Below are some pictures of a transmission oil cooler from a 1999 ford crown victoria



This is a pretty beefy unit that'll keep transmission oil temperatures reasonable under a wide variety of conditions.



One of the new features for the 1998 model year was a thermostatic valve to bypass the cooler all together when the tranny fluid is cold. This improves lube flow during cold starts and reduces the corresponding wear.



However, this valve also makes properly flushing the transmission cooler after a transmission component failure where lots of metal debris was in circulation nearly impossible. There are special machines to flush transmission coolers, but they do not heat the cleaning solution to the required ~200 degrees to open the valve so that the plate/fin section of the cooler recieves the cleaning solution.

Some transmission repair shops are really adamant that their flush machine will be able to properly clean this cooler. But they are sorely mistaken, and the customer is likely to end up with multiple transmission failures soon after their rebuild as a result. If you're observant you'll notice that a lot of transmission specialty shops have gone bankrupt lately, or been forced into other areas of car repair like oil changes, brake repairs, exhaust work, etc.





A closeup of the F8VH-3F749-CC casting information.







At some point, pictures of the internal thermal control valve inside the cooler will be added here.

Notes:

-Starting in the 2006 model year, the transmission oil cooler was integrated into the lower portion of the air conditioner condensor. And these vehicles no longer have a seperate standalone transmission cooler in front of the radiator anymore.
-There was a manufacturing issue with a small number of 2006 crown victorias that caused the cold start bypass valve to stick inside the transmission cooler. When the valve got stuck in the bypass position, the transmission fluid would overheat and transmission damage occured soon after. A copy of field service action 06B39 is avaliable by clicking here.
-Here are a couple excerpts from the 2010 ford crown victoria shop manual about replacing transmission coolers:

"Transmission Fluid Cooler Backflushing and Cleaning

NOTICE: When internal wear/damage occurs in the transmission, metal particles, clutch plate material and band material can travel into the torque converter and the transmission fluid cooler. These contaminants are a major cause of recurring transmission concerns. To prevent future concerns, remove these contaminants from the transmission cooling system before placing the transmission back into use.

Install a new transmission fluid cooler if there is leakage from the transmission fluid cooler, major metallic failure, multiple clutch or clutch plate failure, or sufficient component wear that results in metallic contamination."

2009 Crown Victoria/Grand Marquis Workshop Manual

"A new Oil-To-Air (OTA) transmission fluid cooler must be installed under the following condition.