I preparing for a 2-3 weeks long 2,000 mile road trip with lots of small back road trails at slow speeds. Should I install a Derale transmission cooler before I go? Jeep has 40,000 miles. Thanks and thanks to Jerry for the write up.
Another transmission cooler option is the direct fit Flexalite P/N 4116TJ , $104.77 on Amazon Prime as of 4/25/18. IMO, it is just as effective in most situations as the significantly more expensive Derale P/N 20561. Installation is easy.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018B6XDVC/?tag=wranglerorg-20
Do the TJ autos have the type of design where they run the transmission fluid either through a separate chamber on the side of the radiator or through heat exchange type cooler?
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Do the TJ autos have the type of design where they run the transmission fluid either through a separate chamber on the side of the radiator or through heat exchange type cooler?
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No wonder you need transmission coolers with that stupid design. I know there will people that disagree but *in general**, these systems can be bypassed without ill effects BUT maybe jeeps don't like to run on the cold side. I have bypassed that in every auto I have ever had and added a cooler and even towing a 12k trailer with my 600 rwhp cummins up steep grades my trans temps never got above 180 on the hot side. I have never had any side effects from doing this. Maybe it's not a good idea for some reason on the Jeep autos, not sure. Does anyone know?
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comment removed so I don't mislead peopleThat’s interesting. I wonder if you could bypass the built in cooler and just run it straight into the Derale. Well, I’m sure you could, I just don’t know f you would lose any cooling effect from doing so.
Ah gotcha, ignore my post then. Thanks for the info on the jeeps autos. While I disagree about the effectiveness of each cooling method, I see your points and like I said, I don't know jeep autosThe ATF cooling tube in the bottom of the radiator is a timed tested method that is as or more effective than a stacked plate or tube and fin external cooler (compare fluid to fluid heat exchange rates to fluid to air heat exchange rates.) It is still the primary method for cooling automobile ATF.
Unless the ATF cooling tube in the radiator is damaged or defective there is no reason to bypass it. In fact, bypassing the radiator and and re-routing ATF to an external cooler alone often results in less cooling, not more.
For a TJ an external cooler should be an add-on, not a substitute.
. . . The thought behind doing that is that there is a fairly consistent temperature coolant running through the radiator that can passively cool the transmission fluid that it runs by BUT this only works with benefit when that transmission fluid is over the operating temperature of your coolant otherwise what it actually does is heat the transmission fluid up by exposing it to the hot coolant when by itself it might be happy at 150 degrees but gets heated to 200 because of the coolant. . . .
Yeah I was just using that number as an example. But let's say it's 150 degrees, that still means that it is unnecessarily heating your transmission fluid up if the transmission was operating at 120 degrees. Like I said, some people will disagree with me and that's just fine, we all have our opinions and experiences and I have zero experience with jeep transmissions, just other experiences.The fallacy with that argument is that the ATF cooling tube runs through the bottom of the radiator adjacent to where the already cooled coolant is returned to the engine. The temperature of the coolant in contact with the ATF cooling tube in a warm or even a hot engine is well within the normal operating range of ATF, never at 200 degrees.
You are right about it all because obviously that is important to you and anyone with differing experience is wrong which I'm fine with because I don't care about being right or wrong or what people do one way or the other as long as they are happy with their results.The 120 degree example is based on incorrect assumptions. Automatic transmissions typically operate at 165-170 degrees.