{"id":75077,"date":"2020-09-24T14:56:55","date_gmt":"2020-09-24T21:56:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/?p=75077"},"modified":"2020-09-24T14:57:46","modified_gmt":"2020-09-24T21:57:46","slug":"earls-transmission-coolers-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/earls-transmission-coolers-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Earl&#8217;s Transmission Coolers Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"jetpack-slideshow-noscript robots-nocontent\">This slideshow requires JavaScript.<\/p><div id=\"gallery-75077-1-slideshow\" class=\"jetpack-slideshow-window jetpack-slideshow jetpack-slideshow-black\" data-trans=\"fade\" data-autostart=\"1\" data-gallery=\"[{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.racingjunk.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/09\\\/Cool-1-min-1-scaled-e1600984574269.jpg&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;75079&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Earl\\u0026#8217;s Transmission Coolers Part 3&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Earl\\u0026#039;s Transmission Coolers Part 2&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Last issue, we began our look at transmission coolers (heat exchangers). This time around, we\\u2019ll look at the different types of coolers available.\\u00a0 Some are cheap. Some are expensive. Some are poor quality. Some are outstanding quality (and as we all know cheap and high quality can seldom be used in the same sentence!).\\u00a0 Check it out:\\n\\nFor the most part two types of cooler styles are readily available:\\u00a0 These include a \\u0026#8220;tube and fin\\u0026#8221; configuration as well as a \\u0026#8220;stacked plate\\u0026#8221; or \\u0026#8220;modular\\u0026#8221; configuration.\\u00a0 \\n\\nTypically, the tube and fin cooler models are the most common arrangement you\\u2019ll find.\\u00a0 With this layout, the cooler consists of a series of fins placed over aluminum tubes, which are in turn, arranged in \\u0026#8220;S\\u0026#8221; patterns.\\u00a0 The idea behind this is to draw air over the fins, allowing for a heat sink effect that withdraws heat from the transmission fluid.\\u00a0\\u00a0 It\\u2019s a relatively simple arrangement \\u0026#8212; easy to build and inexpensive.\\n\\nThe \\u0026#8220;stacked plate\\u0026#8221; design is altogether different. \\u00a0Here, the transmission cooler is arranged similar to that of a modern automotive radiator.\\u00a0 Instead of using a tube to carry the transmission fluid inside the cooler, the fins actually form the passage for the fluid to pass through.\\u00a0 In operation, this cooler configuration proves much more efficient and much more robust than the tube and fin examples.\\u00a0 There\\u2019s more to it too:\\n\\nThe stacked plate cooler (sometimes referred to as a \\u0026#8220;modular\\u0026#8221; cooler) has been in use prior to WWII.\\u00a0 During the early thirties, it was first developed for use with the Rolls Royce Merlin engine that powered the Spitfires and Hurricanes in the Battle of Britain and the same engine that powered the P51 Mustang.\\u00a0 This type of cooler incorporates dense air fins and \\u0026#8220;tubulator plates\\u0026#8221;.\\u00a0 \\nThese plates allow for maximum liquid side (internal) and maximum airside (external) surface area.\\u00a0 The collector or end tanks ensure minimum flow restriction, while the fully brazed construction results in the most efficient possible thermal transfer bath between liquid and air.\\u00a0 A well-engineered heat exchanger will also be laid out so as to insure there is minimal coolant (in our case, automatic transmission fluid) pressure drop between the inlet and outlet ports.\\u00a0 The bottom line here is, the old Rolls Royce Merlin design is the likely one of the most thermally efficient liquid to air heat exchanger formats available even today.\\u00a0\\u00a0 That\\u2019s why the Earl\\u2019s coolers shown in the accompanying photos work so well.\\n\\nCertainly, there are big differences between the conditions seen in an aircraft and those experienced by my street driven car.\\u00a0 But there are also a lot of similarities.\\u00a0 Those old war birds were obviously piston-engine powered and subsonic when it came to speed.\\u00a0 Some of the research that went into the cooling systems of those airplanes dates back to the early days of flight (and in truth, there\\u2019s a lot of research that went into them).\\u00a0 A heat exchanger or cooler doesn\\u0026#8217;t know or care if it\\u0026#8217;s cooling engine oil or hydraulic fluid or engine coolant.\\u00a0 When compared to today\\u2019s warbirds, those old aircraft were dead slow and because of that, heat exchanger technology actually has more in common with today\\u0026#8217;s cars than one might think.\\u00a0 Bottom line here is, when the stacked plate (modular) layout is incorporated into a cooler, and the oil flow and air speed of the vehicle is taken into consideration (during manufacture), then the optimum heat exchanger can be produced.\\n\\nSo what\\u2019s more effective \\u2013 a modular stacked plate cooler or a common tube and fin arrangement?\\u00a0 Typically, a modular cooler (such as the Earl\\u0026#8217;s coolers shown in the photos) will reject as much as three times the heat (for a given area) than a tube and fin cooler.\\u00a0 That\\u2019s a lot, but there\\u2019s also another big consideration and that\\u0026#8217;s coolant (or oil if used as an engine oil cooler) pressure drop:\\u00a0 In operation, a modular configuration cooler will have less than half of the pressure drop found in a tube and fin design.