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Its not an unfriendly forum...most members tend to reply differently than me. I don't have time to mince my words and respond as if you were ITRW (In the real world) . You either like what I have to say or don't. I have to talk to owners each and every day Monday-Friday with their vehicle problems and I don't think I can recall ever being called un-friendly? Maybe because they listen to my information and see my body language and demeanor unlike the internet when most of the time I am smiling or laughing at some responses on various forums regarding servicing information.
WOW! I always hate and saddens me when I read about someone selling off a treasured vehicle like a 69 Cutlass.(owned one myself.) and having owned a few 2 door (*one 4 door) Oldsmobiles which was technically the *start of my racing career that lasted until 1995 when I sort of retired in NHRA in the mid 70's.
I still have and now very dusty old school tuning equipment. LOL However the vacuum gauge is still very useful and still used to the amazement of many even in 2026 and future 2027 vehicles. LOL
\I think based on the small amount so far on your responses you will do fine and could not have picked a better Mazda forum. So again, Welcome and please stick around.
A true explorer or camper is never without protection one way or another.
No I meant that the current technology sounds amateur unfriendly.
Ok, my mistake , thank you MeBe2000 and the pirate …Old Grey Beard.
Funny in 1980 , My 68 Firebird completely stock (except like you BFGs) was the basic model with the blue factory paint and automatic even had the funky factory AC . It was literally my Dailey driver for about a year and I got tired of it.
Had the stock OEM hitch install which included flat 4 pin connector built into the side of the hitch.
I no longer tow with my 2020 NA and I never put a transmission cooler on and never had an issue.
But I also stayed under the 1500 weight limit of the NA motor.
I did a quick look on Autotrader for the Philadelphia area.
For 2025 non-turbo there are plenty of new and certified used for less than $29K with anywhere from 2 miles to 9000 miles on them.
Some of which already have a roof rack and you are likely to get a trailer hitched installed for free if you pay cash as I did.
Seems like you should be able to get that pricing anywhere in the state.
Had the stock OEM hitch install which included flat 4 pin connector built into the side of the hitch.
I no longer tow with my 2020 NA and I never put a transmission cooler on and never had an issue.
I know this is a pandora box question but *how would you know ? at least pertaining to transmission issues unless they were obvious ? Its a *rhetorically based question I actually hope you don't. answer because of the pandora's box effect with a question like this.
Let me give recommendation with anyone that will be towing is to get an aftermarket or factory towing pack that exclude an auxiliary transmission cooler or at least install and aftermarket performance cooler in place of the transmission warmer that............ Mazda calls a cooler. LOL.
Running a automatic transmission at the same temperatures as the engine oil does affect the transmission in a negative way. While those results are often not quickly seen or detected they do and will catch up with you. Its one reason I never buy and used vehicle that was used for towing unless I see a large transmission cooler and then maybe?
Not a pandoras box just my experience with my vehicles versus your experience with 1000 of vehicles
Obviously, I or anyone wouldn't know without actually dismantling the transmission and taking measurements.
However, I never did any heavy towing and never towed anything exceeding or even close to the maximum towable weight of any vehicle I've owned for towing which is many. The boat and motorcycles I towed behind my CX-5 didn't even reach 1000lbs and the longest trip was 195 miles. It was 12 and 16 miles to my two local lakes. Personally, I would only add a cooler if I was consistently towing heavy or at maximum weight loads which I never have and never will now. But having worked many years at Fisher Plow, I can tell you putting a snowplow on a pick truck is opening a real "Pandoras box"
Ya I figured you would respond anyway....
And who knows what happened to all those never had an issue vehicles you sold or traded in that eventually did? lol Buyer beware!
It is the operating temperature even normally thought to be ok that tends to break down the qualities of the ATF which intern DOES affect the workability as well premature wear of any automatic transmission. thing is Most owner seldom if even do periodic fluid and almost never oil and filter pan service to see the effects. You don't need to tear down a transmission to see .. unless you call dropping the pan for a simple fluid and filter service and looking things over as tearing down?
