2006 radiator bypass + cold weather

Discussion topics related to the radiator and transmission failures in all Nissan trucks, education of the public on this issue, and attempts to force Nissan to start a recall.

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DiBo
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2006 radiator bypass + cold weather

Postby DiBo » Fri Oct 11, 2013 10:58 am

so I have a 2006 with 160,000 km on it, pretty new to me anyway.
I a am deathly scared that the tranny will fail, no sign yet but have had it go on other vehicles in the past and it's not pretty.

So my question is this:

I live in Alberta, the winter is coming and it sometimes gets down to -50. Definitely will get to -30 c.

Will it still be safe to do the bypass on the tranny?


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eieio
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Re: 2006 radiator bypass + cold weather

Postby eieio » Fri Oct 11, 2013 11:37 am

DiBo wrote:so I have a 2006 with 160,000 km on it, pretty new to me anyway.
I a am deathly scared that the tranny will fail, no sign yet but have had it go on other vehicles in the past and it's not pretty.

So my question is this:

I live in Alberta, the winter is coming and it sometimes gets down to -50. Definitely will get to -30 c.

Will it still be safe to do the bypass on the tranny?
hard to say.....
you could install a trans temp guage and take temp readings before & after by-pass
if it's running too cold, it would be a good idea to replace the radiator
or, just go ahead and replace the radiator as a "pre-emptive strike" :)

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DiBo
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Postby DiBo » Fri Oct 11, 2013 11:43 am

Is there a radiator yet that will ensure no mixing?
Or is it just hope that the new one I buy will be better than the one I have already?

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eieio
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Postby eieio » Fri Oct 11, 2013 11:50 am

DiBo wrote:Is there a radiator yet that will ensure no mixing?
Or is it just hope that the new one I buy will be better than the one I have already?
any radiator with this design can possibly fail in this manner
most don't
yours may never fail
Nissan, it seems, got a bad run of parts from their vendor
there are several recent posts regarding aftermarket radiators vs new OEM Nissan radiators
they range from very inexpensive to big bucks
they generally have warranties, but their warranty may not cover damage to other components if they should fail

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smj999smj
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Postby smj999smj » Sun Oct 13, 2013 7:57 pm

If you're going to see temps that cold, I would replace the radiator rather than do the bypass method. ATF is best run in the 175-200 degrees F. and one of the jobs of the radiator integral cooler is to warm the ATF when it gets too cold.

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akley88
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Postby akley88 » Mon Oct 14, 2013 4:40 am

smj999smj wrote:If you're going to see temps that cold, I would replace the radiator rather than do the bypass method. ATF is best run in the 175-200 degrees F. and one of the jobs of the radiator integral cooler is to warm the ATF when it gets too cold.
is it bad that my trans temp gauge holds at like 145-160 normally?

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smj999smj
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Postby smj999smj » Mon Oct 14, 2013 10:24 am

Where you are measuring your oil temperature makes a big difference. Oil temperature is best measured at the outlet or from inside the transmission. Here's a link you might find helpful in regard to trans temps:

http://www.digi-panel.com/trannyoil.htm

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disallow
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Re: 2006 radiator bypass + cold weather

Postby disallow » Fri Oct 18, 2013 2:19 pm

DiBo wrote:I live in Alberta, the winter is coming and it sometimes gets down to -50. Definitely will get to -30 c.

Will it still be safe to do the bypass on the tranny?
I live near winnipeg, we have the same weather issues.

I have a 2005 with 220000km on it. It has been bypassed since 110000km, and I have had no issues with it.

You may find the shifts to be a little crisper when the unit is cold, but it gets to operating temperature very quickly, and I have honestly never had a problem.


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