Very simple and informational, i'll be doing my own upgrade here on my 96 XJ and wasn't exactly sure how to go about it, but this 8 year old video really put some clarity in my head, thank you!
I know the video is 4 years old but it was extremely helpful for me today with my install on my 99 XJ. I specifically liked the diagram you drew in the beginning and how you clearly stated where the return line hooks up. Thank you!
I installed a B&M cooler (Very similar to yours) on my XJ a few years ago and I remember the instructions stating not to use zip ties if the truck is to be used for off-roading. I had to use brackets to install it and never had any issues for years.
Nice tutorial. Keep an eye on the rubber sections of those factory rubber lines though. The newest XJ is over 20 years old now and over time they can degrade and start to leak. I'm installing one of these trans coolers in my '91 XJ because one of the rubber parts of the factory lines started to leak. Since I'm in a year round warm climate (Hawaii) I'm just going to bypass the trans cooler in the radiator entirely. I'm told it's more of a heat exchanger that's meant to stabilize the trans fluid temp than an actual trans cooler; and probably does more to keep the fluid from being too cold in cold climates than it does to help cool it in hot ones. I'd rather have the trans and engine cooling systems totally separate rather than connected and continually heating each other up. The Hayden 678 cooler alone should be plenty sufficient to keep the trans cool especially since I'm not towing or running huge tires. The 4.0L is known to run warm anyway (mine does), so I figure why make the radiator also try to cool the trans fluid.
Thanks for the outstanding video. I was able to gather the parts from Advance Auto this afternoon and it took me a bit more than an hour. I decided to do an AT pan drain and fluid exchange while I was down there so that took me another trip to the store and 1/2 hour more.
Thanks for the video man. I've been wanting to do this to my TJ, but hadn't been able to find detailed help online. Think I'll drop one in this weekend now!
Hey Bud, I installed the 678 the other day and I can really tell the difference it makes in how the tranny shifts and runs much smoother. No difference on the engine temp though so I am going to install a High flow water pump after a good flush and a new thermostat. That should get rid of the cavitation of coolant that these 4.0 motors are so prone to.
Thanks for the vid! I'll be snagging a used one from the JY pretty soon for the XJ I just picked up. Keeping things cool is a big deal out here in Phoenix, as I'm sure you know. I have so many plans coming down the pipeline for this thing, I just gotta find the time since I'm in grad school heh. Finally finished a head swap a few days ago... So much for spring break.
Love your video just a small thing dont use those crappy hose clamps😉 get some nice high pressure qualité clamps and you will be sure not to loose all transmission fluid when you are in the middle of nowhere😂
@@AdmiralOffRoad i do not,but the most important thing to use hoseclamps that tighten from both sides, every high pressure clamp for fuel injection etc will do just fine.The ones that you used will cut into your line or just wont be as reliable. Same. Go,s for cooling systems etc use good hardware
1.- Just to say there is a difference between ATF Coolers.. A) The cheap "Tube and Fins" style which is usually not painted just raw aluminum its less efficient but it gets the job done if there is a lot of airflow and you are not asking much of it (Like full Weight Rating) its good as an Add On and piece of mind not to test the weight limits on it. Its also some what fragile and rock hits can bend the fins very easily.. This type is good to replace the Radiator Cooler. B)The "Plate and Fins" aka Radiator Style is waaaaayy better in efficiency it can have little air flow and still cool down the ATF better than the cheap one, This is the one you got.. It can also withstand rocks better than the cheap Tube and Fin. C)The Absolute BEAST style is the "Stacked Plates" which has the Maximum Efficiency they are usually found on most expensive RVs, They are quite expensive but can Cool down the ATF faster than the other 2 types. This is way more robust and can stand a direct rock hit from a front car shrapnel. 2.- The "pads" of the ATF cooler is to give a gap between the Cooler and the A/C Condenser (Mounting Surface), If you put the ATF Cooler without the spacing pads you can in fact reduce air flow and when you have the A/C On it will transfer all the heat of the Condenser into the Cooler.. Always use the pads between the cooler and the mounting surface its very important. Nice instructional video! keep it up.
