Transmission Oil Cooler fitted on XR8 II

[Engineer]

Hi Guys,

I just thouht I would share my experiences with fitting a DriveTech transmisson oil cooler to my au xr8II 220kw. I decided to fit the oil cooler after experiencing a far amount of heat in the cabin coming from the transmission tunnel. You could feel the heat coming through the carpet it was not boiling hot but it was noticeable.

I completely bypassed the radiator in the installation following the advice of some auto trans specialists who stated that the radiator oil lines can sometimes get blocked which will cause damage in the long term. .

The front bar does NOT need to be removed to do the install, but the engine fans and engine cover, air snorkel do need to be removed to allow the radiator to be moved for the cooler to be moved into position. On the 220kw engines, the engine oil cooler can get in the way if your transmission oil cooler is not a slimline design. The Drivetech unit is awesome and it will slide in beautifully. I have used these units for years in my C4 351 XC GXL and can atest to their solid construction and performance.


After fitting the oil cooler the temperatures dropped dramatically. The heat can no longer be felt in the cabin and the transmission is now shifting much smoother than before. I used to get some harsh 1-2 and 2-1 shifts which don't happen anymore. The heat coming of the cooler is quite hot to touch after a long drive.

Overall the cooler took me 2 hours to fit. The cooler cost me $125 new. Overall I am very happy with it and would recommend it to everyone.

Cheers
Engineer