Hey Midget...

Glad you found a fix for it. I'm sure in time you'll find a way to make it look as nice as you want it. Just glad you got those temps down. Good Job!

 

I'm planning to by- pass the automatic transmission cooler in the radiator and use a TRU-COOL 4589 rated at 21k btu in conjunction with the 180f bypass valve.
Any comments on this setup from knowledgeable people?
I 'm leaning towards a 21k btu rated cooler as there seems to be talk a 14k btu isnt always enough beyond normal driving.
I'm thinking the 180 bypass valve will keep the fluid at least that warm. I understand the 4589 has the lpd and built in bypass, but ive seen some posts that lead me to not want to solely depend on it. Thoughts?
2001 sr5 4runner
166k miles
stock(for now), mild mods and some off roading maybe later

 

According to some 180* F is border line hot, at least for regular ATF (non-synthetic). I think those 180* bypasses are made for engine oil that needs to get hotter to boil off water from the combustion process. No need to get ATF that hot. I'd just rely on the built-in bypass in the Tru-cool.

 

I just took my 180* bypass off a month ago or more. I really like the looks of my temps now that I have it off. Even more so going up mountain roads and such loaded with camping gear.

My 2 cents... Don't put it on.

 

Looking at the B&M, local shop has them for $65. Anything to be on the lookout for when installing? Will I need additional hoses or fittings?
Thanks

 

I'd personally grab 6ft of 3/8" ATF hose from O'Reillys or Autozone (Goodyear, my favorite) just in case.

Make sure it is hugging that condenser.

Post some pics when finished......

 

Autozone stopped carrying Goodyear branded hose recently (per the local Autozone manager). Some stores still have a little in stock, but it won't be replaced when it's sold. They got a new contract with another brand. FYI.

 

Thank You PSRAFF and MT GOAT . Im not going to install the 180f bypass.

 

No problem.... I 2x the 6' of hose. I would even get a bit more so you can run a jumper between the two ports at the bottom of your rad.

 

OK, so I installed the B&M 70264 today. Took a while - my kids were fighting in the yard while I was covered in ATF under the truck...
I feel like I damaged the radiators be punching the zip ties through. Am I just being paranoid?
Had a few loose connections, got a few drips, tightened all them up and added extra clamps to the couplers - I couldnt get my ham fists up there to disconnect the stock hoses from the tranny lines, so I coupled them to new line.
Sorry no pix, I was oily and parenting. So far so good, I havent gone anywhere , but I am off campin this weekend, so I will bring repair stuff just in case...

 

I didn't install new hoses coming off the lines for the same reason. My TruCool came with some barbed connections, I'm guessing yours did as well? I see no reason why that wouldn't work, as long as you put clamps on every connection and tightened them down really well. I think your radiator will be fine, the main thing you want to look out for is not to bow it towards the condenser by making the connection too tight. Also, if you haven't capped the old outlets in the radiator, expect to see a bunch of tranny fluid underneath after the next time you drive it; when the radiator heats up it's gonna leak out the old fluid, and that stuff will spray all over as you drive. At least, that's what happened to me lol.

 

A BIG thx to al who post on this site! It has helped me a bunch.

As far as this tranny cooler thing goes- I did mine in series with the radiator cooler. I used a Hayden 679 (not sure of BTu) and mounted it in back of radiator. I know it is only 60% efficient here, but it is twice the size of the recommended one and is plate-and-fin, not tube-fin. I figured it was a good compromise, as I only tow/load heavy occasionally. I shouldn't have to have a temp control here because the fluid goes thru rad 1st. Cold temps shouldn't be an issue either. I'll get a running test of temps later.
I had torn the font end apart(condenser fan, grille, etc) looking for a place to put it! Damn sure didn't want to mess with a WORKING FINE AC in +100 heat index!! Nor did I have to fab anything, or use brackets. Vibration was an issue I don't want if I'm up in the hills somewhere! The mounting kits come with pads. I can keep an eye on that $2.
BTW-some MAZDA cars have those grille clips same as T4R, look at your local pull-a-part! Get as many as you can, they're as brittle as tater chips. Cheaper than the dealership too.
Also, I did not want a small cooler. So I pulled the clutch/fan, top rad hose and the fan shroud. The handy dremel took care of notches in the bottom of the shroud for the lines. I was leary of the fluid, so I changed that also. This is a pitiful refurb A340H tranny behind a bored-ported-polished 3vze. I feel a little better now. To me, it was just simpler this way. All I have in it is a bit of time and about $75.
A soon to happen upgrade will be an electric fan kit to compliment this facet. I have a spare tranny that's gonna get the inchworm adapter w/geared t-case.
I hope this idea helps any of you out. Any cooler is better than the radiator one alone!

 

One of the major reasons why everyone here is installing a separate ATF cooler is because the 4runner radiators apparently have a nasty habit of failing between the coolant and ATF sides, allowing mixing of fluids (the dreaded 'strawberry milkshake') and the destruction of the transmission. Putting the cooler in series with the radiator defeats that objective.

 

True! Very true! But in this case, and for now it is ok by me as I have a brand new brass radiator. I figure I can keep an eye on any failure of the radiator, and just switch the hoses over in a few minutes. This is only a temporary mod that is working pretty good. The tranny fluid should stay within optimum temp range. You don't want to 'overcool' it because come winter, your fluid will be too viscous and take longer to reach operating temp. This isn't too good for the tranny because your clutches will be slipping a little til it warms up. Just a compromise.

 

Just installed a B&M 70264 on my rig today. Went very smoothly. Took me just about two hours. Biggest pain was getting the old hoses off the tranny lines. I mounted the cooler with zip ties to the condenser. I'm very happy with everything, and the peace of mind is the best part! I bought the truck with 140,000 miles and and now have 201,000 so after reading about all the milkshakes popping up I was getting a little nervous.

Oh, and for the above poster... Some tranny coolers have a bypass on them so that the colder, more viscous fluid bypasses the cooler and will only run through once reaching a higher temp. I live in Utah, so I made sure that the cooler I bought had this feature.

 

Yes, the TruCool ones have a bypass, and I'm pretty sure the B&M does as well. Can't speak to the other brands though. Not that I'll really need it, living in Texas

 

Well I drove about 75 miles this weekend in the upper 90s heat here in the PNW. Not much was noticed as far as performance.
The truck sat all day saturday, then drove home sunday. I looked at the connections again and saw that at the splice with the OEM lines, I had a 3-4 drip little puddle in the skid plate. Again, the fittings were a little loose, so tightened them again.
I am going to go get some new 3/8" hoses and just run them to the Tranny lines from the cooler - no more 3 point connections.

Also - is it possible to puncture the condensor or radiator by running the zip tie lines through them to mount the cooler unit?

 

Well, you don't want to run the zip ties through BOTH unless you are very careful to not tighten them down alot. If you run them through both condenser and rad, and tighten them too much, you'll bow the radiator and THAT will cause damage.

However, the zip ties themselves wont damage anything if you push them through with a modicum of care. A couple fins will get punched out, but the core will be just fine.

 

No I didnt crank them down, just one click past snug, and the foam pads are on there too.
And yes, I was very carefull when running them through. I basicly followed the 4x4wire write up that shows both the cond and rad being used to secure the cooler.

 

Im ordering Tru Cool Today! I'm bypassing this thing as Strawberry is my least favorite flavor of transmission fluid.

Has anyone tried or see the value in an remote transmission filter?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Summi...ts_Accessories

Or am I going to far?

Thoughts? Feelings?