Does a larger transmission cooler help your transmissions longevity?

Have you had transmission problems in the past and wonder what you can do to make your transmission live longer? After a little research are you contemplating whether it is beneficial to install a bigger transmission cooler in your car or truck? Well you’re heading down the right track, so don’t stress. In one way or another, nearly every car owner searches for ways to help extend the life of their transmission.

It is an inexpensive and efficient way to add longevity to your truck’s transmission, such as a Ford F250, when you install an external or bigger cooler. The 5R110W transmission that appears in the 2008 Ford F250 had major problems with keeping fluid cool, which ultimately leads to failure. If your F250 transmission fails, your best option for a replacement is to look at remanufactured or rebuilt 5R110W transmissions.

There are many types of transmission coolers and each come with their own unique functions and advantages. On top of that, there are many different brands of transmission coolers to choose from. Installing a larger transmission cooler can keep your vehicle’s transmission running longer and more effectively whether you perform simple daily trips, drive a heavy-duty truck or SUV equipped for transporting and lugging, a powerful racing car, or any other automobile with an automatic transmission.

Installing A Larger Transmission Cooler

Although all vehicles with automatic transmission equipment have a cooler in their radiator, this may often not be enough to cool the fluid properly. It will be wise to think about installing an additional cooler if you experience any of the following climate or road situations, depending on how your vehicle is used.

• Travel for long durations in pause and drive traffic

• Hauling or carrying huge cargoes

• Living in a warm environment

These situations by themselves might not result in harm to your transmission, depending on how harsh they are, but they will speed up the process. Stop and go traffic, for example, can raise the transmission temperature due to a reduction or loss of airflow to the front of the vehicle. In order to reduce the radiator temperature, which houses the transmission factory cooler, airflow is necessary. The factory oil cooler will act as a heater much of the time, based on being inside the radiator where hot coolant flows in and out continuously. The radiator has to work harder with little ventilation to maintain the engine’s coolness, so it is not capable of cooling transmission temperatures adequately. Noting the problems that the radiator can face, the use of an external transmission cooler to assist the transmission fluid with more efficiently cooling the exterior of the radiator is a wise move.

Bigger Coolers For 5R110W Transmission

If you’re operating a Ford F250 Truck or any other vehicle equipped with a 5R110W transmission getting a bigger cooler is not a matter of if but when. This is especially important if your vehicle is used for hauling and carrying heavyweights and is utilized in harsh weather conditions, specifically extreme heat. A bigger external cooler will help increase the life of the 5R110W transmission by preventing your radiator from overheating. Many F250 transmissions could last longer if owners knew that this was an option. You will save yourself unnecessary expenses by installing the cooler and prevent other parts from being affected as a result of the transmission issues that may arise.

What Your Transmission Temp Should Be

You are guaranteed an approximate twenty-five-degree drop in temperature after fitting a transmission cooler to most vehicles. When the temperature changes start getting higher than 175 degrees, it begins to reduce the lifetime of your fluid and transmission across-the-board significantly. However, if your transmission temperature went from close to 200 degrees to 170 or lower after installing a bigger cooler, then you would have increased the lifetime of your transmission and likely saved yourself the expense of a costly new transmission. Note that you can build a transmission cooler yourself, saving yourself some extra bucks.

As you’ve now discovered, heat is the number one destroyer when it comes to transmissions. So you need to be aware of how to keep temperatures regulated to avoid early loss of your transmission based on the heat factor. The standard safe temperature level is between one hundred and seventy and ninety degrees. For every increase up to twenty-five degrees, the life of your transmission can be dramatically reduced. It won’t last as long as you’d like it to if your vehicle starts to overheat. To help your transmission function and cool the fluid more effectively. Therefore, experts recommend adding an external automatic transmission cooler.

Can A Larger Cooler Affect The Fluid?

Transmission fluid is not as susceptible to warmer weather or cooling as you would expect when it comes to overcooling a transmission. Some problems such as gelling and limited flow through the cooler lines may occur overcooling transmission fluid, but this is not too prevalent. When temperatures are steadily below zero, this can happen. However, most modern transmission fluids work well as they have an anti-gelling agent that prevents the fluid from becoming too cold and causing problems. For example, if your transmission temperature is too low and below 100 degrees for a prolonged period, this can cause problems.

Although transmissions operate better when held cooler than average and in a safe range, they still need to obtain some heat to allow proper transmission operation at the correct consistency in terms of shift characteristics and lubrication. It is often safer to use a cooler when mounting a transmission cooler, depending on what environment the vehicle drives in. For starters, you don’t need to be concerned with overcooling the fluid if you drive in stop and go traffic in a hot environment. However, if you travel long distances in the northern states when the temperatures are below zero because of the exposure to the cold temps, it is often advised to keep the factory cooler in the radiator in the loop.

Fluid Benefit From Larger Coolers

Another advantage of fitting your F250 Truck and other vehicles with an external transmission cooler is that it holds the transmission fluid in better shape for extended periods. Transmission fluid breaks down over time, particularly during extreme heat. It will not do its job of adequately supporting gears etc. when the transmission fluid begins to burn. Overall, you want your transmission fluid to still look red, even after several thousand miles. It needs to be replaced the moment it gets darker. Replacing the transmission fluid on time will allow the transmission to run at an acceptable operating temp and extend your fluid’s life by ensuring the fluid stays cool. By keeping your transmission fluid cooler can also impact your gas mileage, read more about that effect here.