ATF Cooler on 2022 Tacoma?

Thank you. I’ll trust toyota and operate as planned, to specs.

 

No, it is not accurate. It refers to the previous external cooler.

Automatic transmissions have been cooled as part of the radiator system since at least the early 60's.

 

Well, if so, that’s a potential lawsuit in many jurisdictions. Would be mind boggling if Toyota just failed to update that detail.

 

While on the subject, there are a few other things to consider:

• If you have a heavy-duty towing application where you're doing lots of climbing with heavy loads, you can add an air-to-liquid mini-radiator on the return line between the main radiator and the transmission; best of both worlds from a cooling perspective.
• Also keep in mind, many automatic transmission engineers I've rubbed shoulders with insist ATF can be too cool; with this thought in mind, think about a lightly loaded day in freezing weather, if you are running on an external air-to-liquid cooler, the ATF may never make it up to full operating temperature. Using the main radiator to moderate the ATF temperatures allows it to be warmed a bit on really cold days.

 

Please post anything which supports your claim.

 

Helpful comment from that other thread:

All it takes is a slightly revised radiator for the cooler to be redundant. If most trucks nowadays come with the tow package, it would make sense for Toyota simplify the build.

Makes sense to have one radiator versus 2.

 

It is an error from Toyota marketing. The Toyota USA Marketing department in Plano makes quite a few mistakes. Happens every model year and it typically gets cleaned up by around December.

I’m surprised this error is still present. You could always report it. The 2023 brochure should be out soon. Maybe it will get fixed there, and everywhere else.

Still present in the 2023 specs sheet linked off the TOYOTA USA Pressroom area for the 2023 Tacoma.

See https://toyota-cms-media.s3.amazona...023_Toyota_Tacoma_Product_Information-1-1.pdf

 

I have 12K miles in a year on my 2021. I have towed around 2K of those miles. 700 miles were towing a 4K trailer through the Appalachian mountains in July.
My transmission did not melt. I did not smell anything hot and definitely no burnt transmission fluid smell.
It still shifts like it did when new.
Really, no drama. A liquid heat exchanger is far superior to an air cooled one, especially when the air cooled one has no fan.
You choose.

 

2023 brochure is out and says same thing. Also this is a change from 2020. That said, I buy the argument that the cooler is now integrated into the radiator since the tow package is standard — why not make it one simplified configuration?

 

Okay, for those of you hung up on the marketing literature, how is it you think a liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger located in the radiator (which is a pretty fair distance from the transmission) does not qualify as an "ATF cooler"?

 

If you can't see it, it does not exist mindset.

 

Agree with you.

 

Is the brochure online?

 

The air cooled runs in series with the liquid as an extra cooler, so its technically superior lol.

Used to be in the old days you'd add a cooler day 1 of owning a truck.

I still would add a cooler if I towed, but certainly not if otherwise.

 

If I towed heavy I would too. Not 3K tho.

 

Apologies - thought it was - but it shows up on spec sheets and the website. Example.

https://www.toyota.com/config/servi...0202,YR_2023&threedSha=&optionbundle=option23

 

Yes, I see that. My 2017 had the little extra cooler and considering I towed quite a bit more back then, it was good for a little extra peace of mind.

This topic comes up from time to time but I don’t think anyone needs to worry much. If you could easily burn up a transmission towing say 3500 pounds, it would be apparent here. Much less pulling 6500 pounds in extreme conditions. I think there are a few threads here with people monitoring temps while towing campers, boats, etc.

 

So my question is, did your 2017 have both the embedded liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger in the main radiator as well as a stand-alone liquid-to-air heat exchanger down stream of the radiator, or just a simple stand-alone heat exchanger?

My understanding is to have both, you need to buy a truck plumbed with the radiator based heat exchanger and then add an aftermarket stand-alone unit.

 

I don’t know. I never really checked the plumbing and internals.

 

Yes, the trucks with the external cooler also have the one in the radiator.