tinygs

The model that I chose is one that I was able to see in person on JACOBT's car. It is clean, black, and VERY "factory" looking.(Pep-Boys Hayden model #677 plate and fin style) 3 feet of hose is supplied, but you will need to buy 3 additional feet. The hose is on the same shelf as the cooler at Pep-boys, and is also sold as a Hayden product with the exact same measurements and ###'s as the hose in the kit.

You will make it ALOT easier if you use jack stands and remove the under carriage cover.(16 screws) As your FACING the car with the hood open, locate the support that your horn is attached to. (Right below the hood latch, in front of the radiator) You should mount the cooler against the radiator at the very front of the engine bay.(in the space provided to "YOUR" right of the horn). There are 4 small (1"x1") square pads included for mounting that will eleviate any vibration and provide spacing for air flow between the radiator and tranny cooler. Look to YOUR EXTREME bottom right(facing the car) of the radiator and there will be a PERFECT square opening (about 3"x3") to allow the two required hoses to pass through un-obstructed and with plenty of room to move.(do not bend the hose to less than a 3" radius, it may kink or flow poorly)
After you attach the hoses to the cooler with supplied clamps, mount the cooler against the radiator using supplied "rods and locking buttons" (cooler hose connections facing DOWNWARD) Then, feed the hoses through the opening mentioned above.
At this point you will need to get under the car. Remove the tranny fluid RETURN hose where it attaches to the radiator "outlet" and where it attaches to the steel fluid return line. (its about one foot long) Have a container handy when you remove this hose, you will lose 2-3 oz. of fluid. Discard this hose, it will not be re-used.
Now attach one of your "new" hose endings (either one...) to the radiator "outlet" and the other to the steel fluid return line using the supplied clamps. (first cutting the ends to remove excess length) The hoses CAN be left long enough to allow for proper fluid flow, but short enough so that they will have about 1" of clearance between themselves and the under-carriage cover once it is re-installed..I used a tie wrap to fasten the two hoses to each other just before the radiator "outlet". (This part will become obvious as you near the end of the install) Now add a tiny bit of fluid (Toyota ATF type T-IV ONLY) to top of the tranny fluid system. Run car at fast idle for a couple of minutes, check for any leaks, etc., re-install the under-car carriage cover and you are finished.....
Tiny

Spartan

If you mount the tranny cooler in front of the radiator, wouldnt that inhibit the radiotor from recieveing air flow for cooling?
Isn't that more important?
I am very interested in a tranny cooler, that is why I am asking.
How much was your unit?
Were there other options?
Thanks
MIKE

LexusRules

since a radiator is so big, i really doesn't make that much of a difference. Also the air flows through the tranny cooler and hits the radiator after. Also the tranny cooler is very small i donkt know if u've seen one before but they are small

///MDex

Tiny - many thanks for the write up. I may have to do this myself since I wasn't able to get one installed this past weekend.

Doesn't sound too hard really.

tinygs

You can do it yourself, this is definitely not a mod to pay someone else to do. Funny, I wrote this thread a few minutes after your thread about SRT....
Spartan, what Sasha said is EXACTLY right, you will see that the tranny cooler is made up almost entirely of fins for air to pass through..Same principle that is behind radiator fins.....Also, most tranny coolers are sized in proportion to the size/weight of the vehicle. This is because for STREET or everyday use, most tranny coolers go on vehicles that intend to do some towing, helping to keep the tranny temps down for less wear and tear....
Well, that also applies to performance apps do to the higher tranny temps associated with ALOT of high performance cars...(and their owners driving styles..)

gsnav

What's the point of this Tranny Cooler? Any pics would be great? Thanks.

///MDex

Dude, cm'on.

tranny....
cooler....

tranny-cooler



It cools the tranny fluid, which may be above optimal temps when circulated through a transmission that is handling more horsepower or put through greater than usual stresses, say for instance, a higher stall torque converter.

It may be a tad bit of overkill, but its cheap insurance as far as I'm concerned ~$50 for the cooler itself; its worth a ton more in piece of mind - cooler fluid plays better

HTH

tinygs

Right again Dex...
GSnav? The #1 kiiler and "life-shortener" of a tranny is heat....Again, for a peformance car like a GS , it is a sure way to help keep tranny temps down, which can also help the tranny efficiency...
Dont forget, for the level of return on such a small investment($50), it is a great mod...

GlobeCLK

iTrader: (5)

thanks for the great info Tiny!

However I suck when it comes to installing stuff involving hoses and stuff. I know an auto-mechanic shop that's pretty cheap and is competent enough to do this type of installation. Do you know how long the process will take, for some experienced auto-mechanic, to hook this thing up?

thanks in advance!

tinygs

Because they will have a lift at their disposal, it will take someone who has done one before less than an hour....These are keys in using a mechanic who has NOT done a tranny cooler SPECIFICALLY on a GS.
1- MAKE SURE you show him EXACTLY where to mount the cooler. The rods with locking buttons that I referred to above require that you reach over to the back side of the radiator and push the rods(about 8" long, same diameter as a wire coat hanger) through the radiator fins and straight through the mounting hole on your tranny cooler. Now you slip the locking button over the rod and pull the rod through it until the button is firmly against the cooler mounting hole. You will then cut the excess, similar principle as a "tie-wrap". You repeat this four times, to account for the four corners of your tranny cooler. For the model that JacobT and I have have, visualize a 51/2"x11"x3/4" cooler located just to the right of the support that holds your horn....(IMO the plate and fin style is MUCH more appealing to the eye than the tube and fin style...I knew that right when I saw JacobT's cooler)
2-Point out the opening at the extreme lower right side of the radiator(about a 3"x3" square shaped opening) where the hoses should be routed to the back side of the radiator where they will attach....
This will insure that he doesnt try to un-necessarily fabricate something or cut a hole in the plastic to route the hoses.....

Globe, knowing your DIY track record, I would say that if you stand and watch the mechanic do the install, you will kick yourself afterwards for not having done it yourself......

///MDex

Hey Tiny - is this what yours looks like?

Hayden has a great site with a bunch of good info - esp their pdf catalog

www.haydenauto.com

#677 looks like my ticket

I may have to invest in some jack ramps, but I know I'll use them when detailing anyway!

Again, great info Tiny.

JacobT

YES. That's exactly the tranny cooler me and Tinygs used on our cars. It's a 26000 GVW unit, so it should be more than enough for our 4000 lb GS

tinygs

Yep, that is the exact hardware that comes with the cooler, but, model #677 will be about 2/3 as tall, and the same width as the one in the picture...The one pictured is for a vihicle even bigger than the GS.

evad

Does tranny cooler have an integral thermostat that allows cooling only after fluid reaches an optimum temp?

If not, tranny fluid will not reach optimum temp on a cool day.

///MDex

From my limited amount of research, most don't. You can buy thermos for them though for really heavy duty ones. Most street application I don't belive its a factor of over cooling...