+Abdi Fatacky I haven't done much. A sprinkler is a great way to clean off the underside. It also helps living in Arizona where there isnt much rain or snow to deal with.
Is the cooler marked for inlet & outlet or does it matter? Also, your XJ run any hotter with the cooler positioned in front of the mechanical fan? Thanks
Hey young 4x4 brother Im twice your age, Im certain but there's snow on the rack or rust on the fenders. I watched in amazement as you cut the rubber section of the pressurized transmission line with hard fittings into the radiator and into the side of the transmission. With one gash you blew off all the prior continuous improvement and the engineering used on developing the system. Universal doesn't always mean "deal" when your a long-long way from home with a damaged transmission, maybe fluid everywhere and no pressure. You go and go when it comes to the great drive and inspiration to improve on "stock," or OEM. Just my opinion you might want to look end to end on the next project and think about what you see. Good Luck!
+TheVintagetamiya That's a good question and something that i was a little bit worried about because the transmission cooler blocked part of the radiator, but i have not noticed any difference in the engine temperature with it.
Admiral Off-Road hey man I have a 93 jeep Cherokee 6 cyl transmission drain plug is stamped Dll , what type of fluid should I be using? Jeep dealer here is saying 75 90 gear oil ???
i *think* the drawing color is incorrect.?.. i'm pretty sure the colder return is attached to the top of radiator and the hot line is connected to the bottom
+nrconnor60 Heat is a big killer of transmissions. With the added stress of towing or off-roading, a trans cooler helps keep the transmission from getting to cold
@@AdmiralOffRoad If you are not off-roading or towing is there any upside to putting one in? Will it help with longevity of trans with just day-to-day on road use? Just had to have AW trans replaced on my daughters 97 XJ due to a line failure and want to do everything to keep this thing tip top now that's its completely rebuilt. Thanks for the vids.
I have a 97 jeep xj , and I have the oem transmission cooler, by canceling that trans cooler and adding a better one, cool down my motor. I live in the southern California. desert area, I drag race my jeep in the dunes and it tends to over heat when I'm flooring it.. many people suggest for me to add a transmission cooler but I have one , it's the oem. hope I get a response
+El de La Cherekona a better transmission cooler might help a little. I would also look into doing an auxiliary fan override switch so you can turn on your electric fan whenever you notice your temperatures rising. Hood vents may also help a bit while sitting idle. A cheap way to get good vents is to get them off of a Chrysler LeBarron if you can find them at a junkyard (they're starting to get hard to find in some places)
+Admiral Off-Road my hood is lifted from the rear. but I'm thinking of removing the oem cooler and buying one online with an electric fan, since I have two electric fans (98 Chevy Malibu fans)
Add an auxiliary transmission cooler. Does your jeep have the mechanical fan that runs off the engine or is it just an electric fan? If you have the mechanical fan check the clutch, the fan should spin somewhat free when turned by hand (with the engine off of course LOL), if it doesn't or if it is very easy to spin without any resistance at all the fan clutch is bad which will contribute to a lot of overheating issues...if you have an electric fan that isn't working its usually the relay or the fan motor itself has died.
