Not sure if this belongs in performance or somewhere else?
I finally added a transmission oil cooler to my 850. It works in series with the stock radiator cooler.
I have no performance before/after data or long term impressions to share.
Below are some pictures and details if anyone is interested in doing the same.
The kit I used was a Hayden 678. It comes with a section of hose, some clamps, etc.
This oil cooler is the largest that Hayden lists as a fit for the Volvo 850.
It is listed as "
- Size is 3/4 inch x 11 inch x 9-1/2 inch
- Pick-up trucks and vans, class "C" motor homes , travel trailers to 24 feet
- GVWR up to 24,000 pounds, towing up to 5,000 pounds
"
This size would normally probably be overkill, but a good amount of it is covered up and not exposed to airflow once fitted into the 850.
It's also my understanding that this design of cooler has the benefit of less of pressure restriction than a tube and fin cooler, but they aren't as efficient at cooling. With those things in mind, I decided that a larger cooler of this type would be appropriate for the 850.
$45 shipped from Amazon for the complete kit, and the brand/product seems to be well reviewed.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000C3DDKO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
A goal of mine in the process was to use only the quantity of hose that comes with the kit.
The routing doesn't give the cleanest look, and the hoses are a little tight but they still have acceptable slack and appropriate bends.
An alternative to gain some more slack would be to reuse the factory lower hose by cutting it in two and splicing in with barb splices and more hose clamps... that idea wasn't very appealing to me.
One last note. The kit comes with four worm screw hose clamps. They're fine for the oil cooler itself. I'm not sure if they would be appropriate for the hard lines but would probably be fine -- the supplied hose is a pretty tight fit as it is.
I opted for double Oetiker clamps on the hard lines.
Anyways, here's a bunch of pictures.
Photobucket is failing in the rotation department and I can't seem to make it happy. If it doesn't correct itself, may be better off just going directly to the album:
http://s58.photobucket.com/user/MattWebb502/library/Volvo%20850%20Transmission%20Oil%20Cooler
