TRANSMISSION . Transmission coolers for all Toyotas ... Write up with many pictures

Strange ?

Most coolers in this day and age have built in thermostats . At least the coolers I recommend in this thread use them
Read the first page for clarification regarding the operation of well built aftermarket coolers during winter months

 

Doesnt matter which one you monitor as long as you monitor one of the sensors and react when you see an overheat condition .
Pull over and idle in park if you go over 220 as an example . Your engine antifreeze will help cool things down when you idle in park

 

Thanks. I wanted to get some baseline temps with the factory cooler before I swapped it out.

 

As a baseline , you should see 20 to 30 degrees cooler once you install the 4454 .
Considering you are watching some fairly warm temps as we type this , the 4454 was an excellent decision . Not only are internal mechanical components going to last longer , but you also extend the service interval for changing out your transmission fluid .

 

I looked at the bigger one from the first post, but decided since I live in Ohio, the smaller of the 2 should suffice. I know both of the coolers you linked have Tstats, but I was concerned with cooler temps and winter.

I also am in the middle of a flush and fill, and then need to do a final check once I get the new cooler. I'm thinking I may be low now a touch. No drive issues, but the drain and fill method leaves something to be desired when it comes to precise measuring. At least it did for me. I'm confident I can get it right, I just need my cooler to show up.

I should add that I tow a lot, probably 25k miles or more so far, and am at 58k miles now doing my first flush and cooler.

Thanks for all the useful info you provide.

 

I always though one of the reasons guys did the larger cooler was also too eliminate /bypass the cooler in the radiator too avoid ever getting the milkshake problem.

 

My converter temp is always higher than my pan temp. Isn’t the pan the return from the coolers? After warm up my temps are never below ~180. And I can get over 200 just going up a hill into wind at 80 mph without a trailer. I have the 4589 (24K) installed and still have the radiator cooler in the line. Shifts fine - but should I be worried about fluid level? Can slightly low fluid affect the temps?

 

That all sounds normal too me. I logged my Temps last weekend pulling my SxS, no aftermarket cooler, and ran between 195 and 200 virtually the whole time except for stop lights and hills. I spiked to 224 at a stoplight and running up hill I had to really push it to get it to climb over 215 or so. I tow around 65 mph max, but found if I went much faster the temps would climb. Fast.

After awhile, my pan and converter were within a few degrees of each other, around town my converter is hotter than the pan by a larger margin.

Around town I'm usually at 185-195.

I would assume low fluid would cause it to run warmer. Makes sense to me, but @gearcruncher is the guy to answer that.

I had to send my cooler back as they sent me the wrong one, but I did a level check using temp and my truck ran great. Hopefully when I get my right cooler it will be able to run at higher speeds without issues if I need to. Its easy as heck to check fluid level, check yours would be my recommendation.

 

Did you ever find any information on this? I’m in the same boat.

 

Do you have any data regarding adding an in-line filter? Could this cause a pressure increase on the hot side and drop on the cold side significant enough to impact function or life span? It seems like IF modern transmissions even have internal filters any more, they are not designed to be changed. Of course, my reference point is a TH350. My 2002 CRV apparently has an internal and in-line, but I have only replaced the in-line.

 

I am not a fan of " in line filters "
When you install an in line filter , you risk cooking your internals .
If anything begins collecting inside the filter , it will eventually block off flow .
I have used them for transmissions that were full of metal , but only for 1 day in an attempt to remove all the debris .
The filter in your transmission pan is designed to catch small particles without blocking off flow .
I dont believe the honda transmission filter in the CRV is in line . The Crv doesnt have a transmission pan , thus the need for a filter before the transmission pump .
The turbo 350 had some permanent filters in the valve body but the primary filter was in the pan

 

I understand your concern with in-line filters.

However, our transmissions do not have filters in pan - only course screens. They will keep out the big chunks, but not much of the fine particles.

I added an external in-line filter, which I change every 15K miles or so. My truck is heavy, and I tow a fair amount. To me, the added security of clean fluid outweighs the risk of limiting the fluid flow.

I have run it for several years, with no issues to date. I also closely monitor my fluid temperature (with an actual gauge), so theoretically, limited fluid flow would cause a rise in temperature - at which time I would shut down.

 

Maybe I'm using "in-line" incorrectly- the CRV has an external filter mounted low on the backside of the core support. I changed it out when I got it with 176k on it. I could not say for sure if it has any internal filter, that's just internet conjecture.

