http://www.summitracing.com/parts/DER-13090



this is the kit I went with, and I linked the Summit page.. you can do better on price though, if you fish around..

I installed an auxiliary cooler too.. they aren't that expensive, and are very good to have.. the number one enemy is heat for an auto trans.. you can get the type that has the decent diameter tube running through it, and it is better than nothing, but a plate cooler is better.. I installed mine in front of the a/c exchange and it has been working miracles..

here is what I'm talking about:

plate style:

these have two 'main' tubes on the sides, and push small diameter channels to the other side, which is slower and smaller in volume, allowing the fluid to cool a lot better..



these have one tube that meanders through the fins.. they still cool, and are a lot better than nothing- but the pressure remains constant and the fluid isn't reduced in volume- so it moves faster and doesn't cool as much..

the price on the two major designs is similar, with the 'plate' style generally a little more expensive..



I'll be brief with this next bit, but it rates mentioning:

there is much debate on 'where' to install the external cooler.. you could put it before the radiator (and OE aux heat exchange), or after it.. the debate is based on 'how cool do you want it?

Hammer has a nice chart somewhere on here that shows what happens to transmission fluid at different temps.. hot is really, really bad.. but, so is really really cool.. just not as bad.. the perfect temp for fluid is between 165* and 180*.. too cool is hard to push, too hot varnishes at the worst, and cuts the fluids life short at the least.. I'm thinking your fluid was brown- which means it's been warm a few times..

every automatic trans pushes fluid through a chamber in the radiator.. this both cools it in hot environments, and heats it in cool environment.. the problem with this madness is that most OE vehicles come with at least 195* thermostats (due to federal emission regs).. that means you're already behind the power curve in cooling it because of temperature alone.. an OE aux cooler will knock a few degrees off of it, but only ten or fifteen or so.. If you're working that trans by hauling or towing, your going to see temps of 201~210 on the engine, which means the trans temps are going to be similar- add the OE aux cooler, and you're still going to be around 190~195*, which is still not good..

in really cold environments, like, Canadian winters, let's say- you'd be better served having a cooler directly after the exiting high pressure line and before the radiator.. in warmer environments, like Texas let's say, you'll be better with it after the radiator/OE aux cooler..

I say hog wash to this, but I'm saying it because it needs to be said 'the right way'.. what I suggest is putting a plate style aux cooler after the radiator/OE aux cooler, and in a location (third gen is easy- put it in front of the a/c exchange) that can be blocked off during extreme cold- just like Ye Ol' School truck drivers- louver it and don't allow air flow over it when it's bitter cold..

this is how mine is set up, and I've yet to see it break 190* no matter the load on the truck..

another benefit of expanding the cooling capacity is increasing the amount of fluid in it.. more fluid takes longer to expend, longer to heat too..

the internal filter can be purchased at just about any parts store- along with gasket, and pan gasket.. Fel-pro is your friend..

Once you exchange the internal filter for a new one, and install an external filter, your days of dropping pan have been reduced to 'just when adjusting bands is called for', because the external filter does what the internal does, but is much easier to change.. change it every other oil change, and you'll be golden..


edited to add:

 

Wow thanks for all the great info.

I have to look at my truck a little closer but I thought my tranny cooler was in front of the rad.

Is there a special tool to remove the check valve or do I have to get old school in it with a hack saw?

Also, I'm just shooting from the hip here, when I ask at the parts store- is there a specific pn# or name/type of inline filter to ask for. Never had to mess with tranny mods before.

 

your OE cooler IS in front of the radiator.. you'd do better by adding another, and the third gens make it easy because a suitable sized one fits nicely in front of the a/c heat exchange..

yup, there is a special tool.. you can get it at any parts store.. it's a high pressure fitting removal tool.. most often used for fuel lines.. get one that has a side large enough to pull that 3/8" or so trans line.. there are a myriad of different ways to install the inline filter.. the one I went with is the easiest, in my opinion.. I pulled the entire line off to gut the check ball, and reinstalled it.. I then sliced the line in two.. I jammed a barbed pressure fitting in both cut sides, and added a little bit of hose to one.. I ran the line exiting the trans to the IN line of the filter, and the OUT line of the filter was slaved to the other cut line.. whallah- done..

on the added external cooler, I intercepted the low pressure line coming out of the trans, and routed it over to the new cooler, and back to the low pressure line going back into the trans..

the inline filters are universal.. there are two lines to worry about.. I think our lines are 3/8", not 5/16".. I may be wrong though, so you'll want to confer with mr. Haynes or mr. Chiltons on that one to be sure..

the entire project will take you less than an hour for the actual job, and another for prep and clean up.. it has the potential to be the best mod you can do for your rig..

edited to add:

when you are slicing lines and jamming fittings on them to re-connect them, USE TWO HOSE CLAMPS on each side of the fitting... you want insurance, and this is good insurance..

