Hi All,

I picked up a '00 4runner back in May and have been loving life ever since! It's the best! One question that I had was that the center console occasionally gets pretty hot after running it up and down the highway. Today on the way home, about 30 miles @ ~75mph, I thought I somehow had the heat on. I had my right arm on the shifter (auto trans) and it started feeling hot. Odd. The whole console and arm rest felt pretty hot after feeling around. Could this be normal? If not, any advice on what I should do or have checked? The transmision is under there I believe...

I appreciate any help!

Thanks!!!

 

Is the rear seat heater on? (lol if it is)

 

Maybe it's all in your head

 

it gets warm but doesn't get hot

 

lol, rear seat heater could be on... thats funny.

Um, besides that, its your AT that is causing the heat. You might want to change the Auto trans fluid. It might be old and causing some unwanted friction.

 

Well if your heater isn't on. I'd check your fluids in the transmission and transfer case. I think there are heat sheilds above the tranny to keep the heat down in the cab, I know my 00 4runner has them. I've driven for hours and never felt any heat from that area.

 

Close your sunroof shade.

 

 

I changed my tranny fluid about 3 months ago and for as long as I can remember my console will get hot after a little while of driving. Mine is a 97 SR5 and I don't think anything is wrong with it, I just think that Toyota didn't put as many heat shields on them when mine was made........they expected you to "Man Up!"

If you are really worried about it though, you should change the fluids over to synthetic and install a cooler.

 

HaHa!! Rear heater...sun roof...haha!! Come here... Just kidding!!!

Funny story though about the rear heater, the first weekend I had the truck I packed the kids (3yr old & 6th mth old) and the wife and went for a drive up in the mountains to try it out. It was pretty hot, so I turned on the "Vent" in the back to make sure they were comfortable. We get up in the mountains, and my 3yr old is just dripping with sweat!! That's when I looked up in the manual about the rear heater! Up until that time, I have never heard of such a thing!

Why in the world would Toyota put in a heater for the back, instead of a venting system that every other vehicle maker has been making for the last 30 years that I have seen?? I don't get it...anyway...I thought it was funny!

Back on topic...I was thinking I should get the fluids changed. How often should I be changing the tranny fluid? What about the Diff fluid?

Thanks all!

 

It's normal.

 

I drove 30 miles to work this morning doing about 70mph. When I got here, the only thing that was remotely warm was the leather boot around my transfer case shifter. All my center console was cool and up around the tranny shifter. The tranny hump was a little warmer, but thats normal. Its hard, how hot is yours getting? Like burning hot?

 

My t-case shifter gets hot not burring but hot to the touch, it also have a vibration with the girlfriend thinks is hot.

 

same here with mine