Are transmission coolers normally installed before or after the radiator?

Question

aftermarket not stock ones

Answer 1

in front of the radiator ,unless its  water cooled .

if you put it behind the radiator,as you stand facing the engine your cooling fan will most likely shred it.

jeff i see why your not at the trans shop anymore.

Answer 2

i have always installed before.. they work best that way...

Answer 3

Transmission coolers are usually PART OF the radiator.

Answer 4

transmission coolers are installed after the radiator. you can even bypass the radiator all together. do not install before the radiator the idea is to cool the fluid not heat it back up from the hot coolant in the radiator worked in a transmission shop for 5 years

Answer 5

Before, usually is a good idea...

Answer 6

Often they are built into the radiator, and on older cars they were always at the very bottom, since heat rises ... but after market coolers can be either in front of the radiator or below the front of the engine so they don't share the air flow with the radiator, but I have never seen one placed after the radiator, not sure how well it would cool the trany fluid if it was.

Answer 7

Do you mean before or after in the air stream or before or after with regards to the plumbing?

The temperature of the fluid returning to the transmission will be the same whether it is plumbed through the radiator or the new cooler first.

The temperature of the fluid returning to the transmission will be lower if the cooler is placed before the radiator in the air stream.

The after market transmission cooler world is very misunderstood.  If you are not asking your vehicle to perform in a manner that the designers of the car did not intend, don't add a cooler.  If you are going to push the vehicle hard enough to really heat up the transmission, don't buy the $50 auto parts store tranny cooler.  They do very little cooling.  If you really need a cooler, buy one from one of the hundreds of race car suppliers out there.  The flow through these units will actually transfer heat.  You do have to make sure you get good air flow though, so where and how you mount the unit is very important.

One more thought.  The stock cooler in the radiator is not just a cooler, it's a heater.  It actually helps the transmission reach normal operating temperature more quickly.  The colder the climate, the more important this is.