Trans cooler or High capacity pan

[mag]

Will I be ok with a high capacity trans pan or should I just install a cooler with a performance T/C.

 

[jyarosz]

I installed a high capacity pan on my lsc.didn,t make much difference in trans temp.Installed a trans cooler,made a big difference.

 

[driller]

You definitely want a cooler with a high stall torque converter.

 

[germansheperd]

I put a high capacity finned pan when i did my Circle D. Seems to work fine although I cant give any temp specifics.
As some have stated you can never go wrong with a trans cooler.

 

[mag]

Next question which is better a stand alone install or hooking it up to the return line ?.

 

[driller]

Next question which is better a stand alone install or hooking it up to the return line ?.

Depends on your goals for the car.

If it's mostly a street car, run it in series with the radiator tank cooler.

If you drive it in the winter months, run it in series with the radiator tank cooler.

If you seldom drive it long distance, store it in the winter and run it at the track, do a stand alone cooler.

If you run it in series with the radiator, you should see about a 10 degree cooler transmission temperature over the engine temperature.

If you do a stand alone transmission cooler, your engine coolant temperature should be lower due to reduced heat load.

The transmission cooler may or may not require fans depending on the airflow at speed and if you see a lot of stop & go traffic in hot weather.

All of the above based solely upon my personal experiences.

 

[budpytko]

A larger pan will DELAY the time it takes to reach operating temp and cost more to change the fluid. Once the temp gets up to whatever temp it always has gotten to is STILL what you will have. If you want to reduce the operating temp, a better cooler is the only answer.

 

[germansheperd]

At temp a larger pan probably wont do much for you in traffic. A larger finned larger pan ‘theoretically’ may help driving down the road/highway. Again I cant prove or disprove my finned pan helps or not but its bigger, looks cool (although you cant see it) so i felt good about it for a couple days.

 

[jyarosz]

I plumbed my cooler as a stand alone.It brought my engine temps down.(the engine did run a little hot on hot days) On a 50 degree day my trans runs a little cold(140)but I rarely drive the car when its that cold.

 

[steve]

I would go with a cooler or both, but not just the pan.

 

[KStromberg]

Run a stacked plate style cooler. I run a large one mounted right in front of my radiator with no fans. You should be perfectly fine setting it up that way. The radiator fan should still pull air through the cooler and then through the radiator. The stacked plates reeeeeaally spread the fluid out across the surface of the unit which is exactly what you want. I have zero coolant temp issues and run a 5000 stall which is about the loosest you could run on these cars. It can't get any worse than that and my trans is not slipping yet. Lol

I run a stock trans pan.

 

[beerdog]

Both. The nice thing about a newer pan is you will have a drain plug which will make maintenance easier and you can keep the fluid fresher.

 

[BUCK]

IMO if u are running our old Stock Aluminum Rads w/ PLASTIC ends u need to delete Rad Cooler NOW or u are putting ur nicely upgraded Tranny at severe risk - Of course there are very good ALL aluminum 3 Row Rads out there for $200 (got one in my 96) - Certainly if u hv a 95 or older Tranny Pan u need the deeper dimpled Dorman Tranny Pan w/ Drain plug.