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Engine and trans oil cooler relocated.

Burning oil

LeroyDiesel.com
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Got a bunch done in last few days here are a couple mods you might consider.
The purpose is to remove the heatload off the cooling stack and hopefully increase A/C effeciency.
I putting in some effort now to remove as much heat from condenser and radiator now as I have a 2000# camper on the back and plan some trips though the Rockies. I don't wont to overheat. Some of the other mods Im doing but will share in another post are DE exhaust system, 2000 water pump, fan clutch a Dmax fan.

The engine oil cooler went in easily. I used my standard engine Oil cooler hose kit, but instead ran the hoses to the rear. The cooler landed right by the LP. Im going to install a puller electric fan on it. the cooler sits about an inch below the floorboard so a puller will draw heat away from the truck.



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In this pic you can see the short piece of unistrut, I used it to space off the cooler from the floor. I used existing seat bolt holes, but had to intsall longer bolts.
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Im not positive if this would work on a 4x4 the way I did this, but I'll look tomorrow and see if a 4x4 oil filter adapter will clear the hoses in this config.
 
Trans cooler relocated.

I reused one of the original mounting brackets and mounted the cooler under the bed close to the front/cab. The cooler is bigger than the stock trans cooler. It the same size as the engine oil cooler. I plan to use the original trans cooler as the new power steering cooler.
The hose were run above the heat sheild for the cat and muffler. In the first pic you can see the new DE exhaust and cat delete.


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I made up the hose from #6 teflon lined stainless steel braid hose.
I'll be installing an electric fan on it soon (waiting for USPS now)
 
Tried to show the original line conecction in first two pics.
What I did was reuse the original lines to go though the radiator so the trans can warm up quicker, so the outlet remains the fluid runs to radiator then out to where the cooler was.
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I built a simple manifold with the original cooler fittings installed on it. also installed a temp sensor in this manifold. Kept the original lower bracket in place to secure it. Sorry not best pic but you can see what I did.
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I have wondered about doing that. I am interested in how you are going to control the puller fans. I assume a thermal switch to relay. If so I would like to know when they come on and if you see any change in the ECT after the oil cooler fan comes on (will take a little time). I have seen a setup like that and it dropped the ECT a few degrees when the oil cooler fan came on.

Story....

I worked with diesel powered vacuum excavators once and when we changed any of the enclosure or major load change the engine supplier required a heat balance test to see if the radiator was suitable and thermal load stayed in tolerance.

The test goes something like this block approximately 3/4 open the thermostat so it can't close (can open further). Set up a sustained max load and Monitor several thermocouples including radiator coolant temp in/out, oil at pan, EGT, and some others. The oil spec is sustained oil temp less than 248F intermittent to 256F iirc (Kubota spec Yanmar and Deutz were similar).

One unit went over the 248F oil temperature and we installed an oil cooler w/ fan and retested. We loaded up and when the oil temp went over 248F at the pan we turned on the fan (we had hoped just the radiant heat would control it). It took just a little time and oil temperature came down so did the ECT a few degrees.
 
Good idea. :thumbsup: Keep us posted on how it works!

Another though if the coolers do not remove enough of the heat load tucked up under the body Jegs/ Summit sell universal coolers with small electric fans.
 
I have wondered about doing that. I am interested in how you are going to control the puller fans. I assume a thermal switch to relay. If so I would like to know when they come on and if you see any change in the ECT after the oil cooler fan comes on (will take a little time). I have seen a setup like that and it dropped the ECT a few degrees when the oil cooler fan came on.

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I have built into this LP relay harness two extra leads that I'll power a fan on each cooler with. So basically if the truck is running the fans will be on. Same as LP.
I thought about it afterwards that I should have done before and after temp messurments.

Good idea. :thumbsup: Keep us posted on how it works!

Another though if the coolers do not remove enough of the heat load tucked up under the body Jegs/ Summit sell universal coolers with small electric fans.

Waiting on fans to arrive.
 
You posted that you wanted to keep the radiator in the trans oil cooling loop to help warm the trans up.

It don't work that way.

Lets think about it again, How are you going to warm something up from the cold side of the radiator? Engine is cold and circulating water through the bypass. Maybe some heater flow goes to the radiator, but, that is returning cold coolant after the heater core cools it. Brake stall it or load it cold and the trans may be heating the engine up. Regardless the thermostat needs to be open for any heat to be moving through the radiator.

