northern aluminum radiator

chromedog · Apr 21, 2007

if anyone has recently bought a northern (or summit) aluminum radiator, do yourself a favor before you go to the trouble of installing it... check the size on the trans cooler fittings! got mine all painted (wanted the stealth look, not the look- at-me-aluminum look!) filled it with coolant, THEN went to install trans lines, guess what.... cooler bungs werent finished. tech support told me they were supposed to be tapped 1/2-20 threads, buy mine are just barely 1/4" sooooooo, back to summit, drop 65.00 on a b&m super cooler (i got 15% discount, because of the mistake). i wanted a cooler, but not a 28000lb. gvw cooler... at least it has pipe fittings, not hose barbs. o.k, im done venting....

19stang66 · Apr 21, 2007

I have a northern aluminum radiator and have absolutely no problems with it. She sure does keep my engine cool! Never gets above 180*

chromedog · Apr 21, 2007

i have no doubts it will cool, i just wasnt quite ready to buy a trans cooler!

19stang66 · Apr 21, 2007

So it didn't come with a trans cooler??

BlackGMC · Apr 21, 2007

The only problem I see with your new setup, is having a tranny cooler that is not connected to a radiator can be a bad thing. Your tranny needs to be running at a certain temp, tooo cool can be just as bad as running too hot.

chromedog · Apr 21, 2007

19stang66: it came with a cooler, but the holes where the fittings should go arent drilled near big enough for 5/16 " lines...im afraid if i drilled and tapped them, i would end up with shavings in the trans.
blackgmc: ive thought about that, too...i have a trans temp gauge, so i can keep an eye on the temperature. also, i know a liquid to liquid heat exchanger is more effecient than an air to liquid, so i think i should be ok with just one BIG aux. cooler.

rbohm · Apr 22, 2007

chromedog said:
i think i should be ok with just one BIG aux. cooler.

as long as you dont tow over 28,000lbs for very long

Vinyl66 · Apr 23, 2007

That transmission cooler will greatly help your transmission live. I believe I have ths same size cooler on my Stang. It is a very large stacked plate type cooler.

Automatics produce lots of heat through normal driving and lots more under heavy performance usage. You will NOT run your tranny too cool as one post above stated. Running too hot ruins 90%+ of all automatic transmissions. The ATF degrades dramatically as transmission temps rise. Keep it cool and keep your transmission happy!

1320stang · Apr 23, 2007

I think I would have sent it back painted..... or test fit it prior to painting. I hear more and more problems from the 'net from just about every manufacturer there is. Most people are in a hurry, trust that it's right, or just don't think about it, but test fitting stuff prior to modification should be the status quo anymore. Maybe QC isn't what it used to be.

Edbert · Apr 23, 2007

I got a Northern without AT cooler, they work better that way. Then I got a 35,000gvw cooler for the AOD.

chromedog · Apr 23, 2007

im kind of anal when it comes to transmissions... ive fried this aod once (hence the temp gauge) also have a change of amsoil full synthetic going in it. i think it should hold up pretty well, it have all the lube related updates, extra frictions, all the goodies!

BlackGMC · Apr 23, 2007

Vinyl66 said:
You will NOT run your tranny too cool as one post above stated.

I am not going to get in a pissing contest, but I believe it is a bad idea. I was going to do the same thing until I spoke to my tranny guy. Running it threw the radiator first will allow the fluid to warm up faster, roughly stay at a constant temp and not allow it to get above a certain temp. Whether it is 0* or 110* outside.

HookandLadder · Apr 23, 2007

I run my C4 through the Northern Radiator.....then the trans cooler and back to the trans. Constant temp at a safe level is the key. Mine stays the same temp almost all the time and keeps the car consistent tranny-wise at the track and on the street.

chromedog · Apr 24, 2007

my problem is i dont have the option of running through the radiator, the fittings are screwed up! there used to be a thermostatic bypass on the market. bypassed the cooler until you reach temp... gonna look into that.

