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Dechlan Tutty

Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2020
Messages
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14
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Age
22
Location
East Gippsland, VIC
Members Ride
'04 VZ SV6 - Auto (5 sp.)
Hi everyone,

A few weeks back I made a post asking about installing a transmission cooler on my SV6, and how to go about it.
I finally got all the parts I needed and put it in the car on Tuesday. Right now it seems to be doing just fine with zero leaks and still getting up to temperature, so I thought I'd make a post outlining what I did if someone else wants to do it as well.

This is my first post like this, so let me know if it's any good. I also understand that there aren't as many VZ's cruising around the place anymore as even the newest ones are still 13-14 years old, so this post may be entirely useless.

Anyway, here you go:


Parts:
- Oil Cooler (with 3/8" barbs)
- 3/8" ID hose;
-- 1x 1000 mm
-- 1x 350 mm
- Threaded to barbed fittings;
-- 1x male thread to 3/8" barb
-- 1x female thread to 3/8" barb
- 4x hose clamps
- Some sort of flat bar to mount the cooler
- Self-tappers
- Some extra ATF


1. Mount up the cooler.
I did this using 2 flat pieces of metal (steel or aluminium would work fine) that I cut about 40-50 mm longer than the gap between the top and bottom reinforcing bars (there's probably a specific name that I am unaware of) in front of the radiator so I could bend each end 90 degrees in a vice to screw/bolt into each of the bars. I made sure I mounted the cooler towards the driver's side so my lines didn't have to be ridiculously long in order to be put in-line with the current cooler lines.

2. Run the cooler lines.
I ran the 2 hoses between the radiator end-tank and the chassis rail on the driver's side of the car. The shorter hose is used as the return line from the aftermarket cooler and the longer hose being used at the radiator outlet to cooler inlet hose.

3. Plumbing the hoses into the radiator and return line.
I disconnected the pipe from the bottom of the radiator end-tank and put the threaded barbed fittings on both the radiator and the end of the pipe. The pipe I took off is the return line and connects to the shorter hose, and the longer hose gets connected to the fitting on the radiator and left with a large radius so it doesn't kink. I clamped both of the hoses and moved back to the front of the car.

4. Plumbing the hoses into the aftermarket cooler.
I connected the longer hose to the top of the cooler I put in, and before connecting the hose to the bottom I added some fluid to the system through it. I did this for 2 reasons - the cooler adds capacity to the system (slightly, but enough to make a difference), and when cold the transmission wouldn't lock up at highway speeds until it got a bit hotter (~5 mins of driving). I had researched that this is a problem of slightly low fluid that when hot expands and the issue goes away. It obviously was the problem because now it's locking up fine.

5. Check connections and give a test run.
Self-explanatory, but I made sure there weren't any leaks, started the car and cycled through the gears, checked connections again - no leaks, so I went for a drive and she was all good.


Hopefully that makes sense and answers some questions that people had for me from the last post.
Ask me questions if you'd like something clarified as well.

Cheers, Dechlan.
 
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Fu Manchu

We’ll get together. Have a few laughs.
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Members Ride
VZ Crewman, VZ Cross 8, & ya mum.
I’m trying to figure out how you adapted the quick connect factory fittings to the barbed ones?
 

Dechlan Tutty

Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2020
Messages
54
Reaction score
14
Points
8
Age
22
Location
East Gippsland, VIC
Members Ride
'04 VZ SV6 - Auto (5 sp.)
I’m trying to figure out how you adapted the quick connect factory fittings to the barbed ones?
Sorry, I probably didn't explain quite as good as I could've. I didn't tap into the quick connect fitting but rather the threaded connection(s) to the radiator/factory cooler. Just got barb to male thread and barb to female thread adapters.
 

krusing

Well-Known Member, Possibly for the wrong reasons
Joined
Jun 21, 2014
Messages
5,345
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Location
Melbourne, Bayside
Members Ride
2002 VY L67 Calais Sedan, 2012 VE L77 Calais Wagon
Hi everyone,

A few weeks back I made a post asking about installing a transmission cooler on my SV6, and how to go about it.
I finally got all the parts I needed and put it in the car on Tuesday. Right now it seems to be doing just fine with zero leaks and still getting up to temperature, so I thought I'd make a post outlining what I did if someone else wants to do it as well.

This is my first post like this, so let me know if it's any good. I also understand that there aren't as many VZ's cruising around the place anymore as even the newest ones are still 13-14 years old, so this post may be entirely useless.

Anyway, here you go:


Parts:
- Oil Cooler (with 3/8" barbs)
- 3/8" ID hose;
-- 1x 1000 mm
-- 1x 350 mm
- Threaded to barbed fittings;
-- 1x male thread to 3/8" barb
-- 1x female thread to 3/8" barb
- 4x hose clamps
- Some sort of flat bar to mount the cooler
- Self-tappers
- Some extra ATF


1. Mount up the cooler.
I did this using 2 flat pieces of metal (steel or aluminium would work fine) that I cut about 40-50 mm longer than the gap between the top and bottom reinforcing bars (there's probably a specific name that I am unaware of) in front of the radiator so I could bend each end 90 degrees in a vice to screw/bolt into each of the bars. I made sure I mounted the cooler towards the driver's side so my lines didn't have to be ridiculously long in order to be put in-line with the current cooler lines.

2. Run the cooler lines.
I ran the 2 hoses between the radiator end-tank and the chassis rail on the driver's side of the car. The shorter hose is used as the return line from the aftermarket cooler and the longer hose being used at the radiator outlet to cooler inlet hose.

3. Plumbing the hoses into the radiator and return line.
I disconnected the pipe from the bottom of the radiator end-tank and put the threaded barbed fittings on both the radiator and the end of the pipe. The pipe I took off is the return line and connects to the shorter hose, and the longer hose gets connected to the fitting on the radiator and left with a large radius so it doesn't kink. I clamped both of the hoses and moved back to the front of the car.

4. Plumbing the hoses into the aftermarket cooler.
I connected the longer hose to the top of the cooler I put in, and before connecting the hose to the bottom I added some fluid to the system through it. I did this for 2 reasons - the cooler adds capacity to the system (slightly, but enough to make a difference), and when cold the transmission wouldn't lock up at highway speeds until it got a bit hotter (~5 mins of driving). I had researched that this is a problem of slightly low fluid that when hot expands and the issue goes away. It obviously was the problem because now it's locking up fine.

5. Check connections and give a test run.
Self-explanatory, but I made sure there weren't any leaks, started the car and cycled through the gears, checked connections again - no leaks, so I went for a drive and she was all good.


Hopefully that makes sense and answers some questions that people had for me from the last post.
Ask me questions if you'd like something clarified as well.

Cheers, Dechlan.

Being that you have disturbed the genuine connections,
Maybe after you have done a few k/m's, or in the next couple of months,
Best you check your handy work, after the fittings have been heated up and cooled down. [Expanded and Contracted]
And check that everything it nice and tight.
 

Dechlan Tutty

Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2020
Messages
54
Reaction score
14
Points
8
Age
22
Location
East Gippsland, VIC
Members Ride
'04 VZ SV6 - Auto (5 sp.)
Being that you have disturbed the genuine connections,
Maybe after you have done a few k/m's, or in the next couple of months,
Best you check your handy work, after the fittings have been heated up and cooled down. [Expanded and Contracted]
And check that everything it nice and tight.
Yes, I will definitely be keeping a close eye on them. I don't exactly want to be wasting oil or dumping it on the road lol
 
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