Rad bypass for transmission

[petezee]

I'm sure this has been discussed else where, but as a Newb I couldn't find the info I need to be sure.
My question is this. With all the talk about rad/tranny failure on the Xterra what is the downside if I bypass the rad?
Is there a down side? I don't tow so there is no extra weight.

Is a tranny cooler a must if I bypass? I know the rads are covered but I really don't want to replace my tranny. So far no issues on my 06 X with 60k

Thanks

[Simon]

THere's no downside. Yes, you need a transmission cooler. It can be installed in front of the rad, and usually they come with zip tie like mounts to go through the rad. Basically, you take the lines out of the stock cooler in the rad, and plug them into the aftermarket cooler. It's a fairly painless job.

[petezee]

Thanks for the quick reply.
Cheers
A second question if I may?
Will a 1 to 2 inch lift put any thing out of alignment/strain? My concern is the drivetrain or anything else which may suffer from the change in angles?
I don't need a serious lift as I'm more for pleasure cruising off road but do really want a slight lift (cheap lift ) to allow slightly larger rubber.

Thanks again

[Simon]

You won't have any issues on a 1-2 inch lift. You can fit 285/75/16 (approx 33x11.5) with no lift. There's something about a melt mod to the inner fender wells to alleviate any rubbing. Search around.

[petezee]

Thanks again Simon.

Since I'm not feeling like the sharpest tool in the shed right now. I just popped open the hood to discover a second "rad" in front of the main. Would this be my tranny cooler?( passenger side,next to the headlight)
if so am I still a candidate for a tranny failure on my 06 X as far as the rad issue goes.

[Scotto]

Hard to say without a pic... Is it a smallish - sort rectangular? Then yes, that would be your tranny cooler. If it's rather large, and has an electric fan in front of it, it's your AC rad.

Does it look like this (rad thing on the left?):



That's a tranny cooler.

[Nd4SpdSe]

Plenty of information about your trans/rad/bypass here:
http://www.thenewx.org/forum/showthread.php?t=25955" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Almost sounds like the trans fluid runs through the rad too (for additional cooling?), but it still has it's own seperate cooler. The only concern mentioned is that the engine won't help to warm up the trans fluid when it's bypassed from the rad

[studum]

If there's only 2 rad-like thingies in the front of the engine bay and you have a/c then the smaller one in front will be for the a/c. The OEM rad cooler is built into the rad, that's where the cross-contamination comes from when it fails. If it were an external cooler tranny cooler as OEM there would be no risk of cross-contamination.

[petezee]

Thanks for posting the pic Geoffrey. I have the same setup.
So even with this setup does it still run through the main rad? is the bypass still required to protect against trans failure? or does this setup already protect against that?

really appreciate the info guys.

[Nd4SpdSe]

So even with this setup does it still run through the main rad? is the bypass still required to protect against trans failure? or does this setup already protect against that?

really appreciate the info guys.

The bypass bypasses the section of the trans cooling system that uses the radiator and uses only the external coler. it'll protect the trans against failure when the radiator fails and causes cooland to mix with transmission fluid, but will reduce it's protection from failure from heat.

[petezee]

Thanks for all the info guys.
made a deal today with my local Nissan tech to take care of this and a few other little things for cash.
Always good to know someone with the inside knowledge and all the right tools.

[petezee]

Just a quick question before I get my bypass done. Has anyone else done this already? any issues?
I don't tow so should I assume that I will not have any issues?
Has anyone had the dreaded rad/trans failure?
Thanks

[Lance]

I bought my 05 three years ago, and one of the first things I did was the rad bypass. No issues at all, and I've done some light towing. Trans fluid is still clear, and no burnt smell.

Go ahead and do it! If the rad fails, it's going to cost a lot to get the transmission replaced!

[the x kid]

Wasn't there a recall on the radiators,and didn't that fix it?

[Morpheus]

@petezee. Yes, we've seen many rad failures, and several transmission failures due to the rad failure

@the x kid. It's not a recall, it's a warranty extension. Once you're past 130,000km, you're on your own, so you may as well bypass it and make sure you don't have any problems.

Even if you're still under the warranty extension, bypassing it will ensure that you don't have the inconvenience of the downtime.

The 05+ X/frontier/path has an external transmission cooler infront of the radiator, but there is no documentation on if this factory cooler will provide enough cooling once the factory rad is bypassed, so you can leave the factory cooler inplace, and add another one infront of it for the extra capacity.

Depending on your mounting, you may have to modify the grille slightly for clearance, but nothing that is noticible from the front, just the back of it.

Also note, after the bypass, you are left with 2 barbs coming out the bottom of the radiator. Make sure you plug both theese, as if the rad does fail in the future, it will dump all the coolant on the ground if you didn't plug theese lines. If you plug them, and it fails, you'll never even notice it.

[the x kid]

He could change his rad on his own.

[ironman]

OK, so I don't start a new thread I need to do my trany bypass and the info I need is more along the lines of what cooler do I buy and where from? I know the guys that have done it but no one can seem to remember the cooler that they bought or other details. This is just so I have a parts list in order to not run out to get parts a dozen times. thanks.

type of coolant
type of ATF
how much hose and clamps, the size of these
cooler size

If any one can help awesome.

[Simon]

I haven't done it on a new Pathfinder, but I did it on my old WD21. For that truck, I just bought a big cooler. Crappy Tire has Mr Transmission coolers in stock all the time, and I think I bought the 20,000lb rated one. It came with all the hose/clamps I needed.

You shouldn't need coolant, as you shouldn't have to drain the rad. You're just unhooking the 2 lines from the tranny cooler, and plugging them into your new, external cooler. The coolant doesn't get touched. Make sure you plug the lines for the internal cooler, as if it does leak internally (coolant in the transmission cooler) you don't want it leaking out.

Your owners manual, or the FSM should tell you what type of tranny fluid to use.

[Miner]

Current generation pathfinder is likely Nissan Magic-J and there are no equivalents or substitutes.

[moose200]

So if your ride has the little rad like the picture do you need to still by-pass?