sigmanf150

I've been running the factory 9 row transmission cooler and a Derale 7000 series cooler in series and I was still approaching the 210-220 degree area when I'm towing my 7k TT for over an hour in hilly areas. I would be willing to bet that forcing the oil to run through two different types of coolers was actually making things worse and not better for the tranny. Some had suggested putting in "T" fittings to run them in parallel to allow them both to work better, but I still figured that I'm splitting hairs and that the only way to alleviate my problem once and for all was to go with a bigger cooler.

So I had heard about the 2003 through 2007 Powerstroke 6.0 cooler that was big. Well, when I started searching I discovered man these are HUGE! The surface area is massive, and I wondered if it would fit in my SCAB.

There are different sizes of coolers: 25, 26, and 31 row. The picture below shows the 31 row on the left and a 25 row on the right.



I'll be installing the 31 row on my truck. I'm also installing a Derale remote oil filter to keep any debris from making it back to the tranny. It has different ports so you can configure the inlet and outlet direction so it makes positioning the filter easier.



So, I started by removing the factory cooler and disconnect the lines,



I test fit the cooler in the opening and realized I should mount the cooler with the inlets facing up instead of down so there is no chance of an air gap at the top. Then I started making brackets out of metal to attach it under the hood latch mechanism. Then I will bend some brackets up to attach to the ears on the side of the cooler and down to the tops of the frame horns.



I'll be posting more pictures tomorrow when I complete this project, as well as more details as to what I purchased to make all this happen.

More to come!!

eastyorkbmx

awsome man !

60DRB

Reminds me of the "Mongo" sized RV xmsn cooler I installed on my old '92 F-150. That should take care of your temperature issues. Just be careful with the hose routing since you have the in/out ports pointed up...you don't want any kinks (from bends) in the tubing.

sigmanf150

Finished!!

Here are the rest of the pics.

Cooler mounted and ready for hose routing


I made some fittings to convert from the factory 5/16" lines to 3/8" and then to 1/2", which is the size of the fittings on the Powerstroke cooler.


I mounted the Transmission filter behind the drivers side headlight. I had to notch out a little bit of the core support but now it fits and the filter is easily replaceable!



Finished! Ok I know the red hoses scream "ricer", but the parts store was out of black 1/2" line. I'll eventually replace them. Everything fits well, the lines aren't kinked anywhere, and the cooler is tightly mounted. It isn't going anywhere.




I ran around the block a bit after I buttoned everything up, but I never got above 150 because I wasn't towing. The 2004 and up 4R70E has a built in thermostat in the tranny line which fully opens at 180, so I will have to hookup my camper and do some towing to really see the benefits. Even though it is spaced away from the center bar and the ac condenser, I had my electric fan on medium and did the paper towel test and wow it sucked right up to the cooler! Very impressed!


Now I just need to hookup the new Painless F5 fan controller I purchased to replace the relay driven setup I have now, so the fan will shutoff above 30MPH, and I won't have to keep replacing relays when they get wet or hot.

I will continue to keep you guys updated! I'm going to hit all the brackets with some black paint to hide them, and I also plan on using the brackets to hold a pair of LED off road lights I have behind the grill.

Next big mod is replacing my defective quad cats with a pair of high flows!

dyeguy1212

iTrader: (1)

Having a remote trans filter would be awesome. I believe the new Allison trannys come with them.

Any idea how that will affect flowrate?

sigmanf150

I'm going to pull the line exiting the oil filter and check the flow rate. I am curious as to how the filter is affecting the flow. My biggest reason for adding the filter was to ensure any debris from the cooler doesn't end up costing me a tranny.

Overall I am very happy. I can't wait to tow with it!

Eric0508

I'd offer to buy your Derale 7000 but its probably defective

sigmanf150

Thanks for the offer. I'm planning on flushing it out and using it for an oil or power steering cooler. At least that's the plan.

sigmanf150

UPDATE:

I was finally able to do a real test with the cooler while towing my 7k camper. I am completely astonished at the temperature results so far! Took it for a 30 minute tow through some hilly back roads at 60MPH and my ScanGaugeII showed no higher than 160 for transmission temp! Last week I installed an electric temp gauge in the test port on the tranny and the reading between it and the ScanGauge is about 25-30 degrees, with the test port reading the between 170-185 at the highest during the test.

The biggest thing I have to say is my trans temps on the scan gauge would show 190+ after 30 minutes of towing the camper. Now they show a consistent 150-160. Talk about a drop in temps!!! I could not be more happy!!!





The last picture is from today pulling the camper down a two lane blacktop near my home.

Jay87LX

nice set up
How much was the cooler?