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Another plug for Tim. I ordered this ATF cooler from his company.
I installed this ATF cooler on our '14 MDX base. I don't plan on towing but want to extend the AT life. Am I wasting my time and $? Maybe...
The installation was easy. It took about 2.5 hours to complete the task. Need plenty of patience or risking damaging self or the car:19:
After removing the engine bulkhead cover and air filter resonator, look to the left side and down of the battery, you will find the ATF filter. I did not know 3rd Gen has the ATF external filter (P/N 25430-PLR-003) until someone from this forum mentioned it under another thread. It was difficult to remove the hoses from the filter and the transmission pipe. Tip: rotate the hose left and right to break the "seal" from the metal barb of the filter and transmission pipe. Once it is free to rotate, you can pull the hose out with ease. Another difficulty was getting the ATF cooler in the position since space was tight between the radiator and subframe. It took me a while to fasten the bottom bolt to the cooler and the support bracket. Tip: look (from the outside) at the bottom of the nose grill (see attached photo), you will be able to fasten upper and lower bolts for the ATF cooler easier. My knuckles were cut up from the radiator fins for doing it the hard way.
You will need to remove the front bumper skid trim to gain access to the ATF filter and ATF cooler hoses from the bottom of the SUV. I lifted the front end with a floor jack and secured it with the jack stands.
Once all the connections were made, I added 3.75 quarts. Ran the engine for about 5 minutes. Drove the SUV in out of the garage. Checked the fluid level, it didn't register. I added another 100 ml increment (no fun if it were overfilled), drove in and out of the garage. Checked...nope. Needed more. I repeated this process 3 more times. Finally got the fluid in between the two dots on the dipstick. :29: I was a bit surprised the cooler capacity is approximately 0.9 quarts? Seems a lot to me. I double and triple checked for leaks, especially at the connection points and drain plug. I touched the ATF cooler and it was hot (verifying for proper installation).
Our MDX has about 34K miles, so I drained and filled the ATF fluid 3 times prior to the installation. I replaced the ATF filter as well (I don't know if it was necessary but I was in the area). I did the fourth drain and fill with the cooler. Not too difficult task. Tip: measure the fluid coming out so you know an approximate amount going in.
Since my hands were dirty and the car was open, I changed the radiator fluid and flushed the brake lines. SUV is good until the next oil change.
I encourage for all those on the fence regarding DIY. Changing fluids and maintenance tasks are not difficult. Just need some patience and tools. Learn from here and youtube videos. Save yourself some money!:roadtrip:
Attached photo: the ATF cooler is fastened with 4 bolts and positioned in from of the radiator. The cooler position is more bias to the right from the center line.
I installed this ATF cooler on our '14 MDX base. I don't plan on towing but want to extend the AT life. Am I wasting my time and $? Maybe...
The installation was easy. It took about 2.5 hours to complete the task. Need plenty of patience or risking damaging self or the car:19:
After removing the engine bulkhead cover and air filter resonator, look to the left side and down of the battery, you will find the ATF filter. I did not know 3rd Gen has the ATF external filter (P/N 25430-PLR-003) until someone from this forum mentioned it under another thread. It was difficult to remove the hoses from the filter and the transmission pipe. Tip: rotate the hose left and right to break the "seal" from the metal barb of the filter and transmission pipe. Once it is free to rotate, you can pull the hose out with ease. Another difficulty was getting the ATF cooler in the position since space was tight between the radiator and subframe. It took me a while to fasten the bottom bolt to the cooler and the support bracket. Tip: look (from the outside) at the bottom of the nose grill (see attached photo), you will be able to fasten upper and lower bolts for the ATF cooler easier. My knuckles were cut up from the radiator fins for doing it the hard way.
You will need to remove the front bumper skid trim to gain access to the ATF filter and ATF cooler hoses from the bottom of the SUV. I lifted the front end with a floor jack and secured it with the jack stands.
Once all the connections were made, I added 3.75 quarts. Ran the engine for about 5 minutes. Drove the SUV in out of the garage. Checked the fluid level, it didn't register. I added another 100 ml increment (no fun if it were overfilled), drove in and out of the garage. Checked...nope. Needed more. I repeated this process 3 more times. Finally got the fluid in between the two dots on the dipstick. :29: I was a bit surprised the cooler capacity is approximately 0.9 quarts? Seems a lot to me. I double and triple checked for leaks, especially at the connection points and drain plug. I touched the ATF cooler and it was hot (verifying for proper installation).
Our MDX has about 34K miles, so I drained and filled the ATF fluid 3 times prior to the installation. I replaced the ATF filter as well (I don't know if it was necessary but I was in the area). I did the fourth drain and fill with the cooler. Not too difficult task. Tip: measure the fluid coming out so you know an approximate amount going in.
Since my hands were dirty and the car was open, I changed the radiator fluid and flushed the brake lines. SUV is good until the next oil change.
I encourage for all those on the fence regarding DIY. Changing fluids and maintenance tasks are not difficult. Just need some patience and tools. Learn from here and youtube videos. Save yourself some money!:roadtrip:
Attached photo: the ATF cooler is fastened with 4 bolts and positioned in from of the radiator. The cooler position is more bias to the right from the center line.
