I THOUGHT I HAD THE TOW PACKAGE -- WHERE'S THE EXTERNAL COOLER??

So I called Toyota parts department and with my vin there is a cooler at the back of the transmission that again uses rad. coolant ???There’s no external cooler listed for my vin. I’m good with that and am going with a larger external cooler and bypass the rad cooler altogether leaving the factory thermostat intact.

 

I would recommend leaving the stock, radiator trans cooler in-line with whatever cooler you add. Air-cooled trans coolers (typical aftermarket style) work well at speed; the 'built-in' radiator coolers work better in slow, stop & go or off-roading situations. If you do a lot of heavy towing you may also want to look at adding an external fan to the cooler you add. That's the route I went when I added an external cooler to my Silverado tow rig, trans temps rarely exceed 200F now, however that truck is primarily used for towing long-distances all over the Southwest.

My Taco is an MT so this is a moot point for me, however if I had an A/T I would monitor trans temps for a while before deciding to add an external cooler; especially if the truck is still under warranty.

 

Bypass the factory cooler completely?! That will screw you out of any factory warranty if you end up having a problem with the trans

 

I bypassed the rad cooler in my old Nissan Frontier because of widespread failures for that model year, even with an external cooler I cooked my trans within a year. Wish I would have gambled and left it alone, or fixed it correctly with the updated radiator that I ended out having to buy along with a new transmission. Apparently rad coolers are pretty rad and sometimes engineers know what they are doing.

 

Your manual trans has transmission cooler?

 

Agreed. I recently had to cut open-up a new three-core aluminum radiator (for a Jeep XJ) to modify the water outlets. During that process I saw the ‘built-in’ trans cooler and was impressed by it’s relative size.

 

I think the tow pkg was available on the 2.7 2nd gens. I don't know if the external oil cooler was includedas part of the pkg.

I don't think the tow pkg is available on the 2.7 3rd gens. Maybe it was on the earlier 3rd gens, I haven't seen a 2.7 4cyl with tow pkg advertised in a while.

 

It is my suspicion that it is a matter of cost savings vs risk. If they shave $20 off each truck (not sure Toyota's actual cost of the cooler and components) that adds up to millions in a short while. Then they figure they will just replace the 5% that actually failed due to heavy towing and they are money ahead.

Similar to removing the pull loops on the rear seats. My 2019 had them, my 2021 does not.

 

I think I like that theory a lot !! Also, there are quite a lot of owners that upgrade their vehicles at 60 to 100 thousand miles, or 2 to 3 years. Then there are others that go for the gusto of 2 to 3 hundred thousand. I being the second scenario try my best to add life to the major components wherever I can, cause I sure am going to own them well beyond any warrenty. I put many coolers in vehicles (small busses) well before the 36,000 mile mark, and have no worries about doing the same to this vehicle. I've got enough miles on it by now to know that the transmission is a good one and plan to keep it that way by removing potentially damaging heat. Just my theory.

 

Trans coolers have now been in for quite a while and I easialy dropped the temps by 50 degrees. Plumbed with metal lines. I am very happy with the results.

 

We have the same issue on our new 2022 Tacoma TRD off-road.
Build sheet says transmission cooler is in, but it's not there. This is Paid for, but not installed on this truck. Will not buy another for $600+, when we have the paperwork to show it.
Ready for battle with paperwork and videos.
Found this video with important info to fight the dealership with.
Go to the 9:40 mark.
https://youtu.be/qbCAEscrJ8E

 

LOL. This statement or something similar will be at the bottom of all brochures, spec sheets, etc.

"All information presented herein is based on data available at the time of posting, is subject to change without notice and pertains specifically to mainland U.S.A. vehicles only. Vehicles shown may be prototypes, shown using visual effects and/or shown with options. Actual models may vary."

You have an AT cooler, mid 2020 and later stopped receiving the secondary external cooler plumbed inline with the internal cooler inside the radiator. (All of them have the internal cooler inside the radiator, regardless of if you also had or do not have the external)

 

Another revived thread...this time on the subject of a 2021 TRD Sport Tow Package...which I happen to have on my Tacoma.

I've yet to test it out...the towing/transmission cooler system. Good to know it's internal so I don't go crazy looking for it. lol

 

Actually - it turned out to be a big plus that the external cooler was deleted for me. I have more than the ability to fab my own into the system, and run the vehicle exactly where Toyota wants it to be temp. wise with the factory thermostat. If I pin the thermostat - I can run it at 135 to 150 degrees, which makes me even happier. All good worlds are revolving around this install with a transmission that likes to tow my trailers when needed.

 

Does the build sheet say "transmission cooler" or "external transmission cooler" or something along those lines? Every 3rd gen Tacoma with an AT has a transmission cooler.

 

This is from the Toyota ebrochure page 19.
https://www.toyota.com/content/dam/toyota/brochures/pdf/2022/tacoma_ebrochure.pdf
Standard across the board. Especially on my TRD off-road double cab with 6ft box.
"Class-IV towing hitch receiver, 2 ATF cooler (not available on M/T), engine oil cooler, power steering cooler,
130-amp alternator, 4- and 7-pin connector with converter, and Trailer-Sway Control (TSC)4 (V6 only).
Called several dealerships for the part number on the radiator that has the AT cooler included in it.
They have no idea what I'm talking about.
Where's the proof that it's there?
I don't appreciate being scammed by my local dealership and Toyota USA.
The brochure is misleading and should never need to have disclaimers protecting their butt.
I will be talking to corporate on Monday, and expect them to cover an external transmission cooler or reinbursment.
I'm not trying to be argumentative, as I am very appreciative of your information,
but we just traded in a 2016 Tacoma with all this towing stuff on it,
for this 2022 that has everything and MORE on it.
Thank you.

 

In late 2020, Toyota quietly deleted the external cooler that previously was part the Tacomas towing package . The transmission is still cooled , just not using a separate, dedicated cooler. It was deemed unnecessary as stock cooling was adequate. Translation: removal saves them $$$ , they decided it didn’t warrant an external unit.

 

Nope not argumentative at all.

The status of the internal cooler and removal of external cooler has already been explained multiple times in this thread and many others. Let us know what corporate says.

 

Chill, it still has an external cooler, it's inside the radiator end tank on the driver's side. It just doesn't have the second tiny oil to air cooler anymore. Likely the improved trans programing made it unnecessary with better lockup.

And for comparison, the Tundra really did get ride of external entirely, had a block off plate of the temp control valve even.

 

That's right...it's not available on the Manual Transmission.