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Hi All,   I'm sure I'm not alone in this topic of mass confusion.   Who really needs a transmission oil cooler?  I know they come as part of a trailer towing package on any factory vehicle.  How do we know if we need one on a vehicle that is not equiped with one and will  be pulling a trailer.  I have a 2009 Kia Sedona with a 6 cyl engine and  will be pulling  a Spree Escape E19SB.  The car is rated to pull 3500 lbs.   The curb weight of the trailer is 2600 lbs.  That will leave us about 900 lbs cargo, etc. so I'm sure we be close to our limit most of the time.  Any thoughts or suggestion? 

Thanks much,

Ken

Hi John,  I've spoken with Kia about the cooler and they only carry a replacement for vehicles that came with a factory cooler.  They do not sell or recommend any particular type other than that one model.  I have not been able to find any specific information about Kia and x-mission coolers on-line or in my owners manual.  I spoke with a Kia mechanic and he was not able to come up with any 'official' recommendation other than his personal comment, which was to pickup an after market kit and oil temp gauge and watch it closely to see if there is any major change with and without the trailer behind.  If there is a noticable diff. then he feels I should reconsider what I'm using for a TV.   WOW!  I just bought this car because I understood that pulling a trailer with a 3500 lb GVWR would be a match for a vehicle rated to pull a 3500 lb trailer.  Thanks for your reply to my post.  I'm going into a local transmission shop tomorrow to get their opinion / thoughts and recommendations.  I'll keep a watch out for any additional info / comments you may have.  Thanks again, John.  Ken

Hi mbanda,  Thanks for your reply.  In a perfect world I would agree with your recommendation.  However at this point a have only had the TV for 2 months and am not in a situation to be able to trade for a different vehicle.  I spoke with the folks at the transmission shop today and they told me their thoughts on the subect.  My main use of the trailer will be for travel — most of which will be east and south of where we live.  That being said, they feel that since I won't be trying to climb the Colorado Rockies and will be heading east and/or south most trips, most travel will be spent at lower altitudes which would mean more horsepower and flatter terrain.  In summary, they said to definately have the cooler and gauge  installed.  Keep a close eye on the temp, plan on frequent transmission oil changes — ie: instead of changing x-mission oil at 75,000 as recommended by Kia, change it every 40,000 – 45,000 miles and be certain to change filter at that time also.  Change engine oil and filter at 3,000 to 5,000 when towing.  Change differential oil at 40,000 to 45,000 miles same as x-mission oil, and finally stay as close to the manufactures recommended weights as possible.  And last but not least, drive at reasonable speeds — like 55 to 60 mph.  They felt if I was faithful to those recommendations I should do OK.  Needless to say, I felt much better after that meeting.  I went to a really good 4 X 4 shop and talked with them about it too.  They agreed with the x-mission shop and will be installing the cooler & gauge.  I certainly appreciate the posts I have received and look forward to any additional ones.  I will continue to update this thread.  I sure hope they are correct.   Thanks, Ken

Post edited 2:49 am – February 8, 2011 by Royal Coachman — Centennial, Colorado

Hi mbanda,  I have a call into Kia on that currently and am awaiting the return call.  It seems to be in question at this point.  I knew I would be towing the trailer when I bought the car so I purchased an additional and extended warranty.  That is with a company other than Kia.  That  warranty will not be affected by the addition.  I'll let you know when I hear from them.  Thanks for the interest.   Ken

Post edited 3:03 am – January 14, 2012 by kayaknut

Hi kayaknut,

Thanks for sharing the details of your experience with your 14RB.  It was very enlightening.  That last day sounds like a killer for sure.   That's a lot of miles in one day even  w/o a trailer.  I think a lot of people feel that pulling a 'little' trailer is not an issue, but you have to constantly be aware of it's presence behind.  It's just one more thing to think about.  I'll bet you will do everything you can to avoid another day like that one.  On a trip 5 or 6 years ago we were retuning from back east by way of Kansas and ran into wind.  We had an F-150 pulling a 23' Mallard TT at the time and went through $160. of fuel just crossing part of Kansas.  We would have stopped but we were trying to beat a late April snow storm.  In response to your comment about travel habits, we are both retired and have the freedom of being able to drive fewer miles a day.  Our target in recent years has been around 300 to 350 miles a day.   We have places that we enjoy stopping along the way like the  Stratigic Air Command Museum in Ashland, NE among several others.  I'm not trying to make you feel bad, it's just one of the benefits of retirement.  If either of us feel tired or just not up we can just stay where we are for an extra  day.  We use mostly state parks when we can.  They are usually more secenic in our estimation.  Anyway, all this boils down to the fact that we can take our time and don't have to push, which I think is to our benefit as far as the TV is concerned.  We have had every type of RV except a Class A over the years.  We started camping in 1956 when our oldest was one year old.  We upgraded to a pop-up in 1967.  We had 5 kids total and all but one of them still goes camping, all still in tents!  Again, thanks for sharing your travel experience.  We found it very interesting and informative.    Ken & Marilyn

I can vouch for the wind making for slower trips.  As can be seen in my siggy, we pull the 16BH aerodynamic brick on wheels with a small V8 engine.  And our mileage definitely suffers when encountering a headwind.  But they are both ours and we plan accordingly.  We allowed 3 days from Houston to Atlanta over Christmas just so that we had a chance of setting up each day while it was still light out.

Hi there pfidahospud,

Thanks for adding your info to the thread.   It's very comforting to hear more positive input on the subject.  I share your feelings on the number of miles a day — as I had mentioned in my latest post, we try to maintain a 300 to 350 mile max a day but there again we are retired and have that kind of opportunity and luxury.   I was also very pleased to hear the response you got from Toyota on the warranty.  Kia gave me the same response on my warranty — with one exception; it must be installed by a professional mechanic and I must be able to furnish a receipt if needed.  Also, thanks for the well wishes in our travels and the very same to you and the director.

Ken & Marilyn

Hi sandersmr,   I would imagine that most of us have experienced the ugly wind at one time or another.  It seems our worse experiences with it have occured in either Kansas or Nebraska.  Maybe that's why they choose Kansas to film The Wizard of Oz.  That sounds like a long trip you took at Christmas but then again that's a little warmer climate than we are used to in Colorado at Christmas time.  As you pointed out — the smaller KZ's are not very aerodyanamic to ease the towing chore, but yet I feel they have more to offer overall than the teardrop RV's.  You enjoy your travels and be sure to "Keep The Shiney Side Up"!

Ken & Marilyn

Hi pfidahospud, 

That was bad news to hear they can't add a generic cooler to your Rav-4.   I really do think that with all the after market coolers that exist out there that there isn't one made that will fit other than a Toyota.  I was looking on line and there seems to be no end to the various styles and sizes available.  It just seems a shame when a person wants to do the right thing that there isn't one somewhere.  Just one site I looked at has what appears to be an endless number of sizes and types.

I have attached a link to the site as follows;

http://www.transmissioncoolers…..bAodKnlYBw

Give that a try.  They don't list specific applications but I'll bet if you email or call them they will be able to help.

Let us know how you make out if you want to try.  Don't forget to "Keep The Shiny Side Up".

Ken & Marilyn