Transmission Oil Cooler fitted on XR8 II

Engineer · 15-05-2006, 12:01 PM

Hi Guys,

I just thouht I would share my experiences with fitting a DriveTech transmisson oil cooler to my au xr8II 220kw. I decided to fit the oil cooler after experiencing a far amount of heat in the cabin coming from the transmission tunnel. You could feel the heat coming through the carpet it was not boiling hot but it was noticeable.

I completely bypassed the radiator in the installation following the advice of some auto trans specialists who stated that the radiator oil lines can sometimes get blocked which will cause damage in the long term. .

The front bar does NOT need to be removed to do the install, but the engine fans and engine cover, air snorkel do need to be removed to allow the radiator to be moved for the cooler to be moved into position. On the 220kw engines, the engine oil cooler can get in the way if your transmission oil cooler is not a slimline design. The Drivetech unit is awesome and it will slide in beautifully. I have used these units for years in my C4 351 XC GXL and can atest to their solid construction and performance.

After fitting the oil cooler the temperatures dropped dramatically. The heat can no longer be felt in the cabin and the transmission is now shifting much smoother than before. I used to get some harsh 1-2 and 2-1 shifts which don't happen anymore. The heat coming of the cooler is quite hot to touch after a long drive.

Overall the cooler took me 2 hours to fit. The cooler cost me $125 new. Overall I am very happy with it and would recommend it to everyone.

Cheers
Engineer

**Mechan1k** · 15-05-2006, 12:06 PM

Nice work ... I can attest to this as well ... I have found trans temps to drop dramatically ... and life of the transmission fluid greatly extended too. Transmission is shifting much better underload and in high heat applications too.

Well worth the money for all auto owners out there.

Ringo · 15-05-2006, 01:22 PM

Cheap insurance from the sounds of it....

**Mechan1k** · 15-05-2006, 01:25 PM

Definitely ... well worth the "small" amount of money paid for the item .... as long as it prolongs gearbox life ... I am happy with that.

galaxy xr8 · 15-05-2006, 07:48 PM

Any pic's?, can anybody fit them, or does a quliyfied mech need to fit them, I'd like to attempt this to mine, so a run down on the instalation would be good or is there instruction's with them?.

Engineer · 16-05-2006, 10:55 AM

Hi,

I will try and take some photos of the cooler and post them up. It may be a bit tricky as it is behind the front bar. But i will see what i can do

Anyone can do the install..its really easy. It uses zip ties to attach to the radiator and two rubber hoses to hook up to the transmission lines that go into the radiator. I cut the transmission lines at the bottom of the radiator with Mini Hack saw near the bottom radiator hose and slipped the oil cooler hoses over. There is a small gap or hole at the bottom left hand corner between the radiator and the body that allows the hoses to come through to the front.This made for a very neat factory look finish.

Cheers
Engineer

galaxy xr8 · 16-05-2006, 07:48 PM

Thank's for that Engineer, some pic's would be good if you could, where did you buy the cooler from?

Engineer · 17-05-2006, 03:03 PM

Hi,

I boughtthe oil cooler from Rare Spares in Sydney. But you can get them on ebay for the same price (I just could not wait!! )

cheers
Engineer

Engineer · 18-05-2006, 11:32 AM

Hi Guys,

Here are some pics for the oil coole rinstallation. I hope you guys can make it out. it is a bit tricky to take pics of it when its behind the front bar

Any questions let me know..

Cheers
Engineer

JL · 19-05-2006, 10:16 AM

Nice work there Engineer.

I'm going to attempt this sometime soon as well.

Any other advice when fitting it all up? Did you need to top up the fluid?

Engineer · 23-05-2006, 01:08 PM

Hi,

The cooler is easy to install. Just take off the fans from behind the radiator (two bolts and a 1 plug to remove). Take off the air snorkel (two screws) and the two radiator mounts.

Fit the oil cooler rubber hoses over the oil cooler outlets. Then slide the cooler in and zip tie it in place. You will need to push the radiator back a little to get it in. Once in place cut the metal transmission cooler lines from the radiator at the spot I did. Then slip over the rubber oil cooler lines over the cut metal lines and fasten the clips. Remove the radiator pipe fittings and plug the radiator holes. Reassemble fans, snorkel and radiator mounts.

use zip ties to secure the rubber oil cooler lines in place. You are done

TIP: One thing I did and would recommend is to put a 1-2 mm washer underneath the two small bolts that hold the ENGINE oil cooler (if fitted) to the metal bracket. This will provide an extra bit of clearance so the screws do not touch the transmission oil cooler when going over big bumps and the like.

