Yet Another DC Manual Swap Thread

Afternoon TacomaWorld folks!

That time has come. I had always planned to swap to a manual transmission but didn't expect to get there this way...

I took my 2003 DC V6 Prerunner up to Prescott National Forest for the weekend a few weeks ago. Well my trans and motor were both running a bit warmer in the hills under a steep climb and pretty heavy load than I would prefer. (215-225 Trans & 200-205 Engine).

Given that the truck has nearly 300k on the clock and what I expect is the original radiator it was time to make some changes before summer gets here. I plan to do a lot of traveling around the mountains of northern Arizona.

And to add to that, my timing belt is about due also (Changed 2013 90k miles ago) and the path to resolution started becoming clear. I knew I'd want a new radiator but wasn't pleased with the stock design or performance (Pink milkshake, Single core, Plastic, etc). So had originally planned to snag a Champion, but after all the complaints of leaking and quality issues I decided to find a different option.

I found another post by a user that has a 1KZ diesel in his Tacoma and upgraded to a Koyo radiator designed for a 4-Runner. I've been very happy with Koyo products in the past and I liked that this radiator didn't have a built in transmission cooler that I one day wouldn't need. So rather than digging into swapping transmissions for what was really a cooling problem I first looked at adding an aftermarket transmission cooler along with the Koyo rad. But then I need one that has electric fans due to not having the stock cooler anymore and an inline filter so on and so forth.

The price of adding the aftermarket cooler got so high, especially considering that again, someday once I do swap I won't need it anymore that it forced me to start looking into the swap to a manual trans as an option NOW. This story gets more complex because I intend to convert to 4x4 in the near-ish future (let's see where this pandemic goes...)

TL;DR = Trucks not cooling efficiently anymore and a choice of radiator has lead me to swap to manual transmission

So I fired up the 'ol web browser and pulled out the pocketbook and puckered my butt cheeks for the pain to come.

Down the Rabbit hole we go!!


1. First Stop was to Battle Born Off-Road:

Koyo Radiator - VH010665N & Required Cap

2. Second Stop was to Ebay:

Ebay Timing Belt Kit (AirCabinMan)

3. Third Stop was Amazon for a few more parts and lots of tools

Tools you can find listed in Turbo's write up on the subject, I purchased them all for reasons.

Toyota 90119-16006 Crankshaft Pulley Bolt
3 Gallons Toyota Long Life Antifreeze Concentrate

$108 AISIN FCT-067 Engine Cooling Fan Clutch - Compatible with Select Toyota Tacoma

AISIN FCT-067 OE Fan Clutch

$120 AISIN FBT-004 Fan Pulley Bracket - Compatible with Select Toyota 4Runner, T100, Tacoma, Tundra

AISIN FBT-004 - Fan Pulley bracket - Funny story here. The 3rd party seller was out of this bracket so instead sent me a combo item which has the bracket, pulley and fan clutch for the same price. So once they arrive I should be able to send the fan clutch back that I purchased separately.

4. Fourth stop was to Marlin Crawler where I picked up the following:

Bought some stuff from this vendor ($2,600.00) before I learned about their horrible customer service and many bad reviews on multiple sites! I would not recommend Marlin Crawler. Just take a look at their FB review site, it's one of many covered in bad reviews.

I Still need to source a bunch of the parts yard stuff in the coming weeks.

Some of this starts getting sketchy as I try and find the line between manual trans swap and 4x4. I want to only do the manual trans swap currently and 4x4 after the wallet recovers a touch. But some things are obviously required like the Transfer case on the R150F...

Not sure when to do the ECU swap either. IF I want to drive it with the CEL codes for the trans until I do the 4x4 swap or... So much to figure out still. Love to hear what you all think and any suggestions or concerns you might have.

Stay safe out there! More to come soon...

 

I dont have any useful advise to give.

However, I will say I think your solution to your overheating transmission is fantastic.

I just added a 2nd trans cooler to my auto trans truck and it’s helped a bunch.

Since reading your post now I’m thinking maybe switching to a manual transmission might be a better idea down the road.

My truck is the 1st and only auto transmission vehicle I’ve ever owned. And I’ve owned a lot of vehicles.

 

Might as well do a J shift, manual hub 4wd conversion at the same time? Why wait until later...

 

Those are both in the plans. Just trying to defer the full 4x4 swap for a bit... but we'll see how she goes. Won't be having any of that ADD business up in here.

 

Thanks, I liked it too

Lots of folks have good luck with the second cooler in line with a filter.

I won't be sad to see the backside of this auto transmission regarding shifting and hills, that is for damn sure. I would have liked to see how far it went though. Nearly 300k and original tranny and shifts like butter. When I changed the mesh filter last year and did a synthetic oil change everything looked really clean. I don't see any reason it wouldn't keep plugging along.

 

Good luck, the Double cabs are much more fun with the 5spd swap!!

 

Update on that Koyorad 4Runner radiator for the OP:
-Still working great. Temps outside are getting warmer and the exhaust temps are remaining consistently within a good range.
-No leaks anywhere yet, which is probably better than the bottom percentile of the Champion radiators, but not long enough to prove to be a definitively better option (obviously).

 

Hell yeah @STLharry Thanks for the update thus far. Looking forward to hearing from Battle Born Off-Road about when I can expect it. No real hurry though as I am still sourcing parts.

 

I might have completely missed it

I'd go ahead and get the transfer case and rear driveshaft all done with the swap even if you don't have the front 4wd stuff

 

@osterhagen

You might want to go with the "heavy duty" or "tow package" fan clutch.
The

$108 Aisin FCT-067 Engine Cooling Fan Clutch - Compatible with Select Toyota Tacoma

Aisin FCT-067 is the "standard", denoted by the orange hub.
The HD version is

$89 FCT-013 Engine Cooling Fan Clutch - Compatible with Select Toyota 4Runner, T100, Tacoma, Tundra

FCT-013 and has a green hub.
They are interchangeable.
Your fan bracket/pulley/clutch combo might have the HD clutch.

