Sass69

Well...I set out 2 buy a VW Corrado at the beginning of Summer (Ontario)....Couldn't find a decent 1 for the $$ I was willing to pay. So........ bought a 96 4Runner Auto 2.7L I wasn't happy about the whole 4cyl thing at first but my buddy who is a mechanic says they are bullet proof.
Anyway her I am and plan on pulling a 2000lb boat and understand that a Tranny cooler is highly recommeded..??? I have looked at the TRD version only just because I figure they would have the best and easiest setup...?? TRD's website list for $238 and another website ToyotaParts4u list for i think $186 or so... Any suggestions or advice before I buy...?

thanks guys and maybe some girls too (I hope)...

J.A. said this site was the best...so far he is right!

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

Buy a Hayden model 1678, same thing, much cheaper. I got mine for $51 and Hayden is rumored to make the TRD anyway.

Hope this helps! If you are looking for more info, do a search for tranny coolers, and a bunch of stuff will pop up.



Brian

Yoter

I worry about my transmission overheating even though it never has. I sometimes wonder if upgrading to a Haden would be worth it. I dont want to wait until it overheats, I want only whats best. Is it worth buying one if you are not having issues?

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

9 out of 10 trannies that fail due so to overheating. $50 is a small price to pay for some piece of mind and it is easy to install. One more thing to type into your mod line.



Brian

Yoter

Any write ups on the tranny cooler upgrade? I am guessing it is best to do when your doing a trans serv. so there is not alot of fluid with in. Is it just a case of unscrewing the lines removing the old unit and installing the new one?

Cebby

Robinhood150 has a great writeup that can be found here

Be sure to thank him. When I do mine, I'll be following his writeup.

midiwall

Oh, I LIKE that idea! I was never really too fond of something in front of the radiator that's giving off heat.

Thanks man!

Yoter

Thanks Ceb, I was unaware of a transmission temp light on my rig being I never have those issues. Now that I know that I will have warning if it were to overheat I will just "chill" . What a cool write up on relocating the cooler to a cooler area. Seems like way more air will hit it down there than behind the grill,winch,brushguard ect.. Thanks Robin & thanks Ceb for that info. Ben

Mad Chemist

Boy, I don't know about that- one serious wack on the thin stock skid plate, and you've got a bit of a mess. Secondly, mounting the cooler to the radiator is at least going to have cooling from the fan, how much air are you going to get through the stock plate? The whole idea is to get more cooling right? Its a unique mounting position, but I'm still happy where I put mine.

Robinhood150

Here's somebody else who did the same install as me. He's got a picture showing the holes drilled in the skidplate for cooling air. Since the tranny light rarely comes on, any auxilliary cooling is better than nothing. If the tranny cooler is in front of the radiator, then the engine won't get as much cool air. In fact, it'll heat up the radiator. But, I doubt that is a problem with a properly working cooling system.

As for smacking something hard, the cooler is pretty high up. Also, the mounting brackets are flexible enough that if anything does hit it, it'll flex up with the impact. Besides, if anything hits that thing hard enough to break it, I think I've got more important things to worry about.

Cebby

COME HERE!!!

Sass69

One question I had regarding the under the skid plate installment. Not to sound like I don't wash my tuck or anything, but doesn't it get full of mud and crap??

Cebby

Steve (Robinhood150) is from Cali, so he probably doesn't have the mud "issues" you and I do.

Mad Chemist

I'm not trying to bash your idea. With the fan moving a ton of air, I just don't think that the tranny cooler covering maybe 20% of the area of the front of the radiator is going to make much of an impact with the fan on the backside moving air directly behind the radiator. If you have them piped in series, with the fluid going through the radiator, then the aux. cooler, I would argue that the radiator may be even cooler than the stock set up, since the aux. cooler is acting as an additional heat sink on the system. I doubt that mounting the cooler in fron is going to make the radiator run warmer.

However, as you said, with a cooling system thats running properly, you won't be able to tell the difference, so its a moot point.

Cheers!

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

As someone who designs heat exchangers on a daily basis, although not this small, the principle is the same. You have one heat exchanger mounted in front of another heat exchanger and both of these heat exchangers are plate type. While there will be some decreasing of the air flow to the radiator in the spot where the tranny cooler is mounted in front of it, this amount of decrease will be quite minimal since air will still flow through the tranny cooler and hit the radiator. The issue here is this...

Remember a heat exchanger, especially these type, operate off the principal that the temperature difference is large, and even though the air going through the tranny cooler will be heated up a bit, the temeperature difference between this air and that of the radiator will still be quite large and the tranny cooler is only in front of maybe 10-20% of the front of the radiator, if that much. I would imagine that the thermal efficiency of the radiator suffers little if any effects and if then it is probably in the 100th to 1000th percentile.

If you were placing a solid device in front of the radiator with no air flow through it, then you would have a problem because you would be restricting the air flow and that is how the radiator gets its temperature difference to operate efficiently, air flow.

Hope this helps!



Brian

Sass69

I think I am going to put infront of the Rad. I liked the idea of a nice easy bolt on under the skid plate. But I have a few concerns about it being that low to the ground such as mud, and stuff getting to the cooler.
I appreciate all the responses and help!

Robinhood150

I know.

midiwall

Well, I think I'm back in front of the radiator now (thanks David, Brian)...

And, fyi... I found a whole flock of Hayden's for dang cheap!

http://www.bulkpart.com/cgi-bin/miva...egory_Code=HCS

The 1678 is only $43.79.

Mad Chemist

Mark,

Looks like you got a good deal on the Hayden. The only tip I have with the install, which I can't remember if it was in the write-up or not, is that you'll have to get a larger inner diameter tubing than what comes in the package, which isn't long enough anyways. You'll need 3/8 transmission line tubing (not fuel!), probably 7 feet would be more than enough (I got 8, and think I had a couple feet left over), plus some of that plastic tubing for running wires (the name escapes me at the moment) as a safegaurd from holes rubbing through on the tubing. 3/8 will make the install a breeze, otherwise you'll be fighting to get the Hayden tubing to fit on the Toyota fittings.

Lata,

David

midiwall

Good to know, thanks David!

I already have a good bit of the wire wrap, so I'm set there.


Wahoo!