C & A s Dad

Bob, I could be wrong but I believe Tru Cool was the orginator of the Stacked plate cooler and held the patent for years. I think they still produce them for several other companies such as Hayden. I cannot swear to this but I can tell you they are an excellent product. This would be an excellent choice for you considering where you live becuase they offer several models with built in thermostats. This lets the cold thick fluid bypass the cooler until it gets warm. This is not an issue where I live. I do recommend the 3/4" thick models as they offer more efficient cooling than the 1.5" thick models. GM stopped using the thicker models in 99 with the 800 series trucks. I just towed my camper this weekend and the outside temps were only in the mid to upper 80s. I was pulling bigger and longer hills than I had ever pulled before and my trans temp peaked at 158 for a few minutes but ran low 150s most of the time.

I would not worry about it. There are litteraly millions of these trans on the road in GM Trucks and many of them last 200,000+. If you plan to tow, either add an external cooler (stacked plate) or upgrade the one you have considering where you live. Service the trans, I recommend syn fluid. Add a trans temp gauge like the Aeroforce Interceptor, tow in 3rd with the T/H engaged and enjoy your truck. You need to research max TT length for your Tahoe. Their shorter wheelbase does limit your trailer length. Good to know about the TT length, thanks. As for the reliability of this tranny, what you're saying is the impression I'm starting to get after "wasting" this whole weekend reading this board. At first I read enough to make me nervous, but the more I read, the more I'm comfortable with it. In fact, I'm pretty much ready to order a tune from wait4me. I'm now convinced the tranny will be fine. I do have 4.10 gears and the factory HD aux trans cooler. I don't know what the quality of that one is though. I don't remember the context of the post, but I remember someone here telling a guy his tranny already comes with synthetic. When did that start? Mine might already be synthetic? Mike, I can help you with your questions. Your truck does not have syn fluid. GM began using Dex VI in late 06 if I am correct but I know they were not using it in 05. Your OE cooler is a stacked plate designed cooler and is an excellent overall cooler. IMO it is too small for high heat climates such as the Southern parts of the US. This is why I upgraded mine to an 11 x 11 x 3/4 unit. Your is apprx 5" x 11" x 3/4". I will be happy to send you some pics of mine installed in case you consider upgrading. I would need you to send me your e mail address in a Private Message. If you have the 4.10 gears you will be pleased with the towing capacity of your truck. You will want to use 3rd with the TH mode. This will keep your Revs right in the 5.3's sweet (2300 to 2800) spot when you are driving between 55 and 65. If you get a tune, be sure you tell them you are towing and are looking for extra tq in the low to mid range. More HP and TQ at 5500 RPMs is not going to help you tug that camper.

I would not worry about it. There are litteraly millions of these trans on the road in GM Trucks and many of them last 200,000+. If you plan to tow, either add an external cooler (stacked plate) or upgrade the one you have considering where you live. Service the trans, I recommend syn fluid. Add a trans temp gauge like the Aeroforce Interceptor, tow in 3rd with the T/H engaged and enjoy your truck. You need to research max TT length for your Tahoe. Their shorter wheelbase does limit your trailer length.

Sorry for not getting to this question earlier. I would have to connect the scanner to your truck and find out if the torque converter clutch solenoid is activating in 3rd gear. You might be able to watch to see if there's an RPM drop at partial throttle, but that might be hard to detect. I tried to look it up on alldatapro and I'm not finding any good info. I know my 02 Yuk XL does not allow the convertor to lock in 3rd with the TH Mosw engaged. I had always thought it did but I checked it towing this weekend and the convertor never locked while I was in 3rd with the TH on.

Mike, we really do appreciate the info and I am with you 100% on the heat and cooler. Did you use Hayden's stacked plate design coolers? This is what we attempt to sell and recommend from our stores. All info indicates they are much more efficient and flow better than the old style tube and fin coolers.