Derale Series 8000 Plate-Fin Transmission Cooler Kit w/Barb Inlets - Class IV - Efficient

by: Barry 06/07/2024

2011 Chevrolet Silverado

I added this to my 2011 Silverado because I pull a 24Ft camper and when it's hot out the trans temp would get quite warm. Since I added the new cooler this is no longer a problem. It runs much cooler and when it does warm up some it cools off much quicker. Very happy with it! I highly recommend it.3154738

I installed the cooler last weekend in my 2008 Silverado. I've included some
pictures.
I made a strap to support the upper portion of the cooler and thru bolted
the lower to the existing bracket.
The hood bracket lower bolts had to be cut down to 1/4" length so they would
not contact the cooler.
The lower mount bolts had to be spaced to give the hood mount weld nuts
clearance.
Now to see how it does with a trailer and the Pacific Northwest hills.81391

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Paul

5/22/2013

Randy, could you please forward me pictures of your install? I have the exact truck and your pictures would be helpful.ThanksPaul

Patrick B.

5/23/2013

We received Randys photos and they should be up later today. They will appear just below his original review.

Well constructed. Could use more hose for the install. I had to buy another length to install it. In the photo you can see I fabricated brackets for it so it would be able to get better airflow. Not noticing a real big difference in cooling but I’m anxious to see how it goes when I tow my 29 ft. TT with my 17 Suburban with a 5.3 ltr. I’ve been towing without one with no issues but any help in extending the life of the tranny is worth it.1643094

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I installed this on my Toyota 1996 T-100 3.4: I picked up a piece of universal hangar strap, 2-8mmX1.25 bolts & lockwashers at building supply; 3 gal tranny fluid (flushing system including torque converter), 4' extra hose & extra clamps @ auto supply. I first mounted flange to central member with a couple screws; then bent 17-1/2" of the strap to pass the AC line ( the holes for the two bolts actually lined up to the two factory threaded holes available!!PTL). From there it's almost a done deal; hookup the cooler to the return side out of the radiator and let a half gallon at a time pump out till you get new fluid: then make up your return hose to the steel return line. It's oversize but this is FLA and it pulls. Heat is death to transmission fluid; and then the transmission! Good project.297264

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David H.

10/17/2017

Truck sold to friend- heard no bad report. Thanks

Package arrived a day earlier than expected. Will be a week or two before installation. Products appear to be of great quality. Looking forward to installing the cooler.1776363

Wil need additional hose and brackets for my install. Will get local but would have purchased if I knew they were needed1773211

09' silverado 1500 5.3
Temps are down 15 to 25 degrees on test drive, No trailer. 105* heat index city, highway, a.c running
75mph 169-171* (factory 185*+)
55mph 165*
City stops 159*-163*
Idle after drive for 10 min in Sun 149*

Trimmed factory grill mount and welded on tabs, to put back in factory location (no picture of finished grill mount by itself) used factory holes on upper grill hood latch assembly. Only fault is u need to remove trans cooler to unbolt grill mount, but it's just a grill mount.
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Steven

7/19/2021

A year later all is perfect. Reworked my hose connections just to make it better. I haul my race car and gear so maybe 6000lbs my trans Temps have not seen over 190* maybe running 85mph up hill in 3rd gear for extended time it might hit 195* for a short time then after up shift it cools right back down on a hot humid summer day I plan to put a full aluminum radiator in to help just that much more.

I recently had the chance to use the Derale 8000 series transmission cooler during my last camping trip and was very impressed. I have a 2001 7.3 Powerstroke with 4" exhaust, S&B intake, gauges and a DP Tuner (60hp tow). I pull a 10,000 pound 5th wheel around Colorado. It seems like every where I pull in Colorado is up hill. It was common to see my transmission temp easily and quickly reaching 210-220 when towing mountain passes. Just before my last trip I installed the Derale cooler and the highest trans temp I saw was 190 at the top of Wilkerson Pass. What is more impressive was how quickly the temp dropped as I came out of the pass. For most of my trip my trans temp stayed around 180. While pulling in the city I saw temps around 200 which I assume was due to stop and go driving and not having the constant airflow through the cooler.