 

Hmm , I would throw a couple extra magnets at the transmission pan and change my fluid replacement interval before I installed a filter in the transmission cooling system . Fluid flow is the lifeblood of the transmission . I understand there is a bypass , however ,the pleats inside the filter get gummed up and reduce fluid flow before the bypass kicks in .
You are one of the individuals who uses an in line filter correctly . Most guys do not monitor trans temps or change out the in line filter on a regular basis . I am basing my opinion on 1000 trucks both domestic and imported . Apples to oranges lol .
Is there a reference showing how much fluid flow is restricted by installing a filter with pleats in the cooling lines ? Are you using a flow meter ?
I am going to bet any quality transmission shop you call will tell you to stay away from filters installed in the cooling system . Far too risky for the average user and is why I did not add a transmission in line filter recommendation to the first page of the cooler write up .
Too many horror stories from my transmission forum buddies .
If you have the controls in place before you install an in line filter , circumstances would be different
Not saying dont do it as it has worked well for you , but I wouldn't recommend it to the average Tacoma driver . Its a warranty killer before 60K

 

Hey Wally .

Its fairly straight forward regardless of whether or not you have a trans cooler
Buy an aftermarket cooler and install it just like the pictures you see in this thread .
You dont have a trans cooler at present so you will have to remove the return cooling line from your rad and plumb the return cooling line into your new after cooler to create a feed flow
Next , use the other side of the new transmission cooler to return cold oil back to the transmission .

 

Thank you. Did not know if there was some voodoo honing on on the back or underside that I couldn’t see. Is the return flow the top or bottom line on the radiator trans cooler tank. 2017. Thanks again.

 

I have a FilterMag (magnet) on the filter itself. Any metal going into the filter does not exit. I run one on my oil filter as well.

I have not performed any flow testing - I probably should have (never too late!). I have run this setup for over 100,000 miles, and the transmission is running strong.

As you said, the filter needs to be maintained - you can't just install it and forget about it.

 

I've got a B&M SuperCooler on the way that I intend to install it on our 2016 Taco ASAP. I'm going to add it in series with the OEM cooler that came with the tow package. Our Taco has 37,000 miles on it and I'm going to be towing our boat with it a couple thousand miles a year. Otherwise I won't be pulling anything. I know I will need to add trans. fluid following the cooler installation but I thought since I'm adding the cooler I'd go ahead and take it to our local dealer and have them do a drain-flush & refill. Is this overkill? I'm relatively mechanically inclined but the procedure for checking and adding trans. fluid has me feeling a bit sketchy about doing it.

Also, I'm seeing some of you are adding an external trans. fluid filter as a part of your trans. cooler installations. I'm reading that there are pro's & con's on both sides of the filter equation. I REALLY want to avoid any trans. problems and I'm not the least bit averse to spending some money if it has the distinct possibility of avoiding costly repairs and inconvenience down the line.

 

If you can change your engine oil or splap on new brake pads or (in your case) put in a trans cooler you can change the ATF and check the level. Using an OBDII scanner/reader along with an app on your phone goes a long way in taking a lot of the guess work of checking the level the fluid.
I did the drain, refill, drain, refill a couple of times before dropping the pan to replace the screen-- all in my garage. After installing the Tru-Cool LPD 4454 transmission fluid cooler, I again used the OBD2 with my phone app to make sure I was at the needed fluid temperture to check for the correct level. Being carefull I didn't loose any fluid during the cooler install so it didn't take that much to top it off.

I thought about keeping the OEM cooler as well, but after thinking about the added hoses, connections and blocking some more air flow across the AC condenser and the radiator I put the new cooler in the place of the OEM one. Made the job less complicated too.

Here was my install.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ith-many-pictures.526283/page-6#post-24187763

 

Changing transmission fluid never hurts it - the exception being high-mileage, never maintained transmissions (that is even subject to debate.). In your case, low mileage, new trans, no problems, a fluid change will benefit the transmission.

A cooler is always a good thing - winter climate exception. As @BlkDakDave said, it is easier to replace the cooler with a larger one, than to plumb a second one in-line. I also replaced mine with a larger one.

You can do it yourself. Depending on your mechanic, you are probably better off doing it yourself. When you drain/pull the pan, you change about 1/3 of the fluid in the transmission. I do that regularly - every 15 - 20,000 miles.