Trans fitting at lower right on radiator: little drip.

Here's a shot of the fitting in question:

The little drip is coming out of the all-thread portion on the radiator side, where it enters the flat nut on the radiator. This flat nut is very touchy! I do not want to crank on it, because it doesn't "feel" right The outer nut is nice and tight. Any wisdom out there on this fitting?

 

It probably needs to be snugged up just a bit. Ive seen them come loose a bit over time.

 

No no. Your cooler is possibly breaking and the whole radiator needs to be replaced pronto. Search the following: strawberry milkshake and pink milkshake. Then check your transmission fluid for contamination ASAP.

 

This morning, I went out and loosened the flat nut against the radiator and the drip increased, as expected. So I tightened the nut until I got resistance, and the drip stopped. Fixed? Hope so! The drip appears to be coolant, not transmission fluid; checking the dipstick did not show any signs of coolant. Tomorrow, I'll check the radiator cap before starting the truck, but it doesn't look like the dreaded "pink milkshake" is out to get me!

Even so, the installation of an external trans cooler is looking like a great idea to forestall any problem. . .This taco has about 125k on it, and it is in very good condition. It has a heavy duty tow bar mount at the front, and a driveshaft decoupler as well. The previous owner obviously towed it behind some kind of RV.

Thanks for the info, guys!

 

Definitely keep an eye on the trans fluid and coolant to make sure the cooler/radiator didn't crack internally, causing the bad mixture. But, if tightening the fitting stopped the drip, you may want to consider removing the fitting and reinstalling with silicone tape on the threads in order to prevent any future leak/loosening.
On a side note, the auxiliary trans cooler is definitely not a bad idea. I recently installed one myself for longevity and a lil extra insurance.

 

The fitting in question is just a lead from the radiator to the transmission and has nothing to do with the "pink milkshake" phenomenon everyone is referring to. IIRC, the cracking/braking would happen at the heat exchanger on the transmission itself.
OP, no worries, just tighten and keep a close eye on it (and on your fluid level).

 

Correct, the fitting has nothing to do with the pink milkshake, which I did not imply. I simply suggested applying silicone tape to the fitting's threads to assure a complete seal.
As for the milkshake deal, I stated that it could possibly happen if the trans cooler (tube style) on the radiator was to break internally, which could cause the awful mixture. I've seen it happen numerous times while working at Toyota dealerships.

 

This is what we are talking about, right?

Here's the link to more. . . http://www.yotatech.com/f2/any-body-ever-crack-opened-up-oem-rad-if-not-here-we-go-194976/

The trans cooler is inside the radiator lower end. So if the cooler corrodes, coolant enters and pink milkshake happens. . . That would not be good, for sure. BTW, only read the link if you aren't paranoid

I'm thinking that the radiator for the manual transmission ('99 year) would be a drop-in replacement, and would need no plugs. When it comes time to replace the current radiator.

 

Yup, that's the tube style cooler I'm referring to. And as for those fittings, you're correct about the manual trans. Manual transmissions don't have a fluid cooler, and therefore, you wouldn't need to connect those lines or fittings.

 

Oh sht, so the trans cooler is in the radiator? I thought it was the other way around

 

Yup, the cooler is attached directly to the radiator. This allows the trans fluid to be cooled (during summer months) and warmed up by the engines coolant (during winter months). This is why some people choose to bypass the factory cooler once an auxiliary one is added. Your choice.