Is Transmission Cooler Needed for 2006 Saturn Vue Doing Light Duty Towing  

Question:

Expert Reply:

For short distance very light towing in moderate temperatures you probably do not have to install a cooler for your transmission. That said, additional cooling of your transmission fluid over and above what is provided by the OEM cooler is never a bad idea. At the very least you'll want to make sure you've had your transmission serviced at the recommended intervals to ensure its fluid is clean and at the correct level. That may very well be enough for your light-duty application.

Your Saturn Vue owner's manual should indicate the towing conditions that may require addition of a secondary transmission cooler. I checked an online version of the manual and found nothing to indicate that the vehicle cannot be fitted with a supplementary transmission cooler for use when towing up to its rated limit (1500-lbs maximum was indicated in the manual I reviewed).

Transmission coolers are not vehicle specific; they can be installed on most cars and trucks that have external transmission lines that can be accessed. A supplementary cooler like Derale # D51008 should always be installed downstream of the OEM cooler by tapping into the return line on the transmission. This is the cooler of the two lines and it can be identified by starting with a cold engine and running the motor with the transmission in gear for about 15 seconds; the cooler of the two lines is the return line that should be used for the supplementary cooler.

expert reply by: Adam R

0