I recently acquired a 2001 4runner with 104,xxx miles. I am no stranger to trucks or doing my own P/M and repairs. I did not see an answer to the information I am looking for in a search.

I know there is some debate on the accuracy of the reading a scanguage gives, but since that is what I am using I would love to hear what others are seeing in regards to the temps on their SC. I normally put an external cooler on anything with an auto, but my current temps are leading me to believe I can wait for now.

Current scenario:

Its about 30 degrees here in MI today. According to the SC, tranny warms up rather quickly and then hovers between 130 running around the city and down to a low of 112 on the highway doing 70. My truck prior to this, 2005 Colorado, would slowly rise to about 120 given the same scenario but would not fluctuate like I am seeing this Toyota do. With the refresh rate on the SC set to fast, I can see rises and falls in the temp by 5-10 degrees in as many seconds. I do notice it rise when coasting and I can assume this is because the TC unlocks, hence creating heat.

 

Search "strawberry milkshake" and your mind may change about waiting on the external cooler so you can completely skip the radiator cooler.

I'm 120 around town, 100 down the highway at the same air temp with a external cooler only and measured on the output line by a Autometer gauge.

Lot of threads around here on the subject.

 

I am familiar with the OE tranny cooler calling it quits. I have read what happens with the internal cooler fails. But I live in a cold climate and the benefit of having the engine coolant warm the tranny fluid is one I do not want to be without.

I have searched and I am not asking what happens when the internal cooler goes. I have read plenty on that.

The failure rate of the internal cooler does not appear to be so high that it is an immediate concern. Will it probably happen tomorrow now that Ive said that...

I do not see that my current temps warrant an external cooler at this time. As it warms up I will do it, but I have other things I can do right now.

My question is what are others tranny temps running at. I did not see much in the way of that information in anything I searched.

 

....recognizing, of course, that the radiator does not add any more heat to the tranny fluid than the radiator ambient temperature until after the thermostat opens up and heated coolant begins to circulate.

I find that my tranny temp is 100, before the engine is at 180deg at which point the t-stat is just beginning to open.

 

Good point. That had not crossed my mind. The 4L60E in my previous truck did not warm up as quickly as the tranny in this 4runner.

 

A thread with some real temp data:
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f2/t...esults-200965/

BTW, welcome aboard!

 

Thanks for the link. Exactly what I was looking for. I had not seen that in my search.

 

Welcome! The good tranny temp data tends to be buried in the external cooler threads around here.

 

I have a temp gauge on mine and it sits about the same as your temps when I was stock and about 20-25 degrees hotter with the high stall converter except for the highway driving where it is the same.

 

i had no idea they made gauges to check transmission temps. that baffles me

 

http://www.glowshiftdirect.com/Tinte...ure-gauge.aspx

Yep, all sorts of options for transmission temp gauges. There are gauges for just about everything. I have most of them lol.

 

http://www.autometer.com/cat_gaugede...id=3810&sid=-2

The one I use.

 

I use the scangauge to monitor my temps... Pure highway im at 110-120... In an hour of summertime stop and go traffic i had it reach 230 until i started moving again.... It usually stays in the 130-160 range for mixed driving...