Advantage of using this "air duct" for the radiator?
 

I need to mount the OEM auxiliary transmission cooler to the core-support cross bar that is behind this plastic duct.

This duct wasn't there until I had a front-end collision and had the front end fixed. The body shop added this piece, which I have never seen on any other Rangers.

It gave me a nice place to mount my fantom fog lights, but now it's in the way.

• Should I trim it and leave it in place?
• Should I remove it altogether?
• Does it serve any advantage to the air-flow properties of the front end?

Attachment 207263

Thanks for the advice or vote!

Mine has it, all trucks should come with it from the factory. I don't think removing it will harm anything, so if you need to, go for it.

On mine, I kept that plastic piece intact and mounted the Ex trans cooler in the lower opening instead.

I was considering this, but I worried about the cooler missing the air-flow from the electric fan on the other side. In its stock location, some of the air passes through the cooler also. This meant (to me) that in traffic or at a stop, the cooler would be almost worthless without air flowing through it.

I see your point. I'm using the factory fan and shroud, so it should work about the same anywhere in front of the condenser coil.

looks like a spleen. Don't know what it is good for but I wouldn't remove it unless totally necessary

I took another look a minute ago, and I believe I will mount it BELOW the cross bar, which still leaves it within the air flow from the fan. However, it looks like it will fit better if mounted upside down.

I replaced the upper mount with a 90 degree aluminum angle and bolted it on.

http://home.comcast.net/~rwenzing/V8..._cooler_sm.jpg

I found some pre-drilled and tapped holes that aligned perfectly with the mount bracket. Now I just need to fab a bracket for the bottom.

Do you think it will hurt to have it upside down like this?
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...p/IMG_5207.jpg

I don't think the factory would do it that way but I can't see how it would affect the function of the cooler.

On a side note, I recently learned that there is a specialty hose made just for transmission cooler lines. If you need to make up longer hoses for the inverted location, you might want to look into it.

By specialty do you mean a special rubber material, or the hard line that has specific bends and an appropriate fitting on the end?

I think it will actually need to be shortened some, which I can easily do with a pipe cutter. However, I won't know until I get and install a radiator.

Is this correct?

Tranny --> Cooler --> Radiator -->Tranny

If I remember correctly, the line that "feeds" the cooler from the tranny connects to the rubber hose on the cooler. Then the other line from the cooler connects to the radiator, and there's a separate line going back from radiator to the tranny. Is that correct (if it makes sense)?

Yes, that's right. You want the fluid to go through the radiator after the aux cooler so that the transmission does not run under design temp in cool/cold weather. In other words, the oil to coolant heat exchanger in the radiator can act as either a cooler or a heater depending on conditions.

The rubber hose is what I was talking about. There is a special kind that is different from regular fuel line and is labeled for transmission cooler use. I don't know but I would guess that it's a specific type of rubber for the application and probably rated for higher pressure and temperature as well.

Ha ha...I grabbed an extra set of landing gear I have for my R/C airplanes and cut it down to make a bracket. Now it's very securely mounted.
Attachment 207158

Will that clear your A/C condenser coil or maybe your truck doesn't have A/C?

CRAP, BOB! I didn't think of that! I'll have to go check. I think the condenser sits right behind it.