Hi i am new owner of pristine 03 sx 2.0 with only 71,000km. I've been researching mods and common problems. I find the transmission/rad failure a little scary. Has no one ever bypassed the rads transmission cooler? or is there an aftermarket radiator that would prevent this issue? Like many others the budget wouldn't take such a large hit and i would rather spend money on prevention then after failure.Any advice/info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

Some here have said aftermarket radiators don't have the same part that breaks (or it's put together better). You can also bypass it and install an aftermarket cooler.

 

Thats good news i'll seek out local rad shop. I actually like the car so would like to keep it for a while.Thanks.

 

Don't forget to cap each transmnission tube on the original radiator if you install an aftermarket cooler.

 

At the very least, I would go with an external cooler and cap off the one in the radiator. I would prefer to change radiator to better aftermarket design to keep everything working as engineered, and either option would probably never be a problem like the factory installed radiator was.

 

Worth considering:
If you live in a part of the world where the temperatures go below freezing, you want the radiator "cooling" connected. It will also warm the transmission in cooler weather.
As lilreddakota mentioned, keeping the original engineering in mind is a worthy thing. They wouldn't build it that way and have an extra expense if it wasn't required or deemed worth having.

Joe

 

If you are worried about overcooling with an aftermarket unit, there are thermostats you can install to prevent that.

 

some cheap ebay rads fit, but the fan shield doesn't... never buying ebay parts again unless it's a body part lol

 

Went to tranny shop and bypassed rad cooler. 186 installed = peace of mind and safe tranny. Money well spent. Guy was used to doing jobs and had an 05 there with less miles < 55000 with tranny gone. 3000.00 lost. Must say i was nervous driiving around after learning of issue, i guess people often leave their vehicle at shop until they can afford fix rather than take chance. Thanks for excellent info. Robert