External transmission cooler needed for Q in Minnesota?

[greenwar]

I see a lot of posting in the site about installing external transmission cooler in Qs. My Q has 107,xxx and dealer did transmission service at 102,xxx.

Minnesota has almost sub-zero or near sub-zero temps 9 months of the year and occassional hot summers. I drive about 5-40 miles a day which is probably pretty hard on the transmission. Do you guys think I should get an external transmission cooler?

Any other Q owner from MN or other snow belt states - did you guys install an external cooler? Also what is the best (good bang for the buck) external cooler out there that you guys had installed?

I hope to get some responses. Thanks in advance.

[Jesda]

Just get a small one. I got mine for $30 at a car parts store and had it installed between the radiator and fan.

Y33s dont need them as much as G50s, and while youre in a colder climate, you may have a situation where you've got four people and a trunk full of luggage going up a hill in July. Plus, what if you drive south?

Peace of mind.

[greenwar]

Just get a small one. I got mine for $30 at a car parts store and had it installed between the radiator and fan.

Y33s dont need them as much as G50s, and while youre in a colder climate, you may have a situation where you've got four people and a trunk full of luggage going up a hill in July. Plus, what if you drive south?

Peace of mind.

Hey Jesda, thanks for the post. Any tips/suggestions/post with instructions on how to do this on a 99 Q? All I see are posts for G50s.

Other Q owners in cold weathers... help me out with some posts.

[bullittandy]

Hey Jesda, thanks for the post. Any tips/suggestions/post with instructions on how to do this on a 99 Q? All I see are posts for G50s.

Other Q owners in cold weathers... help me out with some posts.

I don't think that the expense and time would be worth it on a 97+ in Minnesota. It's very possible that a cooler would not allow your fluid to heat up enough in 0 degree weather and fluid thats boiling or freezing is bad. If you did install one I might add a shut off valve so that it wouldn't be used in the winter.

[96Qowner]

Other Q owners in cold weathers... help me out with some posts.

I've felt pretty confidant about not bothering with a transmission cooler in this climate - until this summer. I took a trip to the Minneapolis airport to pick up some folks - 80 mph, 93 degrees - stopped at a rest stop ... and left an ounce or two of transmission fluid on the ground when I started her back up. I never found out exactly what happened (shame on me), but it made me nervous. I got to thinking about the hot soak after shutting it off, from cruising at that speed in that heat. I think the fluid MUST have bubbled out somehow - no leaks, nothing since. If so, it got pretty damned hot in there.

Q45s aren't known for their rock-solid trannies. I've been one of the more fortunate ones, with 186K on the original transmission, so far, and this car came from Louisiana. So, I guess it's a peace-of-mind issue. If I ever need to work around the radiator area, I'll probably take the opportunity to install a cooler, even at this transmission's age.

[maxnix]

There have been numerous posts about auxiliary ATF coolers on Y33.

The B&M ones won't let ATF below a certain temperature circulate through the unit, instead bypassing it and sending it back to the transmission.

ATF heat is generated by TC slippage, so hills, high speed and around town are the worst. Locked up on a flat highway at 2k -2.5K RPM genearates the least heat.

For pictures of installations, look under my board name in Member's Rides.

[BlueC]

I haven't installed one yet, mainly because of the brutal winters around here. I 'might' invest in one next spring, but for now I know it'll be ok for the cold months.

[greenwar]

Sounds like the B&M cooler is the way to go. I looked at Brian's pictures of the cooler. Seems like an easy thing to do. I am wondering if the transmission oil needs to be drained, does n't the oil start pouring when you take out the factory cooler hoses(dumb question)? Checked the pictures Jesda/Wes put at Q45.org. However being a novice in handling transmission stuff, I am a bit nervous into thinking that the cooler installation may be prone to leaking...

Brian, you think the B&M fittings are adequate to prevent leaks? I know you are trusting their fitting for your 2K Q45.

I also have a J30 which had a transmission replaced at 50K (car has 123K). I drive the J30 around 100-300 miles a month - no winter driving on it though.. Should I install a cooler on that one also?

I am loving the silky smooth ride of the Q. I thought camry's are smooth riding!!

[maxnix]

Brian, you think the B&M fittings are adequate to prevent leaks? I know you are trusting their fitting for your 2K Q45.

I am loving the silky smooth ride of the Q. I thought camry's are smooth riding!!

And my 2 1995 G50 also. The pressure is not very much (under 100psi), so a good fitting and hoses that don't get routed onto metal or stretched will work fine if the fittings are tight. Why one always inspects the car on the lift when the under engine tray is off while the oil is changed.

The Maxima are OK, but with almost 60% fron end wight bias and the beam axle on the later ones, the ride is a compromise.

[03XTERRA]

Maxnix,Do you know anything about putting on an external transmission cooler to a Xterra? I'm towing a 4 cy Tacoma behind my RWD, V6 Xterra 2,200 miles. Any suggestions? Do you by pass the current radiator and attach the in/out lines to the external cooler only?Thanks

[Jesda]

Maxnix,Do you know anything about putting on an external transmission cooler to a Xterra? I'm towing a 4 cy Tacoma behind my RWD, V6 Xterra 2,200 miles. Any suggestions? Do you by pass the current radiator and attach the in/out lines to the external cooler only?Thanks

Yes, but you can check with your local U-Haul place to see how they would do it.

[maxnix]

Look at B&M and other stacked plate designs.

Towing loads heat ATF tremendously, so that is the application for which they are most needed. Don't know anything about your particular application, but by-passing the OEM heat exchanger is probably the best bet based on SKibane's ATF pressure tests.
Modified by maxnix at 9:30 PM 9/10/2006

[Skibane]

Red Line Oil used to have a tech note on their web site which stated that every 10 degree F increase in ATF temperature decreases its life expectancy by - now get this: 50 percent! In other words, reducing the ATF's sustained temperature by just 10 degrees DOUBLES its life.

So, even if you ignore the positive effect on transmission reliability, installing an external cooler could easily pay for itself in longer fluid service intervals.

[maxnix]

I wish I could find the site again where these good ol' boys lowered their ¼ mile times .1 -.2 sec. by cooling the ATF from 176° F to 140° F.

[Romeo5k]

oh yeah..> Well where do i get that from since i think my engine will be getting rerplaced.. myabe i need to get one too myself. Ya know my temps over here is a regular 100F. and in winter its like 65F the lowest it get where i stay is 45F, and that was a long time ago. So anyways,... i think i need it, what u think? And if you thinnk so too, where do i get it from oh yeah.. i do 20 miles a day max... if that.. Maybe less...

[96Qowner]

Wes has a writeup for the transmission cooler on Q45.org:

http://www.q45.org/trannycooler.html

Make it a definite, in your climate.
Modified by 96Qowner at 12:00 PM 9/11/2006