Factory Oil Cooler Parts Kit For 4.0L

THIS WAS ORIGINALLY A WTB THREAD, BUT THEN I FOUND A COMPANY THAT SELLS COMPLETE NEW FACTORY OIL COOLER KITS FOR $350. SEE BELOW FOR DETAILS.

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I have been looking for a used factory tow package oil cooler set-up for over a year now, and can't find one anywhere. The dealers want over a grand for all the necessary parts if I were to buy everything new, and there doesn't seem to be any aftermarket oil-to-water alternatives. There are plenty of oil-to-air options out there, but oil-to-water is a superior cooling solution.

I've checked local (central Ohio) junkyards and Craig's List often, and looked on Ebay a few times too with no luck. Even if I can only get the filter adapter or the thermostat housing as separate pieces I would be interested. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

Theres gotta be a junkyard or salvage place online that has the cooler.

 

Junkyard, should be one of those u pull it places where you could find one.

 

No luck anywhere. Check pick-n-pulls often.

 

Have you posted down in the Flea Market?

https://www.tacomaworld.com/forums/2nd-gen-tacoma-parts-marketplace-2005-2015.122/

 

No idea how good or OEM this kit is... but an option.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Toyota-1GR...ash=item33d734a98d:g:mEEAAOSwevdaAhCu&vxp=mtr

 

I just found that too. Also available at this link if Ebay creeps you out: https://www.sourceoneautoparts.com/...16-tacoma-03-16-4runner-07-14-fj-cruiser.html Looks like the same vendor is selling via multiple channels. For $350 it might be worth risking it. I'm going to try to price the included part numbers from several known Toyota parts sources to see how much of a price difference there is. If it's a lot - and it probably will be - I think I'll just roll the $350 dice.

 

The copper brazed stainless donut heat exchanger is always the killer from Toyota. If one part is aftermarket, my bet is on that one.

 

Could I trouble someone to take some good pictures of the oil filter adapter "doughnut" for comparison to the pics on the Source One website? I priced all the same parts at McGeorge Toyota Online where I get most of my other stuff. They are very competitive with their pricing, but the adapter is $517 and the total for everything is about $650.

 

Well, I pulled the trigger on the Source One $350 kit. My buddy from back home sent me some pics of his filter adapter and it looks the same. I also checked the BBB, and Source One has an A+ rating, and a legitimate US address. The online reviews were limited, but I found no horrible stories. Anyway, we'll soon find out.

 

The Source One parts arrived yesterday - only 3 days after ordering via USPS. Everything looks to be legit factory parts (see pics below). The kit also has everything needed for the install including gasket O-rings and hose clamps. Should be an easy installation. The only issue was that the seals on most of the big parts were already open. The box holding the water inlet housing was open, the sticker holding the thermostat's bubble-bag closed was torn open, and the filter adapter just came in bubble wrap. I think that maybe this vendor is a repackager of returned items that can't be resold at dealerships due to package damage. I see nothing to indicate that the parts are irregular other that their packaging, but for a third of the price that's fine by me. For $350 vs. the next best price of $650 and closer to a grand from the dealership, this is hard to beat. I might go to a dealership and have the parts guy pull the adapter just to see if it's identical, but I feel comfortable with everything now. Anyway there are no moving parts, so a leak is the main risk. I might also take the adapter to my lab at work and pressurize the water circuit to about 20 psi to see if it holds just for fun. I'm pretty happy with this deal, and will wait for warmer weather to slap it on. The only how-to write up that I could find for adding the cooler was on an FJ forum, and I can't allow that to stand. I'll take pics and provide a step-by-step in the spring.

Here's the link again: https://www.sourceoneautoparts.com/...16-tacoma-03-16-4runner-07-14-fj-cruiser.html

 

So I emailed Source One to see if they had a similar kit for the trans cooler, and I got this response:

"We work in programs for surplus and excess stock. We do not have the ability to order specific parts."

That explains the low price. It also means that the $350 oil cooler kits may not be available for long.

 

I put the cooler kit on my truck yesterday. The Source One kit had everything needed, but one of the four hose clamps was messed up and had to be replaced - I had one laying around, so no worries. I don't think a write-up is called for as it's really a pretty easy process. You simply swap out the thermostat/water-inlet, add the under-filter heat exchanger and connect them with the new hoses. That said, I can offer the following information and advice.

1. Although most manuals and other resources say that the radiator and fan must be removed to access the thermostat/water-inlet housing, they don't. It's fiddly work in a tight spot, but I didn't pull the radiator or fan.

2. You will have to pull your front skid - whether it's factory or aftermarket - so that you can drain the coolant via the lower radiator hose. Expect a mess.

3. It is possible to capture the oil from the filter when it's removed, and reuse both once the cooler is installed if you don't need to do an oil change. I changed my oil and filter.

4. The 10mm nuts and bolts (five bolts in the aluminum thermostat housing and three nuts for the water-inlet) have a very low torque specification - 80 inch pounds for both. They came out easy (45k miles on my truck), but the five bolts from the thermostat housing had some aluminum oxide corrosion on them. I cleaned it off and put a little WD40 on the threads before reinstalling them.

5. The oil cooler union bolt that holds the cooler in place has a torque specification of 50 foot pounds.

6. Go slow and think carefully as you are reinstalling hoses and clamps. Some are hard to get to and they should be done first. I ended up having to remove a few that I had already connected to get to the fussy ones. The first one to connect is the one at the rear of the thermostat housing, and this one needs to be clamped before you seat the housing back onto the engine or you will not be able to access it.

 

Did you have to remove the fan or fan shroud?

 

see #1 in the post above yours.

 

Hey All - Wanted to thank you for posting the info on the oil cooler kits. Word of mouth from REAL people is powerful. We hope everyone that has purchased is happy with it. We'd love to hear more of your feedback and/or suggestions.

We just got in 10 more complete kits after selling out a few days ago. To show our appreciation for the forum, we created a coupon code for 10% off the next 5 units sold on www.sourceoneautoparts.com. Use the coupon/discount code at checkout: "TacomaWorld" (without the quotes). This coupon code is good for the first 5 units only and expires 3/31/18.

Thanks again!

Complete kit here

Oil Cooler only here

 

Let me know if you ever get factory transmission coolers in stock. A kit would be great!

 

Well, this thread was certainly a lifesaver. I purchased a used Tacoma that did not have the tow package and wanted to add the transmission cooler and oil cooler to it. The transmission cooler is done. The dealer was claiming they could not find a part number for the oil cooler (my mechanic was also unable to find it on his first look - he could see the part in the diagram, but there was no part number coming up).

I just ordered the kit from Source One. Sorry I missed the discount, but it's still a good deal.

 

Glad it helped. What did you end up going with for the transmission cooler - factory or aftermarket? If it's the factory unit, do you mind sharing what you paid? Also, did everything come under one part number, or several? I'm looking to do the trans cooler next and want factory stuff, so the info would be helpful.

 

Factory transmission cooler. I had asked somewhere on here for suggestions if there was a better aftermarket option (good quality at a lower price), but never heard back. I'm sure there are suggestions on here somewhere, but I didn't find them. I didn't really need "extra, high performance" anyway. My longer tows are all at lighter weights. Heavy tows are mostly local runs.

I did not install it myself. I left it with a mechanic while I was on a 2 week vacation. Once I get the bill I'll share the price (and part numbers, if it shows them).