I did not top up the oil level ( I should and will check it soon though) as it only lost about 1/2 to 3/4 glass of oil.

Its easy to do you wont have any issues

Cheers
Engineer

graham_h · 13-09-2011, 12:47 PM

thanks for the post, just ordered mine. Should have pics up next week when its done

**Polyal** · 13-09-2011, 12:51 PM

Yeah I think its about time I do this too, whats the going rate of the coolers?

graham_h · 13-09-2011, 01:06 PM

$200 plus freight
The PWR's have dropped on ebay just recently but look pretty poor by comparison.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/AU-BA-BF4...item19c8d05a58

blueoval · 13-09-2011, 01:17 PM

serious thread mine much? lol

I paid $350 supplied and fitted for my trans cooler as a comparison.

**Polyal** · 13-09-2011, 01:21 PM

Yeah I might just get my local place to do it when I get it serviced next.

graham_h · 13-09-2011, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blueoval

serious thread mine much? lol

I paid $350 supplied and fitted for my trans cooler as a comparison.

Serious.....

.. but yup for me it is........ quietly sh**ting myself until my cooler is fitted

graham_h · 15-09-2011, 07:40 AM

so the cooler came yesterday, got the filter too.
Some pics for anyones interest

box looks dumb !!

Only thing that appears to be missing is any pipe work to do this >

Which I assume is the stock pipes joined ? If so what size hose do I need to get ?

BHDOGS · 15-09-2011, 01:24 PM

You have to cut both your metal pipes and connect the hose from your cooler to the pipes then to ur trans cooler or run it in series with ur radiator whichever ur doing id suggest a mini hacksaw or pipe cutter. And hose is 5/8 i believe its not recommend to use fuel hose but u can i did in my ef for 2 years without a drama

**Mechan1k** · 15-09-2011, 01:29 PM

EFI hose can handle the pressure ... I have used it previously as well without issue

graham_h · 15-09-2011, 01:40 PM

thanks, I'll grab some while I'm out

BHDOGS · 15-09-2011, 03:30 PM

3/8 power steering hose and transmission hose is also the same thing

graham_h · 14-11-2011, 06:50 PM

well got it fitted at last by a mechanic.............. and they didn't bypass the radiator as requested

Back it goes tomorrow to be sorted.

AU Mont · 16-11-2011, 07:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by graham_h

well got it fitted at last by a mechanic.............. and they didn't bypass the radiator as requested

Back it goes tomorrow to be sorted.

lol yeah thats what happened with me, assuming they havnt cut the factory pipes at all... just pull the rubber cooler hose off and slip it straight over the flared ends of the factory pipe

with the I6's theres plenty clearance to leave the factory pipes intact, but with my windsor i bought a cheap pipe bender so the factory bottom pipe would clear the radiator hose after being pushed back to accept the cooler hose

Giant · 16-11-2011, 03:55 PM

Hey guys just to let you know there is a group buy for Tranny coolers here http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthread.php?t=11347025

graham_h · 02-12-2011, 09:12 AM

bypassed now..........

macman · 02-12-2011, 11:44 AM

Good work peeps. A necessary modification for ALL auto AU's IMO.

rowan194 · 07-12-2011, 03:25 PM

My AUIII I6 trans overheated today, after spending about 30-40 mins in very slow moving (mostly stopped) traffic, then 5 mins of 80km/hr level road, once I hit some moderate hills it started vibrating under load. I noticed the coolant temp was up too (around "M" rather than "O"), that came down quickly but the trans was still playing up, I guess because the oil holds heat better.

My question is... will a tranny cooler help in this instance, considering that there's no airflow over the stock setup or an aftermarket cooler when the car is stopped?

smoo · 07-12-2011, 07:26 PM

You may want to check your fans are kicking in at the right temp if at all, and your radiator isn't blocked, but fit an external cooler and bypass the radiator regardless. The temp gague shouldnt move from N or O if it does something isn't right.

rowan194 · 08-12-2011, 02:32 PM

Yeah it's a weird one, had no issues taking off once I got past the traffic holdup, things only started going wrong once I'd been cruising @80 for 5 mins... which is a heap of airflow over the rad and a fairly steady load. After that, I couldn't even accelerate gently without vibration. Pulled over for about 10 mins then drove home without any issues.

A separate cooler won't hurt anyway, the AU I6's "run without coolant" feature is useless because the trans overheats well before the engine gets to the point of shutting down cylinders...