An Addendum to Dick Savage's
99 Super Duty Transmission Cooler Installation

By Roy E. Messer, Jr.
roymesser@comcast.net

I decided to add to Dick's excellent article (www.dieselpage.com/art1299ci.htm) which is listed here at Diesel Injection Service's web site and write about my experiences based on his instructions, and illustrations. The modifications recommended are all based on slight variations and, I hope, improvements to his transmission cooler installation.
First a little about my Super Duty. It's a 99, 350 Crew Cab dually diesel with the PSD 4R100 (also referred to as the E4OD) transmission. It has a set of U.S. Gear gauges (transmission oil temperature, turbo exhaust temperature, and boost), a Pro-Tech full width aluminum tool box at the head of the bed, then an auxiliary Mercedes Benz 55 gallon truck fuel tank, and finally a Reese Classic 18 Fifth Wheel Hitch. The transmission's original equipment oil pan was just recently replaced with the Mag-Hytec aluminum transmission oil pan (also available at Diesel Injection Service). This was my first attempt at lowering the transmission temperatures. It helped, to a limited degree, because of the increase in transmission oil capacity by 9 quarts, and the extra cooling fins. By the way, it also has a fitting built into the pan for the sender unit of an oil temperature gauge. All of this brings my normal running around town weight up to around 8360 lbs.

When the air temperatures are running in the 90-98 degree range here in Nashville, the transmission temperatures levels consistently read around 175 to 185 degree range. The transmission oil gauge starts at 140 degrees, with the next tick at 200 degrees, (I've since ordered a digital replacement) so one has to interpolate between those ranges. Once I installed this transmission cooler system, those temperature ranges dropped to 145 to 150 degrees, a little more than one needle width above the 140 mark. This confirms Dick's findings. I haven't towed my fifth wheel RV trailer yet but I have no reason to doubt that they will also be greatly improved. In addition, with the fan running, the transmission rate of temperature decrease almost matches the rate of the turbo exhaust temperature drop (to 300 degree's when idling the engine) during the turbo cool down period . By the way, if you don't have gauges get them. Diesel Injection Service has an excellent setup for them. They mount on the left pillar post and even looks better than the setup (on top of the dash) that I have. They may also carry an digital transmission oil temperature gauge.

The following is a list the tools used:

1. Socket wrench and 18 mm socket, to remove and replace the front bumper bolts.
2. Either a large screw driver, or small crow bar to pop off the plastic tabs that secures the rubber liner from the radiator to the bumper, and that holds the engine block heater cord in place.
3. A 1/4 inch socket to tightened the clamps and remove the dash.
4. A 1/2 inch drill, and different size drill bits up to 15/32 inch, to drill a hole for the dash mounted switch. This requirement depends on the switch you use. I actual used a 3/8 inch drill and a 29/64 inch drill bit that had a 3/8 inch shaft then enlarged the hole with a hand file.
5. Wire cutters.
6. Razor blade, or sharp knife to cut the rubber hoses.
7. A clean piece of a rug, or something soft yet thick (old pillows?) to lay your bumper on so as not to scratch it.
8. Hack saw to cut the materials you select to mount the components.
9. Six 2 inch C clamps.
10. Black marker pen.
The following is a list of the materials I used.

1. Hayden Model 679 Heavy Duty Transmission Cooler. Diesel Injection Service has them for $57.14 plus shipping ($4.50 to me). Their telephone is 1-800-658-9355 (ask for Brent or Randy) or order online at www.dieselpage.com.
2. The Summit Racing Equipment's SUM-G4910 (a 10 inch 4 bladed fan rated at 900-950 CFM capacity) that both Dick and I used costs $75.99 plus shipping. Also see the note below regarding their Perma-Cool PRM-19010. Their telephone number is 1-800-230-3030 (ask for Carlos) or email them at www.summitracing.com. If you get their catalog, you might want to check out their digital transmission temperature gauges (the Intellitronix model ITC-M9007).

When Dick installed his system about a year ago, he took pictures of the Summit SUM-G4910. It appears to have a housing made of metal but when I received mine from Summit on July 20, 2000, I found the metal frame has been replaced with one made of plastic. Is this of any consequence? I hope not.