What I do know is the order the oil flow through the coolers matters. It is worth 40 degrees cooler trans temps to run the oil through the radiator THEN the air to oil cooler. Just the radiator alone is even hotter.
Radiator alone is 230 trans temps. Best AC performance.
Radiator 2nd in cooling loop with hottest oil in air to oil cooler 220 trans temps. AC sucks and purges 134A through the relief valve on hot start from time to time.
Radiator 1st with the hottest oil and additional cooling by the air to oil cooler 180 trans temps. Also better AC performance.

Lesson here is to verify the flow direction as a trans shop had the flow 'backwards' causing me to do this experiment and suffer miserable AC performance and higher trans temps. Shorter trans life with higher temps like that is undisputed. You can verify direction with a bucket and a friend "flushing" the trans. You can do it with an IR temp gun on the lines. Hotter line from the air to oil cooler is the supply. Sadly radiator when hot can go either way cooling or heating the fluid.

A good experiment is to loose the radiator heat exchanger and just use the air to oil cooler. From AC performance I don't want to try this and don't feel a cooler relocation experiment at this time.
 
"Radiator 1st with the hottest oil and additional cooling by the air to oil cooler 180 trans temps. Also better AC performance. " is the way mine is situated, but the cooler is relocated in addition.

Flow is supposed to be, exit trans from bottom fitting, into upper rad, exit lower rad, into air to oil cooler then out and back to trans.
 
I have been thinking about doing this mod with the Oil cooler. Not quite sure how it will layout with my rig being 4x4. I purchased an aftermarket trans cooler with a fan designed for up to 27,000 gvw and located it under the front bumper by cutting out and attaching it to the front skid plate. Cant seem to keep the trans cold though. I think I have pump problems, even with the fan on the trans will climb right up 200-220 on a hot day and the truck is empty. Have you driven the truck enough to know if moving the oil cooler helped with engine temps?
 
I have been thinking about doing this mod with the Oil cooler. Not quite sure how it will layout with my rig being 4x4. I purchased an aftermarket trans cooler with a fan designed for up to 27,000 gvw and located it under the front bumper by cutting out and attaching it to the front skid plate. Cant seem to keep the trans cold though. I think I have pump problems, even with the fan on the trans will climb right up 200-220 on a hot day and the truck is empty. Have you driven the truck enough to know if moving the oil cooler helped with engine temps?

Have not driven it at all yet. 220 seem pretty high temp for normal empty driving? but to be honest I have not really monitored the temps on any of the 4l80e's yet.
I think moving the coolers could only help the situation.


Got the electric fan on the engine oil cooler today. Trans cooler will be done tomorrow if I find time and its not raining.

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Three stage transmission cooling. Removed radiator trans cooling, have seen damage from loop in rad leaking atifreeze into tranny oil (seperates glue on clutch packs). Added extra tranny heat exchanger (removed horn in center & installed there) & 2 thermal bypass valves. First valve loops fluid back to trans until 185f then flows to first trans cooler, secound valve loops back then at 185f flows to secound trans cooler then back. In winter -20c trans temp gets to 135f no load. Summer towing just under 14000lbs long grades 205f, normal 185f.



 
Looks good. I thought about doing doing very simular. I have several of the inline oil thermostats I could have run. In the end I figured I'd just keep it simple. Never had a trans overheat on me with the factory style cooling system. I just wanted to remove the heat load from the cooling stack. I do see your point about coolant leaking into the trans fluid though and that was the reason I thought about eliminating the radiator loop.
Got any pics of yours installed?
 
Sorry no pictures. The thermal bypass valves have been wrapped with insulated tap so not much to see there (didn't want air flow cooling them). One is ~5" from transmission O/P & I/P fittings and the other is below the rad support. Engine runs at 80-85c no load and 90-95c loaded.
 
Have not driven it at all yet. 220 seem pretty high temp for normal empty driving? but to be honest I have not really monitored the temps on any of the 4l80e's yet.
I think moving the coolers could only help the situation.


Got the electric fan on the engine oil cooler today. Trans cooler will be done tomorrow if I find time and its not raining.

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What CFM are those fans pulling?
 
I thought you might be making room for an intercooler, did you think about trying that? I would think in the cooling stack would be the best place.
 
I thought you might be making room for an intercooler, did you think about trying that? I would think in the cooling stack would be the best place.

It would still be very tight, but when there is a will there is a way. Im planing on propane and water injection later too.
 
Thats what they said it was anyway. I don't believe it at this point though. I reversed the polarity of wires so the fan would pull, I think maybe I need to flip the blade over too?
 
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