Has anyone upgraded their cooling systems??

[Baz]

Hi all

I've had my 07 build 5 speed auto GT for almost a year now and it has performed flawlessly. It's only just past the 52000km mark. The only non-stock part is a HKS air filter, with removal of the 'milk bottle' (and the hole at the bottom of the air box plugged up).

When I bought the GT it had a genuine tow bar with ATF cooler already attached and the long term goal was to buy a smallish camper trailer for weekends at the coast and a few extended trips away. One thing led to another and 740KG later I now have a portable living room to tow (+partner +dog +gear). However for all that it tows very well, and is still within all the approved specs for towing.

So here is the problem: HEAT. On my first day towing it was 38 degrees, the aircon was running flat out, cruising at 100km/h. All good. Then I hit a long steep climb, about 1km or so in length. Then another climb of about 2km long shortly thereafter. I glanced at the gauges and the temp gauge was rapidly heading into the red! So I turned off the a/c and eased off the throttle, which stopped the needle making into the red zone, then once over the top of the hill the temp rapidly returned to normal.

Next day I went to the nearest dealer for advice. The cooling system was checked and determined to be operating normally (coolant temp and glycol ratio, fans cutting in at the right points, etc). So I asked a couple of radiator specialists for advice and they also agree it seems to be operating normally, especially as the temp returned to normal so quickly after I reached the top of the hill. They also advise that there are no upgrades available to the cooling system (which was my first thought). One radiator specialist said it could have just been the combination of all the load factors i.e. weight of camper+38 degrees+long hill climb = no where for the heat to go.

My second thought is to upgrade the stock ATF cooler, as I don't want the tow load frying the transmission. As the dealer would not give any advice on upgrades in that department, I am doing the rounds with transmission specialists today.

Has anyone got any advice on a cooling solution? (besides leaving the new camper at home!!). As I don't normally travel in summer anyway, it may never happen again but I don't want to take that chance.

Cheers

[senator]

What colour is your coolant?

The reason why I ask, Subaru does offer are heavy duty option which is blue in colour and last twice as long as the standard green coolant they usually use.

Regarding transmission coolers, there are plenty of aftermarket coolers on the market, Speak to Path GT, I have Zerosports one fitted just behind the front grill, I have a slightly modified car which I tow with, attend track days and never had an over heating issue.

[smythie]

Yeah, that Path GT bloke is only any good for light mods

[speakafreaka]

Im interested in hearing from anyone else who fitted a ATF cooler, and what the coolant temps were before and after. I'm also worried about frying the notoriously fragile tranny as I increase power.

[Baz]

Hi senator

It has the green stuff in it - they never mentioned anything about the blue variety....I will look into that though.

I actually went to 2 different transmission places earlier today who both seemed OK, one outfit said they would measure up the available space and fit a larger, heavy duty cooler (with or without a fan attached). One did say to just see if it happened again as it might have been a one off event. I would rather be a bit more proactive than that, for peace of mind....

What did the Zerosports one set you back?

What colour is your coolant?

The reason why I ask, Subaru does offer are heavy duty option which is blue in colour and last twice as long as the standard green coolant they usually use.

Regarding transmission coolers, there are plenty of aftermarket coolers on the market, Speak to Path GT, I have Zerosports one fitted just behind the front grill, I have a slightly modified car which I tow with, attend track days and never had an over heating issue.

[jp928]

If your dash "gauge" was climbing above normal, I would guess it got pretty hot. My ecudatascan temp values are interesting - while the normal "gauge" NEVER moves from just below horizontal once hot, the ecu values range from 83-96C. Once running a long downhill against the engine it got down to 81C, with the needle also dropping a bit. I regard the "gauge" as merely an indicator that the temp is in range , or not.
I think you will be very lucky to find a way to improve things much, but small things being out of normal can do strange things. Make sure your undertray IN FRONT of the engine is in place and OK - if this is holed or missing, air from behind the rad can circulate back around the front, and lift the temp. The rule of thumb with temps is :-
overheats in traffic - airflow problem
overheats moving freely - water flow problem.
This last might mean its worth checking the water pump for function, belt tension is ok etc. I thing the cam belt runs the waterpump?
jp 08 gtb 6mt wagon

[senator]

Hi senator

It has the green stuff in it - they never mentioned anything about the blue variety....I will look into that though.

I actually went to 2 different transmission places earlier today who both seemed OK, one outfit said they would measure up the available space and fit a larger, heavy duty cooler (with or without a fan attached). One did say to just see if it happened again as it might have been a one off event. I would rather be a bit more proactive than that, for peace of mind....

What did the Zerosports one set you back?

What colour is your coolant?

The reason why I ask, Subaru does offer are heavy duty option which is blue in colour and last twice as long as the standard green coolant they usually use.

Regarding transmission coolers, there are plenty of aftermarket coolers on the market, Speak to Path GT, I have Zerosports one fitted just behind the front grill, I have a slightly modified car which I tow with, attend track days and never had an over heating issue.

Coolers with fans require are thermostats to be fitted, be prepared to pay a bit more for the unit and install.

The cooler kit I got was second hand from a fellow member, but it was originally purchased through Phat GT. The kit contained all the lines, brackets and clamps.

You might find a few kits in Japan which might be plug and play…… again speak to Phat GT.

[speakafreaka]

I had a read through this earlier, it may help you out:
http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.p ... 93p16.html

[Baz]

Thanks for your responses folks, as money is tight right now I am going to do some 'trial and error' towing over the next couple of weeks before jumping into any sort of upgrade(s). At least it seems I do have some options. As you know there are some hot days at present to do this sort of testing....

Cheers

[jp928]

your tranny oil is full to the mark? No signs of shifting changes when it was HOT? Be interesting to know what real coolant temp was before you encountered the hills - Ecudatascan (or similar) available to you?
jp 08 gtb 6mt wagon.

[Baz]

Tranny oil full, no signs of shifting changes when hot either. Unfortunately I don't have access to anything like Ecudatascan, so for now will just keep a close eye on the gauges....a very close eye!!

your tranny oil is full to the mark? No signs of shifting changes when it was HOT? Be interesting to know what real coolant temp was before you encountered the hills - Ecudatascan (or similar) available to you?
jp 08 gtb 6mt wagon.

[Robbks]

Is the stock trans cooler within the bottom of the radiator or is it completely separate?
if so it's more than likely the trans getting hot and transferring too much heat to the colling system

[Baz]

It's separate and sits at the bottom and in front of the radiator, hence my thoughts about getting a more heavy duty one....

Is the stock trans cooler within the bottom of the radiator or is it completely separate?
if so it's more than likely the trans getting hot and transferring too much heat to the colling system

[speakafreaka]

It's separate and sits at the bottom and in front of the radiator, hence my thoughts about getting a more heavy duty one....

Is the stock trans cooler within the bottom of the radiator or is it completely separate?
if so it's more than likely the trans getting hot and transferring too much heat to the colling system

Not according to the installation instructions. Unless its different from the US models, it's within the bottom of the radiator.

[tangcla]

At the bottom in front of the radiator, the stock one is quite cheap (I think I paid $150ish for it?)

You can see the bracket for it at the front of my car (but not the cooler itself), it's the shiny silver thing on the passenger side/