Engine oil external cooler?

Searched before posting, only saw a post in 2nd gen forum.

I have 2017 TRD Off Road, 2GR-FKS V6. Truck scales out at 100lbs below gross weight, when combined with 3,220lb camper total weight is 9,360lbs. Owners manual shows max GCVWR of 11,360lbs. I'm full time RV'r with this setup.

Does this engine have an external engine oil cooler? I cannot tell without removing the skid plate, only see radiator, trans cooler and power steering cooler when I open hood. I attached screenshot of what I've seen online in regards to external cooler adapter.

On 06/12/2025 I suffered a grueling accent on Idaho 21 going north from Lowman, ID. I stopped at Sourdough Lodge to top off fuel en-route to Elk Creek Guard Station. Elevation at Sourdough is 4,300ft, climbed to 7,000ft elevation where I turned off for Elk Creek. Screenshot of route attached.

Transmission and engine oil both hit 230 degrees, TC hit 250 degrees on the Scangauge II. Trans thermostat is pinned open. I was looking for a spot to pull over & let everything cool down when I crested the grade just before turn off. A larger trans cooler & electric fan is on my upgrade list, wondering if it's possible to add an additional engine oil cooler if my truck has the factory assembly.

 

Just open the hood and look down in front of the radiator. Just below the horns on the driver side is where the OEM trans cooler would sit.

Not my picture. It's the one on the right side of the pic.



I just recently added a

$58 Hayden 679 Universal 11” Rapid-Cool Add-On Transmission Cooler to Enhance Cooling (not for direct replacement of the factory unit)

Hayden 679 to the OEM cooler and it brought down my trans temps by 40f or so.

 

External oil cooler; I don't think so but I could be wrong. My 2019 has the external transmission cooler but they got rid of them for the remaining 3rd Gen years.

PS: props to you for getting out there and beating the shit out of your truck!

 

It appears I misread the OP, my bad. No, like Buck said the radiator is the only engine oil cooler on any 3rd gen Tacoma that I know of.

 

I don't like beating the sh!t out of my rig, need it to last as long as possible. I cannot determine if coolant is fed to the assembly seen in my OP, or if the lines carry oil to the radiator like transmission cooling lines. Looking at an aftermarket radiator it appears to have multiple ports, two are obviously for transmission lines.

https://tacomabeast.com/products/2nd-gen-tacoma-high-performance-radiator

 

Honestly, you probably should have purchased a V8 powered full size truck that is better designed to pull heavy loads up long steep hills. I don't care what type of cooler you add, I doubt it will make that much of a difference with your Taco given what you are wanting to do with it.

 

I don't like any of the gargantutrucks made nowadays, not comfortable with the way I sit in them. I didn't have the funny money to have a restomod 1970's era Dodge Power Wagon custom built with a 12 valve Cummins / Allison automatic. Dodge never made the truck in the photo, it's D200 upgraded to W300.

My setup has gained weight with a few items I've obtained since I started.

 

if you sell your taco hope you disclose you tow heavy . heat kills

 

Tacoma should be OK with the travel trailer you have. Mine is a similar size and probably a bit heavier when loaded. But that's assuming an almost empty truck. In addition to my Tacoma, I also have a 2014 F150. I often pull the TT with my Tacoma on shorter trips on fairly level ground. The Tacoma pulls it, but the Ford pulls it a LOT better.

Two things. If the total weight of your truck and trailer is 9360 lbs and the trailer is 3220lbs that means the loaded truck is at 6140lbs. About 500 lbs overloaded. Also, when towing at altitude there is about 3% less O2 in the air for every 1000' you go above sea level. The engine is putting out about 3% less power and the max load should be reduced by about 3%. At 7000' that's about 20% less weight than the truck is rated for at sea level.

My wife and I are retired and travel. Last summer we did a 3 week 7000-mile road trip taking a roundabout route from Georgia to Glacier NP and Yellowstone. Leaving next week for Southwest Colorado for a couple of weeks and will cross some 11,000' passes. I wouldn't even consider doing that with a Tacoma with a trailer. I've done this route multiple times with my Tacoma, but without a trailer.

You are slowly killing your truck. Transmission temps of 220-230 should be rare and if you ever get to 250 the fluid is probably toast. A properly equipped 1/2 ton truck will handle what you're doing a lot better, cost about the same, last longer, come within 1-2 mpg for normal driving, and get BETTER fuel mileage when towing.

Note that I said, "Properly Equipped". 1/2 ton trucks are all over the place. Some of them will haul and tow less than a Tacoma. Some will match the tow and payload ratings of some 3/4 ton trucks. You really have to research them carefully if you want to tow.

 

@Jowett

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/oil-cooler-for-boosted-2gr-fks.635942/

 

OP, I thought all 3rd Gen Tacomas came with an ENGINE Oil Cooler. Look at the front of the engine accessory belt down low, just below and towards the center of the engine and you will see what you have pasted in your first post. Or so I believe.

 

No, nothing carries motor oil to the radiator area. The oil cooler is simply coolant running through the oil filter housing: the oil is kept at the same temp as the coolant that way.