Tranny Cooler placement anything to do with Transmission failure.

[shrek77]

My year old Jasper transmission with less than 17,000 miles lost 3rd and 4th gears last week and is still is in the shop. The tranny fluid cooler they installed when they installed the first Jasper transmission is installed either behind the Ac condenser or behind the radiator itself. I believe they didn't use the radiator for cooling and bypassed it. The tranny cooler is on the bottom drivers side bottom which from reading is the cooler side. If the tranny cooler is mounted behind the radiator, would that make any difference for the temperature of the cooled fluid leading to early failure. Jasper did send a new replacement and is currently being installed. If the placement could damage the new transmission at all I want to have them move it and will call them first thing Monday morning. I googled this allot and there is talk about it being ok and not ok. Thanks for any input!!!!

 

[Mooseman]

They wouldn't be able to install an auxiliary tranny cooler behind the radiator because of the fan and would be more difficult between the rad and A/C condenser. The normal way would be in front of the condenser and connected in series with the radiator cooler. Fluid should flow through the radiator cooler and then through the auxiliary cooler. It is out the ordinary to bypass the radiator's cooler and only use the auxiliary cooler. I have never seen any installation instructions for these that said to bypass it, always in series. Check under the truck at the radiator and you should see two hard lines going into the radiator at the bottom tank. One may be spliced or an adapter added with a rubber line to the auxiliary cooler. If there are no lines at all going into the radiator, then they did bypass it.

When the tranny failed, did the fluid have a burnt smell and look kind of brown?

 

[shrek77]

They wouldn't be able to install an auxiliary tranny cooler behind the radiator because of the fan and would be more difficult between the rad and A/C condenser. The normal way would be in front of the condenser and connected in series with the radiator cooler. Fluid should flow through the radiator cooler and then through the auxiliary cooler. It is out the ordinary to bypass the radiator's cooler and only use the auxiliary cooler. I have never seen any installation instructions for these that said to bypass it, always in series. Check under the truck at the radiator and you should see two hard lines going into the radiator at the bottom tank. One may be spliced or an adapter added with a rubber line to the auxiliary cooler. If there are no lines at all going into the radiator, then they did bypass it.

When the tranny failed, did the fluid have a burnt smell and look kind of brown?

Ok I'm pretty sure it wasn't installed in front of the condenser I'll have to check when I get her back. The fluid was full of metal dust like particles like fine particles when I wiped the dipstick off on my fingers.

 

[Mooseman]

Doesn't sound like a heat related failure, more like an outright mechanical failure. At least it was covered under warranty.

 

[Mark20]

Does sound like something was grinding in there. Not the first time I've heard of fluid looking like that.

 

[shrek77]

Thanks guys! Wanted to make sure not an issue with cooler. Just wanted to make sure the transmission stays cool and has a long life, Hopefully!!!

 

[Mooseman]

It's always a good idea to add an auxiliary cooler in addition to the radiator cooler, no matter if you tow or not. Heat is usually the no.1 tranny killer.

 

[RedEnvoyDenali]

It's always a good idea to add an auxiliary cooler in addition to the radiator cooler, no matter if you tow or not. Heat is usually the no.1 tranny killer.

Couldn't agree more. Even in the winter a tranny will generate its own heat and self destruct. Try getting stuck in the snow for a while and see how the temps go up.

 

[shrek77]

It's always a good idea to add an auxiliary cooler in addition to the radiator cooler, no matter if you tow or not. Heat is usually the no.1 tranny killer.

I was googling for a while and found this old post on bypassing trans cooler. The guy said: (When i bought my ambulance it had a Jasper trans in it. I bought it when it had 80K on it and have no idea on how long the trans was in there. Jasper requires that the factory trans cooler in the radiator is bypassed and the external tranny cooler be installed that ships with there transmissions.) So with that info I assume that they bypassed my rad cooler and placed the jasper cooler in front of the radiator behind the condenser to help the transmission warm up faster in the winter months, and cool in the summer.

 

[Mooseman]

Well, went to Jasper's site and found this document. Nothing saying that it MUST be bypassed. In order, this is their preferences for cooling the tranny:

1. Replace radiator
2. Bypass radiator and install external cooler
3. Flush radiator cooler

They sure do sound pretty anal but I would be too to avoid warranty returns. But I don't understand installing it behind the condenser as it would be getting warm air in summer when using the A/C, reducing its cooling capability. In front has always been the preferred location. And the Tru-Cool they use has a bypass valve to let it warm up to operating temperature so the thing about warming up the tranny is bogus. Besides, the A/C is not used in winter where you would need to warm it up. Makes absolutely no sense unless they were too lazy to try and make it fit in front because they didn't want to cut some of the plastic. That's my guess.

 

[shrek77]

Well, went to Jasper's site and found this document. Nothing saying that it MUST be bypassed. In order, this is their preferences for cooling the tranny:

1. Replace radiator
2. Bypass radiator and install external cooler
3. Flush radiator cooler

They sure do sound pretty anal but I would be too to avoid warranty returns. But I don't understand installing it behind the condenser as it would be getting warm air in summer when using the A/C, reducing its cooling capability. In front has always been the preferred location. And the Tru-Cool they use has a bypass valve to let it warm up to operating temperature so the thing about warming up the tranny is bogus. Besides, the A/C is not used in winter where you would need to warm it up. Makes absolutely no sense unless they were too lazy to try and make it fit in front because they didn't want to cut some of the plastic. That's my guess.

Had a nice discussion with a service Dept employee who asked the shop manager about the cooler being installed behind the condenser. They moved it to the front of the condenser for this trany. I asked them and they confirmed that that may have resulted in the first jasper tranys demise. Thanks for the time you guys spent to help with my question. And tonight I can pick my TB up yay!!!