13950 Atomic-Cool Remote Cooler , Black

I use this cooler as an external replacement to the in-radiator transmission cooler on my '77 Ford Bronco. I found it easy to install and it works fairly well with my truck. It won't keep my transmission temperature down enough on long highway runs but it works just fine for me running back and forth to work and miscellaneous driving around town. When I drive it long distances or multiple trips with only short breaks, it can't keep the tranny as cool as I would like unless I drive at lower speeds, 55 MPH or lower. I plan on adding an additional cooler to help this one out for longer trips. It would probably work fine for my Bronco except that I'm running a transmission that was built for slower speeds, back when we all drove 55 MPH and I'm running oversized tires, putting a lot of strain on the system at 70 MPH. So, even though this cooler doesn't quite work for me all the time, I give it 5 stars for doing what it says. Also, this is the second of these I've purchased. The first was destroyed when I broke a drive shaft (I have it installed under the truck, close to the transmission). This one was missing the thermostat when I received it; I contacted Derale via e-mail and they promptly sent me the missing part, excellent customer service.

Installed on my 2004 GTO in the front behind the bumper but this little unit really is small enough and versitile enough to really install anywhere you can think of. The Fan is powerful and the cooler has the capacity to dissipate some real heat. Using on a 4l65e with a 3600 stall temps when from 220 to right around 160-170 fan doesn't really kick on at all unless i really beat on it and sit in traffic right after. The fittings and hoses are of good quality just be careful with the thermostat it does look a bit fragile and could probably be broken easy if you arent careful. wiring was simple included fittings are all i needed to make it work.

Works great in my ls swapped gbody. Had to make a simple aluminum bracket to mount it but keeps my 4l80 cool. Never gets over 175 on hot days

AMAZING.

When I bought my 2007 Silverado, I was thinking about fuel economy and not towing, so I chose the one with a very high rear end gear ratio (I get 20 to 22 MPG empty). When my wife and I decided to do some RVing this years and bought our 24FT travel trailer (TT) I was worried about whether my truck could pull it. It turned out to have plenty of power, but the transmission would get really hot very fast even on flat ground, so I knew I could not pull our TT in the mountains. I thought about getting a bigger truck or changing out the rear end, but knew that both of those option would be very expensive and would condemn me to getting bad fuel economy all the time (not just when I was towing). My truck already had a stock transmission cooler and after doing some research I decided on this remote cooler to ad on to the system to increase my cooling capacity. I installed it the day before we left for our trip to Colorado and it worked wonderfully. My trans oil temp ran around 200 degrees (Fahrenheit) before installation this cooler pulling my 24ft TT on flat terrain. After installation my trans temps ran around 170 degrees even in the mountains. We drove over 300 miles in the Colorado Rockies in elevations from 6000 to 11000 feet with no problem. My trans temps only reached 200 degrees one time when pulling a constant steep grade at 20 mph that went from 8000 feet to 11000 feet in a span of 5 miles. It reached 200 just as I crested the top of the mountain and cooled right back down to 170 within a couple minutes. Overall, I am very pleased with this product. Performance wise it deserves 5 stars. The reason I gave it 4 stars is because of a couple of reasons. First, the kit does not included a very essential cooler adapter that makes connection to the existing trans cooler a cinch and eliminates the need for cutting any hoses. (http://www.amazon.com/Derale-13035-Radiator-Adaptor-Fitting/dp/B004XONNZ8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1410924966&sr=8-2&keywords=derale+transmission+adaptor). The second is that the installation instructions are not very good. Admittedly, this product is intended for many different models of cars, but it would not hurt for them to offer some recommended locations to install this thin, or at least some places it should not be installed. The instructions are extremely basic and very ambiguous ("this unit can be installed anywhere"). As far as the electrical connection goes, it is the same thing ("connection can be made to any power source"). Both statements are incorrect. Although the unit it can be installed anywhere, it should not be installed just anywhere. It needs to be in a place where it would not be subject to being damaged. I found a youtube video showing a professional installing it under the engine face down to the road, in a manner that would expose it to potential damage from road debris or weeds if the vehicle was driven off road. This is a dumb installation location. As far as the electrical connection goes, you cannot connect it to just any old wire. The wire needs to be capable of carrying sufficient load to supply both the equipment it was intended for, plus the additional load of the electric fan (which is a heavy load). This would be a size 14 gauge wire or greater. Here is how I installed it. On my 07 Silverado 1500, the front bumper has two vent slots right in the center. I installed it right in the center of the front bumper behind these vent slots. I had to create a custom mounting bracket out of some 1 inch aluminum angle that I got at Lowes to mount it in this location, but it was not hard to do. This put the cooler right below the stock cooler and radiator in a location that was perfect for making connection with the GM cooler adapter (not included in the kit) and where the unit would be completely protected from damage but have abundant air flow. The kit comes with a thermostat switch which is hard set to come on 180 F (which is above the recommended operating temps for transmission oil. 170 is the optimal operating temp). I did not use this switch. I just connected the cooler fan wires to the wires that power the electric radiator fans which are already thermostatically controlled and come on when the radiator reaches the correct temperature. At first I was concerned that this type of connection might result in my trans oil being cooled down too much, but my trans temps run around 165 F when I am not pulling, running empty, so that is perfect. I took some photos and video of my installation procedure and if I have time, I will make a video and add it to this review.

This cooler went in a 2006 Toyota Tundra double cab 4.7 V8. I have driven the same drive in southern Utah for the last 5 years and prior to this cooler, towing 4,500 lb travel trailer with loaded bed right at my GCVWR limit, my transmission would hit 220° for a few minutes going over Soldier Summit on UT highway 6. This year, I did this drive again, a bit heavier, and same pass, tranny hit 194°. This is most definitely a good investment. The flat highway driving also saw improvements. Used to sit at 159° with OD off on flat highway driving. It now hovers at around 141°.

The thermoswitch is a very poor design. It uses a tiny, delicate sensor with a straight thread (can't be a pipe thread, it would snap right off), and restricts the use of sealant. I tried to dab a tiny amount at the base of the switch, still seeped trans fluid. Using a tiny o-ring until I can replace it with a 1/8" pipe threaded fitting/sensor, costing another $25. Derale KNOWS it leaks, there are a lot of complaints about this online. Tried contacting them, you're on your own. Two stars for a decent fan/heat exchanger, and sh*t customer service. I'm also not comfortable running amperage through this tiny switch, fan is only 5 amps, but that's enough to heat it up even further if the trans is running hot and fan is under load for long periods of time, shortening the life of the switch. I added a relay circuit so the load doesn't run through the switch. Staying away from Derale products from now on.

Great product! Easy to install and works very well. Installed it on 1996 f250 power stroke.