How to bypass radiator

Logisense

Test Drive
Location
Minot Nd
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS ONLY. MANUAL TRANSMISSION GUYS THIS DOESN'T APPLY TO YOU.

To quote a user from another forum:

"Corrosion in the OEM radiator causes an internal leak that allows the coolant to mix with the automatic transmission fluid. The root cause is not known: whether the corrosion is due to the coolant chemistry, AT fluid chemistry, or a flaw in the radiator design and manufacture. What is well known is the effects of this failure: dead transmission and a high dollar repair. What this modification does is completely eliminate the potential for that failure to occur, and attempts to mitigate the loss cooling provided by the now bypassed radiator transmission cooler by adding a second aftermarket cooler behind the OEM transmission cooler. The majority of this thread is dedicated to the merits and potential consequences of this modification."

OK. There is an EASY way to prevent your radiator from eating your transmission. Granted, this does not allow the engine to warm up the transmission fluid, but if it bothers you that much, buy an oil pan heater and slap it on your transmission...


Check this out.


Here is your transmission cooler framed in red.

IMG_0251.JPG




all i did was switch the two hoses. the hose indicated by the red stripe used to be connected where the hose indicated by the green stripe is connected and vice versa.

IMG_0254.JPG


thats it!! thats all you need to do to bypass the radiator. i took my bumper and everything else off just for pictures. you could do this by only taking your radiator skid off.


STOP HERE IF YOU DO NOT ADD A SECOND COOLER
___________________________________________

now since i was in the mojave desert, i decided to ADD a second trans cooler. check this out for easy.

complete steps one and two above. purchase any cooler you wish, so long as it fits. i got autozone part number: 911403 (thats set as my hometown store, make sure to check yours! :))
i added mine to the rear of the stock cooler:
IMG_0256.JPG


trans fluid comes into the new cooler on the left (red), exits on the right (yellow) and goes into the factory one (green). no need for any other hose changes!

as you can see plenty of clearance behind!

IMG_0258.JPG


hardly can tell its there!

IMG_0257.JPG
 

mudchet

Got Mud?<br><img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/
Founding Member
Location
Brentwood, TN
Logisense,

Thanks for a helpful post. If I understand this correctly, the radiator and factory trans cooler are separate units hooked up in series. The first part of your post literally bypasses the radiator but still routes trans fluid through the factory trans cooler. Is that correct? I bought the same trans cooler you have, but may return it since I dont think I need it. Do you agree?

Thanks
 
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