I installed the cooler right behind the stock front grill to the vertical post with self tapping screws (the grill still fits perfectly). I then used two thin strips of metal that I got from the hardware store and secured them to the cooler and to the second vertical post. I wanted the cooler in the front of my truck to get maximum airflow. I then spray painted the metal strips black just for looks. I did have to buy an additional 4' of hose due to the location where I mounted the cooler. The optional instal kit was simple. The adaptors screwed in my radiator with no problem at all. Once I decided to mount the cooler the entire project was quick and simple. 143154

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by: Eric09/09/2023

Chevrolet Suburban

Great product, really helped keep my trans temp down. I deleted the thermal device on my suburban transmission (sorta like a thermostat) and coupled with this external cooler my trans runs an average of 50 degrees cooler when towing, sometimes more. Definitely worth it.1666882

by: Ben07/31/2018

2009 Dodge Journey

2009 GMC Yukon XL towing a 7,800lb travel trailer from California to South Carolina.....
I don't believe the Yukon would have made this journey if it wasn't for the additional transmission cooler and engine oil cooler. Dragging the travel trailer through the mountains during the heat of the summer was taxing. However, my transmission never got above 190 F when it was over 100 F outside. Before installing the oil cooler AND transmission cooler, my engine temp would go to the 1-2 o'clock position and transmission temp would get up to 210 F. Highly recommend this product.548155

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So far, no difference in temps running around town. Temps quickly ran up to 192 in low 90 degree weather. Not seeing the temp differences that others have posted about. 2014 Silverado 1500. True test comes tomorrow when I pull my 25ft travel trailer across country. Usually stays around 192 except in stop/start traffic. Then temps climb to 208 0r higher. This is why I bought this. And local repair shop charged me $474 to install it. Lot of money for no difference.1588201

Jenny N.

5/31/2023

I see from the cooler that you have installed that you should be seeing a reduction in temperature. I wanted to ask you where you have the cooler installed? If you have room, the best place to have it is to mount it in front of the trucks grille and the AC condenser core. It the best place to get the most air, however you can also mount it between the condenser and the radiator. There is less air flow, however the size of the cooler can make up for that. I also wondered how it performed when you went cross country.

The hose that came in the kit was about a foot too short and should be 3/8 id. I had to source my own longer 3/8 transmission cooler hose. Other than that, the quality of the cooler appears to be good.1312267

Scott

6/14/2023

Cooler works well. Trans temp is noticeably cooler when towing.

Mike L.

9/7/2023

@Scott Great to hear that! We're glad the Derale # D13504 transmission cooler is working well for you.

Hello Gang, I have a 2013 Chevy suburban and tow a 7K plus travel trailer. While we were towing to Colorado near Cripple Creek the temps were low 90's and my trans spiked at 230. Had to pull over to let it cool down. Now keep in mind my suburban does not have a HD trans cooler just the stock radiator cooler. Fast forward one year now my stock trans line is starting to leak from the rubber hose so it's time to change. Decided to order the larger trans cooler might not have been the best idea as it's larger then where I wanted to put it. So after taking off the front bumper, headlights misc brackets and lots of bolts I was able to get it up behind the "A" frame bracket in front of the radiator. Make sure if you go this route to put the rubber hoses and clamps on before installing because you will not be able to install the hose after. The bracket the holds the hood latch has openings that just happen to line up with the inside bolt holes on the cooler. Hoses facing down You will need to cut the bottom of the plastic out of the way to route the hoses under the frame. Cutting the original trans cooler line was easy and the rubber hose was long enough to make both connections so I did not need the adapter. If I used the adapter the rubber hose would be too short. On the bottom I used the foam pads between the cooler and the frame and secured it with heavy duty Zip ties. Can't wait to test it out this summer. I forgot to take pictures of the final install but did take one picture showing the "A" frame in the middle of the radiator. It fit's perfectly behind it. 613917

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I installed this trans cooler on my 2009 Yukon. The installation video really made it much easier. I just pulled my boat under the same conditions I had prior to the install and I am very pleased with the results. Prior to mod, my trans temp got up to 204 degrees. With cooler, it was 160-165.560929

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Great value for the price and free shipping, package arrived on schedule, was packed extremely well, (I would know, retired Postal mail carrier), Derale 13504 transmission cooler was exactly what was described should work well for me to tow a 3500lb travel trailer with my 2008 GMC Acadia. Will be installing the cooler this week. This definitely should keep my transmission from over heating, it's rated somewhete at 22500 GVW. My vehicle and travel trailer CGVW is approximately 9000 lbs.462784

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Louis L.

12/25/2018

The Derale 13504 has kept my transmission from over heating, have towed my travel trailer over 3600 miles no problems with transmission over heating in my 2008 Acadia SLT. Will be installing a auxiliary fan in front of my radiator to assist when in towing this summer. .

