Application

Engineering
Bulletin
Subject This AEB is for the following applications:
Automatic Transmission Cooling
Automotive Industrial G-Drive Marine

Date January 2002 AEB Number 95.04

Engine Models included: All Industrial – Automotive ISB99, ISC99, ISL99, ISC05, ISL05, ISM99, ISX99

Author: Keith McIntire Approver: per Procedure 9183OPS-04-10-01 Page 1 of 3

This AEB supersedes AEB 95.04 dated March, 1996

This AEB outlines cooling system recommendations and requirements for automatic transmission installations in
on-highway vehicles. Transmission cooler plumbing and cooling system requirements and testing for both
retarder and non-retarder installations are covered.

Transmission Cooler Plumbing for Non-retarder Transmissions

Transmission coolers may be plumbed in the radiator outlet line between the radiator and water pump inlet. This
location provides the advantage of full radiator flow at the coolest point in the system with the engine thermostat
open, but the disadvantage of no flow when the thermostat is closed.

This disadvantage can be eliminated by plumbing the thermostat bypass flow into the "inlet of the transmission
cooler. This "remote bypass plumbing" option is available for all engine models, and provides continuous
coolant flow through the transmission cooler regardless of engine temperature. This continuous flow allows for
continuous cooling of the transmission, and allows the transmission cooler to warm the transmission oil in cold
weather and during warm up.

Plumbing the thermostat bypass flow into the transmission cooler inlet is optional on non-retarder installations,
since transmission heat rejection during closed thermostat operation is generally minimal. On these installations,
it is up to the vehicle and transmission manufacturer to determine whether remote bypass plumbing is desired.

We recommend plumbing the thermostat bypass flow into the transmission cooler inlet on vehicles which use a
fixed fan drive (fan always engaged). When the fan is constantly engaged, the thermostat is nearly closed
during most of the vehicle operation, restricting the flow through the radiator and transmission cooler. Plumbing
the bypass flow into the transmission cooler inlet improves transmission cooling by increasing transmission
cooler flow.

Transmission Cooler Plumbing for Retarder Transmissions

It is mandatory that the thermostat bypass line be plumbed into the transmission cooler inlet on retarder
installations. This is required since the greatest heat load from the retarder occurs during light load or downhill
operation when the thermostat is often closed.

Transmission coolers for retarder installations require special attention. They must be able to transfer the high
heat rejection of the retarder without causing boiling of the coolant, which would cause airlocking of the water
pump. They must also have a pressure drop below 12 inches of water at rated engine flow rate to prevent
backflow of coolant through the radiator under closed stat conditions. It is recommended that piping sizes be
increased on retarder installations to help minimize this pressure drop.

Backflow of coolant through the radiator when the thermostat is closed can occur when the thermostat bypass
line is plumbed into the inlet of the transmission cooler. It occurs when the restriction of the transmission cooler
is high enough to cause some of the coolant which is exiting the bypass line to go backwards through the
radiator, out the radiator vent and down the fill line back to the water pump. This backflow will cause serious
overcooling of the engine and must be avoided. Adherence to the pressure drop limit on the cooler as stated in
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 AEB 95.04
Page 2 of 3
the previous paragraph will prevent backflow. Backflow can also be eliminated by directing the bypass flow
toward the transmission cooler with a “Y” connection instead of using a “T” connection.

Cooling Test Method

Evaluation of cooling performance of automatic transmission installations requires testing of the engine cooling
system, the transmission cooling system and the retarder cooling system (if so equipped). These evaluations
are done with separate tests as described below.

Engine Cooling for Transmissions with Lockup in Top Gears

Engine cooling tests evaluate radiator and charge air cooler performance with the engine at full power and the
transmission in lockup. Two checkpoints are used; peak power and a low speed point determined by the shift
characteristics of the transmission. This is done since many transmissions have shift characteristics which do
not allow the engine to run at peak torque, so the normal peak torque cooling checkpoint is inappropriate.
Cooling specs used for these checkpoints are the normal specs shown on the engine data sheet. The peak
power specs are used at peak power and the normal torque peak specs are used at the low speed checkpoint.

The low speed checkpoint is determined by finding the lowest speed the engine can be lugged to with the
transmission in lockup in the upper gears and adding 50 rpm. This engine speed is indicative of the lowest
speed the engine can be operated continuously during a typical hill climb, which would result in the most severe
cooling condition. 50 rpm is added to this speed to facilitate testing, since testing at the shift threshold speed
would result in excessive shifting.

