mystery overheating

[Alex3000gt]

well its a na, that never goes above 3rpms. i drive it like a sissy.

ive always heard the stock trans coolers are crap. that you should always just go with a aftermarket trans cooler.

i have a extra coolant temp sen im gonna change out today before i do the rad swap

You are correct. The weakness of our automatics are that they run hot, this thins out//cooks the fluid and things start to break. The oil to water cooler exists because it helps bring the trans up to temperature faster, which helps with wear and fuel economy. The downside is that once fully warmed up the trans oil doesn't exchange heat well with already hot coolant.

Some people hook up an external oil cooler in series with the "in tank" (water to oil) cooler - the downside of this is that you increase internal pressure drop and potentially decrease trans oil flow. Running ONLY an external oil cooler isn't the best either because your auto trans will take forever to warm up in cooler temps, and may never reach operating temp in winter.


The best option would be to have the "in tank" cooler and a big external oil cooler in parallel, with a thermal bypass valve to allow oil to switch paths between the "in tank" and external once the trans oil is up to operating temp.

I'm not sure if anyone sells a kit like this, but it would definitely increase trans longevity.


Btw, I design heat exchangers for the largest auto parts supplier on the planet.

[leggomieggo10]

well i live in florida an the weather shouldnt really be a issue, so im gonna go head an install my manual trans rad in it. i just bought a aftermarket trans cooler.

i changed the coolant temp sen with no luck, im waiting for the car to cool so i can swap everything. if this doesnt work im gonna set this bitch on fire an collect insurance

[Alex3000gt]

well i live in florida an the weather shouldnt really be a issue, so im gonna go head an install my manual trans rad in it. i just bought a aftermarket trans cooler.

i changed the coolant temp sen with no luck, im waiting for the car to cool so i can swap everything. if this doesnt work im gonna set this bitch on fire an collect insurance

I'll buy it cheap. I had my Stealth shipped in from Florida.

[Alex3000gt]

well i live in florida an the weather shouldnt really be a issue, so im gonna go head an install my manual trans rad in it. i just bought a aftermarket trans cooler.

i changed the coolant temp sen with no luck, im waiting for the car to cool so i can swap everything. if this doesnt work im gonna set this bitch on fire an collect insurance

Are you losing any coolant? Check the level at cold temp then do a few highway runs, let the car cool down and check it again.

[leggomieggo10]

nope not losing coolant. thats the first thing i checked for.

nope wont sell it, rather watch it burn an get my insurance out of it

[leggomieggo10]

well ive done the swap, im kinda afraid to drive it because if it was the trans overheating, ill never know right??

[Mike-92RT]

i know this has already been discussed, but just to be sure, stick your hand over the exhaust pipe, for 5 or 10 seconds, and smell it. If it has a sweet smell, then your burning coolant.

2nd, is there any noises while your engine is on?.. could be a faulty water pump?

ORRR (i just remembered)

check to see if your thermostat is in the right position.

[leggomieggo10]

if the tstat was facing wrong it wouldnt work at all. i havent lost any coolant in the over 2 weeks ive been driving it. i havent lost any. motor is quiet. water pump is new

[Alex3000gt]

if the tstat was facing wrong it wouldnt work at all. i havent lost any coolant in the over 2 weeks ive been driving it. i havent lost any. motor is quiet. water pump is new

Do you have working AC?

Also, maybe you can measure temps at the oil cooler exit. Where do you have it placed? Try to get it "fresh" air that isn't heat soaked by the radiator exit air and it should kick ass at cooling the oil.

[leggomieggo10]

no ac, an i put the trans cooler in front of the condensor in the big hole in the bumper.so its getting air

this car is def. fucked up.

drove the car got 5 min down the street an it started overheating. but cooled back down like 5 sec later.drove about 10 min at 65 an than 10 min at 75, never overheated. get off the freeway. back in town come to stop light. still not overheated. as soon as i start going it starts to overheat. but than cools down if i let up off the gas. an it continues to overheat after stops but cools if let off the gas