Do I need an auxilary trans. cooler?

daivdo · September 13, 2006

I have a 2006 1500 Crew Cab 4.8L and don't think it came with the auxilary transmission cooler. Just going to be towing a 2,500 pound trailer. Do you guys think I am going to need one?

sc4808 · September 13, 2006

Yeah, you need one.

No "Truck" should leave the factory with out one.

C & A s Dad · September 15, 2006

Mark is right. Be sure and get a Stacked Plate designed cooler instead of a tube and fin style. I recommend a 11x11x 3/4" thick. You can find a sp cooler that is 1 & 1/2 " thick but our supplier, Hayden, recommends the 3/4" thick coolers and claim they are more efficient.

Hope this helps

solarjustin · July 16, 2007

Does anyone have any brands that they would recomend for a stacked plate transmission cooler?

C & A s Dad · July 16, 2007

I would recommend Hayden. They are our (CARQUEST) Supplier and offer a great quality product. If you live in the north where the winter temps get really cold, I would recommend staying with something close to the OE size which will be approx 11" wide by 6" tall by 3/4" thick. If you live in the south or other warmer climate as I do, I would recommend Hayden's 11" x 11" x 3/4". I replaced my OE unit with this and it does a great job. However, it could possibly keep a trans too cool in cold climates.

You will also see some stacked plate coolers that are 1 & 1/2" thick. Hayden does not recommend the thicker units and does not offer them. They actually are not as efficient as the 3/4" models.

If you have a CQ store in your market, I can offer our part #s. We use our #s so I cannot provide you with Hayden's #s.

az'03Silverado · July 17, 2007

I have a B&M 26000lb gvw Super-cooler that's done well for about 60,000 miles.

C & A s Dad · July 17, 2007

If I am not mistaken, the B&M is a stacked plate cooler that is made by the same mfg as the Hayden. I believe B & M still offers the thicker 1 & 1/2" version while Hayden has elected to go with the 3/4" version only.

SweatyAppleSauce · July 17, 2007

How much would it cost to have one installed. I'm not sure, and I haven't looked to see if my Tahoe has one installed.

C & A s Dad · July 17, 2007

Look right behind the Bowtie in your grill. If it has one, there will be what looks like a small radiator mounted right out in front of the A/C Condensor on the "A" shaped brace. The cooler will be approx 11" x 5".

If you do not have one, my guess is a good shop would charge you about 1 to 1.5 hours in labor for adding one. It is not a bad job but if you are not comfortable with doing it, get you a good cooler and find a Prof Tech to do it for you.

StoneyPgh · July 17, 2007

Does anyone have any brands that they would recomend for a stacked plate transmission cooler?

Tru-Cool is one of the best. The bigger, the better.

C & A s Dad · July 17, 2007

Peter if I am not mistaken, True Cool is the company that began making the Stacked Plate cooler and to my knowledge they still hold the patent and supply them to all others. I could be wrong but a Trans Shop Owner told me this.

As far as the bigger the better, this could be true if you live in a climate that never sees any really low temps such as single digits down to sub zero. A cooler can get too large for these climates and acutally keep the fluid too cool.

This is not an issue in my area of the country and why I went with the 11" x 11". It is keeping my fluid at 167 on a 92 degree day while towing my 6500 camper.

AFD256 · July 17, 2007

How difficult would the install be?

C & A s Dad · July 17, 2007

It is not a big job. Your grill can be on the ground in less than 5 minutes so it makes it easy to get to everything. I would recommend the univ installation kit as it contains some brackets and bolts as well as guides for the hose. Just be sure you allow the fluid to pass through the internal cooler first and then through the aux cooler. This means your lines will run from the trans, to the radiator, out of the radiator into the aux cooler and then back to the trans. I believe your truck has rubber already in the lines so you do not even have to cut the metal lines. I know the trucks with OE coolers have rubber in the lines but I am not sure about an truck that did not come with a cooler. You would only have to disconnect the one line that currently takes fluid back to the trans. Instead of it going directly to the trans, it would flow to your aux cooler and then back to the trans. Really a pretty easy job.

The only other things to look out for is make sure the hoses are not rubbing on any sharp edges and that you do not make any really sharp bends in them that could restrict flow.

Mosey · July 17, 2007

I agree with whoever said "No "Truck" should leave the factory with out one.", it should be standard equipment.

AFD256 · July 17, 2007

It is not a big job. Your grill can be on the ground in less than 5 minutes so it makes it easy to get to everything. I would recommend the univ installation kit as it contains some brackets and bolts as well as guides for the hose. Just be sure you allow the fluid to pass through the internal cooler first and then through the aux cooler. This means your lines will run from the trans, to the radiator, out of the radiator into the aux cooler and then back to the trans. I believe your truck has rubber already in the lines so you do not even have to cut the metal lines. I know the trucks with OE coolers have rubber in the lines but I am not sure about an truck that did not come with a cooler. You would only have to disconnect the one line that currently takes fluid back to the trans. Instead of it going directly to the trans, it would flow to your aux cooler and then back to the trans. Really a pretty easy job.

The only other things to look out for is make sure the hoses are not rubbing on any sharp edges and that you do not make any really sharp bends in them that could restrict flow.

Sounds good Thanks alot for the instruction