Note: Summit Racing Equipment was also kind enough to include their latest catalog with the fan shipment. It lists the Perma-Cool PRM-19010, with steel housing, and has a 132% increase in CFM ratings over the SUM-G4910. I would have ordered it instead (if for no other reason the increase in CFM) had I know it was available. They also sell the combined Perma-Cool Maxi-Cool Six Pass Cooler/Fan PRM 12318 that Dick noted, but their price is $159.95, more then the price you would pay if you ordered the two components separately. The Hayden cooler and SUM-G4910 fan (with the same CFM rating as the PRM 12318) totals $133.13, and the Hayden and PRM-19010 fan (with a higher CFM rating) is only $137.09.

3. Assortment of 6 inch and 8 inch plastic ties.
4. Assortment of stainless steel bolts with locking nuts to mount the components.
5. Some sort of material to use as mounting brackets for the cooler and fan unit. I choose aluminum rather than the zinc plated metal straps. It would be an easier material to work with, and won't rust. The extruded aluminum used for a garage door weather seal system worked out perfectly. It is 1 3/4 inches wide and the channels (where the rubber seal is inserted) makes it very rigid.
6. A couple of extra hose clamps for the 3/8 inch rubber transmission lines.
7. A extra 36 inch piece of 3/8 inch heavy duty rubber transmission line.
8. Assorted electrical connectors, electrical tape, maybe a 20 or 30 amp fuse holder. The SUM-G4910 fan came with a fuse holder, fuse, some connectors, and the nylon mounting ties that you insert between the cooler fins.
9. 20 feet of 1/8 inch of the black, flexible split wire cover. This will match those already used by Ford under the hood.
10. A brass 90 degree fitting with barbed ends for hose attachment on each side. I went to a shop that sells hoses and fittings for tractors, back hoes, etc., and had one made up from bin parts in a couple of minutes.

Steps to complete the job:

1. Removing the bumper: First use the screw driver (or crow bar) to snap off the plastic tabs on the bumper holding the rubber skirt covering the bottom of the radiator. Next snap off the tab holding the engine block heater cord. Have your rug, or whatever your using in front of the truck, ready to lay the bumper on. If you plan on using your truck while working on this system, completely remove the rubber skirt. Next (and this will require at least two people) loosen, then remove the bottom bolts on each side. These bolt's don't come all the way out but are held in place with retainer nuts. The bumper bolts connect through to a backing plate behind each set with nuts welded it place. These plates will drop off from each side after each set of bolts are completely backed out. Make sure you follow Dick's advice and commit to memory how your bumper is oriented with respect clearances between the grill, and each side. Now loosen and remove the top bolts while each end is being supported. It's not heavy, just a little awkward. The top of the bumper may have a tendency of pivoting forward causing the ends that wrap around each side to raise, so just be careful. This took two of us about 30 minutes to complete.

2. Making your bumper mounting brackets: Although Dick says that the license plate bracket was of no consequence, I removed mine completely. If you decide to do the same, carefully pry the plastic tabs that hold it in place while compressing the stems from the back (inside) of the bumper. You will want to reinsert them to cover the holes. Lay the bumper face down on the carpet so your looking down at the rear with the bottom nearest you. Find dead center (left to right) of the bumper and and mark both the top and bottom with a marker pen. The width of the cooler your using will determine where the outside edges of the cooler will be on your bumper. Measure the distance from the top to the bottom on the backside behind the lip of the bumper and cut your mounting material to a distance around 1/8 to 3/16 inch less. The aluminum material I used had a smooth side (designed to mount on the floor) which was installed facing the front of the truck. You will probably have to round off the corners to allow enough clearance to pivot the pieces into place behind the lip. Test fit . . . test fit . . . test fit.

3. Mounting the Cooler to the Bumper Mounting Brackets: Once you have made the mounting brackets to the correct length, attach the cooler temporarily to them using the C clamps. Lay this assembly on the backside of your bumper (it's laying on your workbench face down) then loosen and readjust the position of the cooler as needed until it is centered between the top and bottom, and of equal distance to the left and right of the center marks you just placed on the bumper. Make sure the inlet and outlet tubes are always facing to the right (the passenger side) and that the bumper mounting brackets are in perfect vertical alignment with the cooler. I used a 5 inch Straight Edge to make sure all of the components (bumper, cooler, bumper mounting brackets) were at the proper angles to each other. Now mark both the top and bottom of these bracket's, using the inside lip edges of the bumper as a guide, and the outside edge of the mounting brackets onto the bumper itself. This marks both the vertical (up and down) position of these brackets, centered between the lips on the bumper, and the horizontal centered position (left to right) on the bumper itself. You should have ended up with plenty of overlap between the marks and the ends of the brackets to drill your holes for the bolts that mount to the bumper, if not start over. Once your satisfied that the cooler is centered between the top and bottom, and left to right, and marked, place the cooler on your work surface (without removing the C clamps) and drill holes through both the mounting lip on the cooler sides, and the bumper mounting brackets at the same time. I drilled three on each side and used 1 inch long bolts to attach the cooler to the bumper mounting brackets. Temporarily mount the cooler to your bumper mounting brackets using a minimum of (two?) bolts and nuts per side and remove the C clamps.

