I by-passed my in radiator tranny cooler

[nutbar78]

I too did the bypass today. Same for the color, dark cherry is a good description. When I was driving around afterwards, it was as if a small weight had been lifted because I didn't have that nagging fear any longer.

[PapaRomeo51]

I bypassed mine and my son's 05 Frontier about a month a go. I was sure we got his just in time, because he has over 90K on his truck. We both have had our fuel gauge sending units replaced and I had to replace my check valve in the carbon canister.

[gilliam433]

Hey guys, normally I would do research and read through this entire thread, but I wanted to just go ahead and ask something if thats cool.

I took my Pathfinder into the shop today to get the Fuel Sending Unit replaced under warranty. Got a call from the dealer saying they were going to replace the FSU and also found a leak in the radiator and were going to replace that under warranty as well.

I didnt realize any noticeable leak in the radiator, obviously, but will this replacement of the radiator solve this bypassing issue or will that still be something I need to worry about.

Thanks!

[Baedarlboo]

Hey guys, normally I would do research and read through this entire thread, but I wanted to just go ahead and ask something if thats cool.

I took my Pathfinder into the shop today to get the Fuel Sending Unit replaced under warranty. Got a call from the dealer saying they were going to replace the FSU and also found a leak in the radiator and were going to replace that under warranty as well.

I didnt realize any noticeable leak in the radiator, obviously, but will this replacement of the radiator solve this bypassing issue or will that still be something I need to worry about.

Thanks!

It will "solve" the issue for however long it takes the new radiator to develop a leak again. If it does leak again, you won't know until your tranny starts to act up. You may or may not have the issue, and you won't know until it's too late. Most do it as a preventative maint. so they don't have to worry about it.

[gilliam433]

Gotcha. So I'll ask them today if anything got "contaminated" in transmission, although not sure I'll completely trust what they say. I'll also check fluid when I get home.

I have no problem doing this bypass, and again I havent completely read everything about it on here, but is this something that some guy randomly thought of in his garage and has now influenced everyone to do and in due time it will fail, or is this a legit type of solution. Hopefully you see the point in this question, its not a slam, its just a newbie wanting to make sure they arent led astray...haha.

Thanks again!

Hey guys, normally I would do research and read through this entire thread, but I wanted to just go ahead and ask something if thats cool.

I took my Pathfinder into the shop today to get the Fuel Sending Unit replaced under warranty. Got a call from the dealer saying they were going to replace the FSU and also found a leak in the radiator and were going to replace that under warranty as well.

I didnt realize any noticeable leak in the radiator, obviously, but will this replacement of the radiator solve this bypassing issue or will that still be something I need to worry about.

Thanks!

It will "solve" the issue for however long it takes the new radiator to develop a leak again. If it does leak again, you won't know until your tranny starts to act up. You may or may not have the issue, and you won't know until it's too late. Most do it as a preventative maint. so they don't have to worry about it.

[eieio]

new radiators are supposedly improved somehow to eliminate the contamination/leak issue
i don't know whether that improvement is by a design change or an improvement in the manufacturing process
none of us may ever know
with an internal transmission cooler there is always going to be the potential for this kind of problem
mine are both by-passed, and will remain that way
i, for one, will not take the chance

[gilliam433]

Ive been reading now, and I will more than likely do this Bypass, seems easy enough to do. Basically there is a cooler in the radiator and that is where the hoses are directing the fluids currently. And what we are doing is capping the radiator cooler off (i still have no clue what the radiator does...sorry, havent spent much time under the hood), then taking the hoses and connecting them to a cooler that is already under the hood of my nissan, just not being used at the moment and so you end up with a capped off radiator and a flow between the transmission and this misc. cooler.

new radiators are supposedly improved somehow to eliminate the contamination/leak issue
i don't know whether that improvement is by a design change or an improvement in the manufacturing process
none of us may ever know
with an internal transmission cooler there is always going to be the potential for this kind of problem
mine are both by-passed, and will remain that way
i, for one, will not take the chance

[eieio]

Ive been reading now, and I will more than likely do this Bypass, seems easy enough to do. Basically there is a cooler in the radiator and that is where the hoses are directing the fluids currently. And what we are doing is capping the radiator cooler off (i still have no clue what the radiator does...sorry, havent spent much time under the hood), then taking the hoses and connecting them to a cooler that is already under the hood of my nissan, just not being used at the moment and so you end up with a capped off radiator and a flow between the transmission and this misc. cooler.

both coolers are currently in your loop, one external, and one internal (in the bottom of the radiator)
the latter one is the one eliminated by the by-pass

[gilliam433]

last question, for now, eieio. Youve been a great help man. When I go get my car from the dealer today, should i ask them if the transmission has gotten contaminated as you suggested earlier today. Would a transmission flush do anything to help that situation?

