I've got a '96 S-10 Blazer (4-door, 4x4) with about 125k miles on it. I'm going to be pulling a trailer of about 2000 pounds from Alaska to Arkansas later this fall. That's a distance of about 3500 miles or so. There will be some mountains/hills, but I'm going to avoid most of that and stay in the flat country as much as possible.

How necessary is an auxiliary transmission cooler (something other than the one built-in to the radiator)? I don't want to risk stranding myself in the middle of nowhere, but I also don't want to put any more money in this Blazer than necessary.

 

For the $35-60 investment, depending on how large of a cooler you go with, and the affect on the transmission temps, it is NEVER a bad idea to install an aux cooler. Each of my previous vehicles has had one and the Bravada has one now. Just need to install one in the Bonneville.

The one in my Bravada is a ~7 by ~11, 3/4" thick imperial cooler from advanced auto. Easy as pie to install.

I remember reading somewhere that for every 10*F worth of temperature drop in the trans fluid, the life of the trans is extended by 50%

 

That sure seems like a reasonable price. From searching around these forums, it seems like B&M is recommended a bit. Would this cooler work on my Blazer (in sig)? I like the idea that I can just bolt it on. Thanks!

 

B&M BMM-70268 Super Cooler is exactly like the one that I have. They changed their picture for it now so I do not know if it includes the adapter kit.

I had posted the part numbers for the imperial stuff from Advanced (Hayden at Autozone) that included the PN for the adapter kit so you didn't have to cut any hoses.

*EDIT* - Here's my quote where I have the PNs:
Autozone doesn't carry the fitting kit or cooler any longer, but it looks like advanced still does. And by the time you add shipping on to these things, most of the time its just cheaper to buy locally.

 

My only local options are NAPA or CarQuest. I might see what they have, but I'm not hopeful. Given their track record, it would be easier/cheaper to order it (living in rural alaska has it's disadvantages). Looks like that B&M from Summit does still include the hoses and stuff ("Fittings and hose included with kit"). Thanks!

 

Ah. Location, Location, Location! Ha.

Until recently, I had Advanced, Autozone, Napa, Local Autoparts chain, & Carquest to shop around at. Now I just don't have Autozone close by, but I won't miss them.

 

Any other good places to order that cooler from online? Summit has insane shipping polices for Alaska (ah, lets just tack on an arbitrary $9.75 to the shipping cost for the fun of it).

 

You could try Jegs. You can also order from PartsAmerica.com (advanced auto's parent company) to see what they'll charge for the Imperial...

 

Apparently most online auto parts stores have stupid shipping policies. I'm gonna see what I can find around here or in Anchorage. Thanks for the help!