PCM of NC Transmission oil cooler kit. Disappointing to say the least

JayArr

Original poster
Member
Sep 24, 2018
504
Mission BC Canada
This arrived this week and man what a disappointment. I feel totally ripped off. There are bolts and a fitting missing from the bag so first thing I'll need to do is head to the parts store. The instructions are pretty crappy, they tell you to route the hood release cable as shown in the picture but guess what, I can't see it in the picture!

This kit cost $252USD and it's basically a 10" x 11" radiator made by Long manufacturing (which I think I see on Amazon for $75). There is a coil of rubber hose and a bag of fittings (one missing in mine.)

The instructions say not to put hose clamps on the hoses after you put them over the barb fitting. WTF? No clamp? I couldn't understand why until I picked up a barb fitting and realized it's made out of F-ing plastic!

This kit might be worth $150 but certainly not $250.

Buyer Beware!
 

cornchip

Member
Jan 6, 2013
637
This arrived this week and man what a disappointment. I feel totally ripped off. There are bolts and a fitting missing from the bag so first thing I'll need to do is head to the parts store. The instructions are pretty crappy, they tell you to route the hood release cable as shown in the picture but guess what, I can't see it in the picture!

This kit cost $252USD and it's basically a 10" x 11" radiator made by Long manufacturing (which I think I see on Amazon for $75). There is a coil of rubber hose and a bag of fittings (one missing in mine.)

The instructions say not to put hose clamps on the hoses after you put them over the barb fitting. WTF? No clamp? I couldn't understand why until I picked up a barb fitting and realized it's made out of F-ing plastic!

This kit might be worth $150 but certainly not $250.

Buyer Beware!


LOng manufacturing is owned by the Dana corporation. They build for the OEM's.....mostly Ford when I went to the plant a few yew back.
 

Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,262
Ottawa, ON
If you look at the replacement cooler on their site, it's just $82 but add a couple of hoses, some clamps, fittings and brackets it's now $253? I've picked up coolers from junk yard trucks for $10 and slapped those in at minimal cost. We have this thread and the one by @RedEnvoyDenali is the defacto standard DIY install.
Transmission Coolers..

I've found most of their stuff to be overpriced. And factor in the exchange rate, duties and taxes, it's a big no thanks. I've found this one on Amazon.ca that even has a fan, sensor and wiring for less than half of theirs. I'm actually considering this one for my next truck which will be doing a lot of towing.

 
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JayArr

Original poster
Member
Sep 24, 2018
504
Mission BC Canada
Live and learn. The beauty of these forums is I can warn others and I hope I keep someone else from being disappointed.

I'll stop at the parts store today and see if I can get the missing fitting and replace the barb fittings with good brass ones that can take a clamp.
 

JayArr

Original poster
Member
Sep 24, 2018
504
Mission BC Canada
I stopped by the parts store to get the fitting that was missing from this kit and found out I was wrong about the plastic hose ends, the aren't plastic they're aluminum. Parts guy says they're fine so I'll use them.

I started install yesterday by cutting away the shroud to fit the cooler. The first trouble I had was that it sat too far back and I was afraid it would contact the AC condensor and puncture it so I added a couple of spacers to the bolts to move it forward, you can see them in the picture, easy fix.

The bottom had the same problem but I couldn't move it forward because the head of the bolt that held the bracket to the cooler hit the frame in front of it. PCMs solution is to include a small roll of foam tape that you're supposed to put between them. I decided that a quick weld of the bracket would eliminate the head of the bolt and give me 5 or 6 extra mm of space and I figured if I was going to weld it I may as well center the bracket instead of mounting it off to one side like their instructions said.

I pulled it out but found it's all aluminum so instead of a quick mig weld I had to use the torches and some aluminum cheater rod I keep around. Ten minutes later I had it all welded up, it's not the prettiest weld but it'll hold. I decided on a routing for the hoses and put all the fittings together and the hoses on. The instructions said not to put any clamps on the hose ends but I just couldn't trust them so I put some double tabbed crimp rings over them and just snugged them up enough to keep the hose from ever being able to get over the last barb.

I'll finish this tonight and post final pics when I'm done.

JayArr
 

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JayArr

Original poster
Member
Sep 24, 2018
504
Mission BC Canada
Hey, do you guys have this big metal bracket under your radiators? I don't see it in a lot of youtube videos and it's a bit of a pain in the ass. It covers the bottom of the rad and sort of protects the power steering fluid cooler from below. Is this an XL model only thing?

Mainly it's a pain because it blocks access to the lower radiator hose connection. If you do manage to get the clamp off the fluid doesn't empty into a catch pan it flows into this bracket and spills out all over the damn driveway. It's mounted with six bolts, two from the front and four from the back. In order to get to the two from the front you need to be a contortionist or you need to pull the bumper.

My solution was to weld two nuts on the front braces so all six bolts go in from the rear and hopefully I won't have to pull the bumper next time I want to drain the rad.
 

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Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,262
Ottawa, ON
Some do, some don't (how's that for an answer? :biggrin: ) None of mine had it however have seen some with it in scrap yards. I think it's an off-road package option. From what I noticed, it would come with a protective plate for the transfer case.
 
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Blckshdw

Moderator
Nov 20, 2011
10,665
Tampa Bay Area, FL
My EXT didn't have that. When I had to swap my radiator, (and drain it numerous times for T-stat and water pump replacements) it was quick and simple.
 

JayArr

Original poster
Member
Sep 24, 2018
504
Mission BC Canada
Well the metal fixture turned out to be a bonus, I ran the lines for the trans cooler inside of it and put some hose clamps to hold the hoses where I wanted them. The bolts you see sticking out of the fixture are for the clamps inside.
 

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MBS1994

Member
May 26, 2019
326
Colorado
How did you end up doing the hood release cable? I also have a front mount from them I am waiting to install and couldn't see it in the picture
 

JayArr

Original poster
Member
Sep 24, 2018
504
Mission BC Canada
I just pushed it up over the top and it seems to work. pics attached. If you can't see the cable LMK and I'll highlight it.

I think it may be possible to run the hood cable in front of the cooler but this was my solution.
 

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MBS1994

Member
May 26, 2019
326
Colorado
I just pushed it up over the top and it seems to work. pics attached. If you can't see the cable LMK and I'll highlight it.

I think it may be possible to run the hood cable in front of the cooler but this was my solution.
I see it, thank you. Much better picture than the instructions
 

JayArr

Original poster
Member
Sep 24, 2018
504
Mission BC Canada
OK, here's one more problem PCM won't tell you about.

The heads of the bolts used to attach the cooler at the top now interfere with the grill going back together. It won't properly clip in on that side so I had to take a step drill and put two holes in the grill so the bolt heads could stick through and the grill would snap in. Even after that was done I thought it wasn't going to hold so I added an extra self tapping screw in the center. See Pic.

All in all this kit was a nightmare. When a company lists your vehicle as compatible with their kit I sort of expect that they've installed one or two and that they'll lay out all the problems and how to fix them. PCM doesn't do that, they give you a bunch of parts that can be made to fit but the problems ate up hours of time creating solutions, modifications and work arounds. I was willing to pay $250 for a kit that was ready to install and all I got was a collection of parts in a box (some missing) and an instruction sheet that was next to worthless.

If you want to install this cooler buy the parts yourself for $125 and skip PCM altogether, there is nothing in their "kit" that makes it any easier to install.
 

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