Jerry Posted October 17, 2010 Share Posted October 17, 2010 I read over here - http://www.novak-adapt.com/knowledge/aw4.htm - that Quote "They have a tendency to generate excessive amounts of heat". I noticed that mine gives off a hot rubber smell when I'm 'givin it some' up hill with a load on. I'm planning to find some HD trans oil to help but I think it may need a proper oil cooler. Any suggestions for cooling the tranny oil that doesn't include spending a million bucks on a flashy combined oil/water radiator core? Maybe a small extra rad if there's space? Cheers for any suggestions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted October 17, 2010 Share Posted October 17, 2010 Jeep used an external tranny cooler mounted in front of the radiator on the XJs and MJs with the off-road or tow packages. The factory kits are probably not available, but you can get similar kits from all the parts places. IIRC the "name" in the industry is Perma-Cool. http://www.perma-cool.com/Catalog/Cat_page04.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rustybucket Posted October 17, 2010 Share Posted October 17, 2010 Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the close system rad., has a protion that circulates and cools tranny fluid through it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACKED88 Posted October 17, 2010 Share Posted October 17, 2010 Most if not All auto trans vehicles have a small cooler in one of the radiator tanks. Problem with um is your trans fluid can never get any cooler than your engine water temp. As your trans gets hotter, the heat from its cooler can and will raise your engine operating temp. As a result your trans and engine both end up running hotter. This is easily eliminated with the installation of a trans cooler thats separate from your radiator. As Eagle pointed out an external cooler mounted in front of your radiator/ac condenser is the best solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86FUBAR Posted October 17, 2010 Share Posted October 17, 2010 Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the close system rad., has a protion that circulates and cools tranny fluid through it yes many open and closed systems use an in tank cooler . As for a cheaper alternative i have found that the trany cooler out of ford diesel vans have a nice ( yes many other vehicles other than the fords use these but this is what i deal with at work so....) size and large mounting tabs that modify easily . if you can find a sutable cooler out of a doner vehicle in the junk yard just make sure you clean it out well from both ends a couple of times and when running the lines from the trany to the cooler use as much hard line as possible . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted October 17, 2010 Share Posted October 17, 2010 I'll have to look at my wife's XJ to verify (and that won't happen tonight) but I believe the factory trans cooler runs in series with the in-radiator cooler. In other words -- they used both when they installed the supplemental tranny cooler. Does anyone know for certain? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whowey Posted October 17, 2010 Share Posted October 17, 2010 I'll have to look at my wife's XJ to verify (and that won't happen tonight) but I believe the factory trans cooler runs in series with the in-radiator cooler. In other words -- they used both when they installed the supplemental tranny cooler.Does anyone know for certain? Both of mine work in that fashion.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted October 17, 2010 Share Posted October 17, 2010 I'll have to look at my wife's XJ to verify (and that won't happen tonight) but I believe the factory trans cooler runs in series with the in-radiator cooler. In other words -- they used both when they installed the supplemental tranny cooler.Does anyone know for certain? Yes, this is true. I installed a new factory tranny cooler I picked up on Ebay. The holes are already there to mount the cooler in front of the condenser, and you simply unplug the existing return line quick disconnect under the oil pan and plug the cooler inline with the return line. You don't touch the in-rad cooler. In reality the in-radiator cooler's most important function is really to heat the tranny fluid in cold weather. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACKED88 Posted October 17, 2010 Share Posted October 17, 2010 In reality the in-radiator cooler's most important function is really to heat the tranny fluid in cold weather. :agree: Sometimes I forget I'm talking to people who live where cold weather is a factor. That being your case, use both coolers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry Posted October 17, 2010 Author Share Posted October 17, 2010 appreciate the input guys :thumbsup: I'll be looking for a stand alone tranny oil cooler then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M1A1TankerTom Posted October 18, 2010 Share Posted October 18, 2010 the best way to go in my opinion: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/BMM-70268/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bounty Hunter Posted October 18, 2010 Share Posted October 18, 2010 Just pick up a $25 external tranny cooler and the parts store and plumb it in per the instructions. I use one on my power steering and it works great. Also consider installing a temp gauge for the transmission, with sending units on the hot fluid out and the cool fluid in. You can use a switch to flip the gauge readings between the two. The cooler you keep the fluid, the longer the auto tranny will last. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89Tonto Posted December 21, 2010 Share Posted December 21, 2010 Also consider installing a temp gauge for the transmission, with sending units on the hot fluid out and the cool fluid in. Is there anyplace on the AW4 where the temp gauge sending unit can be screwed into the case or will it need to be installed up front near the tranny line connections to radiator? :dunno: Thanks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrailReadyMJ Posted December 21, 2010 Share Posted December 21, 2010 Is there anyplace on the AW4 where the temp gauge sending unit can be screwed into the case or will it need to be installed up front near the tranny line connections to radiator? :dunno: Thanks... There is not a location on the trans, but you don't want that temp anyway, too ambient. The best place it to mount it in a "T" connection on the lines right at the trans. This will give you an accurate reading at it's hottest point (before the fluid is cooled). Having one of the return line isn't necessary, but could be interesting just to see how effective the cooler is. The hot side is the important one! I had added a temp gauge on my XJ with the stock HD cooling package and it usually ran 170-180*, saw it at ~190* at the hottest while wheeling at low speeds in the summer. I never really did any towing or hauling with it though. I have mounted a gauge in the MJ, but haven't gotten around to hooking it up yet... it's on my list though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89Tonto Posted December 21, 2010 Share Posted December 21, 2010 Good information TrailReadyMJ. Makes sense not in the tranny but, connection outside the tranny. Which line at the tranny is the correct one. I'm sure you made all hardline connections. (I could crawl under mine and look and make a 50-50 guess) :hmm: I did upgrade my '89 cooling system to the newer "open" system. Therefore oil cooling should be a little better than still using the original system older radiator. As for your stock HD cooling package, didn't that include a factory external tranny cooler? I debated about installing an external cooler on mine only for the winter use- snowblade. For what little I push, is it really needed? What is the correct size to match the truck? Really don't think I need to oversize it. Maybe our next junkyard trip will be looking for XJ factory coolers. I did service the tranny last year with new fluid and filter. Wasn't burnt any, just dirty. :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkbruin Posted December 21, 2010 Share Posted December 21, 2010 Go for a ZJ V8 trans cooler. The ZJ's used a really, REALLY nice plate-style cooler, opposed to a finned (radiator style) cooler. The plate-style is a MUCH better design. ZJ cooler: http://www.kevinsoffroad.com/techarticl ... ooler.html Image Not Found Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrailReadyMJ Posted December 23, 2010 Share Posted December 23, 2010 Good information TrailReadyMJ. Makes sense not in the tranny but, connection outside the tranny. Which line at the tranny is the correct one. I'm sure you made all hardline connections. (I could crawl under mine and look and make a 50-50 guess) :hmm: I am 99% sure it's the line toward the front. Yes, I made hard line connections for the sensor using compression fittings, 3/8" I believe. Just for reference, the B&M temp gauge comes with the T and compression fittings, so it saves any guesswork. I did not go this route and just used a standard h2o temp gauge and hardware store parts. It was several years ago when I did the install on my old XJ, so my memory is foggy when it comes to the exact parts used. This thread got me wanting to bump this project up on my list, so I went and bought a aftermarket cooler and parts to install the sensor in the MJ yesterday. I just took a guess on the size for the T fitting, since it was a last minute impulse thing as I was driving by Lowe's, but if I got it right I should have it installed in the next couple days. Once I know the hardware is correct, I will post up exactly what I used :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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