Moderator: volvite
I had to drive mine about 30 miles last week with a slipping trans (to the shop) and according to my temp gauge, it got around 250 degrees and almost pegged the gauge. If this idiot light is true, I would sure hope that it would have came on then.Kidd_Funkadelic wrote:I've been following this pretty closely since I just bought an '05 PF in May. I did the bypass for piece of mind but have seen the XTerra forum post about the very tangible affect the radiator has on the fluid temps.
I find it interesting though no one has mentioned that according to the manual, there is an idiot light for transmission fluid temp if it were to hit a dangerous level. So my thought is if I don't plan to tow or offroad on a frequent basis, I'm not going to worry about it. If the transmission got into dangerous territory, the light would tell me to pull over and cool it off for a bit...
I'm just curious have you compared the pre-rad atf cooler and post-rad atf temp readings? That will tell you if the rad atf cooler is effective. Since you said a cooler is a cooler, why do you say the rad atf cooler will not cool it?Budrbean wrote:Kidd_Funkadelic wrote:but have seen the XTerra forum post about the very tangible affect the radiator has on the fluid temps.
You arent losing that much cooling capacity by omitting the radiator. If you dont believe me or anyone else, then put a temp gauge on it. The numbers dont lie. 185 or below is very optimal operating temp for a transmission, mine only reads higher than that in 90+ degree stop and go traffic. And I promise you, hooking it up to the radiator will not cool that either. Thinks logically here. A cooler is a cooler is a cooler. Whether its in the radiator or external, it still serves its purpose to cool fluid. I say bypass or pay $4K+ for a new transmission.
How high of a temp is consider overtemp? Budrbean had his tranny at 250 degrees is that overtemp? His AT/temp light also didn't come on. I'm sure most if not all AT generate lots of heat when they're slipping, not just shifting, especially under heavy load. That's why when torque converter is locked tranny stays much cooler.Tech wrote:I have yet to see a single vehicle, even with slipping/dystroyed trans overtemp. Not just pathfinder xterra, but any model. Granted they don't have trailers and stuff attached when I get them, but no codes either. I'm personally not concerned at all about trans temp. The solenoids don't really generate much heat, the clutches and drums/bands only do when they're shifting, not really when they're holding.
I think the only times the radiator is not able to cool the atf, is when the AT isn't generating much heat or the cooling capacity of the radiator is maxed out. Otherwise there should always be cooler coolant at the bottom of the radiator.JAHBLESSINGS wrote:tech i think you misunderstood my post. i was asking if the radiator only cools the coolant and warms the atf, right?
I'm sure I'm missing something, but why get the joint connector rather than just re-route the hoses as shown here:Tech wrote:... Get the joint connector, connect the hoses....drive away.
5% is still horrendously high. I work in the Heavy-duty vehicle industry. The industry accepted failure rate for aluminum radiators is LESS THAN 1%. 5% is ridiculously high, 27% is far past recall levels.65Fastback wrote:Check this out, everyone should read this and I just e-mailed this to my local Nissan Dealership.
To address the reliability issue with Nissan's radiators in the R51 Pathfinder, I have found a solution I would like to move forward with.
Radiator.com 1-800-248-8720 (Nathan x 215) has a replacement radiator with a less than 5% failure rating vs. the current 27% radiator failure my car has. Their tech rep for the company who tested all the Nissan radiators returned to them said there were inferior metals used in the transmission line inside the OEM radiator. Over the course of a short time, the expansion and contractions with regular use of the radiator would cause the failure at the weld and line causing the contamination and transmission failures.
The cost for the new improved radiator they have is $128. http://www.radiator.com/nissan-pathfind ... ngine=4.0L, 244ci, V-6
If I were to order it and bring it to you, then a lifetime warranty comes with the radiator. They told me if you order it, then it will cover any issue should the radiator coolant leak into the automatic transmission then Radiator.com would cover it because there was a certified mechanic at the dealership that installed it.
I would like to move forward and have the radiator replacement ordered through Radiator.com and have a coolant and transmission flushed at the same time. I would like to see if Thursday the 14th will work for me to bring the car in.