Oil cooler or transmission cooler?

[postfach]

I want to put a decent cooler on my daily drive Z20, putting a 1JZ-GTE into it (hehe, I can't get enough of them) but keeping it auto using the JZA70 auto box I have sitting in my garage.

My question is this:

Which would perform better (at cooling the ATF), a "Transmission Oil Cooler"

or a "15 Row Oil Cooler"


I'm aware that the transmission cooler is designed for this specific purpose but that doesn't mean it's more effective than the other style cooler. I'm sure the factory cooler is probably sufficient for everyday driving, but I occasionally end up line towing my mates broken cars back home and things get quite hot. Also want to be able to give the car a bit of a thrashing every now and then.

[DeeCee]

links don't work

and is there a difference between an engine oil cooler and a transmission cooler? I thought they performed the same function.

[postfach]

Oh, they worked when I first posted them cos I checked, must be a cookie thing or something. I'll see if I can fix it.

[deaf_rattle]

have a look at my build thread Alex. you will see the coolers im running for the supra.
obviously the larger will be engine oil and smaller for the trans.

[xsspeed]

Pretty sure the fxgt I'm wrecking for parts for my project just has a 15 row cooler attached to the tranny, will double check

[Py7h0n]

Best way to look at it is what the big auto's use.

B&M makes some sweet units for the big auto's out there. If you look at them they are just a bigger version of a engine oil cooler.



Your first pic looks yuck and cheepo!

[Stealer Of Souls]

Noob question time.

Okay... so an engine oil cooler (on the engine) has the oil pumped through it.
How does the tran oil cooler get circulation? Or is it just from the good old convection current type thingy?

[docTRD]

the transmission pumps ATF fluid from a mechanical pump inside the tranny, it pumps the fluid and some toyota ecu's control line pressure for the ATF running through the system, 2jzgte auto's use this system. my 2c :p

[Stealer Of Souls]

What about manual transmissions? I assume some manual machines have trans coolers. Or is it never necessary with a manual trans?

[strx7]

What about manual transmissions? I assume some manual machines have trans coolers. Or is it never necessary with a manual trans?

GT4's and the likes run trans coolers. all E series FWD/4wd gearboxes have internal pumps and have provisions for a cooler.

[postfach]

What about manual transmissions? I assume some manual machines have trans coolers. Or is it never necessary with a manual trans?

GT4's and the likes run trans coolers. all E series FWD/4wd gearboxes have internal pumps and have provisions for a cooler.

On that topic, anyone know if its possible on a W series box without an external pump?

[matt dunn]

On that topic, anyone know if its possible on a W series box without an external pump?

No it's not,

but I dont think coolers are required on the W series, as heat does not seem to affect them.
I know guys who used them in enduro's and they guys that used to beak them fitted coolers and oil squirters, but they still broke,
and anyone who didn't have the power to chew the teeth off them never ran coolers and never had problems.


In saying that though, unless you have a temp sensor in the box,
how do you know how hot it gets?
And how hot should it get? what is too hot?

[Leon]

I had always assumed that an engine oil cooler would be designed to take a crapload more oil pressure than a trans cooler.

[Stealer Of Souls]

Ok... so my thoughts would be that the different designs are to cope with the different pressures and flows.
The engine oil cooler looks to work much like water radiator, where as the trans cooler is just like an aircon evap (I think that's the right terminology/part). I would guess that the flow rate in the trans cooler to be normally lower than an engine oil cooler, and that the temperature drop required probably a little lower...
All a bit of a guess though...

The only certain bit is that if the two coolers had to work under the same conditions then they'd surely be designed the same.
If I was going to seriously consider trans cooler, I'd use a trans cooler core.

[xsspeed]

^^^ Like an aircon condenser (rejecting heat, condensing refrigerant)

Sorry, air con is my life

[2jayzgte]

Best way to look at it is what the big auto's use.

B&M makes some sweet units for the big auto's out there. If you look at them they are just a bigger version of a engine oil cooler.



Your first pic looks yuck and cheepo!

I've got something pretty similar to this cooler looking after my Auto I reckon you just make sure it has clean flow of air going over the cooler and have it nice and partioned off so no direct air escapes off the cooler and you should be sweet.I think my tranny cooler is about a 10 row.

[Flannelman]

Go the big oil cooler. adds more oil to the trans system. will take longer to heat up, (by a 5 minutes at a guess) and will take more heat out of the system when pushing hard. the bigger cooler has more surface area too for added cooling.
just be sure to add trans fluid when either one is installed