Using air con condenser as auto trans cooler

[Wildsupra]

im looking to pull out my air con crap outta my supra and was wondering if there is any reason i couldnt use it as a auto trans cooler (as im currently looking to fit one of them)

So yeah any reason i couldnt/shouldnt use it as one?

Cheers
Matty

[Norbie]

It should work fine, only problem I can think of is it will probably cool the fluid too much during cruise conditions. If you can fit some sort of bypass thermostat you'd be OK though.

[Dale]

I don't think it would work too well to cool oil, they're designed for refrigerant and taking it from boiling point back down to freezing point, oil is a lot thicker than refrigerant for one, and the fins etc on it will hardly be designed for the purpose...

[off-road]

It can be done. I have seen one used on an off-road racing truck (ute) with no problems.Not all condensors are created equal though so some may work better than others.

[2jzhilux]

i would check how much it can flow first

[Wildsupra]

cheers guys, i think i'l use norbie's response cos it makes me confident hehe

Dale, how could it take it back to freezing point with only ambient air passing through the fins?

Something i did consider though, would it affect the radiator cooling too much being that it is fitted directly in front of it and the auto tranny fluid probably gets up too around 150degrees im thinking??

Wots the disadvantage of the fluid being "too cool"?? it will be used mostly for drag use, although obviously driven to and from the strip and around the streets now and then too.

Matty

[roadsailing]

i think he means it condenses it (like, condenser), refrigerant condenses at a temperature much higher than water, the liquid refrigerent is still quite "hot"

only thing i'd be worried about is pressure restriction, ask around to see what people have used, the only other thing is that condensors are huge, tranny coolers are usually pretty compact.

[Dale]

It gets back down to freezing point (or near freezing point) because refrigerant has a low boiling/freezing point... that's the main reason I wonder about how well it would cool oil, and as 2jhilux said, how well it would flow

[Wildsupra]

ah ok yeah fair enough, i thought even if it didnt cool aswell as a normal cooler it might make up for it with the size of it hehe But you guys are right, i need to make sure it can flow enough first.

Its just the fact that its already there and fitted that makes the idea so appealing.

[toddw]

The condensor condenses the hot refrigerant gas ex the compressor back to liquid form. It does have a temperature and pressure drop down stream of the condensor to much lower temperatures but I don't think it would be a problem as it should make no difference to the purpose you intend using it for. The pressure rating on a condensor would far exceed an auto trans. It has gotten me thinking also as this seems like a good idea.

[Norbie]

The AC condensor is just a heat exchanger, same as a trans cooler. So long as the internal flow path is not too restrictive (unlikely) I can't see there being a problem. Heat and pressure is not an issue, they're designed to deal with plenty of both.

[brett_celicacoupe]

i know someone who used a condensor as a heat exchanger in a w2a setup. for some reason he had to 'open it up'. cant remember what the reasoning was.


alternatively you could fit a electric fan to a medium sized oil cooler

[Wildsupra]

i know someone who used a condensor as a heat exchanger in a w2a setup. for some reason he had to 'open it up'. cant remember what the reasoning was.


alternatively you could fit a electric fan to a medium sized oil cooler

i used the air con condenser in my water 2 air incooler when i put the 3s into my aw11, it seemed to work fine in that application, only thing is that i doubt the water in the water to air cooler got anywhere near the temps of an auto tranny.
I did have to cut all the fittings off as its went from 3/8 or 1/2 at the cooler ends down to like 1/4 fittings, which would have been too restrictive for wot i needed. I'd assume i'd do the same thing this time round.

Also it already has a fan on there so i can use that additional flow of air if required.

Looks like it might be worth a try anyway, no one has really suggested any definate reasons it wont work, just things that might need to be checked first, e.g. flow rate.

Matty

[Hibba]

i'm using the a/c condensor as a trans cooler in my MA70, and have never had a problem with it. Box runs nicely as well

[Wildsupra]

AWESOME!!!!!
Exactly wot i needed to hear

Now i just gotta figure out how to drain all the bloody refrigerent thats been sitting in the bottom of it out!

Matty