So I am getting ready to purchase an additional aux transmission cooler to install on my max but looking at the service manual drawing I can't figure out which hoses to connect to the cooler. All help greatly appreciated.

 

wow no replies yet... anyways I made this picture... I am thinking something like this but I am not sure so please help if you can....

 

As far as I know it can't be done. There are no hoses, we have a heat sink type cooler.

I posted some info in this thread. http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....t=transmission

Let me know what you think, becuase if you can figure a way to do it. Count me in!

 

hmmm that sucks if it can't be done because I just purchased a Haydan cooler. I was planning on tinkering with it once the weather becomes steady.

 

The book i have showes an oil cooler in the bottom of the rad. I havent looked at my 2006 yet.

 

the 05/06 5-spd had a heat exchanger which prevents addition of an aftermarket system.

 

no there is a cooler with hoses to it. that is it in the picture up above. I looked under the car last night to verify that it did because I thought we had a heatsink too but it appears not unless this cooler acts as a heat sink. I know in the service manual to replace the cooler you have to drain the coolant first. The only reason I could think you would have to do that is because those lines are filled with coolant. if that's the case than an aux cooler should be possible.

 

po8pimp, I hope you are right, who is going to do the install? Take lots of pics and notes if you pull it off. Like I said, I will be next in line!

 

Doesnt Stillen sell a tranny cooler? Or is that the same kit? lol

http://www.stillen.com/product.asp?i...N&model=MAXIMA

 

And I quote:

2002 - 2007 MAXIMA 2.5L / 3.5L - (Except 05-06 w/Heat Sink Type Cooler)
http://www.stillen.com/product_files/400865~inst.pdf

 

yay! So my '04 is good to go once the time comes to install it. Will def. take pics of install

 

INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS
STILLEN TRANSMISSION COOLER
02-06 NISSAN ALTIMA
P/N 400865 this is not for the maxima. doesn't really make sense looking at the drawings. there are no lines to the coolant that I can trace without putting on a lift and tracing lines. the two coming off the at cooler go towards the top of the tranny. That is why this is so confusing. I have never seen a setup like this to be honest. But I am going to put it up on a lift this weekend and take a looksee. chern would be a great help in this matter due to him having his tranny off. I will also ask the guys doing my tranny next week if I don't figure things out by then.

 

Maybe there is a why to use put the 04 cooler type on to replace the 05-06 heatsink type? Then go ahead with the tranny cooler install. Unless all 04s were 4spd autos. I dont know.

 

Where looking into a tranny cooler also for my 04, we think the above drawing will work but I'll wait till my tranny guy gives me feedback from the above pictures I showed him. As for the 04's only the early SL had 4spd, the SE came with a 5spd.

 

Interesting. So you have a 04 with a 5speed auto? So did yours come with a heatsink type cooler or a different kind?

 

To my knowledge I don't think mine has a heatsink type cooler. I did replace the cooler part that attaches to the tranny with a new one during my rebuild.

 

More info/pics on tranny cooling please

 

yea I too have the 2004 5speed auto with the cooler as indicated in the picture above. not a heatsink type.

 

This is the tranny cooling part I replaced. We couldn't really open to service and we noted small metal shavings in the screen so I bought a new one.

 

I wonder if there is any way to "retro fit"' the new transmissions with the 04 cooler OEM cooler. and then an auxilary cooler could be attached. I am going to ask my tech, when I take the car in Monday.

 

Po8pimp,

I have Quest 07 with the same 5sp AT as in Max 04. Before flushing transmission fluid I studied the manuals and was very surprised not to find any mentioning of the in-radiator AT cooler neither in AT nor in cooling system chapters. (There's a description of a cooler cleaning procedure, though)

I already knew that this tranny does not have an easily serviceable pan with magnets and screen, and it looked that even a decent flush couldn't be done. However, by looking under the car, I immediately found in-radiator cooler with hoses going to/from the tranny (but not to the heat-sink-type cooler). I performed the full flush by disconnecting the return line at the in-radiator coolant, since its transmission side wasn't easily accessible in Quest.

Anyway, you can “plug” an aftermarket/secondary cooler between in-radiator cooler’s return line and the transmission.

 

Chernmax,

Was it a simple procedure to replace the in-tranny cooler? Is it enough to drain AT fluid or something else needs to be done before/after the replacement?

 

fixed...........

any diagrams of the said procedure?

 

Greg wrote an excellent guide for aux cooler installation:

http://www.greghome.com/Greg's%20Gar...n%20Cooler.htm

Although, it's for Max 99 with a different tranny, it will work for Quest 07, and if Max 04 is similar (this is what I understand from checking the manuals) for your car too.

 

nice!

I'll be sure to give it a look early next week.

thanks,
dan

 

Totally different setup, however same theory. I will be taking my car in to the tranny shop on monday now that I have the parts to fix it, and I will ask those guys what they think about an aux cooler.