\\n\\nWhen it comes to cooler configurations, what\\u0026#8217;s best the material \\u0026#8212; copper and brass or aluminum?\\u00a0 In most cases, the aluminum exchangers are nearly as efficient from a thermal perspective as the copper and brass models, but significantly lighter.\\u00a0 On the downside, the aluminum coolers are more difficult to manufacture and as a result are more costly.\\u00a0 Take your pick, but we lean toward the aluminum models.\\u00a0 One more point is the actual paint.\\u00a0 The common black paint commonly applied by most local radiator shops can actually act as thermal barrier instead of promoting the transfer of heat.\\u00a0 A well engineered aluminum heat exchanger will either be anodized or it will have a very thin coat of baked, heat exchanger paint (typically grey or silver or black in color).\\n\\nThat\\u2019s a wrap for this issue, but we\\u2019re not done yet. Next time around, we\\u2019ll take a cooler look at the correct location for a cooler along with the correct way to mount it. We\\u2019ll also look at cooler sizing and plumbing.\\u00a0 In the meantime, check out the accompanying photos:In the last couple of issues we looked at why transmission coolers are so important along with how they work. We also addressed the two major types of coolers available \\u2013 inexpensive tube and fin jobs along with more costly stacked plate examples.  We\\u2019ll wrap up the series with this segment, beginning with transmission cooler mounting:\\n\\nMounting shouldn\\u2019t be difficult, but there are still some not so great mounting locations.  Earl\\u0026#8217;s Performance Products points out: \\u0026#8220;The cooler must be mounted in a stream of moving air at ambient temperature to operate efficiently.  It is not a good idea to mount the oil cooler behind the water radiator where it will receive only heated air.  It is not enough to lead air to the cooler \\u0026#8212; the heated air must have somewhere to go after it passes through the core.  Remember, air always obeys the immutable laws of fluid dynamics.  Air will only flow from a region of relatively high pressure to a region of relatively low pressure.  Any attempt to convince it to do otherwise is doomed to failure.\\u0026#8221;  \\n\\nWhat this means is you should always mount a cooler in the airstream ahead of the vehicle radiator (common sense \\u2013 right?).  With this arrangement, the cooler will always be subject to high pressure at the face while the engine fan will always provide for a region of low pressure aft of the cooler.\\n\\nThere are other mounting considerations too, not the least of which is the location of the inlet and outlet ports.  The reality is, no heat exchanger (radiators included) work well if the liquid side is filled with air.  The worst location for the inlet and outlet ports is where they\\u2019re oriented on the bottom. The best arrangement is to have the cooler mounted so that the ports are located on the top.  If this isn\\u0026#8217;t possible, the next best situation is where the cooler is mounted on the side so that the ports are laid out horizontally.  \\n\\nThere are several methods you can use to mount a cooler, however Earl\\u2019s offers a simple, well-engineered system for their coolers.  Manufactured from aluminum, this bracket is designed to hold the cooler securely without damage from vibration.  Included is a pair of brackets (with integral rubber cushions) along with e-coated aircraft quality hardware with rubber insulators spacers.  Earl\\u0026#8217;s offers this bracket system for all of their Temp-A-Cure cooler models (each with a specific width \\u2013 more info on various cooler widths below).\\n\\nFor most high performance (race) automatic transmissions, inlet and outlet ports measuring -6 AN are common. Earl\\u2019s coolers typically incorporate a pair of -10 AN O-ring boss ports.  From here, it\\u2019s pretty easy to pick an AN adapter that suits the application (using our application, a -6 AN to -10 AN arrangement is what we\\u2019re using).  Yes, you can secure hoses with barb fittings and worm gear clamps.  Some coolers use pipe threads.  But compared to either of them, AN fittings are less prone to leakage and clearly much more secure. \\n\\nThe final question, and perhaps one of the most critical is cooler sizing.  How big should it be?  In the case of a high performance street car or truck that is subjected to heavy loads, trailering, etc., then bigger is always better.  The pair of heat exchangers shown here measure 8-1\\\/4 X 13-inches and 8-1\\\/4 X 18.5-inches.  They\\u2019re big.  Keep in mind though, it\\u2019s pretty much impossible to overcool and automatic. The way the Earl\\u0026#8217;s Temp-A-Cure coolers are designed, allows them to be built in countless sizes.  Basically, the folks from Earl\\u0026#8217;s offer a huge range of coolers (\\u201cheat exchangers\\u201d) to suit almost any application you can dream up.  The coolers shown here are narrow 8-1\\\/4-inch wide jobs available in heights that range from 2-inches to 18-1\\\/2 inches.  Along with the narrow coolers, Earl\\u2019s also offers wide body coolers (width of 13-inches and a height of 2-inches all the way up to 18-inches) along with \\u201cextra wide\\u201d coolers with a width of 15-1\\\/4 inches and heights range from inches to 18-1\\\/2-inches.  That\\u2019s a lot of surface area.  Additionally, Earl\\u2019s manufactures curved coolers.  Puzzled?  They\\u2019re for motorcycle road race applications along with a select few automotive road race applications.  They have a width of 11.562-inches and a height from 3.05-inches up to 4.919-inches. \\n\\nAs you can see, there are all sorts of different cooler configurations available.  