Hey all, want some opinions on which radiators you guys have and like? Is an aluminum worth the $$ over an oem one? Also I was planning on doing the manual transmission option of either and adding an external trans cooler. This all make sense to y’all?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I don't think it's worth the extra money, especially if you're bypassing with an external cooler.

I ran my external cooler in series rather than bypassing, since my radiator is only a year old.

OEM radiators are around $150 I think, and seem to last like 8-10 years easily.

Manual swap?

What's the year/trim/drive/etc of your rig?

My friend put an aluminum radiator (made in China) in his MB and it lasted less than 2yrs due to numerous small leaks.

Manual swap is a huge want later on but we’ll see if it comes to fruition. I’ve got a 2000 SR5 4wd, AT. I read on here somewhere that the radiators for the manual transmissions stuck up off the ground higher giving more ground/skid clearance. I figured I’ll bypass then I could do the manual trans radiator for above reasons and later on if I swap to manual trans I wouldn’t have to plug lines or anything even though it’s not a big deal to do. As for the aluminum, it seems kind of hit or miss. Some people love them and some don’t care for them. I don’t have cooling issues or anything but figured it was about time and I might as well do it when I do the timing belt.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

When I check Toyota Parts and Accessories - Official Online Store, the Toyota part number ( 16410AZ011 ) for the radiator assembly is the same for both AT and MT on the 2000 SR-5s. Both trucks also share a frame and mounts AFAIK, so I doubt there's any difference in placement or clearance. (Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.)

Now the 4WD and 2WD trucks do not share a frame exactly, but I believe the only difference is the location of one of the crossmembers. So I don't think there would be any difference in placement or clearance regarding the radiator assembly. (Again, somebody chime in if this it not correct.)

Yes to this. It's relatively cheap to replace the radiator and you might as well do it during another job. Especially since our original radiators definitely do not last forever, and when they fail, it can be rather catastrophic.

Good luck!

Somewhere I read that it was shorter, might’ve been eimkeith and the manual transmission with the 4 bangers. Definitely going to do it at the same time. Either way you didn’t add an external trans cooler though just ran it though your new oem one like the stock setup?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I ran my external cooler in series.

So the ATF flows like this:
Transmission -> OEM cooler -> external cooler -> Magnefine filter -> return to transmission.

I used B&M 70264 SuperCooler for my external cooler since it has a temperature-based auto-bypass feature to avoid over-cooling. It's also pretty big, which is good for my needs. We have big temperature swings in my neck of the woods: sub-zero in winter, above 100 degrees F in summer.

Change the Magnefine filter during each drain & fill.

Some links:
- Amazon.com: B&M 70264 SuperCooler Automatic Transmission Cooler: Automotive
- Amazon.com: Magnefine 3/8" Magnetic Inline Transmission/Power Steering Filter: Automotive

Would this still avoid the strawberry milkshake problem if it were to occur? It doesn’t seem like it would but I’m a bit of a newbie when it comes to all of this. It seems like the fluid could still get contaminated and get back to the transmission


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

running in series will NOT avoid the milkshake. Only not going through radiator will avoid that. However, if you get a quality radiator ( denso, toyota etc) it should last years and should not be a milkshake issue. I DO run in series, in part to keep my trans temps up when it gets cold. Proper maintaince of the radiator and the antifreeze is a big step to avoid milkshake.

My setup does not protect me from the strawberry milkshake.

But my radiator is only a year old. I think just by installing a new quality radiator, you greatly reduce your chances of the milkshake. It's a somewhat rare (though catastrophic) problem, and as far as I can tell, it only happens when things start breaking down with age/use.

That being said, I've never experienced the milkshake problem first hand, so if anyone reading this has, and I'm wrong, please jump in.

EDIT: sorry @3bears I didn't see your response until after I added mine.

EDIT: removed the paragraph about plastics breaking down since 3bears cites someone cutting open the radiator to reveal metal separating the two fluids.

I beleive someone on this forum in another thread cut apart an old radiator to see the internals. Yes the radiator is plastic, but the cooler for the trans is metal inside the radiator keeping the fluid apart. It is when the metal fails due to various reasons that the milkshake happens. The fittings also go in using O rings....guess those can fail. One of the common reasons is high acid due to poor maintaince of the fluids. At least thats my impression .

All the 4Runner radiators are the same size. The manual trans specific ones just omit the trans cooler in the bottom tank.

There are multiple Tacoma radiator options that are different heights that will bolt to the core support. If you want the smaller radiator, you'll need to get a "Tacoma" radiator and matching fan shroud and figure out the right lower radiator hose.

-Charlie

Ah that’s what it was. Seems like kind of more of a hassle than it’s worth.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk