I spoke with a transmission shop today who is rebuilding my wifes transmission and they told me the transmission cooler which is supposedly connected internally to the radiator was completely clogged and to replace it means replacing the radiator.

I'm sorry but that sounds like BS to me especially with the $300+ pricetag that comes with the radiator replacement. I have not personally looked for the factory cooler to see if it was internal to the radiator so I cannot be sure. Can someone confirm? I can't see Honda using this design but I also never thought they'd make such a crappy product in the Odyssey.

 

The cooler is indeed built into the radiator. If its clogged. I said IF. It may be less expensive to install a separate cooler in front of the radiator. Honda has them available as part of the towing packages. But they are installed in series with the factory cooler. And the Honda coolers are pricey. Try Summit Racing. They have a variety of sizes for a custom install.

 

Shouldn't the ATF cooler, lines and fittings be flushed of old ATF and debris first before installing a new or remanufactured tranny? I think you are dealing with a non-Honda shop but doesn't Honda hook up an ATF flushing machine to purge contaminants from the system to prevent repeat transmission failures? I guess what I am getting at is I would want the old ATF cooler clean or a new radiator with a new ATF cooler before a new/reman tranny is installed.

 

Yeah, a friend of mine confirmed this the other day saying the Honda Technicians usually just blow it out without issue. But I agree I want all the debris cleaned out so we are starting with a clean slate. In any case, I called the shop doing the work and asked what was the status...

The guy told me that they tried 3 times using their high pressure flush method and were unsuccessful. I told him in so many words I'm not paying another $300 for a radiator and if this was his car he'd find a way to make it work. He said he'd try again and call me back with an update.

So...last night about 5:00 I get a call. Guess what, he mysteriously was able to get it flushed out. I had already planned on doing an aftermarket B&M tranny cooler once I get the van back but I needed them to fix it so I can also get their 3 year warranty. I ordinarily would pass on a warranty but in this case it just makes sense.(Thanks Honda)

Once I get the van back I plan on adding a transmission cooler and an inline Magnifine filter.

 

So the 05 and newer 6.0s have a bigger radiator?? I have an 02 like yours, and could use help in the cooling dept.........I have one of the B&M transmission coolers with the fan on it, but I think my clutch fan isant working-and I think a bigger radiator would help anyway

 

ive seen plenty of radiators with lines to hook up a trans cooler.. usually i see it on civics and accords and such, but the radiator is the same size its not bigger than an stock sized one.. and also half the time they arent used when i see them because theyre on manual trans cars, which dont use a atf trans cooler.. dude was not bsing about the trans cooler being built into the radiator, but it does sound like he was bsing you about it needing to be replaced..

 

I have seen some clogged pretty bad, never completely stopped up though. If they let you physically go back and see that they can't pressure through it, it is worth exchanging, when they do get it cleared, because it may very well contaminate your new tranny. They can run an external cooler much cheaper and not inline. The biggest issue with the cooler needing to be inline is actually heating the tranny fluid to proper operating temperature when it is cold. You still have to wait on the thermostat though. When they tranny is running hot the cooler, mounted in front of the radiator, will still be pulling the cooler air through it first. It is a win win especially if you are towing, or buring up the interstate.

 

i agree... but, if you do go ahead and install an aftermarket, esp for towing, it's a win-win in terms of longevity of your transmission

http://mdxers.org/forums/showthread....ghlight=cooler

 

Need to bring this back from the dead. Ive got a clogged unit and was wondering if it would be ok if i took the radiator out of the equation and just ran it through the oil cooler itself and back to the trans?

 

This was my original thread so it was kinda eerie seeing this on the main page from so long ago. Talk about a blast from the past, in any case the tranny was replaced twice after I posted this. The last rebuild I had done was by a local transmission shop and cost me another $2400. I added the trans cooler and they just pulled it off saying it would void their warranty. Of course I was skeptical expecting to need another transmission again soon but fortunately it lasted another 2.5 years. The van is still running although its time for some work.

 

additional cooler