Quote:
Originally Posted by FotoCEO
Great information, thank you. My question now is, "how do I figure out if I need to install a transmission cooler?"
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Good question. As a general rule, I think the answer is "Unless you have a moose of a tow vehicle, you need one." And I think Wayne is the only one of us who comes close to moose-dom. Look at it this way. Every car with an automatic transmission has a transmission cooler. The tow vehicle manufacturer puts in a cooler that is adequate to the needs of the vehicle - but no more. Why not? A bigger cooler would cost more, raising the price of the vehicle. And the manufacturer doesn't want that, of course.
So now, you put a trailer on the back of the tow vehicle - a trailer that weighs as much as the vehicle itself. (Both about 4000 pounds.) Now the transmission has to handle twice the load. Do you want to bet your tranny that the stock cooler will handle double the load that the mfr intended? Maybe not.
Another way to answer the question is to do some research on your vehicle, and see what goes into the factory-installed optional towing package. It is not always easy to find out, since some manufacturers are pretty coy. But if you can find out, I think you will find that it consists of a Class III hitch receiver, a 7-pin electrical connector, and an aux transmission cooler. There may be other things, but this is the core of the package. And from that, you can conclude that the manufacturer thinks you need it.
Hope this helps.
Bill