My XJ has already got a small davies craig oil cooler mounted in front of the radiator, as it get a bit hot in summer up here I was considering one of these oil coolers that have a small fan attached and run it off a temp switch. Has anyone fitted something like this or does it look too big to fit?
I looked at buying one of those exact coolers, i found it was alittle to thick for where i intended to fit it just below the radiator. It would have came very close to the engine.
The b&m oil coolers with thermo fan are alittle thinner so easier to fit and their bar plate design is alot more efficient then the tube design of those coolers. B&M however are also more expensive then the Derale coolers but id rather buy from a brand i have used before and trust when it comes to keepimg the auto working nicely.
Whilst going over the XJ today I thought I'd grab a picture of what Chrysler thinks is sufficient to cool the AW4 transmission when towing, FWIW in person it's about 1/3 the size of what Davies Craig recommend for an aftermarket upgrade (part #678)
I've had quite a few land+range rovers and they have external fluid to air cooler auto trans coolers and then fluid goes via thermostat into "hot " side of radiator or back to transmission they also have a thermostat that stops fluid from going to getting cooled at all, further they also have an engine oil cooler in the cold tank of the radiator, and a fluid to air transfer case cooler.......this full house of coolers are fitted in vehicles that are meant for hot climates......for cold climates they run things differently, to keep fluids warm enough.....i had a range rover and a discovery which had electric elements in the windscreen glass ( not copper printed!) and the discovery had a separate diesel interior heater that could be run while engine was off! scotland is cold! ......truth is Rover builds all sorts of climate specific cooling (and heating) arrangements.....that's one sad point about jeeps, they're pretty basic- nice and simple which is a real plus point really!, but cheap for parts by comparison.
Well I've semi mounted the transmission cooler in the only place available (once I tossed the original Jeep one) partly in front of the radiator but 90% below sitting in the air flow from the bull bar vent through to the engine bay (via cut outs below radiator), according to Davies Craig line orientation isn't a big deal so this should work relatively well (I hope) and still have sufficient room for an aftermarket (motorcycle) thermo fan if necessary
A few different angles from the camera shoved under the bullbar
Yes you may have noted it's off-centre somewhat... that'd be because of the front chassis "cut outs" the cooler is sitting directly in front off
EDIT: well it's been properly fitted for 5 days, flaring the ends of the pipe sections (with the tip of a closed pair of pointy nosed pliers) and fitting 2 hose clips to every connection (opposing clamp configuration) has been very effective at preventing leaks in the transmission lines... highly recommended, it also appears to be keeping the transmission more adequately cooled with sufficient airflow being directed through the factory bullbar's lower intake venting (mounting in front of a factory frame/chassis cutout would also be contributing to effectiveness)
To maximise the flexibility of this cooler I installed it in series with the existing heat exchanger (located in the hot side of the radiator), thus the transmission wouldn't spend longer below recommended operating temperatures than necessary yet had a greater capacity to reduce the transmission oil before returning to the AW4 transmission, thanks to carvesdodo for the doing most of the graphical leg work
Additional post note: After traveling up to the Victorian/NSW border and back I can say without reservation this configuration made a definitive impact on improving the transmission operating temperatures even in what I would consider extreme sweltering conditions, my method of comparison was as "unscientific" as you can get utilizing the sensor pads in the tip of the fingers, crazy you say? not at all... previously whilst motoring about town the transmission shift lever would get "so hot" as to be untouchable, after the #678 had been fitted the hottest it reached was extremely warm and seeing as the shift lever is in contact with the transmission heat would obviously be radiated though it as well
Future planned upgrades
Motorcycle thermofan for #678 (and auxiliary switch)
I am going to install the Craig Davis P/N 678 cooler and a VDO gauge to the XJ AW4 Trans. I have done the search and I am now totally confussed with all the opinions on how to install the cooler. Can someone please give me the best way to install the cooler. Some threads say run the Radiator trans cooler first and some say run only the new cooler. Others even say run the OEM cooler and the new Cooler. PLEASE HELP.
is the vdo gauge sender going in the sump or in the cooling line?
I vote for trans cooler first then radiator cooler and keep the oem air cooler for the power steering a la gojeep.
1. this helps the trans reach operating temp quickly in especially in winter
2. Seriously hot oil temps of 105C+ will still lose heat in the radiator
I don't like the idea of bypassing the radiator cooler unless there is an independent fan on the aftermarket oil cooler.
....take cover hear come CARVS....
Ps I have the gojeep oil cooler (about $80 landed in Australia at the moment)and taurus fan and it works great,
trans sump temps are mostly 80 occasionally gets to 90 yet to see 100.
I am sure that there are other ways of doing it that will also work.
Good luck with it. http://www.summitracing.com/search/?...FLX-4120&dds=1
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1996 Jeep XJ Cherokee