Ive been reading now, and I will more than likely do this Bypass, seems easy enough to do. Basically there is a cooler in the radiator and that is where the hoses are directing the fluids currently. And what we are doing is capping the radiator cooler off (i still have no clue what the radiator does...sorry, havent spent much time under the hood), then taking the hoses and connecting them to a cooler that is already under the hood of my nissan, just not being used at the moment and so you end up with a capped off radiator and a flow between the transmission and this misc. cooler.

both coolers are currently in your loop, one external, and one internal (in the bottom of the radiator)
the latter one is the one eliminated by the by-pass

[Baedarlboo]

Reason most are suspect of even the "new" radiator is because the part number hasn't changed. Usually when a part has been "revised" there's a part number that supersedes the old. The part number for the radiator regardless if it's the original or the new radiator is the same. This same part is also shared with the Frontier owners, who also seem to have the same issues. Read and use your best judgment, nobody here can really tell you if the bypass needs to be done or not.

[gilliam433]

Reason most are suspect of even the "new" radiator is because the part number hasn't changed. Usually when a part has been "revised" there's a part number that supersedes the old. The part number for the radiator regardless if it's the original or the new radiator is the same. This same part is also shared with the Frontier owners, who also seem to have the same issues. Read and use your best judgment, nobody here can really tell you if the bypass needs to be done or not.

Good Thoughts. Thanks!

[Baedarlboo]

last question, for now, eieio. Youve been a great help man. When I go get my car from the dealer today, should i ask them if the transmission has gotten contaminated as you suggested earlier today. Would a transmission flush do anything to help that situation?

Ive been reading now, and I will more than likely do this Bypass, seems easy enough to do. Basically there is a cooler in the radiator and that is where the hoses are directing the fluids currently. And what we are doing is capping the radiator cooler off (i still have no clue what the radiator does...sorry, havent spent much time under the hood), then taking the hoses and connecting them to a cooler that is already under the hood of my nissan, just not being used at the moment and so you end up with a capped off radiator and a flow between the transmission and this misc. cooler.

both coolers are currently in your loop, one external, and one internal (in the bottom of the radiator)
the latter one is the one eliminated by the by-pass

I'm not eieio, but there is a post on here about a guy who caught the leak in it's early stages. He flushed the trans a few times and has reported no ill effects. Some get lucky, and others get the shaft. If you haven't noticed any odd behaviors, and the coolant did in fact leak in to the trans, flush it a few times and count your blessings.

[gilliam433]

Haha. I hear ya. Hey Im just thankful that there are people on the forum willing to help folks along in these situations. Its a pretty cool community.

last question, for now, eieio. Youve been a great help man. When I go get my car from the dealer today, should i ask them if the transmission has gotten contaminated as you suggested earlier today. Would a transmission flush do anything to help that situation?

both coolers are currently in your loop, one external, and one internal (in the bottom of the radiator)
the latter one is the one eliminated by the by-pass

I'm not eieio, but there is a post on here about a guy who caught the leak in it's early stages. He flushed the trans a few times and has reported no ill effects. Some get lucky, and others get the shaft. If you haven't noticed any odd behaviors, and the coolant did in fact leak in to the trans, flush it a few times and count your blessings.

[Baedarlboo]

Yes, I'm pretty new here as I just bought my R51. But before i did, I used this site as a checklist. Helped immensely with my purchase, and the things I needed to look out for.

I'm also still learning...

[eieio]

last question, for now, eieio. Youve been a great help man. When I go get my car from the dealer today, should i ask them if the transmission has gotten contaminated as you suggested earlier today. Would a transmission flush do anything to help that situation?

absolutely ask if there was contamination!
if they say no, then ask how they knew the radiator was leaking
as far as i know, there is no way to tell unless there are signs of contamination in the transmission oil
as such, i would want to know exactly what they intend to do about the contaminated transmission oil
a transmission flush (or two, or three) would be the only way to eliminate the contaminated oil
a simple drain & refill wouldn't suffice
now, be sure that you get repair order receipts for all parts & labor, whether you paid for it or not - everything!
and be sure that all quantities of fluids are documented in those invoices, as the number of quarts (or gallons) will be the key indicators of what quantities of fluids were involved in the repairs
also, take notes & document what is talked about, and who said what
don't be afraid to ask questions - it's your truck and your repairs, whether you paid for the repairs or not!
also, if the fluid was contaminated, it may have done damage that may not surface right away - another reason that you should have accurate documentation to back you up in the future, should you encounter any related problems
this may seem extreme & alarmist, but as a Service Manager for 35+ years, believe me when i say that i've seen all sides of these problems.....