Transmission Oil Cooler

[Frank]

I have just purchased a Pajero RX and I am not able to get a decent answer from anyone at the dealership regarding a Transmission Oil Cooler. I will be towing a Large Caravan with an Aggregate Trailer Mass of 2540 Kg.

Is it advisable to fit an extra Transmission Oil Cooler, or is the vehicle itself up to the task

[Keen molly]

Oil cooler

Hi frank congratulations on your purchase , we also tow a van ATM 2500kg have towed this van for approx 5000klm to date no drama's not sure if it has an transmission cooler or not but we have towed at over 40 degrees .
But for sure someone on the forum will set us both straight re the cooler
Happy travels.

[Zed]

I've got the NP with a MM tow bar, it has the std tranny cooler through the radiator and a second factory cooler mounted on the front of the radiator, I was told all pajero's with factory tow bars had a factory 2nd trans cooler back then, not sure if still the case with NT, take a good look around the radiator and follow a few lines, may need to remove some gaurds.

[Goldens]

Gidday Frank I towed a similar size van in 40+ degrees on a few occassions and haven't had any issues. Our last trip was to SA, we had the bug mesh over the front it was about 43 degrees still no probs. I wouldn't mess with the auto trans cooler incase something goes wrong they might say your mod contributed to it...

[mrorejap]

Check your P Messages

Hi frank congratulations on your purchase , we also tow a van ATM 2500kg have towed this van for approx 5000klm to date no drama's not sure if it has an transmission cooler or not but we have towed at over 40 degrees .
But for sure someone on the forum will set us both straight re the cooler
Happy travels.

Hi Molly, I have sent a PM to you.

[bushman]

Pretty sure NT has standard Oil Cooler, tow our van uphill down dale all day long temp guage never moves above normal

[marquis]

Biggest problem i see with the new auto is you cannot check the auto trans fluid for colour. If your towing and the auto is unlocked the atf will burn and after a while cause issues. Additional cooling will help reduce the atf temp therefore extending the life. It has nothing to do with engine temp (ie the gauge on the dash).

[stephenb489]

Is it advisable to fit an extra Transmission Oil Cooler, or is the vehicle itself up to the task[/QUOTE]

Hi Frank,

Last few years I have given my Pajero a reasonable work out. In particular there was a day where I was towing my Jayco (about 2250kg) from Port Lincoln to as far as I could get on the drive back to Geelong.
Left early, by 8.00am the temp was showing 39dg. and the hottest was at Port Augausta at 46dg. I had a headwind most of the way and was travelling at or near 105k's.
That Pajero did not miss a beat, we were on the road till 6 or 7pm. Tough As. Whenever I checked the tyres, they were too hot to check properly, the heat off the bitumen was unbelievable.
If you have a concern have alook at this. I have just located the temp guage and it looks ok. $245.00

http://www.automatictransmission.com.au/release.asp?NewsId=12031

At

https://www.automatictransmission.com.au

Cheers,
Stevo

[Paj People 2009]

Hi Frank,

We also tow a van of ATM 2500kg and have done about 3000km with it so far, no problems at all. Tows beautifully, even in 30+ degrees, driving 5-6 hrs per day. Do not need a transmission cooler.

The Paj tows so well, heaps of power, great torque and well balanced.

Congrats on your purchase and enjoy your van travels!

Cheers,
Sally

[achjimmy]

As mentioned above the engine temp does not reflect the temperature of transmission fulid. Sadly without being able to see the fluid or knowing the temperature the damage could be happening to a transmission and may not surface until the vechiles reach much higher mileage.

Generally a transmission cooler is all you need to address higher transmission temperatures. Nowadays with computer controlled transmissions I presume you need to be careful with fluid and operating temperatures?

If you read the MMA towing guide that came with your welcome pack it states " an auxillary transmission oil cooler is not required on a pajero using an automatic transmission. Installing one can effect the correct operation of he transmission."

But as I said above the inability to see the oil is a worry IMO. I will be looking into the oil change intervals and doing it sooner. The state of the oil will tell you a fair bit .

Does anybody know if a scan gauge gives you real time transmission temperature?

[Marty V]

I always tell people that additional coolers are not required Frank...

[mrorejap]

@nd Cooler NOT required

I have just purchased a Pajero RX and I am not able to get a decent answer from anyone at the dealership regarding a Transmission Oil Cooler. I will be towing a Large Caravan with an Aggregate Trailer Mass of 2540 Kg.

Is it advisable to fit an extra Transmission Oil Cooler, or is the vehicle itself up to the task

G'Day frank, Congratulations on your purchase. I am sure you will have great times travelling in the Pajero. Like others have posted, who are towing vans & or boats similar to the weight of your van, you will not have any problems, the Pajero is a well engineered vehicle & well in front of some others makes on the market. A 2nd Cooler is NOT required & as for concerns ie...burning the auto fluid, getting it to hot or other questions, have a talk to your service manager....after all that's what they are trained for. Enjoy that car.

[mrorejap]

2nd Cooler NOT required

I have just purchased a Pajero RX and I am not able to get a decent answer from anyone at the dealership regarding a Transmission Oil Cooler. I will be towing a Large Caravan with an Aggregate Trailer Mass of 2540 Kg.

Is it advisable to fit an extra Transmission Oil Cooler, or is the vehicle itself up to the task

G'Day frank, Congratulations on your purchase. I am sure you will have great times travelling in the Pajero. Like others have posted, who are towing vans & or boats similar to the weight of your van, you will not have any problems, the Pajero is a well engineered vehicle & well in front of some others makes on the market. A 2nd Cooler is NOT required & as for concerns ie...burning the auto fluid, getting it to hot or other questions, have a talk to your service manager....after all that's what they are trained for. Enjoy that car.

[NT GLS]

As stated above the factory fitted oil cooler is more than adequate. If you're really concerned about transmission oil degradation then have the oil changed more frequently than the manufacturer's recommendation. I had mine changed at 45,000kms, the oil was still in good condition but did it anyways.