Funmart6
my name is mud
I have seen where some Gen 3 owners will add a Gen 2 trans cooler, what is the difference in the coolers of the Gen 2 & 3, and does anyone have any pics of a Gen 2 cooler?
Gen 2 cooler
- Thread starter Funmart6
- Start date
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NebraskaSHO
Harumph!
Mine
Paul did you have trouble with it overheating then?
Paul did you have trouble with it overheating then?
Yes i did. On the track the car was in 2nd gear almost all the time with no TC lockup. But I have been there before.
I did use a Magnifine inline filter on the cooler circuit and the new tranny may have something to do with it.
I did use a Magnifine inline filter on the cooler circuit and the new tranny may have something to do with it.
Funmart6
my name is mud
Wow that cooler is nice, and those are factory Gen2 coolers!!!??? Why didn't Ford put a decent cooler on the Gen3 instead of the crappy un-finned tube?
Nebraskasho, did you swap the factory cooler and power steering lines?
If I were to add one of these, should I just order one new from Ford or try to find one in a salvage yard? And for the next question, how do you add one of these coolers?
Nebraskasho, did you swap the factory cooler and power steering lines?
If I were to add one of these, should I just order one new from Ford or try to find one in a salvage yard? And for the next question, how do you add one of these coolers?
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NebraskaSHO
Harumph!
Funmart, the factory cooler is finned, and the unfinned one is for the PS cooler.
Mine is exactly the same as SHOZ123, except I did not use hydraulic hose for the small piece between the factory cooler and Gen 2 cooler.
I used a slightly longer length of hose to make the 180 bend.
And yes, the factory lines are replaced, and are not in place at all anymore. As I learned from SHOZ123 they are restrictive apparently.(?)
I will not lie to you. This is an extremely easy mod, and I recommend it. The hardest part you will ever encounter is removing the battery tray. Truly a PITA
Mine is exactly the same as SHOZ123, except I did not use hydraulic hose for the small piece between the factory cooler and Gen 2 cooler.
I used a slightly longer length of hose to make the 180 bend.
And yes, the factory lines are replaced, and are not in place at all anymore. As I learned from SHOZ123 they are restrictive apparently.(?)
I will not lie to you. This is an extremely easy mod, and I recommend it. The hardest part you will ever encounter is removing the battery tray. Truly a PITA
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Ian Macoomb
SHO Member
I too had issues at Gratton with my tranny heating up. I'm not sure what cooler I'm using (NESHO installed it). I don't think there's a cooler big enough to solve this problem. A bigger cooler is just delaying the inevitable. The track sessions are just too much for the ATX. The only solution in my opinion is the MTX route like Ryan and Scott took.
NebraskaSHO
Harumph!
I should start sourcing parts, as I would love to put the SHO down for a while and do this when the ATX craps out.
I looked today and had the inline filter connected backwards. Could have something to do with the tranny getting hot on the track this year I suppose.
Another difference compared to the last time out with this setup is the brass hose barbs. The first ones I drilled out to 0.3125" (5/16") ID. These I just left stock which is 0.28125" (9/32"). And the hose I used this time was 11/32" ID whereas before I used 3/8".
Another difference compared to the last time out with this setup is the brass hose barbs. The first ones I drilled out to 0.3125" (5/16") ID. These I just left stock which is 0.28125" (9/32"). And the hose I used this time was 11/32" ID whereas before I used 3/8".
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midnightauto
THE CHOP SHOP
I have a question for all the gen2 coolers installed. I know shoz says he put in a filter (good idea) as with the used gen 2 cooler whatever problems the gen2 had with its trans is now flowing thru your trans. flushing will never get it 100% clean. why not just buy a good aftermarket cooler and remove the factory one. does anyone think pushing the fluid thru two coolers and a filter may be causing other problem's. By the looks of the pic's the gen2 cooler blocks the factory cooler I know it will get some air flow but it's cooling will be minimal in my opinion.
Funmart6
my name is mud
Why not just get rid of the original factory cooler altogether and replace it with a better one? I think that is what I am going to do, I found a really nice B&M cooler, and I saw a nice one on ebay that was for a Focus.
Silvapain
New Member
If you run the lines the right way the OE auxillary cooler is helpful. You want to run the lines so that you set up a counter-flow cooling system as opposed to a concurrent flow cooling system. Frankly I'm too lazy to go into a detailed explanation of the heat transfer theory involved, but here is a simple pictoral description of why counter-flow cooling is preferred:
Think of the red line as the transmission fluid and the blue as the airflow across the coolers. For our transmission line setup, we want the tranny fluid to run through the OE auxillary cooler first, then the Gen 2 SHO ATX cooler.
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Motoman991
Member
Your pic doesn't work dude, at least for me it doesn't.
The OEM aux cooler helps somewhat as it is a bit more than just a tube. It has a swirling baffle inside and you would otherwise be using hose of a pipe to take it's place. I run through the OEM cooler then to my GEN 2 cooler.
Another reason not to get rid of it is it is part of the PS cooler mounting bracket. You could upgrade a bit and get a '99 one that has fins on it like the PS cooler.
I'm convinced my filter being in backwards was my temperature issues as I have ran this set up in the past and never even got close to 250F under similar conditions.
Another reason not to get rid of it is it is part of the PS cooler mounting bracket. You could upgrade a bit and get a '99 one that has fins on it like the PS cooler.
I'm convinced my filter being in backwards was my temperature issues as I have ran this set up in the past and never even got close to 250F under similar conditions.
NebraskaSHO
Harumph!
The 99 cooler is visible behind my Gen 2 cooler, you can see the fins:
And Ray, I flushed the cooler out, then flushed it out with fresh cheapo fluid, and then put it in my car.
And Ray, I flushed the cooler out, then flushed it out with fresh cheapo fluid, and then put it in my car.
Silvapain
New Member
Weird.
Anyways, here's the link to the webpage I "borrowed" the image from:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article160-page2.html
I just figured that the first cooler will dump more heat per whatever because of the greater temperature difference.
That being said if it went through the front cooler first this would them add that heat to the any cooler behind it.
That being said if it went through the front cooler first this would them add that heat to the any cooler behind it.
ABerri
Member
Guys I own a 1998 SHO with only 63K miles on it. All I do is drive my car to work which is not even 0.2 miles away (literally across the street) and ocassionaly I would do some city and highway driving if I were to go out. Should I be worried about this whole Gen2 Cooler thing or is that just for racing at the track.
Ian Macoomb
SHO Member
I wouldn't be too worried about it. Under normal circumstances you won't heat up the tranny much. And I don't think most of the tranny problems are caused by burnt fluid. But if you're going to drive the car hard you should at least put in a good fluid like Amsoil. A cooler is a definite for track driving.