The installation was not too bad. Make sure you order the correct adapter. The adapter it comes with is universal so I had to order a GM adapter after I started the installation. It mounted really clean on my 2014 Silverado. Worth the money for late model GM’S to keep the transmission heat down.664948

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Everything was included to do this simple upgrade. This was the perfect size for my application. The included hose was the perfect amount but, I would have been more comfortable if I had more.1295245

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Install went great, happy with result. This will be good for towing.1745817

Quality product and a great installation video on youtube by etrialer. Dropped the trans temps an avg of 30 degrees on my 11 yukon. Make sure to watch the video and order each part number listed for an easy install!548321

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Went together easy, works as advertised. Mounted front and center for most efficient cooling capacity and it does the trick. Dropped my trans temp by 40F without a trailer. Have yet to put it to the test with a heavy trailer long distances.787470

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by: Cory J03/29/2020

1999 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

I’ve had the Timbren suspension enhancement system for a year now on my ‘99 Dodge 1500 4x4. I purchased this product because I had to tow my bumper pull three horse trailer from South Carolina to N. Central Montana. With a camper top, the bed loaded and the trailer loaded the truck sagged really bad. With the Timbrens on the sag went away completely. Making for a much safer less stressful experience while towing. 772867

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by: Wayne01/17/2022

Chevrolet

We have been very happy with the performance of the transmission cooler. There was a significant drop in transmission temperature after replacing the stock cooler with your product when pulling our camper. Very easy to install on our Chevy pickup.1244774

Wayne

1/23/2023

No issues. Transmission staying cooler under a load.

Fits and works excellent made my own brackets to fit across569651

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Installed this in my 2008 Avalanche, utilizing the following kit:
D13504 - This cooler
D13002 - Mounts
D13003 - Extra hose
D13035 - GM adapter

Everything went well, took the longest time just figuring how I wanted it mounted in the front to make me happy, second to the time spent was of course removing the front fascia of the car. Once I got it in place the only extra things I needed were some P-clips for hose mounting, some split loom and zip ties(my necessity to prevent chafing ever). The GM adapter went in fine, was a bit leery of how 'loose' it felt even after being clipped in, it does move in and out about a 1/4" but this is normal and no leaks present, just make sure the clip retains the adapter. Pushing the new hose on the old hard line that went to the radiator is a bit of a bear, use lube on all your hose barbed ends to ensure easy insertion. Also when mounting the cooler, some screws were attached to the bracing of the car, pre-drilling those holes with a small bit helps tremendously, rather than risk trying to drive a self tapper in with force, slipping and putting a hole in your condenser.
After install, transmission is running about 30-40 degrees cooler in normal city driving, will test to see how it does with a tow load. Under towing I would get up to just shy of 220 degrees in the Florida heat, hoping to see it stay below 190 under load.681222

Gary

8/7/2020

After a year still keeping things cool, have had absolutely zero issues, put about 5,000 miles on since the install. Have taken our camper around and this has kept everything under 200 degrees even when towing up grade, as well as when the transmission unlocking the converter adding all that heat to the fluid. So Id say worth it, everyone should do this even on a lightly used truck that doesnt tow necessarily, its a cheap way to save the wear on your transmission and everything below 200 degrees is a good thing.

Item arrived promptly and well packaged. Installed the cooler on my 2001 silvarado z71 5.3L on a warm Redding California afternoon 105f. It only took about 1/2 hour to install it inline with my stock cooler. Promptly the next day I pulled around my utility trailer loaded down with a 8x12 wood shed, outside temp on my mirror was reading 117f. Two hours of pulling and pushing and the shed was in place. It was hot I was hot truck was not even with the AC on full. The next punishment will be pulling the 25' camper kids dog and all essential beverages over the mountains in the heat to the coast.201919

Tanner

6/17/2015

Hey Mike could you specify where and how you mounted the second cooler please? Having trouble figuring that out!

Mike

6/18/2015

TannerI mounted the cooler on the passenger side of the radiator using the stock transmission cooler mount and the headlight mount. The cooler was mounted sideways and all the way to the top of the compartment i dry fit it and made sure the plastic radiator cover would still snap into place as well as the hood closed with no issue before installing it inline with my stock cooler. Tight fit but it works and works well.

Evan P.

3/26/2016

How much extra Transmission fluid did you have to add after the transmission was at normal operating temp?