PhatherPhish

Hello everyone,

I’m currently doing a VR transmission swap on my sedan and am replacing the factory transmission cooler with one I’ve put together. I didn’t want to go with any of the kits I could find online as they all seemed to have major shortcomings for my particular purpose. Not enough/wrong hoses, meant to go in line with factory cooler, and small cooler core were all issues I found.

So far it’s coming together nicely and I plan to start selling kits for the 7AT. But, before I pull the plug and stock up on materials I want to gauge everyone’s interest.

The kit will include:
-steel braided -6AN PTFE lines with PET protective sleeves
-hose separators
-new banjo connectors
-145F-185F thermostat
-19-34 row stacked plate cooler
-cooler mounting bracket with provisions to mount a second cooler and retain factory PS cooler
-any other necessary hardware

LMK if you have any questions or suggestions, and if you are interested.

Thanks!

socketz67

So the kit you are putting together will bypass the integrated transmission cooler that is built into OEM radiator? Are there any disadvantages to bypassing the OEM transmission cooler? Which brand of 19-34 row stacked plate cooler are you recommending? Do you have a picture of the system installed?

PhatherPhish

Yes, the kit will bypass the OEM trans cooler. The main disadvantage from doing this is that the trans fluid will take longer to warm up since it won’t be able to take heat from the coolant but, operating temps will end up being more stable. The cooler coming with the kit is setrab series 6. System is not installed yet as this is all a WIP so It will be about a month until I have a polished kit I can easily replicate and get materials for.

Eddy Gonzalez

I have a v36 g35 with the 5at and i had a 19 row stacked plate cooler installed with factory cooler in series but i had my trans fluid pressure do weird things. I bypassed and put a cooler thermostat inline to help warm up the trans fluid properly and it has been night and day difference in operation. Derale makes a thermostat. I wouldnt recommend not running a thermostat due to overcooling especially if you live in a cooler climate.

PhatherPhish

Good info. What kind of inline thermostat did you go with? I purchased one from improved racing that uses a straight-through design with the thermostat opening and closing a passage between the two channels. Supposedly this will allow only a small amount of fluid to circulate the cooler while the thermostat is open. Great for if the thermostat were to ever fail, but I’m skeptical as to how effective it will be for controlling flow to and from the cooler.

Eddy Gonzalez

i ran the tru cool thermostat, which if i understand correctly allows fluid to flow through the cooler and also recirculates through the thermostat itself. As it heats up it closes off the center portion of the thermostat to force all the fluid through the cooler. Ive been running it 3 months so far with no issues

PhatherPhish

It's been a while but I am still interested in making these kits. ATM I only plan to do this for RWD 7AT models as I have no way to verify fitment on AWD. I have a working prototype that I have been using for about 1k miles. The transmission warms up slower than a stock vehicle, but not so slow that I am concerned. 5-10 minutes of driving and it is up to temp. Operating temps stay between 150 & 180 tested in 40-75F ambient temps even with prolonged spirited driving. Before I would see the temps get up to 190-220F in colder temps. The kit includes -6 PTFE hoses, necessary hardware, 25+ row cooler, an in-line thermostat, and mounting brackets. The bracket that I mounted the thermostat on is a modified OE one that mounts to the engine but I will be supplying a bracket with the kit. I plan to have a few options for the kit (1. aftermarket PSF cooler provisions or retain factory PSF cooler. Adding this will require the use of an aftermarket crash bar) (2. cooling fan provisions) (3. Transmission fluid cooler size.) (4. hose protector sleeves) The thermostat will be part of the kit and I have no intention to make it optional. I've yet to work out a final price but it will range from $700-$950 depending on options and parts availability.