Utter confusion about trans coolers

[shueardm]

Please point me in the right direction.
I have read many Commodore VT-VX owners , many , saying you should get a transmission cooler if you care about your trans. But as far as I can tell, I have one OE fitted. Then I see lots of people claiming their VT did not come with a cooler.
What is that small cooler in front of the condenser , if not a trans cooler? And why should get another one or replace this one?

 

[Pollushon]

If it has a factory tow pack it usually has a little single core cooler in front of the rad. They also have basic power steer coolers. Probably easiest with a pic. They will improve longevity of the trans but specifically in load situations.

 

[shueardm]

I got ( demanded ) a towbar for free when I purchased the car brand new. But I never asked for a tow pack per se. It's only a 1600kg towbar
What you're saying is that if I never got the towbar the cooler would not be there either?

 

[NeddyBear]

We had a B&M cooler and fan unit fitted for towing the camper trailer and yes sure a bit of a overdo but hey it makes us smile.
I bought a tube bender and bent metal tubing to run from the cooler to the transmission and then had a hydraulic hose doctor press on the end connectors.
Also had an auto electrician connect up the cooler fan so to switch on when the trans gets to warm.

 

[shueardm]

That's sweet but did you remove one or was there no cooler to begin with?

 

[Pollushon]

I got ( demanded ) a towbar for free when I purchased the car brand new. But I never asked for a tow pack per se. It's only a 1600kg towbar
What you're saying is that if I never got the towbar the cooler would not be there either?

Not necessarily but in most cases. No matter what you have a cooler of sorts in the rad. It's possible in your case they just slapped a bar on to get you on your way. I'm a big advocate for them but in my case it was a necessity to get a few more kms out of the box. Do you tow often or drive hard regularly?

 

[shueardm]

Do you tow often or drive hard regularly?

no.
So I need not worry about cooking my transmission just through regular driving because I have some sort of ( even basic ) cooler for the trans and do not need to invest money in another?

 

[Pollushon]

I wouldn't worry. The 4l60e will pull you round without much hassle as a sedate daily driver.

 

[shueardm]

FWIW, I went to the wreckers and saw many VT series 2 with same setup, VX has the cooler vertical instead of horizontal ( or is that the series 1 VT? , seen so many lately ). Still not sure if it was standard or not.
They all have mounting brackets that are rusting badly as well, I'd like to get new brackets

 

[VT&VX]

This will work.

https://m.ebay.com.au/itm/Universal...r:2001|Make:Holden|Model:Commodore+Sportwagon