Needing to get an Auto Trans cooler. Want something good that will last. Looked at B&M Racing ones (I saw someone mention them on here). What do others have?

 

I saw one in the new 4wd hardware catalog, I am not sure who makes it but it was around $150 and has it's own fan If I can find a good spot to mount it , I will let you know how well it works

 

You can go to Pep Boys, Autozone, or any of the like. In the towing section there will be a small selection of trans coolers that attach easily with zip-tie like hardware. It's a simple affair.

-Randy

 

The fan set up may be overkill unless you do seriously slow crawling in the desert heat. Not that it would hurt anything to have the fan.

A lot of us just have the ~$50 (B&M) types which are fine for DD, towing, mountain driving, etc., as long as there is moderate air flow.

Consensus seems to be that the autos really do need at least some auxiliary cooling, even for DD.

 

I was getting the auto trans overheat bell with very moderate off road work at high altitude.

Put the B&M cooler on it and now even with heavy duty high altitude off roading am having no problems. The B&M unit comes with everything you need. Takes an hour tops to install it. I have a lot of trail miles on mine now and it continues to work fine.

 

Here's the write up on what I did.

https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/jk-write-ups-39/trans-cooler-hard-line-install-58529/

 

A few things to keep in mind: First overkill is better than underkill when it comes to cooling your transmission. Secondly, saving a few $$$ now by going with an unpowered system now could cost much more later. Third (personal experience) NEVER use a heat sink style cooler. Last, make sure you use flexible transmission cooler hose and not fuel or heater hose.

 

here is another write-up

https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/show...mission+cooler

 

not always true. OP is in Michigan where it gets a lot colder than the southwest.

If ambient temps are so cold that the tranny fluid does not flow properly then the (non-flowing) fluid trapped in the tranny can actually overheat. I'm not saying it'll happen to OP, just that in can and does in very cold conditions. Some aux coolers have bypass capability to help the fluid keep flowing when it starts to get 'too cold'.

I closely monitor my tranny temps with a scan gauge, the temp hasn't gone much over about 150* with the small B&M cooler i installed. Usually stays under 130. It would hit 200 before the cooler.

 

Add in the rarified air up here and it doesn't get that much colder there. You are also talking about a space that limits what you can install between the grill and radiator anyway. My transmission rarely runs under 130 and even below zero ambient temp, it flows just fine according to the temps shown on the Scangauge. The fan doesn't kick in until the temp hits 170 anyway so basically it's just a regular tranny cooler until it gets hot. Then you have the added cooling that'll add much more life to your transmission.