4. Attaching the Cooler Assembly to the Bumper: Now your ready to locate the holes of the cooler mounting bracket on the bumper. I recommend mounting the brackets on the underside (inside) of the top and bottom bumper lips. (In fact, I placed 1 inch square aluminum hollow stock between the bumper lip and brackets to place the position of the cooler as forward as possible. I was concerned about clearance between the cooler and fan assembly attached to the bumper, and the condensing unit on the front of the truck. When remounting the bumper, it turned out to be no problem.)

Place the cooler (with bumper mounting brackets attached) on top of the lips of the bumper and align all of the marks you made earlier with the brackets. Once aligned, use C clamps to hold the bracket to the bumper and reposition until your happy with the position of the cooler and bumper. When placing these clamps make sure to leave enough room to get your drill into position. Remember, your centering the cooling unit on your bumper so take your time measuring.

Are you ready to drill? Center punch each location making sure your leaving enough room on the bumper and mounting brackets to run your bolts through. Remember, MEASURE TWICE, CUT ONCE! DOUBLE CHECK! Drill through the bumper and bumper mounting bracket at each corner. I would recommend that you drop a bolt through each hole as it's drilled just to make sure your keeping everything in alignment. After drilling is complete . . . TEST FIT . . . TEST FIT . . . TEST FIT!

5. Attaching the Hoses: Remove the bolts from the bumper and disassemble the cooler from one at least one bumper mounting bracket, remove it from the bumper and apply a small amount of transmission oil on the inlet and outlet tubes (a little of this stuff goes a long, long way). Attach both hoses to the cooler at this point with the proper clamps making sure the inlet and outlet is on the passenger side. Keep in mind if you don't do this one simple step correctly, and a leak is later discovered, you will have to completely disassemble everything (including the bumper) just to get at these two clamps. TEST FIT, adjust and file to fit where necessary, then attach the cooler to the underside of the bumper.

6. Marking and Mounting the Fan: Place the fan unit on top of the cooler and mark for mounting bolts. Remember, the fan is being mounted behind the oil cooler and will be pulling air through it so make sure the fan is in the correct (pulling or pushing) orientation. You may have to remove the cooler assembly to complete the drilling and mounting. After you have satisfied yourself that the fan is pointed in the correct direction, isn't rubbing on anything, is properly rubber shock mounted, etc., make the final assembly into the bumper. Finish by preparing the wiring for the fan unit for connection once the bumper is reinstalled, and tie wrap the hoses and electrical wires securely to the inside of the bumper. Congratulations! You just finished what I found to be the hardest part. It took me about 10 full hours to complete this portion between rounding up supplies, etc.
One last thing . . . did you test the fan? Shame on you. Hook up some wires to a battery or battery charger and make sure it works . . and is rotating in the proper direction . . . and not rubbing on anything!

7. Remounting the Bumper: Reverse the procedure you took in step 1 and attach your bumper. Again, you will need at least two people, actually three would be better. One on each end to loosen, adjust, and tighten, and the third to step back and look, then measure the clearances around the grill and sides with your finger, and give instructions. Between getting the bolts started, and screwing around with the adjustment, this still only took about 20 minutes.