 

Thanks @Dirty Pool

I wasn't sure if they were interchangeable. Funny enough I do think the combo unit they are sending has the HD. Can you tell me more about the differences between the two? What is the benefit of the HD or tow version?

Appreciate it!

 

yeah those two items will be absolutely required. The back of the R150F without the transfer case isn't setup to function. The front drive shaft before the center bearing is slightly shorter also so will have to be shortened. But the front shaft, front transfer case, Knuckles, CV's is the kind of stuff I want to hold off on.

 

Yup, you'll be good to go. Shouldn't cost too much for a shop to shorten it. Don't remember but one from an ext cab might also work.

if you wait long enough I could make you a deal on the front spindles, manual hubs (with spares), manual hub CVs (with spares), 5.29 ARB diff....

 

I like deals! Can you expand on long enough?

 

So the mystery Amazon package arrived this evening. I had ordered the fan pulley bracket and the 3rd party seller reached out via email to notify that they were out of stock on the bracket but they had a combo part no longer available (AISIN FBT-100 / $500.00 Retail) that they would send instead for no additional fee. This was going to include the bracket I ordered, a new pulley and fan clutch. I agreed and decided to see what they shipped me...

Here is what arrived:





I believe this to be the HD or w/ tow package fan clutch due to the green flange? I will check it against the non tow package I ordered before I knew I was getting this once it arrives. Needless to say I think I made out like a bandit at $120.13 for what is pictured above. Some days I guess I am in the right place at the right time after all.

That being said I still am not clear on the difference in the two fan clutches. I am guess the tow package maybe turns on earlier or something to help cool more for towing? I will google around while bored at work.

Gonna post some pics tomorrow of all the goodies that have arrived so far.

Thanks for reading and hope everyone is staying safe out there.

 

Ok, spent some time digging through the interwebs to find the answer to the question of what is different in these models of fan clutch

From best I can tell they have two main differences.

1. First the fluid quantity of the internal oil is higher in the HD/TOW package clutch resulting in faster shaft speeds which spins the fan faster. This makes it "slip" less and engage more.
2. The temperature at which the clutch "locks up" is lower causing the clutch to lock more frequently and provide more cooling. This should especially help in low speed situations such as off-road or in stop and go traffic.

What the specific temp and oil amount differences are I am not sure we will ever know unless we find the damn engineer that designed it lol. Or someone could go full nerd and temp test one and drain the oil out and measure it. Not this nerd though!

Here are the articles I referenced for this information.
https://www.haydenauto.com/en/technicians-resources/faq-fan-clutches
http://offroad80s.com/how-to-top-up-your-fan-clutch-and-do-the-blue-fan-clutch-mod-t1160.html

Hopefully this saves someone time down the line. Pay it forward as they say

 

Yep, that about sums it up and yes your combo clutch is the HD version.

Here is a Tacoma specific thread That was one heck of a deal. Toyota sells that "assembly" for around $400-$500 wholesale and they don't sell the support bracket separately.

 

Hah, that article is one that lead to the other write up where I learned a lot about the differences and tuning. Really good reading. I've already learned a ton of stuff I didn't know about. Very pleased with that part and the price. Saving a bit on this will help finance some of the other costs. My god the costs.

 

So spent the a large part of the weekend doing research, sourcing more items and spending a frack ton of money. I haven't got around to taking pictures of all the stuff that has shown up so far. Might have got a bit excited about the transmission shipping number. It hasn't moved so I am thinking maybe they create the label when they start building it?

Really doesn't matter at this point as I am waiting on other stuff still and haven't even found everything yet. Here are some more of the items I have purchased for this swap and other related projects:

I could only find one ECU that fit my requirements. Which is a 2003 v6, 4x4, manual transmission. Three were available from car-part.com which searches a huge DB of vehicle wreckers. They had only 3 in their whole DB... They were either more expensive or near the same price so I snagged one on ebay (which only had the one I bought). Toyota Part # 89661-0Y010 $399.00

Needed to find a solution to the interior items. I decided to do a combo of things. First I purchased a brand new surround for the boots (plastic bezel that the vinyl boots sit inside of) Found one in my color code from the dealer new for $45.00 (PN# 58802-04090-B0). Then I purchased an aftermarket fake leather black set of boots to put inside. But this still left me needing the metal piece the new boots would hold onto, shifter knobs and internal shifter plate with rubber boots and screws. I found a listing on ebay that included all of these items. Though I did purchase a brand new OE shifter knob cause idk I like the stock ones? So that should mostly wrap up the internal stuff for center console. Next up was the clutch pedal crap... but that's another story for another post.

Some other items I picked up over the weekend

From Low Range Off Road:

VSS adapter Mech>Electric
R150F trans mount (different than auto)
Slave Cyl mounting bolts

From McGeorge Toyota (New place for cheapest OEM Toyota dealer parts)

Rear Main Seal 90311-A0027 1 $32.50
Release Fork 31204-35031 1 $41.93
Bolt W Washer 90119-08846 4 $3.36
Clip 90468-08046 2 $3.40
Clamp 90461-12413 2 $6.76
Hydraulic Lines 31482-04040 1 $14.45
Hydraulic Lines 31481-04030 $10.42

Ebay:
33504-20100-C0 Genuine OEM Black Shift Knob

Decided to do something really wild with the clutch pedal and related items... more to come!

 

@STLharry what antifreeze are you running in your Koyo Rad? Still on the fence on this subject.