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

Does it truly matter though? I mean Toyota put these coolers on these trucks knowing people live everywhere in the country with varying temps, varying loads, and conditions. You might get a little better gas mileage starting up in the morning time, I guess?

 

I've always been very happy with how quick the engine comes up to temp. But I will have to try rigging some cardboard up after the holidays. If that seems to help I'll probably cut a piece of plastic as a more permanent solution.

 

(Not sure of your mileage , but are you sure your engine thermostat is functioning properly ?)
Talk to me about the engine thermostat. My guess is that is is functioning properly by the dashboard indicator. It sits dead center on the gauge. I never thought of it but maybe I should download engine temp on my Ultra Gauge.

The truck is a 2015 with 84K miles.
33" tires and 2" lift
Added the tru-cool 4544 and removed the stock cooler.
I started the truck last night and allowed it to idle for 4 to 5 minutes before moving it.
The engine temp gauge is dead center on the instrument panel. It gets there after about driving two miles.
The heater gets hot but does take a little bit before I want to turn it down (It's just been way too cold the past two weeks).

(I get 5th gear and converter lock up 5 minutes into my commute)
I don't know what converter lock is Gearcruncher. I do know that when towing, I never put the lever into 5th gear. It stays in fourth (and that too has something to do with the converter).

 

The dash gauge has dead-band built into it. I usually keep the actual coolant temp displayed on my Scan Gauge. Runs rock solid at 191-193*F under almost all operating conditions.

 

I used some plastic I was about to throw out to make a quick cover for the factory ATF cooler. Have a few hundred miles on over the past three weeks and Ive been consistently seeing about 115*F above ambient now. Not as much of a gain as I was expecting, but better than before.

 

The cooler cover certainly paid off this past weekend. After about an hour of sub-zero driving:

 

Has anyone added the extra fluid (a qt) to your new cooler instead of at the trans? I have a full skid package and don't really want to take them off to fill. I think I can still reach the check port but not sure until I get after it this weekend. Just trying to make my life easier.

 

One, the inlet is too small to allow a reasonable flow rate. Two, the flow rate is further hampered by pushing ATF through the horizontal portions of the ATF lines. You can try it and see if it’s worth your time and effort.

 

Good points. Was thinking that could be an issue but I figured if I have both inlet and outlet up I could get some in there before topping off the trans. I also don't want to do damage so I will end up adding to the trans but just trying to save time.

 

If you can remove the fill-plug without removing the skids, you can run tubing into the fill port from the top. I believe 5/8ths OD clear tubing is what I use and it fills the port just right to prevent ATF from dripping out. Attach a funnel at the top and fill away.

 

A huge thank you to all the guys who are adding pictures and comments to this post . Your contributions help out the next guy


Unfortunately , there is no fill procedure for adding an amount of fluid to the cooling system to fill the cooler .
I certainly miss the days of the transmission dipstick for this reason .
The only way to check the trans for a proper fill is using the Toyota check level procedure
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/how-to-drain-refill-automatic-transmission.63851/

 

Got the cooler installed last night. Just need to top off the fluid tonight and it will be ready to roll. I had to trim the hood latch guard thing but other then that it was a straight forward install.

 

What's TCT on your scangauge? Is that the same thing as TFT on mine?

 

I’ve been running a B&M super cooler for years in place of the factory cooler. I also have a mag filter on the inlet. Been solid. I don’t tow anymore, but I still like having it on there.

 

It is what I have programmed into my SGII to monitor Torque Converter Temp.

 

Can I use my Ultragauge for the trans temp to check the level of fluid or do I need to use the jumper method?

 

You can use a scanner to monitor to pan temp. Not the torque converter temp.

 

Perfect thank you! Going to top off once I get my front suspension done today if the parts come in.

 

Yes, UG can be programmed to read pan and torque converter temp. Both are usually the same at idle; it’s when you punch it that torque temp usually rises before the pan temp. You can also use IR gun - mine is within 1-3 degrees of UG and I’ll use it once underneath to make sure I don't go over as the ATF stops flowing.

 

So I finally got my truck back on its wheels and I went to go top off the trans after adding the cooler. (I have not started it yet after adding it) I opened the fill bolt on the trans and then I opened the check level 5mm hex (allen) to make sure they were all good to open. I took the level check bolt out to make sure I needed to add and A LOT of fluid came out. I caped it at probably half a quart before I lost to much. Last time I had the trans flushed was at Toyota. Would they have added to much and not drained some or should I have ran the truck before I opened it? It is currently about 32 deg outside so the fluid should be lower then the check right?