By Rick Webster

Hidden Hitch Class III Receiver Hitch

In the hottest of days you'll most likely be faced with some type of overheating problems, especially if you reside in a hot climate. Living in the arid deserts of Arizona, we do get to put our products to the test quite often, especially when it comes to cooling systems. Typical summer days reach 110 degrees farenheight in the shade and even hotter near a running engine.

One of our test vehicles was a 1986 Chevy Blazer with a 350 small block motor and a 700 R4 Transmission. Although our overheating problems weren't severe, we were seeing 15 to 20 degree, above-normal temperatures in stop-and-go traffic and when on the trail. Part of the problem was simply due to the location of a cheap aftermarket tranny cooler that was located in front of the radiator. When at orperating temperature, the tranny cooler would, unfortunately, pre-heat the radiator causing some overheating.

To our rescue comes Flex-a-lite with their Remote Transmission Oil Cooler (part # 4190). This compact unit features a powerful 7" electric fan that provides its own cooling air supply. Measure 7 1/2"x 12"x 3 1/8", and weighs in at less than 3 pounds!

We mounted our unit underneath the rig, just underneath the rear bench seat area. After about 30 minutes of mounting, running transmission lines and wiring the switch for the cooler, we were in business and ready to hit the trails. Our testing showed that even on the hottest days of 110 + degrees, our rig ran right at 185 degrees, thanks to Flex-a-Lite.