Should an external transmission cooler be installed in loop with the radiator or is it better to bypass the radiator?

 

Do not bypass the radiator.

 

If you bypass the radiator, your trans fluid won't warm up quick enough in the winter.

 

Why shouldn't the radiator be bypassed?

 

anybody?

 

I installed an aftermarket trans cooler and bypassed the radiator on my 4.0 XJ.
Although I live in Houston,tx where we have about 2-4 weeks of actual cold weather.
But I can understand not bypassing the radiator if you live where it snows for months out of the year.
If you go wheeling off road like I do in real hot and humid climates, its probably not a bad idea to install a large cooler while bypassing the radiator .

 

Like it was said in a post before, you cant bypass the transmission because winter time will be hell on the trans. It uses the coolant temp to help raise the trans fluid temp. Just put the cooler after the radiator and into the trans.

 

Well I have already installed the cooler bypassing the radiator. How cold of temperatures are you talking about? I live in South Mississippi.

 

if you in Mississippi my guess would think that your okay with temps. by cold temp they mean cold enough to snow..so 32 and below i would assume. i live in PA where winter could be very long (depends if phill sees his shadow or not...) i by passed my radiator cause my tranny cooler lines where bad and leaking and just wanted them separated. i have not drove it during the winter yet with it bypassed but we shall see...i dont think it will be too bad. thats just me though

 

In the case of tranny fluid cooling, more is better....espicially if you do a lot of slow speed trail/rock crawling with your Jeep. Never bypass the radiator. Just put the external cooler inline in your radiator tranny cooler return line.

 

FWIW, I live in Atlanta and also have a bypassed radiator. I did not notice any hard shifting or anything last winter... and it got pretty cold here a few times.

 

Not to hi-jack, but i have a oil cooler & tranny cooler sitting on my shelf I was wanting to put on...

Im a lil slow this morning and am not following anything, anyone have a "diagram" of some sort (even if its in paint) that can explain what you mean as far as bypass, inline, not bypass?

Im curious now...

 

Basically some or maybe all Cherokees have a stock transmission cooler/warmer that is integrated into one end of the radiator. If your radiator fluid is cooler than trans fluid, it cools, if the radiator fluid is warmer than the trans fluid, then it warms. You can either disconnect the stock lines from the integrated radiator cooler and bypass it or you can run the new cooler in line (in series) with the stock integrated cooler.

Crawl under your jeep and look for 2 lines that run from your transmission pan to your radiator and then you will understand. HTH...