transmission oil cooler writeup.

[240RB1]

i was cleaning the garage the other day and what do i find in a box? i find a new transmission cooler for small trucks so i will be doing a writeup on how to install one on the 4th gen maxima's i will include pics and tips that will make install a breeze.

All of the stuff i will be writing will be to help so dont criticize if im not by the book k:)
Modified by !240RB! at 11:41 PM 6/11/2009

[MinisterofDOOM]

Excellent! Trans coolers can go a long way toward extending the life of the RE4F auto.

[240RB1]

So here it goes-pics arent the best but they get the point across.

1) first put car on a solid surface the last thing you want is a 3 thousand pond car on you,then pop your hood

2) jack up the front of the car and make sure you use jackstands under the pinch rails or rails personal preference i chose rails.

3)now we get to see what were workin with. In my case i had just the cooler so i went to the store and bought a oil cooler install kit which included about 5ft of hose, clamps, and zip tie lookin things to hold the cooler in place.

4)now that the car is in the air(secured) its time to get underneath. the tools needed from here on are a box knife, 10mm socket,1/4inch ratchet and a flathead screwdriver, and of course the cooler blah blah blah.first remove the lower splash shield held by 8 10 mm bolts it should come off as soon as the last bolt is removed.here is the shield out of the car

5) now with the shield removed you can see the stock rad cooler and the transmission. with this writeup i will be using the stock cooler in conjunction with the external one becaus since i live in a climate where temps range the stock cooler and heat up the fluid as the whole car warms up and the external one keeps it at a contsant cool.in this pic you will see the two lines(feed and return) for the cooler. the banjo bolt one(lower) is the feed and that is left alone we will be dealing with the top line(return line)loosten the top line at the transmission end as well as the radiator end. remove the kine from the radiator and let the transmission fluid leak into a bucket or pan.

6)mounting the cooler- i chose to install the cooler behind the grill right in front of huge amounts of air. use the supplied zip tie things to hold the cooler where wanted. use a foam pad included with the kit in betweed the cooler and the condensor. at this point you can install the lines to the cooler. use a little vaseline on the inlets of the cooler so the rubber lines slide on easier. once one use the supplied clamps and tighten till desired tightness is achieved.i know its crooked but it was just like that because i was holding the cooler with one hand and my fone with the other its all better now lol.

7) now its time to connect the lines from the cooler to the rad and transmission. the top hose from the cooler (in my case) goes to the radiator since i had about 5 feet from the cooler to the rad i trimmed some to make a good fit.as for the bottom hose on the cooler that is the cool fluid that needs to return to the transmission so yeah use the supplied clamps and clamp the bottom cooler hose to the top transmission fitting(trim accordingly). when trimming you want to leave enough slack so the hose isnt like a 90* angle at every bend. use common sense for lengths needed to much and it will touch something and not enough it will strech and fail.

8)turn on your Maxima and check for leaks.no leaks found? good move on to step 9

9) now comes the part where we install the shiled back on- while trying to install the cover it was interfering with the lines (the hump on the shield) so what i did was cut a section of it out to clear the lines and not interfere with the mounting position.heres the aftermath after installing the cover i found a couple of spots that might seem to chafe or cut the hoses if it rubbed for periods at a time so i used some plastic wrapping stuff along with old heater hose cut in half to cover the areas.again if you find any areas where chafing might be a problem use old heater hose or somthing to protect the lines.

10) after all is said and done lower the car and let car reach normal opertating temps. once temps are reached shift through all gears right quick then put back in park. step outside and check transmission fluid; i had to add about half a quart.

11) close hood and pat yourself on the back your done

I hope this helps others,again i know pix are crappy i used my fone (blackjack II) because i didnt want to get my new camera dirty.Enjoi

[maxhopper]

Good job! Added this to the How-to sticky. Would you like a custom title under your user name for doing the write up?

[240RB1]

Um if its ok with you yes, i would like a custome title.

[maxhopper]

What would you like it to be? You can post it here or email me if you like (email addy is in my profile).

[240RB1]

I would like my custom title to say "Do Work" thats it,without the quotation marks. Thanks man

[maxhopper]

Thank you!

[240RB1]

Haha cool cool thanks again man