Re: Resurrecting my 56’ Patrician

Posted by HH56 On 2023/5/28 17:38:25

It is the transmission fluid cooler and it does not need to remove if just replacing the lower hose although it can be a bit hard to get the hose in that narrow opening so loosening might help. If replacing the hose between the pump and cooler then yes it does need to come off. With all the rust around the upper hose connection on that one IMO, it should come off anyway to check the tubes. The coolers are notorious for the hose connections rusting out to the point there can be nothing but swiss cheese like perforated metal under the hose.

There is not much to the cooler. Inside the outer container is a flat stainless steel assy consisting of some plates welded together to form a passage or two. That assy connects to the tubing fittings on the back side. The trans fluid flows thru inside the stainless part while cooled water from the radiator surrounds and flows around the outside of the plates to carry away heat. The stainless part has very few issues but the outer sheet metal water container can rust severely.