Results 1 to 2 of 2

Thread: Auxilliary Transmission Cooler Install

Hybrid View

Previous Post Previous Post   Next Post Next Post
  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2020
    Location
    Georgia
    Age
    21
    Posts
    74

    Auxilliary Transmission Cooler Install

    (reposting this from my thread over on CVN with some minor edits)

    Hi everyone. This past week I (finally) installed an inline auxiliary transmission cooler on my '03 Marauder. I figured some pictures of the install and some commentary would give anyone with a car that has the same stock cooling setup a head start

    The first thing that I had to do was remove the electric fan and shroud. It is held in with 4 bolts and the fan connector.

    Once that is done, the entire fan assembly should slide right out with a bit of finagling. It's a bit trickier with Marauders since the engine's size doesn't allow as much wiggle room for the reservoir - having an extra set of hands helped in my case. There is also a plastic arm that helps support the lower coolant hose that (to my knowledge) is only on Marauders. It can unclip from the rest of the assembly that'll make taking out the fan easier.

    engine bay no shroud.jpg
    I also removed the plastic deflector under the car.
    lower rad hose 4v.jpg
    The upper soft line coming from the transmission hardlines is what I unhooked first. I wanted to utilize the stock return soft line, so this'll be repurposed.
    trans lines to hardline.jpg
    The return line is the lower one as per the image below.
    trans lines close up.jpg
    A little bit of ATF will probably leak out so have a drain pan or some towels handy. I just used a random bolt to plug it.

    I also unhooked it from the radiator side. This probably isn't necessary but since I was trying to find a good route to bring it in front of the A/C condenser, I didn't want to put too much stress on the hose from twisting it. This was a bit tricky since it is tight with the engine radiator on one side and steel bracketry on the other. The A/C accumulator's location on Marauders makes getting pliers on the spring clamp particularly difficult, but it is probably easier on 2v cars.
    removed return line.jpg

    As far as where the auxiliary cooler is located, I decided to set it about the middle of the condenser under the hood latch. No fancy brackets were made for this - I used the zip tie style straps that come with the cooler I used.
    mocked up location.jpg
    I routed the return line (going to the auxiliary cooler's inlet) this way. I didn't want it going below the stock radiator assembly nor over top, leaving this as the routing I chose.

    It loops under the lower hose, going parallel with the frame rail.
    route1.jpg
    Then wraps around some A/C lines...
    route2.jpg
    And pops out behind this rubber cover behind one of these support beams that goes across the radiator. It helps when doing this to stick your hand through the rubber cover up front and stick the hose in from the back to bring it through.
    route3.jpg
    It's clear this will chafe in a few spots, so I used some wire loom to protect the hose.
    loom1.jpg
    2003 300B Mercury Marauder
    Built 01/22/03
    Purchased 01/29/20
    68,xxx miles

    July 12, 2023 - 68,203 Miles - RIP original engine

    October 31, 2023 - Rebuilt engine installed

    Modifications/Stuff I have done on the car:
    Engine:
    rebuilt stock; slightly overbore. Original 68k mile heads, new OEM Ford performance timing kit, Terminator Cobra Oil Pump, Billet Steel oil pump gears, ARP head studs, main cap studs, and side bolts. The latter ARP stuff for future endeavors.
    Transmission:
    Thor 2800-3000 Stall Converter
    Suspension:
    ADTR Front + Rear Sway Bars
    Metco Billet Watts Link
    Metco Billet Rear Control Arms
    Cosmetic:
    1998-2003 Amber tail lamp conversion - Painted and smoked to near-OEM spec.
    HID Projector Headlamp Retrofit
    OEM Mercury Mountaineer Hitch Cover
    Front in-channel rain guards
    Other Stuff:
    4-pin trailer harness
    Class III Tow Hitch
    Cadillac 4-note horns
    Hayden 679 Transmission Cooler
    Obligatory Marty Tune