 

so I was at the tranny shop to get some work done, however I need to find gaskets for the valve body sold seperate from the AW gasket kit. PITA let me tell ya. anyway I was talking with the owner there and he told me that this setup will work. Only thing he sees that could be a problem is the cooler is rated for 200psi max. That would work under normal driving conditions however in drive with WOT there is a max pressure of 208psi and in reverse it's even higher. However who drives WOT in reverse?? This isn't FATF. anyways I will research for a better cooler that is compact like this one and then start the process. will take pics and produce sticky worthy material.

 

So the Hayden cooler won't hold up?

 

It was for me seeming how my entire transmission was sitting on a work bench....

 

Stillen has this one. I dont know if it's the same

 

http://www.transmissioncoolers.us/Me...roduct_Count=3 Found this one. sounds like it will work. will do fitment testing today prior to purchase.

 

How are you going to do fitment testing before having the product?

I have the same one pending install...just want to see confirmed data on lines/flow

 

Lol I just reread what I wrote and had to read it twice just to understand what I meant. I was meaning take measurements where I am going to install it. it give dimensions and I allready have an idea where I want it just not sure if this specific one will fit. you should test fit your's and let me know. never know if product is going to really work until you are installing it. I will confirm the lines when my wife get's back from the mall. Guy at my tranny shop says this looks like it will work. I just need to make sure there is coolant in the AT cooler not AT fluid and make sure hot and cold are right. from the pics he showed me on the tranny my picture is right. He said to double check because I don't want to mess this up. I totally agree. I will let you know as soon as I am done.

 

Great, waiting for the info also...

 

1. According to your diagram, hot/warm engine coolant flows into in-tranny cooler and gets back cold. Shouldn’t it be the other way around?
2. In this setup you provide better cooling to engine coolant that cools AT fluid. If you install the aux cooler between in-radiator cooler’s outlet and the tranny, you’ll cool AT fluid directly. Don’t you think it will be a more efficient (and simpler) solution?

 

I really don't understand what you said to be honest. as for the test of lines I didn't get a chance to do it last night. came online to see what else was posted before going out to do the test. shouldn't take me long. I will post results in a few.

 

ok so far I ran the car and lifted the front end up. checked the hoses to the cooler and the bottom one is deffinitly hotter than the top hose. so the bottom is confirmed to be the in and top is out. I will let it cool off and then check to see what type of fluid is in there. All I know is that little cooler is doing a real good job cooling from what I can tell I mean the bottom hose was allmost too hot to touch while the top hose was not very hot. I was also thinking about what danmaz was saying and from what I gathered I think he meant to run the aux cooler as an engine cooler as well as a transmission cooler. that could possibly work but that is not what my goal is here. I want a cool transmission. I have done the steps to cool the engine by changing coolant to a bottle of super coolant and 15% antifreeze and the rest H20. Living in Hawaii I don't think it will freeze so I should be good.

 

 

This is not what I meant.
I’m saying that there're two ATF coolers:
1. An “in-tranny” cooler – this is the one you refer to.
2. An “in-radiator” ATF cooler.

From your posts, I understand that you want to install an aux cooler between the “in-tranny” cooler and ATF cooler valve assembly. If I understand correctly the service manual (see the System Drawing on page 9 of the Cooling System section), engine coolant flows there. So, the aux cooler will reduce the temperature of the coolant and, thus, reduce the temperature of the ATF. However, there’re 2 things to consider:
1. Cooling the coolant that cools the ATF is less efficient than cooling the ATF directly – see below.
2. See again the System Diagram on page 9: ATF cooler valve assembly comes after the Heater. Doesn’t it mean that sometimes the “in-tranny” cooler is actually used to heat up ATF? In this case aux cooler will actually make its job much harder.

Now back to the in-radiator ATF cooler. The Radiator diagram on page 12 of Cooling System says “if equipped”, so, first, you need to make sure your car actually has it. My Quest 07 does and it uses the same engine and tranny as Max 04 5sp AT; the relevant sections of service manuals are virtually identical too.
So, if your car does have in-radiator ATF cooler, you can connect the outlet (the left hose) of the in-radiator cooler to the inlet of the aux cooler, and the outlet of the aux cooler to the return line in AT. Exactly as shown in Greg’s guide: http://www.greghome.com/Greg's%20Garage/1999%20Nissan%20Maxima%20SE/Xmission%20Cooler.htm

 

I am looking at the pictures that are displayed on Gregs DIY and there aren't any transmission lines going to my radiator like his. I have the heater hose going to the tranny and the two hoses coming from the tranny cooler. I don't know about the quest and how it's set up but I can tell you there are 4 lines going into my radiator. Two for engine cooling, and two for oil cooling. I will post another pic once I find it of the radiator for the 04 maxima. I did let it cool off and as I suspected there is coolant in those lines to the AT cooler. So Hot bottom cool top and both coolant.