I know this write-up has been done before, but I haven't seen any writeups that go into significant detail on mounting the cooler via the zip tie method. Also, I took a lot of photos which might help someone out.

After about a month of digging through threads here and on YT regarding the pros and cons of adding an aftermarket transmission cooler to my 1997 T4R, I decided that it was the right choice for me and my vehicle’s usage. With 162,000 miles on the odometer, I would get nervous on every road trip that I’d be left stranded by a failed stock transmission cooler/radiator and the “Pink Milkshake”.

Here’s another thread here on T4R.org that has a bunch of pictures of different mounting options that people have used and some miscellaneous information on this procedure.

Writeup on tranny cooler install???

After looking at all the options, including Tru-Cool, B&M, and the TRD transmission coolers, I decided that for my needs the B&M 70268 SuperCooler would work just fine.

This cooler is rated at @13,000 BTU (vs. the thicker 70264 @ 14,400 BTU) and I liked the idea of having a thinner cooler, while not giving up much in the way of cooling capability. The B&M 70268 measures 11”x 7-1/2”x 3/4”, so you can fit it just about anywhere behind the bumper/grille on a 4Runner.



I purchased my cooler in June of this year on Amazon.com for $52.24 + $7.08 S&H, for a total of $59.32. B&M sells them directly for about $70, and I’m not sure if they charge for shipping.

Besides what is included with the B&M SuperCooler, I had to purchase the following (from Autozone) at a cost of about $25:

1. Two 5/8” – ¾” Steel Hose Clamps (The kit includes 4)
2. 4 feet of 3/8” Inner Diameter Transmssion Hose (The kit includes 4 feet of 5/16” ID hose)
3. 1 foot of 3/4” Heater Hose
4. 2 quarts of Dexron III Automatic Transmission Fluid
5. A pack of Zip Ties (6” & 11”)

I started by removing my grille and skid-plate. I left the bumper on for the installation. The grille is easily removed by pressing the little tabs that retain it to its mounting points downward with a flathead screwdriver. You can see the tabs by looking at the front end of the holes/locations where the grille mounts to the body. I know some guys have had a hard time with the grille removal, so here's a few shots of the tabs you're looking for:

Looking at the grille from the front, the bottom right:



The top, center:



And the bottom center:



The hardest part of the job was getting the old rubber transmission hoses off of the steel lines coming from the transmission. After years of heat cycling, they were really stuck on there, not to mention it’s a really tight fit in there to get the hose clamps off. What worked for me was to grab the hose with pliers where it fit over the steel lines and twist back and forth until the rubber hose broke free from the steel line. Even then, I had to pull pretty hard on the hoses to get them off the steel lines. When the first one came loose, my hand shot back and hit the bottom of the radiator tank, skinning a good section off the back of my hand.



I’d wear some gloves for this part of the job. I had to buy some the next day to finish the job since my hand was shredded and I didn’t want grease/dirt/transmission fluid getting in the wound.

I lost about 1/3 quart of transmission fluid out of the transmission lines and stock cooler after I had all the rubber hoses pulled. Next I connected a 4 foot section of transmission hose to both the send and return lines from the transmission. In this pic, the send line is on the left, the return line is on the right. (There is a great write up on YT that has a photo of which line is which here >>>> (TRD Transmission Cooler - 3rd Gen 4Runner - YotaTech Forums)



The route I chose for the hoses was up along the passenger side of the radiator, and through the hole in the radiator support where the A/C lines pass through, and then to the cooler itself.

Looking up from under the truck at the passenger side of the radiator and the new transmission hoses routed up to the hole for the A/C lines…



Looking up to where the lines pass though the radiator support, through the hole between the frame and the inner fender on the passenger side…



I had originally planned to use the 3/4” heater hose as a sheath like Speedy did here in his install >>> ((Project SportRunner - Transmission Cooler).

This didn’t work out so well for me because once I sheathed the transmission hoses with the heater hose, they were too thick to pass through the hole for the A/C lines (Speedy actually cut a new hole in the radiator support for his installation). What I did instead was take a section of heater hose about 8” long and cut it lengthwise, then notched it every two inches to allow it to bend easily. I took this cut section of heater hose and used it to line the hole for the A/C lines, eliminating any concern about the sharp edges of the hole causing abrasion and holes in the transmission hoses. When cut precisely, the heater hose fits very tightly in this hole and is actually held in place by the A/C lines and transmission hoses.

When it came time to mount the cooler, I was a bit frustrated from the experimenting and I just wanted it over with. I decided to use the method recommended in the installation instructions from B&M. They include 4 specialized zip ties that you insert through the fins in your radiator, A/C condenser, and mounting holes on the transmission cooler. They also include 4 stick-on foam pads that isolate the transmission cooler from the A/C condenser and prevent the two from rattling against each other. I was a bit leery of pushing the zip ties through my radiator and A/C condenser, but it ended up being no big deal. They push right through, and the only consequence is that they bend some of the fins between the coolant passages on the radiator/condenser. This method was much easier than rigging up a system of bolts, metal straps, and brackets which could have taken awhile. It is very secure and I think it will last the life of the vehicle (or until I have to replace the radiator/condenser, at which point I’ll have to buy some new ties to re-secure the cooler).

The special zip ties on the transmission cooler side, trimmed after mounting….You can see the stick-on foam pad behind the cooler…



And on the radiator side… notice how they have small square plate on the radiator side to prevent them from pulling through the radiator/condenser. This lets you pull them nice and snug, and once mounted, the transmission cooler isn’t going anywhere.