 

Ok, not to hi jack, but I beleive it is related enough and this is a new enough thread that I should ask here and not start a new thread...I'm planning a trip to Florida for Christmas and New Years. My truck has 81,000 miles on it and I have (don't flame me) never changed the trans fluid or filter. The fluid is still the nice pretty red color...An aquantance of mine has a similar truck and said his trans went out at 50K and again at 80K and that it happened shortly after changing the fluid both times...so it makes me nervous to change mine...but the tranny has been acting a little funny every so often recently. It's kind of hard to describe, but every once in a while it seems to jerk a bit when shifting when I am accelerating moderately...Sorry, that's the best I can explain it cuz it happens so fast and so infrequently, sometimes I even think I may have twitched my foot at the exact time and causing something to happen...I dunno...thoughts??

I just don't want to run into issues on the trip...should I change fluid and filter before hand, or not?? I do like the idea of the modding mentioned as well, but I don't want to do it before the trip as I don't want to spend the money incase it is needed for gas or something on the trip.

 

Sounds to me like you should change it asap whether you are taking a trip or not. Dont feel bad, mine is 7 years old with 90k miles and has never been serviced either. Will get to it just after the holidays though, along with both diffs and the radiator.

 

I would be curious to know if your friend who changed the fluid and had his tranny fail did a full flush or just a drop the pan, new filter and top it off like I do?

IMO, do the drop the pan deal. I've never had a problem doing it that way. No it doesn't get all the old fluid out, but it gets enough in there to freshen it up a good bit. As I've stated, this is all I've ever done, every 30k like clockwork, by the time you get to the end of the life of the original fluid, you're gonna be at 90%+ new fluid in there...

 

Yeah, I'm not real sure, he kinda seems to do most things himself, but he is just a buddy from the bars around, which we've kinda lost touch in the past couple years as he has tended to hang out at one corner bar and I tend to hang out more at the other and neither of use have been bouncing between them as much lately...I'll try to have my spies that still bounce between the two bars talk to him about it...But after reading this thread I kind of wondered the same thing if he did a flush and fill type thing rather than the drop and fill. But I would most definitely trust you guys' experiences/advice far before his when it comes to these trucks.

Thanks for the replys

BTW, is this all I need (besides fluid) ?
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/par...347918_76659_0_

 

I bet a dollar to a donut he had it flushed.. for the love of all that's holy, DO NOT flush an automatic transmission!! only caveat: it's okay to flush a trans as long as you do it like clockwork every 10k miles or so.. that is a huge waste of money, though..

what I would do if I were you, and I ain't, but if I were:

I'd drop pan and swap filter.. let it sit with the pan off and the drain pan under it for several hours.. new filter- new fluid... THEN..

disconnect both your high pressure (trans out line) and low pressure (trans return line), and flush the heat exchange.. flush it both directions.. do it several times.. THEN..

plumb in a new PLATE style auxillary cooler in front of the a/c exchange.. use only trans fluid line.. plumb it in AFTER the radiator's exchange.. THEN...

Plumb in a remote filter... on the return line..

pretty much go back and read the last several posts I made for the original poster.. for around $150 and about three hours worth of not-too-hard work, you will save your transmission from premature failure, and give yourself some peace of mind..

 

I've got the transmission cooler that came stock, have a temperature gauge installed and have yet to see the temp get much over 60* warmer than the outside air temperature, even when towing in excess of 7000 lbs.

 

Drop the pan and replace the filter and change what fluid you can. I've got 91k on mine and haven't changed my fluid yet. I know it's time and I will probably only replace the filter and fluid. My dad had a '76 1/2 ton Club Cab with a 727 and regularly towed 13k pounds with it and never changed the fluid and never had any problems and it had over 140k on it when he sold it. It may have been an exception to the rule. I always laugh at the thought of doing a flush only without replacing the filter. Us techs at work like to call it a "wallet flush". But then again I'm a Ford tech and your lucky these days if the piece of Sh@*t Ford trans will make it past 50k without needing an overhaul.