Time for some maintenance...

Well since I tow pretty regularly with the Taco and she just turned 45K I will be doing some maintenance this spring.
1. I plan to too a full drain and flush on the transmission, change the filter, switch to amsoil, and add a true cool trans cooler. Mr @gearcruncher seems to endorse this cooler. I just saw an inline spin-on filter that someone added, is this worth it?
2. I will do a drop and fill on the radiator and get what I can for antifreeze and then top it off with fresh. I use OEM premix Toyota.
3. I have been changing out the power steering fluid every other oil change by extracting what I can get out of the reservoir and topping it off.
4. Brakes will be inspected and it's probably time for front pads. I will flush out what I can for fluid and bleed them out with fresh
5. Front and rear diffs will get drained and some amsoil. Same for the transfer case
6. Radiator will get blown out completely with compressed air.
7. The spark plugs and air filter were done at 35k, or that would be on the list.

The question comes down to the cooler and inline filter, I have a 2015 TRD DCSB with the 4.0 and tow package. Which model cooler? and is the secondary filter really doing anything? Also if I missed anything on the maintenance list feel free to add it. Thanks guys!

 

Cooler ?

$140 Aphyni Long Tru-Cool LPD Transmission Oil Cooler 4454 18000 GVW

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005XZXB1M
Take your factory cooler out and replace it with this .
I dont like in line filters because there is a possibilty of blocking off cooler flow and I have seen these plugged solid in the past .
Let your transmission filter inside the pan do the work .
Cooler flow is very important to transmissions

 

Thanks gear cruncher... Is this the best one for our application? And you say remove the OEM and replace it rather than adding this one in series?

 

Yes , these coolers are about the best you can buy and the price is rite .
The factory cooler is a waste of space and you really do not need 2 after coolers . The aftermarket cooler will fit into the same position using the new metal brackets

 

Awesome. Thanks gearcruncher! I run a scan gauge and I've never gotten it scary hot. 205-210 is the highest I've seen. I'm trying to bring myself to spend the $40k on a new tundra to help with the workload. We'll see how the taxes come in from last year. The wife has a sequoia with the 4.6 that we pull the camper with too. It's got 120k on it and I hope to get another 40k out of it. I may order 2 and throw one in there too. I changed fluid in the sequoia at 65k so it's due again too. Nothing like dropping $350 in fluids LOL.

 

I am just curious, why do you change the power steering fluid every other oil change or take some out and add some back? Of the several dozen vehicles I’ve owned over the years I’ve never changed power steering fluid. I check the level and add some if necessary but that’s it. Never ever had any problems with power steering. Is this something that is specific to tacos? Other vehicles?

 

It is really a ford, chevy, dodge thing.... The way I view it is that it is a closed hydraulic system. Fluid is cheap, power steering pumps are expensive. I can't get it all by extracting what I can out of the reservoir, but maybe I get 30% of it. If I do it every 10K miles it costs maybe $4 for 1/2 a bottle of fluid. This way I know it has clean fluid and the seals are happy. I will be the first to tell you I have OCD with fluid changes and maintenance, but I get a lot of miles out of my vehicles trouble free. For me I like to change vehicles on my terms not due to a failure. My sequoia has 120K on it and I plan to run it to 150-175K. At 120 I've done 2 sets of tires 2 sets of brake pads, one set of rotors, and 1 cv shaft and boot. My gmc 3/4 ton had a water pump, fuel pump, multiple sensors, an entire new rear end, front wheel bearing, and was literally nickel and dimes at 90K. Never another big 3 vehicle for me. I'm currently eyeing a tundra to add to the others lol.

 

Why are you replacing the factory trans cooler? Do you know your stock cooler isn't getting the job done?

 

I tow a larger sized but light weight trailer. The temps do creep up when towing. After reading endless threads I have decided to upgrade it. If you read about how trans fluid breaks down with higher temperatures, you will see how important a good cooler is. If you tow often and close to the capacities of the taco, a bigger cooler is a good idea. If you tow occasionally with a smaller trailer then the OEM is plenty.

 

Capt Jrod, I put a long tru-cool on my truck and noticed a 20 degree drop in tranny temps on the scan gauge during the hottest days this past summer. I did however buy the larger cooler which gave me nearly a full quart more of tranny fluid. During this past cold spell my tranny temps would only get up 100 degrees so I made a leather sleeve to block some air flow. Now they run at a more normal temp.

 

I am still under factory power train warranty so I left the stock cooler in place so I can easily remove the aftermarket pieces if I need something done by service.

I have an inline filter but i will be removing it due to a slow leak
I have a third gen

 

I’ve thought about upgrading mine. The factory cooler is small even though there’s a radiator cooler as well. No load Texas heat and traffic mine got to 190. I can’t imagine if I towed something.

 

Your thermostat doesn't open until about 195F-ish. I tow with a bigger trans cooler and the stock unit and hit 235F when the converter unlocks. Pan only goes to about 210F. Coolers do their job

 

When I use a scan gauge to monitor am I seeing pan temp or ?????

 

They offer TF1 and TF2. you'll see bothbl