transmission cooler suggestions

I put mine down of the small cooler.

Check them again. One is coming from the bottom of your coolant radiator. That's the Inlet for the small cooler. I put mine down stream from the small cooler. I can easily remove the large cooler from the loop if I need to

 

You won't get higher temps until you start towing in 2nd or 3rd gear at speed. The torque converter is always unlocked below 4th gear and that is what heats the fluid. That's probably why stop and go traffic is getting hotter. I see 235F with my big cooler installed when towing up the steepest hills around here in 2nd and 3rd gear. There is also a 10 mile stretch where I'm in 3rd gear going up a slight grade and there's always a strong head wind there. That's when the extra cooler pays off

 

I ended up doing the same thing. I even left the short oem hose and spliced in with a double sided Barb so all u need is a screwdriver or pocket knife and I can change it out on the side of the highway

 

When you guys added these to the truck, did you add transmission fluid? If so, how did you determine the correct level?

I called the local dealer to ask this question and was instead told that just thinking about adding an after market transmission cooler would void the warranty. Loving the choice there. Hot tranny or hanging in the wind.

 

I have the torque pro AP so I just dumped a quart in, got my tranny up to 135* and then pulled the check plug and let it drain till it was just a small trickle coming out. No problems yet

 

I added fluid to the lines and the cooler as I installed them. I put the truck in drive and pinned the thermostat open for 5 minutes and then checked the fluid. None came out upon pulling the plug WITH the insert LEFT in place. I shot some in with the pump on the bottle of WS and some came out. I let it run out, shot a little in and then put the plug back in.ake sure you install your cooler so that it CANNOT keep an air bubble in it. The directions show how.

What are you towing? Or are you don't lots of 4lo?

 

Why did you check it at 135F? The thermostat isn't open at that temperature, is it?

 

2nd gen transmissions don't have a thermostat. The 135F was Atf temp not radiator coolant temp.

 

Thanks for these responses. Super helpful.

@tow-coma

How do you pin the thermostat on a 3rd gen tacoma? I tried to look this up and didn't find anything I understood enough to act on.

Towing a 4k lbs. camper. It tows well and within what I think are normal temp ranges, but when it spikes (like while climbing a long hill or passing a slow semi) I think about adding a cooler.

 

Oh, sorry. I didn't see you had a 2nd gen

 

There is a plunger at the rear of the transmission. Easiest to reach from passenger side. The plunger pushes into a collar. There are two small holes on both sides of the collar. Use something skinny to press the plunger in and then slide something skinny through the two holes. I used a small cotter pin.

You will only see spikes when you run in 2nd or 3rd gear. The torque converter doesn't lock under 4th gear so it really heats up the fluid

 

Thanks a ton @tow-coma

 

Is your camper 4000 lbs dry weight? Or loaded? I have a 2018 manual trd sport and I am looking at a 4000 lb dry weight camper but don’t know if the Tacoma will handle it.

 

You have 2500 pounds to play with, legally. The weight isn't a huge issue for power, overall, it's more the shape of the trailer. I have a 2800 dry toy hauler and it's a dog in any head wind. I can cruise in 4th gear, automatic, on flats but any head wind or slight uphill and it's 3rd gear

 

Hi @Drewelia,

I am towing a Winnebago Micro Minnie 2100BH.

Specs are:
GVWR (lbs.) 7,000
Dry Weight (lbs.) 3,760
Dry Hitch Weight (lbs.) 430

I don't pull the camper with more than a couple hundred pounds in it, so I rounded off at 4k lbs "wet".

Truck pulls this very well. It would be easier to tow and more comfortable with a full sized truck, but I'm super happy with the performance of the Tacoma with this weight behind it. I'll probably put in a transmission cooler, but only because I'm planning to drive cross country and don't want transmission temperatures to be worrying the back of my mind if things get windy.

Hope this is helpful -

 

Wow, Im new and wow, you guys run high trans temps!
Granted Im coming from a 3/4 ton truck and manual trans, but wow.
Are you all running in OD while towing? You should have OD off as OD really really spikes the trans temps fast and high.
On my manual the trans would cool down in 4th, and rise very fast in 5th (which is an OD gear). (4th is a 1:1)
At 13,000 lbs total with truck camper and cargo trailer into the summer hot wind I could run 4th at about 60mph and keep temps around 140. Air temp has some effect. 180 was where my alarm was set to go off. 112 in the desert towing uphill and I could still keep it below 180. What's with these little auto trans?
I'm thinking it has to be the over-drive gear. The cooler you run the trans the longer it will last. You should never let it go above 220.
I am just now shopping, ready to buy, a Tacoma, and now after reading these post I think I will forego the trans cooler option and put on an after market one. I dont like the idea of using hot water in the rad to cool the trans. Im not sure what the water temps are at the bottom, but its 190-200 going into the rad at the top.
Now Im scared to buy anything used with a tow option as they seem to do little to cool the trans. High trans temps really shorten the life. Everyone should have a trans temp gauge and not rely on the dummy light.

 

Please look at these two threads. The thermostat doesn't open until 195F. The TC doesn't lock in 1,2,3 gears. There is little temp increase when the Tc is locked

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ure-pids-for-torque-pro-and-now-apple.513531/

 

Thos may be an old thread, but I ran my aftermarket trans cooler with the power button/switch in the cab. Scan Gauge drops 15-25 degrees when the fan is turned on. It's "cooler" insurance for expensive transmissions, and also for this good ole Tx heat. Ues, thos fan does move 3500 cfm and does what it's intended to. Stay cool... Temps haven't reached past 190 since the additional cooler... Hope this helps...

 

what kind of cooler fan did you use

 

There is a great write up here
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...l-toyotas-write-up-with-many-pictures.526283/