After market automatic transmission coolers.
Im considering have AT cooling fitted to my 2013 kia sorento. To prolong the life of the transmission.
Does any one have any experience of this , effectiveness and cost on a sorento or any other tow car with automatic transmission.
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Unless the car manufacturer specifically recommends fitting an AT cooler when towing little will be gained and a lot will be lost (your money). If the car has a factory fitted towbar appropriate measures to cool the transmission will already have been taken so at worst it would only apply to dealer fitment, but then the dealer, too, should have taken any necessary action.
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I had two Sorento's , one of the same vintage as yours and never felt the need for extra cooling even towing in the mountains of Europe. Many years prior to that I had an automatic Vauxhall Charlton and the gearbox would over heat so had an extra cooler fitted. I was never convinced that it made that much difference as the gearbox continued to overheat! Not long before I traded it in I discovered that Vauxhall had an expansion kit available which would have prevented the loss of gearbox oil!!!
David
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all auto sorentos are fitted with transmission coolers!I was unfortunate enough to have a stone puncture the cooler of my 2010 a couple of years ago.(it is mounted behind the front grill).in fact the 2003,the 2007,the 2010 and the current 2015 all were behind the grill but they are all different.
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YES...The gearbox requires a complete drain,re-fill with required quantity-warmed up to a specified temperature and then topped up to level.not a diy job.Kia,however,say that the fluid is for life!(also a certain amount of fluid will always reman in the torque convertor).Have a look at UK sorento forum.All the advice and help you could ever need about your car!
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You will never get a complete change either as the TC will still retain most of whats inside it when the fluid is drained. It maybe worth looking at getting it flushed to put your mind at rest. There are companies out there now that can offer this service using specialist dialysis type machines.
We used to do it at work with our cooling systems with a similar type of machine.
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Some torque converters do still (apparently some Mercs) have a drain on them. But as you say, the easy way (with the correct kit) is to fill & drain the system via a cooler hose.
Having said I'd now pay someone to do it for me, I did a partial ATF replacement on my last car & changed about half of it. If I could find the will to post a picture I would ..... but I can't
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Interesting, the only TC I have ever come across like that was in the Voith DIWA transmission. When you drained the gearbox, once empty there was an additional drain plug which you accessed through the drain hole to drain the TC. Also German technology.
On my Triumph Stag with a BW35 in it, I just did 3 oil changes over a month or so . But ATF for that is a lot cheaper than modern fluids like Dexron and other specialist types in modern boxes.
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All autos will have a cooler. They actually say that changing the oil in an auto box can do more harm than good as draining the oil cause small depsits to end up where they shouldn't be, so I would only change it if it is burnt or a terrible colour. Most auto boxes need to have the sump taken off as that is the only way to drain the oil, as the oil is meant to last the life of the car, something I find extremely poor advice.
You will also need a filter and gasket set, plus the correct grade and amount of oil. You will also need the correct instructions on how to fill it up and check the level. It is a messy, smelly and expensive job, but if you have a day, and a way of getting the car off the ground, and level, then it is quite possible to do it yourself if you know one end of a spanner from the other.
You don't say why you feel the need for an oil cooler or an oil change? My advice, if it is running ok, leave well alone.
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