so all this cooler talk, do the 5 speeds even need a cooler?

So if I'm looking at an '11 SR5, and anticipate towing two ATVs, I should install a cooler? I know the trucks, not just Toyota, have "tow packages." The 4Runner, like most SUVs I've found do not offer a "tow package." What exactly am I giving up in the SR5 by not having a tow package? And what exactly can I install myself to give my transmission the best performance? Do I just need to install a transmission cooler? Aux radiator? Thanks for the help!

Hi Folks, Earlier today I posted that the 2010 4Runner would need a aux. tranny cooler to tow 5,000 lbs. I cannot find the documentation that indicated that it did. I called the dealer, the response was that they do not need a cooler. The factory cooler is internal to the radiator. No aux. cooler needed.
Sorry for any confusion that I may have caused. Hottoes.

Look under the heading "power and performance". Also, open your hood and look in front of the radiator, that's where it is on mine. I tow a 5,000 pound travel trailer. I have a '05 V8 Sport Edition 2WD. I know this is for Canada, but they are probably all the same.



The 2011 Toyota 4Runner: Rugged heritage and go-anywhere ability meets power, efficiency and functionality both on and off the road / Toyota Canada, Inc.

Does anyone have the part number to the Hayden cooler? I have an 04 v6 and im looking to put a cooler in.

how the heck do you take the bottom grill off!?

forget my last post... too hard. i was able to do everything by simply removing the battery. now i'm ready to tow my boat with more confidence.

thanks to everyone for the great tips. esp the one about making a grommet out of hose. that was genius.

i'll add two things to this thread:
1) the only hose you have to do anything to is the bottom one from the radiator. it goes like this: bottom of radiator ==> cooler, cooler ==> hose that was attached to the bottom of the radiator.
2) there was a handy little chart on the box of the B&M cooler that shows the thermal capacity. had i seen this, i might have gone for a bigger cooler. i got the 70255. on the other hand, it blocks less of my AC condenser.



i have one question. what is that thing?

Just installed my Hayden 677; bought it at PepBoys for about $55-60. Used 3/8 ID coolant hose (bought 8' ; rest is spare hose) and used the plastic zip-tie connectors to mount the cooler to the condenser/radiator. The Hayden kit came with 5/16 hose, although the I/O connectors were 3/8.

I routed the lines through the same radiator frame (hole), used some cut hose to line the metal hole and protect the new lines to/from the cooler. Lost at most about a teaspoon of tranny fluid. Didn't refill or top off with any WS fluid.

Question...I don't recall what my dash engine coolant temp gauge read for normal operating temp... My gauge consistently reads right between Cold and Hot. Can anyone verify what their engine coolant gauge reads at normal op temp?

You're doing just fine. It should be right in the middle between cold & hot.

As for the tranny cooler - if we forget about the price factor for a second, wouldn't the OEM v8 cooler be the best option to apply on v6?

I've got my B&M 70264 mounted up and am ready to make the connections. Before I pull hoses I wanted to verify that I have the correct understanding of which trans fluid hose I will be tapping. I know that I will be using the fluid line coming OUT of the radiator trans cooler and from the pictures and descriptions (thanks CJ3Flyr and others) I think this means I will be pulling the lower of the two hoses that currently connect to the radiator, correct?

Many thanks to everyone that has added to this thread in the past!

Managed to get everything hooked up last night and verified via both the FSM (a little hard to confirm) and with my infrared thermometer that things are hooked up correctly and that it is indeed the lower of the two connections to the radiator that you pull and place the cooler in-line with.

I didn't splice cooler lines and instead just used fresh trans fluid line to make the run from the radiator to the right side of the cooler and from the left side of the cooler all of the way to the hard line on the bottom cross member. The infrared thermometer made it easy to see which direction things are flowing and that there's a temperature drop in the trans fluid across the cooler even when the fluid is only 110 degrees (about 10 degree drop during my observation).

I do think I'll change my transmission fluid this weekend. I drained one of the lines in to a container to get a feel for how worn the fluid is and it is a light-medium straw brown and smells like standard aircraft hydraulic fluid. When I cracked a brand new bottle of WS fluid it was pink and smelled totally different than my old fluid so out it is going to go. I'll be pulling the pan and changing the filter and then doing a flush by pulling a cooler line, filling the pan and running the engine just long enough until bubbles start to come out, repeating until I like the color of the fluid that's coming through the line.

I'll take pictures and post when able.

Hey Gang,
Just joined this forum as I just purchased an 01 Runner. So far all is good. As far as coolers go, at the shop (transmission) I work at, we always install the largest ones we can fit, which are the Tru-Cool LPD series. Also if you can fit a large cooler, we always eliminate the radiator. Especially if you have a lot of miles on the original radiator, we get a lot of high mile swimmers in the shop (coolant in trans)!! Just my 2 cents worth.
Randy

Lots of us have. Check my sig and also hit the search feature. I did mine one year ago after hitting 240F on moderate extended 4x4 climbs and less than two miles in to a 5% grade towing a 3500lb trailer. Highly recommend it for anyone who does anything other than flatland commutes with their 4Runner (and doesn't already have a cooler like the V8 does).

I don't recommend eliminating the primary (radiator) portion as you will not benefit from the temperature rise that the engine coolant can provide to the transmission fluid in cold conditions. Remember that your transmission was designed to work best with warm fluid from an efficiency and shift quality standpoint and running the transmission fluid through the coolant helps moderate the fluid temp on both ends.

If you're worried about pink milkshake then replace your radiator.

So did you experience any gear wash? I'm terrified of flushing my fluid with 225k miles on the truck. Not sure if it's been replaced already but I imagine I would get pretty bad gear wash if I flushed the fluid. Not sure about just draining and adding new fluid though (lots of old fluid and grit remaining).