How hot is the lower radiator hose coolant

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I've always wondered just how hot is the coolant entering the engine after leaving the radiator?

Assuming a crossflow radiator and taking into account the ambient temps. 150F in the summer with AC on for coolant?
 
More interested really in winter time temps with reference to how much if any the cold side heats the AT fluid.
 
It will go down when the car is moving and there is a good air flow. Many cars sense the temperature of the coolant in the lower hose or the bottom of the radiator to decide when to turn the fan on.
 
Let us suppose you have a 190 fegree thermostat . Suppose the dash temp gauge is showing 200F and further suppose that is accurate .

I am guessing the coolant temp of the coolant entering the radiator will be close to 200F . The leaving coolant temperature is going to be less . By how much , which is in effect what you are asking .

As you implies , that can vary , depending on the ambient temp , vehicle speed / amount of ram air , radiator fan efficiency , amount of air restriction due to other " coolers " in front of the radiator . And , probably other things which do not come to mind .

But , I never actually thought about the actual temp . As long as problema did not occur , I was happy .

Best wishes , :-0
 
I've never seen anything other than a temp sender in the t-stat area for temp control. I do personally have a stand alone temp sensor in the upper hose for control because tune.

On four of my last five cars they all had the t-stat on the lower radiator hose entry point on the engine.
 
I feel that when it's quite cold out that the cold side of the radiator is not hot enough to heat the at fluid. This comes up when some replace the AT radiator with one without a cooler in it.

Many say to keep the cooler so it adds heat in the winter. I don't see that happening if the fluid is much over 125F which is what my trans fluid would run in the winter with an air to oil trans cooler.

I suppose I could attach an external probe to a stand alone temp sensor and insulate it.
 
And what of the older style top to bottom radiators? I have one in my Accent.
 
I think it depends on the ambient air and air flow. Also on cooling system efficiency. I had a 84 Honda Accord that had a cooling system so efficient that I could completely block the radiator during Colorado winters and still have marginal heater output in spite of being hooked up to a 240 volt powerplant parking outlet. The Camry I now drive has a well designed cooling system. Defrost is available by the time I back out of the garage. Find someone with a thermal imager and check it out.
 
In the wintertime with "No cardboard in front",
I have seen lower radiator hose temps around 45*F when it's -40*F

That's with the engine at normal operating temp and a .062" air bleed hole drilled in the flange of the thermostat. The heater was also on. Most of the engine heat is lost through the heater core when it's that cold outside.
 
Originally Posted By: user52165
FWIW - OP was asking about summer with AC on.
Yes. But the cold end too.

Many argue that the atf cooler in the radiator heats the fluid up but I don't see that happening in the dead of winter.
 
I'm not seeing the ATF heating going on either. Some manufacturers even claim the opposite, that the ATF will help heat the engine.

Does ATF even need to be heated? Many manufacturers claim a decently hot ATF is a more efficient trans, but is it doing anything for operation or durability? I've never had any "cold transmission" problems in my life.
 
If the ATF is cold that will effect clutch fill times since viscosity and pressure effect flow through the various orifices and valves. In theory you could run into issues because of this especially on multi clutch shifts where you have to dump one clutch and engage another.
I don't think its a problem on modern vehicles since the pressure tables are adjusted for transmission temperature in the computer. So a correction is just applied to ask for more pressure on a cold shift than the base shift pressure table would be calling for on a trans at ex 200F.
 
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Some TC clutches won't lock up until 150F or so. I had this problem with my '97 SHO and no radiator trans cooler but big radiator style ATX cooler.
 
Originally Posted By: Colt45ws
If the ATF is cold that will effect clutch fill times since viscosity and pressure effect flow through the various orifices and valves. In theory you could run into issues because of this especially on multi clutch shifts where you have to dump one clutch and engage another.
I don't think its a problem on modern vehicles since the pressure tables are adjusted for transmission temperature in the computer. So a correction is just applied to ask for more pressure on a cold shift than the base shift pressure table would be calling for on a trans at ex 200F.


Both engines and transmissions are designed to operate best over a predetermined temperature range . On a cold start up , I am guessing , the sooner each reaches that temp range , the better .

Dad used his car to pull a camping trailer . He had a full size Ford 302 V-8 with a 3 speed automatic and a tall / high gear ratio rear end , some where around 1978 , 1979 .

One summer , he & Mom were pulling the camper to the lake and the tranny blew the front seal and started puking fluid . They limpe into a little town & found either a transmission shop or general mechanic . The mechanic pulled the tranny , replaced the seal and re-installed the tranny for Dad & Mom . Dad asked what he could do to prevent this from happening . The mechanic told Dad to install a transmission cooler .

When he got back , the came to our house & Dad asked me to help him find one &m install it . I told Dad I did not know much about such , but suggested we go to Checker Auto Supply ( long gone now ) . It was near the house & I had purchased a few parts there .

We asked where the tranny coolers were , were pointed to the correct aisle . There were several . Dad asked which one I thought he should buy . I said I did not know , but it sounded like he had a pretty good size problem , blowing the front seal . So I suggested the biggest one they had . Dad thought that sounded like a good idea .

I told Dad we might be able to go other places and find a better price ( normally both Dad and I were cheap ) . But he said no , he was good with what Checker had & did not want to mess around the remainder of the afternoon shopping . I suspect the cost of the cooler was cheaper , by far , than transmission repair .

We ashed the parts guy , which of the 2 lines going to the cooler in the radiator to tie into ? He said to tie into the line coming from the transmission ( not the one going back from the radiator to the transmission . He said in winter , as the engine coolant warmed up , it would help warm up the ATF .

Did he know what he was talking about ? I do not know , but it sounded plausible . He never had any more transmission problems .

When Dad traded the Ford off & purchased the 1991 Chevy Caprice ( which I now have ) , one of the first things he did was to ask me to help him install a transmission cooler on it . He towed with it & never had any transmission problems with it . It has 4 speed automatic , with 4th an overdrive . And a high speed rear end , also .

So , if you tow , I guess the tranny cooler works .

Best of luck to you , :)
 
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