Cottontail
Three-De Off-Road
- Location
- Nashville, TN
When I was researching doing a tranny cooler install I found lots of good threads but none with good photos of the plumbing, so I took a few and hope maybe this thread will help someone else ready to tackle the job.
Materials:
The top line is the return line going from the cooler back to the transmission with the cooled fluid. The bottom line is attached to the line going out of the bottom of the radiator with the hot fluid.
This photo shows the hot line that runs out of the lower radiator. The line covered in braiding is the original soft line that used to connect to the hard line that ran back into the transmission. The portion of the soft line in the braid is connected to a short hard line (not visible behind the steering gear box) that is screwed into the lower radiator. I spliced and connected with a union and 2 hose clamps. This hot fluid leaves the radiator and flows into the lower port of the transmission cooler.
This next photo shows the return line. The soft line that is attached to the hard line, to the right of the joint is the original return line and was under the braiding on the previous photo. I unioned in the return line and the cooled fluid flows out of the top port on the transmission cooler and into the hard line which takes it into the transmission.
Materials:
- Junkyard tranny cooler from Ford Explorer
- 6 hose clamps
- 2 unions
- 7 feet of 3/8" transmission line

The top line is the return line going from the cooler back to the transmission with the cooled fluid. The bottom line is attached to the line going out of the bottom of the radiator with the hot fluid.

This photo shows the hot line that runs out of the lower radiator. The line covered in braiding is the original soft line that used to connect to the hard line that ran back into the transmission. The portion of the soft line in the braid is connected to a short hard line (not visible behind the steering gear box) that is screwed into the lower radiator. I spliced and connected with a union and 2 hose clamps. This hot fluid leaves the radiator and flows into the lower port of the transmission cooler.

This next photo shows the return line. The soft line that is attached to the hard line, to the right of the joint is the original return line and was under the braiding on the previous photo. I unioned in the return line and the cooled fluid flows out of the top port on the transmission cooler and into the hard line which takes it into the transmission.

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