When a piece of machinery or electronic device is running hotter than it should, it usually is a recipe for disaster. At higher temperatures certain materials get softer, more brittle, and deformed which can ultimately lead to catastrophic damage. (now that’s a lot of damage).
Without proper heat dissipation the life of the transmission could be cut short and that is where an auxiliary transmission cooler comes in to extend the life of your vehicle's transmission.
Is My Transmission Overheating?
Your automatic transmission is an essential and expensive piece of complex machinery and electronics which converts the power made from the engine into forward and reverse motion. Doing such a task however does produce excess heat which needs to be dissipated in order to run at optimal temperatures.
An ideal optimum temperature for most automatic transmissions is 175-220 degree Fahrenheit or 80-105 degree Centigrade
Most vehicles come with a small heat sink near the transmission oil pan underneath the vehicle in order to dissipate excess heat from the transmission fluid while driving. This form of heat dissipation may suffice for most car owners however if you are one that constantly hauls heavy cargo, a lot of people, goes off-road, rides up mountains, or maybe just have a heavy foot on the gas then the stock transmission cooler would not be sufficient as your transmission will be constantly running higher than optimal temperatures.
If your vehicle does not have a transmission oil temperature gauge, depending on your vehicle you may be able to see live temperature with an obd2 reader here’s a few that may help:
Different types of transmission coolers
Just like your engine has a radiator in the front that cools down the engine using coolant, auxiliary transmission coolers use basically the same concept however instead of running coolant through it is just redirecting the transmission oil through the small radiator and back.
In order to get sufficient air flow the cooler is typically installed in front of the radiator because of its small size. There are 3 different types of transmission coolers to look out for which are tube & fin, plate & fin, and stacked plate.
Tube & Fin
As seen in the picture the name is exactly what it is. There is a metal tube that is curved in an “S” pattern with thin metal fins around it for heat dissipation. Transmission oil flows through the tube and disperse the heat from the pipe through the aluminum fins and finally to the air.
This type of cooler is one of the more inexpensive ones which does help in cooling the transmission at a budget however may not meet the demands of high performance vehicles or heavy hauling trucks/SUV’s. Also these tend to be more expensive than the tube cooler.
Plate & Fin
The main difference of this type of cooler vs the tube & fin is that the transmission fluid flows through a series of horizontal metal plates attached to thin metal fins instead of just a tube with fins. This is pretty much the same style as the radiator that cools the engine.
An advantage that this style offers is that there is more surface area for the metal fins to properly dissipate from which therefore increases cooling performance. These types are more suitable for the vehicles that may haul heavy cargo, a lot of people, or light to moderate towing. I wouldn’t recommend these for vehicles that tow heavy loads or have been heavily modified to produce more power.
Stacked Plate
This type of cooler is similar to the plate & fin, however this model doesn’t have so many fins. It is rather designed for fast unobstructed airflow in order to cool down the metal plates containing transmission fluid as quickly as possible. The fluid flows through long, horizontal, thin metal plates which is then rapidly cooled down by fast free-flowing air.
Also, during colder temperatures these type of oil coolers bring the transmission to operating temperature faster during idling stages. This is due to the larger surface area of these plates that absorb just enough heat from the engine radiator to bring transmission oil up to temperature.
These are by far the most efficient transmission coolers which are ideal for performance vehicles or for ones that have been modded with a few extra ponies.
Riding with this style cooler would make sure that your transmission will remain at optimum operating temperature no matter what heavy load you throw at it. The main downside is that it is more expensive than other models.
Conclusion:
*If you take care of your transmission it will take care of you. Along with keeping your transmission at ideal temperatures, it is crucial that the transmission oil is changed at the correct intervals otherwise small metallic particles would continue to circulate through and wear out the life of the transmission.
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