Transmission Cooler Lines

SCrazy

SCCoA Member
I'm looking at moving my transmission cooler to the driver side under the front fender. My question is if there is a limit to cooler line length and number of bends before oil flow becomes to limited. Between the lines and two coolers I expect to run I imagine there will be a fair amount of pressure drop in the system. Also since the cooler ports on my C4 are on the passenger side there will be a fair amount of bends to swing stuff over to the driver side.
 
I have my trans cooler located in the cavity beneath the battery on the driver side and I think quite a few others do also. I ran -6 lines and tried to keep the bends on nice long arcs to reduce possible retrictions.
 
I have my trans cooler located in the cavity beneath the battery on the driver side and I think quite a few others do also. I ran -6 lines and tried to keep the bends on nice long arcs to reduce possible retrictions.
My transmission cooler is mounted under the battery too, and I'm using -6AN lines. I routed them toward the front of the car following the same route as the factory lines. I even have mine in series with the radiator. The return line follows the same path.
 
I bypassed the radiator all together. They run nearly the same route as the factory lines, and the point where they cross the engine they are zip tied to that bar that goes across the front subframe.
 
I don't have factory lines and have only ever had 5-speeds before this c4 conversion....can you describe how they run?
 
I don't have factory lines and have only ever had 5-speeds before this c4 conversion....can you describe how they run?
Oops :eek: Anyway, both lines run toward the front of the car along the frame rail on the passenger side of the car. I don't remember exactly, but I think I may have secured the lines to the base of the motor mounts. The lines run parallel to the A/C lines (which you don't have either :p). Then the line goes down and across just behind the radiator.

Make sense?
 
That makes sense.....seems like a long bendy run but you must be getting plenty of flow. Now I just need to get the darn ABS valve thingy out of the way.
 
Started routing the cooler lines today. Routed them as you guys suggested but they get pretty close to the header collector and catalitic converter, maybe 1" or so. Are you guys using a heat shield or something. Seems like the lines would pick up alot of heat being that close.
 
No heat sheild on mine either, but I did have to use a large zip tie to pull the lines toward the engine block just above the starter to provide clearance from the headers. They are also secured with zip ties at the passenger side lower motor mount on the K member. My coolers are also located on the driver's side in the front fender beneath the battery.

David
 
My trany cooler is in front of the radiator.

why relocate the transmission cooler from front rad to under the battery?
 
With my tubular K-member I routed the lines along the outside of the frame rail rather than inside since I wouldn't have had alot of things to support them with. So they run inside the frame rail at the transmission hump then cross over along the outside of the frame rail just above the pinch weld in the wheel well until they get to the radiator support then they turn 90 deg and run through the side of the radiator support and across the bottom of the radiator support on the inside to the drivers side. Came out pretty clean but where the lines are on the inside of the frame rail they are about 1" from the header/catalitic converter. I suppose they will be fine.
 
stupid Q

Why are you guys finding it necessary to detour from factory config??? Or is this just for people doing manual to auto conversions. My car is an AOD. Just making sure I am not missing something or is our trans cooling modality insufficient?
 
Why are you guys finding it necessary to detour from factory config??? Or is this just for people doing manual to auto conversions. My car is an AOD. Just making sure I am not missing something or is our trans cooling modality insufficient?

Because all of these guys have high hp cars and they push the trannies hard.
 
Why are you guys finding it necessary to detour from factory config??? Or is this just for people doing manual to auto conversions. My car is an AOD. Just making sure I am not missing something or is our trans cooling modality insufficient?

When using a non locking converter (direct drive delete) the transmission gets hotter from the constant converter slippage, so to keep temps at an acceptable level, it's necessary to provide additional cooling.

David
 
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