hi i was wondering i looked at my radiator recently for no apparent reason and noticed that it has the trans lines still goin into it. i then double checked that i did have a trans cooler that was seperate was probably fitted from factory with heavy duty towbar heard there in the same kit?

anyhow i was wondering is it safe/reccommended to disconnect and bung the lines going into the radiator and rely solely on the other cooler?

any advice and experiences are appreciated. thanks

Yes you are correct the "Ford" heavy duty tow pack was all inclusive of tow bar and transmission cooler.

The standard plumbing to the cooler in the radiator tank remains in line (i.e. in service).

You want to know if you can effectively bypass the standard cooler in the radiator... and the short answer is yes you can.

The question back at you is why do you want to do it?

- You can eliminate the risk of the standard cooler failing where the coolant/water contaminates the transmission fluid and effectively causes the transmission to s**t itself.

- You can minimise the chance of the transmission oil being heated rather than cooled by the heat of the radiator/coolant, but this shouldn't occur if your cooling system is properly maintained.

- other ???

the one im concerened about even though it might only be a slight possibilty is the coolant and trans fluid mixing. i do take good care of the cooling system due to them being known to destroy head gsakets when poorly maintained so it gets flushed every six months and proffesionally cleaned every 2 years or i just buy a new radiator.

If you are religously looking after your cooling system; the chances of the transmission colling element in your radiator failing are next to nil.

What's more; if your transmission fluid is maintained and kept full, it will have more pressure than the cooling system and the reverse contamination will occur first (i.e. the tranny oil will penetrate the colloing system first, until the oil level in the tranny reduces to the point where the coolant is able to make its way into the transmission cooler).

I would leave things thye way they were meant to be and just stay on top of the maintenance.... That's what i preach and practice.

Sincerely,

John

okthen i will thanks for the advice. i try and take care of my car as best i can as i hope to keep it for a long time to come and slow im building it up to be better then new.