Date: Fri, 24 Feb 2012 12:56:32 -0500
Reply-To: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Tranny oil cooler,(homemade kit?)
In-Reply-To: <20120224123248.09QRR.662343.imail@eastrmwml301>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Yes I do. However I know that the ten cent life oil cooler is an effective set up. There are a few details I don’t fully agree with but it does work. The big point that I was trying to make was having before and after results. This is after the need is determined. The Water Boxer and most any engine that runs at the upper limits of its load and speed capabilities needs some oil cooling. The VW cooler is limiting as it uses only hot coolant as the transfer source. Same goes for ATF cooling. Most other vehicles use the return from the radiator for cooling other fluids. If a thermostatic mixing valve was used to get cool coolant to feed the oil coolers things would be a lot different. Now for the transmission the heat load from the torque converter is all over the place as load changes. With the origanol set up these things really do not fail due to heat issues. So I caution making changes without some before and after data to confirm success.
Dennis
-----Original Message-----
From: mcneely4@cox.net [mailto:mcneely4@cox.net]
Sent: Friday, February 24, 2012 12:33 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM; Dennis Haynes
Subject: Re: [VANAGON] Tranny oil cooler,(homemade kit?)
Dennis, do you have the same question concerning external oil coolers like the one tencentlife sells? I have one of those on my '91 with original waterboxer engine. My evaluation has been that in high ambient temperatures on long drives, the oil pressure stays up in the range where I want it to be, whereas before it would drop after 3-4 hours at upper nineties and higher at highway speeds. When I would slow to idle the warning light might come on intermittently, but since putting the cooler on that does not happen, and the pressure stays above 10psi even at idle, according to my after market guage. Of course, I realize that transmissions and engines are different beasts, but hydraulics and thermodynamics are fundamentally the same no matter the machines involved. I did consider that I was adding points for possible failure when I was deciding to get the cooler.
mcneely
---- Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM> wrote:
> But how do you know if it doing any good at all or is it just an added
> point for failure? Remember these transmissions did fine with no
> external cooler at all from 1973 until the Waterboxer.
>
> Dennis
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
> Behalf Of Larry Alofs
> Sent: Thursday, February 23, 2012 8:00 AM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: Tranny oil cooler,(homemade kit?)
>
> I mounted mine above the opening at the top of the bell housing. You
> can feel some breeze there from the spinning torque converter. This
> gives some cooling effect even when the van is stationary.
> I'm not sure how much room there is there with the standard wbx
> engine/trans position. My bell housing may be a little lower in order
> to keep the Subie throttle body below the engine lid.
>
> Larry A.
>
>
> On Tue, Feb 21, 2012 at 8:28 PM, Dennis Haynes
> <d23haynes57@hotmail.com>
> wrote:
> > Water cooled oil coolers are used because they are extremely effective.
> > Especially for transmission oil cooling. Many vehicles use a tranny
> > cooler inside the radiator or some type of heat exchanger that uses
> > the
> coolant.
> > What you should do is install some type of temperature monitoring
> > before any changes and then see what results you get with the
> > "upgrade" Luckily the Vanagon torque converter has its own cooling
> > as a left over from the air cooled days. For both engine and
> > transmission coolers I like to get them up front in front of the
> > radiator. Keep in mind that even idling in neutral the tranny will
> > make heat just from the hydraulic pump and internal spinning and rubbing parts.
> >
> > Dennis
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
> > Behalf Of Phil Zimmerman
> > Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2012 7:47 PM
> > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> > Subject: Re: Tranny oil cooler,(homemade kit?)
> >
> > Marc,
> >
> > What Larry said and .
> > The banjo fittings, 12 x 1.5 mm thread, can be found on various
> > Golf, Jetta and Rabbit fuel systems of the era.
> >
> > The GW kit is a bust. Read up on frame-rail coolers. One
> > manufacturer even
> > states: not intended for use on cars exposed to stop and go driving.
> > Grid-lock driving heats up a TQ significantly. Little flow of air
> > over the cooler under this situation.
> >
> > Brent Weide's web site has fine how-to install a cooler.
> >
> > Link: <http://www.weidefamily.net/vanagon/>
> >
> > Chick-on Transaxle then Transaxle R/R. Nice photo essay on the install.
> >
> > Pz
> > on a rock off the west coast.
> > -----------------
> > Larry wrote in part:
> >
> > ...(the hardest part) got the banjo fittings by scouring
> > pick-and-pull junk yards. It's been a few years, but I believe the
> > fittings came from PS pumps on Mercedes or BMWs.
> > good luck,
> > Larry A.
> > ----------------------
> > On Mon, Feb 20, 2012 at 6:59 PM, marc rose <mrose1028@gmail.com> wrote:
> >> Anyone ever make there own "kit" for a tranny cooler? I have a 90
> >> Carat and want to get the factory tranny cooler before it gets me.
> >> Don't really want to spend the money on the GW kit and was
> >> wondering if anyone has dupplicated the smallcar kit. I would
> >> imagine you could put your own kit together cheaper by doing the
> >> leg work yourself. I am a little bit of a tight wad and don't mine
> >> the extra leg
> work.
--
David McNeely
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