After that I connected the cooler side of the lines, with the send line connected to the top barb and the return hose connected to the bottom barb. (Note: There is some debate as to which is the best way to mount the cooler, i.e. barbs up, barbs down, or barbs to the side. From the research I did, barbs to the side, with the fluid flowing into the cooler at the top is the best option. This is because there is not much pressure in the transmission lines and mounted in this fashion, gravity helps to draw the fluid down through the cooler and out the return line, minimizing any pressure drop due to the cooler.) Here's a shot of the cooler all mounted up with the lines routed and clamped to the cooler.



You can see the stick-on foam pads in this picture too, along the left side of the cooler…



Finally I used some leftover transmission hose and two clamps to connect the barbs of the stock transmission cooler that come out of the bottom of the radiator. Now if the radiator ever bursts internally and starts leaking through the internal transmission cooler, I won’t lose all my coolant.



I also used a section of the cut 3/4” heater hose to shield the new transmission hoses from rubbing on the frame. I simply wrapped a cut section of 3/4 inch hose around the two new transmission fluid hoses between the two hoses and the frame, then zip tied it in place.



Last but not least, I decided to do a little test to see how well the stock radiator fan was pulling air through the new cooler. I saw this test in a write-up over on YT. First I started up the truck, put it in Park, and let it settle down into a smooth idle. I twisted up a paper towel and lit it on fire, then blew out the flames so it would produce some smoke. I then held it right in front of the grille to see where the smoke went. Sure enough it got pulled through the transmission cooler, and fast. I am convinced that when the cooler is mounted in this fashion, even at idle (as well as low speed driving, wheeling the truck, etc.) the stock radiator fan will pull enough air through the cooler to keep the transmission fluid sufficiently cool.

Pic of the smoke test…

Nice write up. I think this is the first real write up actually besides the TRD one on YT. The only thing I would add is that it's easier and saves skin to use a razor or exacto to cut the old lines off the metal cooler lines. They come off fairly easy once you slit them. I can't imagine trying to yank them off without slitting them first. That must have been fun!

Nice writeup. +1 on cutting off the old hoses with a knife or razor.

I installed mine using the zip ties as well. I instLled mine in the opposite direction though. Square tab tab on the cooler side and clipped on the radiator side.

Great write up man. I'm curious to see what would happen if did that smoke test with my setup.

Very detailed writeup. Nice job!
Curiosity question: Has anyone experienced any warning signs leading up to the dreaded Pink/Strawberry milkshake syndrome? Or, anything one can look for on their stock radiator/transmission cooler/fluids to indicate this may happen in the near future?

Mine was shifting hard. IDK if it was shifting hard pre-milkshake though or if there was already milkshake present.

Nice! I finished my install of the B&M today. I had some teflon jacket material that I used to snake over the hoses to protect them from chafing. I programmed my Scanguage to check the temp, it's now around 165F on one of the hottest days we've had yet.

Here's how I mounted mine...



Since I had two coolers, one for each 4Runner, I borrowed the extra cable from the 2nd one then went to auto parts store and bought 8' of tubing for the next install. One down, one to go...

Very nice write-up. This should be stickied and put under the maint section.

I installed my Hayden 677 pretty much the same way. As a few others have mentioned I had to cut the lines to get them off, it was a biatch!

The problem I had with my install was the supplied line was too small and I didnt figure that out until after I cut off the old lines. Had to ride my bicycle to the parts store to get the larger line (felt like a tweaker).

Getting the new rubber lines over the existing metal lines was a PITA too. One went all the way and the other almost made it, but it fell a little short.

thanks for the writeup bigfish.... just about finished up mine tonight. just have to connect the hoses to the cooler and mine will be done. followed just like you said and i also used the same b&m cooler. finally got time to get it done. thanks

The supplied lines are tight but you can get them on. I dipped a qtip in ATF and lubed the inside of the line. It was still tight but I got the lines on.

bigfish where do you live. i will say this i am running the same cooler plus a secondary cooler which is infact is bigger then this but is not the same design and im reading any where from 150 to 190 going up hills at 75 mph in the out line so i know the cooler is doing its job because its 115 here in phx in the summer so you may want to look into what temps your tranny is running. i was also mounted them the same way so that way but was told by my nieghbor who is a transmission specialist to mount it with the feed at the bottom to ensure full use of the cooler. so im running a combined total cooling cap. of 29,000 btu and it took about 12.5 quarts of tranny fluid when did the flush so there is plenty of extra on tap in the coolers. and the cooler the temps between 130-180 is best long lasting life for the oil

So you have your coolers right up against your condenser and seeing temps of 150-190* or is there any space between the condenser and coolers? I have a total cooling capacity of 29,000 BTU also, since I decided to go with the gigantic B&M 70274. With the way that I have the cooler mounted, there is about 1.5-2 inches of space between the ATF cooler and condenser and I was wondering what temps the tranny is now seeing. Don't have a gauge to monitor the temp yet and my scangauge can't read the temps since mine is a 98.

on one im using the brackets and is about 1/2 inch away the other is right up against the condensor and those reading are on the out line of the transmission so if they are coming out the transmission at this temp they must be lower in the pan.

Thanks BigFish! Awesome write up, great pics and detail. I'll be using this one when I do my tranny cooler!