Edbert · Apr 24, 2007

If you have an external cooler that is rated high enough the only thing you are doing by running it through the radiator first is wasting your capacity for heat-exchange. You are probably at more risk of running your trans cooler by doing this than you are just by running the external cooler, either that or you are running your engine hotter than need be. Maybe you just have excesss cooling capacity but by cooling it some in the radiator and then hitting the cooler already cooled somewhat will be more likely for you to run too cold.

I do think there's some credence to running too cold on an AT, I think it is not much to worry about in a performance application. ATs behind high power motors with 2500-4500 converters in them will run plenty hot. But if we are talking about a high-perf application you don't want all that extra heat in the radiator, it's going to be busy keeping that monster motor cool. So basically if you have an aluminum radiator and an external AT cooler you have more than enough heat capaicty. If it is in your hotrod or your commuter-car I believe you are best served by running the AT to one and the engine to the other.

There's something in the argument that it warms up the trans quicker, but that's a minor issue. If you are concerned about your trans being too cool at startup, then just don't push it to slip until you've gotten out of the driveway and down the road a bit. That's good advice for all componenets by the way.

I'm also a fan of installing a temp gauge in your AT, it can tell you somethings wrong before you ruin parts.

Vinyl66 · Apr 24, 2007

I also run my C4 through the cooler on my Northern Radiator and then through the stacked plate cooler. My engine runs at 160 degrees so my tranny fluid should stay plenty cool.

If my memory serves me correct, automatic transmissions (as well as the lifeblood ATF) are perfectly happy when run in the 150-190 degree range. Still, the cooler the better. If your engine runs above these temps and you are using the radiator cooler then you are heating your ATF unnecessarily and degrading its performance. I know some cars run in the 200-210 degree range.

After ruining a few automatics in the past due to heat, I play it very safe and keep them as cool as I can.

Tim65GT · Apr 24, 2007

I just ordered a Summit 380425 (Northern) Aluminum Radiator ($169) without the trans cooler built in. I also ordered the B&M BMM-70268 trans cooler ($48).

The cheapest comparable radiator with built in cooler was over $300.

I grew up in northern New York, I know cold. I siezed the 200 I-6 engine in my sisters '66 Stang coming home from a New Years Party in '78. Later, the tranmission had to be replaced too. If I were living there still, I probably would just leave my car in the barn for the winter. But it were a DD, I would definetly run the trans fluid through a radiator with cooler.

Here in El Paso, I don't have to worry about being too cold...

chromedog · Apr 24, 2007

i would have gone with a similar radiator, myself, but oppted to go with the "stealth" look of a down flow instead...if you arent concerned about looking kinda stock, go for it... you saved over 100 bucks

ForceFed70 · Apr 24, 2007

BlackGMC said:
The only problem I see with your new setup, is having a tranny cooler that is not connected to a radiator can be a bad thing. Your tranny needs to be running at a certain temp, tooo cool can be just as bad as running too hot.

What makes you think that a radiator will warm the transmission fluid? Remember that these are seperated areas of the radiator and not ment to exchange heat between each other. Also keep in mind that radiator fluid temperatures can get VERY cold....when driving down the freeway at -20*F the coolant temps in the radiator can easily get below 0*F.

The heat generated by friction loss and the heat absorbed by haveing the transmission bolted to the engine (and exhaust running down both sides) will provide more than enough heat.

The only downside of having the transmission too cold is that shifts will be slightly more sluggish. This may cause increased wear on the clutches, but nothing like having too much heat.

chromedog · Apr 24, 2007

wow, this simple venting of frustration has really raised alot of questions! i guess to satisfy my own curiosity, ill have to break out the trusty raytech temp gun, and pull some temperatures! maybe see which comes up to, say 130 degrees, first. im thinking coolant, if you arent into the throttle too hard, but then... i think having the trans, and engine on separate cooling systems would let each of them shed heat better. hear me out... trans fluid begins to degrade at 180 degrees. on a hot summer day, thats normal opperating temperature,, as far as the engine is concerned. so at 190 degrees, engine temp, your trans fluid is breaking down. all this goes out the window with a full synthetic tranny fluid, like amsoil, which is supposed to resist thermal breakdown to 275 degrees. (can anyone tell im a firm believer in synthetic lubricants?)

northern aluminum radiator

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