@jphillips. Are you towing a trailer often if at all, are you driving in very hilly situation all the time, what is your driving style, etc...What are you hoping to prevent? What is triggering this CVT replacement?

 

We live in the mountains of VA, we tow very lightly and not often (a dinghy with outboard for our sailboat). Our Subaru has 172,000 miles. We want to get as many miles as possible and we baby the Subaru, I change the oil often and use Moble 1. THANKS!

 

A few run Hayden coolers with Derale thermostat.

 

After towing a trailer in 95~100F heat from NY to FL, and not seeing my trans temp rise much above my engine oil temp, I decided not to install a cooler, since I'd need to block it off for much of the year here in upstate NY. My peak temps were only around 235F.

 

Our temps were staying 225 even in blinding rain the whole way home and it was triggering over temp?

 

Not necessary unless you are towing.

 

TKS, we may tow once a year and its a super small trailer. Were sailors and haul the dinghy and sails etc. All the best.

 

Subaru does make a transmission cooler for the 2015 models. I don't have knowledge on the cvt but you could check on that.

Part# 31237AA100

 

@donkpow - That's the OEM cooler, which should already be installed on a 2015. (At least my 2017 has that same cooler.)

There is a JDM cooler available that is very similar (if not identical) to the one installed on the current gen Wilderness. It's more like a traditional aftermarket transmission cooler that mounts in front of the radiator.

 

I think 225° F is too high.

 

But is that coolant or engine oil or transmission oil temperature.

 

I don't know. He said it was triggering an alarm.

 

@bman400 - In my case it was the engine oil and transmission oil temps. Coolant temps were fluctuating, as they do, but did get into the 220F+ range, I think. It was several years ago.

 

Just a point of interest...

This is a warmer as well as a cooler.

Cold fluid can cause all kinds of problems in the CVT. This is why there are so many recommendations to use a thermostatic bypass with an aftermarket cooler so that the cooler is not in use when the fluid is cold.

The CVT takes longer to warm up than the engine. The part above transfers heat from engine coolant to the CVT fluid when the vehicle is first started. This helps the CVT reach operating temperature sooner. Heat transfers in the opposite direction, from CVT fluid to engine coolant, after the CVT heats up.

In fact, it can be argued that the most important function of that part is to warm the CVT, not to cool it. I'm not arguing either position. Just saying that either way, personally, I would not rely on a heat exchanger which uses hot engine coolant to cool a CVT which sees rough service such as towing, taxi/delivery or agressive street driving. The device pictured really can't be compared to a proper thermostatically controlled oil cooler such as the Mishmoto or Hayden.