Flushing a stock tranny cooler

[LEB Ben]

Hey fellas...how in the hell do you flush a stock tranny cooler that's in the bottom of the radiator? Pull the nipples and run water through????? I'm thinking I may have some blockage and that could be causing my excess heat problem in the tranny.

 

[smokey]

Not water. Air, low pressure air should blow out the old fluid.

 

[LEB Ben]

And gunk as well? So no liquid cleaning agents what-so-ever?

 

[smokey]

The air should blow the gunk out. If it is really clogged you could pump a cleaner with a vacuum pump or I have a electric fuel pump I use to transfer fluids or flush things out with.

 

[LEB Ben]

Alright...thanks Randy.

 

[m78]

Everybody talks about how ATF cleans gunk. How would it be causing it ?

 

[m78]

I had a E350 that had a transmission over heating problem that we couldn't find the problem.
So I put a super cooling transmission pan on it. It has tubes running through it to allow air flow to cool the fluid.

 

[73F100Shortbed]

Everybody talks about how ATF cleans gunk. How would it be causing it ?

Ha that's a good point. I would try the compressed air first.

 

[LEB Ben]

Everybody talks about how ATF cleans gunk. How would it be causing it ?

Great point...but I was thinking more or less anything that accumulated while the radiator was out of the truck for 2 months. Seems to me wasps and dirt dobbers love making nests in radiators. I did an external inspection, but didn't pull the nipples.

I had a E350 that had a transmission over heating problem that we couldn't find the problem.
So I put a super cooling transmission pan on it. It has tubes running through it to allow air flow to cool the fluid.

Yeah...I'm thinking a higher capacity pan and an auxilary cooler in series with the stocker will be ordered shortly.

 

[m78]

http://www.summitracing.com/search/?keyword=transmission cooling pan&dds=1

 

[smokey]

You don't have a aux. cooler. Every truck I ever had had them thought they came stock.

 

[LEB Ben]

You don't have a aux. cooler. Every truck I ever had had them thought they came stock.

I have the one in the bottom of the radiator, but I meant an aftermarket unit, ran in series with the stocker.

 

[Skandocious]

I've has the derale cooler pan for a year or 2 and no complaints. Just don't use the chitty gasket that comes with it-- mine disintegrated.

 

[Dirky]

A decent home method..

Spray brake cleaner through inlet side and use compressed air to blow the cleaner through the cooler... Keep repeating this until the brake cleaner that comes out of the return line is clear. After that is done, push fresh ATF through the line and blow that stuff though a couple of times..

 

[LEB Ben]

Thanks Derek...

 

[m78]

A decent home method..

Spray brake cleaner through inlet side and use compressed air to blow the cleaner through the cooler... Keep repeating this until the brake cleaner that comes out of the return line is clear. After that is done, push fresh ATF through the line and blow that stuff though a couple of times..

And then clean up the mess and throw away the hasmat suit you were wearing.

 

[Dirky]

And then clean up the mess and throw away the hasmat suit you were wearing.

No problem Ben.


To avoid a mess, run rubber hose off of the cooler/lines and into a an oil change pan or w/e.

 

[mrxlh]

Grapefruit juice works wonders on any sludge. Been using it to clean oil coolers for years. Let it sit for a half a day and then flush is out with water.