tranny coolers

[J_Dog]

Looking to put a new tranny cooler on the race truck. First question, I did a search and it seems Setrab is highly recommended from a few good sources. The Fluidyne DB-30612 (Enduro cooler) seems nice. We currently have a Ford 2.8 V6 with a C4, but plan to run a stock 4.0 soon. Will the Setrab 640 provide enough cooling or maybe the Setrab 920? Any suggestions?

Also, our current trans cooler runs 3/8" inside diameter hose. What AN size would that compare (-6 or -8) and are those big enough for a trans cooler? Thanks.

[J_Dog]

Forgot to mention I found two Derale coolers, #13700 (-6 AN) and #15800 (-8 AN). I read they are manufactured for Derale by Setrab. Found them for $139.95 each on Summit Racing's website. Are they any good?

[Uncle_Bob]

One word, Fluidyne!
Need one, PM me.

[WoodyW]

PWR has some nice large all in one units (Fan, shroud, cooler). -10 ins and outs, couple of those and call it a day. (and they are local)

[WoodyW]

shoot sorry, not local for vacaville. They are in Elsinore...my bad.

[motoxscott]

We've had great luck with Setrab and stock them. We recommend the smaller 920 fan paks for daily drivers and the bigger 640 fan paks for race trucks and true prerunners. On our race truck with a c4, 5.00+ rear gears and a high stall convertor one wasn't enough, but 2 was plenty. Alot of it has to do with airflow though too.

- Scott @ Camburg

[hoeker]

love the setrabs! i run several of the largest ones they make on my race truck. i'd recommend the biggest fan pack they make for your truck. make sure it's multi-pass for transmission cooling. -8 line is perfect for trannies. make sure the one from the trans to the inlet of the cooler can handle very high temps (i run braided teflon), the return can be "normal" braided rubber hose.

[johnnyweb]

we run a ranger with 4.0 v6 and a a4ld trans. it likes to run hot. after alot of trial and aire. we have settled in with 2 setrab 13"x10" fan pack units with -8 lines and a aluminum shroud to duct air in. usually we can run just one and cycle the 2nd one when needed to reduce amprege draw on electrical system as well as in case one fails we have the 2nd to rely on. good luck with it!!!

[Jerry Zaiden]

Just like Johnny said. If you are using this in a race truck you will need 2 of them. They are 640 fan packs. Setrabs are the best "IMO". They work very well hand have very high quality shroud and fan. They coast around $600 each. We have them in stock, at least last time I looked.

[Jerry Zaiden]

Pictures

640 fan pack
http://www.camburg.com/images/setrab/setrab640.jpg
http://www.camburgracing.com/images/racetruck/CutoutsStudio/RearBedcagetop.jpg



920 fan pack
http://www.camburg.com/images/setrab/setrab960.jpg

[Uncle_Bob]

Like I said, one word, Fluidyne.
You only need one of them, not 2. On our race truck with over 500hp, a th400 and a 3200 stall, our trans runs about 150 on the flats with the fan off. My co-dog monitors the guages and turns both the radiator and trans fans on when they come up to 180 (which isn't very often) if they don't come on by themselves. They are the most efficient radiators and coolers I've ever used even in the summer races.
Sorry Jerry, just a believer in the products I run.

[singlehanded]

What model do you run and about how much did it cost. Thanks for the info gonna be running around 400 hp in my truck with a c-4 and I knew there had to be a better way, then running two setrabs.

[J_Dog]

Thanks for all the input, guys. I think we're going to try the Fluidyne (no offense to the Setrab guys).

Uncle Bob, I sent you a PM.

[johnnyweb]

so what do you do when the one cooler or fan failes in the middle of the race? that is the beuty of 2 coolers versus 1. but that could be done with fluiddyne cooloers as well.

[AaronDixon]

Like I said, one word, Fluidyne.
You only need one of them, not 2.

I agree. I think I've tried them all. Fluidyne by far is the best. We use the Enduro cooler and have had no problems at all. Tranny always runs cool. These coolers are in the $450 range for the entire unit.

Aaron

[Uncle_Bob]

so what do you do when the one cooler or fan failes in the middle of the race? that is the beuty of 2 coolers versus 1. but that could be done with fluiddyne cooloers as well.

My answer to this is, you never have time or the money to do it right the first time, but you can always find the money and time to do it twice! In other words, you can buy quantity or you can by quality.

Last post for me on this subject.
pm's have been or will be answered
U/B 1488

[Jerry Zaiden]

I am going to buy 1 of each and test them. I am going to talk to a dyno guy and have this done. This way we will really know. The Fluidyn and Setrabs both look like very nice units. I just have been around Setrab for years and love them. Rod Millen Motorposts, Baldwin, our own use and feedback from other shops that use them. I know the Herbst use 3 fluidyns on there prerunners and the teams that use Setrabs use 2. But this can just be the way they are mounted.
I have found that with the Setrabs on our truck V8 and a C4 you need 2. With one of the guys at my shop he has a 4.0L v6 and a C4 and uses 1 and he says his tranny stays cool.
Who knows for sure. I am having them tested! Then we will all know! Give me a month or so :)

[hoeker]

great jerry! make sure you track fluid volume, core cubic inches, and square inches.

i've been curious about this for a long time myself!

most CORR trucks sporty 2 and up use 2 or more fluidyne enduro's. i hope to be down to 2 setrabs now that i have proper air flow.

