ImStricken

I decided to go with well known & recommended tranny cooler radiator supplier, instead of some ebay supplier from Asia. I am running this in a series along with the radiator tranny cooler. This unit is designed for a Gross vehicle weight to 18,000 lbs. So i figured this would be MORE than enough for my 2002 Maxima GLE. As i posted before with a tow hitch install write-up(posted below), i will be towing mine & wifey's 2 race bikes to the track every couple weeks in the warm months- so this is a great investment.(its even a great investment for anyone who doesn't tow, but spends time in traffic- which i do often to wine & dine HER in nyc lol)

INFO FROM THE HAYDEN WEBSITE:
Rapid-CoolŽ Transmission Oil Coolers
Rapid-CoolŽ’s unique plate and fin design offers excellent cooling efficiency in a compact, space-efficient design.
Features

• 33% more efficient than a comparable tube and fin design
• Pre-drilled mounting plates for easy installation
• Four sizes available to fit a wider range of applications
• Internal turbulation for efficient heat transfer
• 3/8” push-on fittings for quick and easy installation
• Overall Height 11in.
• Overall Width 6in.

Just to get a relative comparison on size. With my fingers spread behind it, my palm is completely hidden.



























FOR ANYONE INTERESTED IN A TRAILER HITCH WRITE-UP:
http://forums.maxima.org/5th-generat...02-maxima.html

Rods03Max619

iTrader: (5)

Does the tranny feel better to you, if so in what ways, and whats the fee if you dont mind....

ImStricken

to be 100% honest, you wont feel a difference. the only difference you could see would be in numbers if you took the temps of average running conditions prior to install, and then after install. I just finished an hour or so ago, maybe i will see a difference after spending all day in NYC traffic, and then an hour in a half drive home on the highway.
(strange thing happens after all day in the city- and ambient temps are in the 90's: On the way home the tranny tends to hold the gears a little longer. So after the weekend in the city, and on the way home if it doesnt do that weird thing anymore- i will feel a difference. but for now nothing.)

oh sorry forgot to mention- the cost of the unit was $42 after 7% sales tax. it comes with a whole bunch of things, but the hose it came with proved to be to short for the application. so i went and got 4extra feet of hose for an addition $8. that was the total cost of this simple project.

Rods03Max619

iTrader: (5)

Very good in that price range....

ImStricken

spending $300+ on a product just because STILLEN was written on the box wasnt something i would even fathom.

stillen makes great products, but lets be real here... their tranny cooler rads are slightly bigger than a cigarette box.

colombian4u_61

iTrader: (3)

Are u planning to go turbo anytime soon?

ImStricken

nope, looking to tow wifey's and my track-bikes to the track.

FOR ANYONE INTERESTED IN A TRAILER HITCH WRITE-UP:
TRAILER HITCH INSTALLED ON 2002 MAXIMA

Prophecy99

iTrader: (1)

I can speak for myself. I can definately notice it. It shifts smooth as butter during normal temperatures. Sometimes you cant even notice it shifting. During vert hot summer days, In lack of better words I can say it shifts normally (meaning it shifts how it would shift in normal temps with extra no cooler). In cold winter months it sometimes shifts really hard in the mornings, but usually warms up after 10-15 mins of driving.

I did Hayden 404, and if im not mistake is almost double is size. and in my case you need 6 extra qts of tranny fluid.

NmexMAX

iTrader: (22)

Holy shyt! That's A LOT. You sure?

Rods03Max619

iTrader: (5)

Made me laugh but Damn that is alot.....

NmexMAX

iTrader: (22)

Yeah, 8.5qt is the capacity of the OEM tranny. So that's like adding another tranny almost.

