Every car guy should own a V-12...
Back on topic.
I installed a transmission temperature gauge in my 1990 Toyota 4 Runner after the transmission overheated (it had a "transmission hot" light on the dashboard) one cold winter night on the highway. Several years of driving that old truck with a transmission temperature gauge demonstrated, to me, in my driving, that load, not outside air temperature, was the key factor in transmission heat.
Around town in the summer heat, no problem.
Heavy throttle for sustained periods on the highway in the winter = high heat load and hot transmission.
Now, it wasn't locking up anymore, it needed a torque converter, but I had added a big transmission cooler to it. So, torque converter slipping was happening all the time, and ostensibly, that isn't the case in our Volvos, but the experience was educational.
So, do cars driven only in the winter need a transmission cooler?
My answer is yes.
Better still, for cars in a cold climate, is a transmission cooler with thermostat. That way, the fluid will warm up enough for proper operation when it's really cold, while still being kept from getting too hot. The setup that I have on the T5 (which was installed prior to taking the car to Colorado for a few years) is exactly what Toyota put on my new Tundra: thermostat controls flow to a big cooler.
Current Fleet:
2016 Tundra Crewmax 4WD 1794
2005 MB S600 (126K, Michelin AS4, HPL 0W40)
2005 MB SL600 (55K Michelin AS4, Mobil 1 0W40)
2004 V70R (143K, six speed M66, HPL 5W40)
2004 XC90 (235K, HPL 0W30 Euro)
2002 V70-XC (295K, HPL 0W30 Euro)
2002 V70-T5 (225K, IPD bars, Bilsteins)
2001 V70-T5 (125K, IPD downpipe, cat back and other mods)
1932 Packard Sedan (straight 8, dual sidemounts, original paint and interior, Shell Rotella 15W40)
Bookmarks