Transaxle Cooler Kits - Available

[nota4re]

During the last 18 months or so many of you have inquired about the availability of our transaxle cooler kits. During the construction of our new home and (GT) shop, we didn't have these available but I am happy to report that we now have them back in stock. We've shipped a couple of kits off to Rich Brooks last week - so if you're getting one through him you are likely already taken care of. We have a couple of more units ready to ship and any additional orders can be shipped in ~1 week after ordering.

For those new owners, please note that the GT was designed with a transaxle cooler in mind. The transaxle has an internal pump and there are external in and out ports on your transaxle. As OEM, your car will have an ~6" piece of flex hose connecting the two ports. The internal temps of the transaxle are very high and on most cars you are going to accumulate a film of oil on the top and back of the transaxle from the top-mounted vent of the transaxle. If you live and drive the GT in ambient air temps exclusively below ~70F, you probably don't need to consider a transaxle cooler. However, if you drive in warmer temperatures - perhaps especially if the car is modified, it is an accessory that may be beneficial to the longevity of the transaxle. Back in the day, Ford Racing (now Ford Performance) recommended the addition of a transaxle cooler for any car that was tracked or for any car that had their pulley/tune modification (aka more BTU's).

In 2006 we contacted and worked with Setrab USA (SUSA) to develop a kit for the GT. SUSA was extremely helpful/knowledgeable about the cooling requirements for the GT as they had been provided data from Ford and were asked to bid on the GT's cooling system. Our Setrab-based kit requires no drilling, cutting, or other modifications to the GT. It utilizes OEM mounting locations exclusively. If you're going slow and cautious, I'd guess that average installation time is about 90 minutes.

 

[GT@50]

If you track it or have mods, DO IT. Try to touch the trans after a regular day of driving. Cheap insurance. I would recommend SS fittings on the case and to drill them out a bit too.

 

[Shark01]

Good piece of mind insurance. Glad my car came with one.

 

[Simon]

I have one...nice product!

 

[Twturbo]

Can you see it when clamshell is raised or is it hidden somewhere ,i like things looking kinda stock under the hood

 

[PeteK]

That's another thing I should get around to. I have the Ford cooler and hoses, I just need to install it.

 

[GKW05GT]

Kendall installed mine at Spring Moutain several years ago, no issues and looks good.

 

[KennethClay]

I'm also a big fan of the the trans cooler. When we were tracking the cars at Utah Motorsports Campus during the FGT rally, I ended up boiling the clutch fluid. When the car cooled down, the clutch came back. But then at higher speeds (still street legal, of course ) at altitude, the clutch got soft again. So I had the trans cooler installed and haven't had problems since.

 

[KennethClay]

Can you see it when clamshell is raised or is it hidden somewhere ,i like things looking kinda stock under the hood

You can see it when the clamshell is raised, but it looks good (and OEM). The car is already tapped for the trans cooler, and I understand that originally it was going to come on the car from the factory. Ford later moved the part to the Performance catalog. But the trans cooler drops right in. The Ford trans cooler has hard lines, and the aftermarket ones generally have braided hoses, so there is that difference.

I also like the stock look, but again since this was pre-set up for a trans cooler, it's one of the few mods (other than hot buttons, etc.) that I've done.

 

[nota4re]

I'm also a big fan of the the trans cooler. When we were tracking the cars at Utah Motorsports Campus during the FGT rally, I ended up boiling the clutch fluid. When the car cooled down, the clutch came back. But then at higher speeds (still street legal, of course ) at altitude, the clutch got soft again. So I had the trans cooler installed and haven't had problems since.

During Rally 2 in SoCal (2007?) and on a particularly hot day, a group of about 15-20 GTs made a jaunt up Hwy 2 toward Wrightwood. It was a hot day and speeds may have been a *little* high in a few places up this very windy highway. Near the crest we all stopped for lunch and as people climbed out of their cars, many were talking about having "lost their clutch pedal". The common symptom was that the clutch pedal stuck to the floor. About 6-8 of the cars experienced this. Over lunch we were all scratching our heads a bit wondering why some cars and not others. As it turns out, none of the cars that experienced the boiling of their clutch fluid had a transaxle cooler and all of the cars with a transaxle cooler didn't experience a problem. This was a very vivid example of how hot the transaxle can become - especially when the car is pushed.

 

[fjpikul]

The Ford Racing cooler is silver. Kendall's is black but looks perfectly stock and is a very good investment.

 

[KennethClay]

The common symptom was that the clutch pedal stuck to the floor.

Exactly what happened to me. Clutch pedal stuck to the floor. When the car cooled down, I pulled the clutch pedal forward and it worked again. Until the car was pushed at altitude, then the clutch got spongy again but I was able to limp it home. Even for the OEM / OEM + guys out there, I definitely recommend getting a trans cooler. Better performance, and peace of mind.

 

[2112]

Begs the question why the heck it wasn’t standard on all cars?

Seems cost would have been minimal.

 

[fjpikul]

Gave the dealers an option. There wasn't too much they could pack on. Most owners didn't understand they needed one, or even that they were available. This was true of all the Ford Racing stuff for the GT.


N.B. Had DBK not started this Forum and organized the GT group, where would we be?

 

[nota4re]

Begs the question why the heck it wasn’t standard on all cars?

As I heard the story, it WAS intended to be on the cars but at the start of production they were not ready to go. The coolers were then added to the Ford Racing catalog. I assuming that most here already know that a smaller pulley and fully CARB certified tune were also available for the GT through Ford Racing - and MANY owners took advantage of both of these popular modifications.

 

[Submoose]

Here are a couple pics of mine, let me know if you want another angle, I pulled these from files. I can run over and take a couple more.

 

[Gary]

I'm also a big fan of the the trans cooler. When we were tracking the cars at Utah Motorsports Campus during the FGT rally, I ended up boiling the clutch fluid. When the car cooled down, the clutch came back. But then at higher speeds (still street legal, of course ) at altitude, the clutch got soft again. So I had the trans cooler installed and aven't had problems since.

I was a Utah rally, Had same clutch problem with Ford Tranny Cooler installed.

 

[Specracer]

You should bleed the clutch, and use a racing oriented brake fluid. This will solve the issue. I Use Castrol SRF or a Motul.

 

[PeteK]

Ditto Specracer. I did not have clutch problems at Utah, and I didn't have a trans cooler. However, I flushed the brakes and clutch fluid a week before, so I had fresh fluid in there.

 

[HighHP]

Brake fluid loves to absorb moisture/water. The water in the fluid boils at a much lower temperature than fresh clean fluid. The bubbles cause the soft or no clutch.