Clashez

iTrader: (5)

Thanks for the write-up, guess this is the next mod

ImStricken

you know this morning driving to work (45min commute) i got a chance to mess with the tranny a lil

and i have to say, you know sitting in traffic when you start moving and its about to shift to the higher gear- and just at that moment you hit the brakes?
that kinda confused tranny jolt? - ITS GONE.
i tried to simulate that feeling... and its gone man. i thought i was crazy, having fisherman tails to tell... so i kept quiet- now that you said how yours shifts smooth as butter- i figured id share my story.
MY VERDICT: THE TRANNY REALLY DOES SHIFT SMOOTHER.

you said you did the 404 - i wanted to make sure i had the plate style versus fin style. heard that the plates dissipate heat faster for the ATF.
your style of cooler is good for oil- it wont decrease the line pressure.

scarface4522

iTrader: (33)

well im sold lol, that happens to me all the time,ill b getting one very soon now.thanks man

Sneaky Green

Wat about manual trannys

ImStricken

glad i could share the process.
i think this is a great bang for your buck.
every tranny website i visit all claim every 20degree's shaved off the temps- is like doubling your tranny life. and with these cars being kinda old already; i think preserving important components like the tranny should be the most important thing on anyone list.

ImStricken

sorry homie- you guys dont have the same tranny.
you have a gear oil- versus ATF. you dont have valves, or seals either.

your clutch is a dry plate, while we automatics have wet clutch packs. and if this hot fluid make the clutch packs hotter, they over heat and begin to degrade & slip.
further more the fluid that runs our hydraulics will degrade the valves & seals if its over heated. the fluid then causes what almost is like blood clots and jams hydraulic lines, etc.

L36

iTrader: (4)

Why would you want to cool you M/T?

b13ownr2

iTrader: (3)

with me living in the south, I went a different route. I bypassed the rad cooler and took it straight to the tranny cooler. Also, to avoid problems, I ran steel tubing instead of rubber lines. If you have a tube bender, or can rent 1, it is better. The only rubber is short pieces going into the cooler and into the tranny. Looks alot neater, went thru a hole in the lower rad support..... Plus, alot stronger if you run over anything in the road

ImStricken

well i have a splash shield so that will protect the hoses from anything i run over-
and id like to rebuttal your strength claim:
if i run over OOOOH LETS JUST SAY: a coyote(for a silly example) and the SOB bangs into the splash shield, and bends your metal ATF pipe and causes a pinch- say good bye to the tranny.
now if i run over the same coyote and the SOB bangs into my rubber piping... the rubber(like a tire hitting a pothole) will recoil back into its original shape. so in fact, your positive claim to having a metal pipe is actually a downfall.

case in point:


PS: THE COYOTE SURVIVED WITH JUST A SCRAPED PAW lol

Flanker84

WTF!? Lucky coyote!

Also, using a tubing system with rubber hose it's practical a best option than a all metal tubing because if you suffer a pinch it's even more easy to replace a rubber connection than a metal connection.

Flanker84

Ok, so let's make this clear

Benefits of get a transmission cooler
- Lower working temps
- Smooth shifting
- Increase life of transmission and ATF
- Ideal for cities with "Hot as Hell" summers
- Ideal for city driving

The "bad" things
- Hard shifting in cold places for the few first miles
- Almost 6 qts of extra ATF

Conclusion: I'll make this mod this weekend


Thanks ImStricken for the How To

ImStricken

UPDATE: 2nd day, another 45min commute to work: again noticing smoother shifts. im not hard on my car, but the commute 50% highway(first portion of going to work), and 50% typical jersey suburban driving(last portion going to work) is kinda long. I experience most of the difference in the suburban stop & go, and accelerating from traffic lights. from a standstill, 1st to 2nd gear has not been this smooth in years. im really-really impressed with this inexpensive tranny saving & upgrading- upgrade

Prophecy99

iTrader: (1)

now that u said that I was thinking about it, and I needed 6 qts for a flush! , I do rememeber supplying 6 qts though for the full amount of a flush and they still needed more due to the way the machine flushes.

nice write up op, and im interesting on to your theories with the fin vs plate style. Is it just opinions?
Im confused only because the Hayden 404 is for transmissions?

Super Shadow

not to be picky, and i don't want to offend but, where the trans lines go into the radiator, that is a cooler it is going to. but what you did was eliminate the oem one that always has 195 degree water surriounding it, to an air-cooled model. does it really benefit that much? if so i amthinking about doing this to my girlfriends pilot lol seems like a good idea...

