Installation of a Transmission Cooler on 2006 Chevrolet Silverado.

Updated 06/13/2012 | Published 06/10/2012

Question:

Ok a transmission shop installed a tranny cooler between the radiator and cond. Is that good or bad 2 nd they bypass the radiator good or bad. They use a torqflo 403 part number would that handle a 2006 silverado 4.8 crew cab with doing no towing just a family truck

asked by: Juan

Expert Reply:

Transmission coolers are designed to be mounted flush against either the radiator or the AC condenser core. For maximum cooling ability, the heat exchanger must receive the most airflow possible.

Mounting the cooler between the condenser and the radiator still allows for ample airflow, but cuts effectiveness by 25 percent. Installation of a larger cooler unit in this position may help make up for that loss.

When you install a transmission cooler, you are installing it as a supplemental system to assist the factory system. You would not want to bypass the factory cooler as that would not be nearly as beneficial, even if the new cooler is larger than the old one.

I do not have any specifications on the torqflo 403 transmission cooler. If you are not going to be towing with your 2006 Chevrolet Silverado truck the overheating of the transmission fluid should not be as bad, so any type of decent cooler should benefit your transmission.

Ideally you want to keep the temperature of the transmission fluid in the 160 to 200 degree range. You cannot cool transmission fluid too much.

I am including links to a couple of FAQ articles on transmission coolers that are very informative.

expert reply by: Jeff D