Ok so as some of you know i just swapped an aw4 in for a ba 10 manual in my 88 cherokee. to ease the pita factor so far i ordered a baja shifter from rad design so i won't have to swap electrical. Now I am trying to figure out the radiator situation. The stock configuration has the trans lines running through the radiator. so i would have to swap the radiators and all the lines and then i would still just have the stock setup. soo i would like to just leave my radiator and run a totally seperate e fan and bypass the radiator. But i have read that the radiator helps to warm the trans fluid. so is there anything wrong with it warming up more slowly?

 

I mounted a tranny cooler under my wife's jeep with a stock e fan I had extra and it works wonderful. If you off road I wouldn't suggest it because its kinda in the way where I mounted it but in front of the rad has been done and I have seen them run in the car for drag racing

 

But do I need to run it in conjunction with the stock radiator?

 

no

 

^ What he said

 

The torque converter generates a lot of heat, the transmission can't run too cool. Bypassing the cooler in the radiator will be ok and will help a lot. The factory cooler can get plugged easiely and destroy the transmission. But if it's getting plugged, the trans is a goner anyway. You hook a new transmission to the old clogged cooler, that is when things start to suck.

 

According to B&M Transmissions, the optimum fluid temp seems to be 175F. The factory cooler in the rad is in the "cool end" of the rad which my guess would be about/+/-175F. B&M also recommends that you run an auxiliary cooler WITH the factory rad cooler.

 

Yeah I agree that it can't run cool enough. How about far as warming up too slowly? Do me it seems that unless it was super cold it would warm up fine on its own.

 

I see 200 F with a rather small tranny cooler and a e fan bypassing the rad all together so I think you will be fine if you use just a cooler. Best way to find out is to get a temp gauge and find out what your own needs are.

 

+1, if you're going to stray from the factory set-up, install a tranny fluid temp gauge.

 

That's s good point.. I plan on doing that..

 

Hmm, I thought it was possible to run the tranny too cool? From what I have gathered, by reading through various forums and such, is that for those in warmer climes it is fine to by-pass the radiator when installing a cooler. But those in colder climes are better off using the stock routing configuration due to the cold temps seen.

And no matter a temp gauge is always suggested.