Next time maybe get an oil sample done on your ATF fluid before stating "I never had an issue". with automatic transmission as most issues are all about the operating temperature cause and effect. And unless you had a temperature fluid gauge for your ATF even towing as little as 1000lbs plus your passenger(s) and onboard cargo if any, plus the octane level of your fuel and lastly altitude you have no clue what the transmission temperature was spiking at or stabilized at and long-term effects? NONE!
The coolant temperature gauge is generally what the cooling system is but tends to be lower than oil temperatures so when you are seeing 190F-210F during summer months coolant it is usually higher oil temperatures in both the engine and the transmission.
Last edited by Callisto; Jan 20, 2026 at 01:15 PM.
Ya I figured you would respond anyway....
And who knows what happened to all those never had an issue vehicles you sold or traded in that eventually did? lol Buyer beware!
It is the operating temperature even normally thought to be ok that tends to break down the qualities of the ATF which intern DOES affect the workability as well premature wear of any automatic transmission. thing is Most owner seldom if even do periodic fluid and almost never oil and filter pan service to see the effects. You don't need to tear down a transmission to see .. unless you call dropping the pan for a simple fluid and filter service and looking things over as tearing down?
Next time maybe get an oil sample done on your ATF fluid before stating "I never had an issue". with automatic transmission as most issues are all about the operating temperature cause and effect. And unless you had a temperature fluid gauge for your ATF even towing as little as 1000lbs plus your passenger(s) and onboard cargo if any, plus the octane level of your fuel and lastly altitude you have no clue what the transmission temperature was spiking at or stabilized at and long-term effects? NONE!
The coolant temperature gauge is generally what the cooling system is but tends to be lower than oil temperatures so when you are seeing 190F-210F during summer months coolant it is usually higher oil temperatures in both the engine and the transmission.
As you well surmise I check my fluids regularly and change them appropriately and that includes transmission fluid.
Actually, my last 5 towing vehicles (3 pick-ups 2 SUV's) were purchased locally by people I know. Two I sold to coworkers, and one to local business and the two others were people I had worked with.
They knew how well I maintained my vehicles and everything else I owned. Before that I haven't clue as I traded those vehicles in out of town.
In reality I can't recall how many vehicles I towed with before the last 5. From 16 to 30 I used my father's truck and his boat, and he traded trucks every three years
They all beat the crap out them and towed way weight more I did, 2 killed the engines could've been what they were towing or zero maintenance but the transmission were still working, the business one got wrecked and the other two are still non-road worthy plow vehicles.
The transmission may well be ****e but they are still operating on the original ones.
I think I told you the only issue I ever had with a transmission was 1966 Pontiac Lemans 326V8 2 speed. I replaced two of them and then my service manager uncle took a look and said it was 400 GTO engine and needed a 3-speed transmission.
I didn't tow anything with it though, just dispersed volumes of rubber particles on the local pavement
I would agree that according to the laws of physics a transmission cooler should definitely improve the life of your transmission.
Provided towing limits, maintenance and normal driving techniques are as well.
Which is a rarity I expect you find in some customers every day at work.
You broke power glides.... ok then.... I tried a on a few occasions for fun doing neutral drops at 500+ RPM and never could break them. And they were a popular transmission in stock form stock not ungraded in ti to use in flat bottoms with 400-700+ hp engines.as well as a great drag racing transmission with a 4 or 5 grand Stahl converter. Also fairly indestructible...
As for the other info I expected nothing less from you ....
Any way we all have experiences.... for me it is a lifetime of them and still doing not reminiscing!
real world values on a Mazda and this can be duplicated on any Mazda from 1995 to present..
The transmission temperature is after my cooler/fan combo but I was not using the fan which has both manual and automatic activation. I also bypassed the Mazda oem transmission fluid heater (or cooler see http below as Mazda inaccurately calls it) . Genuine 2018 Mazda 3 Automatic Transmission Oil Cooler
A quick 30 minute drive up to pick up some parts for a customer
Last edited by Callisto; Jan 20, 2026 at 03:31 PM.
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