For real? GM needs a kick in the *****

pilot-werx · Sep 19, 2011

A not so funny thing happened to our 05 Cadillac ESV a few weeks ago. So if you own a GM you may want to read this....

This is my wife's car that is used to shuttle the kids around and to go to the grocery store. Every 5000 miles it gets an oil change, greased, tires rotated and a tranny service. I own an aviation business and I have never skimped on service.

She called me a few weeks ago and said that she thought something was wrong with the tranny as it seemed to slip coming up the driveway. Well she was right.... Somehow, a seal in the radiator let go and allowed the tranny fluid and engine coolant to mix.. I guess someone in their infinite wisdom thought it would be good to combine the tranny cooler and radiator...

Needless to say, $5k later it may be fixed....

And to think this could of been prevented with a $20 separate tranny cooler..

WilliamBos · Sep 19, 2011

Sorry to hear. GM was not the only one who did this.

timswi · Sep 19, 2011

Not to start an agument, but radiators have been tranny coolers for decades across all manufactuers. Seperate tranny coolers are generally reserved for HD type vehicles. I've seen this happen (rarely) on virtually ever brand from time to time.

I do feel your pain though, and this really shouldn't happen to anyone. It ain't just GM.

amigauser · Sep 19, 2011

Guy at work had this happen to his Pathfinder which was just out of warranty and no help from Nissan. Dealer quoted him $7,000 to fix it :confused2: He ended up getting a used transmission and swapping it himself.

Like has been said it can happen to any make.

2005 pathfinder transmission radiator issue - Nissanhelp.com Forums

Stimw · Sep 19, 2011

The purpose of the radiator/Trans cooler is to cool the trans but also to warn up the trans fliud to operating temp in cold weather.
Too many people hook up external coolers wrong. The fluid from the trans should go to the cooler first, then to the radiator cooler, then back to the trans keeping fluid at operating temp. If it is run to the radiator cooler first you are adding the extra heat to the radiator then cooling the fluid, maybe below normal operating temp.
But the radiator cooler should be strong enough NOT to rupture. I suspect when it does happen it might be from the trans pressure going too high. ????

timswi · Sep 19, 2011

Stimw said:
The purpose of the radiator/Trans cooler is to cool the trans but also to warn up the trans fliud to operating temp in cold weather.
Too many people hook up external coolers wrong. The fluid from the trans should go to the cooler first, then to the radiator cooler, then back to the trans keeping fluid at operating temp. If it is run to the radiator cooler first you are adding the extra heat to the radiator then cooling the fluid, maybe below normal operating temp.
But the radiator cooler should be strong enough NOT to rupture. I suspect when it does happen it might be from the trans pressure going too high. ????

My guess is that the plastic (everyone uses them) tank probably cracked internally and allowed the mixture of trans fluid and anti freeze.

Diamondpilot · Sep 19, 2011

Yea, common practice. I have only seen this happen once before before on my fathers Corvette. He was lucky and caught the oil in the rad overflow tank before damage was done. Seemed to just transfer tranny fluid to the rad and not coolant to the tranny. He was lucky. I guess anything is possible. Like others said, its like this with all manufactures across the board.

Chris

bill50cal · Sep 20, 2011

yes this has been common practice for decades by all the industry. it is not that uncommon to see this happen and the coolant in the trans causes the clutch plate's to delaminate from the metal core. liquid to liquid cooling is FAR more effective than liquid to air, just look at how much bigger the radiator is in a car V a heat exchanger in a boat with a small block chevy motor. also as stated the external aux cooler should be plumed before the radiator to lighten it's load as you can run the trans fluid too cool. also to use NOTHING but a separate trans cooler it would need to huge to get the job done.

jonyyuma · Sep 20, 2011

The last cooler I saw in the radiator was metal and looked like copper? Now,Have they gone to plastic inside too?

clemsonfor · Sep 20, 2011

pilot-werx said:
A not so funny thing happened to our 05 Cadillac ESV a few weeks ago. So if you own a GM you may want to read this....

This is my wife's car that is used to shuttle the kids around and to go to the grocery store. Every 5000 miles it gets an oil change, greased, tires rotated and a tranny service. I own an aviation business and I have never skimped on service.

She called me a few weeks ago and said that she thought something was wrong with the tranny as it seemed to slip coming up the driveway. Well she was right.... Somehow, a seal in the radiator let go and allowed the tranny fluid and engine coolant to mix.. I guess someone in their infinite wisdom thought it would be good to combine the tranny cooler and radiator...

Needless to say, $5k later it may be fixed....

And to think this could of been prevented with a $20 separate tranny cooler..

Um radiators have cooled auto trannies for i guess close to 40 years now? This is the first time you realized this? My 1980 K10 chevy in the driveway has the tranny colled in the radiator and its all factory. The 1985 ford car i had when swapped the radiator out, yep cooled by tranny. My ranger when radiator swap in it yep if it was an auto it would have been cooled by the radiator, allthough mine is stick the lines are just left open to that part.