  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2020
    Location
    Georgia
    Age
    21
    Posts
    74
    loom2.jpg
    loom3.jpg
    I used a 3 foot length of 5/16ths soft hose for the return line (aux cooler outlet back to factory return hardline) and cut it around where the factory soft line reached. I used the same path as above.
    returnfromhayden3.jpg
    returnfromhayden2.jpg
    returnfromhayden1.jpg
    The primary reason I cut the hoses short like this is because the cooler I used in this (Hayden 679) has 3/8ths fittings; I didn't want to try stretching the 5/16th hoses on them. I decided to go with brass male-to-male 5/16ths to 3/8ths barb adapters.
    adapters.jpg
    I just used the 3/8ths hose length that came with the cooler for the adapter-patch-hose for both of the connections. Nothing fancy - just some eyeballing and estimation for this.
    returnLineHayden.jpg
    inletToHayden.jpg
    From there it was just a matter of tightening the hose clamps and tidying up, which was straightforward except for the stock transmission cooler outlet. Using the stock spring clamp probably would be the easiest option, so I did the right thing and used a worm screw instead.

    The spring clamp for the lower hose was in the way of the worm screw driver so I just pushed it out of the way with a flathead.

    The best way I found to get access to the clamp from how I put it on was a little tricky. I had to use a bit driver and get my arm under and around the frame rail to get the driver through the little hole as pictured below.
    wSMethod2.jpg
    wormScrewMethod.jpg
    The finished product looks more or less identical to the in progress pics. I used a zip tie or two around where the adapters are to prevent the lines from colliding or rubbing on the A/C condenser. So far it has yet to leak and has kept the transmission fluid temperature from going above 175 or so in normal driving here in Georgia. Before the cooler was installed the car would regularly sit around 180 and easily climbed to over 220 climbing a long hill. I have yet to drive the car hard on a mountain road but I'm confident it'll stay far cooler than before.

    (Apologies for any minor formatting errors - the image management system on this site is a but funky compared to CVN and a lot of them are rotated.)
    2003 300B Mercury Marauder
    Built 01/22/03
    Purchased 01/29/20
    68,xxx miles

    July 12, 2023 - 68,203 Miles - RIP original engine

    October 31, 2023 - Rebuilt engine installed

    Modifications/Stuff I have done on the car:
    Engine:
    rebuilt stock; slightly overbore. Original 68k mile heads, new OEM Ford performance timing kit, Terminator Cobra Oil Pump, Billet Steel oil pump gears, ARP head studs, main cap studs, and side bolts. The latter ARP stuff for future endeavors.
    Transmission:
    Thor 2800-3000 Stall Converter
    Suspension:
    ADTR Front + Rear Sway Bars
    Metco Billet Watts Link
    Metco Billet Rear Control Arms
    Cosmetic:
    1998-2003 Amber tail lamp conversion - Painted and smoked to near-OEM spec.
    HID Projector Headlamp Retrofit
    OEM Mercury Mountaineer Hitch Cover
    Front in-channel rain guards
    Other Stuff:
    4-pin trailer harness
    Class III Tow Hitch
    Cadillac 4-note horns
    Hayden 679 Transmission Cooler
    Obligatory Marty Tune

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. How to install transmission cooler
    By Chayton in forum Transmissions
    Replies: 16
    Last Post: 12-15-2021, 07:14 AM
  2. Transmission Cooler Kit
    By Baconbit in forum Transmissions
    Replies: 31
    Last Post: 08-14-2011, 09:24 PM
  3. For Sale Transmission Cooler FS
    By FordNut in forum Marauder-specific Parts for Sale
    Replies: 7
    Last Post: 03-08-2010, 07:32 PM
  4. Where Is Transmission Cooler?
    By ctrcbob in forum Community Discussion
    Replies: 8
    Last Post: 03-05-2005, 08:45 PM
  5. Transmission cooler?
    By MMpridenjoy in forum Community Discussion
    Replies: 25
    Last Post: 09-24-2003, 11:30 AM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •