radiator. There are holes already in the rubber as if it was designed to have a tranny cooler.

9) Replace splash guard(s) and top up fluid.

 

Total time: Approx. 40min.

 

Originally posted by "mazda-fla"

 

I just installed a Hayden 1403 tranny cooler. But it took me a whole lot longer than 40 minutes. More like 2 or 3 hours. The 1403 is the largest cooler that will fit. If I had to do it again, I would get one of the smaller models. Because it is a bitch to thread the top two straps on the 1403, because it is so tall.

 

Also, the hose included in the kit was not enough. I had to buy an extra package of tranny hose, about 4 feet for 8 bucks.

 

The installation is straight-forward (instructions and pictures included in the kit). But the Millenia has such little room to work in front of the A/C condenser radiator that it is a bitch.

 

Also, the hose on the bottom of the main radiator is the return line to the tranny. That is the one you add the aftermarket tranny cooler to. (on both the 2.3 and the 2.5).

 

I was going to add a tranny temp. gauge, but that was going to cost another hundred bucks, so I scraped that idea.

 

If you are worried about the tranny running to cool before warm up, then get one of the stacked-plate coolers (instead of the tube-and-fin kind). The stacked-plate coolers have a bypass tube that runs along the top of the cooler, so when the tranny fluid is cool and thick it runs along the bypass to bypass the tranny cooler core. Then when the fluid gets hot and thin, it drops down into the core for full cooling. I found out that the tranny fluid would have to be below -30 degrees F. before it would hurt the tranny. And even if you did drive in that kind of weather, having the fluid go through the main radiator first, then to the aftermarket cooler second, would resolve that problem. Because the main radiator would heat up the fluid.

 

Been driving around for a week now with the tranny cooler. It works great. You can feel the amount of heat coming off the cooler, it really pulls heat out of the fluid.

 

Also, the overall engine temp. is running cooler. The engine temp. gauge is lower overall with the tranny cooler. The gauge is about twice the thickness of the needle lower than before. A noticeable drop in overall temp. I guess because it's pulling so much heat from the tranny fluid, that the main radiator is able to cool the overall engine better because of the reduced tranny fluid temp.

 

The only thing I would do different is get one to the stacked plate coolers instead of the tube and fin. The reason is because the stacked plate coolers are black, and match the OEM look of the A/C condensor radiator and Main radiator. The tube and fin coolers are a bright silver aluminium, and the bright aluminum cooler stands out and you can see it. I would rather have one that is black and blends in better with the other black OEM radiators. But if you want to show-off that you have a tranny cooler mod., then you might prefer the bright aluminum tube and fin design. So it depends on the individual.

 

I would definately recommend this mod. to anyone. It works awesome. Best 40 bucks you can put into your car.