1994 short bus, oil and trans cooler question

[kirkdc]

1994 GMC Thomas shorty 350.

I just got this home and started looking things over.

It appears I have an oil cooler incorporated into one side of the radiator and trans cooler lines going into the other side of the radiator.

I'm OK with the engine oil cooler but not too hip on relying on just the radiator cooler tank for my transmission. Is this the norm ? or do guys and girls install a larger/better aftermarket oil trans cooler?

[Booyah45828]

It's the norm on a lot of them. Those water-oil coolers transfer a lot more btu's then 99% of your air-oil coolers.

You can add additional air-oil coolers in series if you're concerned about overheating the fluid. However, DO NOT replace the water-oil cooler with an air-oil unit, as it's actually a decrease in cooling capability.

My suggestion would be to install a trans oil temp gauge and see if your concerns are validated. Sometimes additional cooling is actually required, and certain vehicles will have both coolers factory installed. So long as your fan and clutch are operating correctly, and it doesn't leak, your water-oil cooler should be doing it's job.

[kirkdc]

A trans oil temp gage is a great idea, thanks. On a budget..like most.