mswenso1

Ok, so I know I have to do something quick before I become a member of the milkshake club. So here is my question:

Should I get a new radiator since I have 175k miles and add a tranny cooler later or just get a tranny cooler.

Money is a big issue, wish it weren't, but it is. I cannot do both at this time.

Also, does anyone have a link to a DIY radiator thread? Should I flush the coolant too? Is there a thread on a DIY coolant flush?

Thanks

FogRunner

Well it all depends on how well you have taken care of your cooling system. If your system has been flushed regularly and the inside of your radiator still looks good and clean then I would go with the aftermarket cooler.

However if your radiator is in really poor shape inside then go for the new radiator and that will buy you time to save up enough to put a aftermarket cooler on later.

If you do decide on a radiator I bought a new one from RockAuto.com and the brand was Spectra premium and its quality is on par with the OEM radiator IMHO. And its only $140 too

FOG

HighLux

Make sure to get a "stacked plate" style trans cooler...bigger the better.

FogRunner

Go with a B&M 70264 if you decide on the trans cooler. One thing to realize when mounting the cooler is it may be temping to use the bolt brackets and hang the cooler in front of the condenser. The problem with doing this is there will be several inches of space between the cooler and the condenser and the only airflow it will see is the "ram air effect" when moving on the highway.

I originally mounted mine like this and the first time I hit the loose sand on a warm day at the beach the trans temp climbed REALLY quick to 220F.

I finally realized what was going on with the air flow and remounted the trans cooler directly to the condenser coil with the little zip ties. Now with the engine idling or at low road speed the engine fan pulls a good amount of air through the cooler.

One thing with the zip ties is to be sure and put the rubber pads on the back of the condenser. And most importantly don't run the ties through the condenser and radiator because when you tighten them up it will pull on both the radiator and condenser and make them leak. Its easier to just pull the upper radiator hose and dismount the radiator and lean it back to reach the back.


FOG

mswenso1

Thanks FogRunner, I have actually read a bunch of your stuff in regards to the tranny cooler. I purchased the vehicle with over 100k miles on it so I don't know how well it has been taken care of. Because of this I am leaning towards the radiator.

Isn't the Koyo radiator good? Its on ebay for 106+shipping...

If I go radiator, what else do I need to by with it?

HighLux

If you do a cooler....alot of people like the tru cool's
I ran one on my Mach1.

They are low pressure drop....and less expensive.

This is way better than a B$M
http://www.bulkpart.com/Merchant2/me...de=tru-cool-hd

Id get one as big as I could afford. A tranny cannot run too cool. The lower the temps...the longer the tranny fluid last. Thats a fact.

J2F42C

I have the Koyo and others do too. The $106 and change is a great price. To make the install easier, reuse the original radiator brackets and not those that come with the Koyo. Don't forget to use Toyota red coolant and a gallon of distilled H2O. $25 at the dealer for the coolant.

Depending on your $$$, you may want to take a look at the thermostat (not hard to remove). If your radiator hoses are original, look to change them as well.

Then down the road purchase the B&M 70264 or ask Santa for it. The B&M and Tru Cool are both made by Long under the same roof in Canada, so size and the presence of an LPD, not quality, should be the only deciding factors.

mswenso1

Thanks J2F42C!!! I'm thinkin' that's the rout I am going to take. Do you know of a cheep place online to get the rad hoses and thermostat?

J2F42C

I have ordered with success from 1sttoyotaparts.com. It is roughly 20~25% off toyota list price and whatever price the dealer feels like charging that particular day. Since car sales have been rather anemic for Toyota along with having to pay Uncle Same that big fine here in 2010, OEM part prices have climed steadily through the year.

If I were to skip on parts, it would be the T-stat and gasket. You can easily feel the difference between the old and new hoses. Then later get the T-stat along with either a B&M or like HighLux praised, a Tru Cool.

Breakdown of parts:
T-stat: 90916-03075
Water outler gasket (needed): 16341-62040
Upper hose: 16571-62070
Lower hose: 16572-62070

mswenso1

Thanks again J2F42C!!

pendrag

Look up my posts on the cooler - lots of pics you might like if you decided to go that way. I'm planning on putting in a koyo radiator one day, but for now, I flushed the tranny with dextron VI, added an inline filter, and installed a B&M 70264.

crawyota

okay , I added a tranny oil cooler a few weeks ago because my tranny was getting hot, but that is not doing anything, still running hot , should change out the tranny fluid , and flush the radiator , my raditator is fairly new .

Nelsonmd

I don't think this is true. I have read several other places (not just forums) that ATF has an operating range, and that ATF that is too cool will cause poor shifting and lower the life of the tranny. This is only a problem in colder environments like Northern US and up, but lower temps straight up being better certainly isn't a fact (at least from what I have read).

I see alot of guys running the B&M 70268, which has a slightly lower capacity than the 70264. It seems that both will do the job perfectly well for 4runners. If you tow alot or otherwise tax the tranny, then perhaps go with the slightly larger capacity 70264 or a bigger one, but if you are in the north, then beware of overcooling. One feature of the in-radiator tranny cooler was that the engine heat could be transferred to the ATF to warm it up to operating temp faster.

The B&M's have a low temp bypass that will help to let cool ATF warm up faster, not sure if the tru-cool has it.

pendrag

I live in Georgia, which is only slightly cooler than Hell most of the time. I do a fair bit of city driving, which was my reason for buying the 70264. Overcooling is not something I worry about, but your mileage may vary if you live where it snows (more than a quarter inch every 4 years).

mswenso1

That's good to know as I live in Colorado and drive in the mountains alot. My 4runner goes above 12,000 feet a bunch during the year so even though I don't tow a ton, I def. tax the tranny. Looks like I will need to def. do a balancing act when I do get a tranny cooler. I drive in the mountains when it is hot (80+ degrees at 12,000) and when it is cold (0 degrees at 12,000) so I def have a range of temps to worry about.

For now, I ordered the Koyo rad. and hope to install this weekend.

Thanks all for the help and I will update when I have the new rad in.

OH, whats the easiest way to put a tranny temp guage in? What kind should I get???

FogRunner

I was in Colorado almost 2 years ago with my 4runner. The B&M 70264 mounted to where directly on the condenser coil kept the transmission to 195F and below.

This was in July and I went up pikes peak with a full load of people will several 100lbs of luggage and tools in the back. Also did red cone and webster pass (never do that again) and rocky mountain national park. Through all that my trans temps stayed below 195F.

The bypass feature on the cooler gets the transmission up to around 100F even when its 30F or colder outside.

But like I said earlier the cooler won't do much good for slow speed and mountain climbs unless its right on top of the condenser coil where the engine can pull air through it at low speeds.


FOG

mswenso1

Thanks FogRunner, I do trail ridge road about 5 times a year so I am glad to hear that the bypass works when mounted right on the condenser.

When it comes time, I will spend the little extra cash and get the B&M for the by-pass feature...makes sense to me Also, I have noticed quite a few guys have fans and relays on their tranny coolers....has anyone put a fan on their cooler while mounting it in front of the condenser? Is there enough room?