8. Hooking up the Transmission hoses: I followed Dick's method to a T and it worked like a charm. That is: route the new transmission lines between the bottom of the radiator and the lower mount. This positions them just below the cooling fan shroud for easy attachment to the existing transmission cooler return line. The lower metal line that attaches to the rear of the transmission is the return line. Following that line forward toward the front of the truck; close to the cooling fan shroud it will attach to a flexible rubber line. Loosen the rubber line clamp and push it back a few inches up the hose and out of the way (it will be used later). Place a pan under the connection to catch any transmission fluid that may drain from the lines when its disconnected. Slide a hose clamp over the outlet hose (bottom hose) from the new cooler, cut to length, and attach to the 90 degree, 3/8 inch elbow. Now disconnect the hose from the lower metal transmission return line (original equipment) and attach it to the other end of the 90 degree elbow (recommend that you do not cut the original hose in case you ever want/need to reconfigure back to the original system). Place and tighten both hose clamps. Slide a hose clamp over the remaining (upper most) from the new transmission cooler (cut to length, and then push that hose onto the metal transmission line and tighten the hose clamps. Tie wrap everything securely when your done. This procedure took around than 15 minutes.

9. Electrical: I followed the instructions that were included with the Summit fan. I ran a wire from the positive (+) side of the fan through an electrical connector, a butt connector to one side of the fuse holder, then from the other side of the fuse holder through another butt connector to a ring connector attached to the positive (+) side of the battery. The negative (-) wire went from the fan through an electrical connector, a butt connector, fished through the firewall, and then over to ring connector screwed to one side of a switch. The switch was mounted in the ESOF switch panel, located between the steering column and the radio, so the two wires to it were temporarily fished out the hole left when the radio was temporarily removed. Another ring connector was connected to the other side of the switch, through a short piece of wire to another ring connector, and screwed to a ground screw located behind the lower fuse panel. All wiring from the fan back to the firewall was inserted in the black flexible wire cover.

Note: It would be easier to install the switch just to the immediate right of the steering column because you can gain access to the back of that switch location by removing the fuse panel cover going across the underside of the instrument cluster. I already had a switch there so I had to opt for the blank ESOF switch panel that Dick also refers to in his article. If your locating the switch in the ESOF panel, the radio has to be removed so you can use the resulting hole to get at the back of that panel, pull your wires out of to make up your switch connections, and then to reach back through to install your completed switch from the back.

The radio removal procedure requires special tools. They are hard steel rods that looked to be about 1/8 inch in diameter, around 4 inches long, and with good size finger loops on one end. If your attempts to remove fail, I found the tool online at www.crutchfield.com. Their part number is 150DIMTOOL with a list price of $3.00, or you could simply make up your own set. That should also work. I had just been to Bell South Mobility a few days before doing this project, to have a cellular phone mount installed in my dash, and was able to learn from the installer how he removed the instrument panel. I went back just before I did this work and had him remove the radio for me. It took him maybe 15 seconds. He stuck a tool in each of the four holes that are on each side of the radio face, hooked two fingers of each hand through the loops, pried sideways (outward) to compress a spring clip that is attached to both sides of the radio case behind the front panel and, while holding that position, pulled straight back and out came the radio. The act of prying sideways apparently makes the ends of the tool swivel inward to compress these springs. Once it's slid out, you simply disconnect the radio antenna and multiple wire connector, and its out of the way. You could also try a business such as Bell South Mobility, and have them pop it out for you.

DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DRILL A HOLE DEAD CENTER OF THE ESOF PANEL! After removing the radio and feeling around behind it, I discovered some sort of clip, molded vertically in place, dead center of this panel. Carefully measure the width to locate the center (and this clip) on the face of this panel, then measure and find the halfway point between it and the edge of the panel (to either side) and mark it. This is where I drilled my hole. (Of course you have to center it vertically) You can mount the switch to the left, or right of center at that mark. Either one of these locations should allow enough clearance between your switch and the aforementioned clip. Reach in behind and carefully feel around to verify my observation's. Attach the wiring (that you've pulled out through the radio hole) to your switch, then feed it (the completed switch) back through the hole you just drilled, and screw on the retainer nut. Plug the radio antenna and multiple wire plug back into the appropriate places on the back of the radio, align the bottom of the radio case with the bracket that the bottom slides in on, and push on the radio face so it slids back into the instrument panel until the spring retaining clips snap in place on each side. Time to do the electrical was less than 45 minutes (not including the time required to drive over to have the the radio removed).

Well, between Dick's excellent instructions and illustrations, and my five volume long winded dissertation, you should be ready to install this system. Like I asked Dick, would he do it over again? "In a second" . . . and I second that opinion. Feel free to email me a message if you have any questions. - - - Roy rmesser@edge.net