Can anyone confirm that the top line that needs to be pulled on the radiator is on the passenger side on V8 models?

are you doing a fluid exchange? i cant confirm which line needs to be pulled on v8s, but to answer your question, both trans lines are on the passenger side of the radiator for v6 & v8's.

what are you planning to do with the top line? on v6s the botton line is the return to the trans & that is where you would pull the line to connect a hose to the outlet of the rad, not the rubber line itself. for v8's, the outlet should be the same location, but it runs to the aux cooler, then out of the cooler to the trans so you can unhook at the cooler outlet or before it at the radiator outlet port.

if you are pulling the top line to fill trans fluid like some do, its much easier & faster to run the line directly into the fill hole on the side of the trans, use a funnel connected to rubber hose to put the fluid in & let gravity work, or use a hand pump to pump it in, but the fill hole is the best way to refill the fluid.

Yeah I’m trying to figure out how to do the fluid exchange on the V8. I believe the line I took a pic of is the top transmission fluid line since I do remember that line having transmission fluid in it when we pulled it do get the radiator out “timing belt/water pump job).

The passenger side has 2 hard lines that lead to the transmission cooler.

So you’re saying I can unplug the one leading out of the cooler at the end of the hard line and use the fill port on the side of the transmission instead of filling the line that leads into the top of the cooler?

The upper line to the transmission cooler (built into the radiator) is the highest point in the system.
The highest point is where you want to pump a small quantity out, then refill EXACTLY that same amount into the "reservoir" (cooler).

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Thanks! That’s why I was asking if anyone could verify that was the right spot that I took a picture of above, it seems the V8 has it on the passenger side.

I just flushed my power steering but now I need to go find a funnel that will fit in the 3/8” ID tubing.

i dont own a v8 so i dont want to say for sure how the trans cooler is routed.. but, it should be the same inlet & outlet on the radiator as a v6. so the top port on the rad is the output from the trans, it then goes through the internal cooler in the rad & come out the bottom port back to the trans. you have a v8 with the aux trans cooler so it should be routed that the outlet of the bottom rad port then goes into the aux cooler & then the line coming out goes to the trans inlet.

where the v8 uses hard lines for the aux cooler im not for sure but looking at the pic, it looks like the bottom rad port is a rubber line
that goes to the cooler, so you should be able to unhook it there just like a v6.

& using either the top or the bottom line/port works the same, but when using the top line you need to buy an adapter to connect a longer tube to run into the drain bucket on the ground since the fluid is coming out the end of the hose. when using the bottom port on the rad tank itself, a short piece of 3/8 tube fits right over the outlet port where the fluid come out & can be ran to the drain bucket with a couple feet of clear 3/8 tube. & no fluid comes out of the open end of the bottom hose if you keep it upright.

then when filling from up top in the passenger side engine bay area you can run a longer tube with a funnel on the top to the fill hole on the radiator, have a friend hold the funnel or some hang it from the hood with some wire, it goes a LOT faster than trying to fill it through the radiator or aux cooler port & run through the internal cooler & all the thin lines. so yes, you can fill through the fill hole in the pass side of the trans, which is what its designed for. go to home depot or lowes & buy 10ft of clear 3/8 vinyl tube for a few bucks.

hope that makes sense.

there is no reason to have to pump out fluid from the highest point... you arent dealing with air or bleeding/burping anything.

as i mentioned above, using the top line requires an adapter to connect an extension of hose to the drain container on the ground. when using teh bottom (outlet) port on the radiator the clear 3/8 tube slides right over the port, use a short piece of line into the drain pan. just an easier way to do it & the trans is pumping out the same fluid as if it came from the top rubber line.

when filling, i agree to refill the same amount that came out, but doing it through the actual fill hole in the trans is so much faster & easier. & you do want to keep the refilled amount close to the same, but its not that important if you are a little over or under a tad, since when checking the fluid you want it a little over full so you can verify when the fluid comes to a trickle, which means its full.

doing an exchange works either way though, up to you on which way you prefer. i prefer faster & easier with same end results. ;)

Still in the process as we speak, so I figured I’d kill some time by posting some pics. “Lifetime fluid” my ass.

Saved the best (longest job) for last. Before that I replaced my drive belt idler pulley and she purrs...I forgot how quiet this engine is supposed to be. I guess I got used to sounding like an electric tram going down the road. Flushed the power steering today as well, no symptoms but I figured might as well since it’s been an ATF sorta day.

Thanks for all the input y’all, I truly appreciate it.

glad you got it done. & like i said, it can be done both ways with the same end results, the way i described is just more direct & faster.

nothing wrong with the way you did it, just takes an extra part for the adapter & probably took quite a bit longer to fill through the top rad port than a straight shot into the trans fill hole, but the funnel up high using gravity is how to do it whichever way you choose.

kudos on using maxlife too, please report back with how the trans shifts & feels, my fluid looked like yours, very dark... new max life made a noticeable improvement on mine, although im sure new WS would be an improvement over old worn out dark WS too.

Honestly, I shoulda had a hand pump either way lol. It took longer than expected but all went well (steep driveway?). I also realize it coulda possibly have been even easier doing it from the top of the transmission cooler...ah well.

So far the MaxLife has been great, shifts seem smoother and everything seems great, no complaints. I should reset the ECU to relearn all the shifting behaviors though, probably couldn’t hurt.

Thank you!

I went to the local Toyota dealership and had them drain/fill the trans, brake fluid, and rear end (it's a 2Runner, so no front differential/transfer to mess with).

I'll continue to keep an eye on my radiator and coolant level. I great, greatly appreciate your help!

Well my old rusty oil cooler line finally started leaking.

Does anyone no the proper way to get it back to the correct fluid level after I have replaced the lines?


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do a search on here or youtube or google or the service manual for the proper procedure to check trans fluid level...

but the jist of it is to bring the trans to proper temp, then pull the check plug & let drain until its a trickle.

Sorry, found it but can’t link it.

I just replaced the hard lines and the short hoses with about 4’ of new hose and zip ties to secure. Added a quart for now starting to get it back up.

Man it goes so slow adding fluid through the cooler line!!!

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i would not suggest using zip ties for the connections, re-use the factory metal clamps or buy some real hose clamps.

do you know how much fluid leaked out? if not, adding a full qt has likely overfilled the trans... a slight leak will take a long time to lose a full qt. even a 6" puddle on the ground will only be about 1/2 cup.

yes filling trans fluid through the cooler line takes a long time because it has to run through the very thin lines & the cooler tubes itself, then all the way back to the trans... the best way to fill trans fluid is through the fill hole on the side of the trans as it was designed for.