And as we pointed out, you can get a corner auto parts store job or a high-quality race cooler.  The choice is yours.  But for us, we\\u2019ll pick the race cooler any day. They\\u2019re more efficient, less troublesome and easier to configure and mount.  Cool Aid?  No question. \\n\\nClick Here to Begin Slideshow&quot;,&quot;itemprop&quot;:&quot;image&quot;},{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.racingjunk.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/09\\\/Cool-6-min-scaled.jpg&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;75080&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Earl\\u0026#8217;s Transmission Coolers Part 2&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Earl\\u0026#039;s Transmission Coolers Part 2&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;The line of coolers (or \\u201cheat exchangers\\u201d) from the folks at Earl\\u2019s Performance are based upon a stacked plate configuration. This format can reject up to three times the heat when compared to a tube and fin cooler.&quot;,&quot;itemprop&quot;:&quot;image&quot;},{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.racingjunk.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/09\\\/Cool-7-min-scaled.jpg&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;75081&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Earl\\u0026#8217;s Transmission Coolers Part 2&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Earl\\u0026#039;s Transmission Coolers Part 2&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;In this photo, you can see the \\u0026#8220;modular\\u0026#8221; construction format. This type of cooler features dense air fins and \\u0026#8220;tubulator plates\\u0026#8221; that provide maximum liquid side (internal) and air-side (external) surface area.&quot;,&quot;itemprop&quot;:&quot;image&quot;},{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.racingjunk.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/09\\\/Cool-8-min-scaled.jpg&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;75082&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Cool 8-Earl\\u0026#8217;s Transmission Coolers Part 2&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Earl\\u0026#039;s Transmission Coolers Part 2&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;While you can\\u2019t determine from looking at it, the Earl\\u2019s coolers are actually manufactured from aluminum.  This means the coolers are almost as efficient from a thermal perspective as the copper and brass models, but much lighter.&quot;,&quot;itemprop&quot;:&quot;image&quot;},{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.racingjunk.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/09\\\/Cool-9-min-scaled.jpg&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;75083&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Earl\\u0026#8217;s Transmission Coolers Part 2&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Earl\\u0026#039;s Transmission Coolers Part 2&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;The collector or end tanks are engineered to minimize flow restriction.  Meanwhile the fully brazed construction results in the most efficient possible thermal transfer bath between liquid and air.&quot;,&quot;itemprop&quot;:&quot;image&quot;},{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.racingjunk.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/09\\\/Cool-10-min-scaled.jpg&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;75084&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Earl\\u0026#8217;s Transmission Coolers Part 2&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Earl\\u0026#039;s Transmission Coolers Part 2&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;You\\u2019ll note Earl\\u2019s coats their coolers in a silver color. As pointed out in the text, this is actually a special paint designed for heat exchangers.  It\\u2019s a baked-on finish.&quot;,&quot;itemprop&quot;:&quot;image&quot;}]\" itemscope itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageGallery\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>Last issue, we began our look at transmission coolers (heat exchangers). This time around, we\u2019ll look at the different types of coolers available.\u00a0 Some are cheap. Some are expensive. <\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":75079,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5008,11,3470,4879,3698,22,5012],"tags":[2164,4008,281,41,6187,4764,8047,321],"class_list":["post-75077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-engine","category-how-tos","category-news","category-slideshow","category-tech","category-event-coverage","category-transmission-clutch","tag-cooling","tag-guest-column","tag-how-to","tag-news","tag-radiator","tag-tech","tag-transmission-coolers","tag-wayne-scraba"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Cool-1-min-1-scaled-e1600984574269.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p42YSK-jwV","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75077","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75077"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75077\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":75086,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75077\/revisions\/75086"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/75079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75077"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75077"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75077"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}