Missing Transmission cooler.

the TF2 is in the valve body mounted on the discharge passage for converter exhaust .

 

assuming he was in park or neutral

 

How delicate is the balance between too hot and too cool when it comes to transmission temps? I'm far from an expert, and this is a true question for those that know more than me.

Count me in as one without the external cooler, but I see people adding fairly large external components...isn't that running a risk as well over time? I asked my off road shop dude about a 4R I was towing with occasionally (no external cooler) and he said he wouldn't mess with it for fear of it being too cool. People wheel their 4Rs just as hard as Tacoma owners and you don't see threads about overheating transmissions from that or from modest towing, either.

That said, I do wish I had the stock one for the peace of mind, but I'm inclined to let it be even though I tow 3k lbs occasionally. If Toyota said its benefits to the system are negligible, I'll go with that, I guess -- they're the engineers. If I was pushing the limits of towing frequently, I'd likely add on.

 

There's a thermostat on the trans so a bigger one shouldn't hurt anything.

 

Heat is the #1 killer of transmissions , unless you live somewhere that in winter it’s below freezing it’s more then fine

 

Thanks. Mine has it, nice.

 

Yep. Thermostat

 

I read through majority of this thread due to having a 2020 Tacoma on reserve (to be delivered next week) with a build date of July so it likely will not have an aux cooler.

Is the general consensus that the transmissions are designed to run warmer than older truck and they removed the aux cooler because the radiator can cool the trans sufficiently?

 

Yes as long as you do not plan on towing anything you will probably be ok.
If you tow you will need to add an external cooler at your expense - or trade in your truck every 3 years (prior to the warranty expiring)

 

I do plan on towing from time to time and I do live in a mountainous area with some steep grades....

I would think adding an aux cooler, not installed in the truck by the manufacture, would allow dealers/Toyota to deny transmission warranty claims because they can say it was due to your aux cooler. Main reason I have trucks under warranty is so I don’t have to work on them or pay someone to work on them.

I do tend to get a different truck every few years so that’s another thing to consider... but wouldn’t the trans be covered under the powertrain 5yr/60k miles?

 

I would monitor my tranny temperature and see how it goes . They eliminated the aux cooler but the truck still has the tow package so maybe it's okay .

 

Interesting video with Toyota Chief Engineer. Skip to 6:10 and watch until 7:49 if you only want to hear about the trans cooler (yes it’s about Tundra but I assume the same can be said about Tacoma)


https://youtu.be/NUxFxMaBQCw

 

Yes that’s true, I was told that if you install a third party cooler they will deny warranty, you would have to have a Toyota dealer install a Toyota cooler to get around that.
Yes you are correct it is 60k my bad.

 

Bring it up when you do your walk around on the truck. Tell them it says tranny cooler but it's not installed.

 

After hours and hours of falling down the rabbit hole on this, including research into whether other trucks have the aux cooler and what their temps are, I've decided not to stress about it. I've also reached out to toyota recently, stating that I plan to tow and am worried about temps, and they've said that the cooler is unnecessary. I'm not sure if they've modded the truck slightly or added fluid that can withstand higher temps, but either way I've decided that I will trust the engineers at Toyota. It's likely these trucks are fine with higher temps due to advances in technology. What I've decided to do if I find the temps getting too high for my comfort level is to buy an extended warranty. I plan on keeping the truck for the next ten years, so I want to make sure I don't burn the transmission out. The extra warranty can give me that peace of mind. It's an added expense, and normally I would never get an extended warranty on a new car, but could be worth it in the end if you are towing.

 

I would think you could get a high-end third party external cooler installed for less than an extended warranty. Just saying

 

I have a 2020 and will be occasionally towing a 3K lbs travel trailer without any aftermarket mods. Toyota has kept the tow rating at around 6,400 lbs. so I'm going for it and will see what happens. At least they can't say I did anything out of warranty!

 

I have decided to let it ride also, I feel any issue probably wouldn’t show till after the warranty expires, so I plan on selling it prior to the warranty ending. I was hoping that this was going to be the last truck I would have to buy, hopefully somebody will come up with a good truck for those of us who want to tow in the next 3 to 4 years

 

I've been in contact with Toyota Canada about the issue and they informed me that it was considered no longer necessary. They also said adding a cooler (OEM or aux) would be considered a "modification" and could affect warranty should it create issues down the road. They also refused to give my dealership the procedure/parts necessary to complete an OEM install. They've considered my complaint closed and completed with this answer.

I will keep an eye on transmission temperatures when I tow and do my fluid changes as necessary. Toyota might regret doing this if a bunch of 2020+ transmissions begin to fail down the road, but that remains to be seen.

 

Hi @gearcruncher I have been monitoring temps constantly this past week. Here in SoCal it's been over 90 temps.

192 - 195 for TF1 appears to be the normal operating range.
192 - 212 for TF2 appears to be the normal operating range.

If the transmission is in Drive and the truck is moving, TF1 and TF2 usually have the same temperature, or maybe 1 degree or so variance. If the truck is stopped but in Drive (like stopped at a light) TF2 temps rise to over 200, usually 208 or so. When it was over 100 degrees out I saw 212. Now if I am not moving and place transmission in Neutral TF2 drops to match TF1 over a span of 2-3 minutes.

Not sure what that all means but it's pretty consistent. I assume based upon your thread about transmission temps and fluid changes it's probably best to change tranny fluid at no more than 50k mile intervals.

What do you think?