WHEN YOU'RE HOT, YOU'RE HOT

INSTALLING STRICTLY DIESEL’S 6.7L FORD TRANSMISSION COOLER

- JACOB WHITE

In 2011, Ford released their all-new, in-house developed and built 6.7L Power Stroke engine platform paired with the 6R140 transmission. To say it’s been a home run when compared the earlier 6.4L and 6.0L Power Strokes would be an understatement, but that doesn’t mean that Ford got it completely perfect. While the durability and longevity of the 6.7L and that 6-speed transmission has been much improved over its predecessor’s, there are still a few things that the aftermarket has developed that can be a worthwhile investment.

Case in point, the cooling systems under the hood of that 2011-2019 Ford truck. Ford got away from running the standard air-to-air intercooler for the turbocharger system and developed a liquid-to-air cooler as it offered more consistent charge temperatures. They also converted their transmission cooler from the usual big liquid to-air mounted behind the bumper to a much smaller liquid-to-liquid cooler that resembled an engine oil cooler. While we can’t say for sure Ford’s reasoning for this, anyone that owns the 6.7L Power Stroke and uses it for heavy towing will confirm the staggering transmission temperatures they’ll see under load. In the summer months, while towing heavy in a 2011+ Power Stroke, it’s not uncommon to see 240-degree fluid temperatures through that transmission. While Ford suggests this is normal, anyone in the industry will attest to fluid breakdown and heat being the #1 killer for transmission longevity.