I'm working on putting a 2004 Duramax intercooler and radiator in my 1997 K2500 with a 5 speed. I'm going to have to cut the height down a little bit on the intercooler but it looks it'll work just fine. What I'm trying to figure out now is will the transmission cooler in the Duramax radiator work for an engine oil cooler? It has very large fittings that look as large as engine oil cooler lines. I have some of the early military CUCV oil cooler lines that crossed over behind the radiator that I could adapt to work to get the oil over to the passenger side.
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Duramax intercooler and radiator conversion
- Thread starter dixiepc
- Start date
- Staff
- #2
There is no reason to cut the intercooler down. All you have to do is cut the mounting tabs off, and make your own mounts. I can assure you of that as one has resided in my radiator support for almost 12 years now. I would be hesitant myself to use the trans cooler for the engine, but that's just me.
I don't know what year intercooler that you have but the one I have is a 2004. It sticks up an inch or so above the core support. I've searched and searched for pictures of your install but they seem to be gone everywhere. I've got a spare core support that I've been trying to fit this stuff in before I cut on the one in my truck. Here's a picture how much higher than the core support it is.
JayTheCPA
Well-Known Member
When I converted the Burb over to manual, I also wondered whether to re-purpose the radiator's transmission plumbing to help with cooling the oil. Decided to keep things simple and left the oil cooling in OE configuration (read: did not plumb it through the radiator). Did not have any concerns with oil temps when pulling hard and ECT was the tougher peice to manage.
Suspect that you are on a good path with adding an intercooler as I did notice where during the summer, intake air temperatures would peg the sending unit at 200F when I pulled hard. Am highly confident that this fed into the ECT wanting to run away whenever I let EGT go above 1,100F. I could easily go WOT and peg the EGTs at 1,200 F, but could not do this for long as the coolant temp would just climb.
Suspect that you are on a good path with adding an intercooler as I did notice where during the summer, intake air temperatures would peg the sending unit at 200F when I pulled hard. Am highly confident that this fed into the ECT wanting to run away whenever I let EGT go above 1,100F. I could easily go WOT and peg the EGTs at 1,200 F, but could not do this for long as the coolant temp would just climb.
Will L.
Well-Known Member
Yup. In the dry southwest you can watch egt and ect play follow the leader. Simply more heat in the heads means coolant has more heat to haul away. In testing back in the 90’s an ect sensor in the waterpump inlet line could show when the system wasn’t gonna do good enough.
This is one of several areas the heat barrier in runners limits heat from migrating further into the motor.
FellowTraveler
Well-Known Member
This is where 1k psi water injection "fogger nozzle" at intake would help also can be used to spray the outside of the CAC when needed.
Just going to a manual had to have helped your cooling problem. I had N/A 6.2 Suburban that I converted to manual and I could finally cross the mountains without worrying about my coolant temperature. That hot transmission fluid really heats things up.
Looks like this site lost all his old pics like it did mine, so unless he has pics he can post again their gone...
I didn't know if somebody had saved them or not. I've ask him before if he had them but he said that he didn't. So I guess I'll have to reinvent the wheel. Seems like I remember that he used a later model intercooler. I'm thinking it had a plastic tank on one side.
- Staff
- #12
I had them all on photobucket. I didn't take many pics of my intercooler install, but you're putting it on the wrong side. You open up where the radiator goes so that the intercooler sets in there. If you're putting it out front, go with a 2nd gen Dodge intercooler. It's shorter and wider. And I have an 04 intercooler mounted in mine.
- Staff
- #13
This is all I have that I can find.
Well that makes more sense now. Was the fan on the Duramax farther back than with the 6.5? What was the fan shroud from?
- Staff
- #15
It's the 6.5l shroud, but I customized it. I'm not sure about the fan placement.
FellowTraveler
Well-Known Member
I've got a 2nd gen fit in there. Trying to figure out how to put the orginal condenser in with it now. I'll probably do something like FT did with the center piece. Then I'll have to do something with the oil cooler. Things look awful close with everything factory.