For non-electronic Allison transmissions, which generally have a 1:1 top gear ratio, the low speed checkpoint is
determined by finding the lowest speed the engine can be lugged to in the top two gears, and adding 50 rpm. So
for a 4 speed transmission, engine speed at downshift should be checked in 4th and 3rd gears, the minimum
chosen, and 50 rpm added to determine the low speed checkpoint.

For electronically-controlled Allison transmissions with overdrive top gears, the engine speed at downshift must
be checked in more gears to determine the low speed checkpoint. With these transmissions, the engine speed
at downshift should be checked in all gears down to the gear in which 7% gradeability is achieved. For example,
if a six speed transmission is being tested, and 7% gradeability occurs in 3rd gear, then engine speed at
downshift should be checked in 6th, 5th, 4th, and 3rd gears. The minimum of these downshift speeds should
then be chosen, and 50 rpm added to determine the low speed checkpoint.

Some transmission models allow the engine to be lugged to peak torque speed or below before shifting. On
these models, peak torque should be used as the low speed checkpoint. The transmission manufacturer can
provide the shift schedule information necessary to determine the low speed checkpoint for engine cooling.

Any transmission oil cooling requirements with the transmission in lockup mode are determined by the
transmission manufacturer.

Engine Cooling for Transmissions without Lockup

Engine cooling tests evaluate radiator and charge air cooler performance with the engine at full power and
transmission in converter mode. Two checkpoints are used: peak power and the 80% converter efficiency point.
Cooling specs used for these checkpoints are the normal peak power and torque peak cooling checkpoints. The
torque peak specs should be applied at the 80% converter efficiency test point. The 80% converter efficiency
point is used as a low speed checkpoint on non-lockup transmissions since it has been used successfully for
transmission cooler sizing for years and it is less severe than testing at the minimum shift point plus 50 rpm as
done on transmissions with lockup.

Transmission Cooling

A transmission cooling test is run at the test conditions dictated by the transmission manufacturer. This test is
typically run to evaluate the ability of the transmission oil cooling system to maintain adequate transmission oil
temperatures when a heat load is being generated by the transmission. Typical testing consists of running the
transmission in converter mode, stop-n-go mode, or other modes, as dictated by the transmission manufacturer.
The transmission manufacturer determines the test conditions and transmission oil temperature limits for these
tests.
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Engine coolant temperatures can exceed typical maximum limits during transmission cooling tests of
transmissions with lockup. This is acceptable since converter mode operation is normally transient in most on-
off highway applications with these transmissions. However, off-highway and military applications typically do
limit maximum engine coolant temperature during all types of operation, including converter mode.

Retarder Cooling

Installations of transmissions with retarders should be tested under the operating conditions specified by the
transmission manufacturer. Retarders reject a tremendous heat load into the engine cooling system during
retardation, but are generally used only intermittently. In stop and go type of applications, repeated stops using
the retarder are generally used for testing. If the vehicle will also encounter long downhill grades, then a downhill
retarding test is also used.

The only engine cooling system checks needed during retarder cooling tests are a check of coolant temperature
exiting the transmission cooler to insure that no boiling occurs, which would send steam to the water pump and
airlock it. If boiling is detected, then more coolant flow is needed through the cooler or a smaller transmission
cooler with less heat transfer capacity should be used.

It is desirable to size the vehicle radiator so that the cooling system will not overheat during retarder operation.
This is often not possible due to the high heat load of the retarder. In this case, the capacity of the cooling
system should be maximized through use of an appropriate fan, fan drive, and radiator. Adequate fan speed at
idle is also very important, yet often overlooked, on vehicles which see heavy retarder use. A fan speed of 400-
500 RPM at idle, is recommended for idle overheating issues.

Cummins requires that a high temperature coolant alarm system be installed on all retarder applications to warn
the operator of excessive coolant temperatures which may occur during retarder operation. This alarm should
be set to the recommended coolant alarm setting for the engine model, which is listed on the engine data sheet.
The transmission manufacturer may also require an alarm for excessive transmission oil temperatures.

Change Log
Date Change Page(s)
Jan., 2002 Transmission Cooling 2
Retarder Cooling 3

Cummins Confidential