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Date:         Fri, 24 Feb 2012 10:06:27 -0800
Reply-To:     Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Tranny oil cooler,(homemade kit?)
Comments: To: mcneely4@cox.net
In-Reply-To:  <20120224123248.09QRR.662343.imail@eastrmwml301>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

Dennis has a very valid point that is often 'neglected' in the process of 'improving' a vehicle....One needs to honestly asses the modification being contemplated, to think through all the consequences of 'adding' something to make it 'work better'. Often when something is modified, it simply moves the failure along to the next weakest thing...sometimes making a 'weak' system function better with a modification, that will overstress the next potential failure point in line and cause that to happen sooner than if you'd left things stock..

Careful fabrication and design is called for in any system modification that involves the "Life-fluid" of the vehicle....engine oil, trans oil, brake fluid, etc etc... One can carefully design systems that will improve reliability...but I always try to consider, during the design and fabrication, how to go about the process without doing something that if it fails, that something will be almost instantly 'fatal' to the system.....I always try to design stuff so that if what I have done goes wrong, the system's going to revert to it's pre-modified operating condition....Careful thought and design can make this happen for the most situations, and when that is not possible....I take extra care to try to make very certain that I haven't put a potential weak-point, a poorly executed anything, into my modification.... Don Hanson

On Fri, Feb 24, 2012 at 9:32 AM, Dave Mcneely <mcneely4@cox.net> wrote:

> 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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