I've been wanting to look into doing this but I heard that overcooling your Trans could make it not operate correctly, is there in line thermostats you could throw in on the hot side before the splice?
i'm not aware of one. There are two ways to run a transmission cooler. One way is to bypass the radiator, the way I did, keeps the transmission fluid going through the radiator with the auxiliary cooler coming after. The part where the transmission fluid goes through the radiator is designed to heat the transmission fluid because the engine coolant warms up faster than the transmission fluid. This allows the transmission to reach its operating temperature even in cold weather so overcooling shouldn't be an issue with this method. If you were to completely bypass the radiator section, then you might run into those issues
Unless you live in a terribly cold place all the time (Where you don't need a transmission cooler anyway) there is absolutely no way to run the ATF Cool enough to do anything wrong. Even if you remove the Radiator "Cooler" there is simply not enough time on the ATF Cooler to Cool down the ATF into out of spec temp, In the bizarre world where you install an ATF Cooler in Alaska the overcooled ATF will only make the transmission run more firmer (Stronger Hard Shifts) but it wont make any damage to the transmission. Just remember this, Your Torque Converter is a FURNACE for the ATF, This is where the ATF heats up not inside the transmission itself. You can install an inline Thermostat for the ATF Cooler but that is just wasting money..
+skirmich where I live we see temperatures on either side of the scale. this winter we saw a month of 5°f and last summer we had 3 weeks of 95+. I do notice, however, when my Trans starts to get hot, (it cooks me in my 89 xj with no carpets I'll notice it's hotter then usual) it will start to slip. my aux fan wiring was MIA from the pervious owners so I just hooked it to a switch in the center console and that helps a lot when at red lights when the temperature starts to creep. (my jeep has a high idle issue so everything gets hotter quicker)
artardFTW I think perhaps your clutch packs are just too thin now. A hot transmission will tend to drag rather than slip, You will notice that you have to press the gas further to make the car move. This is because HOT ATF will lose efficiency in the Torque Converter making it stall sooner. A slipping usually means a worn out clutch pack which ultimately means you need a rebuild. The hotness in the floor chassis can be because of the high idle (Exhaust Heat), Should be more pronounced in the summer. I live in So Cali so we get +125°F Summers to Weird 30°F Winters.. We cant never get the ATF Cool Enough in the Summer, All my cars use ATF Coolers because of the terrible summers. Right now I have a 25,000LBs Cooler on my MDX, This winter the lowest it registered was around 140°F in the highway at 70mph and an Exterior Temp of 40°F. FYI: Normal ATF Temp is around 160-180°F for the MDX so it was a little bit lower but the car shifted just as it was any other day.
+skirmich it probably doesn't help that my jeep just turned over 260K and was ridden hard and put away wet (very, very literally) by the previous owners. the hotness comes through the natural weight reduction holes on the drivers floor.. but I notice the Trans heat when I get a pocket of hot air through the E brake lever slot. sometimes even starts to cook my phone if I go on a medium length trip. (jeep only drives locally except for occasional the 45 minute trip to the trails)
+Admiral Off-Road Technically speaking, could one install this transmission cooler as the single transmission cooler? Using both the inlet and return lines into this one cooler?
Yes, You can by pass the Radiator Cooler, Just remember to use a BIG Cooler since the Radiator Cooler is the most effective way of cooling down the ATF.. If your car is prone to have a Radiator Cooler failure don't even think about it, Do it ASAP! Otherwise there is no need to bypass the Radiator Cooler.
+Richard Graham I don't notice much of a difference in the engine temperature and I am currently gathering the parts to install a transmission temperature gauge, so keep an eye out for that video and we will see how much of a difference it makes on the transmission temperature.
Admiral Off-Road Thanks for the info...Me:99 Cherokee sport 4.0 Saphire Blue, Ion aluminum rims...Fuel injector upgrade. 63,000 orig miles...I plan on lifting it when I hit the Lotto..LOL
yeah man it's in new condition. I bought it from the orig owner who never drove it. He kept it in the garage ...Whatever, now Im enjoying it. My first Jeep too...Im hooked!
+Doug Fitzgerald I haven't really gotten to test it out yet. I've just driven to work and back since installing it. I am looking into installing a temperature gauge to see how much cooler it runs.
Chris Hawks yes. The part in the radiator is actually designed to heat the transmission fluid on initial startup. the transmission has an operating temperature and if you bypass the radiator and live in a cold climate, it will take the transmission longer to reach its operating temperature.