[ChuckH]

Temp drop would be the most important thing to track, all those factors could be the same and one cooler have a higher cooling capacity, it would be interesting info though, also different air flows might favor one or the other

[Uncle_Bob]

OK, I said I was done until the dyno test showed up. Here's the deal, Setrab is a good cooler. I won't take that from anybody.
BUT, it was designed as a general purpose industrial cooler in Sweden. If you look at what, who and why the Fluidyne Enduro cooler was made, you will find the (who) Ashley and Smith (Enduro Motorsports), the (what) oil or trans cooler and (why) to keep there fluids cool in "Off Road Racing".
You want to dyno test the coolers? We have permision to take the coolers to Fluidyne and use there Wind Tunnel Dyno and post up some real results. An engine dyno won't tell you anything in that type of enviroment. The ultimate test would be 2 identical trucks with the different cooler mounted in the same spots following each other.

I recieved an e-mail this morning and here is a quote from the horses mouth so to speek:
"IF you want to… you can post that you brought this issue of FLUIDYNE vs. Setrab cooling performance up with me and I agreed to dedicate the resources necessary to do a comparison test of the Enduro and the Setrab on our Cooler Dyno (wind tunnel) at FLUIDYNE and share the data with all the subscribers on your RaceDezert.com web site."

[WoodyW]

sounds like the Thunderdome- "two go in, one comes out!" (rated R)....this ought be interesting.

[J_Dog]

Did not mean to start a product war, but friendly debate and competition are always good.

On a related note, what is a reasonable trans. temp for a C4 tranny (I guess it would be the same for all trannies)? I.E. somewhat normal operating temp. and what would be considered getting too hot. Thanks.

[partybarge_pilot]

Now thats more like it. Lets see it happen.

[johnnyweb]

[QUOTE=Uncle_Bob]My answer to this is, you never have time or the money to do it right the first time, but you can always find the money and time to do it twice! In other words, you can buy quantity or you can by quality.

Last post for me on this subject.
pm's have been or will be answered

U/B 1488[/QUOTE

is it just me or was that not even close to being an answer to my question. if you are trying to say im stupid and do things the half ass way and spend double the money thats a very uneducation statement to make. you dont know me from a hole in the ground. so were did that statement come from? as i said before use what ever cooler you want but in my opinion 2 as always better then one.

[Uncle_Bob]

Johnnyweb,
Sorry if you were offended. It wasn't ment to offend anybody. My statement wasn't clear as I read it back just now. What I am referring to is that the Fluidyne cooler is SO efficient that you can get by without running the fan. This is one reason why this cooler was designed, in case of a fan failure or an electrical problem (bad alternator, broke belt) to where you need to turn your fans off and save power till you get to your next pit or even the finish line.
One thing if you ever venture to the Irwindale Race track and watch the Legend cars, there have been more motor failures in that class useing the Setrab until they switched to the Fluidyne coolers. Fact!
Also, check out the Spec Trucks with the rear mounted radiators, Fluidyne. Almost anything will keep a motor cool with the radiator or coolers mounted in front but put them behind the cab with the liminted amout of air, Fluidyne.
Again Johnnyweb, sorry!

[hoeker]

On a related note, what is a reasonable trans. temp for a C4 tranny (I guess it would be the same for all trannies)? I.E. somewhat normal operating temp. and what would be considered getting too hot

any temp over 240 degrades any oil life very rapidly. when the oil goes bad so will the trans. a properly cooled trans will stay below 180 in the pan, and 220 or so in the line.

[sandking]

I know its an old topic...............................but how does the Fluidyne Enduro (12"x15") compare to the PWR (11"x15")? They are about the same price at Kartek $40 difference or so. They both come complete with the shroud and fan. I need a tranny cooler asap and was trying to get the best. I am leaning toward the Fluidyne, but thought I would check all others first. Uncle bob, pm me with a price if you can get these Enduro coolers.

[hoeker]

while i prefer the setrab coolers the fluidyne will work just fine for you.

FWIW most corr guys running that cooler run 2.

[lump-dog]

Hey, since we are on the subject, I'd like to know what type of thermostat controllers you guys are using to turn on the fan. Also, where's the best place to put the controller, in the pan? hot side of the cooler? in the trans cooler line? Any insight you may have would be helpfull. (2001 f150 supercrew)

thanks!