ImStricken

well for one, the OEM rad tranny cooler i sheltered from the 195 degree water. its not effected by the coolant temps.
its just below the rad, and also getting air cooled. but i wanted something a little more on top of it. so i piggy backed a new cooler

this is my set-up: TRANNY -> RADIATOR TRANNY COOLER INLET -> RADIATOR TRANNY OUTLET -> new tranny cooler inlet -> new tranny cooler outlet -> TRANNY

this way im still using the OEM setup but added (via an inline formation) a new tranny cooler that will cool the tranny fluid down even ore

Super Shadow

oh ok sorry bout that. i see where you are going with it. great idea thought didn't think bout still using oem one too. that is being innovative!

ImStricken

I HOLD NO RESPONSIBILITY TO THIS VIDEO. I DIDNT MAKE IT- I JUST REMEMBERED HE DID THIS TO A PILOT.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ufns-kpwHJ0

T_Behr904

Great write up and great pics. This should definitely be a sticky.

mbdemonte

iTrader: (1)

Nice write up.

IF u did not want to use a Hayden 403.

The B&M part # is 70264 or 702648

Magnefine inline filter
Link: http://www.emergingent.com/subpage1Magnefine.htm

hockeydoody

man, that's sweet. I dont even know what its really for but looks helpful and totally awesome

T_Behr904

It helps cool the transmission fluid so it doesn't cook and make your automatic transmission take a big expensive s**t. If you ever smelled burned ATF you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

ImStricken

well said T_B

further more, since auto tranny's dont just go in 1 shot(its more of a slow downward progression)
before they do take that big expensive ****, they slip, bump, and jerk because the thin fluid gets even thinner when hot.
that hot fluid then transfers the heat to anything it touches- and accumulates more heat from anything it touches- thus increasing heat in everything and further degrading internal components.

so for those that dont tow, or abuse their cars- this is still a great add-on to any car because it will cool the fluid down even further than the stock cooler can, thus further preserving precious seals/valves/clutch-packs. also since fluid is naturally thicker when cold- it creates more pressure for the valves to operate in - thus resulting in smoother shifts while driving. so for us gen5 owners with obviously not so new tranny's this is almost a mandatory upgrade. this will preserve our trannys and allow for further service life.
plus if you did upgrade your horsepower; the tranny is really what takes all the raw power and transfer's it to the wheels. so if the engine gets upgrades - so should your tranny. (otherwise you will blow out your tranny)

Flanker84

ImStricken... I will say it again: This mod it's AWESOME!

I just read information about the OEM filtration system in the A/T and I'm scared of all the debris and sh*t that will form in it. I know that our cars got a screen filter and 2 magnets that catch a lot of that debris but I don't see a reason for why we can't install an inline filter, even it can be installed before the OEM cooler to prevent the deposit of debris in it.

This will be the route for a better transmission filter/cooler system

transmission -> output hose from the transmission -> inline filter (like magnefine) -> OEM cooler -> air cooler - input hose to the transmission -> transmission

We'll need more ATF but our cars will be happy for this upgrades!

What do you think about this configuration?

T_Behr904

IMO that doesn't sound like a bad idea.

hockeydoody

Learn something new everyday

altezzablazes

this was the first mod i did on my gle a while back

ImStricken

thank you for the kinds words- i love this mod. just spent the day in NYC yesterday, and no more hard shifting in traffic.

now regarding your configuration; iv always known that filters are to be installed in the return line AFTER the cooler. i read their website & magnefine pretty much confirmed my thoughts:

"On new vehicles (less than 5,000 miles), it is recommended that the filter be installed on the cooler supply side to protect the cooler from contamination. On in-service vehicles (more than 5,000 miles), the filter should be installed in the return line from the cooler to the transmission. On any vehicle that has experienced any transmission difficulty, the filter should be placed on the return side."

Mr. Blue Sky

iTrader: (1)

hmm. interesting. I may try this at a later date to aid my aging transmission possibly last a bit longer

Chris Gregg

iTrader: (59)

If you reside in areas that see cold winters, below 40 degrees....you should consider installing a thermostat so the fluid can get to operating temps before being primarily cooled through the cooler.

(I say primarily cooled because thermostats tend to stay 95% closed until operating temps - allowing only 5% open/flow to avoid air bubbles and build up of contaminents at the thermostat - then when at operating temp, the thermostat opens to 95% flow).

Perma-cool has a really good thermostat. I think Summit carries them...in-expensive.