Automotive transmission with heat exchanger bypass cartridge

A transmission capable of being assembled as a coolerless transmission and a transmission having an oil cooler, comprising:

• a housing;
• an input shaft and an output shaft disposed in the housing and being drivingly connected to one another by a plurality of gears disposed in the housing;
• a lubrication system including an oil sump, an oil pump and an oil passage system for directing oil from the oil sump to various components of the transmission;
• the oil passage system including an oil passage having an oil outlet opening extending out of the housing and an oil inlet opening extending into the housing, wherein a bypass flow passage is disposed in the housing in communication with the oil outlet opening and the oil inlet opening;
• wherein in a coolerless configuration a pair of plugs are inserted in the oil outlet opening and the oil inlet opening to close off the oil outlet opening and the oil inlet opening so that oil flows from the oil outlet opening to the oil inlet opening through the bypass flow passage;
• and
• wherein in a transmission configuration having the oil cooler a heat exchanger is connected to the oil outlet opening and the oil inlet opening, wherein in the transmission configuration having the oil cooler, a cooler bypass assembly is disposed in the oil outlet opening, the bypass assembly including an oil cooler bypass spool biased by a spring to a first position for at least restricting flow through the bypass flow passage, wherein the oil cooler bypass spool is movable against the force of the spring to a second position for opening the bypass flow passage, wherein the cooler bypass assembly further includes a cartridge main body having a passage extending axially there through, wherein the oil cooler bypass spool and the spring are disposed in the passage in the cartridge main body.