[younggunracer]

Ok I have to rep Fluidyne at Primm my tranny on my big class 8 went over 280 it did a full circle on my temp cauge, Yea right after the race I slaped me on a nice Fluidyne enduro went testing and I mean hard testing didnt turn the fans on once it stayed uner 150 the whole time. I am totaly confident to never have tranny temp problems ever again. That confidence outweighs anything now I can just race and not worry about it.

[singlehanded]

well that info doesnt really help anyone. thought jerry was gonna do a setrab fluidyne test so we would all know which runs better? Any updates jerry.

[lump-dog]

Hey, since we are on the subject, I'd like to know what type of thermostat controllers you guys are using to turn on the fan. Also, where's the best place to put the controller, in the pan? hot side of the cooler? in the trans cooler line? Any insight you may have would be helpfull. (2001 f150 supercrew)

thanks!

C'mon, don't tell me all you guys just have the thing on a toggle switch! Anybody?

[younggunracer]

Yep. Hey you got a temp gauge what more do you need. It gets hot and you turn it on, simple.

[Uncle_Bob]

It's been awhile for me on this subject. As most of you know, the owner of FLUIDYNE is my neighbor. This doesn't mean that the coolers they made for me are made any different or better. They're the same product you will get right off there shelf.

If you have ever read any of my "post race reports" on my web site www.ubrtracing.com you will see how all the FLUIDYNE coolers work. Last season we ran the same trans all year long. This year we put a fresh trans in and it's still as strong as it was when we put it in 6 races ago and we have 100+ more HP and 150+ more ft lbs of torque this year.

At the last SNORE race the GOLD COAST 250 on 10-01-05 we ran the whole race and never turned any of the radiator or oil cooling fans on. We even towed Lucas Hand in there 5-1600 for 11 miles to pit B at close to race speed on the 1st lap with all the fans off. The trans ran 180 at it's highest and the radiator hit 200 once and that was as we entered pit B to drop Lucas off and sat there for a few minutes while we got our tow strap back and our crew giving our truck a look over.

Maybe this will help in any decision.

Thanks for reading.

[lump-dog]

Yep. Hey you got a temp gauge what more do you need. It gets hot and you turn it on, simple.

Thanks for the reply, but I don't need one more thing to forget to check. It can't possibly be that "low-tech" for all you racers, can it?

[younggunracer]

Thanks for the reply, but I don't need one more thing to forget to check. It can't possibly be that "low-tech" for all you racers, can it?
Well you could but I rather put my money else where you know. Plus you have a co-driver thats part of his job and its reliable plus if you know theres a brutal wash coming soon you can put them on early to get it a little cooler before you hit it.

[johnnyweb]

toggle switches it is for use to. im not going to rely on and mechanicl t stat switch to turn on. same goes for having the trans cool before it gets to hot. if we know from prerunning that its a long wash or silt section coming up we will have the coolers going befor we hit the section. i dont worry about it any way its the co drivers duty.

[partybarge_pilot]

toggle switches it is for use to. im not going to rely on and mechanicl t stat switch to turn on. same goes for having the trans cool before it gets to hot. if we know from prerunning that its a long wash or silt section coming up we will have the coolers going befor we hit the section. i dont worry about it any way its the co drivers duty.


We have the TT set up the same way. Switches always work.

[ntsqd]

The way I'd wire it is with a relay and switch the ground side of the control circuit. Put an OE type temp switch somewhere in the system. Not a temp sender, but a switch. Also put a toggle switch in parallel with the temp switch.
Now if the co-dog has brain fade the temp switch will still turn it on.

A car with limited ampacity like a 9, 11, or similar I might not do this, but I would in most anything else.

[Stephen]

I would heartily endorse an automatic switch, whether you rely on it or not. We repaired a head in Ensenada the night before the B1K because of brain fade on the fans. That was not fun.

[John_Bitting]

What are the guys with broncos/blazers/explorers doing for tranny coolers with no space? I need to purchase a tranny cooler so my blazer can get plumbed but have no room to put it anymore so I am not sure what to do. Thanks

[EQuin]

What are the guys with broncos/blazers/explorers doing for tranny coolers with no space? I need to purchase a tranny cooler so my blazer can get plumbed but have no room to put it anymore so I am not sure what to do. Thanks

John, does your Blazer have a stock a/c condensor? If so, and if you can do without a/c, then maybe you can can either clean out the condenser real good and use it as a trans cooler, or you can replace the old one with a new one and use it as a cooler in its original location? I got the idea doing a search for "cooler" at this place:

http://www.network54.com/Forum/260730/

It is supposedly frequented by Ford transmission techs, but I don't know why you couldn't try some of their ideas on other makes and models.

[gwm]

Yikes!! No AC in Mx. Not me.

[EQuin]

Yikes!! No AC in Mx. Not me.

I know what you mean, the POS 88 Chevy Nova I used to drive in El Centro didn't have a/c. In fact, it would sometimes overheat on me while driving in 115 degree heat, forcing me to turn on the heater to help lower the temp - talk about hot!