Radiator suggestions?

[Gary]

Ok youse guys, warm Slurpees at 5 paces in the morning... Everybody, even me, has a right to their own opinion.

Bob

Yepper Bob.Your opinion does count

[Phantom]

No objections to opinions but ,An opinion is an opinion , everyone may have an opinion but it is not a proven fact until exhaustive testing has proven it to be fact . To make a statement such as "The plate style coolers have proven to be more likely to clog with sediment like they do in the rad's over the tube style is the reason we use the tube style." is a false statement in reference to anything proven as it was only an experience by one person. If a person does not change the filter several disruptive type things can happen and face it transmissions maintenance is an area that many if not most people on the large scale of things tend to ignore. When companies that build very high dollar transmissions prefer to use plate style coolers on those very high dollar transmission it is evident that they are worth it . Factories provide warranties which they would hope ar not needed to be used for using a warranty means the company has to expense money to replace something , Car makers use the plate stacked plate style , as they find that style to be their preference . If a person has a problem with an Astro van that in no way proves Astro van to be a bad design , as I aways say / do the research and background checks and find out what the percentage is for success or not . Do not rely on just an opinion to make purchases , No matter how good or valid the science may be on any given product there is always going to be those who will have a difference of opinion as to what they think is best . I f a person runs a external filter and changes it regularly they reap the benefits of having clean fluid always with fewer pan drops , and there are those who think it is over the top . Some people don't ever change their tranny fluid , there are still some old timers who say do not ever change it , just add to it, . I know a guy who bought a 69 Mach 1 brand new and now it has over 450,000 miles on it and it has never had to have any tranny work , no engine work ever as he changes his tranny fluid at least once every year sometimes at 10 months ,uses an external cooler (plate type) with an external filter and changes engine oil every 2 -3 months , changes water coolant every year , while some people say his pampering is not necessary he has a vintage muscle car that is in factory original showroom condition by taking meticulous care and preventative maintenance . A tranny cooler can be dunked and boiled out like a gas tank or radiator gets treated if needed , but the key is to have a inline filter placed before the trans cooler to filter out any debris that might get in it . I prefer to use preventative maintenance as opposed to repair .

http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=183997

http://www.google.com/search?q=tube-and ... =firefox-a

[Gary]

The two ref's I have left do support the opinion I have taken.If plate style coolers need to be boiled out,it too is supporting.Automotive manufactures don't build on the basis of what is in the best interests of it's buyers or on the number of returns either.They build on the basis of profit margin cutting costs wherever they can and frankly the tube style costs more and cool better.Working at a Chevy plant having access to their suggestion box program bears that out.Where real good suggestions where turned down because of cuts in costs.

It is true that many Astro van owners don't consider fluids as a part that wears out.But on the other hand,we have seen threads about trannies of members that where working fine and after a flush had problems.The history of both this site and the old one bears out the fact I don't recall anyone ever using a second tranny filter that supported by the 1/4 million mile club who's owners got there with just the stock filter.Oddly enough,the only truck we have owned that did have a second filter in our racing operation was a Ford Power stroke and I threw a code in Ohio.We nursed it back to Buffalo towing the trailer and took it in for service to pay $2800 for the repair.We have always been on top of the service intervals of our tow vehicles solely because we have gone to god's only knows how many miles on them.The filter didn't matter.The Ford dealer doing the repair so much as told us that.Now that I thought about this some more,I do think I remember the Ford service manager telling us that even through we where well within the service intervals of the tranny,when the tranny let go,the filter clogged up causing more damage because it restricted the tranny fluid heating it up.Just thought that might be important info.Thus the edit.

Guys at this point unless spurred on by new information,my real world suggestions I do think I have covered.I'll leave up to you guys to decide.

Thanks,

Gary

[Phantom]

I simply provide internet search links for the purpose of showing the larger scale of matters , in that when there are a few hundred links that are available to be viewed and many times many people expressing their personal experience in each, it shows a much high number of consumer user usage , the simple math is when you see hundreds of people saying they use a product and have great success with it and highly recommend it compared to a very few people who are not impressed it provides a larger scale of how many people prefer one item over another because of the success they have with it . simple topic . synthetic lubricants have a proven track record to provide superior protection , and yet there people who do not want to use it ,

[94 Van Guy]

With all the talk and links about coolers clogging, then I would think it would be safe in saying that an after market, inline filter would be in order. If coolers get clogged, that should be enough evidence that the transmission filter leaves some debris in the oil. An inline filter should be an easy one to get to, and to replace as well. Maybe a screw-on type would be best.

Just a crazy thought... (not supported by any evidence)

[Phantom]

With all the talk and links about coolers clogging, then I would think it would be safe in saying that an after market, inline filter would be in order. If coolers get clogged, that should be enough evidence that the transmission filter leaves some debris in the oil. An inline filter should be an easy one to get to, and to replace as well. Maybe a screw-on type would be best.

Just a crazy thought... (not supported by any evidence)

Not a crazy thought at all , in fact that is very perceptive ,extra protection and precautionary measures are always a good thing . I hear people talk about how astros last so long , but that does include various repairs along the way , I find it amazing that if a person is meticulous in the care of their vehicle it can last for decades running on the same drivetrain it came with with out major repair needs , keeping fluid temps low , changing the fluids frequently adding in extra filter protection etc etc. It seems to be far more affordable to put out $40 here and $50 there over the course of time and prevent having to cough up a few thousand dollars all at once for a new tranny , or a new engine just because the owner did not think it was necessary to change fluids frequently or add filters , A guy I know has a 69 Hurst Olds cutlass 455 HO with nearly 400,000 mile son it, he bought new and still has the same engine and trans in it it came with and has not had to do any major work to it as he is very meticulous in it's care .
For decades now I have heard people who see me with one of the cars hoods up say things like
' every time I see you, you have the hood up on one of your cars" , they make a false assumption that just because the hood is up that there must be something wrong because the only time their cars hood is up is because their car has something wrong with it , I do upgrades and regular routine preventative maintenance to prevent problems from occurring as best I can , I am an advocate of preventative maintenance and upgrades ,

[RECox286]

In my experiences with having to repair/replace things, most problems have been caused, for the most part, by plain old dirt. Keep the dirt to a minimum, and you will keep the repairs to a minimum. Dirt comes from the inside as well as the outside of components. So, I too agree that if you comply with the factory recommended fluid change intervals, which most people ignore, the (whatever) will last considerably longer without needing repair. This has been proven time and time again. Keep the dirt out to keep on truck'n.

I also agree that there are many things that Chevy (and other mfgs) could have done to make their product better, but it would have cost a few more bucks per unit. Remember the argument that went on about seat belts and air bags, until the auto makers finally capitulated.

Bob

[zach914v8]

I did end up installing the summit radiator if anyone is interested. I plumbed an external tranny cooler and I did put a 7" fan on it that I turn on when I am towing by a switch. I couldn't use the stock shroud, it wouldn't fit. I picked up a universal 5.5 inch shroud from JCwhitney. The van stays cool now no matter what. I highly recommend this upgrade. If you all have any question feel free to ask.